Ironi

Semalam aku jumpa seorang lelaki kat di sebuah disko semasa operasi narkotik polis. Muka dia macam Cina, dengan rambut menggerbang ala Joe Flizzow; bertindik di bawah bibir dan berantai di leher. Dia seorang ‘bar tender’ di situ.

Sebab muka dia macam Cina, aku pun tegur dia dengan pelat Cina, macam kita biasa buat kalau jumpa member Cina.

Ironinya, dia pula tegur aku : “Tolong, you tak payah cakap pelat Cina dengan I. I Islam, tau. Melayu”.

Terdiam aku. Bukan terdiam sebab dia tegur aku. Tapi terdiam sebab...tak apa lah.

Baca lagi!

Sakit ke rehat?

Ketua Menteri Melaka, Datuk Seri Mohd. Ali Rustam buat gempar baru-baru ni. Tiba-tiba, mmasuk hospital tanpa sebab. Bila orang sibuk-sibuk tanya, katanya penat sangat kerja. Tapi itu pun bukan datang dari mulut dia sendiri. Orang tu cakap dia sihat, cuma nak rehat kat hospital.

Masuk lima hari dalam hospital, semua orang kalut tanya dia sakit apa. Masih lagi, orang kat hospital cakap dia penat, nak rehat. Aku pun hairan. Kalau nak rehat, apasal lepak kat hospital? Takkan tak ada tempat lain nak lepak? Bayangkanlah orang sakit pun tak sabar nak keluar hospital. Ini dia nak lepak dalam tu plak.

Akhirnya, lepas lapan hari lepak dalam hospital, barulah Ali nak keluar. Kata dia, dia demam teruk. Sampai 40 deg C. Tapi aku musykil, sebab ada benda yang macam tak kena. Kalau dia kata dia demam, apasal dua pakar urologi yang rawat dia? Macam la doktor lain tak ada dah kat situ.
Ali ni silap langkah sebenarnya. Patut dia terbang terus ke luar negara masa mula sakit dulu. Macam Pak Lah. Orang tua tu (pak lah) terbang ke Australia sebab nak buang sinus dia. lepas Dua jam, balik KL balik. Orang tak cari, media pun tak susah nak jadi stalker or menyamar jadi doktor kat hospital. Aku tak tipu, dua hari aku jadi stalker kat hospital tu. Rasa macam movie Hollywood plak. Baca lagi!

Selepas hujan...

Perhimpunan Agung UMNO baru saja habis. Macam-macam dapat kita tengok kat tv dan baca kat surat khabar. Ada orang kena hentam. Itu biasa dalam perhimpunan parti politik terbesar di Malaysia tu. Tapi yang menariknya, ada orang tak boleh kena hentam. Atau lebih tepat, ada orang tak kasi orang yang nak dihentam tu, kena hentam.

Mukhriz cakap Pak Lah tak ada isu baru yang dibangkitkan dalam ucapannya. Ada betulnya jugak. Balik-balik, "bekerja bersama saya, isu ekonomi orang Melayu". Tapi, apa yang dia dok buat mengenainya? Bukan nak jadi pembangkang, tapi tengok sendiri la. Tok-tok menteri ni dok bersuka ria kat belakang Pak Lah, sapu projek sini, sapu projek sana. Habis tu rakyat marhaen macam kita ni apa yang dapat?
Kemudian, dan-dan Mukhriz kena warning oleh orang-orang kuat Pak Lah. Ya la, mana boleh lawan tauke kan. Tapi kalau tauke silap macam mana?

Tapi yang nak jadi terkejutnya pasal nak buat Istana Negara yang baru tu. Katanya RM400 juta diperuntukkan. Istana baru? Nak buat apa? Bukannya boleh duit dengan istana tu. Katanya sebab dah tak cukup tempat nak buat majlis serba serbi. Lainlah kalau nak buat macam Dis#eyland, masuk ada entrance fee. Dah la pulak tu, jambatan kedua Pulau Pinang pun nak dibina jugak. Jambatan tu panjangnya 24 kilometer dan bernilai RM2.7 bilion. Tambahan pula, projek 'double tracking' yang terbantut perjalanannya tu hanya nak disiapkan separuh jalan. Ramai yang tak sedar kalau projek double tracking tu siap, dari Utara sampai Selatan, Singapura akan kehilangan sedikit kuasa perlabuhannya. Barangan boleh dihantar terus dari Utara ke Selatan tanpa perlu singgah di perlabuhan. Entahlah, mungkin ada udang di sebalik mee kut.

Pernah terdengar satu masa dulu: "Orang Melayu sekarang ni susah nak berpolitik berjuang nasib bangsa. Dulu, semuanya cikgu-cikgu; orang bijak pandai yang mahukan kemajuan bangsa. Sekarang ni banyak sangat kontraktor, orang bisnes yang tahunya nak cari untung saja."

Mana aku dengar, tak ingatlah. Tapi, sepanjang pengalaman jadi wartawan ni, macam betul saja. Baca lagi!

Saturday

Last Saturday, I remembered calling up one of my friend, Grunge, and it goes like this.

Me: Hello! Ko kat ner?

Grunge: Aku on the way nak balik Melawati ni. Apa cer?

Me: Aku nak ajak ko pegi amik anak dara orang la.

Grunge: Amik anak sedara orang? Afiq ke? (Afiq is my nephew)

Me: Anak sedara mendanya. Anak dara orang la.

Grunge: Pehal pulak ko nak amik anak dara orang?

Me: Aku nak tunang la dol. Ingat nak ajak ko meneman..

Grunge: Bila? Hari ni?

Me: Ahah. Lepas asar.

So the day had come and gone. After asar, my family went up BA to mengikat anak dara orang tu. Earlier that morning, sempat pegi servis kereta lagi. Then singgah pi beli sirih and bunga melur. Pastu, singgah beli lemang pulak. Nak jamu sedara mara yang datang membantu la katakan.

Then, maka seperti sedia maklum, berjanji Melayu la kami. Janjinya lepas asar. Tapi ada kelewatan sikit dikalangan yang datang nak membantu, maki semua orang pun lambat la…well like they say, better late than never!

So lepas dropping em all at THE house, I went down a kedai mamak nearby, ordered a Nescafe ais and picked up a newspaper, browising for anything that could keep my mind occupied.

But the truth is, I couldn’t. My mind was busy imagining what is happening at THE house. Wondering what is people talking about, wondering if there’s something wrong. But my moment of wondering is short lived. A few minutes later, I received a call. I am now officially engaged. Hahaha…Ini boleh masuk ‘The year that was’ ni.

Surely this is a milestone in my life. Something to reflect on, not just bask in the joy of it. Oh well…congratulations to me. I think I deserve a pat on my back. By me.

Baca lagi!

Ini kerja ke, jalan-jalan?

The title says it all....haahhaaa!! The pix below was at Perigi Hang Tuah, and below it, Pantai Puteri at Tg Kling.


Baca lagi!

Blogging from Melaka

Yours truly here is in Melaka. Working, mind you, not on some holiday trip sponsored by the company (yeah, you wish). For the rest of my two or three, or even more years of my life, I will be here in this acclaimed Historical City. I wonder how they call it city although some parts of the town doesn't look a bit like a city. Anyway, here I am.

Living in a different city is not a problem to me. I've been living outside my home in Ampang for the last 10 years. So, no problemo. My only concern is the work. We are really independent here. So far, at least. No bosses to maki hamun you everyday, although they can still do that through the phone.

A lot have to be done. A lot have to be bought. Arghh...there goes my money for 'specific' purposes flowing like a river....What to do, the house is empty and it has to be filled. Oh, I forgot
to tell you that me and my colleague the photo man rented this three-bedroom single storey house in Bukit Katil for 300 bucks a month. Damn cheapo! So we decided to be civilised and buy ourselves mattresses, kitchen cabinets and what not. Just to make it 'homely' I guess. The place is just about 10 minutes away from the office. Food? Melaka food is like anywhere you can find in KL lah. Tom Yam and stuff plus the occasional asam pedas, which proves to be famous here in Melaka. I have yet to try that one.

Cycling and running? God knows where I can do that. I have to look around to find THE place.

Oh well, Melaka pun Melaka lah. Baca lagi!

Ironman

The epitome of Ironman races has come again this year, in Kona Hawaii. Live coverage will be around 3 am tomorrow. As usual, I will be stuck on ironmanlive.com to watch it.

Plus, a Malaysian will racing there. Wong Ah Thiam. All the best En Wong. Baca lagi!

Its alive!

Finally my bike is ready. My bebola biru, blue thunder or whatever u may want to call it is ready to be ridden. Complete with 105 groupset. Yes. U heard me rite. 105 baru aa..bukan lama. Muahaha...eksen sikit. Well it has made me RM1,6** poorer, so bleh eksen la kan. Nanti aku post gambar...hehehe

The decision to cepat-cepat pasang the groupset was spurred by a bittersweet news i got. Im going to be transferred to Melaka. Yes, no more runs in Putrajaya, no more runs in Titiwangsa, no more crazy cycling to Ulu Langat. Arghhh...I dont mind being away from KL actually. Im quite used to it. I spent half of my life away from KL. The thing i cant stand is starting work all over again - at least i think so. Build contacts again, starting from zero.

Then, im going to hidup bujang over there. Manage a house again. Adoih. Malas nak pikir la. I just want to think all the claims im going to get. Thats a more soothing thought. hahah!

Anyway im up for it. I can handle it. Bring it on. Baca lagi!

What have you been missing?

Puasa dah masuk 12 hari, keje makin menimbun, perut dah membesar, kawan aku (Sabb) dah nak beranak..apa lagi?

Lama dah tak tulis kat sini. Mungkin sibuk sangat la. Memang sibuk pun.. The thing is, bukanya sibuk every minute pun. Ada time dia yang sibuk tu. Macam petang sikit ke, haa..mula la. Perut plak dah makin besar. Arghh...i hate myself. Dah la pulak tu, majlis bukak posa kat hotel almost everyday!

Last nite, was a saviour. Azwar organized a run--a nite run-- in putrajaya. Aku dengan semangat gabannya decided to join. Ya la...im in really bad shape man! There was bacin, asri, mary and jaja. except for azwar and bacin, the rest were new to me. But they were nice. Mary even bought me a gatorade i ordered (just bcoz tak sempat nak beli).

They wanted to run 10k, powerman route. Gila la, aku sure takleh ikut. So senyap-senyap, im planning to u turn sebelum PICC. hehehee.... At first, breathing was pretty heavy. Signs of me being unfit. I remembered dulu when i still tak tau jalan-jalan kat putrajaya, me n grunge would pusing sini-sana just to make our run longer there. Sekarang? cakap 5k pun dah mengah.
Anyway, as i planned, i made a u turn sebelum sampai PICC. Diorang sumer dah jerit, "oi nak pegi mana tu tank?" aku gelak je..hehehe... so berpatah balik la aku sorang2. Running alone makes u feel the run is much longer. I think its just psycho. Thats all.

I feel high again last nite, eventho today i had aches at most parts of my body, im satisfied. Baca lagi!

Blow dried

Well, in a normal working life of a person, one ought to get the hair drier treatment from their bosses.

I just had mine recently. It just a simple miscommunication, really. And the move behind it was political. Uh, how I hate politics. Dirty, filthy politics. And politicians. And those who are in their payrolls. Perhaps I'll get a memo from my boss soon. Who knows. Well, shit happens. We just learn how to dodge them.

Sometimes the blow drying can be a bit on the emotional spectrum. Where the criminal is petty, the punishment can sometime be over la sangat...tapi takpe. Biasa la. Nak idup. Kena la tahan. Baca lagi!

Harta Qarunnn

Yes, yours truly here went on a tresuer hunt - a personal first - from KL to Penang! The experience was awesome, apart from the snail rate driving of our driver, and the fact that our team was DQ'ed, we made it to Penang!

The hunt was organizedby MAHB specially to the medias, with RM80 for fuel. Huh, bodek la tu. We - four of us - started good in KL, where most of the Q's were answered. Then we move on towards Bidor. That was where it all began. The question was just difficult! We made a quick decision head to next destination.
Not long before, we were just too tired to solve the q's. Jawab jugak la tapi our mind was just too tired. I just want to get to Penang.

Next stop was Taiping. I studied there for a year, and this should be no problem for me, or so I thought. There, we only managed to answer 2 out of 5 q's! Such a bummer! Then we head straight to Penang where we only have 1 hour left before the cut-off time.

We arrived at the Penang International Airport just seconds before the cut-off time. And theres 3 more q's to answer at the airport. We skipped it. We went straight to the MAHB training centre - the finish line. And as we expected, we were not in the winners list. Oh well..

But I win. I win for I get to eat fresh ikan bakar and penang famous char kuew teow. Hahah..gluttony! We went scouring for food later that night and I was the guide. Hey, 6 years of life in Penang should entitle me to do so kan? hehe... We went ot makan ikan bakar near jabatan Marin. Wanted to go eat somewhere else better, but we were just too tired. Lepas makan dua ekor ikan bakar, i wanted to satisfy myself (hmm..) with char K. teow pulak. Siap beli bungkus besar tuu!

The trip was great, an escape for me actually. I wanted to go somewhere. Needed to. Boringlah.

Not forgetting, at the same time with my hunt, my triathlete friends were on their own hunt for glory in Desaru Triathlon and also Putrajaya Marathon. Well done! Baca lagi!

Aiyoh busy-nya!

Work has been very, very busy lately. From the 4, only 2 left including me to do the work. Yang lagi 2 pegi kursus. Arghh... I must claim my OT!

Went to a village sometime last Tuesday. Their houses, their lands are going to be taken by the authorities to make way for DUKE highway. So, its ok la kan. But no. They are supposed to rent from DBKL a flat, and re-new the rent contract every 3 years. So, there's no guarantee that they will have a roof over their head, right?

The culprit is some politicians hiding behind his Minister master. He claimed to the public that he, and all the villagers has agreed to move out to make way for the project. But the things is, he is not even in the joint comittee of the villagers! So, who's voice is he speaking out? I think, aa udang di sebalik mee.

Since the land is going to be taken by the developer, there will be some part of it that wont be affected by the project. So, maybe he can somehow purchase it or kawtim with Datuk Bandar and make his own development there. An apartment, perhaps? And siapa untung?

This is very unfair. I tried to help them, as far as possible. Of course, DBKL is just doing their job. They, most probably dont know jack about what happened behind the scenes.

Their story was published yesterday (Friday 11/8).
People of Kg Semarak, Kg Loke Yew and Kg Padang Tembak, hang on.

Baca lagi!

Not a good sign...

Wnet for a walk this morning, and the pain at my right knee suddenly, just tingles. Actually I think I got it injured during the football game in Pilah, when I landed awkwardly on the hard ground. The back of my right knee just snapped.
Now, when I press at a certain spot there, it hurts a bit. Feels like swollen. Damn.
I need your help, Mobic. Baca lagi!

PD Tri results!

Dengan bangganya mengumumkan, team aku dapat tempat ke-18 daripada 35 team, satu tangga di belakang Bacin.
Terima kasih kepada swimmer aku yang laju serta pelari yang berdesup. Tanpa anda, takdelah medal! Kih kih kih...
Eh medal tu kat sapa ek? Baca lagi!

Gatal nak main bola

It has been a long time since i played footie. Lama jugak la tak menyarung but Copa Mundial tu. At last, the time has come. Cucunda Yang Di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan ajak kitaorang main bola ngan diorang. In front of possibly hundreds of villagers in Kuala Pilah! Fulamakatak!

To cut the story short, kitaorang kena 6 bijik tanpa balas. MUahahah. But the best part was tackling one of the kerabats until they fall *bedebuk!* Dua kali pulak tu. Sampai the MC said: "Main jangan kasar sangat ah, ni tompek eden ni!"

After the game, head straight back to KL coz I offered Fahi to fetch him when he arrives from Kedah with bus. Time check: 730pm. Fahi should be arriving around 830. Traffic was gila babi from KP. The thing is i cant let him down kan. Dah janji. And plus, he is the kind of guy with big a heart. Mesti mau tolong punya. End up sempat amik dia. Well, what friends are for, right?

That match means I missed both Larian Utusan 10k and MMDS Putrajaya. I think if I were to take part in Putrajaya, mesti mati punya. Training tak cukup! Dah la race takleh drafting. Next target would be Powerman, Lumut. By that time, aku amik gak cuti , tak kira. Plus , boleh lepak Pangkor jap, like last year! Ehem..ehem..nak ikut? Baca lagi!

PD Tri..again!

Me, Bacin n JB gang with Azhar

It was a wonderful, albeit full satisfaction, experience. I did not race in the individual event due to lack of training. Kerja bagai nak rak, training apa! So, end up i cycled for a group set up by Azhar the mat salleh celup. Semua geng JB.

So to cut the story short, my kayuh was great! Not THAT great la, tapi ok la compared to my own expectations. Aku ingat, I can do it withing 2 hrs laa...sekali 1hr 26m!! Just 9 minutes behind Bacin yang cuba 'menyerap' kehebatan Steph! Hahaha... Ekceli, bacin potong aku somewhere after 30k of the cycling leg. Aku silap pi draft orang slow. Cilakak btul. And most of the time, i was drafting in a pack. Aku rasa that contribute to kepoweran aku mengayuh kali ini. Hahaha!!

I got a medal, and it has become a gift. Life is sweet.

Me n Bacin
(photo from KC)

Baca lagi!

The rise of...

...consumerism! Tesco Ampang just opened last Saturday. It was full to the brim with people!! What i cant understand is why people flock there? Do they get free toilet rolls by just walking in? I mean, c'mon, its just another Tesco!!

And to add up to the misery of people surrounding the area, massive traffic jams are predicted every weekend at MRR2 near there due to slow trafic flow towards Tesco parking lots. Aiyoh, looks like samy vellu have to make another flyover on top of the existing road la to avoid gridlock. But no tolls la mr samy!
Hmm...apa yang best sangat Tesco ni? Baca lagi!

Haywire

After WC (world cup, not water closet ah) I got back right away to working mornings. Oh man! Why am I whining? Because I only work in the evening during the whole WC month. So, I dont have time to adjust my sleep! ZzzZZZzzz.... And now despite the fact I have to be in the office around 10, with my late nights (just cant help it, I love it!) and all...

Now after work, a few of my collegues and not to mention bosses will strip off everything we are in the office, and transform into Misbun and co. Hahah..Badminton! It has been ages since I picked up a racket. I even bought a cap ayam racket (at rm50, even a Yonex is cap ayam) to play! Which reminds me of my younger days, when dad would be home at 5 and play badminton with us at the porch. We had this two steel (read:heavy) rackets to play with. Then somewhere along the way, I got a new Yonex, which I think is expensive that time, as a gift. I dunno whether its for my good grades or for my birthday. I think I'm gonna re-wrap its grip later today. Hahahah!! <== poyo je, macam terer! Baca lagi!

I saw myself today...

As I stepped inside a bookstore today, I was halted by a sight.
I saw myself, a six year-old me, sitting on the floor; oblivious to the world; immensely concentrating on the book in hand.
The boy was reading Archie.
I used to do that when I was a kid.
Almost everytime, anywhere I can find a book.
I loved Dandy. He's got a kinda huge, weird looking chin.
The mamak at my nearby magazine store used to shoo me away if I was reading for too long.

"Sorry aa, takbleh baca lama-lama"

How wonderful it is to be kids...
No need to put in overtimes;
No need to put up with idiots;
No need to calculate how much money you should have in the bank to survive 'till end of month.

Hmm... Baca lagi!

Tummy timble tumble tots

Actually i had another thing written for this post. But it was so wretched that i had to put it in my other blog.

It was a great meeting. The guys were all hyped up watching Portugal vs England and the girls, were busy discussing about which team had the most beautiful jersey and which player was a hottie. Actually it was a meeting of celebrations. We had an early celebration for Ayang's birthday and her upcoming baby (in about two months). So, berpesta lah we all (although me not entirely, due to some outside reasons) with Lemon Cheesecake, laksa johor, potato pie and not forgetting the super delicious Haagen D ice cream! Can see photos here.
Stayed there until i saw Brazil fell to their knees, and I have a group ride at 7am! I tot boleh bangun la, then hampeh. I have to sleep in the car instead Ngantuk giler. Sorry guys, again I have let u down. Habis la reputasi aku. Lagipun belum adjust time tido lagi la. Susah woo.

*******

Baca lagi!