Al Fatihah to Amir Ridza Hashim.

After my shower this morning I decided to where 'baju kurung' to work. For some reason I felt weird doing so because first of all I rarely wear baju kurung to work and secondly it was the first thing I saw when I opened my closet this morning. So that was it, I decided to wear the green baju kurung to work.

I arrived work at 8:28 a.m. and at 8:59 a.m. I received a call from my other half. He never does that so early in the morning. I answered and he was sobbing when he mentioned, "Panjang dah meninggal..." (Panjang passed away). I asked my other half if he wants me to accompany him, but he said it's okay he'll go to the hospital and update me from there. In fact if he would said okay, I am like all ready in my baju kurung. Coincidence?

To me and his WMUians,  Amir Ridza Hashim was Panjang which means long or tall. He was diagnosed with cancer in the lungs a couple of weeks into the recent fasting month. I have to admit that wasn't really a shock being a smoker and all....and he left us this morning in his sleep after only battling cancer for 2 months. Cancer has spread to his brain; left him paralyzed on the left side of the body and towards the of his life he had to be tube fed.

I had so many fond memories of Panjang and I want to remember the Panjang I know. However, I am relief that I went to see you last Sunday as a matter of fact for the very last time......

I was honored to have known him since our University years. He was tall, fair skinned, and slangky. I guess that's how he got his nickname. I guess I knew him much earlier than I knew my other half. I would normally hangout with Panjang and his friends (including my other half who was in the process of courting me....hahaha). He drove an old Mazda RX-7. We had best times vacationing to Chicago on several occasions but most of all I enjoyed listening to him play the guitar.

Panjang in red turtle neck next to me me (in shorts).

Panjang in dark sunglasses standing next to me (in black shorts)

There were nights I would hang out at his apartment on West Michigan Ave. Rosman and Mabut cooked dinner. Then we have Nasir, our Cifu who would raise contradictory issues and we sat listening to him. While Panjang and my other half would take out their guitars and start plucking to classic tunes. We would sing to Hotel California, Paul Young's Every time You Go Away, and few Malay songs. My favorite was when Panjang played Eric Johnson's Cliff Over Dover. He would put on the Amp and played along to the tune just like the original piece. Every time I hangout there I would asked him to play Cliff Over Dover.

Credit to On the music path on You Tube, You Tube and Google.

I guess it's time for me to buck-up. I need to stopped the old and bad habits of mine for the sake of my children. To Panjang,....I pray that Allah will weight all the good things you've done and forgive all of your sins. Thank you for your help with my car insurance claim. Thank you for offering a job opportunity to my other half. Thank you for all the fun and good time we spent at WMU. Thank you. Thank you and thank you.

There are so many things I would like to share here but let it remain private. I am going to missed you. Mat Garn will definitely miss you. We all will miss you.

Rest in Peace.

Al Fatihah.

To get my priority straight.

Hi.....

The past month has been a period of anguish, suffering and a sequence of test by the Al-Mighty. I am just not ready to write and share what I've been through in these past months.

No, I have not abandoned this site. It is just right after the 19 Mar 2016 incident I somehow diverted my interest into Fictional novel writing. I have so far posted 21 chapters of my novel in my third blogspot site and currently working on chapter 22. I wanna do something outside the of box just for fun. So far I have a few faithful reader who follow my novel and I thank them so much.

Of course it's a romance novel where the plot comes out of my imagination. Though, there were people who I came across in my past whom I added supporting roles just to develop my story line.  You know how much we women deprived of a good man in our life, a man who is very supportive, caring, gentleman, mature, and not selfish! Where can you find those character if not in a novel. We women crave for attention and drama (as my other half would say...uwekkk!) and I hope this novel can take you to your own La...La...Land!

Credit Google Image and quotesgram.com 

It is not really easy to create a plot or story line because when I write it comes out there and then.....all I wish is to maintain a smooth transition from one chapter to the other. The novel mainly revolves around Atikah and Hans and additional characters are rarely used. Each chapter comes with a specific song which signify how Atikah or Hans felt.

Unfortunately I had to combine both English and Malay language in my novel. Though it's a trend these days in novel writing but I have to admit mine was due to weakness in vocabulary....hahaha....

Anyway, when I find the confidence I will share the blog site here. In the meantime, my priority is completing the novel.

Just sharing here a short section from chapter 1.

**************************************************

Characters:

Atikah/Tika
Hans Azman

Part 1.

Pagi itu aku nekad untuk bertemu Hans di tempat yang kami rancangkan. Perjalanan yang memakan masa selama satu jam terasa lama untuk sampai.

Am I excited to see him? Yes of course. Lama tak bertentangan mata dengan Hans. Rindu serindunya. Tapi aku selalu tak mahu admit it.

Rasa guilty? Yes of course. Tapi kenapa aku buat kerja bodoh ni? Berdosa Tika, berdosa. Ahhh! Aku jumpa Hans saja, bukannya buat apa-apa pun…..kata-kata seolah menenangkan perasaan ku.

Pertemuan yang tak disangka 2 minggu lalu di Starbucks Cyberjaya is the result of this second meeting. 

"Hello, what are you doing in my corner of the world?", aku menyapa jejaka yang beratur dihadapan ku.

"Eh, hi. How are you?", he was surprised to see me. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you still remember me? Dah lama sangat rasanya tak dengar any news from you", aku membalas. "I am good and you?".

He smiled. "Yeah, yeah, I'm alright".

After paying for his coffee he told the barrister over the counter, "I'll pay whatever this lady's buying...". "OK Sir...", said the barrister.

"Eh,...Hans it's okay....", aku tersengih malu.

"No, no,...it's on me...ok. I insist", he said.

As I walked to collect my hot Caramel Latte, I saw him smiling. "If you are not too busy, wanna join me for coffee here?"

Would I? Well, why not. He is not a total stranger. We met occasionally in the past 2 years.

"Sure, boleh....", I smiled back at him.

We talked mostly about work and family. Sedar tak sedar, kami bersembang lebih 2 jam.

"Well Hans, I have to go. I have to run a few errands but it was really nice seeing you again", as I picked up my coffee and cellphone from the table.

"Yeah, yeah,...I don't want to keep you here too long, too. Perhaps we can do this again? Soon?", he said sambil menghulurkan tangan untuk bersalam.

"Boleh, Better still come over to the house, you still remember the way kan....", aku menyambut salamnya. Dia seperti gugup.

As I walk to leave the table, I turned around and asked him, "Do you still have my number?"

He immediately replied, "Yes, yes I do".

End Of Part 1 of Chapter One.

At Mom's 17 Mar 2016

My mom takes care of her garden very well. Once a month she will have her lawn mowed. Her plants are always fat and healthy. The envy of my sister and my other half.

KUMAR

After laying low and feeling depressed for the past couple of weeks...I am back.....yay!


Just wanna share here about Kumar, the guy standing next to Shakiel. Don't they look related? Hahaha...same color t-shirt they have on....kikikik....what a coincidence.

Kumar standing next to Shakiel - from my personal album taken on iphone.

Kumar works at a mamak stall we normally patronage. Nice guy and funny. We've known him for more than 5 years. We created a bond between each other that when we come for our quick dinner he will not miss to attend/serve us. He knows what we want to drink and eat. Sometimes we would say, "Biasa.." or the usual...Other waiters tried to come between this bond but we brush them off. We are so used to Kumar and comfortable with his services. We definitely look for him everytime when we dine at Barakath. We prefer him and no one else. If there comes a time Kumar decides to go back to India for good, we are prepared to stop going to Barakath. Yes to that extend. New waiters/helper tried taking our menus but we tell them later please, we have not decided what to eat, at the same time looking out for Kumar. The old/seasoned waiter knows and they do not bother us....hahahahaaaa......

 Before Kumar, there was Jojo, a tall Sri Lankan guy who use to serve us. I guess we are a bit picky when it comes to who is serving us.....no..no special treatment but when we click, we just 'click'.

 One time my other half decided to pay for dinner. Most of the time I pay for all meals....Kumar looks surprised. He smiled while his fingers were punching the numbers on the calculator.

He said, "RM29."

My other half replied, "Wah, Kenapa mahal? (why expensive?)

Kumar replied, "kalau abang bayar mahal. Kakak bayar saya kasi diskaun! (When you pay its fixed price but if ur wife pay I give discount)

......hahahah... smooth Kumar, smooth.

Can I move on from here....?

I have been mopping around the house the past few days. Whenever I'm sitting alone, last weekend incident kept replaying in my mind again and again....WHAT IF???

I am finding my strength in writing and I really hope by doing this I can move on with my life....

Yes, it still hurts physically but mostly it is emotionally. People say, "Things happened for a reason. Allah has other plan for me and my family."

Credit to Nasuhafatin.blogspot and Google Image.

I share the below quote from an entry I wrote in 2011, click here It is an excerpt from a book I read  back then and it goes something like this.....,

" Allah kalau sayangkan umat-Nya akan menguji manusia tiga perkara untuk melihat sejauh mana ketabahan seseorang itu. Pertama; diambil-Nya insan yang kita cintai, kedua; akan diberikan seseorang itu penyakit azab, ketiga; akan diambil-Nya segala harta kekayaan menjadikan seseorang itu kehilangan segala kemewahan. Tiga azab ini akan menguji ketabahan dan kepasrahan seseorang itu terhadap-Nya."

Translation :

When the All Mighty God, Allah, love His followers, He will test upon them 3 things to measure the extend how they are able to withstand to His tests. First; He will take the person we love, second; He will give you a terminal illness, third; He will take away all of your wealth. Those three will test your perseverance and resigned upon God.

I am feeling again the 3rd test. And they will be more to come........

Usah tewas dengan hasutan syaitan, cari kembali kekuatan kita kerana kekuatan itu ada dalam diri kita masing-masing.

Insya Allah, I know I can do it........................

When Words Fail, Music Speaks

Check out new posting in http://shs-shark2.blogspot.my/

Credit to You Tube and CBS

Kenny Rogers and Lionel Ritchie singing to Lady....

How he has grown up so much!

This is me and Ben. Ben's mom is my late mother's younger sister and we were very close. His mom, Aunty Zali was like a second mother to me when I was growing up. She was the only aunt who cared so much about the well being of my sister and me after my mom passed away. Every school holiday after that we will spend a night or two at her house and while I was in College I was a regular tenant at their house. Ben's sister was away at school in Perth and Ben hangs out with me most of the time.

Clowning around with him....

Ben (very right) and his sister hangs out with my college mates.

And, this is Ben today.....so proud of you....

CEO Air Asia X Berhad.

Blast from the past # 7 - College Years

Last Tuesday I had to take an emergency leave giving way for my other half to drive my car to a training center in Bangi. He conducted a 2 day training. His car was at the workshop.

I was home without a car and nothing much to do. Was thinking of lunch and perhaps the kids and I can walk to the nearby restaurant for lunch, but only then I realized that my purse was in the car! Great! Now I am without money to eat out. Left it in the car after sending Shakira off to school this morning....

God must have worked in a mysterious way. I was watching a cooking program on TV and the chef, Nik Michael, showed how to prepare Aglio Olio. Ingredient was simple and I started to calculate in my mind if I have sufficient items to make one....What do you know.....I have enough to make not only Aglio Olio but a Carbonara as well....viola!

Not only I have spaghetti, I also have spiral pasta. I also found a bottle of unopened olive oil given to me by my sister a few months ago, a small container of peeled prawns (which later I sliced in to two) in the freezer, Domino's chili flakes, Italian parsley, and a can of Prego Carbonara in my pantry.

Had all ingredients ready and just waiting for the kids to get home for lunch. The chef gave good tips on cooking pasta and it work very well. I got the sauce in the right consistency. The kids enjoyed their Carbonara, and topped with grated Parmesan cheese....Alhamdulillah.

Anyway that was a whole lot of introduction.

Anyway, after the cooking program I flipped the TV channels and the movie Grease was on 702, and.....it made me laughed and remembered my 1st semester in college. We performed a sketch called "Mushroom Clouds" a spin off Grease at a farewell dinner for the 1st group from Sunway College who will leave for the States the following week. All of the songs we performed was from Grease and I did a solo of Sandy's, Hopelessly Devoted to You.....hahaha....see you didn't know....I could sing too....and sing well I might add, puhlezee.....hehehehe.....The story line was about 3 terrorists who hijacked an airplane.

The cast under the guidance of Julian Jayaseelan (middle). Standing from left to right - me, Dina, Idris, Rosli, Jennifer, Yvonne and Emery. Sitting in front - Janet, Nik and Farid.

We were just clowning around during final rehearsal at the Equatorial.

Me and Farid (please excuse the shinning stuff from my teeth....had my braces on 2 months earlier).

The moment of truth, Me in the denim jacket with fringes....playing a terrorist, hahaha

Singing Hopelessly Devoted To You .

Dancing to Grease Lightning.

Shots from the dinner itself.

It was a fun and a memorable time. How much I missed those years......

Au Revoir New Delhi...Final posting

And came the day to go home...sad to leave but at the same time happy to go back to my family.

Last breakfast and bid good bye to new friends. Clockwise: The three ladies on the left are from WCO Dhaka, Mila (WCO Jakarta) and Hafy (WCO Male).

Angela Boey (WCO Yangon) and Jose Baretto (WCO Dili).

Goodbye white Ferrari....

Goodbye red Ferrari.

That morning I panicked because I can't shut my luggage. Tried sitting on it but it didn't work. I did not have an extra baggage and I started to take out one thing at a time until it finally close shut and locked....so what am I supposed to do the the rest of the stuff...? Panic button alert!!!Beep, beep....I had no option but to shove them in a paper bag and my computer bag. Maybe I should have bought a bigger bag.....well what's done is done.

Packing done and I am ready to check out. Paid my hotel bill which came about to USD600.00 for a 5 night stay including 2 meals I charged to the room. Met M and husband in the lobby and we took separate cars to the airport. M decided to walk around the duty free shops. She want to buy a shawl for her mother-in-law. By then I was quite tired from all the walking. Finally we were at the boarding area and waited until our 12:45 pm flight.

Alhamdulillah I'm home. But the flight was a hell sitting next to a lady and her toddler.The lady doesn't speak a single English word. It looks like she was travelling alone with her son. She showed in a baby bottle and when I asked her whether she wants hot water to prepare milk for the baby....she gave me a blank face....and I am not sure what am I supposed to do....she then put away the bottle. The only peace I had was when the baby slept 20 minutes just right before we landed....

After getting through Immigration and customs...there I saw my sister, Sheri and my two kids in the arrival hall. Nothing feels great to be home and sleeping in your own bed!

This year annual meeting will be held in Bangkok and some of the participant were expecting me to attend. I told them, no. GSC will be represented by both my supervisors this time...

Sports Day - Le grand Finale, Tug-of-war.

It was a hot Saturday afternoon as I walked to Shakiel's school for his Sports Day. We have been texting with each other on his up coming event, Tug of War or Tarik Tali. He reminded me to come to see him and I said let me know what time and I will be there.

Finally about 10:30 am he said the event will start about 11:30 am and I told, alright I will be there around 11:15 am.

After waiting for more than 1 hour finally we get to the final event of the day....never thought I really look forward for the tug of war event. During my school days, it was too boring and I'm already home by then....Pictures taken during le grand finale event....

Shakiel adjusting his track bottom...hehehe....

For the event, one team must win both rounds to be declared as winner. This is the first round where blue team lost to green team. 

However, blue team made a come back and won the 2nd round. They had to compete a 3rd round for the tie breaker. The winning moment was captured on the video at the top of this article.

Blue team - the Tug of War champs.  I sent both pictures ( the below included) to my mom and she replied, "Wow they are all like sumo wrestlers." 

Free style guys....click!

Congratulations Shakiel and Blue Team. There were no medals distributed among them, only a food hamper. We are very proud of you!

Food from Penang.

I like to share food we had during our recent trip to Penang. And at 1:50 a.m. my stomach growled.....

Bob's Char Koay Teow in Glugor came highly recommended. A plate of  Kerang Fried Koay Teow only cost RM3.50. Can you beat that?

Also from Bob's Char Koay Teow. RM5.50 for a plate of Char Koay Teow Special. We packed another Fried Char Koay Teow and Mee Goreng for supper in the hotel room, the just in case we get hungry situation.

Deen Maju Nasi Kandar on Gudhuwara Road. Like it. Lunch was RM29.70. The night before my other half wanted to eat Nasi Kandar Beratur and when we arrived , hello...the queue was way to longggg to be standing in a queue. He scraped the idea.

Then, there was 'Luk-Luk' at Padang Brown (or locals called Padang Brom), something like steamboat. It was nice and enjoyed the peanut sauce dip. We also tried mee goreng mamak and ice kacang (peanut shaved ice). Dinner came about RM60.00.

Mee Curry is my favorite. I can't missed this. Located  on Penang Street, right in front of the Police HQ main entrance and inside  a chinese coffee shop. Don't asked me the name because it never cross my mind to check it. Halal, don't worry. The aunty is a Chinese Muslim. This reminded me all the lunches I spent with Abah, mom and Sheri on every last Saturday of the month when we followed my parents to work. We get our bi-weekly allowance and used the last Saturday of the month walking to KOMTAR and spent our pocket money.

Laksa was so..so. I was a bit disappointed actually. My memory of  Penang Laksa has fish. But this Laksa was watery, sour and where are the shredded fish? It may be another version which I have yet to taste, anyhow.....people were enjoying themselves with their bowl of Laksa Sold in a shop called Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendol. My personal opinion ....it's not for me.

Chendol from Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendol.  It looks good and we tried  (since this Cendol stall received great reviews among tourists from the internet). Can't remember what it cost, I say between RM2.00-RM3.00 a bowl. 

Wanton Noodle in Soy sauce in a coffee shop on Bangkok lane.

Mee Goreng Mamak on Bangkok Lane.

So we did not manage to get to eat more....I have a few other dishes in mind. Perhaps next time, insya Allah. Pasumbor Penang is the best...I missed so much Pasumbor sold in our Free School canteen. I wish I could taste it again. The best Laksa was behind Penang Free School on Free School Road. My sister and I would walk 30 minutes (without my parents knowledge.....what they didn't know won't hurt anybody.....) in the hot sun just to ta-pau the Laksa. When we got home another 30 minutes, we will quickly put them in a bowl and we sat down and ate quietly.....hhhhmmm.......our hard work have been paid off. 30 years ago, we can sit along the wall on Gurney Drive and enjoy your favorite food. You see food carts along the Drive. Now you don't have that anymore...

The Meeting In SEARO.

Participants of The HR Network Regional Meeting, New Delhi 23-25 May 2015.

Finally the day of the meeting. The bus was already waiting for us in front of the hotel. I saw some familiar faces and we introduced ourselves...there was Jose Barreto from WCO Dili, Mano from WCO Bangkok and Hafy from WCO Male. Others I could not match their names to the faces but in time I will. Once all participant are in the bus we headed to WHO SEARO Regional Office. I am excited and nervous at the same time....M, my coordinator seated next to me....

At the entrance of Regional Office. Security was quite tight.

Every participant knew each other. For most of them their attendance is an annual retreat. In 2014 we were represented by my colleague, Salyna, and in 2015, M and myself. This year? Hmmm I have no idea. It'll be good to go again and meet all the HR focal person from all country offices.

Inside of the conference room.

After lunch break Emmanuel sang us a love song. I understand he likes to sing karaoke.

Arun Ratnam on the left and Deepika Nag in orange clothes.

Emmanuel sang again to honor colleagues from WCO Katmandu who made it despite the recent earthquake disaster. From left is M, Anita and Dora.

Asif (WCO PyonYang), Mano (WCO Bangkok), Nand Kishore and Pankaj Saxena from Regional Office.

Each Country Office did their own presentation and there was a Q&A session. We discussed on recruitment, policies and improvements. We finished our presentation and it went well. I was so relief. M said I did a good job. I hope she meant it. Knowing her, she has told me once,"Don't worry, you do your presentation and if necessary i back you up. I am good at bull-shitting." Ok that was scary.....We went for a short tour inside the Regional Office and for 3 days lunch was in the cafeteria....yes, they have a cafeteria!

Whenever there's a short break in between meetings, the HR Focal person will start hovering over me following up on contracts and work related matters. I felt important at the time...hahaha. Then I got the chance to sit with Mr Nand Kishore or NK in his office and discussed a few cases which were pending as well as a recent revised policy.

Finally after meetings resume on the 2nd and 3rd day we get to go around and do a bit of shopping. Yay! The last night in New Delhi, I found and stopped at MacDonald's for a take away dinner. M and myself took the auto rickshaw back to the hotel. Quite a number of pictures went missing when my memory card was damage.

A cart pulled by a horse...on the middle of the road 8:30 a.m.

Around Sarojini Market

Still in Sarojini Market vicinity.

Hand crafted copper long neck tea pot. RM30. I was torn between this and another item but decided on the teapot because of the  intricate art work. 

A few sarees for Hari Raya attire.

At the end of the 3 day meeting each and every participant were given memento and it was a marble carved Taj Mahal....huhuhu.....M laugh and said, I am so sorry we didn't get to go to Taj Mahal but at least we have this.....". We burst into laughter.

Miniture Taj Mahal carved from marble. Nice....

KL Tower

KL Tower

This pre-planned hi-tea in Atmosphere 360 restaurant on the KL Tower was organized by my sister-in-law to celebrate her birthday, her son and her father (my father-in-law). It has been a while since I was here. I think right before Shakira was born. Prior to that went there twice other times with Abah.

Restaurant Atmosphere 360

We were the first to arrive and waited for the others. When my sister-in-law (or Akak, what we called her) arrived we proceed to check out the mini aquarium and then straight to level two, the observation deck.

At almost 4pm we proceeded to the restaurant and found our table. The place was noisy.  Perhaps the hi-tea hours are designed for family gatherings. There were quite a number of people celebrating their birthdays. Kids running around. A group of tourist posing and taking pictures. So did we.....

Buffet was well spread and it was fun watching everybody enjoying themselves. Thank you Akak for the special treat, insya Allah bertambahlah rezeki hendaknya.

Celebrated 3 birthdays on one day.

Slice of birthday cake.

Part of the Mohd Kasim clan.

Let's dig in...

Shakira and Shakiel very well behave. I gave them pep-talk a few days before going to the high-tea.

My sister-in-law with Shakiel and Zubair.

3 generation of Mohd Kasim. My other half and Shakiel -  the second and only son.