Retired But Never Tired!

POST SURGERY

2010-03-08T01:58:00.000-08:00

As soon as I could hear the noises from my knee when I walk, I decided that something needs to be done...though there was no pain... I was determined to do the surgery.

After getting a second opinion from another orthopeadic confirming that surgery was the best solution; an appointment was made... (I scheduled it immediately the next day because was afraid that I might change my mind)...

On the day of the surgery... I could feel all kind of emotions as I was walking up the steps to the hospital... I achieved my highest record of peeing 7 times within approx. 2 hours... I could even recall that morning before they wheeled my in on the hospital bed.. I asked them whether I could pee first before the operation hehehehhee.... Don't know why... but I had no control of my bladder at all...

As soon as I entered the operating room.. one of the doctor briefed me about anestheatic. I could see many eyes (face and head covered exposing only the eyes) just like Grey Anatomy.. I thought I was in one of the episode.

The bius was the worst experience ever; the pain was something that I could never forget (no matter how hard I try). The anestheatic was given from the back.. I request that I was only partially biused and was wide awake when they started to cut me open..After 5-6 mins, I was certain that I do not have the stomach to go thru it... So I asked the doctor to put me out... So they gave me something and before I could blink I was out.. When I woke up... everything was settled... I was stitched and bandaged. And there was wire all over my body.. one poked in my right hand.. the other at the back and worse, another in my “DELICATE” area...

Having gone thru it now, the surgical experience was not as bad as I thought it was... I was so worked up about the surgery that I never even thought about what happens after that... But let me tell you.... the operation was nothing compared to the first few days after the surgical operation... especially after the anestheatic wore off... That experience, I'll share in my next entry.

Don't Judge A Car By Its Driver!!!

2010-02-24T06:28:00.000-08:00

I was just minding my own business driving on the highway and enjoying the scenery. Suddenly I noticed from my back view mirror a Swift tailgating me...

I thought of just ignoring him... thinking that he'll just take over if I just let him be... But maybe he wants to show off to the girl next to him...or maybe he wants to test the performance of his car.... I did not want to lead him on but the dude kept on testing me, thinking that he can beat me...

Don't under estimate me.. I have spent a lot on the my car's performance.. tweaked.. changed parts here and there... anything you name it, I 've done it...

I was behind him, so I dropped my gear and stepped on the accelerator till it reached the floor... Boy was he in for a surprise.... I sped away so swiftly while one hand on the steering wheel and one another holding the mineral water that i was drinking .. and before he could even blink; I was way in front of him.... That should teach him a lesson... never challenge a Jazzer...

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ??? ACL ???

2010-02-18T01:47:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time while I was playing soccer, I heard a crack in my knee as I was running after the ball. Immediately I fell and was in a circuiting pain. And that was a few years ago..

After I have recovered from the pain, I decided not to be active in sports anymore… For 3 years I did not play any sports and as a result, have gained quite a lot of weight… all of my muscles has become soft and turned into fats… Realizing that I needed to do something about it and confident that my knee has recovered (though not fully) I started to be active again.

I could feel that excitement and the adrenaline rush of the jumping and running. But at the same time.. I could also feel pain in me knee coming back. After a few weeks, the pain did not subside; even after seeing a traditional masseuse… So I decided to opt for modern treatment.

I consulted an orthopedic specialist and he confirmed that I have ACL tears.

In medical term; Anterior Cruciate Ligament, or ACL, is one of four major knee ligaments. The ACL is critical to knee stability, and people who injure their ACL often complain of symptoms of their knee giving-out from under them. Therefore, many patients who sustain an ACL tear opt to have surgical treatment of this injury.

After consulting the doctor, he advised that I undergo surgery. I think so too! I need to go under the knife so that my knee is back to its normal state…. But the question is…. Am I brave enough to go thru it????

FACEBOOK, SCAPEGOAT ???

2010-02-18T01:04:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, there was an article in one of the papers that I work for that is KOSMO! The article titled “Jurufoto Orang Kahwin Mohon Maaf Angkara Facebook". The Wedding Photographer apologies as a result of Facebook. Again on Facebook. So this confirms it then, Facebook has dominated and taken over the human race.

As a press photographer, I too feel that pinch of the article. This dude can say whatever he wants to say. Everyone is entitled to his own opinion. He has the right to say that his daily earning is a press photographer’s annual salary… even about bounce flash… direct flash…

Just like in the previous blog, this dude has the right comment about anyone’s photo at a personal level. BUT, never EVER hit the industry. And KOSMO! should read and analyze the context in which the criticism was made. The bases and what this dude is actually talking about.

It has nothing to do with FACEBOOK at all. Anyone in their right mind can figure out what is going on. We’re all smart enough to know what is good and what is bad about Facebook. This dude, instead of condemning people on Facebook should leverage this networking platform and put it into good use as a means to expand his business. But nonetheless he is given free publicity in a form of one advertisement in KOSMO!.hehehe

In my opinion, Facebook is not the reason why this dude is in deep shit. It is in fact a result of his wrong doings.

The apology letter has now reached all photo departments of all publishers. And that is after being informed by one of my colleague. Whatever it is, I have already forgiven him. Let’s just let bygone be bygone. And most important, let this be a lesson to all of us, if this occurs again….. We won’t be so nice!

WELCOME THE YEAR OF TIGER.

2010-02-13T08:16:00.000-08:00

New year and new beginning. Let's welcome the year of the TIGER. Someone told me that this year is not a good year. I believe that one determine one's future.

TIGER is the king of the animal kingdom. It represent power and strength. One should be proud of this year and make the best of it.

Embrace all of the challenges set our ways and make this year more prosperous than last year. To all my chinese friends, I wish u HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR.

GONG XI FAT CHOY.....To Pai To Loi....hehehe...

Facebook Addicted ???

2010-02-09T00:52:00.000-08:00

Facebook is a social platform that connects people with friends, acquaintances, colleagues, old college roommate and those around us. Facebook is now a necessity… and a need to most of us today. I am sure that Facebook has become the most important think in most of our lives , spending at least an hour a day just to check updates

I was rather skeptical about Facebook at first. It takes up too much time, on top of flickr, MySpace, Friendster, and other tagged sites … and not to mention checking mails on Yahoo and Gmail… With all this, it means I’ll be spending most of my time in front of the laptop and have no time to do anything else.

I started toying around with Facebook around 2 years ago. At the time it was suggested by a friend of mine… Mr. Jazza. He told me that it is good way to connect with old friends.. even those whom you’ve lost touched for years.. you can even meet friends from the primary school days… . When I first joined, I did not meet many people. However today.. I have reconnected with many friends from all stages in my life.. and along the way, have made quite a few as well.

Networking has become wide. Facebook is now a social platform online. I am sure they will come up with something more advance.. like TWITTER.. better and more sophisticated. But today… despite of my initial skeptism… I need Facebook to get me through the day (without jeopardizing my work performance of course). I do not want to be pulled into the harvesting activities nor do I want to be involved in becoming a cyber kitchen chef because I have other more meaningful things to do… Hey! I do have a life in the real world.

Nevertheless, I can say that I am addicted to Facebook. I have the yearning to open it almost all the time now. Like last week, I was unable to be on Facebook in the office. I was devastated, so as soonest as reached home, I headed to my laptop to check on the current status of friends on Facebook. I do not want to ever be left behind. I have this need to be on Facebook almost all the time now.. I constantly search for WIFI connections so I can go online via my mobile.

So now, I have a new target. I intend to own a new more sophisticated phone.. and of course… it must blackberry. With it I am never left behind.. with its hi-tech software I can easily check my updates without any difficulty.

Am I now addicted to Facebook? Oh… no!!!! It has been more that 2 years now that I have been involved in Facebook .. I have the need to be online almost all the time now… I think I need to banned myself from the website… At least for just a little while.

WOMEN DRIVERS

2010-01-30T03:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, this topic is sometimes that most talked about topic among many drivers. Women Drivers most of the time creates problems to other road users.

This has also been sanctioned by two of my women friends i.e. Siti & Ai Ling (though my love will never admit to this)

In today’s world, women’s role is undeniably becoming powerful in almost every employment sector. Hence, it is no surprise that they are even driving their own car now. But no matter how great women are today, their mentality is much different than that of a MAN. In the area of Driving, I must say that women are very emotional. Women are selfish, reckless and in fact do not really know the road regulations. They simply stop the car as and when they feel like it regardless of where they are and have no considerations of other drivers. And Parking; Aaarrgghhhh…. don’t get me started with parking; it’s a whole different page.

Please don’t get me wrong… I am not being chauvinistic but this is the reality. In my life, I have not met one woman driver who is able to drive perfectly (not Formula 1 good – that is asking for too much) but able to drive safely and abide to the road regulations. You have at one end, a woman driver who is too cautious that it creates more problems too other drivers. And at another end, a woman that drives so recklessly that it causes harm to other drivers.

One tip to all women drivers; please use the left lane when going slow. Please exit the junction only when you are confident that there are no other car or motorcycle. Please indicate the signal whenever you are making a turn and please drive faster and don’t drive too slow!!!

This is just road ethics.... I’ve not started with the basic of car inspection... checking the tires pressure, oil check, water levels. Ask any woman... and see what they answer.

I think women need more hours and lessons before they are given the “go ahead” to sit for their exams.

Yes, women are weak creatures. Therefore it is important that women learn to drive the safe and correct way because the way they drive can be the cause of road catastrophe.

To all women drivers out there, this is not meant to criticize or demean women drivers in any way. Take this as constructive criticism to improve your driving style. Perhaps one of the way to improve is to have a special driving course that is specifically designed for women... heheheheheh

Before I end... I would like to stress here that not all women are bad drivers.. Just majority of them are bad drivers....

YES!!! I'm A Press Photographer...

2010-01-18T02:26:00.000-08:00

My facebook is hot this week because of one topic. It all started when a well-known wedding photographer made a comment about the attitude of press photographers. It's okay to have an opinion but to condemn us in open and belittle our work, now that is too much!

I first respected this person, he is a well-known photographer famous for his wedding portrait and his innovative ways of elevating the industry by not just taking pictures but capturing the moment (hehehe). Even though there have already been others who have adopted this approach but with exposure this guy has through the power of advertisement and the internet; his career has become more successful than others

Personally, I don't really know this guy but I have friends who have worked with him before. As a press photographer, I respect his work and value the work that he has done. I mean we are after all working in the same industry; though different approach.

To date; this guy has been very successful. I am proud because he is able to become one of the few Malay "millionaire" just by the clicking the camera. But "Melayu Mudah Lupa" as his bank account grows; so does his ego! He is arrogant, proud and cocky. And because one comment made on one of the picture in facebook he is now being attacked by not just one but all press photographers in Malaysia. And in the end revealing his weakness and stupidity.

There's a lot lot of skills and techniques in photography. There's no need to teach or correct what others are doing. Do not condemn the press photographers’ on whether they are using DIRECT flash or BOUNCE flash!!! Photography is a free field.

There's no need to announce to the world that your one day earning is equivalent to a press photographer's one years salary.

Please remember your quote in your own blog, "Saya bukanlah orang yang hebat kerana saya juga… SELALU gagal" .And..This proves that you are failure!!!

I hope that he has learned his lesson and do consider the impact of his action on others. Everyone has their own strength and weakness and all this comes from ALLAH.

And now because of this comment; your name is now tarnished by all the comments made by even your ex-workers and client... I don't want to comment so much because I'm a PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER!!! And proud of it! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2010-01-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

t’s a 2009---ops… It is a 2010…
It is a start of a new year. Every year we strive to achieve new goals. We want the New Year to be much better than last year. Accomplishing target and new year’s resolutions can be difficult but sometimes it can be a piece of cake… all this is much dependent one what we aim to achieve or want change in our life.

Therefore, let us take a moment and reflect on what we have achieved in the past year. I am sure some of us have in fact accomplished last year’s resolution and I am quite sure there are also among us whom have yet to achieve them.
So, how do we approach 2010? I for one have been thinking long and hard about this. Will 2010 be a year of hope and many possibilities? Do I look back and learn from all the mistakes and decisions made in 2009? Do I try to achieve what I have not been able to do 2009?

To me, the answer is simple! To grow, one must always look forward; turn back only to learn from the mistakes of the past and never to repeat them. But on what basis is all this done? To whom are we comparing ourselves?

Sometimes, without us realizing it the advices given by friends and those closest to us plays a vital role in determining our life’s goal as well as shaping us to becoming a better person. Therefore, this should be a lesson to all of us. Life should not be weighed down by too many stress and burden that is unbearable to carry alone. Each of life’s goals will certainly be achieved if one works hard to realizing them; do not easily give up, grumble, whine or complaint. You’ll be surprise on what you achieve if you believe in yourself and work towards accomplishing your goals.

To prove my point, let us look back 5 years ago and see how far we have gone and achieved today. I am sure there are many positives changes that has happened – achieved many things and touched many lives. I am sure we have also grown; older but wiser. As I am pen down my thoughts, I am inspired to achieving my life’s goal and motivated to change and become a better person.

On the Family- It takes immediate action. The journey to building a strong relationship is a long and winding road. The journey is difficult but the means to the end is well worth it. With patience and strength, I know that we can build a fortress together. She is my anchor. She supports me and is always there for me; when I am up and when I am down. Thank you Sayang.
Now that I am older, I learn to appreciate my parents more and value how much they mean to me.
My father is now the most influential and inspirational person in my life. When I was younger I was never able to open up to him. But now, as I am older I have learned to open to him and realized how much alike we are. And my mother, she always believes in me. She never gives up on me. To my mum, I really appreciate what you have done for me.

On Work -Work has been good and I enjoy working with all my colleagues and fellow reporters. I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to work with outstanding colleagues whom I can always count on no matter what. I hope my partner will fully recover and come back to work as how he did before. I do hope for better opportunities so I am able to be closer to that one person I truly love.

On my health – My days start early in the morning till late at night.. My only hope is to have sometime for a proper meal so that my stomach does not cause a fit. I wish for my gastric to fully recover so I do not have to endure the pain any longer. I wish the same for my left knee so that I can play sports without risking the pain.

And to all, I love you all hehehehe… May Allah bless all of us this new year and I wish you fulfill your new years resolution

Never Under Estimate KL Traffic!!!

2009-12-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

It's my long break after a long time. It's supposed to be relaxing and stressed free.

But TRAFFIC JAMS in KL ruined it all.. A 15 minutes journey ended up to be 2 hours. Its like going back to my hometown in Perak. It was raining and to make matters worse, I had a drink with a friends before heading off (forgot to go to the toilet; BIG MISTAKE!!!! I almost peed my pants.

WTF...I love KL but hate the traffic.

Attacked by Garuda....

2009-12-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to get my hair cut, THAT'S ALL!!!
But it was difficult because that day was a Friday. Friday's here in Kuala Terengganu is like a ghost town. It's definitely not T.G.I.F. (Thank God It's FRIDAY)

After work, at around 6PM, i rushed to the my usual hair salon. But to my dismay, it was about to closed and was no longer taking anymore customers and asked me to come the next day. She said, "Sudah mau pengsan ini hari..U mari esok potong u punya rambut...." So i rushed to a near salon but that too was closed.

I did not give up..; i could not stand my hair and was in meed of a hair cut desperately. I went to a few more hair salon after that but none was open.

WTF!!!!!
What's happening to Kuala Terengganu!!! Don't tell me that the whole town goes dead every Friday. How can the state develop with this kind of attitude????

So for all those living in Terengganu, remember get your hair cut on Thursday because you ain't gonna get anything done on Friday. I had my haircut on Saturday.The town will be attack by Garuda every FRIDAY...hehehe..

Local Photographers

2009-12-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

This incident happened only yesterday while I was covering the Monsoon Cup final between Adam Minoprio of BlackMatch racing team and Ben Ainslie of Team Origin.

Monsoon Cup is a Yacht race therefore photographers and cameramen are required to ride the boat in order to fulfill their duties. In doing so, all of us local photographers and cameramen rode on the one boat. After my fourth year of coverage, I have somehow mastered the ins and outs of the annual event as well as its rules and regulations.

So on the final day i.e. on the day of the incident, I politely requested for the “abg boat” to bring us to a strategic location (of course in the T’ganu dialect). And I also told him to take us as close as possible to the race.

While we were busy taking photos of the race, we saw two others boats of other media nearing our location. On one of the boat was another friend; a cameraman from NTV7; Mahathir. He was alone. And on the second boat was a group of Mat Salleh’s whom I think was from World Sport; foreign media.

We were not bothered; after all, we we’re all just doing our job.

The sea was quite rough as the current were strong and waves were rather big. So our boat was not really stable. There was a point where our boat was blocking the foreign media. It was not done intentionally.

But to our surprise the foreign media were really out of line. I could hear one of them saying something really offensive like “ If one of the locals block my view I am gonna %#@%& each on of them!” I mean WTF! Who do they think they are?

I am not gonna take it without a fight, and neither would any of the other photographers and cameramen on my boat. So as they were nearing our boat all of us in the local dialect and Terengganu retorted back ‘HEY MAT SALEH, BASE BERERMOK..NATANG JUBO LEMBU...”. Of course they did not understand but from our tone and gesture; I think they got the message

But we were all professionals; their boat did at one point block our sight as well. We know that it is part and parcel of the job so we did not say anything. But as their boat came near our boat again, one of the pirate on our boat; Arjasneh Ahmad from BERNAMA gave them the local greeting. Coupled with hand gesture as well perfected French; Arjasneh gave them what they deserved.

I have covered many events such as this and have met many media from all sorts of the world. And most of the photographers whom I met were not arrogant and have never looked down on us locals. They treat us with respect and as equals because we are all photographers.

The event was hectic and busy from beginning till the prize giving ceremony by the prime minister. Pictures needs to be sent almost immediately and we were all frantically trying to meet the deadline.

Once the job was done, all of us were exhausted and hungry. So, all of straight headed for food forgetting about the incident with the rude, cocky and arrogant Mat Salleh. But if we do bump into them again, I am sure they will be given the welcoming they deserve by us LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHERS; and I think the first person to greet them will be our very own local pirate Arjasneh Ahmad.

Thank goodness the race is over; no longer do I need to cover this event. The next coverage will be next year and that is for the 6th Monsoon Cup event. Whatever it is, if the Mat Salleh gives us problems again I will definitely drown them in the mouth of Pulau Duyung. That should teach them a lesson.

Ownership & Responsibility

2009-12-04T07:54:00.000-08:00

I feel so empty..I am swamped. Drowned with loads of things to do. Having to rush from one assignment to another..To make matters worse, I have to accountable for other people assignment.
This is not FAIR, what are they PAID for then??????
A colleague suppose to lighten our loads.....to share the burden..

UNEXPECTABLE MONEY!!

2009-11-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

It’s a wet season now Terengganu, heavy rain almost everyday. I wish I can say the same for my wallet…It’s a dry season for my pocket; especially when it is nearing to the end of the month. And it does not help that I have to travel up and down Terengganu to cover the entire flood situation.

The rain has affected not just the drought in my pants pocket but it has also affected my equipments. All of my equipment was soak and my newswear camera bag was just not able to protect my cameras and lens from the rain, I constantly had to hang to dry them; especially my camera lens just to protect them from growing fungus...

But all is not lost…. While I was cleaning my camera bag suddenly I was surprised and delighted.

Don't u just love it when u stick your hand in one of the pocket of bag in an attempt to clear and throw things out suddenly to find some money in it?? And the best thing is that the amount is more than enough to last me till the end of the month… This means a full tank for Tabby … (my car lah) and a new raincoat for me… hahahaahahah

And what do we call this??? Unexpectable money? It doesn’t matter what it is called I am rich again and I'm so happy..hehehehe

Rain-Rain Go Away....Money-Money Come Again!!!

LIFE AS A PHOTOGRAPHERS / CAMERAMAN

2009-11-22T09:49:00.000-08:00

As a photographer for one of the main newspapers; I've come to terms that it won't make me rich...but it’s something that I'm passionate about. I know to be in this industry, I need to make sacrifices, forget about enjoying the weekends with that one person I love.

In fact, just forget about spending holiday with them.

BUT not everyone understands our situation and the things we do. These people really make a mess of things.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T

Please don't EVER touch or shove us. And most of all, NEVER EVER push our camera.

NEVER come near it.

Just lets us do our job!

Poor Haji Aziz from TV3. He was just doing his job.

Computer Virus

2009-11-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

Don't know what happened but my computer is attacked by the "trojan" virus. But the funny thing though even the anti-virus programme was unable to delete or remove the virus.

It was able to detect the virus but unable to KILL it so the virus is still there. So what to do??? The virus is appears each time I plug in my CF card...I just hope that its doesn't attack the whole system..

Please MR IT Manager!!! Please fix my computer...Pleaseeeeeeeeeee.......

RAIN - The Monsoon Season

2009-11-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

It has been raining the whole day and all night long. It really makes it hard to wake up in the morning. But there is something really special about the rain. It really calms the mood and helps to relaxes the mind. It also make me miss my love in KL .But hope that there won't be any floods this season. Kiss Babe- Keep It Short & Simple.

DURIAN OH DURIAN!!

2009-07-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

King of Pop is MJ..Here is the King Of Fruits.

Writing blogs must be short and sweet…. That’s one of the recent advices given to me by my reader friends… K.I.S.S. you fool! So as I pen down my thoughts, I am reminded by their advice; Keep it short! Stupid!

The king of all fruits… back home my dad has this huge durian orchard. So, back in the old days my family and I and not forgetting the neighbours constantly enjoy free durians… What do you expect when you have your own orchard! So I do have the experienced of picking up durian that has fallen off the trees… quite an enjoyable ones and not forgetting painful with all the insect bites that accompanies it. But rewarding nevertheless.

Now its different, I live far from home and the only time I am able to enjoy free durian is only when I go back… I no longer able to indulge in Mak’s tempoyak, her sambal tempoyak is the best… Every time mak makes sambal tempoyak without fail; its always another plate of rice. And not forgetting the scrumptious kuah durian … its heavenly….

I am nuts over this FRUIT KING; despite of how grouse those mat Salleh may describe it. Smell might be awful to some and taste is described to an acquired one to some. But to me it’s the best creation God has ever created. My greatest achievement would be eating 7 durians at one go! And of course one must pay the price after that… Heatiness is the price that I am willing to pay. Most recent experience was eating 5 durians and of course adding to the bad weather, I fell sick. But never mind, the experience was a reward in itself.

Durians are bloody expensive nowadays… up to RM25 for two! I mean its ridiculous how much it cost; even worse if it’s during the early seasons.
But because I am a HANTU durian; I have to reward myself… Satisfying my taste buds is more important the $$$$$$. Money comes and go, but having durian, the taste in my mouth... peerrggghhhh; indescribable.
Now it’s the Durian season, you see durian stalls every where… I even come across a Negro selling Durian in AJIL TERENGGANU, crazy man!

The durian season is not over yet and I am still hungry for durian. I need to still indulge myself to more DURIAN KAMPUNG… Durian SIAM tak mainlah…. Durians from the boarders are not up to my standard… no gas, weak aroma… makan pun tak stim langsung.

Here in Terengganu is at its peak of the season… perrrghh! Most of my friends share the same passion for this supreme fruit… the KING of all fruits; IRMAN, MEKNA, MEKJA, AZIAH, DIN KOSMO! and lots others (sorry eh CHOR, I know you don’t eat durian… Dude, your missing out lah).

Whatever it is, I am still in the mood of more durian; my need for durian has yet to reach its climax. I’ll continue to enjoy DURIANs till the last biji and after that wait for it to resurface again in the next season; next year.

Durian oh Durian…. Why do you taste so good!

Squid Jigging

2009-06-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

Urgghhhhh.. this week is a very busy week… I had loads to do … but somehow I managed to squeeze in the time to go squid jigging. It was an event organized again for the press in Terengganu. Squid Jigging… it is really fun if you can go squid jigging…

Of all my years here in Terengganu, I have gone squid jigging numerous time. My best record is catching 11 squid and worse…. Mmmmm that would be catching nothing at all

Squid jigging is fun but I somehow can never excel in it. Every time I go, I always fail. 9 out of 10 times of jigging, I always end up falling sick… vomiting…. Even after medicating myself with anti-vomiting pills... I always get nausea… I can’t run from the fact that I get sea sick.. I can never be a fishermen… Thank God I am a photographer.

Coming back to my story….. Immediately after receiving the phone call from Arjasneh (my ally from BERNAMA) I rushed to Jeti Chendering to participate in the jigging event organized by “JABATAN PERIKANAN TERENGGANU”.

We went on a huge boat that can fit about 50 people… it’s more of a vessel to me rather than a boat … (and not really like Dave and Joanne’s Yacht either). This vessel comes complete with a huge engine and god knows what other equipment….

After an hour sailing, the huge vessel stopped in the middle of the South China Sea … the weather was cloudy but thank god it did not rain. At that point of time.. I already felt a bit queasy... But I forced myself to concentrate what I came to do.. and that is Squid Jigging…

So I reached for the equipment used for jigging the squids and started jigging…. 5 minutes… nothing… then came 10 minutes.. Still nothing… Then suddenly some “dol” behind me shouted in joy coz he managed to spring a rather large Squid, I watched in envy.. I cannot lose.. so I continued on with my attempt to catch at least one squid.

After what seems to be hours of jigging, I finally managed to catch one mere tiny little squid (It was so embarrassing, let alone to shout to the world that I managed to catch one… ) the people around me was laughing at the size of squid that I managed to catch…

They caught none… but got the nerve to laugh me…. Aziah, Ilmi and Chor all laughed at me.. Hehehehe.. so bad of them to kick me while I’m down… hehehehe

But I did not give up… I tried until I couldn’t try anymore…. So I gave up… maybe it was the weather… maybe there’s no more squids left in the sea… maybe all had migrated elsewhere…. Maybe Hence, the reason for me and even Arjasneh not catching anything…

Arjasneh’s case was even more pathetic… (at least I was not the only loser there). Even worse, he is a fishermen’s son… even brought his own equipment and all (siap pakai jampi lagi tu)… could not even catch a single squid …. Malu! Malu! (at least I caught one)

Nonetheless, despite of the low catch the organizer did arranged for some barbequing on the large vessel… so we eventually did get to eat even though we did not managed to catch anything much. Pergh! It was heavenly… I grabbed this chance to eat everything that was served. Oh….. I ate, and ate and ate.. it was delicious… Just about everything was served… fruits, all sorts of seafood … and not forgetting the carbohydrates i.e. rice, fried bihoon… Done eating.. I decided not to jig anymore…. I am done for the night…

My stomach was full… and my eyes started getting heavy… to add, my head was getting dizzy… the best thing to do now was sleep…. So I scout around for a place for me to land… I found a perfect landing spot.. it was a room complete with air-conditioning and TV area… So with cautious steps I made my way to the area…As soon as I went into the room, I saw a few of Jabatan Perikanan’s staff… to avoid getting busted.. I pretended as though I was looking for the Surau and asked them where it was… and then made my way in and joined them watching TV. As soon as they were comfortable with me… I asked them whether there was any place for me to rest.. they then told me to go to a room downstairs… I then went out… and asked a few other friends to join me… Once entered the room…. I straight found a landing spot amd started to doze off….

Together with me were Ilmi and Mahathir of NTV7 and his coworker (whom I forgot to ask for the name coz he just joined assisting Mahathir).

I slept like a baby…. The best sleep I could ever remember… Suddenly I was awakened by someone yelling… “ Hei… ada orang lagi laa…. Ada lagi”

Apparently we were left behind… everyone else have returned to the dock… Thank god one of the man saw Ilmi sleeping… if not we would’ve reached Papua New Guinea ..hehehehehhe

As soon as we reached the dock, I immediately called Azhar a.k.a Chor and Arjasneh…. Both of them had safely arrived home. All used the safest excuse for leaving me behind…. “Aku pening… sampai tak boleh ingat korang semua” ….. To Chor and Arjasneh…. “sampai hati korang buat aku macam gini”

As soon as I reached home, I went straight to the toilet….. Thought of showering but instead went straight to bed… Which was a huge mistake… I had nightmares… dreamt of just about everything… Hantu! Jembalang! I woke up at 2am… and felt really terrified… so I woke up and immediately I showered then went to sleep again with the lights on… (Men do get scared sometimes)

The next morning I woke up and swore to myself that I will no longer go squid jigging again… (Unless if I really have to go… like a life or death situation or someone pointing a gun to my head)

Till then…..

UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE ON SV''PIED-A-MER''

2009-06-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

Hi Hi, it is really hard to find the time to update my blog nowadays… I finally realize that it is rather difficult to become a blogger. One has to be really disciplined – Need to treat this blogging thing like its work; then you’ll be more active! Hehehehheheh

Now, the topic for today! This is actually my first experience on a Yacht or sail boat not really sure of the classification….

One sunny day…. I was given an assignment to promote the Monsoon Cup organized by Ri-Yaz Heritage. They had invited a few press representatives to participate in this event in conjunction of the annual international sport event.

On that fine day, despite of having only 2 hours of sleep (slept at 5am that very morning) I forced myself to wake up at 7am bcoz the boat from Pulau Duyung depart at 9am (I’ll be dead if I missed it…) . Thank god I didn’t oversleep… To be honest, I actually didn’t really know the purpose of going to Pulau Kapas at first... Or the nature of the assignment… they asked me to go …and being a good worker as I always am… I obediently went.

As soon as I arrived at the destination i.e. Pulau Kapas… I then found out what was required of me… I was to sail together with a couple from New Zealand … destination was from Pulau Kapas back to Pulau Duyung… Hence, from a little tiny winy small boat… I then hopped onto a huge, gigantic, extremely large yacht named SV”PIED-A-MER”!

SV” PIED-A-MER was owned by a lovely couple i.e. Dave and Joanne… I was so excited… HELL!!! Never in my life have I stepped on a yacht such as this… I had so many questions to ask them… I was like a curious cute cuddly kitten (remember SHRECK? Remember the cat? That’s how cute I looked at the time)!!!!!!

The couple was so fun to hang with… they welcomed me with a cup of Sumatran Coffee which they bought from Indonesia . It was the best coffee I have tested… I love coffee…
After finishing my cup of coffee, without wasting anytime I asked whether I can have tour of their Yacht… Huh!!! It was very impressive… the Yacht was equipped with just about everything…All the comforts of a home is there on SV”PIED-A-MER….. It was equipped with a sofa, dining area, kitchen… bedroom and not forgetting Dave symbolic love to Joanne…. A washing machine… was also on the boat (I guess he doesn’t want Joanne to strain herself hand washing the jeans and heavy blankets)

After the boat departed or sailed off in sailing term (I guess?) I then asked Dave what I needed to do… (…trying to be helpful). Noticing that I am the talkative type, he then told me that I need not do anything but observe… phew!!! “Observe” is something that I can do… it is in fact something that I am good at. So as instructed… I then obediently did what they asked me to do… I sat there…. Obediently, I observed (asked questions when needed)!!!!

The whether on that day was sunny… and was really hot. Dave and his wife decided to just let the yacht sailed using the normal engine… And once again I am safe from doing all the heavy lifting… Thanks Dave for asking me to just observe… hehehehhe!

Dave and Joanne told me how their life now is nothing less than a farmer… (I really don’t know how farmers are in New Zealand … mighty fine I would presume... especially to be living on a Yacht such as SV”PIED-A-MER).

They told me how they had sold of their house to buy this impressive boat (or yacht…) the yacht cost about MYR400, 000… (PHEW… Oh my!!!! that’s a lot of dough!) They said that they had made up their minds to spend their golden years sailing on SV”PIED-A-MER…

This made me wonder how it would be if my parents had decided to do the same…. But thank god the thought never crossed their minds…. My god! Where would their 10 children come home to on Hari Raya????? Hehehehe… Bermaaf-maafan in the middle of the South China Sea …mmmmmm that would be something to write about it?

While I was so immersed in my observation… It got me thinking… how Dave and Joanne’s lives are on this Yacht… the way they eat, the way they cook, sleep,etc…I am sure sometimes it must be difficult .. I mean space is limited to only the Yacht… you can’t really go out for a drive if you are in the middle of the sea… But I guess, to them its something that they are willing forego! They are able to spend every minute and second with each other… It’s kind a sweet and romantic even …

Seeing that I was lost in my thoughts… Dave interrupted me with teaching me on how to sail the yacht Or boat (again I am not so sure which one is which)… The truth, I wasn’t really that interested in learning how to sail the thing… becoz in doing so, I had to do some heavy lifting.. which is something that I am not good at. So I went to doing the second thing which I am good at…and that is talking... So I diverted his attention to his kids and grand kids (everybody loves to talk about their pride & joy)

Through out my journey… I was in awe!!! I admired Dave and Joanne. They are strong and committed. Though it is not easy to sail millions of miles but they made up their minds and stuck with it… Maybe that is their culture and in our country we may feel that it is better to use the boat (or Yacht) as a means to earn more money.. like becoming a fishermen or rent it out instead of converting it to a home.

Whatever it is, I truly appreciated their hospitality… Joanne even cooked Noodle soup for me… it was actually very good but I somehow could not finish it…( my tummy was acting up to the sea maybe…) I cooked up an excuse that the soup was spicy.. Hence, was not able to finish it… (So sorry Joanne…. But it was really nice)

I truly enjoyed my experienced on SV”PIED-A-MER (despite using the normal engine and not the whole sailing method) I felt very lucky to have experienced it.
It got me thinking.. will I do the same when I grow old… will I buy boat or yacht and spend the remaining years of my life with my loving wife? hmm...(Just like Dave and Joanne) mmmmm come to think of .. I don’t think so… I get sea sick… so does my wife (even worse she gets sick on every moving transportation) I can just imagine how our lives would be…. I think I much prefer the land… and whenever I want to go places.. I’ll drive or take the flight.. Utilize all of mankind’s creation... hehehhhehee

After three hours of sailing… SV”PIED-A-MER we finally reached the dock at Pulau Duyung… My face was sooo tanned… My arms were burnt… aaaarrrrggghhhh!!! And the day was getting hotter… the next day I fell sick… but I went to work anyway (I mean what else was I supposed to do?) But Irman, the reported that went along with me… was on MC.. he also fell sick…

For me, despite of having the the Fever.. I still wouldn’t change anything… the experience on SV”PIED-A-MER and the company of Dave and Joanne I would cherish forever…

Thanks Dave and Joanne for sharing with me the experience, it was a pleasure knowing you

A DAY AT THE SULTAN MIZAN ZAINAL ABIDIN'S STADIUM

2009-06-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

The fall of of the roof of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium still remain to be the talk of the town. However, the answer as to how the tragedic fall is still yet to be resolved. Speculations after speculations have been circulated around … with fingers pointing to just about everybody.

On the day of the tragedy, 9:15am I was on my way to the office. As I was driving, I was thinking of having breakfast at Kedai Pak Lah... The BEST NASIK LEMAK BUNGKUS and “SUSU KAMBING PANAS” in Terengganu.

However, even before reaching the office, I received a phone call from my dear friend from a friendly competitor... Mek Na claiming that the stadium had collapsed. I could not believe her... it's ridiculous for a stadium built only last year could fall just like that... I thought that its another prank that we media normally pull on each other. (Sorry Chor a.k.a. Azhar Ariff who was one of our victim).

I went together to the site with Mekna that morning; As soon as we reached the “CRIME SCENE” both of us did not waste anytime. Every angle was inspected and photograhed; hoping to find an answer to this cotastrophy.

My phone never stopped ringing that day and none was asking about my well-being. Everbody wanted to know about the stadium. This includes the head of Photographer in KL i.e. Kadir Bachok and Norbaini Masri. All calling to ask only one thing; “ Why did this happen?” I was there only to photograph the scene... How the hell should I know what happened... I am as clueless as they were.

The question is.... Should a stadium built only last year... and worth 300 Millon MYR and NOT RPH... and the roof alone is shy of 30 million again MYR... It's okay if its rupiah... we expect the roof fall... even the whole stadium to collapse. But not if its 300 million MYR... come on!!!!!! Malulah!!!!!!

We were so proud of the stadium last year... It was the venue for SUKMA.... It was the talk of the town... SUKMA 2008 was held at the biggest stadium in the East Coast... A year later...people are still talking about the stadium... the topic this time around “ Roof collapsed.....”.
Everybody... big and small have their own theory... But from what I've heard... everybody seems to know that the stadium is already having structural problems.... condonglah, melendutlah.. sengetlah.... (why no actions were taken before the tragedy happened”)

Nonetheless.... what has happen had already happened... and thus should be a lessen to alll of us... especially for world of construction...

In terms of ethics... what is the level of our engineers and the quality of our construction industry? Our country is becoming more developed everyday... and MEGA projects such as the stadium is being commisioned like hot cakes... How do we ensure that the same tragic incident do not happen again....

Millions of money spent does not mean quality work.. again I would like to stress here that MONEY cannot buy strength... in the case cannot stop a roof of stadium to fall flat to the ground.
And I know that everybody else agrees with my when say that thank god that this tragic incident happened when no one was around... no lives were taken...

Only one good thing came out of this... my picture took up the whole FRONT and BACK of KOSMO! Yippeeeeee... Congratulation Fauzi Baharudin! You did a good job!

Ode To My Love

2009-02-19T20:20:00.000-08:00

“Having you and loving you is the best gift that I’ve ever had
Dreaming about you is the unforgettable moment
Touching you, hugging you and kissing you is the greatest experience
But, trusting you is the most difficult part for me to try
Trying to ensure and to convince that you are not part of them
Trying to ensure and to convince that you won’t hurt me like others
Trying to ensure and to convince that you will wake me up from my bad dreams
Bad dreams from women who took my trusty…
Bad dreams from women who make me weaker…
Bad dreams from women who took my sense of love and sense of care…
Thank you for lifting me up when I am down
But mostly, thank you for making me the visible men on the earth”

"Unconditional love is a true love. You ask for nothing in return. It comes from the bottom of the heart and expressed thru touch and handled with your own ten fingers …".
Unconditional love is love in its absolute pureness as it does not demand anything in return. It comes from deep within the heart, the soul and expressed thru ones touch; be it physical or emotional.

These words cut deep… in fact it startled me and even leaves me pondering as to what it really means to me.

When a person loves someone unconditionally, he tries to accepts her as who she really is. Loving all the traits and even accepting the flaws; not wanting to change who she really is. Loving her wholeheartedly without wanting to change or demand anything in return.

Giving all that you have with all the strength that you can conjure, to the greatest of your ability and not expect anything in return…. I have felt that love… Yes!! As I am currently experiencing it... Its pureness and sincerity goes beyond what I expected…

I am sure everyone has experienced this at some point of their life. In fact, it is the love between a parent and their children, between brothers and sisters, between husband and wife… It is such a wonderful thing to have… isn’t it?

Loving and admiring someone with pure sincerity with no hidden agenda and wanting to make her happy with all of your might. But I am only human with imperfections… just like the rest. I try… I try to give her the love, the unconditional love to the best of my ability… every waking day and night, every second, minute, hour, weeks, months and even years… I try to do the best… to give the best 24/7 and 365 days a year….all year…. every year..

It’s this pureness of love in its raw form that keeps going… especially in those dark and toughest times of my life.

It is even when this love so unconditional is tarnished by dishonesty, deceit or whatever you would want to call it… it is this unconditional love that kept me together, keeps me believing that one day she will realize that she is not alone… She can get thru this tough times of her life. That my love will keep her strong… will give her the strength to keep going.

It’s this love that is so unreserved and genuine that makes me come to terms with the fact that what I really want in this life is actually nothing or never existed..Having her in my life is already enough. We are everything. She is my friend. She is my confidant. She is my love.

I just want to see her smiling again… the kind of smile that comes from the heart… The joyful smile that was once stolen from her for a brief moment…

I want to see her is smiling again; the smile that comes deep within her soul and reflected thru her eyes… and hope that is stays there for a long time..

Oh my love…. I love you!
I do not need to miss you, but I miss you a lot. I do not need to love you, but I love you a lot. I love you with my unconditional love, because…I ask for nothing from you… (Except for just a Honda CBR 600RR) hehehehhe!!!

Do You Think Money Can Buy Happiness?

2009-02-03T21:47:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! Money! Money! Money!! All About The Money!!!!
“Ringgit, Rupiah, Dollar, Pound, Bath , Yen, Rupee,Peso, “
I believed everyone have their own perception on this topic. Some say money can buy happiness!!! Hahaha!!! Sound like materialistik women like amy (my ex-gf) !!!
Sound like the lyric of Poetic Ammo song
My, my, my, my,
What makes the world go
High, high, high, high?
Every women wanna Buy, buy, buy, buy,
(say what)It's all about the
Monay, monay, monay, monay
My,my,my,my,my,my,my
I need mo' monay, My, my, my, my, my, my, my
U gotta show me the monay
SHOW ME THE MONAY!!!!
I will always relate money with bank... money with work. This is because the source of my money comes from both of these places. But we somehow do not realize that money is just paper of which the value of it is far less than the actual value itself. (But I also heard that the cost of making money is far more than the actual value itself, maybe this applies to those of lower currency… ).
Money is so important that there was a time that I once thought of counterfeiting money myself.. hehehehehe. But I’m sure the job of counterfeit money is for the professionals, those who know the ins and outs or the loopholes and not get caught … It’s a job for those who want to become rich fast, the easy way without doing much of the heavy lifting.
MONEY.. Is it true that with MONEY, we can buy eternal bliss? If we ask those who are already rich with loads and loads of money.. I am sure that the answer would be so much different than those who do not have them…. How about you? What’s your take on this?
As for me, I would say that money can buy happiness; happiness which only yours truly will benefit. But please, don’t get me wrong okay... What I meant was that with money I can buy just about anything and do just about anything… (hahahahha the words of a materialistic women like amy my ex gf)… with money I can travel to places like Cherating, Pulau Redang, Bangkok, Jakarta and shop at places like Pasar Payang, Paris Van Java Bandung, Chatucak Market Bangkok and Singapore.. And if I more of the MONEY.. I can go even further to places maybe like London, US or even Paris and shop at MILAN.
I can even buy my love stuff like a new handphone that she wanted (she complaints that her current handphone is giving her trouble). Buying the handphone for me is actually something that I have to think more than twice.. the inflow of money is only enough to last until the end of the month… But if I were to buy my love the new handphone, it will make her very happy… which comes back to my point… “MONEY CAN BUY YOU HAPPINESS” but it also depends on situation… but what are the situations when money cannot buy you love or eternal bliss?
Situations when money just doesn’t cut it…is just not enough… When does this happen? Well… it is when it involves the matters of the heart, the feelings of someone you love. (These words are not applicable to materialistic girls such as my ex-gf – its amy again)
For example, For a person who has just about anything and everything,.. he already has a family, owns a house or maybe multiple houses… has his own business.. Owns big cars (maybe a MERC or a bimmer or both) with a driver BUT a sick kid… more tragic with a hole in the heart… (one may ask why such a sickness used as an example… think of the answer yourself…) BUT fate has decided.. the kid dies…. Can MONEY bring back the life of his kid? (Sounds scary right? It’s true… no money in the world can bring the dead) Hhuhuhuhuhuh its impossible right? Even in this world with all of the advanced technology.. where we have sent men to the moon multitude of times… We cannot deny the fact that to GOD’s eye…We are so small…. We have to bow down to GOD’s willing…. Despite of how powerful we feel with all the money that we have we are nothing... We can’t fight fate..
BUT coming back to my point… “MONEY CAN BUY HAPPINESS”; if I do have money… even my PTPTN Loan can be cleared off... huhuhuhu… I can go to places, travel to far-far away land… I can even clear off my hire-purchase loan… my JAZZ… Or maybe I can change my loving JAZZ to a new white HONDA CIVIC Type R with plate registration 9998 huhuhuhuh… Even better, I just add to my existing HONDA collection… a new CIVIC and not forgetting a new CBR1000 RR.. aarrrggghhhhh
When I have limitless back account, I do not have to work so hard… I don’t have to slog like a dog doing double pay and over-time simply to make more dough…
To make matters worse… the company which I slave for is cutting back… which means no more overtime and no more money!!!!!! AARRRGGGHHHHH….. MONEY… where are you my precious?????