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 .