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 .

Chinese New Year 2008-Year of the Rat.

Unlike the previous years this year's Chinese New Year celebration was a very sombre one with hardly any sound of fire crackers fired even in the Chinese majority areas in Klang . This was perhaps due to the discovery of a go-down filled with illegally imported fire crackers and subsequently lead to the confisctaion of the item which are most sought by the Chinese community . The boarders of Malaysia-Thailand incidentally are tightly monitored to prevent the smuggling to Thailand of government subsidised goods by unscruplous get rich quick businessmen . The sound of fire crackers could only be heard sparingly whenever there is a Lion Dance in attendance . I personally feel that the firing of fire crackers is unnecessary .It would only lead to negative things such as fire , disturbance of the peace and wastage . After all fire crackers are banned in Singapore and China . Why should there be any exception for Malaysia ?

On the first day of Chinese New Year accompanied by daughter Farin ( who was back from UTM for the Chinese New Year Holiday ), grand daughter Alisya and wife I went to my old friend's house , Mr. Tan Poh Sim in Batu Belah , Klang . It has been the host's practice for many years to serve us with KFC . Mr Tan is a close friend for over 20 years and every year we would visit him and vice versa ( he and his wife would visit us on Hari Raya ) . This friend of mine has lost a considerable amount of weight . He too looked elderly than before . However he commented that I have put on weight and advised me to do some exercises . He is not a rich man but he is very careful in his spendings and that's what made him to be successful property owner today . I do not have many Chinese friends now a days especially after my retirement , but Mr Tan Poh Sim remained to be truly genuine friend after all these years .

At about 2.00 pm we went to another long time friend's house at Kg. Teluk Gong . Mr. Oh Tow has remained close to me despite the fact that I am now retired . I have not gone to Teluk Gong for many years and I was surprised to see the development going on there . I almost could not find my way to the place due to the rapid development around the area . Mr. Oh Tow is rearing birds ( pigeon ) for it's nest ( consists of salivas of the bird ) which is a very expensive food item of medicinal value to the Chinese . He told me he had already invested almost RM 200,000 on the project . I had tasted the bird's nest ( actually bird's salivas ) when I visited Thailand ( it was damn cheap there ) many years ago . I did not find anything beneficial consuming the bird's salivas . It is just the belief by the Chinese community that anyone consuming bird's salivas would cool their body temperature and subsequently enjoy good health . I do not know whether this belief is supported by scientific findings which I very much doubt . I also do not know whether there is any ' fatwa ' by Islamic religious authorities on the consumption of the bird's salivas -whether it is haram or halal ( permissible or non permissible according to Islam ).

On the second day of Chinese New Year I did not go any where .

On the third days of Chinese New Year I ( alone ) went to Kg. Bagan Hailam , Port Klang to visit another long time friend , Mr. Loo . Bagan Hailam is a Chinese village built on stilts on mangroves land facing the Straits of Malacca . Almost 99 % of the people there are Chinese with very few Indonesian /Bangladeshi immigrants who rented houses / rooms there .The majority of them are fishermen . As I could not walk for long distance ( due to my knee problem ) Mr. Loo picked me up at the car park area on his motor cycle and I was transported right to the door steps of his house . Sitting on the verenda of the houses there would make us feel very soothing with the fresh air coming from the sea . After that we went to a seafood restaurant not far away from the house where we had a sumptious lunch of prawns and steamed fish . The restaurant was a new one owned by Mr.Peter Tan who happened to hail from Bagan Datok , Perak , the place where I was borned . I was told the total cost of building the restaurant was about RM 2,000,000/- . It is much bigger in size than the ikan bakar restaurant ( owned by a Malay ) which we used to frequent not far away . Because the roof is high above , it is much airy there . The food are chinese style cooking and it is ' halal ' . Frankly , I still prefer the usual ikan bakar restaurant whose cooking style fits my taste and I beleive of my family too .

All in all , I only went to 3 houses during this year's Chinese New Year - Year of the rat .

36th. Wedding Anniversary .

Today 3rd.February ( 1972 ) is our 36th. wedding anniversary . It was on this date that our ' akad nikah ' was performed in a very simple and modest manner , at my wife's family's house in Jalan Omri, Muar . There was no big feast and there was no sophisticated 'bersanding' ceremony . I got married without the blessing of my family . They did not hand any support at all . They expected that I should have married someone of their choice , someone from their clan . I was determined to break that so called family practice . Only my dear late ' Opah ' (my maternal grandmother) was the one who made things came true for us . When thinking of it , of course I am sad but what to do , it was all fated . But deep inside my heart , I was determined to make our marriage a happy one despite of all the hitches that we have to go through . What was the use of having all the big dos when eventually it was not a happy one or worst still if it ended in a divorce . Of course sometimes I had to bear with all the adverse comments from friends and even from family members of our marriage's simplicity . I just put on a deaf ear and console myself by telling myself that my family is mine and not theirs to decide or to comment . I have proven to them that my family is much a happier and successful one than most of theirs . At least I do not have to beg to seek sympathy and I stand proud even till today . I was quite successful in my career and my children have been succesful in their studies too . All my four children have undergone tertiary education of which two of them locally and the other two overseas .

After our 'akad nikah' my wife followed me to Segamat where I was transfered to . In the beginning we stayed in the Police Mess but later I got a government quarters in Jalan Datok Wan Idris, Segamat . It was tough in the beginning because we started from scratches . ( Unlike my children who began their marriage life with a silver platter ) . We did not even have a proper bed to sleep and furnitures to use because we just simply could not afford it . I still remember we had to sit cross legged ( bersila ) on the floor to have our meals . My salary then was only RM.320/-per month . Luckily things were not as expensive as it is today and we managed to make ends meet by being careful in our spending . I was then using a Volks Wagon car ( a popular brand then ) which I bought it second hand ( two year old )for RM.2,500/- . I still remember the registration number BV 6027 . I had to pay the installment of RM.125/- per month . ( A brand new VW car would cost only RM5,200/- ) . I used immitation tyres for my rear tyres which cost only RM.15/- each . Today we seldom hear of immitation tyres for cars . Only some lorries are still using immitattion tyres . We bought things for our house bit by bit , and even that they were cheap ones . After a few years when there was an adjustment of salaries for government servants , our economy began to improve . Inspite of that I kept on being careful in my spending because I had an intention to buy a house before I reach the age of 30 . In 1975 at the age of 28 years I bought my first house in Seksyen 11, Shah Alam , a double storey terrace house for RM.37,000/- . From then on life ran smoothly for us . My two boys were produced in Segamat but were borned in Muar General Hospital while my two daughters were borned in Klang ,that was because I was then transfered to Klang in 1981 .

I am grateful to Allah for I have been blessed with bounties ( rezeki ) , happiness and good health so far . I hope I would continue to enjoy these benefits for many years to come . Amin .

In memory of Dato Ishak Baharom.

Over the 8.00pm news of TV3 on Wednesday 30th.January 2008 was announced the death of the controversial former Mufti of Selangor from 1985 -1997 ,Dato Ishak Baharom . He was 80 years old and died of probably of high blood pressure . He was buried at the Selangor Royal Mausuleum , in Section 5, Shah Alam on the Sultan's request . The death of this man touched my heart not because he was a controversial Mufti but because he was our former ustaz/guru at the surau of the Police District HQ in Banting Selangor where I was then the OCPD . This was before his elevation to be the Mufti of Selangor . I remember him as a very humble person , soft spoken and very helpful . He came to our surau every Thursday evenings to lead our Maghrib and Isyak congregations and in between the two prayers he would lecture/preach us on religious matters . During the fasting month he would normally be at our surau every evenings to lead our Isyak and Tarawikh prayers . I was OCPD in Kuala Langat for 3 years from 1984 - 1987 and my association with the late Ustaz ( as we usually called him ) was very cordial . During his lectures in the surau I would normally sit besides him infront of my men to listen to him . Although most of us found his lectures to be a little bit dull due to his softspokenness , the subject matter that he used to touch on , were very informative and relevant to our daily Police life . I found out later that the late Ustaz Ishak Baharom was a highly educated person and he possessed a degree on Islam from an Indian University . Amazingly he never told us about his qualification . Infact when he was selected to be the Mufti Selangor we were very surprised of his sudden elevation . Prior to becoming a Mufti he lead a very simple life as a village man at Kg. Kanchong Darat , (Misbun Sidek's village ) a few KMs away from the Banting Police station . He had an old junk ( a 1970 Toyota Corolla ,if I am not mistaken ) which he normally drove to our surau .

He was dismissed as the Mufti of Selangor because of his sincere positive comments on the arrest by JAIS officials of three Muslim ladies who took part in a Miss Malaysia beauty contest . His comments had angered the BN government and Tun Dr.Mahathir , the then Prime Minister of Malaysia who then ordered the release of the ladies and freed them of all charges . Subsequently , he ordered the state government of Selangor to dismiss the Mufti . Since then he was in limbo - not allowed even to preach in the mosques in Selangor and ignored at public funtions . However this good old man took everything calmly . Nevertheless ,I think he suffered in silence .

A few months ago , I saw him at the local mosque here during Friday prayers . He came as an ordinary person and occupied the space among the crowds . Then I found out that he resided not far away from our house .My regret was I failed to talk to him and to ask him whether he could still remember me . Many times I thought of approaching him , but I was a bit shy and worried that he would not remember me . I then thought that I would do so later . But it is now too late .

Perhaps we would meet in Heaven . Amin .

Bad month for us .

It's a bad month for us this month . Simultaneously , our tenants at our two shops and two houses gave notices to vacate the premises beginning the end of of January . This means we will be short of about RM5,000/- beginning February 2008 . So far only our flat at USJ Subang Jaya has been reassigned to another tenant . The rest has still yet to confirm . I hope my property agent would be able to find new good tenants to the remaining premises .Otherwise we would be in great trouble financially . My RM 3,000/- pension is not enough to survive especially with the current escalating price increases of essentials .

To make matters worst this morning when we visited our house in Section 11 Shah Alam which was vacated by the last tenant , we found out that the house was really in bad shape and needed a major repair . I reckon it would cost us about RM 30,000/- for the repair before it could be rented out again .The kitchen cabinet was a wreck , the paint was as bad as the estate houses, the doors were brocken and the ceiling upstairs was rigged with holes almost everywhere . Even the the compund of the driveway looked like a piece of grave due to the undulating land as a result of the fish pond built by the tenant .The last tenant did not take care of our house despite the fact of the low rental given to him .I am now contemplating to sell it off in order to escape the headaches . Any way even if we decide to sell it off , the repair is still needed , otherwise no one would want to buy it .This would also mean that all the rentals collected so far would be spent for the repair and thus render it not worth the rent . It would have been better for us to invest in the Amanah Saham Bumiputra and would heve got better return . Well , that is all about business . We made the mistake for taking the uncalculated risk . That is the price we have to pay .

Actually , this was our first house which I bought when I was a young Inspector in Segamat ,Johor about 40 years ago .It was bought for a mere RM 37,000/- . It was a hard earned money when we had to tighten our expenditure in order to service the bank loan ( Maybank ) . Any way it was worth the sacrifice for the price of the house today could fetch up to about RM. 250,000/- due to it's strategic location. Because of it's sentimental value I did not want to sell it earlier . Now I guess it looks I have no choice but to sell it off .

New Year of 2008

The advent of 2008 was celeberated with joy , laughter ,dances and intoxication madness that possessed our youths . Not that I was not looking forward at the arrival of that auspicious moment - the strike of midnight of the new day , but I was sad looking at what has become of our people who would be the future leaders of this country . The youths seems to have lost their sense of direction and they do not realize that their actions only reflect on their bad attitudes .The country not only need good leaders , but the country also need it's citizens to be responsible , hard working and perseverence in order to achieve the country's vision of becoming into a fully developed nation . To be good citizens we must also be balanced phyically and spiritually , so that our future generation would not be bog down with social problems which could impede the nation's aspirations .

Without really realizing it , I have retired from my job for almost 5 years . Time went by so fast and I am getting old that fast too . At 61 I don't feel that I am too old to live . I am determined to continue on living to see my children getting married having children of their own and to see my grand children grow up . I pray to God so that I would be bestowed with good health in order for me to realize what I had aspired . Unfortunately for me at the moment there is a little problem with my right knee . I cannot walk for long distance because of the excruciating pain . It all started from the left knee . The left knee is almost cured now but it has moved to the right knee instead .Well , that is life of an old man . I am almost confined to my house .During my heydays I did not really take care of my health . I thought it was enough with good food and a little bit of excercise . I did not care to take any extra vitamins or other health supplements .After having been in this predicament ,now I realize the importance of health . Money and and wealth only comes second . Any way I hope I could be cured soon .

Wedding season .

I have been lazy lately to update my blog . Any way there is nothing much of sigificance happened to our fanily . This years Hari Raya Aidiladha ( Haji ) was a simple and modest celeberation . No one came to the house except brother in-law Encik Mahadi and his family . In the morning I and son Azman attended Aidiladha prayers at the local mosque . After that we had a sumptious breakfast consisting of ' nasi minyak ' , ' nasi impit ' with ' rendang ayam ' and ' lontong ' .

On 16th.December 2007 we attended a wedding reception at my cousin's house at Taman Alam Damai,Cheras , KL. We had the opportunity to renew relationships with our relatives whom we seldom meet except on occassions such as this .

On 23rd December 2007 we attended a wedding reception at another cousin of mine at Teluk Intan . We were accompanied by my brother Muttakin in another car .There we met many relatives whom I have not even met . I am glad I met them otherwise I would not have known that I have such a large number of relatives . Before we depart for home we went to the Teluk Intan town to see the well-known reclining watch tower and to have the famous ' mee rebus ' of Teluk Intan .

Next week on the 29th.December 2007 we are scheduled to attend another wedding reception of my good old friend's daughter at Taman Kenanga , Ampang . It seems it is a wedding season .