polygon xtrada

This is my mtb.
An imported 24-speed Polygon Xtrada. It's imported from Indonesia, that is. Bought it secondhand from a friend's friend for a few hundred. Would cost me RM900+ brand new. For now, I'm not ready to fork out that kind of money. Well, I don't have that much, anyway... :)

So far, it's been a good purchase. Although there's a little annoying sound coming from the crankset. I suspect that the crank is a bit hammered. Anyway, for the sum I paid, there's nothing much to complain, really.

Well, here's the spec:
Frame: Aluminium 6061
Fork: Polygon
Handlebar & Stem: Polygon
Headset: Ritchey
Grips: Tioga (upgrade)
Saddle: Selle Royal Energy
Seatpost: Polygon Alloy
Drivetrain: SR Suntour Crank, Shimano C050 FD, Altus RD
Controls: Shimano Brake + Shifter combo
Brakes: Front - Tektro IO Mech Disc, Rear - Tektro V-Brake
Wheelset: Araya rims, Shimano hubs, Kenda Kwick 26/1.95 tires

Layang-layang in Pasir Gudang

I promised Marsya to play kite, and so last Saturday we went to Bukit
Layang Layang in Pasir Gudang.
I had bought a RM6.00 kite like a month ago, with the string and a spool.
Total: RM10.

At 10.30am it was quite windy at BLL, it made us forget that the sun is
baking our skin.
A few tries were not successful, but soon after (well, about 20 minutes
trying) we managed to fly the kite quite high.
I think it was the highest I had flown a kite in my entire life.
Marsya & Adam enjoyed the outing. We had the entire BLL all to ourself and
another professional guy with his manouverable kite.
The kids had their turn holding the spool and I helped them fly the kite.
Alhamdulillah it was windy and the day was bright.
Too bad, we forgot to bring along the camera.

We went into Muzium Layang-layang an hour later. Entrance fee is dirt
cheap. RM2 for adults, RM1 for children.
There's a collection of beautifully crafted traditional Malay waus, as well
as kites from all over the world, especially in the Asian region - most
notably from Japan, Korea, India, Indonesia.
Also in the collection are huge nylon shell kites.
What I like most is that there are info on how to make the traditional
kites - wau. from the basic - getting the material, right to the finish.
there are also technical info on how to fly kites.
There's also an area for a wau maker to demonstrate how the intricate
details of making the beatiful wau is done. The guy was not there, though.

A video presentation is always shown on the top most level of the museum.
Mostly showcasing the previous Pesta Layang-layang.
In the video, there was this stunt kite demo from 5-man Perlis team. It's
awesome!
Like watching the Red Arrows minus their engines and coloured smoke).

An annual event, Pasir Gudang International Kite Festival is held during
February, drawing participants from around the globe.
There are corporate kite flying contest, international contest, and many
other categories.
Also, there are exhibition shows like the stunt kite.
Being there and watching colourful kites of many shapes and sizes is simply
breathtaking.

I rate the museum 4 stars both for the info and its collection. If you do
live around Pasir Gudang, do at least get in there to learn something about
our heritage.
If you're from elsewhere, I invite you to the annual Kite festival in
February. It will be worthwhile.

I'm looking forward for our next kite outing. And we'll be prepared with
sunblocks, caps and sunglasses insyaAllah.
On, and the camera too.

musical friday, jalan strachan and short of cash

I went with Tamyiz to KL PAC for the KL Sing Song on Friday 20th July.
There were two parts, separated by an intermission.

Mesmerized by the performances, I grabbed a couple of CDs on sale at the counter during the break. One from Mei Chern, and another from Reza Salleh. Well, Reza was yet to perform on the 2nd part, but I'm convinced that he's good. Indeed, he is.

The organizer planned the performance sequence quite well. Saving the very best for last. Too bad, I didn't have any more cash to buy Mia Palencia's single CD 'Sayang'.
Well, sayang sekali....

The show ended around 11.00pm. Tamyiz let me drive the car, and so we cruised along the colonial buildings around KL PAC area. They were painted with memories of my childhood. A lot have changed, though. The memories remain, vividly. There used to be an oval field in front of an office building. I used to play football with my friends there, although it is not a playable field -
its existence was pretty much for creating a green landscape. Imagine playing football on a golf course - pretty much like that.

There were numerous KTMB office buildings at the end of Jalan Strachan - I used to play skateboard with Mike over there, and rode our bicycles around the buildings. Heck, we also did have a '100 meter' dash around the oval field. Complete with relay runs with batons. There were also hide and seek, and police and thieves, and tag - on bicycles.

Jalan Strachan used to be lined with KTMB quarters. I used to live at No 40 Jalan Strachan. Kids used to play everything along and on that road. BMX freestyle, tag, tennis, badminton, skateboard, roller skate, football, relay runs, marathons, bicycle race, police & thieves, kites, slippers & cards, rounders, chop (where you aim a running target - your friend - and shoot him with the tennis ball). It was not that busy, except during the morning, lunchtime and evening. It was the main road KTMB workers used to get to their offices and workshops, and go back home. It was a peaceful area, with lots of trees and many neighbours.

Now that most of the houses are brought down, the long stretch of road seems short. I couldn't locate the tree in front of my former dwelling. Thankfully, they still preserve the big trees lining the road. I hope that big old tree that provided shade for our house is still there.

Perhaps one day I could stroll along Jalan Strachan, and soak in the memories of my adolescence. Personally, I learnt how to ride a bicycle on Jalan Strachan. I had a fight with Devan on Jalan Strachan. We go to our neighbours houses during festives along Jalan Strachan. And I lost a cat on Jalan Strachan. I grew up with my friends on Jalan Strachan.

That night, as soon as we turned into Jalan Ipoh, and my memories of Jalan Strachan left something for me to smile, my stomach grumbled. Tamyiz and I were famish. We wandered to find a place to eat, and eventually brought us to an eatery in Gombak (yes, we wandered very far...). The food was quite good, and that is not because we were hungry and could eat anything.
It was a little bit after midnight, when the unthinkable happened. We were simply short of cash. Well, 3 ringgit short for our meals. I stayed at the eatery while Tamyiz went off to find an ATM to withdraw some cash.

Before going to the show, Tamyiz was from Shah Alam to fetch his car from his sister, and thought that he would withdraw cash on the way to KL PAC. As for me, I had some cash enough to pay for my ticket and dinner, and left much of my cash at home. Well, it was past midnight, and it didn't occur to us that all the ATMs are out of service.

Tamyiz drove to Setapak, even as far as Jalan TAR to look for an ATM that would churn cash. To no avail, he went back to Forum to get the cash. I was at the eatery in Gombak, until they are closing up. I went to the counter and paid for the meals, asking for an IOU of RM3 to be paid later ASAP. The man said ok, and they are closed for the day.
Damn.
If I had used my charm earlier, I wouldn't end up stranded here in Gombak.

I waited for another 15 minutes, and Tamyiz finally arrived - with the'hard earned' 3 ringgit. Lesson learnt - pride could make you suffer, while other people aren't that interested in your pride, anyway. If you want to keep your pride (stupid ego) still, be well prepared, and have lots of cash to back it up!
;)

There you go.

For the record, Tamyiz went to the eatery the next day for lunch - and paid the 3 ringgit.

eventful weekend

Last Friday (20 July), i had a chat with Alwie during breakfast in the
office pantry.
I gave a remark, asking if he had been to Dewan Filharmonik Petronas. He
was mildly surprised as to how I knew that he's been there.
Well, it was rather obvious, as he has his beverage in a mug that says
'Dewan Filharmonik Petronas'.
He is actually a subscriber of DFP. So, he frequented the hall.
It came to my knowledge that depending on the performances, the ticket
price is not that expensive. It could start from RM10.
For international series, that would be pricey. Starts around RM50.
Well, Alwie said I'm not the only who has that perception. Most people
think that events and happenings in DFP are expensive.
It is already end of July, and the season is coming to its end. The new
season will start in August.
I tried to look for more info on the net. Unfortunately, their site
requires latest Flash player, and the pc in library is not updated. And I
would need admin privilige to be able to install the latest player.

But, there's a silver lining.
I found another happening at KL Performing Arts Center (KL PAC).
Only for Friday and Saturday, they're hosting KL Sing Song 2007. Showcasing
Malaysian singer songwriters.
Live performance in acoustic setting (see http://troubadourskl.blogspot.com
, or search in www.klpac.com.my)
8.30pm, RM25 free seating. Well that's great, provided I could confide
someone with a car to go with me.
And someone who loves music.

[ Musical Friday ]
I have long lamented about how 'artistes' in Malaysia are not really
artistes.
They would only sing songs penned by famous writers, and would be
considered 'wow' if they could pen the lyrics.
An achievement if they could include a self-written song or two in their
upcoming fourth album (fourth being arbitrary number - those artistes in
Malaysia learn to be an artiste while making few albums).
Then they would learn how to play musical instruments. Master the English
language, as well.
I often compare them with musicians from the States. Billy Joel, Gary
Moore, Axl Rose (of G N' R), Diana Krall, Eminem, Alanis Morrissette,
Counting Crows, and many more to mention.
These guys are good and accepted because of who they are. They write the
music and lyrics about what they feel, and their ideologies.
And people love them. Their personality, and their stories.
In Malaysia, singers sing for the demand of listeners. If this year they
think dangdut is in, they'll sing dangdut.
Switch to R&B for the next album if the chart shows the demographic demand
has switched (and/or if the money is in certain genre).
Anyway, it is not quite a fair comparison. US music market is second to
none, for they have millions of listeners for any genre that their artistes
wish to explore. They could always have their share of audiences.

Strictly musical, I found it refreshing to know that we have talented
musicians in our land.
I have a certain degree of respect for them because of their talent, weaved
with their own personalities, expressed in their own style of musical art.
And they master it very well.

So, I went to KL PAC at Jalan Strachan last Friday night for the show.
It served two things for me.
One, to savour the live acoustic performance by talented Malaysian true
artistes.
Two, to go back and see what Jalan Strachan is like after all these years.
Down the memory lane. The memory of Jalan Strachan (more of this, later).
Well, I could say I killed two birds with one stone.

There were 5 solos and 1 duo that night, over 2 parts.
First was Mili'z (singer & keyboard duo), Jerome Kugan and Mei Chern
(www.myspace.com/meichern).
Mei Chern's sultry rendering is particularly pleasing to my ears, reminisce
of Lisa Loeb. Plus her stringing on the guitar is excellent.
After the intermission, the second part featured Reza Salleh
(www.myspace.com/rezasalleh), Melinda William and Mia Palencia.
Reza's relaxed but complex stringing, with his soulful voice was very
entertaining. Mia's jazzy voice and excellent guitar playing was the top of
the night.
Truly, RM25 was well worth it. Oh, and another RM9 for Mei Chern's 3 songs
CD, RM10 for Reza's 6 songs EP. Well, the live performances are better.
If Friday's were that good, I'm pretty sure that Saturday's show would be
better. It features Pete Teo, and I'd like to know how the other 5 would
fare - Meor, Tan Sei Hon, Estrella, Shanon Shah & Azmyl Yunor.
Too bad, I couldn't go for Saturday's show. Was in JB by then.

[ Futsal on Saturday ]
Saturday morning, I took part in Technip Futsal Tournament 2007.
Sports Planet in Ampang. Played for Mechanical Engineering Department team.
That morning, only 6/8 of us were there, and we went on playing for the
group matches.
First game against Instrumentation B team, we lost 0-1.
Second game against Free Stars, we were reduced to only 5 as one of the
players need to go back to attend to his ill wife.
We forged on, and lost 1-3. Half the time we played with 4 men. One pulled
out due to injury.
2 more matches to go, we decided to pull out of the tourney. It would be
too taxing for the 4 of us left.
Personally, I think that's enough for my teamwork. At least I was there,
and to my own satisfaction, I scored Mech's only goal in the tourney this
year.
Well, at least....

I took the 3.30pm bus from Puduraya to JB. The PLUS highway was smooth, and
reach Larkin at 8pm.
Three reasons for getting back to JB even only for a short while - a little
more that 24 hours:
1. to see my family
2. to attend Naza's cousin (Bud) wedding on Sunday
3. to collect my claim cheque from Rawani

Naza, mak and the kids fetch me that night. Oh, how wonderful it was when
the kids are happy to see me. Felt like a superdad.
Sent mak to Mummy's (Bud's mom) place for her to 'rewang' while the 4 of us
went for our family dinner at an eatery nearby.
11 pm and we were back in Plentong.

We went for the wedding on Sunday, and I collected my cheque in the
evening.

It was a rainy Sunday, and it poured throughout the evening until night. To
my surprise, my bathroom ceiling was trickling with water.
the floor is flooded. Luckily, it was flooding the bathroom (wet, anyway),
and a bit of outside the bathroom area.
It could be from either leaking roof, or overflowing tank.
Bought a tochlight at giant (and went for a haircut with Adam), climbed up
the ceiling, and discovered the cause of it.
It was the tank PVC piping - the glue holding the tee gave away and the
pipe disconnected.
Quick solution - connected back the pipe to the tee.
Picture paints a thousand words. So, took few photos of the leakage and
printed them.
Mak could use them to explain to Mr. Foo (renovator contractor) on Monday
for repair.

10.30pm and raced down to Larkin bus station. Reached just in time for my
bus to Puduraya.
Well, it was an eventful weekend, and I feel exhausted.

PIBG (PTA) AGM 2007

Naza and I attended Marsya's school's PIBG annual general meeting end of
last month.
Well, it's the first for us.
I have forgotten how it was, PIBG meetings.
The meeitng proper started only at 11am. after a bruch. and before that, a
parade of performances from the school pupils and award presentation.
Marsya took part in the fashion show segment. I was quite reluctant with
it, but it was okay for year 1. Actually, I'd rather her to be involved in
music/orchestra/choir if she really needed (and want) to participate.

Guest of honor: Dato' Nur Jazlan Mohamad. he's the parliamentary member for
Kulai, and a chartered accountant (apparently in the dewan rakyat, there
are only 2 members who are chartered accountants). His father is the late
Tok Mat (Tan Sri Mohamad Rahmat), and the mother used to be a teacher in
that very school.

Sekolah Kebangsaan Infant Jesus Convent Johor Bahru (SKIJC) is Malaysia's
NUMBER ONE school for last year.
and this was evident with the long line of award recipients for 5As UPSR
achievers. 62 of them. i remembered my school having 10 or so students
scoring straight As during our Peperiksaan Penilaian Darjah Lima. Well done
to the students, and here's praying for more achievements for the school.

SKIJC herself is selected as a Cluster School (there's another one school
in Johor. By that, it is quite a privilege to be a part of the school.
And, hard work for the pupils, teachers, and parents. Moving forward: to be
a Gemilang School by 2009. Whatever that means, I have to find out.

Oh, and for the newly elected committee, they're good with relevant
backgrounds.
Together we work towards a Gemilang School.

The Prisoner of Zenda

We went for a school play in Naza's school.
To be honest, i've never watched a school play, and it is quite
interesting.
Naza bought tickets for all four of us - RM15 each. It's a bit expensive
for 7 and 5 year olds. But hey, it's for charity.
The play was an adaptation of a classic literature - The Prisoner of Zenda.
I had never read the book, so it is quite interesting to find out what the
story is all about, through a play.

The cast are entirely girls, so they have to put on costumes and make-ups
for male characters. and the costumes, they are nice and perfect. although,
i am quite reserved about young girls wearing barebacks and low necks. Naza
mentioned that they got those cinderella dresses and male suits from bridal
boutique. how befitting.

I enjoyed the play, and at times it felt quite touching and mesmerizing. i
felt the regret of not taking Naza to a play or panto while in Manchester
(and London West End).
Apparently the play is quite different from the plots in the novel. And it
was not actually about the prisoner in the place called Zenda in Ruritania.
More of the story of a doppelganger taking over the role of the king of
Ruritania, and going through a series of misfortunes. and the real king is
hidden in a prison in Zenda. and kept hidden in the play. so, for me, the
title is misleading.
Alas, it was quite a good experience. Perhaps i'll get to go to a play in
Istana Budaya while in KL one of these days.

KL International Book Fair 2007

Okay, this entry is waaay too late.
Anyway, this is my personal account/view/etc on KL International Book Fair
2007.
I spent quite a lot of time and visited most of the booths in all of the
exhibition halls.
10 hours, to be exact. whew!!

The whole event was held from 27th April through 6th May 2007.
Went there on Wednesday 6th May.
There were 4 exhibition halls, plus booths in the concourse area.
I went in at 10am and out at 8pm. Phew! body ached - legs tired and
shoulders bruised from my heavy backpack.

Took rapidkl B114 bus from The Forum at Jalan Tun Razak to Titiwangsa bus
station. PWTC is just a short walk from there.
I remember walking from Sentul (Jalan Ipoh) to PWTC to go to the book fair
when I was 13. Just so I could save a few cents to buy books.

So, went into PWTC, and started with the concourse area. I spent quite some
time in Truewealth booth. There were Azizi Ali's books, reports, and some
other stuff.
Went further in and there were (among others) booths for Arkib Negara,
Balai Seni Lukis Negara, and Perpustakaan Negara.
I registered as a member of the national library (Perpustakaan Negara) -
it's free, and convenient. They don't issue out any membership card.
Your amazing MyKad does the job (if you're registered, of course).
While I was filling my membeship form, I met a P Ramlee fan who was looking
for song manuscripts.
He found what he had been looking for quite a long time now - complete
manuscripts of P Ramlee's songs from Arkib Negara booth.
So happy he was, he sang for us a verse from one of the songs. Good voice,
too.
Oh, and later on i went back to Truewealth and bought Azizi Ali's
'Millionaires Are From A Different Planet!'.

I found Dr. Fadilah Kamsah's book (RRP RM19.90) sold at RM15 after
discount. elsewhere being sold at RM18.50.
Good bargain if you're willing to tire your legs walking around in and
between all the halls.
And that being said, i wonder if people could really strike it rich being a
writer in M'sia. RRP 19.90!! Anyway, good for us, local books are cheap.

there was a copy of Playboy magazine being displayed. no kidding!
well, displayed as 'banned publications' section in one of the govt
agency's booth. can't recall which one - Jabatan Keselamatan Dalam Negeri
or Kementerian Dalam Negeri.
also on their display is the 1962 edition of Napoleon Hill's 'Think and
Grow Rich'. There's a writing in the book about Prophet Muhammad SAW which
is not entirely okay with the govt (and Islamic scholars).
Later on i found that very book being sold (cheap) in another hall
upstairs. duhh!!
there were also printed Al-Qur'an which do not have the permits to be
distributed. It could be because of any of these:
errors in printing, usage of unislamic materials for the binding of the
Qur'an, etc.
The lady behind the counter also told me that only ONE digital Qur'an has
been approved so far (as at 6th May).

I found another book by local publisher (Ameen) and writers. They're cute,
and quite good contents. I bought one by Salmiah Ahmad - '101 Malaysian
Stories'.
Well, she was there and she signed my book. That's the other reason why i
bought that book. See, if you're there, it would add value to your
products.
There was another book by them - about the world according to a cat's view.
Cute, and enlightening. Didn't buy it - not in my budget (and the writer's
not there to give me an autograph...).

There was a booth showcasing M'sian made comic. they held a panto that
evening down at the lobby stage. I would say that the quality of the story,
illustration, artwork, and right down to the material (paper) is on par (if
not better) with those in the international market. and that's just where
they're aiming at - going international. They have live comic illustration
sessions. things like these gave me inspiration and ideas when i was
growing up.

When i was in my secondary school (13-15y.o.), i frequented the book fairs
around kl.
a must visit is to the Creative Enterprise Sdn. Bhd . (CESB) booth. They're
the ones who publishes Gila-Gila and a host of malay novels and satires.
What's special about their booth is that the cartoonist would be there and
ever so happy to give out autographs for you. Their autos are special, as
they include their famous cartoon characters from GG, and your name too.
heck, if they're in a very good mood, they could do a live sketch of your
caricature - all for free. I had lots of Ujang's, Rejabhad (Allahyarham),
Long, and a few others. I wonder now where i keep my autos...
It has been years since i last visited their booth (and the book fair in
kl). They've grown big (altho GG is not that hot anymore nowadays). too
bad, i missed Jaafar Taib doing his live painting. The easel was there,
with a painting done halfway. If you've seen his paintings (oil),
particularly the bird series, they are absolutely awesome with the amazing
details painstakingly rendered.

Karangkraf conquered a whole big hall for themselves. here i see a lot of
people buying (guess what) Malay novels. Datuk Syarifah Mazlina was there
to give out autographs and taking pictures with you. She had her book
launched during the book fair. Karangkraf publishes a lot of magazines.
some 50 of them. imagine that. name a malay mag (and there are a host of
english mags too) that you have heard of, and it might probably be
published by them.

there's a lot more to write about the fair, but i'm going to stop now.
i went home satisfied, and lifted.

i love books!

summer meadow

i'm starting a new cross-stitch project this morning.
it's a beautiful design by John Clayton.

Here's the description (copied from the web):
Poppies and daisies, wild flowers in the sunshine.
This landscape from the Circles collection produced from the watercolour paintings of John Clayton by Heritage Stitchcraft makes a very attractive picture.

long weekend (and this is a long entry)

i took an annual leave on monday 30th april, while wesak falls on labour
day.
so it was a long weekend starting from saturday 28th April, thru wednesday
2nd May.

went back to plentong as usual.

bad things first:
friday evening. it was a very long stretch of traffic jam southbound PLUS
highway. on THREE separate segments.
first was on the way to sg besi toll. it took about 1.5 hours to get there
from puduraya.
i have no qualms about it, for i'm not the one driving the bus. besides, i
had the evening sun as my aide reading my book.

second was the usual jam on the seremban-senawang stretch. there was an
accident on the northbound barrier - an SUV climbed on top of it.
i didn't bother to check how long it took us to get through that stretch.
took my sweet time for a nap.

for the third jam - on the radio there was a warning earlier on while i was
enduring the first jam. there's a stall on the plus highway - in tangkak.
the accident was so bad, it blocked the southbound h'way, and plus had to
make a contra flow on the northbound - effectively making a long stretch of
traffic jam to both north and southbound users.
again, i ddin't bother to take note how long (time and distance) it took us
through the jam.
however, i was annoyed with it. here's why:
the news about the accident was heard at 6pm, and we got to tangkak at
around 11pm - that's around 2 hours late.
by that time, there's no more contraflow. the highway is now cleared and
only were little signs of the accident. no problem for cars to speed
through southbound.
and get this: there were police cars, and other officials cars with their
beacons on the side of the highway.
that's the reason why the unnecessary long stretch of traffic jam
southbound - and northbound (although it escapes my imagination as to why
they have to suffer as well!).

i reached larkin 1.30am. pity my dear wife, she waited extra 3 hours at
home for my hugs and kisses.

and so begun the good things:
saturday morning was adam's kindergarten sports day. besides, toastmasters
meeting in mmhe was postponed.
took adam to taman rinting. it was post raining, so the weather was fine up
to the afternoon.
spent a few hours there, and got back home quite tired - from the day
traffic jam the night before, and the boring sports day.
it was more like a sukaneka than a sports day. anyway, i had a good few
hours with adam. although he was not quite fond of the sports day at all.

took a long nap, and did a few work around the house. including my cross
stitch project - finishing up a few threads.

there was a united game versus everton on tv. by the time i switched on the
telly, united were down 0-2. out of nowhere, suddenly i assured myself that
united will pull their socks up and trash everton 4-2. well, actually i
replied with that to zaki's sms. he said united are being trashed.
well, united did turn around - in half an hour. o'shea scored one, and i
sms zaki - okay, three more to go. ronaldo being brought in, and that's a
good sign. another goal belted by united, and they're level. another sms to
zaki - 2 more to go. soon followed by a winner by rooney - and yet another
sms to zaki: 1 more to go (of course, no reply from him). in went chris
eagles, and he scored one for united. and that was during the end of the 90
minutes. and i smsed zaki. by that time, he got bored with my smses and my
prediction.
damn, i should've entered the nokia scoreboard game and win something from
espn. only 2% predicted such result.
anyway, what a bliss... great game, marvellous turnaround.

marsya had been pestering for weeks to bring her to the local club swimming
pool.
sunday morning we went to de'stella water theme park in starhill golf
resort. it's in kempas area, on the way to seelong (towards senai airport,
using the old road).
the rate should've been RM13 for adults and RM7 for kids below 12 (free for
below 4), because it's a sunday.
well, the cashier told me it's only RM10 for adults and RM5 for kids.
happily i paid RM30 for the four of us.
the place was quite impressive.
there was a massive pool with artificial beach, and a big wading pool with
two water slides.
i liked everything about the place. it is well kept, and quite clean. one
thing they can improve is the toilet.
the thing i liked best was the water slide for the massive pool. quite a
long stretch, and you don't have to pay extra for the buoys. yeehaaaa!!!
marsya was a bit reluctant at first, but only for the first ride. after
that she was game for few more.
well, adam spent most of the time on land (he's not fond of water).
when the three of us asked him to join us in the pool, the 5 year old said
"i want to relax...". hahahaa...
i think we had a good few hours there. and definitely we'll be back
insyaAllah. now i know where to recommend people to go in jb.

we had lunch in larkin. nearby the fire station. naza brought us there to
try kacang pol Haji. it seems that it is famous, but i've never known about
it. what i do know is that the most popular kacang pol in jb is at wisma
persekutuan. i'm not that fond of kacang pol, but the ABC there seemed like
famous.
turned out that the ABC is quite mediocre, and kacang pol is like chili con
carne. and so i explored.
anyway, one more place to recommend people to sample food in jb.

monday was a school day for naza and marsya.
and it's april 30th - the last day to submit income tax form (and payment).
yes, i procrastinate when it comes to submitting the tax form.
i drove naza to school, and went to lhdn jb next to angsana.
turned out there were many more procrastinators. well, we have our own
reasons (yeah, right...).
i went in to submit the hardcopy form (borang BE), and suggested by the
officer to do it online (eFiling) instead.
so i took a queue number for my PIN (took me only 10 minutes), and another
queue for the eFiling (took me another 10 minutes).
filled in the necessary fields, and after 5 minutes, it's done!
i even have the softcopy of my forms copied to my USB flash memory.
the officers there were helpful, and the system is quite good. of course,
as it goes to everything else, the initial nudge is quite a hassle -
getting the PIN part. you can't get it online via web, email or sms. you
have to take it yourself in lhdn offices (the same with EPF online system).
anyway, i was a happy man early in the morning.

went home, did a few stitches on my cross stitch, and went out to fetch
naza after zuhr prayers.
we went to jalan dhoby to get traditionally baked buns. it was good,
although quite expensive compared to the normal packed buns as you could
get from supermarkets or local sundry shops.

6pm, went out again to school to fetch marsya. massive jam in permas jaya
and bakar batu, i decided to take the jalan tebrau route. no luck, also jam
there. with traffic lights.
7.30pm reached home. and poor marsya, she dozed off.
i guess i was tired too. lots of driving throughout the day.

tuesday - labour day.
did some work around the house, and went out to pasir gudang to send azah
my shoes to be brought back in kl, while fetching my ceiling lamp from her.
we went to pusat bandar to repair my watch. and sat for a snack - cakes
(plain butter cake with strong colours) and drinks. i'm not fond of those,
but the smell of the cake brought back memories of my childhood hari raya
days.
on the way back, we wanted to go to the newly opened tesco sri alam, but so
were virtually everyone else in pasir gudang. we cancelled the idea, and
instead went off to see showhouses in sri alam (what else, on an
afternoon?).
that evening i went back to kl by bus.

wednesday.
went out to pwtc - kl international book fair.
this, in my next entry.

whew! i warned you this is a long entry.

x-stitch: materials galore

i went to Ampang Park during lunch yesterday for banking purposes.
took a short stroll, window shopping.
and i saw a shop on the 2nd floor having lots of DMC materials.
i was so happy, i went nuts! but of course, i didn't show it.
they cater all kinds of strands with full range of colours. normal cotton
strands, linen, rayon, multi-colored.
you name it, they'll most likely to have it.
and there are DMC & Zweigart Aida cloth, and linen evenweave. there's also
waste linen available.
many types, many colours.
there are also coloured charts by DMC as well as other individual
designers.
these are much better compared to the black ink charts copied on red papers
commonly found in neighborhood craft store.
on displays are completed projects on 14 HPI Aidas, 25 HPI evenweave. looks
realistic and pleasing.
(if you're wondering, HPI is holes per inch. 14 HPI cloth has 14 holes in a
length of one inch).

here's the address (yes, free advertisement):
Haby & Wools
Lot 316 & 317, 2nd Floor
Ampang Park Shopping Complex
Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2161 5346
Fax: 03 2715 7217
email: habylee@pd.jaring.my

calling mommy - phones for the golden aged

i was asked by the tea lady while making instant coffee in the office
pantry, to assist her with her brand new handphone.

now here's the scenario:
she's no techie
she speaks and understands Malay only
she's using prepaid
the phone is supplied by her daughter
purpose of the phone: to get connected with her daughter (rather, her
daughter to connect with her - usual stuff: asking about health, her
welfare, emergencies)

by 'no techie', i mean:
she's not technology-savvy
she's intimidated by electronic gadgets - easier to say no to learn
about the complex features of the gadget
can basically live without such gadgets

reflecting upon the local trend of handphone connectivity provider (maxis,
celcom, digi, etc.), they focus upon the young ones.
look at their ads and promotions.
i can't really remember a package that is tailored to suit the elderly and
the non-techies.
or a handphone with simple enough features to fit her needs, for that sake.

connectivity have to go in tandem: the hardware (the phone) and the
connectivity package (postpaid, prepaid).
in the case of the tea lady, her problem rests much upon the hardware. the
handphone.

getting back on her circumstances, she needs a handphone that would be:
simple, straightforward to use
having very minimal features
user-friendly GUI with large iconic menu - and without trails of
submenus: they'll get lost at the bottom of the menu, and panicking to
get back to where they started off

in short - something that resembles a public phone, or a house phone.
they'll be very comfortable with that.
to make calls: pick up, hear the dial tone, and press the numbers.
once finished talking, put it down.
to receive calls: pick up the phone, and speak.
simple. hassle-free.

to sony-ericsson, nokia, motorola, and the likes:
if you like my idea (in whole or in part), we can discuss further about
this, including my royalties.

Mars, Venus

I went to a warehouse sale in Petaling Jaya last two weeks and bought a
book there (yes, they sold books).
A few titles caught my attention. Initially I got hold of them (Tuesdays
With Morrie, Dale Carnegie's title - forgotten), but then I resolved to
buying this book:
Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray, PhD.

I've seen the book every time I browse any good bookshop. It must be good.
But then again, perhaps it might be cliché as well. I don't really like
clichés.
As it was sold at RM28, I decided to get it and have a read.
The first chapter is enlightening. How simple the behaviours of Martians
and Venusians are!

If I hadn't be so ignorant all these years, I would have read the book and
save unwanted bad feelings towards the opposite sex (or win their hearts).
This applies especially to my beloved wife.
Now I'm up to chapter 3, and would continue on, insyaAllah.

I encourage you to take up that book, and have a read - at least chapter 1
(you'll want to read chapter 2 after that, believe me).

Science and Islam Exhibition - KL Convention Center, 8-14 January 2007

I went to the exhibition yesterday.
3 hours was not enough (for me). Was there until it closes at 10pm.

Small exhibition, but of high distinction.
great place, great knowledge, great presentation - and those great Islamic
scholars inventions top it all.
personally, it is a top notch presentation. must've costed MOSTI a lot.

As an engineer, I was very intrigued with the high quality working wooden
mechanical models on display. And there were many, many interesting
inventions by a Muslim mechanical engineer - Al Jaziri, in the forms of
water fountains, irrigation pumps, etc. Aesthetically pleasing, as well as
doing the job very well.
For chemistry buffs, there's a video presentation on lustre process
(ceramic), and a lot about distillation.
A lot on astrology, geography (mapping/cartography, exploration),
mathematics, modern medicine, military science.
Also a booth on Program Angkasawan - getting to know what exactly the
program is. No batu seremban on display, though.

pity that not many are interested in attending it. perhaps it costs next to
nothing to get inside the exhibition.
they give out souvenirs, by the way:
pens, memo pad, poster calendar, bookmarks (with lucky draw stub - prizes:
hamper, thumbdrive, handphones, laptop, plasma tv. i missed 2 digits
yesterday for winning a handphone).

Dato' Jamaluddin Jarjis (JJ) was there for quite a while browsing through
to see how things are going on. He's quite deligthed that many young ones
(IPT students) taking their time attending the exhibition. He chatted and
pointed out why the exhibition is organized, and brought to Malaysia from
Frankfurt (UN's request to have the same exhibition was rejected, btw).
I had the opportunity to thank him for working out on this exhibition as
well.

It will end in KL Conv Ctr on Sunday (there'll be lucky draw for plasma tv
that day). After that, they'll move to National Science Centre - a bit far
from city center.
I urge all of us to attend the exhibition. Not to be missed.

a hobby long-forgotten

while waiting for the bus to JB last friday, i browsed thru a magazine
store in Bukit Bintang Plaza.
in the past-issues section, i saw a very interesting needlework magazine.

cross stitching.

it has been years since i last did any.
the particular magazine (british publication) is quite good, in many
aspects - contents, x-stitch designs, and useful information - especially
for beginners.
it was a pity i couldn't locate any craft shop that night. for surely i'll
be having my supply of threads, needles and the cloth to start work upon
during the weekend.

my parents taught me how to x-stitch when i was a teenager. in fact, i did
sign up for x-stitching class in mrsm for my elective course credit hours.
and being the only guy in class. asked the Pn. Toriah if i can be excused
from attending the classes, with the condition that i would submit my work
(quite big, compared to others) completed in time.
nowadays ayah spends his time at home doing x-stitch in his room in
senawang.

i asked my brother Amri where in KL i could find x-stitching materials. so
yesterday i went to Macy in KL - petaling street-kotaraya-puduraya area -
in front of former Rex cinema. they've got all i need, except for 4 threads
of different colours that i need. anyway, with 20+ threads (8m each), it
would take some time before i even need those 4 to work with.

the price of those threads has gone up now though - RM1.20 per skein. so,
if you do get a present in the form of a x-stitch work, do appreciate it.
the workpiece consists not only the expensive materials (count the colours,
multiply RM1.20), but also time, dedication and meticulous attention to
perfection by the person doing it.

i like x-stitching because it challenges my patience - something i'm short
of. it requires attention to detail, and dedication to perfection - traits
needed by my day job. end of the project, there's an eternity of reward to
have the finished hard work mounted on the wall.

i guess from now on, there's only one place to find me during lunch hours
in KL - sitting in my room, stitching for the full hour.

xxxxx
akmal hizam
xxxxx

The Secret of Success

This was given by Samhanin, my sis-in-law.

The Secret of Success
1. Ask Determine the end results that you want. Focus only in
the end results
2. Believe Believe strongly, do affirmation – in preset tense and must
have passion. Act on your plans.
3. Receive Believe that the end result is already happening now even
though it's not there, no matter how impossible it may seem, have faith and
trust (berserah).
for more - visit www.thesecret.tv

My addition:
In Napoleon Hill's 'Think And Grow Rich', he wrote that 'desire' is the
most important thing in achieving what you want. It's the first
pre-requisite that you should have, and have it strongly.
Covey says in his '7 Habits' that you have to 'Begin With The End In
Mind'. Picture what the outcome is before you start working on it. Like
an architect having those blueprints and conceptual renderings on
computers, before the actual building is worked upon.
In Islam, you should have a niat (niyyah) - telling yourself what you
wanted to do, before doing something. Especially, when it comes to a
specific ibadah. Above all, it should be for the sake of Allah.