28 February 2009

Alpa diulit mimpi

Melihat dengan mata, nur dan aini
Nampaklah zat namun tidak dimengerti
Mencari dan mengenal diri
Melihat dengan mata hati
dengan ilmu terpancar lah kebenaran sudahnya pasti
Hakiki itu pada hati
Hati yang tidur jangan sampai mati



Agong itu satu, Al-Mutakabbir
Tandanya pada makluk dan kejadian
Agar tiada hijab dihati
Pada yang memerhati dan mencari
Hakikat alam anugerah diberi



Mumkinul wujud tiada abadi
Tempoh waktu berlari-lari tiada berhenti
tersesat jalan tiada pedoman cari kebenaran
Hakikat kehidupan tiada kesudahan
Sombongku terpana dugaan
Alpaku terselit ujian
Robbul alamin ku sandarkan pengabdian



...

23 February 2009

A rather eventful weekend #2 - Cool bloggers' meeting

Thank you Maria for these nice and lovely personalised cupcakes. Yummy!


The meeting with cool bloggers Maria and Rose was simply marvelous. That was the first time all of us met actually - out from the cyberspace and into the real world. It all started when a curious Maria did not satisfy with my answer on something that I described earlier on my blog. And I promised to explain it in detail if we can have a 'teh tarik' session somewhere. Somehow though, during the meeting I couldn't help myself and so captivated with man-to-man talk with the two cool guys, the conundrum left unanswered. Even after the meeting I am sure she is still and wondering and puzzled over that particular brainteaser. She was left deep in though she even forgot to notice her 'maggie goreng' was getting colder. Luckily her gorgeous Ayesha came to the rescue and finished it up.

I told Maria that I was going to be a bit late since we have just come back from Kelang with my parent and my wife has to settle few domestic chores first. The place was at a 'kedai mamak' in TESCO Shah Alam. The meet up became more interesting when, Rose aka Cabaikering came all the way from Penang and agreed to join up.

The get together meeting turned out to be a very memorable one. Rose accompanied by his handsome hubby, Adam together with their lovely kids Ali-boy and Meerza. While Maria came with her full entourage of cheerful Faizal, and two gorgeous little kids - Adam and Ayesha. I didn't bring along my soldiers as they insisted on staying at home with their Grandparent.

Time did flies and we were so engrossed talking to each others, we did not realize it was almost 11 p.m and the shop is about to close its business for the day. We were the last person actually to leave the shop and everybody seemed to be very excited and looking forward for another meeting soon.

For a full report you can visit Maria blog here and by Rose here. As suspected, both has unwittingly blown up my true persona. There goes my cover up :) Thank you Maria for organizing the meeting and thank you Rose for coming all the way from Penang and taking the effort in meeting us. The next round, probably and hopefully going to be a bigger turn up and I think unanimously you are the best person to be our cool bloggers' event organizer now :)

22 February 2009

A rather eventful weekend #1 - A golden moment revisited

Despite having to spend almost an entire evening at Subang Jaya Medical Centre Emergency Unit, assisting a friend who was admitted for a motor accident, this weekend was considered as a blissful one for me.

I have been waiting for these joyful moments with full of excitement and anticipation. The soothing feeling was just like a child waiting eagerly for their beloved parent coming back home from their daily chores. The feeling never fade away.

My parent came last Thursday for a short weekend visit. As usual, they will spend one night each at their children's house, just to be fair. I have 2 other siblings staying in Kay El. Siblings' rivalry could be very complicated if not handled properly and my parent knew this very well. A dispute over a candy is something that can be considered as a childish tantrum, but parental love is withoug doubt any children craving for - even for a cool guy like me :)

During my childhood and adolescent years, I seldom talk that much to my father. I only got to talk to him whenever there was some good reasons to do so or the subject was really need his urgent attention. Most of the time, my mother became my medium. I figured out it was because I have so much adoration and utmost respect to him, and not out of fear.

But now, I fell very relief and happy at the same time as we can talk and discuss at length on almost any issues. That was what we did last weekend. Heavenly!



My beloved mother - a wonderful woman in my life. She has done so much and devoted her entire life to our family. I can't possibly describe my feeling, but she will always have a special place deep in my heart. However, those golden treasures of which could probably weigh in tonnes that she displayed openly has really got me worried (it is very typical and a norm for a Terengganu lady to flaunt those jeweleries in public) . "Kat Ganu takpe Che'...kat Kay El kena hati-hati sikit - terjojol biji mata orang nanti".


Next on my parent tour itinerary was to visit my other sibling in Kelang. Ustazah Hjh. Hazlina is a very independent individual who has never believed that working for somebody else could be as satisfying as and more rewarding than becoming her own boss. I admire her hardworking and perseverance attitude. Since she came back from Al-Azhar, she operates her own Islamic daycare centers and doing freelancing works for various religious departments. Now she and her husband (later I found out he is one of the silent readers of this blog :) has committed heavily on looking after a privately run rehab center, looking after the unfortunate ones. May God bless you and your good deeds.



One of my younger brothers is still in the course of doing his technical training at Seremban. So on the second day, off we went to Seremban for another stop-over. I've just found out that this cafe, "Temiang Cafe" serves a very delicious 'roti pisang'.


Taking the new LEKAS highway from Seremban to Kajang (I can vouch on the 'lekas'ness of this highway), our next stop in the itinerary was the famous sate outlet at the heart of the Kajang town for that delectable indulgence .



p/s: cool bloggers' meeting is another agenda in our exciting weekend. I will write and share the cool experience in the next entry.

18 February 2009

Lock, stock and barrel

Standing proudly beside the lifeless tiger, gloriously feeling like an English aristocrat claiming his game trophy as a symbol of valor and prestige. But taming the wild beasts within is almost as exasperating and yet another battle to fight for.

...................................................................................................................

Looking at that rustic photo of me and the tiger, I just can't wipe the smile off my face. I can still vividly remember the proud feeling of standing over the mighty but then-lifeless beast, holding my father's unloaded gun and posing for that momentous photo shot. The triumphant feeling was probably similar to the feeling of blood-gushing adrenalin when a headhunter beheading their enemy's head. Nope...that was too gross. It was more to a sweet memory of an eight years old schoolboy, having the trust of his proud father to guard the lifeless tiger.

That was not the first time though I had that same feeling engulfing me. That same feeling I had every time I were to be at close proximity with these wild beasts or when I came face to face with the same species at my office. You know, that beastly beings that roaming mercilessly, looking for their helpless prey down the corridor.

This is not about the poaching adventure I had during my adolescent years. Tiger is a protected animal and an endangered species (This put them in the same league as prolific writers in our organization). Their numbers is dwindling fast all over the world. If there is no continuous effort to conserve this beautiful animal, our next generation to come will think that a Bengal big cat is as docile as their Persian kitty pet.

That photo was taken in Kemaman, Terengganu circa 1976. It was a normal scene every time my father, who was a 'pegawai mergastua' at the time, coming back from one of his official duty from the deep jungle in the rural area. In almost all occasions, he will bring back with him his game 'trophies'. Some can be very cute life specimens from the other wild species, which later became my pet for a short period of time before officials from his department took away my pet for their safe keeping. If my memory is still good, among the long list of interesting pets that I have was a baby sun bear, a porcupine, 'siamang' and 'mawas', a tiger cub and mousedeers to be exact.

Whenever, my father went out into the jungle, which could last for several days, I can sensed my mother's anxiety, from the somber look on her face. Suddenly, there was no more blabbering to our mischievous activities. I knew, she was very worried and praying for my father's safety. Once I overheard my father related to my mother the story of his junior colleague, during one of his tiger's stake-out (a tree ran, usually a few yard from a carcass previously attacked by a tiger), came down from their tree ran for a midnight wee. In split seconds, an injured tiger leaped out from nowhere and attacked the man. My father and his other colleagues gunned down the tiger, thus saved the poor fellow from becoming a glaring headline in the local newspaper.

I still remember especially during the monsoon seasons, when migratory birds flocked the wet paddy fields or resting on the nipah tree lining the river near my kampong in Terengganu, my father will take me and my younger brother for a river cruise with our grandfather's boat to shoot few birds with his shot gun. It was almost like an annual ritual, a father and sons get together thing. The sound of the gun shot was so thunderous I have to close my ears with both hands. The delectable taste of these birds (we called the white bird 'burong kuto' and 'itik air' for birds that settled on the paddy fields) was awesome.

That was 28 years ago, but even the taste is something that I would still longing for, I wouldn't eat the bird now as the H5N1 is far more precarious. Once when I was considerably stronger, my father taught me to shoot squirrels that infested on the fruits of our villagers. Instead I shot many coconut on the tree as my practice and this really enraged my grandfathers as it turned out most of the coconut trees were his :)

My father has long retired from his service and surrendered the gun to the authority. I've never had any chance to get my hand on the gun since then. Spending a moment or two with my father, some time feeling like a predator hunting for its prey was my lifetime memorable experience. So precious!

15 February 2009

Seven deadly sins

While blog-hopping from one cyberspace into another, on many occasions I stumbled upon people, who shares their eating out experiences in uncommon places that I've never thought of going to before . This has led me to satisfy my curiosity and at the same time indulging myself into this fat-accumulating activity. So during the last public holiday, instead of having the normal eating out in our regular restaurant, my significant half and I ventured out a little bit while at the same time trying to tickle our taste bud with something a bit different from the usual.

One of these eating establishments that have caught our attention was Al-Diafah. A middle eastern restaurant, situated at Sri Petaling, which was not very far from the Endah Parade Mall. If one was not very familiar with this area, it was very easy to get lost as this restaurant was quite hidden and away from the main road. You know, the signage in Malaysia can be very misleading if there was one, and finding this place you really have to rely solely on your sense of direction or the correct constellation if you are lucky enough.

The parking space however was the plus point as there was a big one at the back of this restaurant. The ambiance was very unique with intricate middle-eastern decor and you'll get this feeling as if you are dining in...of course... the middle eastern restaurant. The choice of foods has not disappointed us, and the taste was really mindbogglingly fantastic. Their signature dish (Al-diafah rice) was something that I will try again. The service was fast and friendly. It was worth to mention here that their washroom was really super clean to the extend you can have a nap there if you wanted to. A young boy will wait eagerly for you at the entrance (washroom) and gladly spraying a very refreshing perfume onto your palm. First class treatment don't you think?

Our dining escapade however didn't last there. The next day we ventured into another part of the town in searching for another gastronomic adventure. Al-Rawsha restaurant, off Jalan Ampang (Jalan Damai) was our next target. This establishment turned out to be a Lebanese restaurant. It was not very difficult to find this place as Kelab Aman was just on the opposite side of the small road . There was however hardly any parking space and you will have to park your car on the yellow-lined by road, of which was illegal of course. To make the matter worst, there was also some "ulat" who will pester you to park the car at their designated 'save' spots, and it will cost you RM3.

The open food court concept just could not match al-Diafah and the ambiance was not as glamorous as one would have expected. The choice of food didn't disappoint us though but somehow the taste was nothing to shout about. If you couldn't understand a word in Arabic, you would be fooled by their staffs appearance as most were Bangladeshi (the Bangladesh embassy is just at the back of this restaurant).

In short, Al-Diafah has to be my pick of the week in almost every aspects - the accessibility, food, ambiance and the service. Since I have committed one of the deadly sins within the span of two days, I have to repent and forgo the nasi lemak and teh tarik sessions for the next two weeks.


The cosy and subtle ambiance at Al-Diafah will make your dining experience a memorable one.


The fresh salad.


A hibiscus tea and sweet pudding to end the big feast.


This sarbat is a complimentary - on the house.


An open concept restaurang, with colorful canvas as a roof - resemble a Bedouin tent at Al-Rawsha.


Mendy chicken with rice - this one serving is quite a big portion for us and enough for two actually.

08 February 2009

The darkest side of the moon

Arm with just a pencil and blank papers, the big cake has to be distributed well among the party goers. It seemed that some has bitten more than they can chew.


It has been a while since I last updated my blog. If this space constitutes of organic matters, probably some rust or mildew has started to show its presence by now. But thanks to my fellow bloggers, who have from time to time diligently kept this cyber-medium nourishing and lively. In a way the nice wishes and comments, that I unintentionally left unanswered, uplifted my spirit and motivated me to share my experience here.

I think the chilling temperature up the hill has some effect on my whole mental state. It took my frozen brain 3 days to thaw to the room temperature and manage to function normally. Normal in a sense that I can consciously figure out for example, down in my office at the bamboo river there are only two tea/coffee breaks as compared to the countless similar breaks up there in the hill. If you take into account the many short nerve-cracking breaks for our nicotine-addicted friends, then I am not ashamed to shortlist the event in Genting into our special edition of Guinness World Record for the most number of 'high' people conferring in a meeting.

However, looking at the current Malaysian standard my confused mental state is still considered not that bad at all. Of late, there is this neighboring state, her internal affair is so peculiar, frog is fast becoming a popular pet and party-jumping is becoming deliriously anticipated, along the way making gate-crashing into somebody's house is no more acceptable. Treason is another fashionable glossary item and I don't want to be in any part of it. I am sure most of us especially the descendants of Datuk Maharaja Lela are very much well-versed by now with this issue, thus I have no intention to deliberate it any further.

Well, back to the business that has kept me away for quite some time from reaching to my fellow friends and family and leading my normal life at the same time. It is worth to mention though that my meeting was surprisingly considered a successful one, surpassing similar meeting that was held two years ago at the same place. In short, the timetable that I suspected earlier going to be a dodgy one turned out to be meticulously planned by my fellow chief accountant and quite mind-bending at the same time, toying around with millions of ringgit tax-payer's money. If everything is according to plan and God's willing, I will be handling copious and absurd amount of money, enough to stimulate our micro economy for few years. That is going to be my contribution toward our economic stimulus package, so to speak.

For those who are expecting some souvenir from the hill tribes, or wishing to see some nice photos of me enjoying myself in the Solero shot or the flying coaster, sorry guys. I just couldn't make it that far. Probably next trip I will do. That biennial congregation has really entrapped us in one room after another from morning until almost midnight. Ever heard the phrase of so close but yet so far? If it was not for the karaoke session during the gala dinner that really made our day and offered some opportunity for our in-house stars to show-off with their hidden talent, many would have suffered a pneumonia already.

All in all it was a nice retreat. A roller coaster journey down the misty hill through the scenic Ulu Yam road, bypassing the crowded Batu Cave trunk road has left some nice impression on me. I hope the next retreat would be nearer to Putrajaya as we will surely receive some quick respond from the people who are entrusted with the wealth of our country. When I asked my fellow chief accountant why he was so sentimental in having twice the meeting up in the hill, his answer was "the altitude make us closer to our Creator, our prayer will be answered even faster". I hope he was right.

03 February 2009

Over the hills and far away...

Today I am off to Genting Highlands for some high powered meetings with the top managements and representatives from various ministries until this weekend. Looking at the dodgy timetable, it is going to be another long day for me. I'd been there two years ago for the similar meeting, but I am not sure though if the Internet connection is good enough for me to update this blog. So if this blog looks very quiet and creepy for the next few days, just bear with me.

Until then, I hope you guys do take care and have a good week ahead. I will enjoy my long siesta up the hill with lot of yawnings in between the meetings.

01 February 2009

Seventh sons of a seventh son

Masih lagi cerita TAG. surat berantai dari cik mimie. Jawapannya...

7 ciri wanita/lelaki idaman anda
  1. wanita yang mempunyai sifat kewanitaan
  2. wanita yang menghargai sifat kewanitaan
  3. wanita yang menghormati dirinya sebagai seorang wanita
  4. wanita yang mengekalkan sifat dan ciri-ciri kewanitaanya
  5. wanita yang masih wanita
  6. wanita yang tahu menjaga hati lelakinya
  7. seorang wanita dan hanya wanita
7 ciri wanita/lelaki yang anda tidak suka
  1. wanita tapi lelaki
  2. lelaki tapi wanita
  3. wanita pot pet (sekali sekala o.k)
  4. wanita banyak kaki
  5. wanita panjang kaki
  6. wanita yang tidak tahu menjaga hati lelakinya
  7. wanita itu, jika bercakap matanya bulat
7 orang yang anda pernah minati seumur hidupmu
  1. Ayahanda
  2. Bonda
  3. nenda
  4. adinda
  5. adiknda
  6. anakanda
  7. cikgunda
7 perasaan jika keluar dengan orang yang anda minati
  1. sayang
  2. kasih
  3. rindu
  4. cinta
  5. mesra
  6. belaian
  7. hormat
7 tempat istimewa yang ingin dilawati bersama pasangan

Tujuh keajaiban dunia (Seven wonders of the world)

7 barangan istimewa yang akan dihadiahkan kepada pasangan
  1. anak pertama
  2. anak kedua
  3. anak ketiga
  4. anak keempat
  5. anak kelima
  6. anak keenam
  7. anak ketujuh
7 lagu yang anda akan dinyanyikan kepada pasangan
  1. sekuntum mawar merah
  2. Munkir bahagia
  3. Tika begini
  4. Careless whisper
  5. Suatu masa
  6. Hingga akhir nanti
  7. Lagu selamat harijadi pada ulangtahun hari lahirnya
7 rakan yang anda akan tag

Tujuh orang pertama yang menjadi follower blog ini :)

jangan mare, nanti kena jual.

In no particular order

Sebenarnya sudah lama menyimpan tag-tag dari rakan-rakan blogger. Baru kali ini berkesempatan mencari, membaca soalan-soalan tersebut dan menjawabnya. Insyallah akan disempurnakan semuanya. Mungkin ada yang telah basi, tapi tak mengapa. Jemputan perlu dipenuhi dan janji perlu ditepati. Jika ada tag yang terlepas pandang kerana terlampau lama diperam, harap ada yang mengingati.

(Ada satu tag yang tidak dijumpai sehingga sekarang iaitu dari Cik Aimanis, itu tag pertama yang terima. blog beliau pun tidak dapat dilawati secara tiba-tiba entah mengapa - harap maklum cik Aimanis ya)

1. Copy badge “2008 Cute’s 3logger Award” untuk diletakkan di blog anda.




2. Link/ceritakan kembali siapa yang memberikan award ini kepada anda.

tag ini adalah dari miss izzah. Beliau masih belajar di kolej yang penuh dengan pijat dan dia komplen selalu gatal-gatal. Sekarang tengah berdiet. Selalu merindui abangnya yang tersayang. Romantis gitu.

3. Setiap blogger mesti menyatakan 10 fakta/hobi diri sendiri sebelum memilih penerima award seterusnya


1. suka berkawan dengan orang yang menghargai setiakawan

2. senyum sokmo

3. suka makan nasi (terutama nasi dagang)

4. susah sangat kalau nak ingat nombor-nombor (nasib baik no. IC tidak lupa)

5. sangat mengambil berat tentang ketepatan masa

6. meninggalkan kelab bujang kelana 16 tahun lalu setelah bertemu cinta pada pandang pertama (phewitt)

7. tidak sampai hati untuk menghampakan permintaan orang lain

8. rancangan selepas bersara nak balik kampung berkebun, bela lembu dan kerbau

9. tidak suka masakan pedas, lihat lada pun kepala dah berpeluh

10. sering tertangguh nak jawab 'tag' dari rakan bloggers (ampun)

Anda perlu memilih 10 penerima award seterusnya dan menyatakan nama mereka di blog anda.

sesiapa yang tarikh lahirnya jatuh pada tahun 1968 sila jawab tag ini.


(nota: berpeluh juga nak jawab tag ni ye.)
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