Tolong, berikan aku Ambi Pur!

Menonton wayang memang satu perkara yang dah lama aku tak buat. Tak kisahlah bersama Anne, kawan mahupun seorang diri. Tak ada masa. Kalau ada masa pun, barisan orang yang beratur nak beli tiket tu pun lagi panjang daripada mana-mana traffic jam yang aku pernah jumpa di Melaka ni.

Minggu lepas semasa berada di KL, aku mengambil keputusan spontan untuk menonton di KLCC dengan Anne. Ceritanya? Blades of Glory. Ceritanya kelakar. Memang lawak. Tapi aku bukan nak cerita pasal wayang tu.

Ingat tak iklan Nokia dalam panggung yang suruh kita tutup handphone demi tidak terganggu tontonan orang lain? Aku rasa Nokia patut tambah satu lagi iklan dengan mesej yang sama. Tapi kali ini, target-nya ialah orang yang buka kasut dalam panggung. Buka kasut tu aku tak kisah, tapi kalau berbaunya kaki atau stokin tu sampai kena tengok wayang sambil tutup sebelah lubang hidung, tak ke sakit hati?

Masa cerita hampir bermula, datang satu pasangan duduk di sebelah kiri aku, yang kebetulan si lelaki duduk betul-betul sebelah aku. Sebaik saja panggung jadi gelap dan wayang nak bermula, tiba-tiba deria bau aku menghidu sesuatu yang tak ingin aku ketahui apa. Mamat tu bukak kasut dan mendedahkan stokin busuknya kepada dunia untuk dihidu!

Aku tak boleh nak buat apa melainkan menutup hidung aku sepanjang lebih satu jam di dalam panggung. Yang aku hairan, girlfriend dia tu tak bau ke? Ada seorang budak—sekitar tujuh atau lapan tahun—yang duduk dua kerusi di sebelah kanan aku pun dapat bau (aku agak, sebab dia duduk tak keruan saja), takkanlah awek dia tak bau? Macam mana la kalau kahwin dan duduk serumah nanti. Mesti minah tu jadi pelanggan tetap Ambi Pur. At least satu kotak besar satu bulan dia beli.

Tolonglah. Sedar tahap kebusukan stokin anda sebelum menjemput orang lain berkongsi baunya. Kalau anda dah selesa dengan bau tu, tak semestinya orang lain kena menyesuaikan diri pula.

Aku rasa panggung wayang lepas ni boleh buat peraturan baru: “Dilarang membuka kasut di dalam panggung.”

Baca lagi!

Ahh..what a relief

Few months ago, I was always complaining that I dont have time to run etc. Luckily, Wilderness Langkawi Challenge 07 made me run again. How? I pack my running gear to office, and by the end of the day--actually my day has no end, anything can come up anytime--transform into a runner and voila!

The route is particularly not very interesting, except for the sunset view. I run about a loop of 3-4km along shophouses near Banda Hilir, at the back of Mahkota Parade, make a turn at the end of the road and done. Cars, rempits, bas buruk semua contribute to the air I inhale. But what to do. Hard for me to go far from the office around 5-6 pm. Nanti bos-bos kat KL call, mintak itu la, ini la. Susah. So aku lari bawak henfon dalam pouch.

Speaking of which, kasut Nike Air Pegasus aku since 2004 tu dah nak expired pulak. I can feel its cushioning is lesser and lesser everyday. Nak kena ganti Pegasus baru. Nampak cun giler. Plus, ada Pegasus TC which I dont know apa bezanya. Duit lagi tuu...adehhh.

Anyway, its a relief to run again. Best siut! Baca lagi!

Leak? Where got lah...

Yesterday, the TV woke me up. No, the Parliament woke me up, to be exact. The regular talk show on a local telly reported that newspapers reported, members o the Parliament (MP) made a sexist remark during perbahasan.

Still groggy, I tried to listened what actually been reported. It said that one male MP made a sexist remark towards a female MP of the opposing side while another male MP was supporting him. The ‘victim’, was told by the said MP that she also ‘leaks’ every month.(The Sun)

I’ll let you folks read yesterday’s paper if you want to know what really happened in the country’s highest legislative institution at that time.

But what’s with the remarks? It was reported that the female MP pointed out that the Parliament House also leaks at several parts during a downpour.

“Mana ada bocor, Batu Gajah pun tiap-tiap bulan bocor juga.”

That was what said as recorded in the video, reports newspapers.

I have met with on of the male MP’s. It was in Jasin at the time thousands of people were affected by flood that hit Melaka, especially Jasin district. He is a no nonsense man. Kasi hentam sama dia kind of guy.

“I said it in the heat of the debate. I don’t see what they are fussing about. They also call us names. Like Kinabatangan (referring to the other male MP), they call him Kinabinatangan and orang liar. We never kicked up a fuss then,” said the male MP as reported in a newspaper. (NST)

He was supported by another MP, (Tangga Batu), another Melaka man.

“I feel that she should not see it as a gender issue. I feel she is using this issue as a means of getting publicity for her own political agenda. When we say such things in parliament, we take them as a joke, not as a personal attack.” (NST)

Take it as a joke? Mind you, surely nobody wants other people to say that our mother hasn’t ‘leaked’—in referring to menopause – just as a joke, don’t you?

Was that a friendly banter? No. Crude, wasn’t it? Plus, it is no way to joke in a berbudi bahasa term.

By the way, what relevance is the MP menstrual cycle to the leaks in the Parliament House?

Many of our MP’s are seemingly arguing about matters that are not related to national interest. Just personal attacks, and more personal attacks. No wonder they don’t air the whole session on TV.

At a press conference after the session, the female MP was reported to say that she was disappointed that no BN women MP’s had lent their support.

It’s terang lagi bersuluh, Madam MP. In no way you should turn your back and support others outside of the family. Or else you’ll end up like Fredo in the iconic movie ‘Godfather’ – you’ll be ‘swimming with the fishes’.

In another gender related issue, Zainah Anwar grouses that the gender gap in Malaysia is worrying. Hah! Given the furore over ‘bocor’ at the parliament, I don’t think the gap will be narrowed sometime soon. Our MP’s are acting like kids, and you expect something so moving like that to happen.

More on that later.

p/s: Maybe they all can’t 'leak' anymore, lah!

So, you have anything to say? Baca lagi!

Green ka over there?

I came across an article in a newly published news magazine, about Malaysians, successful Malaysians in the Big Apple. They have names like Faiznur Miskin (the gymnastic princess in the 90's), Shayna Zaid, an upcoming songstress whose mom is American, and two best mate.

Most of them said that home (Malaysia) is where the heart is. As cliche as it may sound, but maybe we are seeing more and more people going abroad to work. Although I must admit that opportunities abroad may not be as much as here, they made it. Big time.

Faiznur is now aVP in an investment firm there. Shyana has been on the NY club scene for a while and released a record. The two friends made it as designers at Kenneth Cole.

Looking at them, I see that not many people can make it there. Only a selected few that has been given the opportunity to do so. It's not like main-main and you can go NY and make it there.

Most of the interviewed said that its a dog eat dog world there, and NY couldd really beat you into a pulp if you dont watch out. I think in KL we could still be slow and not gobbled up by fast paced life.

One thing for sure, the grass is not THAT green on the other side. But come to think of it, many foreigners are MAKING it here in our beloved country. Looks like we are having greener pastures over here, but only for foreigners though.

Bukak restoran, laku. Bukak kedai jual kacang, laku. Bukak kedai jual karpet, laku. Bukak jual kosmetik, pun laku.

How, lah? Are we Malaysians (Malays particularly) tak pandai berniaga ka? Well, there are some Malays yang memang tak pandai berniaga (hint:kedai makan Melayu yang datang ambik order 2-3 kali and lembab) but then the foreigners seem to be dominating.

Toksah cakap yang berniaga illegally la. Ambil contoh, restoran Sari Ratu. Berapa banyak cawangan dia ada sekarang ni? If I'm not mistaken, three. And its no small business. BIG restaurants, enough to fill 70-90 pax per sitting. Harga mahal pulak tu.

So Malaysian's are happy enough to kutip tax from them, is that it? Banyak mana sangat tax tu. They hire their own 'locals' as workers tau. Bukannya bebudak local. Dah rugi peluang pekerjaan kat situ.

Pak Arab jual kacang pun kadang-kadang hire Indonesians as workers. So what is left of the blooming business? We only consume. Thats right.

I imagine one day, a Malaysian will open a food joint in the US ka Australia ka, and be successful with it. Maybe dah ada. Maybe I would. But my bro said, be prepared with AUD100,000 then you can open shop there. Pergh...later in life la. Baca lagi!

Buku...

Sempena Pesta Buku Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur yang baru berkahir 6 Mei lalu...

****

"Saya di sekolah pun kena baca buku cerita juga. Tapi kami semua kena baca buku Inggeris. Bukunya banyak. Kami pilih sajalah. kata cikgu kami, buku Inggeris tinggi mutunya. Kami bacalah; kami baca buku-buku karangan Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad dan banyak lagi," kata Hilmy menerangkan.

"Ho, macam Hilmy bolehlah baca buku Inggeris, Hilmy tahu bahasanya. Macam kita ni baca buku-buku Melayu sajalah. Lagi pula apa gunanya kita tau tentang orang lain, kalau kita tak tau tentang diri kita sendiri," kata Nahidah.

"Kata cikgu kami buku-buku Inggerislah yang tinggi mutunya di dalam dunia ini. Sebab itulah kami baca buku-buku tu - kami baca semua buku-buku Inggeris yang tinggi mutunya," kata Hilmy menerangkan lagi.

"Yalah. Tapi takkanlah benar buku-buku Inggeris saja yang tinggi mutunya. Lagi pula kalau tinggi pun mutu buku-buku Inggeris tu, takkanlah awak orang Melayu tu tak mau baca buku-buku Melayu pulak. Kalau benar buku-buku orang Melayu tak bermutu, bacalah saja kerana isinya, periksalah apa yang terkandung di dalam hati dan fikiran penulis-penulis Melayu, periksalah apa yang ditulis oleh penulis-penulis Melayu tentang orang sebangsanya. kata orang sekarang ni zaman bangsa kita belajar kenal dirinya sendiri, zaman kita mulai sedar. Hah, kalau dah gitu bila lagi endak sedar kalau buku bangsa sendiri pun tak endak baca? Endak tunggu sampai bangsa Melayu tenggelam terus baru endak dibaca sejarah kejatuhannya itu?" kata Nahidah menunjukkan bahawa dia sebenarnya bukanlah duduk dan berfikir tentang apa-apa yang berlaku di bawah atap rumahnya sahaja seperti yang disangkakan Hilmy pada beberapa waktu yang lalu.

Salina - A. Samad Said, 1961.

Bacalah.
Baca lagi!

Wilderness Langkawi Challange 2007

I promised a race report. So here it goes.

0430 hrs

Woke up to the sound of my hand phone alarm. Damn. It has been a while since I have to wake up this early. But, gotta eat breakkie right? Went down with Anne (we got separate rooms, ok..haha) to the dining lounge. Just as I’ve guessed. Food was the same as last year. More nasi lemak, bihun and food that only suits a petani membajak sawah. Not that I’m degrading the food, its just appropriate for orang dulu-dulu yang bertani as they need a lot of energy before doing so. We racers do need a lot of energy as well. But not in the oily form of bihun and stuffs, right? So what’s left was porridge and toast. Toast for me then. And some fruits. I have been having trouble going to the toilet since arriving in Langkawi—unlike last year—which is another story altogether. Last year, I was having diaorrhea a day before the race. Best, kan? This year pulak, susah nak berak. Huh. After breakkie, felt the tingling sensation that lured me to the toilet. Ahhh…finally…

0700 hrs

Boarded the ferry to Pulau Tuba where the race will start. The number of participants in both categories has doubled from 50+ to 100 something. That’s good. All the way to Tuba, I had this jitters in my bones. Damn. Not like I’m expected to win or anything, but the jitters man! Arrived at Tuba about 20 minutes before 8am, when the race stars. Time to transform! Changed into racing gear (wore my LA Tri cycling jersey and tights with no spender..haha!), lathered some sun block (takut gelap sunburn?) and made sure Anne had her gear all right, then proceed to warm-up. 5 minutes to go. We were lining up at the back of the starting pack. Goals? Beat Ean and Natalie from Hitz.Fm and to finish quicker than last year. I dunno why I wanted to beat them, maybe they were berlagak semacam all the way during flight, the stay at the hotel and everywhere you go lah. We went there as a bunch of media reps, but they acted like they’re the star of the events. Blearghh. Then suddenly, my wandering thoughts were halted by the sound of a horn. The race has started! Anne and I ran, trying to follow the pack (or Ean and Natalie) as closely as possible. But we couldn’t. Anne had to stop a few times to walk because of lack of training. Its okay dear, lesson=next time, train. Rome wasn’t built in a day. About 30 minutes later, we reached the beach where we have to drag the kayak to the sea and kayak our way to Reef Explorer, a sea vessel.

Lucky, this time around the tide was not low. Last year, we had to really drag our kayak about some 500 metres before we could really paddle it. This time, 5 meter aje. For me, kayak event is like the swim event in triathlon. With very little or no training at all, I paddled like a pro. Cheh. Anne should be dubbed as a veteran in kayaking. Afterall, she was a trainer with WC (the organizers) couple of years back. Me? I’m expecting my shoulders to be like Hulk after the race ended, and in great pain. I could see them ‘couples’ were ahead of us. Not within catching up distance. Oh, did I tell you that this year, I didnt wear my regular running shoes, but instead I bought a Power RM69.90 punya. Takut tapak kasut tertanggal lagi like last year!

Got to the ship, and we did almost everything like last year. Did some roping activities then jump overboard at the height of about 10 feet.

Lepas terjun from the ship, swam back to our kayak at the back of the ship and we had to kayak again to the pulau. Guess what? We capsized while trying to board the kayak! Kedebush!! Well apparently, both of us got heavier this year, perhaps? Hahahah! Then we continued paddling some 7 km towards the pulau. Them ‘couples’ were nowhere to be seen. Dah sampai pulau kut. En route, the sky started to open up. Hujan lebat, and its scarier than last year! Visibility was very low, like 30 metres or so. Nasib baik tak ada kilat. Finally, after about 40 minutes kayaking, we reached the beach. Now this was the part where I hate most. We had to solve puzzles. Ahh bosannya. A race is a race to me. Get from point A to point B as fast as possible. But puzzles? Anyway, we did 2 out of 3 puzzles that we were supposed to because the marshals had a bit of daydreaming. Haha lucky us! Off we went trekking in the jungle. This year, the trekking part was much harder than last year. It was farther and thougher on the legs. Lots of uphill. Halfway during the trek, perut lapar! Nasib baik ada powergel. Itu la, gatal sangat nak minimize bag load, we ended tak bawak any snacks. Last year, we even brought a backpack with us, complete with snacks, bottled water and what not. This year, only hydration bag (1.5lt) with our first aid kit stuffed in it and powergels.

We were definitely slowing down during the trek coz more and more people went pass us. Again, them ‘couples’ were nowhere to be seen. Ntah-ntah dah habis.

At one point during the trek, we had to make a detour into the Gua Wang Buluh, which was not included last year. How’s the route there? Cemented treks with steep steps that you have to almost crawl on it at certain parts. Plus, its an out and back detour. Menyumpah seranah aku. Anne was very tired. “Buat muka relax, straight face,” I told her. “Kasi psycho sikit other racers passing by,” so I thought. Haha poyo je.

After the detour, went back to the trail until we reached the tarmac. We are nearly there! So we ran for about another 3km to the finishing line. Running wasn’t her forte, so she was reduced to walking a few times before reaching the end. But I salute you Anne, you swallowed the pain and ran the remaining 1 km to the welcoming announcer. “Itu dia, pasangan bahagia, Anne bersama tunangnya menghabiskan Wilderness Langkawi Challenge dengan masa 4 jam 9 minit!” Ceh..siap announce tunang pulak! Upon reaching, I saw them ‘couples’ were sitting nearby, indicating that they reached the line ahead of us. Oh well..next time perhaps.

But, during the award presentation nite, I was surprised that they announced us as the winners of media category. Hahah…apparently them ‘couples’ were not racing under our category. We finished about 45 minutes after the third placing mix couple. Hmm… well, what the heck. Tak sangka dapat menang. Spesel kategori pun, menang duit beb! Hahaha…

All in all, I enjoyed every minute of the race this year. We made new friends (Thong, a lawyer from KL who’s also into running), Julius who is an adventure freak from Indonesia (he just got back from Mt. Kinabalu on Thursday before the race). And not to mention, met with Sifu Razani. Dia siap sesat dengar briefing Slow n Steady padahal he was racing for Fast n Furiuos (mix) with Lea (betul ke spelling?) “Rilek abe, set-set demo tak briefing lagi,” I said. BTW, they got second place in their category. He raced siap tak pakai baju lagik. Hahah…Giler la dia, he just arrived in Langkawi from Kelate (driving) on Saturday, then balik almost immediately after the race. Perghhh…Salute abe.

Okay, next year siapa nak join kami ke Langkawi?

Ps: Powerbar Triple Threat, SEDAAPPP!

Baca lagi!

Siapa sangka?

Siapa sangka beb, last year, masuk just suka-suka. Tapi by the end of the race, azam nak menang category.

This year, masuk suka-suka jugak. Tapi menang pulok.


Presenting, the champion for Wilderness Langkawi Challenge 2007! Tapi kategori media je la. But, i do take pride that me n my tunang tinggal the second place at about 30 minutes! We managed to finish in 4h 09m this year. Sorry my dear i had to push you so hard during the race! heheh..

Next year? Jump up to mix open category and win, perhaps. Hahaha!!

Coming up, race report of Wilderness Langkawi Challenge 07 last 29th April.... Baca lagi!