Aishah's Comeback Part 2

Would you still remember "Sensation" or "Respect the Beat" as well as "Call Me". Then this petite person of a half Kelanatanese descent came back home and came out with other hits such as "Janji Manismu" and "Camar Yang Pulang" that made her top all charts there were in the country and at once caught the hearts of her fellow Malaysian fans with her first Malay album. Yes, indeed it was AISHAH. And Aishah made Malaysia proud by making her name in the international music arena in New Zealand all the way to the United States.

I was 12 the time I first heard of the famed FAN CLUBS ... a New Zealand group of about 4 lads and Aishah being the lead singer. Their hit video CALL ME aired almost every week and I thought that Aishah was the coolest thing ever.

Things changed when I was in Form 2 and Aishah came back to record her first Malay Album entitiled Aishah. God, was I hooked on to it ... yep, made me an official Aishah fan. She then came out with several more albums, then the marriage with Rahim from Singapore, Aishah got sick, got well, came out with yet another album and stopped singing for a while to concentrate on her crafts. She published 4 books on hand craft and she's also doing very well with it.

2006 has also marked another year in her calendar. Aishah is making her comeback and releasing a new album which is scheduled to be released this November!!!! Yipee!!! Her single Melukut Di Tepi Gantang was used as the theme song in one of the Malay dramas during the Fasting Month.

Can't wait to get hold of her new album and for you Aishah fans out there, don't forget to get it too ok!

Ps - WHAT MAKES AISHAH MALAYSIA'S TRUEST POP STAR

1 HOLD A BACHELOR, MASTERS DEGREE FROM AN OVERSEAS UNIVERSITY

2 SPEAK PROPER ENGLISH WITHOUT THE EMBARASEMENT OF BEING LAUGHED AT

3 LOVES HER COFFEE WHITE AND NOT IN A MUG

4 WRITES HER OWN SONG THAT MADE IT TO THE TOP

5 WRITES HER OWN SONG IN ALL ALBUMS

6 HUMBLE

7 SHE'S GOT A GREAT VOICE

8 WEARS A TUDUNG AND NOT AT HER WEDDING RECEPTION IN A MOSQUE

9 FIRST MALAYSIAN TO BE THE PEPSI ICON

10 DOES NOT FORGET HER TRADITIONAL ROOTS

11 LOVED BY ALL FELLOW MALAYSIANS

more to come and be listed ... tungggguuuuu :)

Aishah's Comeback Part I

MELUKUT DI TEPI GANTANG

Di malam yang sunyi
Dudukku termenung sorang diri
Di jendela sepi

Hingga dinihari
Ku menantikan kepulanganmu
Namunkah hanya sekadar
Tinggal kata-kata
Bagaikan melukut di tepi gantang
Begitulah aku
Di dalam hidupmu
Ada tiada tak memberi kesan
Hanya aku menanggung
Kerinduan..

Dulu pernah kau katakan
Sayangg..
Ingin mendengarku berlagu riang..
Menawar duka laraku
Lupakan saja..
Derita yang berlalu
Tapi mengapa dirimu, kasih..
Ibarat lalang ditiup angin
Kasihmu diracun
oleh kata fitnah
penuh hina
Hingga kini kau biarkan saja..
Diriku menanggung sepi
Dengan irama dukaku
Yang tak bermakna
bagimu...


Click here to listen to Aishah's MELUKUT DI TEPI GANTANG

SYDNEY IN MEMORY

Hi there!

So, Sydney in memory. Yep, was there for the holidays about two weeks ago. Was there with someone special ... he he ... and we were staying at the Somerset Hotel in Darling Harbour. The hotel was great and was a serviced apartment concept with a full kitchen and separate bedroom. Was lovely.

This is me at the balcony outside our hotel room.

A candid shot of me looking confused on Kings Street.

Under the maple tree!

On the hop on and hop off tour bus ... costs AUD32 per person

The all amazing Sydney Harbour overlooking the famous Opera House

Just a small taster. I'll post some more in a few days ok. In the meantime, stay tuned and stay cute :)

Faikay

Happy Birthday To Me!

+++28th October 2006 +++

The day a truly loving guy came to life 30 years ago

to bring laughter and love to the world so in need of it and

to make sure that all the chocolate makers in this world

would make a huge profit from the disgustingly large amounts

consumed by this one of a kind loveable being

Hello all!

It's again been some time since I last posted anything here. This time, I'm gonna show you my birthday surprise from someone who obviously loves me (he .. he .. ) and didn't forget my birthday. And to all who sent me those sms's and birthday cards, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Not to forget 'sayang', for the birthday cake and all :) You're truly magnificient!

This is the cake from a top view. It's an American something chocolate cake. Bought from a cake shop called Muhibbah in Kota Bharu. It's got layers of sponge cake sanwiched over layers of coffee cream and smothered in rich milky chocolate. Topped with a Doraemon and Garfield figurine as well as finger biscuits and other decorative stuff you can't eat.

Here is another view of this awesome cake. You can see the small figurines clearly and a better view of what once used to be what the dictionary calls - a cake!

What should I write about ?

Hello again and welcome to my blogsite. Before I continue, I would like to wish all my muslim counterparts Eid Mubarak and happy fasting. It's coming to and end soon and I am sure many of us out there are preparing for the joyous festival that we all await once a year.

So, here I am again blogging again .. dunno really what to write about. I mean I've a zillion thing to say but what would the most meaningful be? What if I talked about the new version of Flight Simulator. So, all you FS fans out there, dunno whether you are aware or not, Microsoft has finally come up with a newer version of Flight Simulator.

I used to remember the good old days of flight simming. I mean I was only 8 - 9 at that time and the computer we owned that time was the best the world had to offer. It was a TANDY .. dunno whether you've heard of it but that's what we owned in Canada ( year 1988 ). I could still remember the only plane you could fly was just a cessna on a green monitor. graphics were very scarce that time but the flying experience sure had me stuck on the computer for a long long time.

Then there was FS 95 ... not too bad until FS98 came along. I thought the latter was great and then MS came out with FS 2000, had me simming again, then fs2002 WHICH I didn't like very much because my PC couldn't cope with it. And finally, there was FS2004 ... which I truly am addicted to. I've downloaded many planes, airports, scenery and stuff so that my simming experience would be ( as MS says it ... as real as it gets ).

However, there were no new versions of FS in 2005 and in 2006, whic is coming to and end, MS has finally released a better version called Flight Simulator X.

There you go guys, better graphics, relaistic airport setting, crowded skies, traffic, airport vehicles, ships, boats ... all you can think of. Check out the site at http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulatorx/flash/default_aircraft.htm

I'm sure you'll be fascinated. Well, I am and can't wait for it to be released here in Malaysia. If any of you out there have tried it, give us a picture of what you think. I'm sure we'll love ure experience.

In the meanwhile, take care all and happy simming!

Capt. Khairul

Me ... The Worry Wrat

Have you ever had the feeling that things just aren’t good enough for you? Or had you had one of those days where you think that everything’s just fine but actually deep down inside your heart you have a zillion questions you needed answers for but are too frustrated to find them because no one will give them answers to you because everyone’s telling you that everything is fine?

Well, I guess I have a problem of not believing that things are just fine the way they are. Why am I like this? Is this due to the fact that I am so insecure or obscure about everything that I need to know that everything’s just fine? Is it because all the answers in the world are just to make me feel fine or is it because I am too proud to admit that I wanna know that all is well and fine and that’ll help make me feel better?

I don’t know? I’ve been told before that I worry too much. Have been asked to chill down and don’t worry about the problem unless something really bad happens … then worry about the problem? Is that a good way of treating or remedy the situation? Should I just sit down and wait for something bad to happen and then take action to correct it? Or should I just keep on typing this piece of crap while the problem I am facing isn’t going away and pretend that writing this will help it go? What should I do?

Gosh, if you come across this, I’ve written more questions that there are statements here. You are just wasting your time if you go past this sentence. I am going to keep on typing until I can think that things are ok or I can find a solution making me think that things can be ok already. What does it mean to become a perfectionist? Am I a perfectionist? I don’t think I am. Am not obsessive compulsive like you see in one of those comedy series that our local television station airs every … umm … I can’t remember when.

What can I do? What is there for me to do? Where can I get the answers? Is it normal that man isn’t equipped with all the answers in the world because he can’t handle it? Am I too weak to handle the truth? Anyone … please tell me … please …. I need the answers …

What Kind of A Kisser Am I?

You're a Romantic Kisser

For you, kissing is all about feeling the romance You love to kiss under the stars or by the sea The perfect kiss involves the perfect mood It's pretty common for kisses to sweep you off your feet

What Kind of Kisser Are You?

ANYONE DISAGREES? LEMME KNOW OK!

What Superhero Am I???

You Are Superman

Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. And pretty cute too. No wonder you're the most popular superhero ever!

What Superhero Are You?

Bad Day - Daniel Powter

Where is the moment we needed the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue skies fade to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces everytime
And I don't need no carryin' on

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Well you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carryin' on

You had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day

(Oh.. Holiday..)

Sometimes the system goes on the blink
And the whole thing turns out wrong
You might not make it back and you know
That you could be well oh that strong
And I'm not wrong

So where is the passion when you need it the most
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
You've seen what you like
And how does it feel for one more time
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Had a bad day
Had a bad day
Had a bad day
Had a bad day
Had a bad day

And you had a bad day?

As I am writing this, I am currently listening to Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" that so tells about my life today. Well, Have you ever experiences or had one of those days where things just didn't or refuse to work out? I did ... it was today and it was horrible.

It all started when I was checking out a the Renaissance today. Being booked at a VISA special rate, I was supposed to be given a USD100 hotel voucher that can be used to offset some amount of the total final bill. However, the hotel ran out of the vouchers and I ended up paying the full amount when I could have SAVED a lot if I used my corporate rate. They then did promise to save them 3 vouchers for me so I can take them when I check in to the hotel the next time.

Then, I had a bit of a misunderstanding with someone ... yep, had to be the person you care about most. It was an arguement over nothing but I guess when ure in a relationship, everything seems a tad sensitive to you, doesn't it? We worked things out though and that someone's at work now ... and I'm here typing away and wiping my tears since this afternoon.

Next, I forgot to revalidate my room keycard as I extended my stay here at the hotel. I was on the 17th floor already with a bit of groceries. Thinking my misery would end once I reach the room, I was unmistakably wrong. It got worse. I had to go downstairs and askk reception to issue me a new key card. oh did I mention that there were billions of people waiting at the front desk???

Then got into my room, unpacked my stuff only to find out I bought the wrong type of instant noodles ... I bought the instant fried noodles instead of the slirpy soupy ones. And the worst thing is that I prepared it like it was instant soup noodles ...ended up eating awfully tasting stuff.

Tried connecting to the net using my handphone and wasn't successful during the first trillion attempts :( Was tempted to waste RM60 on hotel brtoadband charges but I kept patient. i got connected in the end but that almost costed my phone flying out the window. Now come to think of it, what did my phone do? It's Celcom's building I should burn down tomorrow.

So here I am sitting all pathetic today, watching my life just critter away, looking into internet sites, indulging into airline food ( pics of course ) while waiting for sayang to come back. Kinda miss sayang tho. Hope sayang comes back in a good mood. It was my fault, I know but hopefully all goes away ...

Destiny

IT'S DESTINY
IT'S THE DREAM
I DREAM OUR DESTINE TO BE.

I CAN SEE
OUR FUTURE AM I SATISFIED.

YOU AND ME
IT'S DESTINY
FATE IS ON OUR SIDE.

HAPPY ME!

Believe it or not, this is how I feel now ... ------->

All smiling and laughing. Why do I feel so? I dunno ... well, actually I do but if you've been reading my blog these days, I'm sure you must have figured out the answer. It's nice to be with someone again ... knowing that the person will be there in need. So, I don;t have to look for a shoulder to cry on anymore. I've one already. It's really awesome how two people can just fall for each other ... I guess I tripped and you-know-whom caught hold of me. Then, the twinkle in the eyes, the sweet smile and the story goes on and on. Hmm ... should I dedicate a song this time? nah ... been told that I'm a stereotype by doing so :) he heheh ... guess it's so much easier borrowing someone's poem than busting my brains out trying to make the words rhyme or keeping the rhythm. Wish my poetry lecturer would read this ... his name is Mr. Marshall and he's British. Taught me Introduction to poetry during my 2nd year in Matriculation and then there was also Dr. Jallal from Pakistan teaching me Poetry in my 1st year degree programme.

Been out of the office for the past 4 weeks, since I was assigned to Cambodia for the short meeting. Will only be in the office on Wednesday. Took a quick peek in my room just this morning and the mess on the floor! The memos, letters, periodicals etc etc ... Lotsa catching up to do. But I guess that wat you get for being away.

The picture was taken using my Motorola V3X and amazingly, the picture turned out beautiful. And it was taken in the cable car at Langkawi. Was there with a couple of my office mates. A meeting with our Indonesian counterparts. Was there for a week and now back at home.

Anyway ... nothing new to report to you except that there's a 5th rabbit in the cage that just appeared from nowhere. Will try to take their pics and post them here.

Take care all!

ps - I'm so in love!!!!

calling all sabena fans ...

Dear "Sabeniens",

I just recently found this great website that'll help us re-live the sabena golden era. The address is http://users.pandora.be/sabenapictures/index2.htm

It's a great site with lotsa pics and the famous sabena screensaver for your pc. It does bring back fond memeories of this Belgian now-defunct airline.

my favourite PETERPAN band mate ... UKI ! ! ! !

Lahir di Bandung dengan nama lengkap Mohammad Kautsar Hikmat, bergabung dengan peterpan karena memang semenjak di SMP, Uki seneng banget main musik. Ngefans banget sama kakak beradik Liam dan Noel Ghallager dari band Oasis itu, Uki memang sudah punya cita-cita dari kecil untuk jadi superstar. Di ulang tahunnya yang ke 17, cowok yang juga jago gambar ini dapat hadiah gitar listrik pertamanya. Bersama Ariel, Andika dan Indra dia membentuk band Topi di tahun 1997, yang adalah cikal bakal peterpan.

Love this Peterpan Poster!!!!

Another nice pic

Just for the sake of posting my pics. Cheers!

WHAT AM I LIKE TODAY???

What am I like today?

Still 'ol me ... not much difference.

Although I've a new phone now :)

Still love travelling, picture above was taken at Bromo, Surabaya. Fantastic place.

So, you guys still remember me? Write or call me ok!

Thank you all!

Dear all,

I'm flattered by all the emails I have been receiving through this blog site. Your comments are highly appreciated and I will try to update the site more frequent. Just didn't have the time to do so recently but will commit to update things soon. In the meanwhile, do keep writing to me and hope to hear from you all again soon :)

Moving on ...

18th April 2006

Moving on ... yes and will never look back. So the question people are going to pop ... did I throw everything away, fix up a vodoo doll, burn pictures, throw a tantrum ... nope. Will treasure each moment and will never forget and besides, it was mutual. Wasn't one sided, we both agreed what's best for each other.

I guess it's back to travelling around the world looking for new experience, new faces, new culture and a new me :) Am looking forward to it already. What do I have planned? China, Turkey, Russia, Argentina, South Africa. Dunno where to go and what to do. Probably best if I start picking up friends first.

I'm sure I'll have lots more to write about when I'm 100% myself. In the meanwhile, I'm back to flying planes on my PC at home. Got a sore shoulder last week. Was on the computer for hours flying around the globe. I love MS Flight Simulator 2004. The best game there is to venture into.

That's it for now. Take care and cheers!

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do ... Cont'd

Yes!!! It's Official ...

What more can I say? Cest la vie and Carpe Diem!

What else is there to say. I remembered Ann-Louise Tidell (an ex colleague of mine from Belgium) telling and hugging me at the same time while I was in tears ... "Look Khairul, this will not be your first break up and it will not be your last"

I took it positively and still am. What can I do and what will I do. Nothing. Shit happens. And besides, life's a bitch ... then you become one.

Sad? Me ... yeah but hmm ... dunno lah. Time will tell. At least I've my friends around. Take it one day at a time ... yeah. Will do that.

Why me? The question is ... Why not me? :-)

Thank you all for reading.

Love you guys!

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Don't take your love away from me
Don't you leave my heart in misery
If you go then I'll be blue
'Cause breaking up his hard to do

Remember when you held me tight
And you kissed me all through the night
Think of all that we've been through
Breaking up is hard to do

They say that breaking up is hard to do
Now I know, I know that it's true
Don't say that this is the end
Instead of breaking up I wish that we were making up again

I beg of you, don't say goodbye
Can't we give our love another try
Come on baby, let's start anew
'Cause breaking up is hard to do

SOLAR ECLIPSE IS HITTING EARTH AGAIN !!!

CCRA, Ghana - Tourists and scientists were gathering at spots around the world for the first total eclipse in years, a solar show that will sweep northeast from Brazil to Mongolia and blot out the sun across swathes of the world's poorest lands.
ADVERTISEMENT

The last such eclipse in November 2003 was most visible from Antarctica, said Alex Young, a
NASA scientist involved in solar research.

Wednesday's eclipse will block the sun in highly populated areas, including West Africa.

In Togo, authorities imported hundreds of thousands of pairs of special glasses that consumers cleared rapidly from shelves in the capital, Lome. Villagers in the interior will not have access to the eyewear and officials called on them to stay home.

"Please, do not go out and keep your children indoors on solar eclipse day," Togo's minister for health said in a message broadcast on state television.

Day will turn to night in the eclipse's route and a corona — the usually invisible extended atmosphere of the sun — will glow around the edges of the moon as it comes between the earth and the sun.

"Imagine if your hair was to stand up from static electricity, that's kind of what the corona looks like all around the sun," NASA's Young said. But the corona's light can burn eyes.

In Ghana, where the effect will be particularly visible, people were spending about $1 for "solar shades" — paper-rimmed glasses with dark plastic lenses that resemble eyewear used for viewing three-dimensional movies.

NASA said Turkey will be the best spot to view the eclipse, and tens of thousands of tourists were expected along the Turkish Mediterranean coast. Astronomers from NASA and Britain's Royal Institute of Astronomy were also going to an ancient Roman amphitheater in Turkey to view the phenomenon.

The moon is expected to first begin blocking out the sun in the morning in Brazil before the eclipse migrates to Africa, then on to Turkey and up into Mongolia, where it will fade out with the sunset.

Superstition will follow around the world, as it has for generations.

One Indian paper advised pregnant women not to go outside during the eclipse to avoid having a blind baby or one with a cleft lip. Food cooked before the eclipse should be thrown out afterward because it will be impure and those who are holding a knife or ax during the eclipse will cut themselves, the Hindustan Times added.

Total eclipses are rare because they require the tilted orbits of the sun, moon and earth to line up exactly so that the moon obscures the sun completely. The next total eclipse will occur in 2008.

Tak Bisakah - Peterpan

hatiku bimbang namun tetap pikirkanmu
selalu slalu dalam hatikuku
melangkah sejauh apapun itu
selalu kau di dalam hatiku

kuberjalan berjalan memutar waktu
berharap temukan sisa hatimu
mengertilah kuingin engkau begitu
mengerti kau di dalam hatiku

tak bisakah kau menungguku
hingga nanti tetap menunggu
tak bisakah kau menuntunku
menemani dalam hidupku

tak ada kau mencari hidupku
kemana kau tau isi hatiku
kutunggu sejenak aku disitu
jalanku jalan menemukanmu

TAKE A WHIZZ FROM TIME TO TIME ... IT'S GOOD FOR YOU :)

I was at the hospital last week and progress of my kidney stones ... 2 cm! Not much progress in sense of reduction but I've been told it's a transluscent stone formed from the huge amount of uric acid in my blood. Am on a purine free diet and another date with the radiologist in September to monitor the stone progress.

A word of advise, relieve yourself from time to time and comsume tons of water. It's good for you as it cleanses your kidneys :)

Take care all!

Lost my phone ... uhuk ... uhuk

It's official ... no, not that Malaysia didn't make it to the top 5 in the Commonwealth Games recently held in Melbourne ( 6 wouldn't be bad either )

I lost my phone, my sleek, silver, Samsung flip phone. I think it was taken while I was at the office. I remember leaving it on my desk and going to the loo for a whizz ... but when I came back, it wasn't on my desk anymore.

So, I lost my phone. Am I going to be bitter of the fact that I lost my phone? I'M MORTALLY WOUNDED!!! Nah ... can't be bothered but I am concdrned of the fact that I also lost the hundreds of numbers I have saved in my 128K Sim Card. So what am I going to do about it? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

I'll save the numbers when the calls come in. In the meantime, any of you there who thinks I might have lost your number, call or text me at the same number ok :)

Cheers!

Day off today!!! Yipee ... (not) :(

Today was supposed to be my day off because I had something planned for the weekend with someone. Unfortunately, my boss is away and I have to make sure that things in the office are running smoothly ... DAMN IT!!!!!

Anyway, what I'm wearing today:

• My glasses
• Pin stripe long sleeve shirt ( Yellow, Blue and White )
• Orange Tie
• Tie bar
• Black Trousers
• Black Shoes
• Black Socks
• My Tissot
• Acqua di Gio
• Thumb ring
• And a smile on my face as always

Cheers!

My PC's Wallpaper

Fantastic ain't it? Just remarkable :)

Magritte ... Magritte and more Magritte ...

For all you Magritte fans out there, more pictures to tickle your sense bud. Enjoy mates!

Homesickness

L'assasins menace

The Lovers 1

L'aimable verite

La Chateau des Pyrenees

La condition humaine

L'OISEAU DE CIEL

"L'OISEAU DE CIEL" BLIJFT IN BELGIE

Het doek "L'oiseau de ciel" van de Belgische surrealist René Magritte is in Zaventem geveild voor 3,4 miljoen euro. Dat is veel meer dan verwacht. Een Brusselse kunsthandelaar kocht het werk in opdracht van een bekende Belg, die anoniem wenst te blijven. Zeker is dus dat het doek in België blijft. Het kunstwerk was het topstuk op de veiling van de failliete luchtvaartmaatschappij Sabena. De waarde was geschat op 1,2 miljoen euro. Volgens de veilingmeester is deze Magritte met 3,4 miljoen euro het duurste schilderij dat ooit in België is verkocht.

My favourite painter - Rene Magritte

Rene Magritte
1898 - 1967
Belgium

René Magritte, the famous Belgian Surrealist, developed his signature techniques early in his career while working as a commercial artist-designing wallpapers, posters, sheet-music covers and collage illustrations for furriers' catalogs. When he moved to Paris from Brussels, in August 1927, to join the Parisian Surrealists, Magritte began his investigation of pictorial language in a burst of activity that was to produce sixty pictures in one year, some quite large. When Magritte left Paris in 1930, he abandoned the Surrealist milieu where the painters tended to be subordinate to the writers, and in particular to André Breton.

Although Magritte was not adverse to the company of writers-indeed Paul Eluard was his closest friend in Paris and many of his writer friends helped produce titles for his paintings-he was adverse to Breton's organizing, and returned to Brussels where he was regarded as the center of the avant-garde circle. He remained in Belium, save for a few trips, until his death.Magritte's works are conceived of as riddles. In them, he explores the mysteries lurking in the unexpected juxtaposition of everyday things, involving the viewer in a self-induced disorientation. His paintings exclude symbols and myths; everything is visible.

Magritte worked from several sources, which he repeated with variations: anatomical surprises, such as the hand whose wrist is a woman's face; the mysterious opening, where a door swings open onto an unexpected vista; metamorphic creatures, such as a stone bird flying above a rocky shoreline. He animates the inanimate, as a shoe with toes; he enlarges details, as an immense apple filling a room. he makes an association of complementaries, as the leaf-bird, or the mountain-eagle. His titles accompany the paintings in the way that names correspond to objects, without either illustrating or explaining them.

There is always a kind of logic to Magritte's images but when asked about analysis of the content of his paintings, Magritte replied, "If one looks at a thing with the intention of trying to discover what it means, one ends up no longer seeing the thing itself, but of thinking of the question that is raised." The interpretation of the image was a denial of its mystery, the mystery of the invisible. His images are to be looked at, not into.

tanda-tanda anda bayi tahun 70 / 80-an

kita membesar dgn menonton G-Force, He-man, Transformers,Thundercats,Silver Hawk, Woody Woodpecker, Chipmunks and Mickey Mouse.

Not to forget Ninja Turtles, Mask, Smurfs dan Voltron.

berus gigi time waktu rehat kat skolah rendah?...hmm, mesti pegang cawan warna-warni kan. mencangkung kat tepi parit dgn classmates semua kat seblah... ingat tak, misi kat skolah masuk kelas dgn list dentist appointment.

pastu bunyi gigi member kite kene gerudi kat bilik sebelah. ada gigi yang berlubang, kene laa tampal.

ni sure korang igt...program minum susu di skolah. nak galakkan budak2 time tuh minum susu. sekotak 30 sen jek beb... cikgu2 kalau nak denda, mesti guna pembaris panjang warna kuning tu. pukul tapak tangan...kan?

semangkuk mi sup ke, mihun sup ke, 30 sen jek kat kantin. Hankyu Jaya, Yaohan - shopping complex yang popular utk meluangkan masa dgn family. ni for those yg dok KL laa time skolah menengah, korang sure beli kasut skolah Bata BM Turbo atau Pallas Jazz. ada yang suka kasut high-cut yang buatan china tu...ada yang suka stoking tebal laaa... internet? email? mendalah ape tu? CD? ape tu? kaset tape penah laa dgr.

tiket wayang pun 5 inggit je. kite pegi kedai runcit, beli Chickerdis, Mamee , Kum Kum, UFO, O-Ya, Ding Dang chocolate balls yang ada mainan kat dlm die, 'telur' keras warnawarni, 'rokok' chewing gum, KIKI Bubble Gum. tak dilupakan, 'Ti Kam'.

bile dah abih exam, main Monopoly la, Donkey la, Happy Family laa dlm class. tapi bunyi loceng laa yang paling best skali. boleh beli aiskrim ngan apek kat luar skola tuh... lagi satu loceng masa nak pegi rehat. tinggal kan keje skolah, jom kita pegi makan. budak2 yg dpt Rancangan Makanan Tambahan (RMT) mesti kluar awal.

lagi satu yang seronok mase time Pendidikan Jasmani, PJ. main bola laa,rounders laa... permainan kegemaran, main guli, batu seremban, penutup botol, batang aiskrim, 'Pepsi Cola one-two-three', 'Police & Sentry', kejar2 duduk... kita hilangkan dahaga dgn aiskrim 10 sen. yang tube aiskrim, ada byk 2 color tu.

kalau nak makan, kene patahkan kat tengah2 die! lipat kertas kecik2, pastuh buat lastik. hmmm..ni pun kita main duluni.

baling2 kapur laa. hmm...budak2 kat university skarang, kebanyakan nye lahir thn1987/88. skarang digelar 'remaja'.

bagi diorg, diorg mane penah dgr lagu 'We Are the World, We Are the Children...' dan lagu 'Uptown Girl' yang diorg tau, yg Westlife nyanyi....bkn Billy Joel nyanyi... bagi diorg, ada satu je Jerman kat dunia ni, dan ade satu je Vietnam.

AIDS wujud sejak diorg lahir. CD pun wujud time diorg lahir. Michael Jackson dah putih dah time tu.

Diorg percaya Spiderman dgn Incredible Hulk tu filem2 baru. Diorg tak bley bayangkan skrin hitam putih utk sebuah komputer. Diorg tak penah tau pun 'Atari' dgn 'Game & Watch'.

Diorg tak percaya penah ada TV hitam putih...dan diorg skarang takretinakswitch on TV kalau xde remote control. dan diorg tak paham macam mane kite boleh survive dkt universiti tanpa handphone...

hmm...jom kite check, kite ni dah tua ke:

1. korg paham ape yang korang baca kat atas ni, dan korg sure tersenyum

2. kebanyakan member2 skolah menengah kite dah kawin

3. korg sure pelik bile nengok bdak2 kecik main komputer, selamba je

4. kita geleng kepala bile nengok bdak2 skolah menengah guna handphone

5. kita dah tak byk sembang2 dgn member melalui telefon lagi setiaphari

6. bile jumpe member lame dari semasa ke semasa, seronok bile bersembang pasal cerite2 lame, cerite2 kelakar yang kite alami mase dulu time kecik2, nakal2 dulu...

7. last skali, bile dah bace email ni, korang akan terpikir utk forward kan dkt member2 lame korg. Sure diorg suke punye laa...hehehe Yaa, kite pun dah semakin tua!! Teringat zaman2 dulu kan?

Cheers to the 70s / 80s babies!!!

p/s ..aku cut nd paste dari email kengkawan.. mate ...
sama jer budak 80 dan budak 79... hahahahaha

Am I Doing The Right Thing?

Hello everyone! It's been quite some time since I last wrote something here. It's not that I'm not interested or the Blog phenomena has lost its charm on me ... It's just that I've been freggin tired everyday after coming home from work. Look, I live in Selayang and work in Putrajaya. I have to wake up at 0540hrs every day to be in time for work. Mind you, I take the chartered bus to work. I finish work at 1700hrs and take the bus back home and the time is usually 1830hrs when I step foot into my home.

Well, I guess it's normal for each and everyone of us who commute on that same blue bus everyday. And to add to that, in the late afternoon or early evening when it's time to go back home, the scorching sun outside raises the temperature to about 35degrees probably. The bus can't take the heat too I guess as we are all baked and soaked in our sweat on our journey back to Selayang. It's awful.

Anyway, what I wanted to write about today is whether I think I'm doing the right thing working what I am working as now. I'm not bitching about the job and all. I mean the job's great and fantastic and your future is clear and the chances of promotion to a senior position in the government sector is quite high and people my age are really climbing up high. So, what's there to moan about.

Actually, I started as a Linguist after graduation. My first job took me to Ieper, Belgium and I clearly remember that date ... It was on the 11th of November 2000 when I arrived in Zaventem all gleaming and smiling excited about my new position. The journey to Ieper from Brussels Airport took almost an hour but every minute was worth it. Well, what did I do? I worked for a Speech Technology Company called Lernout and Hauspie and it was one of the biggest Belgian company that had branches worldwide. Sadly, it was bought over by ScanSoft USA but the job reamined the same. My daily routine was to create linguistic resources to be used for Text to Speech and Advanced Speech Recognition System in American and Asian accented English. Being the ONLY Malay guy there, I was really proud of the position I was holding and I was representing my country.

However, in 2003, I took a turn in my life. I decided to pack up and head back home. People do say that there's no place like home ... The reason I left Belgium was not due to the fact that I was home sick and all, it was just that my Mom had asked me to return and work at home. I adhered to her request as Mom's words are always blessings in disguise. So there I was on the plane bound for Amsterdam, Hong Kong and final destination ... Kuala Lumpur. I was finally back home.

So, what did I do when I got back. I worked as a Speech Therapist for a few months teaching Chinese students from China proper English and pronunciation. I also had to assist Libyan, Arab, Indonesian and Uzbek students as well. It was great fun and I knew I was happy. Then the offer to join the government service came and I was petrified. I didn't know what to do but I did know that I did not want to end up as a Speec Therapist all my life. A linguist? defintely!!! But not a Speech Therapist. I finally took the offer and here I am now, a civil servant still wondering whether I'm doing the right thing.

I have told people many times that I wouldn't say NO if ScanSoft approached me again and asked me to work with them, but will I go through the whole process again? Many of my frineds tell me that my body is here but my heart and soul is lost else where. That saddens me. I don't know what's the right thing now.

In the meantime, I am still employed and I love my job now. My job has taught me many new thing and brought me to places I've always dreamt of going. I also had the chance to experience my baby nephew grow up. Apparently, when I was in Belgium, I was foreign to him. Now he knows me well and I'm happy I got to watch him grow.

There you have it ... the story of my life. Am 30 and still comtemplating about my future. Have I gone nuts? Am I really crazy? I can't answer these questions but if anyone of you out there who happens to know me reads this, let me know what you think of me.

Cheers!!

Laguku Untukmu

PETER PAN - MUNGKIN NANTI

Saatnya ku berkata mungkin yang terakhir kalinya
Sudahlah lepaskan semua kuyakin inilah waktunya
Mungkin saja kau bukan yang dulu lagi
Mungkin saja rasa itu telah pergi

Dan mungkin bila nanti kita kan bertemu lagi
Satu pintaku jangan kau coba tanyakan kembali
Rasa yang kutinggal mati
Seperti hari kemarin saat semua disini

Dan bila hatimu termenung bangun dari mimpi2mu
Membuka hatimu yang dulu cerita saat bersamaku
Mungkin saja kau bukan yang dulu lagi
Mungkin saja rasa itu telah pergi

Dan mungkin bila nanti kita kan bertemu lagi
Satu pintaku jangan kau coba tanyakan kembali
Rasa yang kutinggal mati
Seperti hari kemarin saat semua disini

Tak usah kau tanyakan lagi simpan untukmu sendiri
Semua sesal yang kau cari semua rasa yang kau beri

TO KNOW ME IS TO LOVE ME

shoe size .... 9

shirt size ... 16.5

glasses .... yes

left power ... -250

right power ... - 350 (astigma -0.75)

glasses ... Calvin Klein

contacts ... not yet but on the way

hair ... short and comed with a parting to the right

facial hair ... none

favourite colour ... purple

lifelong ambition ... airline pilot or steward

shirt maker ... Marks and Spencer

trousers ... Marks and Spencer

tie ... Marks and Spencer

socks ... Byford and Marks and Spencer

cufflinks ... yes

shoe maker ... Obermain and Pellucca

accessories ... ring on right thumb

watch for leisure ... swatch skin

watch for work ... Tissot

perfume ... Acqua di Gio and Tommy

cosmetics ... Biotherm for Homme

phone ... Samsung

pen ... sheaffer

Monday ... how I hate Mondays. I must have inherited the positive attitude from Garfield. Not that I like eating lasagne nor am I orang and stripey all over, it's just that we both are ..

FAT

SELFISH

LAZY

CYNICAL

ENDEARING

that's me !!!

I am what I am and no one can change me for that although many people have tried as they were uneasy with the fact that I speak my mind to the fullest, i speak uninsured and that every 5th work that I utter is either a curse or a swearing word. Whoa ... education must have taught me really well. Aren't I proud of myself? Like I said earlier, I am what I am.

Back to Monday. I started work only to find out that there was a Management Meeting today ... shit!!! of all the days why Monday. I didn't know what to feel anymore. So, pusing aside the mandatory Nasi Lemak and Chicken sambal, I dragged my feet into the meeting room to tell myself that there is a meeting and I must at least survive this. Apparently, I was suppose to have another meeting the same afternoon but was postponed due to some reasons I truly thanked God for.

I survived the day though. went back home and decided to take a spin around the village. Why, I was actually disturbed today. 4 of my best friends actually retaliated against me for something I've done that I think is meager. I won't tell you what it is but is it fair for 4 of your friend to speak about you behind your back and convince theirselves that I'm such a horrible prik. I mean I know I'm not the best in nature but these 4 girls were always there by myside during good and bad times. Not to mention when I was their shoulder to cry on at times.

The saddest part was the fact that things I have joked about taken seriously and all of the days, they had to bring ot out on me today, Hooray ... great job girls. I must say that I've been deeply hurt andnot to mention the times when I was working for them and tried to cover their asses at work and their appreciation were sometimes by getting angry at me.

It's ok. I'm a grown person and i can take care of myself. I don't really mind tht my so-called chums are like this. They've taught me to be a tad careful with people around me. So moral of the day ... don't trust anyone around you unless you've vowed to each other to do so.

Thanks girls, you've lighten up my day today.

tin whistling session

Hi and welcome back to my page. It's been a few days since I last updated my blog. I just didn't have the time to write anything as I was really tied up with work and all. However, since ot's the weekend tomorrow (Yippie!) and work ONLY starts again on Monday, I thought I'd use the time I have this weekend to write as much as I can.

So, what have I been up to lately? Nothing much although I have been practising my tin whistling. Next question ... what in God's name is a tin whistle. Apart from the fact that it's a souvenir I got for myself (ahhh ... ) on my recent work assignment in Dublin, Ireland (show off!) it's a slender musical instument made of light aluminium and looks almost like a recorder - the thinggy we used to play in standard 4, 5 and 6. The major differences are major. Firstly, a tin whistle comes in a certain key only. The one I am using comes in the key of D. The barrel is made of aluminium where as a recorder is made of plastic. When playing it, you also use almost all you fingers to cover the appropiate holes. Not with a tin whistle as it only comes with holes to make up the tunes. A tin whistle is usually named. Mine's called Feadog and Walton's. The ones from Feadog are actually made of brass and sounds sweeter. The ones Walton makes are called The Little Black Whistle. Heard or seen of ot before? Well, one clue - The Corrs. Ring a bell? No? It's the EXACT tin whistle that the gorgeous Andrea Corr plays. The sound's a bit airy and it might take you some time to get used to it but it's lighter than the brass whistle and hey, the corrs use it :) The tin whistle can play happy cheerful Irish jigs and tunes and on the opposite, it can also play eerie haunting tunes. Weird eh?

So, the sheet music I posted above is actually a part of The Corrs new album "Home" I bought in Ireland, just for the sake of having it made Irish! So, Spancill Hill is actually an Irish folk song and the lyrics are nice. It also has a melancholic type of music. I am so hooked on to the song. Here, check out the lyrics:


Artist: The corrs
Song: Spancill Hill
Album: Home

last night as i lay dreaming of pleasant days gone by
my mind being bent on rambling to ireland i did fly
i stepped on board a vision and followed with the wind
till next i came to anchor at the cross near spancill hill

t'was on the 23rd june the day before the fair
when lreland's sons and daughters and friends assembled there
the young ,the old, the brave, the bold came their duty to fill
at the parish church at cluney just a mile from spancill hill

i went to see my neighbors to hear what they might say
the old ones were all dead and gone the young one's turning grey
i met the tailor quigley, he's bold as ever still
sure he used to mend my britches when i lived at spancill hill

i paid a flying visit to my first and only love
she's fair as any lily and gentle as a dove
she threw her arms around me saying "johnny i love you still"
she was meg the farmers daughter and the pride of spancill hill
she was meg the farmers daughter and the pride of spancill hill

Then comes Sharon's violin, Jim's guitar, Caroline's bodhran and finally the chirping of Andrea's tin whistle. It's played really fast and I'm training my fingers to play it as quickly as Andrea. It may look simple but it ain't! I thought it was as easy as the recorder but I was wrong.

So, what Corrs tune do I play?

1. Only When I Sleep
2. Dreams
3. Humdrum
4. Rebel Heart
5. Lough Erin Shore
6. Spancill Hill
7. And I'm practising Haste to the Wedding and Toss the Feathers.

Well, that's a wrap for tonite. I hope to have more news for you tomorrow ok. In the meanwhile, take care and have a good one :)

puisi ini hadiah untukmu

saat hentian tak lagi rindang
saat tepian tak lagi nyaman
biarkan kaki ini beringsut
pada seraut senyum nan teduh
bila ini takdir mengapa aku begini pandir
terbiar pada dingin hujan tak berbelas kasih
bila payung cinta terkembang seperti sayap-sayap merpati
akankah tangan yang tergapai ini kau sambut ???

Stereotypes

"Yes, they're STEREOTYPES
There must be more to life
All your life you are dreaming
And then you stop dreaming
From time to time you know
You should be going on another bender"

Stereotypes by Blur (The Great Escape Album)

Yes, they're STEROTYPES ... god damn, freggin, nail biting, obscure dirty little stereotypes. You must be wondering what I'm winging about. And you have the right to know because I hate them stereotypes. It started when I was in my last ten minutes of work today. I got a phonecall from a friend that asked me to meet up after work and I politely refused. I explained that I was in a bit of a messy situation at the office - not that I'm in trouble or anything but the workload is piling on my desk and I just can't take it anymore. So, here's a teaser of what needs to be done before the end of the week:

1. Memo to Qat*r embassy
2. Letter to Malaysian *mbassy in China
3. Letter to education attache in China
4. C*binet paper for visit
5. Scholarship payments
6. Preparation for pre-council meeting
7. Discussion matrix
8. Meeting issues
9. Saudi's MoU
10. Ireland's Follow Up
11. Egyptian Visit follow Up
12. Omani Ministerial Visit
13. Committee Meeting
14. and the list goes on and on ...

With all that I have listed, I need to get them all done in time for the weekend or I'll end up working extra hours unpaid. Life is so unfair sometimes because at some level, you are not allowed to claim overtime allowances for working the wee hours of the night. So, what ticked me off this afternoon was that fact that this friend of mine was telling me that I was unable to handle pressure and will never make it to the private sector. HELLO!!! Wake up and smell the poo buddy. I was from the private sector. Worked in a multicultural environment in Belgium as a Linguist. Work there is no hanky panky. You come in, log into the network, work, break for lunch, take a piss from time to time, work again and head back home. Honestly, I survived the private sector better that I am surviving the civil service. Am not trying to put the civil service down but the amount of pressure building in government offices is worse that thought. I never knew that the civil service would be that tough as compared to working with a multinational like Unilever (M) Sdn. Bhd - who used to sponsor my studies and decided not take hire me as the company was downsizing and let me off the hook.

So, is it fair for all you people out there working for the famed private sector to diss us people working for the public? Is it right and ethical to judge us as being incompetent? Would you think of the public sector as working in a laid back fashion? If all, or even one of your answer is YES to any of the questions just now, I plead you to think again. Sit down, sip a cup of coffee and think realistically. Ask people who are working in the public sector what its about. Don't just think that people who work in the private sector are frustrated over things that they have not achieved. People in the public sector frustrates twice the amount due to the large competition around.

What then would people in the private sector define stress, frustration, tired, mental block etc as? Would it be similar to how people in the public sector would view it? I urge someone to iron it out for us civil servants.

Sekian, terima kasih.

"BERKHIDMAT UNTUK NEGARA"

Saya yang menurut perintah,


(KHAIRUL SUFI)
Bahagian ****
b.p Ketua Setiausaha
Kementerian **** Malaysia

Sorry ...

SOMETIMES WE DO AND SAY THINGS THAT HURT PEOPLE WITHOUT REALIZING IT. ONE CAN ONLY ASK FOR FORGIVENESS FROM THOSE WE HAVE HURT. A THOUSAND SORRIES AREN'T ENOUGH FOR HOW SORRY I FEEL ...

Friends or Strangers?

Hi ya and welcome back! It’s been a day or two without me having the chance to fill up my blogsite but today, I’ve vowed that I’d write something down so I can share my thoughts with you. So here it goes …

On my recent day off from work ( I hate Sundays because the next day is a Monday and I loathe Monday ), I had the opportunity to go for my mandatory at-least-once-a-year corn popping experience at the local cinema with a friend, although the only corn I popped was into my mouth and not kernels in a popcorn machine. I was given a choice of a few movies to watch; namely Long-Khong or The Descent. The former having being sold out, I was given no choice but to opt for The Descent. So there we were, lining up at the mile long queue waiting to buy or tickets and keeping our fingers crossed that the tickets wouldn’t sell out once we reach the counter. 15 minutes passed and we were still queuing up. Didn’t take my eyes of the NOW SHOWING screen as I patiently monitored the progress of the ticket selling for the movie we wanted to watch. At last, came our turn and luckily, we got the last few seats for the movie. It was the second row but that really didn’t matter as I wanted to watch the movie so badly.

After getting the tickets and having a puff or two ( I don’t smoke but my friend does), we finally dragged ourselves to the refreshment counter and got a small popcorn and two drinks. Got into the movie theatre and tucked ourselves into the seats. Movie started 15 minutes later as advertisements were shown first. Then the moment came … the movie finally started. So we watched … and watched and screamed and got startled and got annoyed at the guy behind us projecting what might happen next in a voice where the people of Uruguay can hear and the movie ended about two hours later. I’m not going to tell you what the synopsis of the movie is (really, Faikay???) but what I do want to share are what happened throughout the film.

A group of six girls went cave exploring and found out they were lost when the group leader admitted she brought them all to a different cave hoping they’ll create history by uncovering a new one. Hey … that kinda sounds like a synopsis, doesn’t it? Anyway, what she did actually put her other 5 friends in a terrifying experience that later lead to their death(s). So, the question here is whether we would do the same in order to gain fame and at the same time jeopardize the lives of our friends. Would we actually stand up to our ego and not letting the people we love that something is extremely wrong at the very beginning? Would being well-known enough a reason to danger and take the lives of the people we love? And if we were one of the girls, would we ever forgive ourselves for getting into the mess although at first, we do not want to continue with it but for the sake of friendship, keep on playing to the beat? I’d really love to hear what anyone has to say about this. It can be an interesting topic of conversation or it could bore you to death. What ever you feel about it, I leave it for you to decide …

Decision Making

The story given below is quite interesting and really gives us an insight into DECISION MAKING.

Which one will you choose? A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track. The train came, and you were just beside the track interchange. You could make the train change its course to the disused track and saved most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way? Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make. Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess.

Exactly, I thought the same way initially because to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally. But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place? Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was.

This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.

The friend who forwarded me the story said he woul d not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's sirens. If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.

While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one.

"Remember that what's right isn't always popular... and what's popular isn't always right."

Everybody makes mistakes; that's why they put erasers on pencils.

Celcom, you're truly the BEST!!!!

KLians … beware! Your conversation with the Celcom Customer Careline Representative may be recoded but not taken seriously! Trust me – I’ve been there and done that, and twice …

As I said earlier on, I was in the Celcom service centre today applying for some International Roaming and International Direct Dialing Service. I also did ask for a termination of my supplementary line THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE ALMOST A YEAR AGO! Bravo Celcom, you’re truly the best and most caring telecommunication company in Malaysia, probably in the world too. So, to my surprise, my supplementary line hasn’t been terminated yet. I filled out a frekkin form and was asked to wait. Wasn’t that long, although there were probably a billion others frustrated customers there today. When my turn came up, I went to the counter and explained my situation. I told the sweet smiling lady clad in the famous Celcom-brand-batik what has happened. She checked her records and told me that there is no record of my request to terminate the supplementary line. That almost peed me off but keeping my cool, since it’s a Friday, I hastily told her that the request has been submitted since end April 2005. Well, according to Celcoms’ record, there isn’t any request. So all this while, the payment for the supplementary line goes down the drain with what is known as the supreme service that Celcom provides its customers. Look … I paid RM30 per month for the supplementary line. Multiply that with May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December and January 2006, what do you get RM270 bloody Malaysian money.

So, they asked me to provide proof of my termination request (hmm … lemme see, April last year. A fax letter to Celcom, will it be in my file, you do the calculation) and only then will the CARING(not) people at Celcom readjust the money paid for the second line.

Was it my fault? I don’t think so. I’ve done my part as a consumer asking for a request. I was advised by one of the consultants to write in a request and happily did it. I waited a few months and no action was taken and followed up on the matter but was told that the matter is being taken care of. And today, what do I get for being so loyal to Celcom? An extremely hard punch in the face. So, Celcom should rewrite their service motto as Celcom It's In Your Face. They’ve the worst customer service one can ever encounter, although they claim that they have the best coverage, the lines are usually congested, GPRS works as and when it wishes and text messages takes over a century to arrive in your inbox. Believe it or not, I recently have just received a text message sent from London in the year 2004. And a friend of mine asked to post his resume for a job application so he texted the address to me. It never arrived on time but luckily for him, he sent me a second text and it arrived almost immediate.

So Celcom, ask yourself. Are you guys proud of whom you are? Do you think you’re on top of the world? Will you ever beat Maxis? I think not and with that, I’d like to end with … Celcom, you should shove it where the sun ain’t shining :)

To work or not to work, that is the question.

Hi there! Me again here ... Yeah, boring ol' me. Well, it's the 3rd of February today and according to my work schedule, it's a working day (yikes!!!). So yesterday, I prepared myself mentally and physically to go head on with what many people like to refer it as work [ work v. to get up REALLY early in the morning, look handsome and smell sweet to face a being often telling you what to do and when to get it done. This being is called a boss ( a noun ) ]. So last night, I ironed my shirt, pressed my trouser and tie and hung it up nicely so that it'll all look freshly pressed when my full-sized-kinda-model body fills into the shirt and trouser. I also made sure that my mandatory pen I place in my shirt pocket is on my desk, my pendrives are securely packed into my work bag, the home keys are neatly placed where I can see them an of course, set the alarm ( aaa ... what would I do without you Mr. Alarm Man ) at 05.45hrs and my MP3 player by my side, in case I need some music to lull me to sleep. So once all this is done, I slept and slept and slept .....

Beep ... beep ... beep ... beep went the alarm at 05.45 sharp and in the early morning, I could hear the muezzin at the nearby mosque reading verses from the Holy Qur'an just about to call out for the Dawm prayers. However, I was contemplating ... should I get up for work, or shouldn't I? I actually HAVE applied for a leave today as I had 4 leftover days from last year carried forward. I did want to go gto the office and check my emails, read memos and start working on my assignment with China. There I was in bed, almost wide awake thinking what I should do. So, I decided to put the alarm on snooze mode and wait till the next beep comes along. So, I went to sleep for another 6 minutes. Again, the alarm went off when my snoozing was up and I still could not make up my mind. I put the alarm on snooze again and when it went off again, I immediately turned it off! Well, you know what happens next. I got up (not!!!!).

Well, that didn't work :) but it's the thought that counts right? That's what all my friends tell me so the next time you come across someone's birthday and forget to but a card BUt you have been thinking of getting him/her one and never had the time, don't feel so bad, I would then like too reiterate the fact that it's the thought that counts! Hope my god-forsaKEN boss reads this and sees how hard working his junior officers are, thinking of going to work albeit you have approved of his day off! I did manage to do my banking though. Went into Maybank to withdraw some loot and popped into EON bank to pay my Credit Card. Then went off to Celcom to sign up for International Roaming and International Direct Dialing. To ny surprise, I didn't have to pay an extra sen to secure these services. Guess Celcom loves me so much to trust me with my phone. Wait till they find out that I'm actually thinking of migrating to Maxis.

At about 13.00, took a quick bite and scadaddled to the Mosque near Taman Amaniah. Man, the service lated till 14.19. That really took a while because the mosque at my place finished at about 13.55. I wouldn't want to debate about that here though ;)

So, I went home afterwards, changed into my shorts and here I am writing what has happened till about now. The time is 15.13 and nothing is exciting yet. Wish a swarm of bees would attack the neighbours or a group of ninja-rabbits would stop by asking whether they could befriend my 4 other rabbits. If it does happen, I'll let you know. Till then, take care all and may the question I posed earlier on be answered upon finishing this paragraph. To work or not to work, that is the question!

Adios!

Just amazing. 

A last glimpse of the Concorde before we all left the site and returned home. It was really the best experiance I went through and I'll never forget it for as long as I live. This one's dedicated to you Ian :) 

"Thank you for flying British Airways and we hope to see you on board one of our flights again!"

The sun was setting when Ian took this photo, You could clearly see that the air was very cold from the skin of the Concorde. Truly remarkable. 

The picture speaks for itself! 

Me under the Concorde behind the main landing gears. Quite kewl isn't it? 

A view of the cockpit. Look at all the dials and switches. The Concorde was flown by a three-man crew. The Captain, the First Officer and the Flight Engineer. If you look carefully, you can still see the Captain's hat squashed in the middle. Apparently, Concorde expands 6 inches when flying at supersonic speed and the captain forgot to remove the hat when it flew at normal speed. It'll be there till Concorde flies supersonically again.