Temporarily out of touch

During one of my soul searching endeavors many years ago I found out, good ideas don't come everyday and readily plucked out from nowhere. It may suddenly fall, pouring down from the sky in the middle of whatever imaginable we are doing. The idea may comes while we are sitting on a deserted beach, under a palm tree watching the vast horizon, or while cooking our favorite meals in the newly renovated kitchen or even in the middle of heated discussion with our boss on on just a trivial matter. Or we may digest the whole volume of Encyclopaedia Britannica and try to swallow every single word written on it, and the only creative idea flashing in our mind was how to shut somebody's really big mouth while at the same time trying to save ours from doing the same.

Incidentally, I have also developed a rather peculiar self-preference since the first time I was introduced to a 386 and WordStar4.0 many years back. I don't know about you guys, I found my ideas flow flawlessly and faster if I type rather than trying to scribble them on a piece of paper. It seems the microprocessor inside my brain (most probably yours too) works super duper fast, at a fraction of milliseconds presumably, the muscle and quick reflexes of my hand is relatively a mere sloth and just could not match with the speedy flow of brain nerves.

In ordinary and normal folk like us, fortunately this brain-muscle type of relationship works with harmony. Obviously we don't want this complicated balance become disrupted. As I also noticed quite a few of our own kind, which in most cases is quite rare, seem to suffer from the speech-abnormality syndrome - you talk first then only you think. The muscle and reflexes work faster than the brain. In a layman term this would fit into a term called 'mulut tempayan'. Luckily it is quite curable. If this unlucky individual live during the legendary Megat Panji Alam era, a hard slap on the face would easily do.

After some heavy raining for the past few days and upon checking that the Air Pollution index in Shah Alam reported to be of a moderate scale and quite tolerable by the sun seekers, I decided to invite my staffs and few colleagues to join me having a BBQ. It has been a while since the last time we had a BBQ and the students' last day of which attached to my place since a couple of months ago seems a good reason to unpack the BBQ set and set it on fire.

I have no idea whatever they are thinking but it seems everybody, big and small are enjoying their simple dishes. With a striking pose that resemble a praying mantis in one of his favourite Kung Fu film, Brother Jon (wearing the compulsary Thursday-batik attire) looks like he had just hit a bright idea and ready to share with other. Voila!

Despite the many calling to this service provider calling center and following the instruction from the different operators each time we called them, the problem could never being solved. No harm and no heart feeling of course. That is what the call center is for in the first place- a center for you to call and get acquaintance with or having intimate chat with a stranger at the other end of the line (obviously this has nothing to do with a blogger friend who live in Bandar Utama :). Luckily this good samaritan, an IT genius who knows precisely the different between the LAN and the WAN, had saved our days and got us hooked back into the cyberworld. Thanks a zillion mate!

People come, people go

Another good friend of mine had just closed his final chapter as a lifelong plant pathologist and settled down to lead a meeting-free life in the land of hornbills. Away from his hometown up north, probably avoiding being caught in the endless turmoil and turbulence that almost certainly will spoil his mood to enjoy his early retirement life.

That was after more than 30 years of meticulously looking after one of our major commodities and making sure a disease free environment for the many smallholders. This is a man I rarely see easily getting angry and donning his signature smiling face almost all the time. No humiliation will ever wipe out the smile on his face. I hardly see this trait of warmhearted genotype around, anymore. What a character.

He is not a prodigal hybrid, but so am I. We both live to accept that we are not the immortal trying to unravel the order of this world. Along the way we crossed each others path many time, and friendly dispute is almost instantly become a mutual understanding over a mere plate of 'nasi ayam'.

As if everything move in a very slow motion, I can almost see the good old days evaporated and vanished before my eyes. For me, life has just began. Yes, People do come and go as they will. What left for me is to stand tall and brave this messy dysfunctional hectic life. After all, I don't have a problem donning that biggest and sweetest smile too.


Bro Sham, Happy early retirement and enjoy the sweetness of your after-life. I really hope we can meet again somewhere....some time. On second thoughts, AirAsia is just a click away!

A cul-de-sac

Cakap kena jaga-jaga
Bukan takut ada telinga
Telinga pun anggota bukan hak kita
Pinjaman sementara
Kufur dunia akhirat kemana
Tambah lagi hilang terus pahala
Bior le kawan kita
Semuanya sedara
Kau aku jaga aku kau jaga

Ikut aku aku
Sedapnya bicara sementara tidak kelu
Eh...jangan begitu
Esoknya belum tentu
Bisikan halus disempadan itu
Gahnya isim, domir tidaklah jitu
terikat kata pada suku
kena sakat pun tiadalah tahu
tergadah jua carilah aku
tidak pun kamu






p/s: Teringat bualan rakan "Aku hidup dalam blues" , tercetusnya nukilan ini :)

Guane gamok Ganu kite ?

If the Roman Coliseum, the iconic symbol of the imperial Rome were not in the existence I am very sure, the collapsed Sultan Mizan Stadium will be listed as another member of The Seven Wonders of the World. But history doesn't work that way. You need great emperors, great architects, great storytellers and story spinners to make it into the list. Alas, Terengganu only has keropok lekor, nasi dagang and few Pak dalang, the court jesters Wak Long and Pak Dogol. What a shame.

Hard may it seem, there is however no need to point fingers at each other. In a way it is very rude to point the finger at someone else other than poking it into your own nose. As the original Ganu kite who spent my entire pubescent life wondering why there is no single train line/track in the town or connecting the town to other major towns in the west side of Peninsular, I feel oblige to share my own opinion on this serious matter.

The 450 million or more had crumbled with the hope of Ganu kite and probably the entire Bolehland nation when the stadium kissed the ground and bit the dust. That one will be written down into the glorious history of keropoklekor land and passed down to generations to come. I read recently, it will need another 20 millions more for the repair (estimated amount - by whom only God knows). That is million ringgit not in rupiah. I think there is no need to wisely spend another millions when, the crippled stadium who shares the same capacity as the Colosseum (can accommodate 50,000 spectators/ultraman) has already attracted visitors as far as from Kg. Tok Beng to the Lost world of Atlantis.

When I visited the site previously during my 'balik kampung' trip, I saw people came in bus load and vehicles lining the street, ignoring the traffic jam on the Sultan Mahmud bridge to admire and got captivated by the beautiful sight of this new monument. People took photo (as shown in today's newspaper as well), having picnic and some locals even sold local produces on the site. Business looked very good. Other local landmarks like the masjid terapung, masjid kristal, museum losong looked deserted. Looking at the current status and the number of excited visitors streamlining the place, probably a world heritage site by UNESCO wouldn't be something of impossible after all. Just leave it that way for the time being.

I say, the money need for the repair is to be put somewhere else of which would benefit the majority. For example, the powers that be should seriously consider completing the LPT highway that somehow got out from their priority list and halted at Jabor interchange. This will cut the journey from the west coast tremendously. Acu, cuba, try that first.

As it is now, the show must go on. Having said all the above and with the joyful spirit of 'mujo' instill strong in each of Ganu kite , I would like to take this opportunity to dedicate this special song, "Pasir roboh" to my fella Ganu kita, who read this rambling, whatever you are doing and up to at the moment, wherever you are.

Stay cool, 'begheh' and 'senyum sokmo'!

I squid jigging with a sarong

At the moment of writing, I am still in the holiday mood. The adoring taste of salty remnant on my sunburned skin and the thought of pure silky breeze embracing my face from the open sea have made it hard for me to swing the mood back into its full working gear. In fact, I am still wearing my sarung when I type this field report. Interesting enough I found the idea flows openly while donning on that customary keropoklekor nation costume - free flow of fresh air down under probably contributes to excite some dormant brain tissues. This has let me to think in the near future, if there is a brainstorming session were to be held for example, we should probably do the same : wear a sarung, let ourselves loose and put in something that is less restricted. More issues could be resolved this way perhaps, you'll never know.

The six blissful days shying away from the sophisticated and yet complicated civilization has at least given me ample time to unclog my mind and detoxify my body from the urban pollution. I have been craving for this cleansing retreat, back to my lovely hometown for months. The chance came and without any delay we packed our thing and head back East, zig-zagging crossing Banjaran Titiwangsa and cruising along the scenic coastal area along the way. Bolehland is one of the beautiful country in this world. I love my country.

The journey through the Lebuhraya Pantai Timur was a bit turn off however. Almost half of its stretch, the surface is quite uneven and undulating like killer waves during the monsoon season. This is a real test to any vehicle's suspension and my newly recovered back is really at its mercy. My ass almost became numb driving through this bumpy road, and people will almost without fail to notice that I walked like a virgin after her first night at our first stop after that. Probably this is one of the clever way from the local authority in telling you that you are now entering their coastal territory and perhaps those experience is a preamble to the more exciting adventure awaiting to be explored. In a country that has conquered the moon with the help of Russians and a driver whom will be penalized with hefty road tax for driving a car with an engine capacity bigger than a bottle of 'budu', I think it is a high time we have a road surpassing the famous German Autobahns. Captain Kirk will be very happy, traveling to Ganu kita will be at a blink of an eye.

As promised, I kept myself out from this world. No computer screen to stare at, no answering to the phone, no lengthy meeting but myself, my family and not to forget nasi dagang and keropok lekor. My kids really love spending time in the many stunning beaches lining the coastal area. We spent almost every evening exploring the beaches, with my significant half and me staring at the passing sea wanderers or fishing boats on the horizon. Initially, I have the plan to join the squid jigging activities but seeing the random bright flashes coming from sky and the recent news on the harrowing experience in the sea, led me to decide not to pursue the intention.

One thing that struck me most whenever 'balik kampung' is that I will overstuffed myself with load and load of delectable food. The supply of food in endless. My mother from time to time will 'force' me to eat this and that. She always stressed that not everyday I will have to eat like that. What a good charm she is. As obedience as always, I have no way in saying no to the request of a mother. Numerous and endless invitation to 'makan pulut' has invariably put some concern in me too. Luckily I have my elder son as an envoy to me, an excuse no to attend to the invitation in person was done in a much diplomatic way. Other traditional staple food like sata, otak-otak and numerous 'kuih muih' were fully consumed with full of eagerness. The only regret that I have was not having the chance to visit one of the stalls that selling local homemade 'lempeng'.

After spending six blissful days, the unthinkable has finally dawned on me . I am back again to this planet, joining the whole human race wandering endlessly in a big cycle. Looking at the growing number of rats, bumping into each other each passing days has really made me realized that the cycle has no ending. Time is really moving faster and faster each time we inhaled our breath. Time is no more as precious as gold. Time is priceless, technically speaking.

The cousins reunion which took place once in a blue moon. The congregation this time was not with a full corum, due to the unsynchronized timetables between the siblings.

My youngest son with his first kite flying lesson on the beach, closely monitored by his mother.

Gentle waves crashing on your feet can be a good therapy, even for the kiddies. My kids can spend hours playing on the beach and seeking the wash-off treasures loitering the coastal area.

This is one of the local delicacies, 'sata' that was sold along the stretch of of shops at Pantai Teluk Mak Nik, Kemaman. I thought this was the best sata in the whole world, but my younger sister Cendawanintim promised to show me another unknown spot where the sata is even tastier.

Another shop that sold local produces along the main road leading to Cherating (near Pantai Chendor, to be exact). Personally, I think the keropok here is more tastier that the one in Losong.

Longing for the sun

This is the most anticipated time during the second quarter of the year, when all member of your family is around and make a full house one more time. It is a school holiday and I am almost as excited as the kids.

School holiday could mean many trips up and down, scoring half the peninsular of Malaysia. As I am getting my back into it's my normal posture (not that it was crooked before though) , I can again enjoy driving a long-haul trip without having to worry the strenuous effect on me.

The first trip after such a mundane period of healing was a two and a half hour trip up to Kuala Kangsar to fetch my son from his college. Normally he will just take a bus ride home, but I presume during the last few weeks before the school break was quite a hectic time for him with preparing for a debate competition, exams and daydreaming - he forgot to buy a bus ticket.

But I don't mind having to travel all the way to his place. In fact I quite enjoy the journey as the route along the north bound highway has many interesting lay by and rest areas for me to stop and take a break and cool off myself.

Two most popular rest area where I almost won't miss during those trips are Tapah R&R and Hentian Sg. Perak (both ways). Both places have good facilities, many things to offer - some you can't find it anywhere else, clean and very colorful. There are always some 'jajan' to bring back home from these two stop over.

Tomorrow I am traveling away from those two rest area. I am going back to the east coast for a holiday, to my hometown the Keropoklekor land. Even the rest areas along the new highway are not as good as the one in the other side of the mountain, but I know I will enjoy the good scenery along the scenic coastal area of Kemaman, Dungun and Kuala Terengganu. Even though the collapse of Sultan Mizan new stadium was a bit shameful (and shocking) to most Awang and Mek Ganu, that won't a bit surprised me as I am sure Ganu people will always say "mujo ambe takdok situ dudok cakung dalang stadiung masa atap tu rutoh, kalau tidok mapuh keghah bahang tanoh ah wei"!

It was considerably a busy week for me trying to clear everything off my desk and other people's desk as well, in anticipation of this holiday. It is time for me to switch off my handphone and enjoying my long siesta under the palm tree on a beautiful sandy beach, after having a morning breakfast of nasi dagang.