One day I may publish 'My Jottings' into a book .

My wife , son Azman and his wife and Adrina and even Alisya have gone to Johor Bahru on the 26th December 2008. They are expected to be back on the 28th.December 2008 .They were there to send Farin back to her campus after her one month semester holidays . This would be her final semester before she graduates from UTM. I am left alone in the house . I had earlier planned to be with them but because there is no one to look after the house I decided to remain behind .

Being left alone is nothing new to me because I was living alone for 3 years ( 1997 - 2000 ) in Port Dickson when I was the OCPD there . I am now quite used to be a lone ranger especially ever since I retired from my job . It is quite natural for a retiree to be so . Therefore he/she has to accept that fact . We must adapt ourselves fast to that new situation . Otherwise he/she would end up as some one with psychic problems . As for me , I am beginning to feel the joy and excitement being alone . I am free from disturbances and distractions and could concentrate on doing what I am interested in . I have finished reading a book on ' Growing Up in Trengganu ' or ' Guit ' by Wan A.Hulaimi or popularly known as Awang Goneng , who is based in London . Awang Goneng , a native of Trengganu have been living in London for more than 30 years .The book was actually a collection of his memories of Trengganu which was earlier written in his blog . His earlier intention was for the benefit of his children only who were borned and bred in London , to know of his early childhood in Trengganu . What I appreciate most about this book is the English language that he used. Being long in London and being involved in Journalism as a freelance journalist for so long there , his English is what I consider as superb . I have learned new words and his style of wrting . I hope one day I would publish my blog too into a book and would be informative not only to my children and grandchildren but also to the public as a whole .

I would strongly encourage my grand children to take up dentistry.

I think dentist today make much more money than the other doctors . Just imagine my daughter in-law went to the dentist recently to pull out a tooth and it cost her more than RM 150/- . A few weeks earlier my grand daughter Alisya went to the dentist to have her already dangling tooth pulled was also charged about RM 120/- . Last week my daughter Farin went to the dentist to have her teeth straighthened or realigned and the Dental Clinic charged RM 5,000/- . Besides that she has to wear that crazy looking iron cast on her whole set of teeth for 2 years . She also has to visit the clinic every month for the periodic check-ups during that 2 year period . At first I thought she could have been cheated by the dentist but after inquiring with other clinics , I found out that , that was the normal present day fee . I think the fee was a little bit exorbitant charged by the dentist . Something must be done by the government to control the escalating fees by the dentists and health clinics . Pity the poor people and pensioners like me . We are not business men who can make tons of money every time a contract is awarded . Even the business men today are badly hit by the present day economic down turn . This is like day-light robbery by the dentists . Any way , since I have not spent much on Farin for her tertiary education , I thought it would be unfair if I were not to allow her have her teeth realigned . Reluctantly , I had to part with my hard earned RM 5,000/- for the sake of my daughter's ' looks ' .

If only I have another child , I would encourage him/her to take up dentistry . Unfortunately I have no more . Instead , I would strongly encourage my grand daughter Alisya or her sister Alia or even her cousin Adrina to take up the challenge . Not that I am a ' mata duitan ' . It is just that I am a little bit sore with the Dental Clinic .

The gathering of the Jamak family at Puspanitapuri,Putrajaya.

The gathering of the Jamak family .

On 20th.December 2008 morning my wife , daughter Farin and I went to the Puspanitapuri, at Precint 10, Putrajaya and attended the gathering of the Jamak family . Actually , I am not a member of that family but came into it by virtue that I married my wife who is a direct decendent of that Bugis family . She is the 4th. generation of that family while my children are the 5th generation . It was quite a big crowd with members who came from all over the world . There were those who are now settled in the US, UK , Australia ,New Zealand ,Brunei, Singapore and Saudi Arabia . There were prominent people in the Civil Service and the corporate sectors .The most prominent one was the late Tan Sri Taib Andak , the former Chairman of FeLDA . Others include Tan Sri Jaafar Abdul , the former Deputy IGP ,Dato Sri Farouk Abdullah , the son in-law of the Sultan of Perak and many more .

Haji Abdul Jamak b.Majok was a Bugis sea-farer from South Sulawesi,Indonesia . His grandfather was by the name of Menatah . Hj.Abd.Jamak b. Majok and his father Majok left South Sulawesi to find a new life in the Malay archipelago . Having reached Johor they settled down at Bukit Mor ,Muar ,Johor around the year 1800 .At that time there was a Bugis/Malay Kingdom of Padang at Bukit Mor . Jamak b. Majok married Hajjah Aminah ,the daughter of another Bugis warrior Derima @ Dinwa and then settled at Parit Bakar,Muar . They had 10 chidren viz. 1) Hj.Mohamad 2) Hj.Mahmood 3) Hj.Andak 4) Hamidon 5) Safiah 6) Hjh.Khadijah 7) Zainab 8) Hj.Abd.Majid 9) Hassan 10) Hussin. My wife belongs to the Andak family which is the biggest among all .

The programme arranged was from morning till evening . There was a karaoke for members to show their talents in singing , poco-poco dance , magic show and lucky draws . However , we left the venue at about 3.00 pm.

Another cousin passed away .

Just now ( at about 11.00 pm 18th.Dec.2008 ) I received a call from a cousin ,Yassin Mukri of Shah Alam who informed me that another cousin ( a lady ) of ours had passed away in the evening at Kg.Selekoh , Bagan Datok , Perak . She was around 70+ . I last visited her on the 27th.Oct.2007 , about a year ago . She was was already very sick then due to old age . I think she did not even recognised me . Actually she was brought up by my paternal grandmother and so I used to bump into her whenever I came to my grandmother's house which was just besides ours . However , our relationship was a little bit apart when at the age of 10 , I followed my family to live in Sabak Bernam ,Selangor . After that I seldom saw her but only heard that she got married and moved out of my grandmother's house to live with her husband a few miles away .Since it was already late and the funeral would take place next morning , I do not think that I would make it to attend the funeral . Any way I recited the ' alfatihah ' and prayed that her soul would be placed among the good souls in Heaven . Amin .

Lately it seems that one after the other ' people known to me had passed away . Well , that is life - ' From Him we come and to Him we shall return '. No one could escape death . Our beloved Prophet Muhammad pbh. died at the age of 62 . If we are lucky we could reach 70 or even 80 . Only the few could reach 90 and above .Hah , thinking of it I begin to feel cold in my feet . There is not much time left for me to make preparation to be judged by the almighty . I must renew my resolution to be a good Muslim and to fulfill my all obligation to Him .

Never did I know that I would loose a cousin so soon - 12 days after I met him .

Ever since the sms system was known to me , it has been my practice to wish my relatives and friends on festives and special occassions via it . It is so convenient , fast and cheap . So on the eve of Hari Raya Aidil adha this year , I sent quite a number of smses . Among them was the sms which I sent to my cousin Hj.Sulaiman B.Hj.Abd.Samad who was living in Parit Pinang Seribu in Muar , whom I had visited on the 25th October 2008 . I was so surprised and stunned when I received the sms reply from that phone number but sent by his wife informing me that my cousin Hj.Sulaiman had passed away on 6th.November 2008 , 12 days after I visited him . I was not informed of his death till I received that return sms reply from his wife .

At the same time I am grateful to Allah for with His blessing I was able to visit my late cousin on 25th. October .( Refer to the 27th.October 2008 of my blog entry , entitled ' A day in Segamat , a night in Muar and a half day in Melaka ' ). I was so eager to visit him because I had not met him for almost 40 years . We had planned to visit him many times before , but had postponed it due to some unavoidable reasons . When I met him on 25th.Oct.2008 he was already sickly but I did not expect that he would die so soon . We talked for almost an hour reminiscing the good old days of our childhood when we were living as neighbours in Simpang Tiga , Rungkup, Perak . He gave us a good meal of lontong and satay. Since it was still during the Muslim month of Syawal , it was like a visit during the Hari Raya . He asked us to put up the night in his house that night but since we had other plans we had to turn down his offer .We parted that evening but promised him that we would visit him again . Never did I know that it was to be our last meeting .

I could only pray to Allah so that his soul would be among the good souls in Heaven . Amin .

Siti Nuralia Zahra on 6th.December 2008

Obviously she looks matured than before .

Siti Nuralia Zahra is 21 days old today.

I have lost another relative and a good former neighbour.

On 26th. November 2008 I lost another relative , a childhood neighbour and a kind host to us each time we drop over her house when we came back to the village ,Kg.Batu 38, Sabak Bernam . Mak Hamid or Hamid's mother , we used to call her . It was a normal practice for us in the village to call some one older by the eldest son or daughter's name . Since Hamid was her eldest son , so we called her Hamid's mother .Her actual name was Hajjah Salasiah/Lasiah , if I am not mistaken . She was about 70 years old and was suffering from what we Malaysians used to call as the 3 in 1 disease ( heart , kidney and diabetic problems ) .I was told she was admitted to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, Klang for some time .Unfortunately I came to know about it only on 11th. October 2008 , even that was informed by some one through a slip of the tongue .

On 12th.October 2008 my wife and I went to the Tengku Ampuan Hospital and visited her at Ward No:7 . She was so happy to see us although she was in pain . Unexpectedly , she asked forgiveness from me and so did I . Before we left her we told her that we would be visiting her again and that we would pray for her recovery .I did not expect that she would die . After that I left for Sarawak . While in Sarawak I called my wife to ask her to visit her at the Hospital to check on her development . Subsequently my wife went the Hospital .Unfortunately , she was not able to see her as she did not know that she had been moved to another Ward . My wife did not pursue further because she thought that she could have been discharged from the Hospital . However on 21st Nov. 2008 I was told by a relative that she was still in the Hospital but was transfered to Ward 8 .On 24th. November 2008 my wife and I went to Ward 8 of the Hospital but was told by the nurse that there was no one by that name admitted into that Ward . So we came back feeling hopeless .

On 27th.November 2008 at about 7.30 am I received a telephone call from Hamid who informed us that his mother had passed away . We were so sad because we visited her only once in the Hospital and now she had passed away . At about 7.40 am we left our home and drove our car to the village to make our courtesy call before her ' last journey ' . We reached the house at about 9.30 am and saw the big crowd there . I had the opportunity to take part in the prayer for her last rites before her burial . Later, I also went to the cemetry and gave my helping hand in the burial process . As it was raining earlier , the cemetry was very muddy . My feet and my trousers was practically soaked with mud .Any way I was satisfied for I had given my helping hand for a good cause .

She was our last relative in the village . Before this I would normally never miss to visit her and her family each time we came back to the village . Now , that she is gone we have no one else to visit there . I guess we have no more reason to be back at the village .

May Allah bless her and may her soul be among the good souls in heaven .

Amin.

We visited Siti Nuralia Zahra at her maternal grand parent's house in Kajang today ( 23rd.Nov.2008 ) .She looks like her sister Alisya.

Today ( 23rd.Nov.2008 )Siti Nuralia Zahra is 7 days old. She looks cute today.

Azman receiving his MBA at UiTM Shah Alam.It was officiated by the Yang Di Pertuan Agong, Sultan Mizan.

Azman receiving his MBA from Yang Di Pertuan Agong , Sultan Mizan at the convocation of UiTM on 20th November 2008

Azman received his MBA from UiTM.

On 20th.November 2008 our son Azman received his MBA degree ( Master in Business Administration ) from the UiTM Shah Alam . Unfortunately , I was unable to attend the convocation ceremony due to some unavoidable reasons . Any way, I am glad that he has finally succeeded in achieving the highest qualification so far , from among his siblings . I hope his success would encouraged the others to follow suit . I have always stressed to my children that they should not stop studying after getting their first degrees . They should strive to get higher qualifications in order to make themselves more markettable . Further more our religion always stress to its followers to make learning a life long process . Infact , there is a hadith ( sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ( pbuh. ) ) that if one dies while in the process of learning ( whatever knowledge that is beneficial to mankind ) he or she would die a worldly martyr ( syahid dunia ) . Another hadiths says that one should pursue knowledge as far as China .The high regards put on those pursuing knowledge should augur young Muslims to better themselves and be competetive to face the challenging years ahead .

Congratulation to Azman .

Yet to be named third grand-daughter.

Cute grand-daughter Adrina

Bestowed with a third grand daughter .

On 15th.November 2008 at about 3.30pm. my wife received a telephone call from our son Aizad in Kajang informing that our daughter in-law Nurhaniza ( Aizad's wife ) had been admitted to the maternity hospital . At about 7.00 pm. Aizad called again to inform us that his wife had given birth to a baby girl . Thanks to Allah for bestowing upon us a bouncing baby girl - a second daughter to Aizad and Nurhaniza and a third grand daughter to us . As it was already late , we decided that we would visit her the next day .

On 16th.November 2008 ( Sunday ) at about 8.30 am. , my wife , son Azman and wife and I , left our home in Klang and proceeded to Kajang . We reached the hospital in Kajang at about 9.30 am . It was a private hospital situated on a row of shophouses in the middle of Kajang town . The ward was on the second floor . The baby girl looked almost exactly like her sister Alisya . From her features I could forsee that she would grow to be a tall lady like her sister . Nurhaniza told us that she would be discharged from the hospital in the afternoon on that day . I suggested she be named Siti Nuraliya . Any way the final decision would be theirs to make .

After about an hour at the hospital we went to Encik Agus's (Nurhaniza's father ) house not far away from there for a courtesy visit . We left his house at about 11.30 am. On the way we stopped at a Nasi Briyani Gam stall where we had lunch . The Briyani rice was superb but the price was a bit expensive considering the fact that it was only a makeshift stall where they do not have to pay high rental .A plate of chicken or beef briyani was RM 11/- while the mutton briyani was RM 13/- . Comparatively it was RM 8.50 and RM 11./ respectively at Nasi King at Taman Sri Andalas Klang .We reached home at about 1.30 pm.

We received a letter from UTM Skudai informing that our daughter Farin had been offered a place to continue her studies for the Masters programme in Electrical Engineering beginning July 2009 . Although I would prefer her to do her Masters overseas , I would also allow her to decide for herself . As the current economic situation in the country today is not so conducive and jobs are scarce , I would suggest for young able students to continue equipting themselves with knowledge and qualifications in order to be competitive both locally and internationally .

She seems to be living in a world of her own.

I am really fed up with my wife's recent attitude . Each time I ask her to follow me to a relative's house at least during the few remaining days of Eid ( Hari Raya ) she would give all sorts of execuses that she could find . The other day she refused to follow me visit a relative from my village who was admitted to Hospital for some cronic health problems . A few days earlier she also refused to follow me to our neighbour's house for the Hari Raya visit . She has a funny character that is difficult to explain and of late it is getting worst . If she refuses to mix with the neighbours , then who would we expect to help us in time of need . She seems to be living in a world of her own . The most she would only be nice to her siblings who comes to the house once in a blue moon . Her interests are completely the oppposite of mine . Even when comes to watching TV she refuse to watch programmes that brings knowledge, like News and documentaries . Her only favourite programmes are music and dramas . It is rather odd for a lady of her age to have interests like that . She would be infront of the TV till past midnight to watch such worthless programmes till she forgets her other important responsibilities . I have been telling her of her bad habits but it looks as if that I have been barking at the hard rock and she remains as stubborn as the hard rock of Gibraltar . Unlike when we were living in Shah Alam where she would frequent the mosques and suraus to attend lectures and classes and got herself involved in social/religious activities . Since living in Klang she had never been to the local mosques even for ' tarawikh ' prayers during the Ramadhan month . Infact there are quite a number of activities for women there .

Sometimes I became worried because we would be isolated by the local community if she continue to refuse to assimilate herslef with them . Not only that , I also pity her for the situation she is in , that is loneliness . I hope and pray she would realise her mistakes and mend them for her own good .

A day in Segamat , a night in Muar and a half day in Melaka .

On 25th.October 2008 I and wife left home for Segamat to attend a wedding .We once lived in Segamat for 6 years ( 1971 - 1977 ) . Our coming back to Segamat was in a way a come back to a place which had brought unforgetable memories to both of us . There I started my real life as a responsible man . Two of my elder children started their childhood lives there ,although they were borned in neighbouring Muar . That was because my wife felt safe to give birth near her mother who was then staying in Muar . Segamat was the place that has taught me and my wife the meaning of life , for it was there that we started our marriage life . I learned most of my policing work in Segamat where I served as a young energetic Investigating Officer . I served under three OCPDs , namely then DSPs Lau Yew Chong , Hj.Musa Hanafi and Tahir Jalil . Only Tuan Tahir Jalil is still alive today while the two formers had passed away . When I was transfered out of Segamat to Johor Bahru in 1977 , I almost cried , because I love the place so much .

The wedding which I was to attend was that of the grandson of former Sgt. Hamzah who was then the OCS ( Officer in charge of Police station ) of Segamat . Encik Hamzah served many years in Segamat till he retired as a Sub Inspector . Having a nice personality , he was well liked by many officers and men . I almost lost contact with him until a few years ago when he phoned me and came to my house in Shah Alam .He even came to my son Azman's wedding in our house in Klang . Since then he has been inviting me many times to come to Segamat . I had always wanted to come to Segamat but because the highway road that I normally travel was a bit far away from Segamat , made me bypassed it .Hamzah's wedding invitation was a good reason for me to be in Segamat again after almost 20 years .

We left Klang at about 9.00 am. using the highway road but on reaching Alor Gajah we swerved into the old road to go to Segamat passing through Tampin , Gemencheh and Gemas .We reached Segamat around 12.30 pm. and straight away went to Encik Hamzah's house in Jalan Pemuda .It was his new house a 1 1/2 storey bungalow . I remember when I came to his house in the 1970s , it was a two semi-D single storey houses one each for his two wives . We were seated at the VIP table and I had the opportunity to meet Hamzah's ' good friend ' , a timber tycoon whom we normally called him Ah Tong . This man had a colourful background .He started as a notorious gangster but turned to be a sawmiller and then a timber tycoon . His timber activities were mostly in Pahang but his sawmill was in Segamat . Today he is a respected Datok and a Tan Sri rubbing shoulders with all the VIPs . Just see how wealth play an important part in one's life . Hamzah maintained a good relationship with this man right from his gangster days and as such being indebted for all his ' asistances ' was given a certain amount of shares in the timber business . Thus he too benefitted from this man . Although I served for six years in Segamat I never had a good relationship with this man . I never liked his character and I never want to ' kowtow ' to people of that background .

After having our lunch we laft Hamzah's house . I then visited an old friend , Mr. Opin Kow at Bandar Baru Segamat .He is the only Chinese good friend that I still have in Segamat . He was also doing the timber business in Pahang but was not as rich as Tan Sri Datok Tan Beng Tong @ Ah Tong . Unfortunately , Mr Opin Kow was struck by a stroke and is now having difficulty to walk . We were there for about an hour . We then left for Muar where we intended to stay for the night .

The Segamat -Muar road was also a nostalgia for me because that was the road I used to travel for my Court cases in Muar . Those days driving on it was easy and we could race fast because there was hardly any vehicles on the road . I could reach Muar in an hour .From Segamat one has to pass through Jementah, Sagil ,Kangkar Baru and Sungai Mati towns . We reached Muar at about 5.00 pm. about a 1 1/2 hour . I had to go to Parit Pinang Seribu where my cousin, Sulaiman Hj.Abd.Samad whom I had not met for almost 30 years , lives .I had earlier SMS him that I would be coming to his house in the evening .It was probably fated for him to settle down in that place so far away from his home town in Teluk Intan, Perak . He is a retired Secondary School Head Master . Unfortunately he is not well for he is suffering from a range of diseases such as heart and kidney problems and diabetes .

We left his house at about 6.00 pm and checked in to Riverview Hotel in the town centre . At first we wanted to stay at the Rest House at Tanjong Mas but the complex was deserted and the business was no more in operation . We then came to the Muar Traders Inn but it was already full and had to content ourselves with the Riverview Hotel . I contacted an old friend Mr. Lim Keok who was staying nearby . He was obviously surprised that I really came to Muar because he thought I was just joking like before . At about 9.00 pm he came with Encik Hamdan , a Court Judge attached to the Housing Tribunal at the Ministry of Housing ,Kuala Lumpur .He was back in Muar for the week end and Deepavali long holidays . We went to an Ikan Bakar Food Court at Sabak Awor near Sungai Abong , just about a kilo metre away . My wife did not join us because she prefered to stay in the room . Any way I brought back mee goreng for her . The complex was built about 2 years ago . The food was superb and the place was nice and descent . I would certainly come to that place if I ever come to Muar again .

The next morning Mr. Lim Keok and his wife brought us to a 'makan shop' situated near to the junction of Jalan Sulaiman and Jalan Petrie , for breakfast . We had mee rebus and satay , a breakfast menu peculiar only to Muarians . We checked out from our hotel room at about 11.00 am. and proceeded to Melaka . We reached Melaka at about 12.30pm and straight away went to Taman Desa Baru at Bukit Baru where retired Chief Inspector Hj.Yahya lived . It was the wedding of his 31 year old daughter , a Doctor trained in Dublin Ireland . She is now lecturing at USM Kubang Krian and also doing her specialisation as a padaetrician .Hj. Yahya was with me in Port Dickson where I was then the OCPD . He was then OCS ( officer in charge of Police station ) Port Dickson . He was a good officer and active in social and religious works . There I also met my former subordinate officer in Shah Alam , retired Sub Insp. Aziz who is now living in Alor Gajah . It was he who recognised me first . I also met ASP Asuar Rahmat who was once with me when we were both Inspectors in Segamat . He is now seconded to the Majlis Keselamatan Negeri Melaka , under the Chief Minister's office . An enterpreneur ( he is rearing about 200 goats ) , is quite happy with what he has .

We left Melaka at about 1.00 pm . and reached Klang safely at about 3.30 pm.

A short holiday in Sarawak.

From the 17th.October 2008 till 20th.October 2008 I was in Sibu, Sarawak visiting an old friend , a Chinese guy but whom I regarded as a brother . He has been inviting me many times to go to Sibu , Sarawak where he is residing .A former Klangite who has left Semenanjong since 2002 . To sustain his survival there , he runs a food outlet in the town centre. His speciality is on Semenanjong menu and this probably appealed to some of the Sibu Chinese population . Although the income derive from the business is just a meagre one , it however is enough to sustain his daily expenses there .

One would wonder why a stranger like him would want to start a new life in a place like Sibu where the majority of the population are the Foochows . Well , according to Ricky the name he is popularly known , he first came to Sarawak in 2002 following a friend for a holiday . At the same time his personal life had a bad turn and his family was a total wreck . He was penniless and his wife and children deserted him . He then decided to remain behind in Sarawak in order to forget his pasts . At fist he stayed at the oil town of Bintulu but later decided to move to Sibu .

I first visited him in 2005 when he was residing in Bintulu . Thus this is my second visit .To make this visit possible I placed my booking with AirAsia about a month ago . Though officially the passage would cost only RM.78.00 but after all the plusses it came to RM 258.00 for the whole journey to and fro . However it is still cheaper than MAS .

I had earlier planned to stay in a hotel , but Ricky insisted that I stayed at his house where he was a tenant there . Incidentally the landlord was a divorcee and who happen to like Ricky . It can be considered that they were like husband and wife .I was given a room to myself complete with the air-conditioning .

In the evening we went to town .We also visited a timber tycoon's office situated not far from Ricky's shop . I was surprised when the timber tycoon told me that one of his children had won a JPA scholarship to study engineering in USA. At the moment he is preparing for the AAD US programme at the UiTM Shah Alam prior to departure for the US . Not only that , he also told me that this year about 60 students from Sibu alone got the JPA scholarships . I asked him why there were so many students from Sibu who won the scholarships and he told me that he was close to the SUPP (Sarawak United People's Party) leadership and that SUPP had demanded the scholarships from the Federal government in return for having won impressively in the last General Election . I thought to myself no wonder , there were less Malay/Bumiputra students who were awarded the JPA swcholarships this year . If the Sarawakians who got the scholarships were deserving poor students I would not mind also . In this case rich people such as the timber tycoon's children were given . This is certainly not fair .

On 18th.October 2008 we left Sibu on a river ferry to go to Daro , a small fishing town situated upstream the Rajang River . It was a 2 hour journey and the fare was RM.17.00 per person . It was an exciting trip on the largest and longest river of Malaysia .The people living along the river lead a simple life far away from the hassle and buzzle of city life .To them having enough to eat , a place to sleep and for the Ibans if there is enough supply of 'tuak' or cheap beer for them to be 'on the air' is enough to make them happy .They would do anything ( of course it include voting for the BN ) the government ask them to do . Pity them , their votes are so cheap .

From Daro we hopped into a van ( a taxi sapu ) to go to Matu-Matu . As there were no transport available there we asked the van driver to send us firther to Oya . For that , the driver asked us to pay RM.18.00 each . Matu-Matu and Oya were small sleepy towns . There was nothing interesting there . There were many acres of idle land which could have been made into good use for oil palm plantation or padi farming .

We were stranded in Oya for almost 5 hours . We were told that there would be a bus service from Oya to Mukah town at about 5.00 pm. Having waited for about 5 hours we began to get restless .There was no hotel there and if stranded there , it would be a great inconvenience to me especially for I need a decent place to ease myself and to perform my prayers .However through the persuasion of a Chinese shopkeeper in Oya , two Malay guys agreed to send us to Mukah for RM 40.00 on their Proton Saga car . It was only about 45 minutes drive .There was no need to argue over the high fee imposed on us for we need to go to Mukah badly in order to check into a hotel .Upon reaching Mukah ,we checked into a small hotel but decent enough for the night's stay .

Mukah is a small district where there is a District Office and the Police District Office . There are 2-3 banks and some shops . There is also a new town centre about 2-3 kilo metres away .

The next day after breakfast at about 7.30 am we checked out from our hotel and walked 2-3 kilo metres to the new town centre to board a bus back to Sibu . It was a long walk especially to me due to my knee pain .The ticket cost us RM 18.00 per person and it was a 4 hour journey . The road was terrible and the bus had to go slow due to that . I wonder how the government allow such a condition to persist for years without any effort to improve the situation . If it were in Semenanjong the people would have made noise and complain to the highest authority . There was a halfway stop over for about 15 minutes for the passangers to ease themselves . We reached Sibu at about 1.00 pm.

In the evening we went to a place called Cheku to eat durian . It was a durian season in Sarawak . I ate some . Unlike my friend Rcky , I am not a good durian eater .

After dinner , we just stayed in the house .

The next morning we had breakfast at a mamak shop where we had roti canai .( There are not many mamak shops in Sibu .I was told there are only 2 mamak shops there ). Then we went to the market to buy some fish to be brought back to Semenanjong for I did not want to come back empty handed .My wife would put up a sour face on me . I bought some salted terubok fish and ' bilin ' vegetable ( which looked like pucuk paku , but it's not ) which could not be found in Semenanjong . Ricky also bought me some buah rabai which is also could not be found in the Semenanjong .Unfortunately ,I did not like the strange fruit . As I was not feeling hungry , I skipped my lunch .

We left for the airport at about 6.30 pm . Having said goodbye to Ricky and his girlfriend at about 7.40pm I checked into the airport . I had my dinner in the plane . The plane touched down in KLIA LCCT at about 10.30 pm. My son Azman and his wife were waiting for me there .

I am grateful to God for the safe journey .

A modest Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

This year's Hari Raya Aidilfitri just like the previous years was a modest one . It began on the eve of Hari Raya evening when I and my son Azman paid a visit to my late father's grave in Seksyen 21 ,Shah Alam . We chose to visit the grave on the eve of Hari Raya because we were always caught in traffic jams when we visited the grave on Hari Raya day . This strategy proved to be worth while because it was a super easy passage and there wasn't many people . After reciting the ' Surah Yassin ' we gracefully made our way home .

On Hari Raya day ( 1st Oct.2008 ) I began with a visit to the Mosque nearby our house . I was among the few the early birds . I preferred to be early because I wanted to find solace by reciting the ' Takbir Aidilfitri ' and thus reminiscing my young days and the good old days with both my parents still around . I tried to remember the days when we were so happy to celeberate Hari Raya together although at that time we were living in pathetic condition .We made use of whatever we had and ate whatever our parents could afford . I could still remember we never had new clothes for Hari Raya and the only good clothes that we had were the two pairs of our school uniforms .Thus we never really celeberate Hari Raya like the children of today does like by going from house to house collecting angpows etc. We just stayed at home and played among ourselves ( brothers and sisters ) only . Perhaps that was the reason why most of us had that inferiority complex feeling .Although there were times when I felt miserably sad each time Hari Raya came , I always console myself by telling myself that my real Hari Raya would be when I achieved my ambition and be successful in my life . Most of us had that burning determination to change our lives for the better . All of us have successfully come out of poverty line through hard work and great determination . Thanks also to the government for providing us the opportunity of a good and sound education system which allowed us to be part of the process .

Few of my good old friends came to visit me in the house . In the evening relatives of my wife came in droves to make it a bit livelier .

On 5th.Oct.2008 morning we sent our daughter Fareen to the Klang Bus terminal for her to get back to her campus in UTM Skudai .

The passing away of Uncle Wak Ludin.

On 26th.Sept. 2008 at about 9.30pm. when I just returned from the Mosque after the 'Tarawikh' prayers , my wife told me that another uncle of hers we used to call Wak Ludin had passed away in his house in Petaling Jaya . He was about 80 years old . We were not that close to him unlike the other uncles . Nevertheless , I met him several times and found him to be an interesting person but a little bit quiet . I think now it's left just two more uncles on my father in-law's side . Well , that is life . One has got to go when the the time comes and we can never avoid it . When you think about it , life is so short in this world . If one is lucky he can live up to 80 or a little bit more but rarely reach 90 . If you are not lucky you may die before reaching 60 and you would not enjoy your pension too .

I hope I could reach 90 , long enough for me to see my children and grand children grow and settle down . It would also enable me be to do good deeds in my preparation to meet the Almighty . I want to cleanse myself from all sins before I am prepared to face God . I hope God would fulfill my wishes . Amin .

Our daughter Farin returned home on 26th Sept. late evening for the Hari Raya holidays . She would be home till 5th Okt.

Struck by gout.

For almost 10 days I was unabled to walk due to an attack by ' gout ' , a kind of arthritis . This was the first experience of an attack by ' gout ' on me . I ate quite an amount of ' cempedak goreng ' on 8th.August 2008 evening . I knew that I was allergic to ' nangka ' or jack fruit . I would get joint cramps even after eating a slice of it . I had forgotten that ' cempedak ' was of the same family with the ' nangka ' . The next day (9th.August ) I and my wife brought my mother to her home in Sabak Bernam because she had not been to the house for some time . There I took the opportunity to pluck some young coconuts . I drank almost 3 coconuts' water all by myself . I even brought 6 young coconuts home .

It all began on 10th.August morning when I realised I had excruciating pain on my right foot and was unable to walk .I could not walk even to the toilet .I had to slide myself ( mengesot ) like a baby to the toilet to ease myself and to have my bath and to perform ablution for my prayers. Later I got the idea of using my movable computer chair which would helped me in my movements . My wife suggested that I should go to the clinic and see the doctor but I told her how could I when I could not even move my legs . I thought I would just leave it as it was hoping that it would heal by itself after all the toxic and acidic matter were gone through natural course. It was a very long wait .The pain had then migrated to my left foot as a result of which both my feet were in pain . It was getting worst .

On 17th.August 2008 afternoon I called a long time friend and told him of my predicaments .He told me that he too had suffered the same pain before and was treated by a doctor . He was able to walk a few hours after consuming the pills prescribed to him . So , I sought his help to get some of the pills in order to ease my pain . The next day evening he came to my home and brought me the pills that he bought from the clinic where he was treated . That night I took in the pills and then went to sleep . Amazingly , the next morning I was already able to walk although not as graceful as expected . I hope within a few days it would be completely cured .I am thankful to Mr.Ng Hock Lam @ Ah Lam for taking all the troubles in getting the pills. He is always a good and a true friend of which very few are left now .

After this I promise myself that I would refrain myself from eating ' nangka ' or ' cempedak ' . I would also limit my coconut water intake . People and even my religion have always advise us to do everything in moderation . Greed and craziness have always brought to the downfall of human beings . If only I had stuck to that teachings that ' disaster ' would not have befallen on me . From now on I have to really take care of my health and my food . I must also be determined to reduce my weight . So far I have been able to bring down my weight from 115 kg. to 105 kg. I must reduce it some more till it is around 80 kg.

JB trip - A harrowing experience.

On Saturday ,12th.July 2008 morning , accompanied by my wife , daughters Eileen and Farin we left Klang in Farin's Kembara for Johor Bahru . It was for the purpose of sending Farin back to her campus at UTM Skudai for her to complete her final year degree course . It was a smooth journey despite for the fact that it was a 7 year old car . We reached JB at about 2.00 pm. We came to Skudai town to buy our bus tickets back to Klang for the next day .After much haggling finally we had to accept bus tickets which were sold to us at a much higher price than the usual .( The usual tickets were normally sold at RM. 24/- but were sold to us at RM. 35/- each ,even this it was only for a journey to KL Pudu station ). In other words we had to find another means of transport from KL to Klang .We had no other choice because we need to come back the next day. Before proceeding to our hotel we stopped over at the Angsana shopping complex to have my favourite 'mee rebus' . We then checked into Hotel Sri Malaysia in Larkin ,JB .

After a short rest in our rooms we then went to my mother in-law's house at Melodies Garden . The frail looking lady was happy to receive us although she was already almost wheel chair bound in her room . She was forever a very kind lady even right when I first knew her . Unlike other old ladies she was not a fussy woman .It was a pity that she could not follow us to Klang especially now that we are living in our new home . As far as I could remember she has not been out of her house for almost 10 years now .

In the evening we had our dinner at Larkin Food Corner where we had a sumptious meal . After the meal we also bought some food for my mother in-law . The rest of the evening were spent at my brother in-law's house at Majidee Park . We came back to our hotel room after midnight .

The next morning we stopped at my sister in-law's houses in JB and in Bandar Baru Uda before proceeding to UTM .After sending Farin to her room Farin then sent us to Skudai Bus Terminal for us to get back to Klang by bus . We left Skudai at about 5.20 pm. and we reached KL at about 10.00 pm. From here it was a harrowing experience which we will not forget because we had to walk quite a distance from the bus terminal to the LRT station and then to the commuter station .We were soaking wet of sweats and were almost exhausted . We reached Klang at about 11.00 pm. where we were picked up by my son Azman .

I am 61 today.

Today it is my birthday ( 10th.of July ) . Sadly no one cared to wish me except for my daughter Farin and son Azman ( even this I received in the evening ) .The rest must have forgotten about this old man , perhaps because they thought that I am of not much use to them any more .Inspite of the fact that I am quite well off and do not depend on them to sustain my daily life ,I am still being ignored . What more if I have nothing ? That is why I used to remind my wife and myself that we should not expect anything from our children . We must be able to stand tall even when we are retired .

I am 61 years old . Those days when I was a kid I used to figure out 61 years old as a very old man . Some one who was already very sickly , some one who was good for nothing and some one who was about to die . Today whether I like it or not I am in that situation . However , contrary to my earlier perception , I do not feel that old , I do not feel useless to others and I do not feel that I am dying . My feelings are the same as when I was 40 or 50 years old . I am as healthy as before except for my slight hypertension and a little knee problem .Otherwise I am as young and as energetic as any other men . I am looking forward to many more years of life , if God permits . Amin .

Old colleagues - turning back on retirees .

On 28th.June 2008 we ( daughter Farin , my mother and my wife ) went to Ipoh ( Pekan Razaki ) to attend a wedding kenduri of my cousin's daughter . We left Klang at about 9.30 am . and expected to reach our destination in 2 hours . Since this was our first visit to my cousin's place we encountered a minor difficulty in locating the place . We had to stop and made enquiries a few times before we finally find the place .We reached the place at about 1.30 pm. Pekan Razaki was actually a satellite town within Ipoh city , which I believe was formally a mining area . The houses consisted of medium cost bungalows built on lots sold to earlier settlers in the area , terrace houses and flats . There were also some shops . My cousin's house was one of the double storey terrace houses .

There I had the opportunity of meeting another cousin of mine Malek, who hailed from Taiping ,whom I have not met for more than 40 years . He was a former Secretary of the Majlis Perbandaran Taiping . He retired about 12 years ago and since then settled down in Taiping . He was an icon to us in our big family that time because he was the first from our family to graduate from the University. When my daughter Eileen was studying at MRSM Taiping in the late 1990s I had tried to locate this cousin's house in Taiping but failed . I am very thankful to God for finally I met him . Had I not attend this wedding kenduri I would not have met him .I also met another distant relative who came from Kuantan whom I have not for some years .He was our former neighbour when we were staying at Kg.Simpang Tiga Rungkup , Bagan Datok , Perak . When we were boys we used to go to the forest near our houses to trap birds and to go swimming at the streams nearby . Both of us are old now and like most people we are grandfathers today .Time runs fast and I feel it is even faster each day passes today . I have to catch up with the speed of time , otherwise I would be running out of time .

Now a days I make it a point that I must attend all wedding invitation especially those from realatives . Normally I would meet realatives whom I have not met for many years at these finctions .Thus we could renew our realationships and reminisce our old days . Those days when I was working I was kept busy with work as if it was all that matters . Now I realised that relatives are more important because when we retire all the friends and office colleagues whom we were once close to abandon us . I have seen and witness this on many occassions . They even do not attend our invitations for our kenduris . Recent proof was this cousin's wedding kenduri . She was Principal of a well known boarding school in Perak while her husband , a well known voluntary worker and yet not many people attended the kenduri . If it was not for the support from relatives ,attendance to the kenduri would have been very dismal .

We had to shelve our earlier plan to return home via Sabak Bernam ( where my mother wanted to take a look at her house ) because our daughter in-law's parents from Penang were coming to our house to visit their newly borned grand daughter . Before coming home we stopped at my wife's niece house in Shah Alam to inquire about the parcel from US sent by my sister in-law . We reached home at about 7.00 pm but by then our daughter in-law's father already left our house because he was in a hurry a catch a bus to Penang at KL terminal . However his wife stayed behind to spend the night at our house .

Another new member to our family - a baby girl .

On Thursday morning , 19th. June 2008 Azman's wife ,Shidah was admitted to the Dr.Razif Maternity Hospital , Taman Sri Andalas ,Klang not very far from our house . She was due to give birth on Friday . This would be our second grand child and a first child for Azman and Shidah . We were hoping for a boy , but we were grateful whatever God would give us . I preferred a boy because he would continue my off spring to persist in this world .

On Friday at about 6.00 am , Azman called me from the Hospital to inform me that his wife had given birth to a baby girl . Although , I was a bit disappointed , however I was grateful to Allah for He has given us a bouncing baby grand daughter . As a Muslim I believe that God knows what is best for us . Perhaps He would give us a grand son later . Since our elder daughter in-law , Izah ( Alisyah's mother ) is also pregnant , I hope this time she would give birth to a boy which would then be our first grand son . Amin .

After sending my grand-daughter, Alisya to school , I went to visit my daughter in-law at the private Hospital . Unfortunately , I could not see my new grand daughter because she was in the children's ward under the care of the nurses . I could only see her on my second visit, that was in the evening on that day .Although then she was just a few hours after being borned into this world she could already opened her eyes and was looking at us left and right . She looked like she was a smart baby girl .I hope she would grow up to be a smart lady and be useful to society .

Today , Saurday morning they were allowed to return home . And we welcome a new member of our family .

For this I am very grateful to Allah .

Yesterday ( 13th.June 2008 ) evening I received a telephone call from my brother Muttakin who informed me that our mother who was then staying with my sister Fadzilah at Sunway, PJ. had caused a commotion and demanded to be sent back to her home in Sungai Air Tawar , Sabak Bernam . I suspect she must have got some misunderstandings with my sister - over what matter , I do not know . I thought it would be unbecoming for us if we allow her to live alone by herself in the village since she is already very much handicapped due to old age and poor health . I then requested my brother Muttakin to bring her to my house the next day but he told me that he would be working on that day . So, I had no choice but to pick her up myself . On 14th.June 2008 morning accompanied by my wife I went to my sister's house in Taman Sunway , PJ and brought my mother to my house in Klang . From what I gather I came to understand that my mother felt lonely staying there, especially when my sister and my brother in-law were away at work . From morning till evening she had to stay in a locked house with no one to talk to and when my sister and her husband came home they would already be exhausted and had no time for her . Thus she felt neglected . I had earlier invited her to stay with me but she refused . I hope this time she would agree to stay with us .

The one day or so she has been with us here, I noticed that she is not the usual mother that I used to know . She is ageing fast and perhaps on the verge of getting senile ( I hope she would not be ). She love to talk to anybody and she would not sleep just to talk to some one . Luckily there are quite a number of us in the house and we would take turn to talk to her . Inspite of that I do not get irritated by her change in her behavior . I reckon that is the process of getting old and I too might be in the same boat as hers when I grow older . I hope my children and grand children then , would bear with me as what I am bearing today with my mother .

Any way I am a happy man today as I have completely reconciled with my mother . My relationship with her was on the rock for some time due to some petty misunderstandings due to no foul of mine .I guess God have answered my prayers . I have been praying incessantly to Allah so that she would realized her mistakes and would be nice to me again . For that I am very grateful to Allah .

P/S. In the evening my wife ,daughter Farin and I went to attend the wedding of my wife's cousin which was held at the Dewan Merak Kayangan ,Wisma Felda ,Jalan Gurney , KL. It was a grandeur ceremony attended by Tan Sris and Datuks . The only snag was , almost a quater of the tables were not filled up . Although my wife's uncle was a former senior Police officer , I could hardly see any serving or retired police oficers attended . True to most of my colleagues contentions that once you are retired , most of your comrade-in-arms would abandon you . You have to accept this reality , otherwise you would certainly be disappointed .

The feared night mare has really arrived .

Talk of a price hike of oil has been going on for some time . It was expected to be announced officially in August . As such I did not pay a heed to it . I thought I would cross the bridge when the time comes .In other words I did not want to be unduly worried over something that is about 2 months away . But when TV3 suddenly stopped it's programme at 6.30 pm yesterday to air the announcement by the PM himself of a price hike of petrol and diesel ,I was taken a back . What was really shocking was the price increases was not 20 or 30 sens per litre but a whopping 78 sens ( from RM 1.92 to RM 2.70 per litre ) which when calculated to the percentage , was more than 40% ( 40.6 % ) increase of the present .While diesel was increased by RM 1/- ( from RM 1.50 to RM 2.50 per litre ) . This would also mean that if you normally pay RM 100/- , after midnight yesterday ( 5thAugust 2008 ) , it would cost RM 140/- for the same amount of petrol . This is really a big chunk of my hard earned pension money , would have to be spent on petrol .

After Maghrib prayer yesterday ,I went to town with the idea of filling up my tank before it was incresed by midnight . I also asked my wife to fill up her tank . I went to 3 petrol stations but after 2 hours queeing up I still failed to get near to any one of them . They were all packed with cars .I had to abandon queeing up because of the call of nature and had to ease myself .I came home empty handed . Luckily my wife managed to fill up her tank after an hour . She was wise by going to the Sri Andalas Petrol station which was not so packed at that time .

As usual the increase in price of pertol and diesel would be followed by price increases of all other goods ,especially food items . As it is , without the price increase of petrol and diesel , prices of food items are already spiralling up by the day , what more with the price increase recentlty announced . What was feared -the night mare has really happened . The rakyat are really feeling the pinch . Every where I go especially when I talk to the kampong people or the low income earners in the towns whom I normally meet at the market , I could see the expression on their faces which tells their dissappointment with the government for not managing the country well .Most of them knows that Petronas is raking more than RM 600 billion profit yearly from the oil price hikes .They questioned how the Petronas money was spent to the benefit of the rakyat ?

Outbreak of cough in our house .

There is an outbreak of cough in our house . The first to suffer was our grand daughter Alisya .I do not know from whom she got the virus . She was sent to the clinic twice but her cough never subsided . Then it was me who got it. As usual I never sought any medical treatment because I believe in taking squeezed lime as my most effective medicine . It has now been about a week and there isn't much improvement . The last 3 days my wife's turn to fall victim of this disease . Infact at the time I am writing this blog she is coughing downstairs in her room . I do not know who would be next . I hope no more .

Most people is of the opinion that cough is not a dangerous disease . However if cough is not contained it could lead to other dangerous diseases such as TB and lung problem . I take great care of my family's health and I normally advise them to go and seek medical treatment ,although I myslef do not . Health should be the number one priority of mankind in this world . All the wealth that we have would be useless if our health is not good . That is why there is a saying that says , " We can seek wealth but we cannot seek health " . Health is a gift from God and we mankind must take care of it by doing regular exercise , having a balanced diet and not to indulge in unhealthy activities . The weather for the past few days have not been good . It is too hot and this situation could be good situation for the cough virus to thrive and spread .

It has been 3 days now our daughter Farin been attached to the factory in Shah Alam . She had to wake up early and leave home at about 6.30 am . She would only be back home at about 7.30 pm. Now she should know that there is nothing much to enjoy being a working person . Time is limited and she had to face the massive traffic jams both in the morning and in the evening . I do not know whether she could endure this hardships for the next 2 months or so . The allowance the company is giving is a mere RM 200/- a month . Luckily she gets free lunch otherwise it would be most pathetic . The two months stint at the factory should augur her to pursue her Masters degree programme . Life as a student is much more relaxing and enjoyable than as a working person .

Could this be another sign of getting old ???

This morning I drove my daughter Farin to the factory in Subang Hi-Tech, Shah Alam as it was her first day of her internship there . Since it was still early I decided to have my breakfast at Azila Restaurant at Section 10 , Shah Alam . After that I went to our old house in Section 8, Shah Alam to have a rest . While there I took out my purse and left it on the side table in order to be comfortable while watching TV . When I left the house at about 10.40 am. I had forgotten about the purse . I stopped by at the Jaya Jusco ,Bukit Tinggi Klang to buy some provisions which my wife asked me to buy . At the super market I picked the things which my wife asked me to buy and placed them into the basket and was about to make payment at the counter .To my horror and embarrasment I did not have the money to pay . I only had some 60 sens coins in my pocket . I did not even have enough money to pay the parking ticket . I was so ashamed of myself and gave an excuse that I could have been the victim of a pick pocket . Luckily there were no other people at the counter except me and the counter girl . I had no choice but to call my wife to bring some money to pay the counter girl and the parking ticket . Luckily this incident took place at the same town in which I am residing . Otherwise I would have been stranded there .

Lately I have been noticing that I became abscent minded quite often . Sometimes I even forgot how many ' rakaat ' I have been praying and so had to repeat the prayers all over again . I believe my brain is getting rusty because I have been relaxing too much . Or could this be another sign of getting old ???

Bus ride to Johor Bahru.

On 30th April 2008 morning we left Klang in a bus for Johor Bahru . Our mission was to drive back Farin's car to Shah Alam , where she would be attending her internship .I felt so relax travelling in a bus because I did not have to be alert like I was driving .I could read the newspaper and I could continue reading the recent book that I bought ' Growing Up In Trengganu ' by Awang Goneng @ Wan A.Hulaimi . Awang Goneng @ Wan A.Hulaimi ,is a London based Malaysian writer .It is the story of his childhood in Trengganu . The book has been selling like hot cakes in Malaysia ,Singapore and Brunei as well as in London .We reached Skudai at about 2.00 pm. and Farin picked us up from the bus station . She could not follow us to JB because she had yet to pack her things . So she drove us back to her campus. Probably she was too busy with her exams and her last paper was only completed at 1.00 pm that same day . We offered to help her pack her things but she suggested that we should go on our own to my mother in-law's place and she could pack by herself . She also told us that she had been shortlisted for an interview with Shell Company on 2nd May 2008 at Shell HQ at Damansara Heights ,KL and so we had no choice but to go back on the 1st.May. Apparently ,Shell is beginning recruiting final year students to fill up some positions in the company for next year. The post Farin is eyeing for is the Instrumentation Engineer .

I drove Farin's car to my mother in-law's place but on the way we stopped for about an hour at my sister in-law's place at Bandar Baru Uda . We reached my mother in-law's place at about 4.30 pm. The frail looking elderly lady was delighted and surprised to see us as we did not inform her of our coming . She was almost confined to her tiny room at the back of the house as she could not walk without the aid of a walking stool . Probably due to that too she never got out of her house even to her daughter's houses which are not very far away from hers . Like our previous visits we invited her to come to our house in Klang but she always gave all sorts of excuses not to leave her house .

The most striking observation that I made this time was not on my mother in-law but rather on my brother in-law , Ghani . He had lost weight tremendously . I asked him what made him lost so much weight and he told me that he did not know . But on further questioning finally he admitted that he was suffering from high blood pressure , excessive sugar in his blood ( diabetic ) and some kidney complications . I asked him whether he sought treatment and he admitted he did not . I then advised him to seek treatment early so that the doctor could diagnose him , but he simply brushed aside my advice as if he was not interested in living any more .

For the night we wanted to check in at the Crystal Crown Hotel , my favourite hotel each time I come to JB .Unfortunately there was a black out at the hotel and because of that we shifted into another hotel , the Sri Malaysia at Larkin, JB . The shift proved that we had made the right choice . Not only that it was cheaper , it was also in the vicinity of some food centres where there were varieties of food to choose from . We had dinner at one of the food centres and the food was simply marvellous . I told my wife that in the future I would always stay in Sri Malaysia Hotel every time I come to JB .

Every time time I come to JB , I would normally not miss eating ' mee rebus Johor ' . It is so difficult to get good 'mee rebus Johor ' in KL/Klang/Shah Alam . I told my wife that I would not leave JB without having my 'mee rebus Johor' first .So the next day we stopped by at the Angsana shopping complex in Bandar Baru Uda to have our mee rebus . At last I had my wish fulfilled .

After picking up Farin and her friend at her campus we left JB at about 1.00 pm . I drove the car through out the journey .No untoward incidents happened on the way and we reached home safely at about 5.30 pm.

Farin's internship at Jtekt Corporation,Shah Alam.

Last Friday ( 7th.April 2008 ) our daughter Farin came home for the week end . She told us that the purpose of her coming home was to survey the factory where she would be doing her internship for about two months during her long semester holidays . She would be having her internship from 5th.May till 30th.June at the Jtekt Corporation factory at Subang Hitech Industrial zone in Shah Alam . It is an international Japanese company ( with branches all over the world ) specialising into making automatic steering for all types of cars. She got the place for her internship there through the good office of my cousin who happen to work as an electrical engineer at the factory . This cousin of mine is a graduate from a Japanese university in Tokyo .

Our daughter Farin actually has got another year to go at the University of Technology,Malaysia , Skudai , before she could get her degree . She would be graduating the same year as her sister Eileen in Dublin . I feel she is too young to work because she is just 20 years old and 21 years when she would get her degree . I would prefer her to continue her studies for her Masters degree at one of the universities in UK/Europe before she is really ready to work . Any way the final decision is her's to make .

On Sunday morning we brought her to the factory in Shah Alam for her to have a look at the location .In the evening we sent Farin to the Klang Bus station for her to get back to her university.

At the end of the month we would be travelling to Johor Bahru by bus . We would be driving Farin's car back to Shah Alam .

The big surprise.

On 6th.April 2008 my mother came to our house for the first time . She was brought by my brother Muttakin who came to visit her at my youngest sister's house in Taman Sunway, Petaling Jaya . My brother invited her to his house which is just within a walking distance from mine . Infact my brother had been trying many times to invite her to his house but all failed . We were suprised of the sudden change in her attitude because normally she would not want to come to our houses . She prefered to stay in our sisters's houses . Then I remember that Allah must have answered my prayers . I have been praying daily to Allah so that she would change her negative perceptions on us and be fair to us all .My mother stayed for the night at my brother's house but had lunch at my house the next day . After lunch I persuaded her to go to another of my brother's house in Meru to which she finally relented . My brother Muttakin brought her to the house before sending her back to Taman Sunway . For this development I could only thank Allah .

I always believe that if we pray to Allah and be sincere about it , whatever we ask for would finally be granted by Him . On many occasions God has always been kind to me . Almost all my prayers has been answered . I am very grateful to Him and I am determined that I would not shirk my duty to Him nor would I want to commit any more sin . Whatever sins that I had committed I have repented and determined not to repeat them . I want to devote the remaining years of my life to Allah .

Tired of our tenant .

We are almost exhausted today .We went to Shah Alam to paint our old house in Seksyen 11,Shah Alam . The tenant had moved out after about 7 years of stay there . We had headache caused by this tenant . The house was almost a total wreck when they left . We regretted having rented the house to this particular family .It was rented cheap ,just RM 750/- per month .Where could they get a double storey terrace house for that amount in Shah Alam . The tenant promised to look after the house well ' as if it was theirs ' . That was the exact word uttered by the tenant when he took the house key from us about 7 years ago .We thought it would be okay since they were going to look after the house well . They ' really treated the house as theirs ' which cost us more than RM.15,000/- for the repair . We have been too nice to them and they took advantage of us . All the toiltes were clogged due to things like plastic , belt and even broken bottles were thrown into the toilet bowl . Doors of the bedroom were broken due to force entry perhaps because they had lost the room key .Water from the tank above our house were flowing like nobody's business because the lever ball was faulty and the tenant never care to replace it or at least inform us .The front compound was dug up where they built a stupid looking pond to keep their fish . The condition was so pathetic . I could not control myself but to curse the tenant every time I visited the house. It's the worst tenant that we ever had and we regretted very much having rented the house to him . Worst still he refused to pay rental for the last 2 months which he insisted should be deducted from the 2 months deposit . As such we could not charge him anything for the defects done to our house .

Thus for the past 2 weeks or so we have been coming to the house to do some cleaning up and painting to make it look presentable for the next prospective tenant or buyer . We intend to sell the house because we feel it is much worthwhile if we invest the money into Amanah Saham which would spare us all the headaches .

Signs of getting old.

My teeth have been dropping off one by one almost once every other 2-3 months . Normally it began by having gum pains ,then swollening of the gums and subsequently followed by the loosening of the tooth before it finally peeled off . I am now left with only half the number of teeth of what I should have . The vital teeth whose function is to chew the food are now gone and I am now finding it difficult to digest food especially the hard one . As such I have lost the joy of having food and naturally the amount of food that I take in is significatly reduced . Before, besides the three main meals ( breakfast, lunch and dinner ) I would have titbits in between but today that practice have ceased from my daily practices . I used to hear from my peers who used to say , " My friend , enjoy your food as much as you can , before the time comes when you cease to enjoy it any more " . Now I realized what they told me is absolutely true .

Age is really catching up with me although I am just only 61 ( in July 2008 ) . I feel I am not as active as before and easily got worn out . That is perhaps the sign of getting old . One by one Almighty God would take away from us the joy ( kenikmatan ) that we usually enjoy , when age is catching up with us . Then we must realize and recognise the will of Allah and therefore we must go back to Him for guidance for our next long journey to Heaven . All that we have on this earth is meaningless if we do not prepare ourselves for that eternal life . Only 3 things that would help us go through ;-

1. Charity that we have given which continue to benefit mankind,

2. Beneficial knowledge that we have imparted,

3. Supplication ( doa ) by our righteous /God fearing ( solleh ) children.

I have nothing much to depend on the 1st and 2nd subjects as my contributions are not that significant . But I do greatly depend much on the 3rd subject if I could count on my children . I do not know how much my children love me and appreciate what I have given them or would they treat it ( my contribution to them ) as mere fatherly responsibility . If that is the case , it would be the saddest thing that could ever happen to me and I would die feeling dejected . However , I hope Allah would not allow that to befall me . Amin .

Shocking result of the 12th.Malaysia's General Election.

Result of Malaysia's 12th.General Election was a shocking one for most Malaysians . I was just hoping for more oppositions in Parliment but I did not expect for Penang ,Kedah ,Perak amd Selangor to fall into the opposition control . I am sure the opposition parties too did not expect to win that big and what more to capture those 4 states . Any way the decision of the electorates has been made and all of us should respect the decision . After all that is democracy is all about . There must be reasons why the people including those in the rural areas are so fed up with the BN government and to have turned against it although they have been known to be staunch supporters of BN . Infact there was a special saying that was commonly used to describe the BN's strength which says ," Even if they put a Monkey to stand as a BN candidate in a rural area , the Monkey would have won " . Obviously today that saying does not apply anymore as seen from the result of the recent General Election . The rural people of today have grown up and they are politically concious of what is going on this country and they could not be taken for granted anymore .

The BN leaders have been too arrogant and overconfident of their win . The people have punished them for their mistakes and they need to reorientate themselves to the new situation in this country in order to win over the confidence of the people . Perhaps God too have punished them for their sins .

What matters most to most of us now is to be able to live peacfully and if possible not to suffer the ever increasing effects of inflation anymore .

Malaysia goes to the poll on March 8.

In about a week's time Malaysians would once again be given the chance to exercise their rights to choose their representatives either in Parliment or in the State Legislative Assemblies. Unfortunately the campaignings are not as incessive and extensive as in the previous General Elections inspite of the fact that this time the campaigning period is the longest , 13 days .This is perhaps because the parties taking part already knows of the outcome of this General Election .

With due respect , the Malays especially , still are so tied down to their so called savior party , the UMNO .This is perhaps due to the incessant brainwashing by the government via the prime medias such as the TV and the newspapers . Even during this campainging period of this General Election the BN has been misusing the TV and the radios which are publicly funded , to campaign for their party . This is definitely a blatant misuse of public fund . Don't the right thinking people especially the Malays realize this ? Don't the Election Commission people notice this that it is an offence under the Election Act ? Well , who dares take action ?

Frankly , I am not against the BN government . I am grateful to the governement for the development made in this country .I have been a BN supporter all these while till I realized the series of mismanagement and blunders commited by the government . The most recent was the VK Lingam's case whereby most of us have lost faith in the judiciary of this country . That Indian lawyer could easily pull by the nose of the Chief Justice of Malaysia so much so even the judgemnet notes were even writen and prepared by the said lawyer . I was rightly dismayed when he could even arranged for the promotions of certain judges including that of the previous CJ which was supposed to be the prerogative of the PM. What does this reflect on the (former) PM ? That he too was easily pulled by the nose by the said lawyer . Surprisingly the so called then de-facto Law Minister Dato Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor who played a major role in the VK lingam's blunder are nominated again to stand in this General Election in Putra Jaya . Unwise decisions such as this by the BN make us wonder whether they are really serious to clean up their organisation and the government as promised .Claims by the PM that BN aspiring candidates are screened by the Police , ACA and other relevant authorities before they are accepted as candidates are just mere empty talks.

In order for Malaysia to have a good and credible government , Malaysia also need a good number of opposition parlimentarians who could be the guardian of the ordinary people's rights and welfare . They could also be a check and balance for the government so that they would not dare do as they pleases . The Malays especially the kampong folks should be made to realize the importance of this fenomena in a democratic country in order to ensure their rights and welfare are well protected . The Malays should not follow blindly and simply swallow what the government tells them . They should be able to think for themselves and make decisions according to their needs and the locality where they live in . Undeniably , we still want the BN to rule but with a good number of oppositions in Parliment who could voice out our grouses and feelings . The government should not take us for a ride and do whatever they like according to their whims and fancies or try to rake as much benefits as they could for them and their cronies out of the government's coffers .They should now realize that to be in the government , that does not mean that they are here to gain anything other than to serve the people . All these years that was the mentality of most of the BN wakil rakyats . That is why most of them suddenly become an overnight millionaires/billionares .

In memory of our late uncle ,Wak Shid .

At about 11.00 am today my wife received news that her uncle which we called Wak Shid ( Pak Rashid ) had passed away at about 8.00 am. He was in his 70s .At first she thought that it could have been a joke or a mistaken identity . I asked her to make inquiries to ascertain the truth of the information . To our surprise the information was confirmed to be true . Immediately , my wife and I got into our car and proceeded towards USJ Subang Jaya . While on the way we received information that the late Wak Shid's body had been brought to the Al Falaq Mosque at USJ 9, Subang Jaya and so we proceeded to that place . We reached the Mosque at about 1.15 pm. As the body was being bathed for the last time before burial , I performed the sunnah prayer ( Tahyatul Masjid ) and then recited the surah Yassin for the late Wak Shid . When the bathing rituals were completed I went to the room where the body was kept to pay my last respect before it was wrapped in a piece of white cloth for burial which was scheduled after Zohor prayers . Before leaving the room I recited the verse of Al Fatihah again .

The late Wak Shid was my late father in law's younger brother . He was a former engineer turned businessman and lived in Petaling Jaya most of the time before shifting to Subang Jaya . His death touched my heart because lately he was close to us . He had been to our house several times although we have yet to visit him in his house . He liked to joke and his presence would make conversation lively . I remember the last time I met him was in October 2007 ( a few days after Hari Raya ) at Asrina's ( our niece ) house in Putra Jaya where she invited us for 'makan ' . Wak Shid and his wife and brother in-law Hassan and family were also there . He was very jovial and we chatted on many subjects . His presence and his jokes made our conversation lively . I noticed that this old man was quite religious . When the time for prayer came , he would excuse himself to perform his obligation to Allah . His knowledge on Islam was stunningly impressive for he could quote the verses from the Quran relevant to our subject of converstaion . What made me impossible to forget him was when he played ' Imam ' during my Asar prayers on that day . At first he was reluctant to be the Imam but I insisted that he should be since he was senior in age to me . I still vividly remember when he performed the 'sujud' ritual which lasted so long that I almost wonder what he was doing in that situation . Obviously he was reciting a long ' doa ' . Any way being a ' makmum ' I obligingly followed . From Asrina's house we parted to proceed to my sister in-law's ( Cik Cah ) house in Shah Alam . Unfortunately Wak Shid and his wife could not joined us there . That was the last time we saw of him alive . I had planned to visit him in his house but due to some unavoidable reasons it had to be postponed several times . One of the reasons we failed to visit him was because my wife failed to note down his home address . I have been reminding my wife several times to note down addresses and phone numbers of relatives so that we could visit them when necessary . Only today that my wife made an effort to find the late Wak Shid's home address , even that after having received news of his death . It was a bit too late which we deeply regreted .

We have lost a good uncle . He obviously deserved a better place in Heaven . The short stint knowing him has tremendously made a great impact on our perception of this good old man . Another chapter of a life had closed . We who still remain in this world should always remember that life is short . Life in this world is just a passing through on our journey to eternal life in the World After . The world has existed for thousands or perhaps millions of years ( since Prophet Adam ) and we do not know how many more years it would last . People have been borned and people have died . The dead are remembered for their good and bad deeds . Those who have entered the books of History would be remembered a little bit longer while the rest would soon be forgotten . Ordinary people like us perhaps if we are lucky would be remembered by our children and the most may be by our grand children too but those unlucky one would soon be forgotten even by their own children . As Muslims we are told that when we die we would leave only 3 things which we will continue to benefit after death :-

1) charity that we have given which continue to benefit mankind

2) beneficial knowledge which we have imparted

3) supplication or ' doa ' by our righteous or God fearing ( solleh ) children

All the rest like property etc. would render useless except perhaps only for the benefit of our living children . It would be most dreadful if none of my children would want to recite the ' doa ' for me when I am dead .

To Wak Shid ,I pray that he would rest in peace and be placed among the faithfuls in Heaven . Amin .