Monday, May 28

old fun


i was just doing a bit of spring cleaning
over the weekend and was so happy
to find that i did own the above play-cards
(hidden behind that big encylopedia)

stumbled upon and bought the cards
at one kedai mamak in Melaka
masa balik cuti last November 2005

all of the sudden
good old memories came down pouring
i.e. happy times of playing these cards
with friends during early primary school years
i.e. faces and names of childhood friends
that i wish i knew how they are doing right now

was spring cleaning that day
since was also expecting some (Malaysian)friends
to come over for a (long-overdue) lunch
(that i had promised to host for centuries it seemed)
we finally made it through last Sunday afternoon

yadi yadi yada.. after tea and coffee
we did play a few rounds of cards

well.. they agreed to join in
since they too.. once..
were the children of the 70s

Sunday, May 27

wish i was


called Mak and Abah just now
and i just came to know
that Mak baru keluar dari wad lagi

my sister
(yang temankan Mak kat hospital 2 malam)
tak bagitau and indicated pun
(selalunya, kalau ada apa-apa, she would sms me)

well.. my mum selalu gak la
masuk wad or kena tahan kat wad
for the last 4 years ni
either sebab-sebab
kurang darah, darah tinggi or diabetes

last time when i was back in malaysia
memang nampak betul Mak dah makin kurus
lemah dan menggigil kengkadang

bought my mum few good shoes too
so that she could walk comfortably

cumanya..
sebak dan sayu rasanya..
bila i was not there
to assist and accompany her
bila time sakit-sakit gini

thankfully..
my Abah still as healthy
my Sis could assist more now
my Bros are equally helpful

Mak, please take care
and please makan ubat and banyak-banyak ye

(my mum takde selera makan
tu yang badan jadi lemah
and kengkadang kurang darah)

rindu kat Mak..

ya Allah ya Tuhanku
kau kuatkan semangat dan berilah kesihatan kepada ibuku
aminnn.. ya rabbalamin..

holly-holi-day

petikan dari NST hari ni
bertajuk "50 years ago, today"

well.. if only..
all states in Malaysia
has had a uniformed-one-for-all public holiday



KUALA LUMPUR, Sun. — Many UMNO divisions want Friday
to be the weekly holiday instead of Sunday
after the Federation gains independence.

The Perak division passed a resolution
at its annual delegates' conference last week,
urging such a change.

A spokesman at UMNO headquarters
told The Straits Times today
any such proposal would have to be approved
by the general assembly of UMNO Malaya.

UMNO members argue that since Islam
should be the state religion in independent Malaya,
all workers should stop work on Friday, the Islamic holy day.

FOOTNOTE: Johore, Kelantan, Kedah, Terengganu and Perlis
already observe Friday as a holiday.

Sunday, May 13

big plate

semalam.. di Abu Dhabi
telah diadakan lelongan nombor plet kenderaan

macam-macam nombor ada..
tapinya, yang berkait ngan nombor 5
yang paling mendapat perhatian ramai


apapun..
once again..
it's another world record event


the number '5'
was sold for AED 25.2 million
(RM 24 juta or USD 6.8 million)

IT IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE NUMBER PLATE IN THE WORLD !

the owner of the number plate
Talal Al Khoury, an Abu Dhabi-based businessman
also offered highest bids for few more numbers
- number 55 for AED 6.5 million
- number 45 for AED 5 million
- number 76 for AED 2.75 million
- and number 55555 for AED 2 million

kata beliau..
"the number does not mean anything to me
i will keep it and after my death
it will be re-auctioned and probably raise more money
that will again be given to charity and humanitarian work".

the revenue from the auction
a total AED 100 million
would go to various charitable entities
for people with special needs and accident victims

about 700 participants from 13 nationalities
bidded for numbers of their choice

a Ukrainian bidder purchased
the number plate 1001 for AED 550,000
a Chinese bidder purchased
the lucky number 88 for AED 4.2 million

number '12'
came second as the most expensive number in the world
with the tag of AED 8.9 million

in an auction last July in London
(the previous record holder)
number plate bearing 'M1'
was sold for just GBP 332,000

previously.. in Dubai last March
the highest bidding was for number plate E 15
only managed to fetch AED 3.2 million

hmm..
told you before
that Abu Dhabi is richer than Dubai

mabruk !!!

new plate

starting last November..
the emirate of Abu Dhabi
has introduced a new plate number for vehicles
which very distinctive with the previous ones

hence..
the plate numbers
had been transformed from these;

to only this type;

among other..
no more arabic numeric
no more various colours
red is the official colour for Abu Dhabi
number 5 means the 'fifth generation' plate

this plate number
(made by a German manufacturer)
will be in line with international specifications
has hologram features
and carries the national emblem

Malaysia, bila lagi?

Friday, May 11

good reminder


yess... finally..
syabas PDRM !
syabas Sang Saka Biru !

my grudges about this matter before was
here

however..
sama-sama la kita.. wait and pray..
decision / development on this one pulak lepas ni

hopefully..



Police escort riders must obey traffic rules

KUALA LUMPUR: Police escort riders must follow the speed limit while on duty just like other road users, said Federal traffic chief Senior Asst Comm II Datuk Nooryah Md Anvar.

“There are no special privileges given to traffic policemen. They have to obey the traffic rules.

“This is to ensure that they do not pose a danger to other motorists while they are on duty,” she said, adding that the escort riders’ motorbikes had sirens which could be heard from 100m away.

She was commenting on public grouses that some police escorts pose a danger in the manner they rode their vehicles while on duty.

Tuesday, May 8

good movie times


since there wasn't
much options to watch lately
on the tele / the cable-network
and i've realised that
i got a lot of dvds
i have yet to watch
thus.. last night was another movie marathon

watched Casino Royal, Crank and Aeonflux

the new Bond was really something different
i.e. rugged, expressionless, no more shaken-not-stirred
however, the plot was a bit weird and abrupt..
well.. at least for me..
and again.. another too sudden bond-car scene

Crank.. was.. a wow !!!
it was one of those everything-in-one films
and i like to watch any Jason Statham's film
since he starred in Snatch and Transpoter..
the movie also taught me so much
about adrenaline and epinepherine.. hehe..

lastly.. at 11pm.. Aeonflux
what a skillful Charlize Theron
this lady sure kick-butt with those sexy long legs
and she looked gorgeous throughout the whole film
whoopissshhhh !

hmm.. what's next to watch?

Monday, May 7

my sins


usually, one should not
feel bad nor take too much compliment
from such outcome

and i dont' usually intrigue
to take part in such self-test-quiz

but, if i did..

if there's positive attributes
- i will try to sustain them

if there's negative traits
- i will try to improve them

no body's perfect..
but there should always be a continuous improvement


Greed:Very Low
 
Gluttony:Medium
 
Wrath:Low
 
Sloth:Medium
 
Envy:Very Low
 
Lust:Medium
 
Pride:Medium
 


Take the Seven Deadly Sins Quiz

Sunday, May 6

high numbers


how about,
AED 3.12 million = RM 3.1 million
for the above number plate

anyone?

sold !!!
to Mr. Aqeel Saeed Abdulla
who also owns other plate numbers
such as number 27, 68, 72, 234, 126, 127, 128

hmmm...
some indicators for comparison
in case you guys are wondering;
- a Ferrari 599 Fiarano is AED 1 mill
- a Ferrari F430 is AED 800 ribu
- a Mercedes Benz S350 is AED 350 ribu
- a Porsche Cayenne Sports is AED 400 ribu
- a BMW X5 is AED 240 ribu

anyhow.. hopefully..
kereta yang pakai nombor plate E 15 tu nanti
takkan kena nasib yang sama
macam E 51 sebelum ini..


perghhhhhh....

told you..
MONEY ISN'T EVERYTHING !

tough transport


teringat dulu..
back in Mac 2006
ketika hangatnya isu kos hidup semakin tinggi
selepas harga minyak dinaikkan
orang ramai diminta 'ubah' cara hidup

agar lebih berjimat..
mengamalkan 'gaya hidup' yang lebih baik..

hmm..
memang indah dan baik
slogan dan manifesto tersebut

hinggakan YB Ong Ka Ting sendiri
telah 'membuktikan' bahawa
sistem pengangkutan awam di Malaysia
memang nyata efficient and convenience
di mana beliau sendiri telah menaiki LRT Putra
untuk kali yang kelimanya, pada 7 March 2006
syabas YB !!!

err...
masa YB naik lrt tu..
ngan rombongan officials dan reporters kan?
surely 'nampak' dan 'diberikan' keselesaan
oleh orang ramai / pengguna lrt yang lain
ye dak?

bayangkan.. here
seksa dan pahit-getir
kalau naik dan guna lrt tu hari-hari?

rasanya..
only if, the decision-makers / politicians
are 'actual and real' frequent-users of public transport
i.e. buses, taxis, lrts
only then you could seriously talk about
how efficient and convenience were those services

kalau para pegawai dan ahli politik
di kementerian / jabatan berkenaan
yang dah lama tak cuba naik dan alami,
yang setiap hari datang dan balik opis
naik kereta opis or chauffeured around,
apatah lagi yang jika seumur hidupnya
tak pernah experienced the struggle and battle
untuk pegi ke opis dan balik umah naik bas awam,
then trying to speak on the good aspects
of our current public transportation system
hmmm.. better think twice
and carefully sum up your sentences wisely..

otherwise,
the statements would only insult our intelligence

am i right?

standard number


dengar-dengarnya..
pihak berkenaan akhirnya bersetuju
untuk memperkenalkan dan menguatkuasakan
sistem / kaedah pengeluaran nombor plate kenderaan
terhad oleh agensi-agensi yang dilantik sahaja

dan bukannya,
terbuka kepada mana-mana syarikat
yang boleh buat printing
here

syabas !!!

again..
better late than never..
walaupun negara-negara lain
dah lama mengamalkan sistem ini
sistem bentuk nombor plate yang seragam
sistem pengeluarannya yang terkawal siri
selain juga mengelak pemalsuan nombor plate

betul tak?


well.. gone were the days
of sistem 'asal-buleh' plate number in Malaysia..
soon.. very soon..
hopefully..

Saturday, May 5

si tu te vas



si tu te vas if you leave
te llevaras mi corazon you take my heart
y yo sin ti and without you
ya no se por donde ir i don't know where i'll go

si tu te vas if you leave
nunca te podré olvidar i'll never be able to forget you
me quedo aquí i'll stay here
solo pensando en tí thinking only of you

si tu te vas if you leave
el dolor me comerá the pain will consume me
ni un día mas another day
yo podré vivir sin ti i won't be able to live without you

mis lagrimas hacen un mar my tears make an ocean
nadare sin descansar to swim without rest
esperando tu llegar waiting for your arrival
y es que estoy imaginando me el final and I am imagining the end
y me da miedo pensar and it scares me to think
que algun día llegara that any day it will come
si tu te vas if you leave

si tu te vas if you leave
se me ira todo el valor all my courage will leave me
y yo se que and I know
nunca encontrare otra iqual i'll never find another equal

si tu te vas if you leave
el dolor me comera the pain will consume me
ni dia mas another day
yo podre vivir sin ti i won't be able to live without you

mis lagrimas hacen un mar my tears make an ocean
nadare sin descansar to swim without rest
esperando tu llegar waiting for your arrival
y es que estoy imaginando me el final and I am imagining the end
y me da miedo pensar and it scares me to think
que algun día llegara that any day it will come
si tu te vas if you leave
si tu te vas if you leave
si tu te vas if you leave

si tu te vas if you leave


***

it was among my favourite songs
and was one of the reasons
why i took the Spanish Class
for 2 semesters.. during my uni days

cuisine closed


satu lagi berita sedih..

restoren kesukaan dan tumpuan ramai
especially bagi rakyat Malaysia
yang rasa teringin dan mengidam
iaitu First Malaysian Restaurant, Dubai
telah memberhentikan operasinya

(owned by a Singaporean-Malay
married to a Malaysian-Malay)


tidak dapat dipastikan..
samada ianya hanya sementara
atau telah berpindah lokasi
samada tokeh dah kaya-raya dan tak nak niaga lagi
atau telah balik kampung halaman

kempunaannnn lagi...

hmmmm..nampaknya..
terpaksa la balik kepada 'menu asal'


briyani anyone?

hehe...

Friday, May 4

extracted extract


sebuah syarikat Malaysia
yang beroperasi di Dubai
dan mempelopori Sweet-Corn in-a-cup
di pasaran UAE sejak 4 tahun lalu
telah juga memasarkan pelbagai barangan lain
antaranya frozen-foodstuff
dan juga minuman PowerRoot

boleh tahan juga sambutan dan popularitinya
tumpang bangga juga kita
bila dengar iklannya di radio
bila baca iklannya di suratkhabar

bagaimanapun..
baru-baru ini, pihak berwajib di UAE
telah mengeluarkan larangan
penjualan produk esktrak dari Tongkat Ali


hmm...
tak dapat dipastikan setakat ini
samada PowerRoot akan terbabit sama..

take the train


by 2009..
Dubai akan mempunyai
its own Metro system

a.k.a. Tube in UK, MRT in Spore, LRT in Msia,
Subway in US, Metro in France and Tokyo)

Dubai Metro
total cost is AED 15 billion (USD 4 billion)
total lines will be 90 km
total trains are 87 units


the trains are being built in Japan
setiap train, akan mempunyai 5 coaches
setiap train, akan boleh muatkan 900 orang
setiap train, akan ada 3 jenis kelas
yupp.. kelas..

out of 5 compartments, in each train,
there will be;
1 coach for Golden Class
(extra in its charges, luxurious in interior)
1 coach for Women & Children Class
(fitted with facilities for women and kids)
3 coaches for Silver Class

maknanya..
ianya berlainan daripada
mana-mana 'mass-rapid-train' system
di negara-negara lain
yang hanya mempunyai satu kelas sahaja

hmm.. interesting kan?

rasanya..
one of the reasons for the 'segregation'
is due to an effort to lure
the (rich) locals / arabs to take up
this mode of public transportation

since.. thus far..
with the current mode and trend i.e. public buses
only the expat-workers / lower-income communities
yang gunakan dan penuhkan kemudahan awam ini

ye la kan..
dah beli kereta mahal-mahal
(dengan harga yang murah,
import tax on cars only 4%)
takkan nak park-and-ride or park-kat-umah je kot?

tak gitu?

taxing traffic


bermula 1 Julai 2007
Dubai will start its own
toll system..

yupp.. you heard me right..
it's a TOLL

among others the toll system
goes by the abbreviation SALIK
(nope.. it's not SAMMY.. hehe)
being introduced in the pretext
kununnya untuk reduce traffic congestion
at certain areas, at Dubai's main highstreet

sekilas pandang..
ianya menyerupai sistem tol
di negara Singapura dan UK

the toll gates will be installed
at Al Garhoud Bridge
and the Fourth Interchange on Sheikh Zayed Road



kenderaan yang datang dari Sharjah
akan melalui Garhoud Bridge
kenderaan yang datang dari Abu Dhabi
akan melalui Fourth Interchange

bayaran yang dikenakan
bagi APA JUA JENIS KENDERAAN
bagi SETIAP KALI MELALUI TOLL GATE
adalah AED 4 = RM 4

adalah dianggarkan pada masa ini
terdapat hampir 350 ribu kenderaan
melalui laluan ini setiap hari
untuk apa jua urusan

maknanya, paling kurang..
income that will be generated each year
AED 4 x 350,000 kenderaan x 365 days
= AED 500 million

wowwwww !!!

hmmm..
nasib baik takde
personal / income tax in the UAE..

;)

anyway..
sistem Dubai ni
guna scanning system
which mean no stopping / slowing
for the cars yang melaluinya
macam kat Singapore tu

Malaysia, bila lagi?

Thursday, May 3

same but different


tentunya.. mungkin..
dah selalu dan berulang kali
kita dengar, baca, diberitahu, diingatkan
kita alami dan hadapi sendiri
dalam pelbagai situasi dan keadaan
dalam pelbagai bentuk dan cara

namun..
sekadar berkongsi
dan saling mengingati


******

(forwarded by a good friend
- thank you Dr. Cool)




THE ART OF LETTING GO
by Dr. Alan Zimmerman

Sooner or later, everyone you know
will disappoint you in some way.

They'll say something or fail to say something
that will hurt you.
And they'll do something or fail to do something
that will anger you.

It's inevitable.

Unfortunately, you make things worse
when you stew over someone's words and deeds.

When you dwell on
a rude remark or an insensitive action
made by another person,
you're headed for deeper problems.

In fact, the more you dwell on these things,
the more bitter you'll get.

You'll find your joy, peace and happiness
slipping away.

And you'll find your productivity slowing down
as you spend more and more time
thinking about the slight or telling others about it.

Eventually,
if you don't stop doing it, you'll even get sick.

So what should you do
the next time someone betrays you?

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR FEELINGS.

Even though the other person may be at fault,
even though the other person wronged you,
you are still responsible for your own feelings.

In other words,
other people do not "cause" your feelings.
You choose them.


For example;

Two different people could be told
that their suggestions made at the staff meeting
were "stupid and idiotic."

One person may "choose" to feel so hurt
that he never speaks up at any other meeting again.
The other person may "choose" to feel sorry for the critic,
sorry that the critic couldn't see
the wisdom and necessity of her suggestions.

As long as you blame other people for your feelings,
as long as you believe other people caused your feelings,
you're stuck. You're a helpless victim.

But if you recognize the fact
that you choose your feelings
and you are responsible for your feelings,
there's hope.

You can take some time
to think about your feelings.
And you can decide
what is the best thing to say or do.

Then, you've got to learn
to WALK AWAY FROM DISAPPOINTMENT.

It's difficult to do, but it's possible.

walk of life


hmmm..
1 Mei 2007.. was indeed a memorable day..
not just for Hari Pekerja-Bekerja
but.. i just 'renewed'..
one of my old personal best record..
hehe..

kisahnya..

semalam..
after visiting the Arab Travel Market exhibition..
at Dubai World Trade Centre... about 5.30 pm..
ingat ke nak amik teksi.. dari hall tu.. nak ke satu hotel..
for a dinner function lak at 8.00 pm nya..

tapinya... seperti dijangka..
memang penuh la org beratur..
traffic jammed lagi..

aku fikir punya fikir
hotel tu.. tak la jauh sangat.. (dalam 2.5 km)
and aku rasa.. lagi cepat kalau aku jalan kaki..
so then.. aku decided... jalan je la..

and i did..

slow-slow..
crossed the highway (ada jejantas)
layan permandangan, orang, bangunan dan kereta..
nak kata cuaca panas... hmm..
tak la panas sangat.. 41 celsius..
nasib baik berangin sikit...
hajat nak layan rehat sekejap..
dengan singgah kat kedai-kedai kat tepi tu..
hmm.. tak tersinggah la plak..
anyway.. tepat jam 6.45 petang..
tiba la aku kat hotel tu..

err... baru la aku perasan..
makkk oooiii.. jauh dan lama gak aku jalan rupanya..
2.5 km.. 1 hour.. perghhhh.. hehe..

err.. baru aku perasan...
kat bahu kiri aku.. ada beg berisi laptop..
kat tangan kanan aku.. ada beg penuh ngan phamplets..

err.. did i mentioned
that i was in full suit attire?
i.e. baju, seluar and kasut keje....

patutttt laaaaaa rasa berat semacam...
hehehehehe..

anyway.. i did it !!!... again..

lama dah aku tak buat keje gila macam tu..
hehe.. dulu.. pernah la jugak..

antaranya;
tahun 1999.. masa aku keje kat Subang Parade..
balik malam.. dari situ nak balik umah Shah Alam..
kena naik bas Metro, turun kat bas stop tepi highway kat Batu 3 tu..
then.. sambung naik bas Park May or bas Sri Jaya..
tapinya, kalau terlambat.. bas sambung tu (dari KL) dah takde dah..
hmmm.. apa lagi.. tunggu punya tunggu..
by 12.30 am je.. aku pun.. amik la keputusan..
menapak la dari situ.. ke seksyen 17..

berapa jauh?
aku pun tak pasti..
but.. sapa yang pernah duduk Shah Alam tu..
tau le kot... hehe..

berapa kali ?
hmm.. seingat aku.. 3 kali aku pernah jalan..
dari situ ke umah aku...
first time tu.. aku sorang-sorang.. (test power.. hehe)
second time.. ngan satu mamat India.. duduk seksyen 18..
(sampai sekarang aku kenal lagi mamat tu)
last sekali... aku sorang-sorang lagi.
time tu.. ada satu awek stranded gak kat bus stop tu..
(sempat la borak-borak sikit.. masa menunggu bas tu)
tapi dia duduk seksyen 7.. keje kat PJ old town..
and by the time aku decide nak menapak tu..
dia kata dia ada duit lebih sikit... so dia nak tahan teksi..

satu lagi;
tahun 1995.. masa aku belajar kat Cheras..
aku ngan 3 college-mate aku..
baru lepas layan main game kat Sungei Wang
duit cukup-cukup tambang je.. 70 posen..
nak naik bas Tong Foong.. number 114..
lepas menapak dari Sungei Wang.. ke bangunan Magnum tu
nak tunggu bas la konon ni..
hmm.. bas 114 ni plak.. sejam sekali..
dan selaluuuuu penuh...
so.. apa lagi.. lepas 2 kali... bas penuh..
kami pun decide le.. bantai menapak je le..
hehe.. start 6 petang.. sampai 8.30 malam..
perghhh...


apapun..
semuanya kenangan dan pengalaman

Tuesday, May 1

may day


hmm.. 1 May datang lagi..

semenjak duduk UAE ni
aku memang dah terlupa
bahawa 1 Mei adalah Hari Buruh

sebab kat UAE..
memang tak cuti on this date..

hmm... anyway..
Selamat Hari Pekerja !!!
syukur kerana ada kerja
alhamdulillah atas rezeki yang ada

aminnn...