gladtobehere

2011-04-10T01:53:00.000-07:00

Hate those stray cats but can't really kill them..

This morning, my fish pond was fine but a bit smelly. The water was as clear as crystal but the smell bothered me. Typically, when there is water odor, something happens to fish. Either there is dead or almost dead fish for some reasons. This morning, the odor puzzled me. I did my check and brushed out the pond bottom, I noticed some sediments of odd craps. Having looked at it carefully, it resembled the old cat dumping. My patience was tested to the limit. I knew I had seen a few stray cats around my house and as my maid went home for nearly 5 months now, I had only one incident where cat was trapped in my house and it shit on my carpet in living room. That was terrible, and I could not cope with the smell. This has been my nightmare and for that reason alone, I hate to keep pets. The bigger the pet is, I am sure the bigger its shit is... imagine the big dog, could be a kilo of shit every morning eh..

Here comes my little creativity. A simple and cheap cat trap. I built it almost instantaneously using the big basket which I had in my pick-up and for a bait, I used Ayamas fried chicken.. cats today eat branded stuff, you know. Then, having it set up, I just left it on the CCTV viewing. Let's see how it works and what it looks like..

2011-02-13T03:25:00.000-08:00

A Visit to I-City Shah Alam

If not for what our daughter asked for, perhaps Kash and I would not have gone there. Easy access to the city, simply by taking NKVE heading Klang and after Setia Eco Park near Padang Jawa exit, you will see I-City sign board.

First, you will see the colorful trees from far.

Then, if you are going on Sunday evening, you will be directed towards the parking zone. You have to pay RM10 per car at the entrance. If you are late, you will be paking on the 3rd or 4th floor of the car park building, it's the endless rounding up the ramps..

You will be welcome by the giant white christmas tree, with cheap China toys sellers flooding the main street. Also, loud noise from the fiesta sounding music, like at the funfair.

You will do lots of photo taking and the most attractive entertainment is the snow room or should I say, a freezer. This gives you a chance to be in the snowing hall without having to go to Genting Highland..

Great for kids and adults - if you'd like to just have a walk at night.

2011-01-22T17:32:00.000-08:00

Man and the Beast...

Back in the old days, man rides the Beast.. :) Selamat Tahun Baru 2011!!

On the way back from Puncak Alam

2010-05-15T00:06:00.000-07:00

My Kawasaki Zack One Thau (Z1000)

At last,on May 13, 2010, at one fine evening, the sign of relief from two and half weeks painful waiting period was overwhelming. Azad and I managed to free up my Zack One Thou on the road first. Overjoyed by the feeling of having a new ride, I almost forgot about Azad's one more night's miserable wait.

Next to my new Zack One Thou Azad had to leave home in his car that evening..Last time, I tried this beb before I decided to take one home in Kuala Selangor. Halim was the introducer to two of us...
Wuyoo... the bike is really something. The change is dramatic as compared to my last Yamaha EfZack. The design snuggles you tightly right in between the 'buckled' frame, and the view is way forward with enough eye space for digital screen meter squeezed at your bottom eye view. Sitting on it already makes you feel like riding it at 100 kmph...

On the way home, one brother in his car managed to drive closer to me and after a few minutes, he gave a thumbs-up. That's not what I was expecting, but it surely gave me a sense of right buy, especially after spending a large sum of money for the decreasing value metal feature like that...

The next afternoon, I accompanied Azad to pick up his Zack one thou. With his adrenaline being put on hold untill 1000 kms, I can understand how Azad felt when he was passed by two big bikers on NKVE on the way home from Klang. He was riding at controlled 80kmph.

With two Z1000 bikes and one EF-R600 Halim bought, the dealer in Kuala Selangor made a clean gross sale of RM194k. Expensive beb!!!

Brand new Z1000
Azad's dusting out his new rideA man and his new mechanical beb.. nice partner...Not Ah Chong, the dealer, standing near the bike..There you go.. Azad and his Z1000

2010-05-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

My Children Are Home Together Again

After about a year and half, Abby had been staying away from home in a private boarding school, Kolej Yayasan Saad (KYS) in Malacca, she finally was brought home by Kash and I. The brother seems happier now and they both have grown to become teenagers. It is a new change for our family with two teenagers at home now. They grow up so fast and my brain almost freezes right at their baby age...

Both are now in the same high school (Afif Form 4, Abby Form 2)

They grow up so fast!!

2010-05-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

Goodbye my Yamaha FZ1

FZ1000 vs Kawasaki 650 ( Halim's new killer green Kawa)

Last ride to Kuala Selangor ended at a small bike shop on Tuesday morning, May 4, 2010. Halim and I had to deliver my bike in exchange for Kawasaki Z1000 (will call it Zack1000); to my understanding, she will be available by Wednesday, May 13, 2010. We settled for a good price exchange and I have been holding to my Yamaha since July 2006. It barely exceeds 20k KM mark (18,600 KMs to be exact) on the bike, but the technology has advanced beyond EfZack's state-of-the art original design. Soon, "carburetors" will vanish like dinasours.... Kawasaki is my new choice!

Yes, the last picture with my Ef-Zack in front of Halim's house

Halim accompanied me to Kuala Selangor

2010-04-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

Facebook Fever...

What else is new lately? yep. Got hooked up with many old friends thru FB. Here is a photo of my young life in Worcester, MA back in 1990. Unbelievably young and oh God, I do feel old nowadays...

2010-04-05T01:33:00.000-07:00

Cyberjaya Energizer Night Run - March 27, 2010

I decided to run again. This year, my weight is getting heavier... It seems as if I was carrying a 10 kg rice bag with me from where I was in 2002. The night run was fun. We were given a set of energizer headlight and a nice dinner treat of energy bar pieces. I took one bar and half pcs. Halim just had 1 bar, with his weight, he could be seen running without having to carry any single rice bag with him.

Halim and I with our Energizer headlight

I made my best running time for 10 kms with overall time of 1 hour 23 minutes. Then, we headed for the water melon tent, had our best few pieces of cut water melon, which was almost equal to one full melon... we were thirsty and hungry...

I am with the biggest size here, with azman hiding behind, Halim and Yuzila.. she made it for her first 10 km run... Congrat!!
That night, I reached home at 12:00 am and slept without any additional supper taken.. a real success story!!!

2010-02-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

Duk Dak Duk Dak...Hey My Heart is Pumping...

Her first appearance in 2010 catches attention of many.. I am included... in love again, for a few times since then... These naked pictures of the first look, both in black and white...haiyyaa...

2009-11-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

The beutiful images of Malacca (Melaka) - The World Herritage City from my Blackberry

2009-10-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

My Friend as a Book Writer - Congrat to Hj Azman Tahir

I did not recognize at fisrt when I saw the person being interviewed on TV3, but the familiar voice made me turned back and there he was, Hj Azman Tahir. I thought he was going to replace Dato' Dr Fadhillah Kamsah just for that moment....

Hj Azman is still with his young look and full of energy.

Congrat on the interview over the National Television and for the book about Reaching Success and Happiness (I am not sure of the exact title of the book)... I have yet to get a copy of the book.

2009-10-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

Al-Fatihah for Allahyarham Adly Effendy Bin Haji Azizon, my Brother In-Law

Borned 0n May 25,1974 at his age of 34 years old, Allahyarham Adly Effendy Hj Azizon, my dearest brother in-law who's married to my first younger sister, passed away at 12:45 PM, Monday, October 26, 2009 while sufferring over four weeks of coma due to high fever at the Intensive Care Unit of Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

I and all members of the family missed him so dearly already and yet, we accepted what Allah has determined for him. Inyaallah, Allah would forgive his soul and all of us and put him in the place of all the Shuhada and those Allah has granted his blessing and Rahmah. We also pray to Allah to lift all the difficulties and replace them with blessing and guidance to let his wife, and his three little children, Hakimi (8 yrs), Azreen (4 yrs) and Haikal (2 yrs) live with abundance of love for each other and the family and allow them to grow up as "anak-anak yang Soleh", Insyaallah. Amin.

My picture taken with Allahyarham Adly at his request on Hari Raya Aidilfitri, October 2005. I never thought that I have to search for this picture to capture the moment with him.

Adly and his wife, Miza at the graduation of my second younger sister, Ani at the University Malaya in 2003.

Hakimi & Ezrain (Abby)

Haikal

2009-10-28T05:35:00.001-07:00

Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2009

Like every year, we normally celebrate the Eids with Kash's family in Kuala Lumpur first in the morning and in the afternoon, we would be in Bukit Bading, 200 Kms to the East of KL on the East Coast, with my side of the family. To those who visit my blog, Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir Batin.

Time really flies, I could notice how grown up my children are as Kash and I are getting older.

Sarah (9) and Abby (13), they grew up together although Sarah is 5 years younger.

This year, my family and I were very happy to have Azman as our special family guest from the night of Raya and the morning of Raya. We went for Takbir Raya from house to house at Bukit Damansara from 9pm to 12pm, finishing more than five houses. Of corse, we filled up our stomach with more than five courses of meals with one meal per house.... never give-up, never surrender!!!! Ha ha ha..

Azman (center), Afif and I in front of the Saidina Omar Al-Khattab Mosque, Bukit Damansara after the Eids Prayer.

My Dad's house in Bukit Bading was covered under the morning fog on the second day of the Eids. I have not personally seen this foggy phenomenon for years since my schooling age.

The view of the road from my Dad's house to the end of the street witnessing how I used to run, learn to ride my bike (and secretly learnt to ride my Dad's motorcycle) and many many more uncountable historic memories of my own growing pains in this beutiful village.

2009-08-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Old Memories

To my surprise last two weeks, I met the daughter of my elementary school teacher who happened to be among my most admired teachers I ever had. I do not have much pictures of me when I was a kid but seeing the pictures of my school teachers was one of the opportunities I never expected. Today, I could recall a few names from the back of my head, thinking that I may need bizillion gegabytes of memory space to run old software to make them to surface!

This sunset view at Ara Damansara will stick to my head if there is memorable event very dear to my heart happened that that moment. For all my teachers, may Allah be the One who would give rewards for all your good teachings to me and all your other students.

This is a picture of me at the time I was among the students of the teachers shown below.

All my teachers, Cikgu Mat Yusof - Geography teacher, Cikgu Jamaludin - English teacher, Cikgu Yusof - my BM teacher in Std 6, Cikgu Ngah - English teacher, Cikgu Khalid - my Std 2 to 5 Bahasa Malaysia teacher and her daughter Zuraya who showed me these pictures, and arwah Cikgu Ngah - Bahasa Malaysia teacher when I was 7 years old. To the left of the picture, I think the student was Kapten Wan Hasbullah, an ex-airforce pilot who is today piloting a helicopter to transport workers to and from the offshore oil platform back to Kerteh Helibase.

Full staff teachers of SK LKTP Bukit Bading in 1979, led by arwah cikgu Hamzah as the principal. Next to him is Cikgu Yusof - my Std 6 BM teacher and arwah Cikgu Ngah - also my Std 1 BM teacher. Also I can recall a few other teachers - Cikgu Salleh - English teacher, Cikgu Aziz - my most admired Science teacher, arwah Ustaz Endut - Islamic class teacher, arwah Cikgu Yaakob - my brother's teacher in std 1 and 2 and the rest included Pakcik Ghani - school gardener. I wish, I coul dmeet them and say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you teachers, may Allah bless you and us all, insyaallah.

2009-07-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

Flying Solo....

After so long, I thought of doing this solo ride along NKV Expressway. Here we go, but the day was a bit hazy.

2009-07-12T01:36:00.000-07:00

Halim's Wedding - May 31, 2009

The topic is misleading, but what it means is Halim's family wedding! Nadia and Azlan were married at Desa Coalfield, Sungai Buloh on May 31, 2009. Witnessing the ceremony, all family, friends and relatives! Tahniah Aji!

The 'Pengantin'.

Wedding reception at Halim's house on May 31.

With Halim's son, Hisyam at majlis akad nikah.

2009-07-12T01:09:00.000-07:00

Ho Chi Minh City Visit in May 2009

On May 18, 2009, I was asked to visit Ho Chi Minh office. Here are some of the sceneries I captured for view. Last time I visited the city was back in 2002.

My dinner for the two nights, bought at the Saigon Halal Restaurant infront of the mosque. A chocolate came as a complementary from the hotel... nice.

This is the scene I once saw in Delhi, India. Hope that it does not come from the same engineers!

2009-07-11T23:54:00.000-07:00

Standard Chartered KL Marathon June 28, 2009

Again, the famous KL Marathon Halim and I participated with success. After the last 15 km run, we felt very easy with this 10km run! There were 13,000 runners this year. Here are the pictures.

2009-05-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

New Balance 15 KM Run - May 18, 2009

For the first time in my life, I took part in this "brutal" 15 km hilly challenge around Bukit Tunku area and back at the Lake Garden. At 5:30 AM, when I woke up, I thought of quiting but when Halim said he was ready to get up and meet up at Tugu Negara, I was zapped with energy and curiosity of my willpower. Halim had to detour to Talisman office to collect his running shoes which he forgot to take home on Friday before we both met at Tugu Negara parking area around 6:45AM. Many people already rushed to the starting line while Halim and I took our time to get geared up.

When we were at the starting line, all men category already took off. We sneaked in between the ladies and ran crossing the official starting clock line for time registration. Halim and I were joined by one more runner to begin our 15 km run out of the lake garden area. We were lucky as our marathon's favorite photographer, Mr Tey captured three of us running behind all men categories, essentially the last in line, while we were ahead 10 minutes infront of the women cetegory. Barely 20 minutes we were running on steady pace, the first lady passed by us like a rocket as it seemed. Then, more and more ladies overtook us...of course, I kept ensuring myself that I would not be the last...

After 1 hour 5 minutes, Halim and I reached our 8 km distance (half way) and it was my greatest achievement so far. Given if it were a 10 km run, another 20 minutes I would have reached the finish line and perhaps clocked myself at 1 hour 25 minutes... It would have been my new 10 km record run so far!!! But, life isn't always as what we wanted. The next 7 kms were hell...very short distance flat or downhill but most were exhaustingly hilly.... Halim gave up to run with me and he paced up leaving me 2 kms behind... Little that I knew during the run, Halim was cursing his decision all the way to take up this 15 km run... and leaving me behind was his way to show "...what the heck, you wanted to try 15 kms, just take this.." kind of lesson to me.

My experience beyond 10 km run was totally new. My feet were swelling and I could feel that both legs becoming elephant legs, sort of speaking. The soft Nike running shoes felt as if I was wearing Flinstone's rock solid slippers while my fingers were all swelling and numbness started all over the critical body parts. Deep down in my heart, I realised now why Hj Zailan from Planning Department quit running after completing his 42 km Singapore night marathon last year. I made the right decision to as for now to just get acclimatized with 15km run first before I can upgrade to half marathon.

I finished ahead of a dozen few and clocked myself at 2 hrs 40 minutes while both Azad and Halim perhaps clocked at 2 hrs 20 minutes. I made it, dude!!!! and it feels great!! Of course, getting back to the car park was another "painful" experience, the feeling of every part of our body being shaked up was overwhelming for the whole day!!!

2009-05-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

Swine Flue Outbreak

I have not been updating my blog for a while now. A few things just surfaced recently and I have not been very well during the world's swine flue ourbreak in the past week. Not that I was infected by H1N1, but I was struck by high fever just 12 hours prior to my business trip to Jakarta on April 28-30, 2009. Oh boy, talk about worries, I was really worried for not being able to enter Jakarta as well as to depart from Jakarta. The news spread very fast about alert level change from level 4 to level 5 and while entering KL, I swallowed a few tablets to keep my body temperature down and so not to get cought by the thermal scan. Luckily, there was no thermal scan for inbound flight from Jakarta!

Perhaps, the trip to Jakarta this time was the worst one I have ever taken. I was totally sick, unable to sleep and forget about eating and dining. I did nothing apart from going to the office and get my lunch at the hotel and back into the hotel after work for a sleep. For many years, I must be thankful enough that I had never had major sickness such as this one. But having had one now and recovering, alhamdulillah, I feel a lot better. I am trying to catch up with the running but so far, I could only do over 1.5 km run only and the coughs trouble me so far. Azad said that the next run will be on May 17 for 11 km run at Dataran Merdeka! Halim seems very strong at it....but I loss over 2 kg's since the fever, that's a good news..

2009-04-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

BHP Orange Run - 11 km Run - April 12, 2009

When I woke up, the clock was already at 6:00 AM. Back from Melaka last night, I overslept in the morning and was late for the run. I guess, I was so exhausted from attending Abby's college annual sport day yesterday in Melaka causing me to doze off well last night!

After solat, quickly I grabbed my phone and I saw Halim's text message saying that he would not be able to join again. In a few minutes, Azman, our new team member for the fisrt time doing his first 10 km's, called me up asking for an earphone set. Although I would like to help, I knew that usually no way I could find everything and attend anything urgent while I was already late for the run. Then, Halim called me up just at the time I was stepping out of the house, informing me that Azad already picked him up! Boy, I was glad that Azad responded to Halim's SOS as I did not realize that he sent me a message late last night. EuGene was supposed to join the run too but he sent a message that he was sick. Poor EuGene!

Four of us, with Azman now joining.

Halim fixing Azman's sticker.

Last year, I quit running after seeing " you have completed half-way of the run" sign board, just right at 4.5 kms. This time, I ought to make it better. As the run started a bit late at around 7:30 AM, with the brick and block jungle of Kota Damansara and Mutiara Damansara new township, I had to put up sun glasses for the run. It's for the look and for the sun shade! Oh well, more for the look then... he he :-).

Our day gets better with the Malay Mail journalist approaching us for a quick interview. Azad took the opportunity to take the team picture with her... we would have been almost instant celebrities if not because of the fact that we realized the guys were already flagged off, leaving the women cetegory behind ... with just us!! May be next time for the newspaper appearances...

As usual, Azman with his, macho gesture, just for the picture! Steady Man!!

The run was fun. Azad, Halim and I were running slowly to encourage Azman to continue running. He decided to walk after 2 kms. I managed to beat my last year's record by continuously running until 6.2 kms. The route was hilly and we were told that the distance was changed to 11 kms compared to only 9 kms last year.

At the start, we were running together-together...

Soon after my legs surrendered, Halim and Azad began to push me to run. I had no idea where both of them got their stamina this morning while I was struggling to keep my feet chasing each other. Towards 2 kms to the finishing line, there were two 70+ older men and women passed by me and I thought that was a real defeat for me! I let them go, perhaps they got so much motivation by being infront of me and all of us would live much longer for the joy of it!!!

We were going for the camera man..

Azad and Halim wanted the three of us to cross the finishing line together. I thought that it was a brilliant strategy to get camera men's attention! I put back my sun glasses and we all ran to the finishing line with style! 1 hr 38 minutes - I claimed that as my time instead of Azad's or Halim's. They both could have had a much better time if they wanted to!! Thanks, guys. Azman did make it at the end and we took many-many pictures including a promotional picture for BHP. Once I get the pictures, I will post them here!

Approaching the finishing line.... he he he...

At last, I have a new Azman taking my last spot in the race... always fun to recruit a new member... EuGene was a new member but his body is as light as feathers, in fact, he beat all of us... Too bad he could not make it this time, later EuGene!

The whole team, with Azad's ex-college mate (white shirt) and Azman's ex-boss who is now with Telekom Malaysia.

2009-04-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

Melawati 10 Km Run - March 29, 2009

Low turn up at the Melawati Run.

he he he..!

Much anticipated run for me simply because I have not participated in this Melawati Run before this. Halim had an emergency with his father in-law injured in an unfortunate road accident, leaving Azad and me for the normally competing trio. This time, Azad picked me up from home and we arrived at the location at about 6:30 AM. As expected, not many people participated and the event was just an ordinary event without much publicity, not even with a starting and finishing banners! Others from Talisman were Jamil and Lim Boon Kok. The YB flagged off right on time.

The Talisman's Team - two big ones and two small ones!

I should say that the run was nice, very flat to begin with but pretty tough towards the end, it had both hilly and u-turns which I hated the most. Again, I always dislike the u-turns and we had twice in this run. Of course, if you asked me, I could see Azad running in-front of me while I was heading for a u-turn! The scenery was nice, I have never been to those residence areas right at the top of the hill side with lush of greens and sound of water flowing (not so much to qualify as waterfalls).

Medal at last!

I clocked 1 hr 35 minutes and perhaps about a dozen were still behind me while Azad was at the finishing line about 15 minutes ahead. For this run, we got both medal and certificate! Poor Halim, medal is just what he likes to collect!

2009-03-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

Teh Tarik with School Mates

1984 was the final year of my high school. Back then, just in my mind, it wasn't that long... just like a click of a mouse in this sophistcated digital blogging and facebook world! But, one can imagine how much time distance one has to travel to really materialise the real time then, if it was made really possible.

For the first time in 24 years, I sat next to Harun, my ex-prefect roommate who used to wake me up in the prefect dorm every morning and who used to smile a lot then eventhough the day was not full of fun... but then, who thought studying and staying in the boarding school would be fun! Especially when you had to be there for a full five years or half of those years in our teenage age..

Next to him, my dear good buddy Bad whom I grew up with for 5 years going through special class at SIS, Kemaman and Science School, Dungun.Bad is a very good friend whom I can still clearly remember the day his father sent him to the dorm at SIS and he was very concerned about Bad being small then and far from home... but then, we were all small and far from home.. :-)

Then, I met a classmate, whom my brain went blank for who he was. Again, at this time I am updating the blog, it went blank again. I will put his name after Bad answered my text message! I told Bad and Harun that I had little or no memory left of him... very bad of me and I am very-very sorry for that which I had no intention at all to forget a friend.
I really feel old now... and that's really how far the time distance is to travel to the time when we were 17 years old! We'll have a cup of tea again sometime, and I will get his name back in my memory chip....Bad just replied my text message ... Rosman or Jeme, got it... insyaallah, won't forget it anymore.

2009-03-04T07:04:00.000-08:00

Not So Good Status...

Sunday, February 22, 2009 was supposed to be the day we would do the 7 km run at the Dataran Merdeka. I was sick for the whole night. It would be impossible for me to participate in the run without taking any sick leave on Monday (...sounds tempting ... but being sick while having a break was not the kind of rewards I was looking forward to!). I did go to work on Monday looking quite sick..:-( What to do, April is the annual pay review month, beb!

I had to let Halim and Azad know that I would not join them very late at night. Azad ran for 11 kms under the men's open and Halim ran 7 kms under senior veteran's category. I heard that they did well... ".. got certs ma!" , said Halim! I would be running with Halim if I was there!

This week, Azad is technically paralysed at home with his painful neck muscle spasm. He has not been at work since Monday, March 2 and Halim & I have not had a time to visit him at his house yet. Poor Azad, we just pray that he will be ok. He told us that he experienced problem with his C5, C6 vertebrae (??), causing painful spasm to his neck muscles... sounds very 'alphabetical' to me for basic biology for non-medic person. He can forget about reaching the peak of Gunung Mulu in Miri this week...

The next run will be at Taman Melawati on March 26 for 12 km run. See if we all can get back in the league...

2009-02-18T01:59:00.001-08:00

Six Km KL Cross Country - Sunday Feb 15, 2009

The night of the Feb 15, I was looking for my running pants and obviuosly after a quiet January, my whole bag of goodies since the last December 2008 Genting Trail Blazer was unable to be traced and located within my house! Finally, I found my cycling pants and I just decided to use it anyway. Halim said that the way I dressed up was like Robin Hood! Pretty funny looking veteran in tight cycling pants running around the Lake Garden!

We were at the starting point but we could not locate Halim.

We found Halim... he was complaining to the organizer for locking up the restroom!!

The run was not bad given the distance was reduced to 6 Kms. However, 3 Kms towards the ending, we had to detour to the jungle trail with only 2 feet wide in between the trees and dangerously torny nibong trees. You can imagine what the trail looks like with over hundred of runners following the narrowly hilly jungle trails. My new Nike shoes changed colors drastically and was fully coated (nicer word for covered) with muds... Azad had his shiny new New Balance shoes dipped into the muddy trails and we were not prepared like our preparation for the Genting Trail Blazer!!!

I clocked 1 hour 30 minutes to finish the run while the qualifying time for the category was 60 minutes... 30 minutes was spent in the cramped jungle trails with majority of the time standing idle waiting for clearance!!!

One more for the album after the run... no certificate now said the organizer... it will be mailed to your address...adding them.

When I reached the finish line, Azad managed to capture the run on MPEG. I have to figure out how to post it here. Anyway, I took the whole day to recover... I have to urge Halim to train more for the next 10 Km run next week.

...lagi sekali, gambar kasi angkat...

2009-02-13T23:54:00.000-08:00

Staying Healthy and Fit

For the whole January, 2009, I did not participate in any run. Azad joined the 21 Km run in January and he said that if we plan for one 21 Km run in June KL International Marathon, we will have to be really prepared for it.

Just to make up for the quiet month of January, we will run in two events in February. Tomorrow is the 6 Km KL Cross Country around Lake Garden. The second one will be 10 Km run somewhere, the week after. This time, we were surprised unnecessarily as we are truly separated by categories: Azad, Mafiz and Doc are all in Men Open category, while Jamil ends up in Junior Veteran, I am in Veteran, and poor Halim ends up in Senior Veteran!!! Kah kah kah... I can still laugh at it as it takes me a few more years to be graded the same.. Nevermind the categories, we all will run 6 Kms for veteran category and 8 Kms for Men Open category....we will see who survives...

Last week, Halim and I had been warming up at KLCC for a few rounds for a few days. Let's just hope that we would survive the cross country! Every muscle seems very heavy, my weight does not seem to get any lighter.While Halim and I are getting ready conventionally, Azad is wiring up with state-of-the-art gadgets and meters. The latest addition are the heart rate reader and mileage meter. Soon he is going to look like a Kawasaki Z1000... he he.. my new dream bike!

2009-01-17T06:16:00.000-08:00

Year 2009
This new year 2009 started with good action to stay healthy. I did my comprehensive blood test and other medical check-ups on Dec 31, 2007. Then on Jan 09, 2009, I went for a stress test (running on treadmill for 15 minutes).

The clinic at Desa Hartamas has a poster of Jennifer Lopez in front of the treadmill and the doctor said to me at the start of the test ... "... kejar betina tuh..". It sounds funny when an Indian doctor said that in Kelantanese dialect. The start of the test was a 5 minute walk on an inclined slope. Then, followed by 5 minute faster walk on a much steeper slope. At the third stage, I had to run for 5 minutes on max inclination which then followed by a much faster run on the same slope for the least 5 minutes. It was a tough run, at least for me as I didn't expect that at all. I completed the requirement successfully up to stage 4 on faster run but I quit at stage 5 after 19 seconds going through it...I was told that one marathon athlete completed 8 stages while I already retired at the entry level of stage 5...

I was wired up pretty well... taking them out after the test was another painful story...

A few bad ending for 2008 included my weight increase of 2 kgs from 80 to 82 kgs ( 2 kilos increase from October 2008 although I think I was totally fit in 2008. Cholesterol level has also increased to 6.8 from 6.5 two years ago and the doctor also advised me for closer monitoring on any cancer related indicators based on the spikes observed from my blood test. At least, I am thankful that I do not have a feeling that I will likely to live a very-very long life. At this age, I should ponder my preparation journey for after life while making the very best for the years ahead, Insyaallah.

Also, as the age gets older, the hair gets thinner and thinner. The fore-front baldness is appearing significantly nowadays. My barber has been very reluctant to shorten my hair everytime I ask him to make it short and neat! Halim used to say, it's not the hair that gets thinner, it's the forehead that gets bigger. Easy for him to say that, he does not loose hair, only the color gets changed to white and gray...Azad, if you're reading this, be thankful that you have a decade to catch up with me and Halim... ha ha..

2008-12-28T21:42:00.000-08:00

Malakof 12 KM Run - TTDI Dec 21, 2008

The last SMS from Azad the night of 20th December reads " Meet infront of Puteri Restaurant, TTDI. The school is too far from the start point". I did not hear a word from Halim. I guessed, he knew where the place was.

I slept late that night. I searched around for my RM140 tight pants I used in the last Malakof UM Run-cycle-run event, but I could not find it. I settled with my swimming tight shorts covered by half-cut Adidas pants. I was a bit excited for the run, nevertheless, I started to feel that the pressure was on now; which it was supposed to be for Azad... Well, I guessed, it's not!

At 6:30 am, I reached TTDI and Halim SMS me saying that he was at mamak's stall already; he did not know where Puteri Restaurant was. I picked up Halim and drove him to the restaurant while Azad called and said that he and the gang were in front of the old Jaya Jusco / KFC area. I already parked my car and we waited them to reach us on the way to the starting point. We observed and guessed that over a thousand people around the area at the very early 6:30 am there.

Getting our registration no. ready, we were off for the run. Azad commented my new Nike; and I at first did not realize that he was on Crocs instead of his normal new Balance shoes. Later that instance that I knew he forgot his running shoes and settled with Mafiz' Crocs instead!!! The pressure is on!!!

There was a last minute change on the route. Instead of running 12 kms through the Penchala Tunnel, we were detoured to 6 km run for two circles around KLGCC area and Taman Tun. I hate running in circle simply because I know who's infront and I have to repeat the same hill I struggled the first time!...

When we took off, Azad was well ahead, steaming fast to finish the first 6 km circle. Hayyaa.. I was struggling on the first KLGCC hill when he passed by. Not too far though, when I was about to complete the first circle, Azad came by on the way back ahead of me about 200 meters. Boy, he was fast!! Never before in this year's marathon, I pushed myself so hard to get it done with!

When heading for the 7th km, I let Halim overtake me on the KLGCC hill. Halim seemed very fast and steady while I was exhausting my energy. By the time I was approaching the turn-around point for the last three kms, Azad was ahead of me about 400 meters. This time, he was holding his Crocs. I thought that he was really going for lighter run...he was running only on his socks!!

At the end, I admitted that Azad was a faster runner. At the finish line, I was 400 meters behing Halim and Azad was 100 meters in front of Halim. Thus, I submitted to the final result of being 500 meters behind Azad. I did a better timing for this run ended up at 1 hr 45 minutes for 12 km ( average speed of 6.86 km/hr). Before heading home, we pekena teh tarik, 100 Plus and roti 'tulur'... for this one, I paid them all. Congrat Azad!! We do again next year!!

Congratulating Azad for his victory on this challenge!!

2008-12-12T21:14:00.000-08:00

Another Challenging Run - Malakof 12km Run (TTDI - Dec 21)- Preparation Phase

The day is coming closer. The rush for adrenalin to finish off this year's marathon episode at good mark is beginning to put pressure on me... he he.. not really, but it is for Azad, I hope.. Jangan marah Ji. I took some initiatives this time to challenge myself to finish this year's marathon episode infront of Azad. Never mind Halim, never mind the rest.. This is the target.

Ever since Azad became aware of this challenge, he has been continuing his secret training every morning. I came up with speed check for every run and it appears that my speed is stable around 7 km/hr. Azad claims that his speed is around 8 km/hr++. I told him to double check his actual distance because his stop watch is good...ha ha.. Oh boy.. the pressure... I have to train more on mind controlling. It's totally phsycological. The minute my muscles get tired, my brain tells me to end the run at the next mark and walk, even before I really get fully tired. I know that I have the energy to go, but I have to find ways to 'stop' listening to my 'brain' on the run..

After trying so hard to loose some weight, I accept that may be I should get used to this 80 kg weight! Ha ha.. Just after the fasting month in October, my weight went down to 79 kgs, but now, it's back to 80 kgs!!

Of course, my preparation this time shocks Halim. I am so determined to beat this challenge. Last week, it was raining and Halim and I still ran at KLCC Park. Halim was mumbling all the way thinking about what the heck we both were doing in the rain!! If not because of the thunder, we would have done it a few rounds. Halim stopped at a quarter round but I finished a complete 1.3 km round, much faster due to the lightening - within less than 9 minutes - that is 8.7 km/hr... wow.. it was fun!! Azad, if you read this, don't feel the pressure aa... :-)

This morning, I ran a bit slower just to try to find the pace to keep the brain away from thinking that I got enough exercise for the morning. I did 3 km within 26 minutes - that is 6.9 km/hr average speed. That speed works but I will surely be overtaken by my competitor. Tomorrow morning, I have to test for 6 km's to see it I can control my brain. Azad, don't just read this blog.. go out and run!!! :-)

2008-11-09T04:12:00.000-08:00

Afif's 14th Birthday

A little bit late for posting but, that's right, Afif is 14 years old. On October 14, 2008 we had a small cake cutting celebration with our family friends, Norlia's family. It was also for Kash's birthday on October 16, but she is not fourteen.. he he..

The durian cake was a bit sour by the time we cut it, lucky it was not sour enough to make it tempoyak cake instead. However, it was the spirit of trying something new that matters. Happy birthday Afif and mama!

Afif still had his basketball t-shirt on...

A piece for everyone..

2008-11-03T02:27:00.000-08:00

Genting Trail Blazer (Nov 2, 2008)- 14km jungle run at Genting Highland

Sweating Genting jungle trail!!!

This run, or shall I re-phrase it as "this walk", was the ultimate challenge to my fitness this year. Yeah, I can say that again! Real challenge. My preparation for the run was not making the run easier, with flu and cold I sufferred after coming back from Jakarta prevented me from continuing my fitness preparation after the fasting month. With little coughs but big heart, I geared up early for the run, awaiting Azad and Halim at my house from as early as 5:00 am.

Climbing track, one of which, I was really at the edge of my limit!

0800 hrs at the starting line, with Genting Highland Resort at the back view.

As I said, this walk (for me) tested my endurance to the limit. I had never done any continuous climbing, running and walking for full 4 hours. The last that Halim did 3 + hours run was when Halim and Azad participated in the Bukit Gasing Trail Run early this year! Boy, the track was muddy and slippery, and no water station for about more than 10 kms.

Our clean shoes before the run.

Our shoes at the end of the race. Halim, Shahrul, Azad already cleaned their shoes, mine is still in its original look :-) It's worth it, just for RM65 a pair!

The proud medal owners!!
Halim and I were set to go 30 minutes behind the first group at about 0850 hrs. At 1300 hrs, Halim and I reached the starting line, realizing that the organizer had closed the arrival station. We were not the last to arrive but, there were a dozen couples we left in the jungle behind us, at least. We managed to overtake them while climbing the last hill. So, we did it !!

Halim and I as the run partner - I really respect Halim for his strength to complete this 14 km trail run in 4 hours !

Our dissapointing look for not given the medals, not until we beat the @#%?? out of the organizer to get our medals for completing the run. @#$$%??! We were proud of the Kelantanese truck dude for picking up the new medal bag and gave the remaining medals to the completed runners, ignoring the organizing @#$%%&! lady who made the noise... Thank you Dude and your are our true hero!!!

Peace!!!

I asked one of the lady runners to take this picture while she was catching her breath climbing up the final peak. She tought that I was kidding for the photo, but I really meant it :-. Notice my gloves on the stick? halim and I collected on the ground after the tree planting ceremony at the starting line. They're free!!

Our full team at the start. The usual runners - Doc, Mafiz, Halim, Azad, Lim Boon Kok, Shahrul (new regular runner now!),Wan Edrin and me.

Jungle track to Genting beb!! Believe it.

One more for the memory.

he he .. Trio... Where's Shahrul?

2008-10-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

Preparation for November Genting Trail Blazer

A month fasting in September, I only managed to reduce 1 kg of my weight. Now, it is about a month in October, at least my weight is maintained.

Last month, it was a shocking month for my family and I. We witnessed two good friends passed away unexpectedly. Arwah Omar was just 39 yrs old whom we met every month as he lived nearby our house. He died on his way to Damansara Specialist when he had heart attack and the car was caught in unexpected traffic jam due to heavy thunderstorm. A few days after that, one good friend, Arwah Ramli Maiden, the Principal of APIIT Smart School, died unexpectedly also due to heart attack. Let's pray for them with Al-fatihah.

Recovering from shocks of loosing some friends, I was again caught in the arragement for the suddent death of construction worker at work.It just dragged me into the arrangement process throughout the weekend. These events strengthen my desire to stay fit and to work harder in loosing more fat (although, may be it's just lean mean meat and muscles left at this 79 kg (modest number - it's actually back to 80 kgs) weight... neeeahh..;-)) Heart attack, the silent killer and we must fight against it, let's stay healthy and fit.

On Saturday, Oct 18, I finished my first 5 km cycling. Then, Halim arrived at my home with his family. I had a quick chance to prepare some Woostah spagetti and my wife had some good economic scenerio lecture to his daughters, who all seemed very interested in banking and world economy. We left to Azad's house for his Hari raya open house just after Zohor prayer.

Azad' open house was simple and warm. I could tell that it took such a great effort from both Azad and Dr Yanti to keep the visitors filled up... The main dishes, home cooked nasi ayam and Hungarian food - meat stew "ghulash" as Azad pronounced it. Oh boy, a huge pot went empty very fast! I had to stay low on intake, but I tried both full plate, and I gave Azad and Dr yanti full compliments for the foods and being good host.

At night, Afif asked me to play badminton with him. We went to KLGCC and we played for 45 minutes and I went pale with short breath just before we planned for the third set! Anyway, at 9:15 pm, we had fish & chips and chicken chop to end our weekend night with. I had good time with my son, that's very satisfying.

This Sunday morning, I did another 5 km cycling. I guess, my body begins to wake up with the heavy work-outs. Then, I planted two pandan coconut trees at home before Afif asked me to play baskeball with him at the court. We scored 10-10 and I had to stop the game. Oh boy...the age was catching fast! My breakfast was nasi minyak with rendang tok and chicken curry!! Lipat maut punya!!I began to surrender to my apetite as it seemed. Can I control it? Can I loose some more weight to my desired weight of 70 kg? We will see...

2008-08-23T03:28:00.000-07:00

Larian Perpaduan Merdeka - August 17, 2008

As the fasting month Ramadhan Al-Mubarak is just a few weeks away, I tought of taking another 10 km marathon challenge together with Halim, Azad, Doc Lal and Mafiz. We gathered at 6:30 am at Nasi lemak Tang Ling parking area and walked to the Dataran Merdeka.

0630hrs - Bukit Aman Nasi Lemak Tang Ling Parking Area

Peace!!

We were getting ready for the run.. Hj Halim suda nampak macam suda berjaya!!

It was like a big celebration there, which we never thought of. We started with short aerobic warm up session and the whole event was broadcasted on TV1! Yes... we were in TV! Our last Olympic Run a month ago was not big at all, except there was a McD Clown at the start of the run. This run, our honorary Prime Minister was the one who released the runners.

Pak Lah as he was about to cut the ribbon at the start of the run

We ran through Kenny Hill at the back of Bank Negara, the hill that made me 'pancit' and we came out at the Hokey Stadium on Jalan Duta. Oh.. boy.. the rest of the run towards the Dataran Merdeka was quite a heck of a distance. The route was actually my normal short-cut on my motorbike when there was any massive jam. When on foot, it does feel very far!

My personal time for this run was 1 hour 35 minutes. It was 10 minutes worse than any regular time for 10 km run. Later that I learned the total distance covered was 10.25 km.. wolaweh...

With Talisman's Team - Azad, Jamil, Lim Boon Kok, Kent Khor ( Halim tengah Karaoke lagu 'semut merah!!)

Anyway, Halim and I rushed home after an urget SMS while Halim managed to spend a bit of time at the karoeke booth for "semut merah" dangdut show... :-)

One more certificate for the historical run!

2008-08-23T03:14:00.000-07:00

Have fun....

Although I have seen this scene many times, I still laugh at it..

2008-08-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

Malakof Duathlon Marathon - UM July 26 2008

O boy o boy, I could not tell you how tiring this Malakof Duathlon was. It was held within Universiti Malaya Campus. The race commenced at 9:00 am with 3.5 km run, followed by 14 km bicycle and finished with another 3.5 km run. At this age, I must admit that this duathlon was a killer for me.

The Team - with Shahrul (new recruit for the marathon athlete), EuGene (cyclist Romeo), with the rest of usual "Pro's" he he...

I invested quite a lot for this duathlon. Knowing from Azad how bad he was in his his PD triathlon the week before, we decided to change our offroad tires on our Proton bike to the road tires. Guess what, it costs us RM180 per pair. Then, for protection on 14 km bicycle ride, which I had never tried before, I bought a pair of padded tight pants which costs me RM130 (price after hard negotiation!). My pair of gelled gloves cost me RM70 and " ....that's the cheapest..", said the bicycle shop owner to me and Azad. Heck, we knew that the motorcycle shop next door sells a pair of leather gloves for motorcycle at RM20-25 a pair, but I wanted bicycle gloves!!

With Proton bike - notice the new tires??

Finishing at last!! Only a few people left at the end point... apparently about three or four more participants finished after me...

The bicycle ride was a hell with long streched upward hill which I had to walk my bicycle three times to complete the lap! The cheerful scream and waves accompanied me at the exchange between bicycle ride and the start of the finishing 3.5 km run (not so much for winning, but for encouragement as at that moment, I figured I was perhaps among the last five participants trying to finish the race!)

Bicycle station scenery at the start of the event.

2008-05-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

May 28 - Abby's 12th Birthday

Her wish can be surprising for me.. , Happy birthday Abby!

For Abby, her birthday is the one day that she waits the most every year. When she was ten, she kept reminding us of her birthday, even when it was about 6 months ahead. That's really Abby. Although we have never raised her to have big birthday bash since she was one year old, she continues to ask for a birthday party with friends invited.

This year, we had family dinner at Chilli's at Bangsar Shopping Complex to celebrate Abby's birthday.

For some reasons, she picked up the idea when she was at Bukit Damansara School. As for me and my wife, we always buy her birthday cake and only have his brother with her and we treat birthday as a family celebration. When she was up to 9 years old, at the time we had been staying in Bukit Damansara, only her cousins, grandpa and grandma joined the ocassion. At time, I feel touched when she asked " Why can't I have the same party like friends do on birthday?". Nevertheless, she is with strong heart.

My wife and I told her that the reason we have been celebrating with family is because we are family, nothing is more important than that. Of course, I also told her that when one gets older, the present gets smaller too and at times, the value of the gift gets bigger with only a thought, not the material! She tought that I was so cheap!!! ha ha ha meniaga maa... Yes, it's true, I at this age will be so touched when my son Afif and Abby say, " Happy birthday Pa, where do we eat?.." Of course, even if it's still my money :-).

Happy birthday Abby! We love you.

2008-05-31T07:40:00.001-07:00

Healthy Year 2008

Mission accomplished @ 50 Year Golden Jublee RMAF Marathon, Sungai Besi RMAF Airport

Last year, I decided to learn to swim and to conquer swimming pools in Shah Alam and Kelana Jaya. Well, we had to learn to be Dugong for a few months; Halim, Azman and I appointed our voluntary coach, Azad to train us to float and swim like fish. We started just like three polar bears in water and at the end of the fourth month, at least two older bears, Halim and I managed to pick up the lesson and left the younger bear, Azman, of course the gargantous amongst us all, to freeze in the Artic!

Early this year, 2008, we wanted to push ourselves to higher level. We began to do at least three circles of KLCC Park every other day after work, which is about 1.3km per round. Afer work, at precisely 6:15 PM, we step out and mark our round with 10 minutes per round. Soon, we began to torture our body, strain our muscles, and strengthen our spirit to complete the target rounds. Again, Azman at roughly 98 kg's butt naked weight (BNW), droped out in the first round and retired from the deal due to muscle injury, while Halim at 70 kg's BNW, the lightest of all remains the fastest and the unbeatable! Of course, Azad who is at commendable 96.74 kg's BNW on digital scale(in fact, Azad created the BNW terms which he originally describes as butt naked weight after morning sh*t and p**)remains the strongest and the most active partner. He took part in all the events Halim and I joined, and he also climbed every single mountain and high peaks in the Peninsular Malaysia with his Orang Gunung Group! Surf his blog to check the latest stories of his late night crawling and hiking!!

I turn out to be a moderate ahemm.. athlete, while Halim can do 10 km marathon in one hour, I complete it at consistent timing of 1.5 hours. After over two months of heavy practice, I only lose 1 kg of weight with spending of diet replacement meals of about one grand! I was almost convinced that what's left of me, 79 kg's of BNW from starting 80 kg's BNW in March 2008,was purely meat and muscles until I realised that if it was so, my abdomen would have been clearly segmented with 6 sections; which is clearly not. My abs is still at the beginning to segment out with a good one buldge for the time! ha ha..

0640 hrs at the start of KL International Marathon, Dataran Merdeka.

To date, Halim and I had qualified ourselves with three 10 km marathons, one in March 2008 through KL International Marathon, one in April through Orange BH&Petrol Run and the latest, in May through 50th Golden Jublee RMAF Marathon in Sungai Besi airport. We are yet to participate in the Larian Perihatin in June either in Putrajaya or in KL through Larian McDonald, for a free bigmac!

Our historical recognition of our success!!

The historic run for me was KL International Marathon, starting and ending at Dataran Merdeka which was my first time in 40 years of my life that I officially participated and completed the 10 km run. The next day, every part of my body gave a little twist of pleasure for every little move I made!

The second fun run was Orange Run, starting and finishing at The Curve, Kota Damansara. I remembered that morning was raining heavily and Halim alredy signaled me to excuse himself from participating. We did it anyway, with beutiful ending of various treats from the stalls! They served outstanding Maggi there,you know!

0645 hrs at The Curve, Kota Damansara, the start of Orange Run with Halim.

We completed Orange Run - Doctor Lal, Wan Edrian, Halim, Doctor Kamal.

The 50 Year RMAF Half Marathon took place exactly on runway of Sungai Besi RMAF Airport. Azad, Doctor Lal, Halim and I were late for the run and we had to park 1 km away and ran to the start point. At the time Halim and I started, the last body was already at half of the 2.5 km strech runway. While Azad and Doctor Lal, started at the time a few participants were about to "take off" at the end of the runway!! It was a sweating run for us, and to count all the KM's, we did it about 12 km's instead of just 10 km's.

At the end of 50 Year RMAF Half Marathon, Sungai Besi Airport

Yet, another certificate!!

Stay healthy and be happy, dude!!

2008-05-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

European Tour - May 2008

Perhaps this family trip had been the most waited trip for my kids. As for me, I have never been to Europe before. Of course, I lied. Not really. Well, I landed and transit once at London Heathrow Airport in 1989 for a few hours. That was my European experience! I din't know what to expect in London except that after working with the European expatriates in KL, I would imagine that it would be just fine, nothing to brag about anyway.

My intention to utilize our time sharing facility was not successful after being turned down for late registration with Berjaya Vacation Club. I was cursing like hell, thinking that I paid the program for nothing. Again, not really it's for nothing, but the time such as this, about less than week, I had not got any luck for good location to stay in London. I was ill-advised by the BVC operator that for any oversea reservation, I should request the accommodation within thirty days, which normally the rule was to do it within 6 months. It turned our that the new rule states that the reservation is required in 3 months not thirty days ( I did not check the updated new rule book! This is the practice I do at work but not on personal need!?). If I knew who the person was (again, I should have asked the name of whom I was speaking with), I would squeeze his lips for this and .....!

Finally, two nights prior to the departure on April 28, 2008, my wife and I decided to stay at The Cumberland Hotel next to Marble Arch. It turned out that it is a good location, really at the junction of the busy Oxford Street, next to the Edgeware Street for halal Arabian foods and just at the exit or entrance of the Marbel Arch subway station!

We overnight in London and the next morning we took the Eurostar train to Paris. We booked the train tickets on the internet and at the London station, St. Pancras Station, we used the machine to exchange the reservation coupons with the actual train tickets. It took us 2 hours just to reach downtown Paris. Marvelous technology!

Much to my surprise, Paris does not turn out lovely as I thought. As for me, it is more like Chicago ( not that I had been to Chicago) but, perhaps a bit less like New York, minus the language and as strange as it sounds, Frenchmen do not speak English!The subways are dirty and although they claim that there should be one subway station within 500 meter radius in Paris, I could hardly spot them! Must have been due to bad sign board display?

We spent a day at Paris Disneyworld, visiting Disneyland Park and Disneyland Studio on Sunday. Perhaps, it was a wrong day for us given that there were many Europeans tourists on the same day whom we had to compete for rides. Abby and Afif may seem to be too over aged for such place by this time. Of course, it would have been more fun of they were younger, perhaps less than 7 years old. But we are thankful to Allah for this opportunity. Anyway, my wife and I were very happy that we could take them there this time... of course, Euro or Pound Sterling does not come cheap either...

Our miserable moment was at about 10:15 PM on the way back from Disneyworld. I recalled that the name of the subway station we were surprisingly interrupted by a black Frenchman was Pasteur Station. We were supposed to change the train to our hotel, and while the train stoped, this son-of-a-bitch black Frenchman went straight towards Afif who was about a yard from me. Holding my daughter, I called up Afif to get into the train, but this black man hold up Afif's shoulder just at the moment the train door was closing while speaking French to Afif. Afif was confused and I was worried sick and I did not let go of my daughter. Seeing the unusual moment, my wife hugged my son and pushed him into the train just at the nick of time the train door closed. My daugther was frightened and my son was shock. I showed my finger to the guy's face facing the train door. Deep in my heart, I was not expecting this to happen at all. For moment like this, my fellow malaysian housemate once said in New Jersey back in 1990, " ...such a bad bad black men they are.. and for this.. I once think aparteid served them better for who they were.." I am definitely in agreement with him given the pictures they portrayed.

We went back to London the next day and spent four more nights in London! We enjoyed the Arabic lamb rice and of course, I enjoyed their cheap strawberry, cranberry, and blueberry!!!

We met famous people too!!

London Museum of Science with the Appollo 10 Space Capsule

Edgeware Street, we liked the lamb rice from this Arabian Restaurant, Meshwar. When ordering, you have to mention that it is the lamb rice from downstairs (it's cooked at the basement?!!!)There was a Malaysian restaurant down the block, but it was left with the sign board only, sudah pindah? Tutup, we had no idea!

At Heathrow Airport, heading home. Home sweet home!!

2008-02-23T20:37:00.000-08:00

Trip to Bali, Indonesia ( February 2008)

Air Asia Flight landed safely on Bali Island, Indonesia just about 1:30PM local time. From the airport, we could sense that the island is well presented compared to when we first landed in Bandung, late last year. The airport,known as Bali Airport or Denpasar Airport, is well presented and tons of foreigners, mostly tourists qued for the immigration checks.

We took a taxi heading to Kuta (pronunced Kute by locals) town towards the hotel on Legian Beach. We stayed at Alam Kul Kul Botique Resort, later that we were told the hotel is very popular with visitors from Malaysia, mostly Malays. Unfortunately, I do not think that we would visit the hotel again for our next trip. I felt that the room and especially the bath room are not up to the standard for the price they offer. Yet, it was our first trip there, we thought that it would be part of our learning curve for Bali, the island most people on Earth talk about.

The island to me is very congested with people. Almost in every square foot of the the available space is being utilised, especially the land beside every narrow island road. This is the island not easily forgotten by a muslim, as their typical food is of "babi guling" displayed every where in any of the local restaurants.

Yet, we wonder why there are many Australians and those from western countries really like Bali. From out observations, we believe that they like the island because of the spiritual and rituals practiced by the obedient Hindus there, who make up about 90% plus of the island population.

We learnt also that every hindu believer there should have one prayer structure and in many houses there, there is one area about 10ft by 10 ft, is built with personalised temple filled with prayer structure for every one of the family members. This is unique to Bali. Balinese are very religious as what it seems; however, I could not differentiate very well between the religious rituals and traditional practices. I probably think that they both are quite mixed though and people are very superticious (part of Hindu's strong beliefs}

Secondly, Bali has beutiful beaches, with waves over a meter high suitable for surfing. Even motorcycles are equiped with the carrier to carry surfing board.

With kasta life style, most Bali's men stay home while the women work. You can observe this phenomenon in the morning; the men will send their wives on motorcycles to work and they will go home and take care of the house.

We visited a few places, including the Tanahlot Temple, the temple separated from the main island and forms an island during high tide. Almost every section of the island is built with Pura (temple).

We also went to Masjid Besar Al Hidayah on a highland of Bedugul, and performed our Friday prayer there. The weather was cool and from the mosque, we can see the lake Tamblingan.

If you like arts, Bali is the place for them. We visited a few galleries and bought a few paintings just for memory.

On the last day, we visited the mountain area, Mount Agung.

We were recommended to buy some salak Bali. At night, we went to Jambaran Beach to have some ikan bakar. We requested a few songs while having our dinner.

2008-01-18T15:40:00.000-08:00

Air Asia to Gold Coast (November 2007)

We took advantage of cheap air fares recently to Gold Coast, Australia. Honestly, we enjoyed being there but the journey was dull. It was what cheap air fares are all about! Air Asia's Airbus used to service Gold Coast route, eight hours flight, was a silent flight. That means no radio, no music, no movies and of course, no TV. We were served with our preselected meal, and what we thought was western meals turned to be a foot long hotdog sandwich with onions.

My kids were disappointed, I had stomach upset after taking half of the hot dog and for the rest of the journey, we tried to sleep. Worst of all, the airbus was not fully sealed for some reason, created a whistling noise at certain high dB when cruising at top air speed (unfortunately, for the majority of the 8 hrs journey!!). I was told that the plane had to be grounded to fix the defect although it did not impose any alarming flying hazard. Perhaps, small failure such as that should have been rectified intead of showing that the airline was compromising the defect for money at their infant stage of their very first long-houl service!! I am not complaining much, but when we returned home a week later, the defect was still there. We opted to buy nasi lemak instead, mak datuk harga dia RM15! Ok-la, take your intertainment sets with you if you plan to use Air Asia...

This vacation, we went with our friend's family, Shahi & Norlia's family. Our kids enjoyed their companion and so did we. We rented two cars and drove around Brisbane to places. This picture is infront of Sea Wold. Kash liked her Nissan Pulsar's plate no. 067 KAK.

Cowboys Town at Movie World Universal Studio

One good picture for memory.

Afif, Abby, Hamm, Walid and Aina were having fun at Dream World.

Gold Rush Mine Ride at Dream World

2007-09-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

Phuket, Thailand ( 2.5 yrs after the Tsunami Dec 2004)

Yes, we decided to visit Phuket after 2.5 years the devastating Tsunami hit the island. Not much left to see as the remains of the disaster. Almost every location at the beaches and road sides, you would notice the sign of "Tsunami Hazard Zone" with arrow pointing direction to safer locations. However, the signs are small enough to be noticed and I guess, everyone should plan the evacuation routes the first time they check in at the hotel. We did the same.

I told Kash to book us the highest hotel in town, and thus, if you wonder which one, there are only a few of such hotels in Patong Beach. We chosed the Royal Paradise Hotel and our room was on the 7th Floor of the newest wing (must make sure the structure is intact, maa..)

Background is Patong Beach. The hotel we stayed is seen as the second tiny one of the two tall buildings at the background.

For this visit, our mission was to explore the island and to locate the muslim settlements there. Of course, we are looking for halal foods and the types of foods we like in KL.

If you're in Phuket, you can go to the Northern end of Patong Beach, called Kalim Beach and just at the corner overseeing Patong Beach town, you will notice many stalls selling barbecued beef, chickens. Just across the road facing the beach, there is a stall for nasi berlauk. They open at 6:30AM until around 2-3:00PM. The foods are cheap and halal, but the Malay sellers could not speak Patani or Malay. They only speak English or Thai...

If you decide to look for a better muslim foods, I recommend that you drive for 10 minutes further North passing through Kamala Beach to Surin Beach. There, you will find one big mosque and there are a few Malay restaurants selling the regulars, tom yam, nasi, etc... :-).. The settlement area looks flat and is definitely a Tsunami hazard area. So, mark your evacuation route before heading for your meals..

We enjoyed the holiday and the most enjoyable experience was our one hour elephant ride climbing the hill to view Kamala Beach from the hill top. We took two elephants. It was a tiring, scary and yet adventurous experience!

I do not particularly like the tool used by the elephant trainer to hit elephant's head if she does not obey the instruction. The tool looks like what the death angel cartoon is drawn with but shorter with sharp edge. The trainer will hit the elephant's head and it will scratch the skin and can be bloody! I guess, it's the way to make the elephant follow the instruction. I told Abby and Afif that it wasn't that painfull to the elephants because they have thick skins, but it reminds the elephants of their objective to take us for a ride and to be at the departure station on time...

Overall, it was fun and we think, we would go there again....

2007-08-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

Another test...

2007-08-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

Fixing my pictures in the Blog..

I realized that my posted pictures are blocked from getting expanded. Let's see if this works. Hold on, I'm trying to fix this up...

2007-08-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

Fraser Hill Ride

I should say for months... (if not years..!) we planned to ride to Fraser Hill. Last weekend was the day... we won the trip to Fraser Hill. I promised Azad sharp at 0700 hrs to be at Shah Alam Projet, but I was a bit late.

Halim and I were gearing up to start the ride from Bukit Lagong to Kuala Kubu Bharu.

Departed at 0732hrs from Shah Alam through Gutrie Highway to Bukit Langong and Halim was there waiting on his CB400. We clocked good ride, that is 0742hrs, we met Halim at entrance to PLUS Highway to Rawang. Azad and I blazed through the morning fogs and fresh breeze but not any closer to 190km/h... we rode at 180km/hr just to flush through some sticky carbons in the exhaust system.. Every gateway at the tol gates registered "CEROBOH"... but what can we do, we could not risk our bike by using the motocycle path due to nail hazards!

The ride to Fraser Hill was challenging... I could not remember and lose count of the corners, and by the time we were at Kuala Kubu Bharu (KKB), my arms were hurt!
Azad and I were sucking in our stomach to look tough after having a plate-full of nasi limak!

I must admit that that was my first time to KKB aand to Fraser Hill... Anyway, if you're at KKB, pls try the nasi lemak next to bus station, trust me, you won't regret!

When we saw this picture, we smiled again, not because the way we looed, but just for the pressure free look we captured on our face!

The next ride from KKB to Frasr Hill was about an hour (slow ride), although Azad mistakenly explained to me that the distance to the "gap" was 10 kms... It was about 57kms more in reality.

KKB Fresh Water Dam... fantastic scenery!

The dam view on the way up to Fraser was wonderful. No one was really there and the information center observatory deck was fantastic, overviewing vast water body, surprisingly supplying majority of the fresh water needs for Klang Valley..

Halim and I negotiating one of the corners, not knowing that Azad was there with his camera! Notice the green?

It was our moment... I should say really "the moment" .. !!

Below, the famous clock tower! It's 11:21 AM.

Getting ready to ride back to KL...
Don't be surprise that when you reach the top, there's nothing much to expect. Halim, Azad and I did recognize that and we celebrated the first moment there at about 1100hrs at the toilet just half a block away from the Clock Tower. Surprisingly and we were proud of it.. the toilet wuz really super clean and it costs 30 sen!!!! To all the toilet operators in the country, please visit this one and please take note..

One for the photo!!

Had a quick stop at the water fall on the way down... Definitely I will ride again to Fraser Hill...

2007-06-16T02:06:00.000-07:00

What's New

It's been a while since the last update. I managed to get rid of my S40 Volvo. To be honest, the car was bought brand new in March 2002 and by May 2007, five years later, the steel worths 75% less than the purchased price! I was lucky enough to have a small balance of about three grands after paying my bank loan balance! It's like "timbang kati woo". It was totally unhealthy spending, and I did regret it. Most friends thought that the car was let go with a ridiculous price but the fact of the matter is that maintaining that Volvo also is a pain in the neck.. Every service, I never failed to pay at least RM1,500 and the last service at 90,000km cost me four grands! Now, I have transferred the registration to my new Nitro 120 cc bike.

In the past few months, my family and I visited a few places. This year is a bit free for us, especially Afif is already in Form 1 and Abby is just in Std 5. Last year, we stayed put just to ensure Afif could make it for his UPSR. Alhamdulillah, we managed to get him to a good start, not really excellent though but he "could-have been" in sort of speak!

The most interesting place we visited, I would say is Kota Kinabalu. It's my first time in KK and I would say that I will go there again.. It is part of Malaysia that I have little knowledge about the place.. We made new friends too...

We did not regret our trip to KK. If you're there, I would recommend you to visit Kinabalu Park and try the canopy walk, stretching over 300 meters and above 50 feet from the ground!

Then, do not forget to visit the Cultural Village in KK. They have a smaller scale village compared to the one in Kuching.

We visited Genting Highland on one Sunday evening and we did not see many changes there. We were not happy as we used to be everytime we're there in earlier years. The temperature's no longer cooling and due to a large number of visitors, the place looked overly packed, especially during school holiday! Afif took this picture below in front of Genting Hotel.

In late May 2007, we visited Bandung and Jakarta. First time I put my feet on the Java Island. Bandung is just about 200 kms from Jakarta. We visited Tangkuban Parahu, a volcanic crater which if we had known that it would take us 30 minutes to go down the steps to the hot spring, we would not have gone down! Afif had a terrible stomach ache and he had to be carried to the car by Pak Rahmat. My advise if you visit the place is to be prepared for the mountain trail tracking! We had to rest for the rest of the night as the trip was rather exhausting but quite interesting!

On the way to Jakarta, we stopped at a place called Puncak. It's located on the highland and we took a picture with tea plantation at the back. It took us 4 hours to reach Jakarta on the alternative road through Puncak. The highway connects Jakarta and Bandung in two hours by car.

Of course, wherever I go, it is interesting to note a few bikers were there too!!!

2007-04-03T03:31:00.000-07:00

New bike....

April 2007, with good bargain, EuGene, Azad and I decided to adopt a new Proton species, T-Bolt! Check it out dude!!

Last weekend, we decided to 'test power' by climbing Bukit Kiara and completing 5 km stretching road on top of the hill. Again, Halim did not get his permit... kina pegi beli ayam!

Here we are at the start, pls bare in mind that EuGene's machine was just re-assembled late that night, with many screws were still loose!

Azad turned out to be the best dressed cyclist with his helmet value exceeding all the rest that we wore for the day!! What can we say, the journey typically taken about 45 minutes by walking was completed about 1 hour on bicycle! We stoped more frequently for longer break time!! Of course, we blast off full speed going down the hill for a quick soya drink at the foothill.

EuGene with his cup of soya....

We concluded the morning with roti canai and teh tarik mamak at Taman Tun....

2007-02-25T07:47:00.000-08:00

Progress Report - Feb 25, 2007

Swimming Class

Boy o boy... Our coach must be happy with Dugong's progress! Guess what, we made history this week by completing 150m frog style swimming! Halim could not believe his eyes that while both of us swimming, three little boys passed us with style... of course, the boys rested once at 25m, Halim and I had to break it to three rest times before we completed 50 meters. So, with 150 meters, we stopped at healthy 9 times :-). Azman was still figuring out how to flip his wings in and out of the water!! Keep trying buddy!

New Rides

Halim was very unhappy with the deal to buy a new Kawasaki ZR750. While we negotiated the loan, the little fellow sold the bike to other buyer on Chinese New Year. Of course, Azad was exited too about getting Halim a new ride. The first bike to view was the Red Ferrari Honda 1000. The price was good RM32k but the ride was a bit too sporty. We skipped this one.

Halim's settled on a 2003 Honda CB400 TypeII. The fella in Sg Buluh decided to let go of his bike and Halim is already gearing for it... suda lama gian.

Chinese New Year

Wini new year aa, wa sama mini pegi witu Port Dickson, olang cakap PD. Wa layan anak-anak main kolam, wa ada sikit practise slimming.. oo. Sidang wa swimming, witu lua ekor anak naga ada mali-mali dancing aa.. wa ingat witu naga mau teljun kolam renang, tapi wa ingat dia tak mau basah sibab mau pegi angkat manyak ampau lagi woo..

Wa silalu suka tinguk witu lion dance aa sibab, bila witu gong suda palu, witu naga musti mau ngeleng-ngeleng, tunduk-tunduk... witu mata juga ada kelip-kelip macam witu Ziana Zain aaa... witu jam jugak, budak main muzik musti ketuk witu ceng-ceng ceng aaa.. wuyoo manyak mising wooo, sikali lia ketuk, dua kali lia punya mata ada pijamm.. maanyak mising wa rasa dia sindiri mau hingat woo.. Untuk warga Cina, Happy New Year.. my advice aa.. when in business aa, no need to get very-very much profit aa.. especially flom me, Halim or Azad aa.. we aa, human being also, get a little profit is good alledy!! Haiyaa...

2007-01-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Dugongs?

Funny, that's how our coach called us when we were thrown into the pool. The good part of the story is that through its evolution, Dugongs can turn into professional life-guards!

I also believe that it is not easy being a Dugong's trainer... You really have to have a big bike and that macho look!! This is our young and energetic swimming coach. His real dream is to get a new pair of riding boots (SIDI for sure) and perhaps a cool helmet... (Shark brand, to really make an impact...)..

Well, in the first three sessions, we learnt how to look professionals! Simple rules...
1) Dress like one, complete with tight pants, pro-wet shirt, good looking head cover, good goggles. You are forgiven for the first session.... you can dress half naked..topless.
2) Jump into the pool like a professional, stay a bit longer under the water..
3) Do repeated "bubblings.. bubbles!" breath by mouth, blow by nose..if you breath by nose, blow by mouth, you will dry up the pool..
4) Jump up the edge of the pool successfully from the bottom of the pool...sit quietly, checking attention... like how you park your big bike :-), alway check as if there is something wrong with the bike.. and shake your head.. for sure you get attention one..
5) Lift up the goggles and look around...
6) Make sure you are in the adult pool..otherwise, you look really stupid :-)

7) Sometimes, the floats can tell that you are the beginners....

Halim said, RM5 head cover does make a different!!! But that does not mean you can swim correctly yet... :-) Wait aa...after 12 months, we will show you our V-shaped body. Then, if we are lucky, we will get the offer to advertise for Old Spice re-run.. Meantime, we will get Halim a new V-engine for his new power-plant bike..:-)

2007-01-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

New Year 2007

Every new year, I am searching for things to upgrade or add on to my normal life. Most of the things I normally pay much attention are those that I already have such as family, friends, assets and hobbies that I am thankful for and enjoy very much.

2007 started in a blink, but was very blessful, when Hari Raya Haji marked the new year 2007. Those who performed hajj in Dec06/Jan07 had a great opportunity to gather at the Arafah on Friday, which resembles the Great Hajj with 70 times the rewards of what it is performed for normal hajj. Congratulation to those new Haji's.

As for me, I just want to update the stories in 2006. You would notice that Azad is now the proud owner of a brand new black Kawasaki Z750. My Suzuki DR800 (Doctor Big) was sold to a young couple from Klang. Of course, I could not sell at the price I was hoping for, but at least the sale minimized my losses. Man, I spent quite a lot for that bike and it is still a beauty to me...

New stuff? Well, last week, I took my family to Bukit Tinggi. Nice place, but I felt cheated a bit as we had to pay just to "visit" the resort. I understand that it is a private resort, but having had to pay RM45 per family to be there and yet, I did not see an immidiate gain from the fee was quite frustrating.... I guess, and I hope, someday, when the beaches are all sold to private owners such as the highland Bukit Tinggi sold to the private corporation, we should not be paying RM45 per family just to visit the beaches!!

Activities? New things we (Azad, Halim, Azman) agreed to do this year is to learn to swim the right way. Azad used to be a qualified life-guard has agreed to train three of us every Saturday in the pool. This week, it has been three weeks we followed the session and we float and drank a few jugs of water so far!!! Azman discovered a new swimming style ( I call it the polar bear style - jangan mare Man :-)) while Halim turned to be the best student so far...great choreographic moves in harmony but he has to learn to breath rather than to hold the breath under water!! I consider myself the most difficult trainee, while keeping all the sequences theoritically correct, the practical sucks!! They do not come in any agreed order!! Some day, I hope, by the end of this year, you will trust that we could be the new national's life-guards on service!!!

2006-12-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

Mau Jual..

Yang ini pulak, Halim mau beli, tapi tuan tak mau jual... susah oo..

2006-12-22T20:57:00.000-08:00

Trip to Calgary - October 11-18, 2006

Sorry that this article is pubished late in the year. This second time trip to Calgary was really worth it. Most of the time in this trip was spent in the skiing resort, Delta Lodge at Kananaskis, Alberta (45 minute drive North of Calgary). The place was quiet with spectacular maountain views.

The day that I arrived in Vancouver Airport, the normal quiet side of the domestic airport had not changed much in Canada. You could sense it from the picture you see below...

Then, when I reached Kananskis, the whole nature things came alive in me... mountains, river, icy-waterfalls... they were all right infront of my eyes.

We had a good 2 hour walk in the mountain, guided by an excellent naturalist, unfortunately, I could not recall his name who's a friend of Phil Mittertreiner. If you realised, the trees sorrounding us are basically originated from the underground roots from the mother tree of the same species spreading the area with its generations... they grew from suckers to mature trees. I believe it because they are still trees anyway... kinda similar story that we came from Adam and Eve's first generation, and we are still human.... but not definitely from monkeys of Charles Darwin's teory. Cruel! :-)

2006-12-21T08:52:00.000-08:00

A Visit to Jasmi's Fish Farm

Last week, 16th Dec 2006, my family and I stoped at Sungai Chukai and visited Jasmi's fish farm. It has been quite a year since he started the operation and I had not had a chance to visit him since.

My children were experiencing a "guaranteed-catch" fishing and of course, Jasmi himself dressed and acted in the most convincing way that fish farming is his "life" interest! Syabas!!

The most thrilling experience, and I am always overwhelmed with the view that whenever the fish pallets were thrown into the net, all the healthy Siakaps were splashing and catching the long waited food.

Again, Jasmi is more than happy to entertain anyone on a boat fishing trip especially at this time of the year for fishing the udang galah. Nevertheless, he would not be able to assist in the "jebok bird" activity...:-)

Nothing compares to a fresh catch such as this....

2006-10-31T08:04:00.000-08:00

Azad Sold His No. 2

Bye bye Zepher... Azad finally decided to let go of his no. 2. This was the last of Zapher seen on the way to the new owner.

Azad went home smiling with full of cash in the pocket. I took this picture at the Gutrie Highway heading to Shah Alam after we delivered the bike to the new owner, just a few minutes before Azad and me tried the Fazer's power at 200km/hr (with 200kg's of load onboard!).

Again, it won't be for long... my friend is now trying on a few new tags in the show room... he will strike it soon... this picture was taken when he was a few milimiters from sealing the deal..

2006-08-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

One Year Blogging

It was my first posting on 16 July 2005, and it is a year plus now. I deserve a pat on the back for keeping the blog going. I did not realize how much things have been captured in this blog, not just for my friends to share but for me to look back. This motorcycle story seems to keep me going for a year and yet I am not tired of it still...

This merdeka month, for the 49th times, I have no specific plan to celebrate. I know that the day is a very special day to be thankful to Allah Almighty that this country is still free. I thought about riding around and taking a fresh look at the country again but I may just hold on to it simply because Afif is about to sit for his exam, UPSR. Back when I was on similar exam in 1978, Standard 5 then, I was just a kampung boy with big vission on my head, to be very successful in life. My father and mother both had a very high hope for me to lead the way for all of us in the family.

My father kept reminding me that he was smart when he was a student, but being poor and not having enough money, he managed to sit up to standard three only. He said, grandpa was poor and schooling needed money that they did not have. My mother was also from a poor family. My grandpa was just a rice farmer as well as a rubber tapper. My mom at least had a chance to pursue study in Arab school. Back then, the religious school was known as Arab school. Despite the facts of their hard lives, they both are literate. Life was not luxurious back then, but my memories are clear that in 27 years later, that is today, I could not thank more for what Allah has shown me of my existing future that I would not have known at that time.

This is my story... merdeka is very special to me, to all of us. If I can tell such a wonderful change in that 27 years, I believe many of other Malaysians are even better off than me. This is a very special country.. we make it work for us and for the future generation we care the most!Happy indepence day! Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

2006-08-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Lunch.....

Nasi Lemak Mak Datin... must try one aa...

Hj Halim, Azman, Eu-Gene and I had lunch (Azad posa bulan Rejab) yesterday. We had many-many bowls of everything... hantam sajala labu..

2006-07-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Nasi Ayam Keramat

Friday, 28 July, 2006. Azman decided to buy us lunch. This time, nasi ayam Keramat, in front of Masjid Keramat. Huyyooo.. manyak sidap ooo... Hj Halim made a new record ride on his DR; he took 40 minutes from Sungai Buluh to Keramat to join us for lunch. In case you have not tried it, I just want you to know that we ordered "two double chickens and one single.." kata Azman. Diet lain hari kira. Thank you Azman. Next time, lunch is on me pulak!

Tu dia... the latest of Hj Halim.... Butul-butul saya ada ingat saya punya DR, manyak turuk itu Sunny, kasi sedey saya punya hati...tapa-tapa... lagi satu bulan baru itu DR ready..

2006-07-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Awana Ride 15 July 2006

Azad and I decided to join a group of 12 riders to Awana early Saturday morning. Hj Rujhan and Idzham were at the gathering station sharp at 8:30 AM when Azad and I arrived.

Taman Melati ProJet Station was almost out of parking space as everybody lined up bikes waiting for the flag-off.

The ride to Awana via Hulu Yam was a blast. I reached every check point a bit ahead of the easy rider, Honda Magna 750. Azad's Zephyr blasted-off full steam following bullet fast and trajectory cornering R1, F4 and GSX... (perhaps they do not know Azad's ability to top the mechanical cc's of any fast machine as they realized that the metallic blue Zypher was just inches from their tails almost at every corner...).

Me? My running-in Fazer reached the check points at time others were colling off the engines awaiting for my arrival. Since the trip was about negotiating corners and who would pay for Awana's nasi lemak, we had only pictures at the starting point and at the arrival parking bay only. Other sceneries seemed to rush off quickly out of our way.... life in the fast lane is always missing something, note that!

2006-07-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

Putrajaya Tour

Putrajaya, Saturday, 8 July 2006. Two blue naked bikes were spotted at R&R Sunway on LDP Highway about 0800hrs.

The two bikers were touring the 'to be National Capital' at the time others were going for weekend market for their home weekly needs.

Dressed in macho black and blue safety jacket, big fancy pouch bag and denim blue jeans, the rider of a metallic blue 750 Kawasaki Zypher led the way on LDP to Putrajaya. The 'running in' Fazer was following behind, cranking its muscles to hold the RPM below 5k which at times seems to be at ease to rise above 5k RPM. In less than 20 minutes, the two bikers were seen wandering the quiet streets of Putrajaya. They seemed to have lots of fun. It seemed like that was their first ride to Putrajaya.

"We love it here, especially early in the morning. The scenery is great, the roads are clear and it seems like we have the whole park to ride around", Encik Azad told the reporter while he was taking some shots of the tour. "In fact, we recommend the town tour to everyone in KL as there is a wonderful feeling about being in the town early in the morning", he added.

The tour ended with a nice nasi lemak and roti canai near the lake stall at Dataran Putra. Sorrounded by tourists from China and other countries, perhaps the breakfast there is what Putrajaya can offer as your unique experience on your easy Saturday morning. Check out Azad's blog for more story http://half-full-glass.blogspot.com/

2006-07-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

Arrival of a Fazer

I would say that the morning of Friday, 30 June was very calm. Of course, 0700hrs promise turned to be half an hour late... I thought Azad forgot to pick me up. He showed up 30 minutes later, 'sakit perut', nature's calling! Of course, Azad never breaks his words...

Azad and I already planned to be at Naza Dream Bikers by 5:00pm. Then, the last work hour of the day turned really hectic. Friday as usual, everything has to be left on other's desk. Of course, things landed on the last minute at my desk! I could not say much, but Azad was protesting the 'usual' treats ... urgent! And it comes on Friday at 4:30... :-( . Sabor je lah, cari makan! (be patient, 'find' eat! - direct translation)

Azad was really rushing to go home. We headed up to PJ and to Naza Dream Bikers next to Federal Highway in less than 20 minutes! His muscular 750 Zypher roared like never before with two gargantuan riders filtering in between little space on usual KL's heavy Friday evening traffic jam. Our knee caps at times were a few milimeters from the hardened steel of crazy cars and their drivers! Zypher's horn kept horning, shocking out car drivers thinking it as a huge truck! What a horn you've got on your Zypher, Zad!

At last, only with a few signatures, my Fazer is ready for the road! He he.. tahniah untuk aku! It was Fazer fever earlier, and now payment fever! Tapa tapa.. ku pujuk hati ku di sisi kuda 1000cc itu.... Jom minum teh!

2006-06-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

Goodbye My CBR F2

I've got to say that when you like it so much, you just have to let it go... just at the time that you are about to throw more money at the machine. At last, with heavy heart, my CBR changed hands on 16 June. Next time, if you see the blue CBR in Putrajaya, it will not be me riding it.. Don't race with it, the owner now is a traffic officer.. watch your speed! The last of my CBR was in Shah Alam celebrating a new Givi screen on Azad's Zypher with teh tarik! Haiyya.. manyak cantek oo...

Now, I am not happy with Sunny Cycle as it has been months since my DR was surrendered to him. I am out of two wheelers here and yet, I could not get on my DR. Halim tried very hard to make Sunny feel guilty of holding the bike too long, but Sunny being Sunny, I think it will take months before my DR be on the road again. I am getting serious at riding a Nitro dude! HELP!

My Fazer is still at Naza. The dude is still bidding for the new registration. This time, it will carry WPE909. Cool ha! The registration carries lots of significant memories... very old memories. WP was the place where the unsunk heroes like Zaha, Bro, Jabs, Khalil were creating history in superbiking. "E" is our pride to become one, you figure that out. 90 is the year and 9 is the last month at getting an "E". It is now just a piece of paper though it was a big deal then! You would not know the names...but all of them were heroes then. I could write a book on them by now and if it were to be a sitcom, or a movie, it will be hilarious. Some of them are over 80 kilos by this age, (not the bike but the owners :-) I presume!) Jangan marah dudes! So, come on guys, don't just read the blog, get on the bike again dudes and ride for free ... :-)

2006-05-13T08:54:00.003-07:00

Fazer Fever

I don't know what's got into me. Ever since I first visited Naza Bikers Dream, there's a real urge in me to continue to visit the place... Really, I don't feel that there is real sense to be there again and again. My eyes got cought up with this staring eyes, in blue, really great sporty body...one that looks really silver and the other one in sexy black.. phew... Notice saya punya kawan, Yincik Wazad..(jange mere!)

Last Friday, while I was on the way to work, I stoped again at Naza. Man... this time I could not waste time anymore. It was a simple smile and the nego began.... Now it's mine! At least on the paper. This is what I call classic! See the picture below.. It's a man and his machine, it's a Fazer..

Still, until I take my Fazer home, I'm having this fever... Today, I'm on the net for hours, looking at what other friends of Fazer's are doing! Crazy, I know... am thinking about buying some goodies for the ride, but it's my little girl's birthday today. She turns 10 today, ya Allah, time really flies. She has lots of plans for the little family and friends' gathering at the house this evening. Last birthday, she had it at her aunty's house. It's her wish to have it in our own house, for the first time. Happy birthday Abby!

2006-05-13T08:54:00.001-07:00

Good Morning Awana

Perfect day for a ride .... Friday,12 May. It's a public holiday, Wesak Day for the Buddish. It was just another holiday for me.. Idzham made a promise to ride to Awana. Sharp 0730hrs, I reached Gombak Projet gas station. Had a cup of tea and to my surprise, 0815hrs, I had not seen Idzham's Fireblade nor Rujhan's F4. Was I on the wrong time and date? I was really confused. I could not reach Halim to get Idzham's mobile number. Azad was gearing for Kalumpang for family gathering... I really had to be home at 10:30 for an appointment with my home security company. At 0825hrs, I decided to do solo to Awana.

As my CBR roared Karak Highway, ( I avoided the Ulu Yam's road as I did not want to do solo through that route!), one familiar Fazer 1000 and Kawasaki Ninja waved at me on my CBR. I did not bother to catch them.. I think, it was the Fazer 1000 Idzham showed the picture in the past three weeks.

The ride was smooth. The road was clear. Very refreshing ride towards Genting and the highland moisture was very cooling. We (my CBR and me :-)) negotiated many corners, some were 'lipat maut' kind of corners, raised my hairs up... you know, "ithu vulu rhoma" ... very scary but overall, it was a pleasant solo ride with good views. Furthermore, I did not have to keep up with F4 or Fireblade! ..... Manyak laju itu motor ooo..!

2006-05-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Nature

Last week, I decided to take my family for a morning canopy walk at the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong. I heard a lot about the place from Azad but I had not had a chance to be there until last week. The place is beutiful. You could find all kinds of rain forest trees, which I presume some of them are probably above 100 years old.

We had a long one hour walk and Afif thought that we had probably walked about 100 km's for the day.... He was expecting to see Uncle Azad there but we reached there one and half hour after the promised time 0800hrs. Later, Azad told me that he was a bit too late to hit the morning sun, and missed the early flight! May be next time...

We hit the finish line not in Kepong, but in Kajang afterward... Satay Kajang! Wonderful satay restaurant there. You might want to try.

2006-04-30T03:02:00.001-07:00

Post Incident

I am back on a bike again. It took about 2 months to recover 90% from foot injury. Still, the wound is not fully covered by hard skin. In fact, I realize now that the wound was deep enough to affect the foot muscle during the accident. Thus, that explains why it was not bleeding. The foot bones are still reluctant to get together in harmony, a bit painful once squeezed under tight shoes. This is the price for not being careful while riding!

Well, got myself a good bicycle now instead. Halim negotiated hard for a good price from Apek in Sungai Buloh. Halim seems to believe that we could do a trip on bicycle to Kuala Selangor. A bit too ambitious I think! My wife laugh when I told her this morning! In fact, I did a short warm up trip around Ara Damansara for an hour. I believed that I was doing more than 10 km's..... a bit too much for a warm up of 39 yr old engine! Of course, I had to pretend that I was not out of breath to push market troly at the market (Pasar Tani).

Today, I did another stroll. Men at my age do aim high and only the truth prevails. I decided to cycle to Sungai Buloh but once I reached the old Terminal One Subang Airport, I realized that I could not beat my target. Help! I really needed an ice lemon tea or anything that makes my thirst quenched! May be I should ride my CBR instead! From my point of view, I agree with the CEO of Shell that world will continue to rely on fossil fuel for decades to come. Forget about our muscle energy.. it's not for Malaysian weather!! Hot, hot, hot...haiyyaaaa...

2006-03-17T09:40:00.001-08:00

A New Addition... Syabas Jasmi with a BMW..

We had a chance to meet up for teh tarik in KL with Jasmi and Che Din. Although Halim had to leave for SGB, Azad came and joined before 7:00pm at Lake Titiwangsa. We performed solah Asar at surau Tasik Titiwangsa and due to heavy rain, we managed to stay there to complete Maghrib prayer. Our short trip to Kajang had to be cancelled due to heavy rain and we agreed to have dinner at my house in Ara.

At my house in Ara, Azad stayed a little while for a drink and light fruits as he had to be home to finish his ayam panggang that he forgot he asked Yanti to prepare... :-) Wise man he is...(jangan mare Zad)

I was overwhelmed with Jasmi and Che Din's visit to KL that they said they were here to pay me a visit after my incident last two weeks.... Although, we know that it's just another excuse to be on the road...

Of course, I had a chance to ride with Jasmi for a short trip in KL on his BMW to get my bike at Sunny's shop. It was a wonderful ride, like a saying..." BMW, engineered like no other machine.."
Che Din and Jasmi on a BMW... always a crowd puller at every gas station... Kalah Squad Kembara ERA..!

Thank you for the visit and I appologise if there is any inconvenience which I did not anticipate or intend ... Love that BMW... That's Jasmi who is always ahead on his class..:-) Syabas.

2006-03-15T08:12:00.000-08:00

Little that I realize...

Little that I realize, I loose my daylight time more than I thought...
Little that I realize, I leave home every morning while the sun is showing its face...
Little that I realize, I spend all day at work...
Little that I realize, I go home at time night has set its curtain...

What have I missed..
What have I accomplished..
What will I regret...
What will I say to my kids...my wife...

I am not a bit like a bird..
It flies out of the nest and comes back to feed the little ones...
Many times....again and again... during daylight..
Sleep next to them, when night falls..

What have I missed???
What will I regret??
What story my children say to my grandchild??
About me...about their father...
who dissappears in daylight.....
and sleep dead when night falls...

2006-03-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

What I learnt about riding lately....

Don't think that when you are comfortable with your riding, thing can be easy. There is no such thing as easy riding. Last Friday morning, while exiting from NKVE at Jalan Duta exit, my bike went a bit faster than usual at the bike exit.

From the first day I was using the exit, I knew that the lane was not really designed for superbikes. The corner is sharp, going up the slope a bit, and fenced closely from any intruder. Right at the left edge, there is deep drainage, about 8 feets, unfortunately is also uncovered...even an elephant could die if it fell inside! To the right of the lane, a beutiful tree was planted, just right at the edge of the sharp corner. Azad summarised the incident in his way below.. I called him, a handy man with a camera!! (jangan mare Zad.. :-))

It was not because of the bike's speed that I crashed and surrendered to the innocent tree on the right, but because the bike was not supposed to be riden on 5ft gear while negotiating the 'kapcai's' corner. I was too litle too slow to realize that I was on 5th gear instead of gear 2. To cut the story short, I sprained my right foot and had little bruises on the knee. ..murid-murid, don't leave home without your safety gears

Pak Cik Urut Section 19 Shah Alam..wuyyoooo ...rasa macam mau nangis.

I would like to thank you all the concerned and caring riders as well as the PLUS staff, especially the person by the name saudara Sobri for making a quick rescue at the incident. Otherwise, I could have been unconcious on the impact. Of course, to my fellow mates, Halim and Azad for coming quickly to assist me with the bike and for medical help.

Now, my bike is being fixed. I am thinking of the incident and I learnt that if riding is the best option in KL, I will invest in personal protective equipment. Of course, the first thing is to replace the bike with the one easy enough to handle... he.. he.. mau lagi busat punya...Fazer 1000...haiyya manyak cantik woo...

2006-02-27T23:22:00.000-08:00

Tasik Biru Again

One interesting thing about riding is when everybody takes off the gears... words came handy..

One beutiful evening last January, we visited Tasik Biru in Rawang again. Nice place and we had free entertainment when folks were doing karaoke of the oldies ....

Short riding distance is worth it especially when you have a chance to see this view right infront of our very own eyes... One day, Tasik Biru will have its own song..

2006-02-02T23:07:00.000-08:00

Pizza Anyone....?

Sunday, 29th January 2006.... it is a Lunar New Year Day of Chinese New Year day. It meant no school for children and no work for mom and dad. Just about mid-day, we planned to make our very own home made pizza.

Two children were enough to prepare the dough and dad just be the chief cook.

It took us fifteen minutes to prepare the dough and within minutes, our pizza was already into the oven. It looked like perfect and we just enjoyed our very own home made pizza... This process just sent a stop signal for Pizza Hut's future business...:-)

Later this week, we will plan to plant vege's and to fish for the week. Till then...

2006-01-24T02:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year - 2006

We started the new year with new changes. We moved as family from Bukit Damansara to Ara Damansara, Subang just before Christmas. Children are now schooling in USJ. My wife and I have a longer journey to get to our workplace. I just have more mileage to ride..:-) every morning. Children were helping on the cleaning of the house too...

We have a little fish pond and now, we can feed the fish from our living room. It's cool but I have to fix some filteration system at the pond. Some work will take place to ensure good pond water clarity. We breed some koi fish and of course, I released some sebarau, kelah, red and black talapia... so that we have some refreshing things to do at home..

A week after our move, our wet kitchen roof collapsed. No one was hurt, but it was a near miss for my maid as she was there preparing dinner. It collapsed just on the new year's first day eve during heavy downpour. The roof was fixed within a few days and it is now perfect.

Our garden came instantaneously...first the shrubs and then the grass... We try to make it look green and relaxing, especially for a cup of evening tea.. We planted some water plants, hoping that it will look cooling during hot days.. Mosquitoes are the problems, but we were advised that little guppy fish will do the work.. So, we keep lots of little fish to protect the water from mosquitoes... of course, the conventional Abate will do its tricks on larvas...

Will provide the next update then.. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2005-11-30T22:03:00.000-08:00

Machine Listing - for View

Halim's DR Big

My CBR 600f2

2005-11-26T07:33:00.000-08:00

First Syawal Ride - Shah Alam

Halim and I decided to visit Azad's new house in Shah Alam. Being the capital for Selangor State, Shah Alam may be what Putrajaya will look like in 20 years time.

I remembered Shah Alam back in 1985 ( 20 years ago) when I was studying there. Azad's place is just next to the entrance to the Bukit Cahaya Agriculture Park, located just a block from the apartment block where I used to stay as a student of the College of Preparatory Study (KPP). Back then, the area was newly developed. God knows how difficult it was then to get anything there (not to mention the limited money I had then..) and the area was really hot as a result of land clearing..(it continues to flat out the area until today...).

Today, the area is quite a nice residential area with trees and tranquility... Suddenly, Alleycats' songs "sampaikanlah salam..cintaku padamu..." and "..Kerana kau... ku masih di sini..." flashed through the memory of the past...:-). Halim just could not be bothered.. His Dr Suzuki danced along the main road heading to Azad's recommended place...

Something is special in Shah Alam, if it is not for the famous lontong, we would not be there! If you are interested, the restaurant is at the back of UiTM Campus. Try it...I am not really a lontong fan, but I guess, if it is not good, we would have easily found a seat to sit in the restaurant!!
Meanwhile, Azad's Zephyr has just recovered from major heart transplant. New piston rings, new sets of everything internal, the bike just performs superb! Check out our pictures in front of the famous Shat Alam's mosque!!

2005-11-10T06:36:00.000-08:00

Eids Mubarak to everyone....

I must have been doing some serious biking during Ramadhan! My raining suits worked well and my DR Suzuki went through rough weather many times in KL. Almost every evening was considered monsoon time with heavy pouring and dark sky... I guess, it's only a number of evenings were fine evenings. In fact, Ramadhan was not the time for a serious F2 time...I just stored it at home, awaiting the time to be taken for a ride...
Most of my biking trips were going to and back from work during the month. I guess, that's the best way to enjoy the ride everyday. KL traffic went crazy over the last week of Ramadhan. It seemed as if it took forever to reach home in a car. Nevertheless, I managed to reach home well before "berbuka". I think, biking is the best KL traffic solution.

On the Eids Day, 3rd November, I had special guests at home. Check out the picture! Azad, his wife - Dr Yanti and his lovely cute little daughter, Liana .... wonderful cheerful visit..thank you for coming! Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir & Batin.

2005-10-31T06:52:00.000-08:00

Ramadhan Al Mubarak

Ramadhan starts on the 5th October 2005. Not much biking activities take place at all. I am much into my new project. I bought a Suzuki DR800 from Sunny shop in KL... changed its color and wallaaa... a new boy in town is born.

Luv every second with it...
I can say that perhaps this Doctor is one of a few in KL and I will write a new adventure with it later. I had to let go of my Tenere XT600 simply because this Doctor is bigger, taller and quite a bit of a Dunhill's things... gaya, mutu, keunggulannnnnn.. hehehe...
Halim is fixing the box at the back of the bike. It will be ready for Ramadhan Bazaar every evening!

2005-10-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

Short Evening Trip to Temerluh

It's been months since we were there first time to sort out Halim's DR800. This time, both DR800 and CBR-F2 were cruising for the make-over. Too bad that Azad's Zephyr could not make it this time. We both took karak highway in style. Gush.. I was amazed to see DR800 swing by every car ahead of me. Halim just had good control of his DR800 especially on Karak highway.

The weather was not so super. We reached Karak's toll to discover that it was fully-densed humid air under dark clouds up above otherwise a beutiful Pahang's sky. It was pouring from Karak to Temerluh! My CBR did not do well on the slipery road, but DR800 was not really affected under such weather.

We met our fella friends from Kuantan. Initially, Jasmi wanted to come with his Vulcan but later decided to drop-by with his Merce. To our surprise, Cik Din joined us at maghrib time. It was perfect for a reunion after we had the last trouble there when we first arranged for Halim's DR800. We chat about business, as usual. I was considering my participation in the proposed caged fish breeding project in Chukai. When there is an opportunity later, I will share what it looks like. It should be fun. I did not have much success in the last fish breeding pond project 4 years ago in Kuantan. Hoping it turns out well this time :-)
We ended with a very cold ride home that night. We left at 10:00pm and reached home by 12:00pm. It was pleasant but my stomach was not comfortable. Thus, Halim had to cope with my speedy ride home from a distance that was visible from my side mirror at the back all the way on Karak Highway.

2005-09-25T01:07:00.000-07:00

Tasik Biru "Blue Lake" near Rawang / Sungai Buluh

Last weekend, I ended up in Sungai Buluh to sort out my new adventure.....
I always appreciate the lake view especially if next to it, there are clean food stalls and nice benches to catch a good view with some favorites. This place is perfect and considered rare in Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area..

I guess, it is also a perfect introduction to a new face-lift of my CBR F2 in blue.
Halim said that this lake is used by those jet ski enthusiats in the evening to show their skill. I was not staying long enough to witness the show. Anyway, I shall visit this place again for a nice laksa Penang and fruit rojak.... enjoy..

2005-09-25T00:49:00.000-07:00

MERDEKA RIDE With Children of SKBD

Overwhelmed by the guilty feeling of not celebrating the country's independence day anniversary, I volunteered myself to accompany my children for a bicycle ride in their school event. As usual, children are normally very eager to start things and needless to say, my children too... they got up early and woke me up..

Day stated with heavy rain in Damansara area. We reached school at 8:15 just after the rain. We were told that the Yang Berhormat was already there to flag off. The ride was led by 6 young cyclists, fully dressed beb! Of course, I am a bit off-shaped :-)

The ride with children, merely 400 of them and one third were on the bicycles, turned to be quite challenging. Forget all the rules..... they forgot them once they were released out. I automatically became a volunteer and at the same time I was looking after my daughter, Abby. Se just learnt to ride.... the responsibility to guard others came naturally as an adult. Two traffic policemen could not control all of the eager crowd on the road. Only one child fell on his bike and he was ok ( at least the one I assisted). I could not see my son, Afif since he took-off. He cycled in front with his friends... you know boys!

The grand finale was the group photo for the newspaper. I don't know if it was ever printed!

2005-09-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

More and More Pictures of Kuala Selangor Trip

We were thinking whether or not to cycle into the mangrove jungle at the Nature's Park, Kuala Selangor. Not many visitors at the time we were there.

This is the picture of all four of us. From left, Hj Rujhan, Azad, me (in all blue) and Azhar. Then, we crossed the bridge heading towards fishing village, looking for the kampung food stall. When we asked the owner of the gas station, she just told Azad " kedai makan melayu....susah...ooo, tak manyak, jalang-jalang ...".Therefore, we just passed through the village small road heading towards Kampung Kuantan. And the best part was to refill our ever recepting stomach with mamak's special.

About ten minutes to the East of Kuala Selangor, we stoped at Kampung Kuantan. There is a jetty for boat ride to observe thousands of fire flies lighting up the trees along the river bank. We read about it but I personally have not seen it. The boat departs just before the sun set every day. When we were there, a group of kampung boys were fishing udang galah and they cought one. If you want to see it, please check out Azad's blogspot athttp://half-full-glass.blogspot.com/ We were caught in the rain, heavy rain, on the way home.

Overall, it was a good ride. We saw some boys cycling carrying Jalur Gemilang to celebrate the Independence Day. None of us did carry the flag... shame on us..we should have... next year then, insyaallah.

2005-09-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

More Pictures of Kuala Selangor Trip

It was totally magnificent view from the country's historical Bukit Melawati hill top. The old light house is standing tough and still working. Standing behind those old cannons, you would notice the mangrove area stretching towards the coastal line of the Straits of Melaka. You will find some entertaining acts performed by residing monkeys there. Unfortunately, we were not impressed with the cleanliness of the hill top.... :-(

Azad thinks that this is not a good position for posting. We need to burn that excess 'muscles' of ours... starting after a good nasi lemak breakfast first...he he..

Some say that these cannons did fire by itself under certain circumstances. It did not fire on the day we were there for sure... you would be lucky if you experience it yourself... try to book your adventure and make a fortune out of it.

Azad burnt his jacket again when he covered his bike this way... some say, love leaves remark....it does, Azad could still describe well his ex-ZZR's burning mark on his jacket... you see....ask him again.Down at the foothill, about 5 minute rides, we were at the Nature's Park Kuala Selangor. There, we did not do much. It's quite cooling. You could rent a bicycle and cycle through the mangrove area checking some old trees, observing some birds and you can name it... good for family weekend learning and leisure activities. We also captured some good posing to our satisfaction.

2005-08-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

Kuala Selangor Trip on the Independence Day 2005

The participants for this trip included the two, Azhar's CBR Fire Blade and Azad's Zephyr .... yes.. Azad's Zephyr was finally equiped with the long lead time valve...:-)

About 30 minutes from Sungai Buluh, we landed at Bukit Melawati foot hill, Kuala Selangor, the home of fire flies.

We negotiated every corner near Ijok. Tenere took the largest circle on one of the challenging corners.... phew... will not try that again...

Well, since Azad negotiated all corners well, he was given the task to sweet talk the officers to ride to the hill top. We thought that we would be riding the tram with suits and helmets but Azad's bluff worked ... :-) Jangan mare bro...

2005-08-31T10:21:00.000-07:00

Arrival of YamahaTenere......the 'come back' after 15 years.

Pairing up with DR Suzuki makes the two irresistible...

At Petronas Station, Sungai Buluh - heading home.

2005-08-18T08:08:00.000-07:00

Another Story.....

It started when it was for the first time I had my wife riding with me on my bike that week. Then, things changed. My bike became the family transportation for the weekend. Sending and picking up kids from tuition suddenly became the tasks for my bike... see, that's how things evolve....

My mind started thinking.... like a 'wheel of fortune', I should say. I started looking around...well these days, internet.. where else! Yeah, got something that attracts me very much...I should think, you would feel too...ha.. picture tells thousand words..

Aha...that night, I slept mostly like ' sleep-sleep chicken' as you know. Strange thing, I dreamt of this vission...clearer and clearer....quite intense......

and the lights just get clearer..and it shows...

Well, as usual, the next day is the history just about to be written. Found this little rare species somewhere and the restoration work is in progress.

Tenere is in the making.....Near Sungai Buluh, this machine is about to be prepared for the road. Still in good original shape, one could not believe how beautiful it is once you put a little touch to it. Wait for more then........

2005-08-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

More Pictures of Hulu Langat Trip

The forest and the bikes...they blend well, don't you think?

This is not an album cover of any rock group...:-)

The machines, as viewed from the coffee shop... what an incredible combination... :-)

Below, are the proud owners of the machines. We've got to loose those 'extras' to look better.. ha..ha..

Perhaps, this is a good place to take your family to over the weekend, try it..

2005-08-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

A Short Breakfast Trip to Hulu Langat, 7th Aug 2005.

Thank you to Hj Rujhan. It was a great breakfast for all...we can do this again.

The view from the top of the hill was outstanding, only if the smoke clears :-). If we were to shoot the next 'ultraman', we would choose this location and these Space Cop Gaban members would be hired...

Batu 18 Hulu Langat was fantastic, the village scenery and the cooling forest with beutiful river flowing parallel to the road.. a fantastic ride that I can say..

You see, we better plan another short trip soon...

2005-08-07T00:12:00.000-07:00

Another Addition to the Biking Team

31st July 2005, Halim called me up to collect his new 'unta' Suzuki DR800. Sharp at 4:00PM, I left my house to Halim's place and on the way to Temerluh, I was supposed to collect my new updgraded B license..:-).

Jasmi informed me that he was leaving Chukai, Kemaman to accompany Halim's DR800 sharp at 4:00PM (as usual, the 'actual' time is .....mistery!).

As Halim and I approached Karak's Petronas Station, Jasmi informed us to slow down as he was facing some traffic congestion on the way to Kuantan...As we slowed down, we took nearly 1 hour 30 minutes to reach Temerluh, right at the restaurant at the highway exit.

At 5:30PM, we ordered kambing gulai kawah, telur dadar, daging kerutuk, kembung goreng panas...and of course, a delicious tom yam soup to celebrate the arrival of Halim's DR800.

As we were expecting the arrival, Jasmi called us up and told us of the incident from the 'desert' of Maran-Temerluh. The chain gave way at about 40 km from Temerluh exit. DR800 had to be towed to the exit. Halim's desire to give a good ride home crumbled! (See his face expression!)

How could DR800, the champion of Paris Dakar Rally failed to make it through a less challenging journey but....alhamdulillah, no one was hurt..

At 7:45pm, DR800 finally arrived on tow.

Our McGyver began to check the bike. As expected, the little pin was the culprit. To avoid
frustration, as usual, we took our picture for the night...

Fisrt thing the next day, Jasmi began his journey back to Temerluh. DR800 was left at the restaurant after we failed to find the spare all over Temerluh town. We wanted to borrow the chain pin from one of the shops, but the apek guy went crazy clossing the shop early...:-)

This was Halim as last spoted near Genting Sempah Tunnel exactly at 12:00 AM, heading home with his DR800. The rest was history...........

2005-07-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night is a night for badminton. You can imagine how many turned up for the game. We may someday create future country players given that some of us already start at the very young age!

Being beaten every week makes me wonder as what the secret would be for the 'king' of the game. Ultimately, the long hidden secret revealed itself this week... guess what... Mafiz could not help but eat out in the open, a full delicious double Ramly burger!!

We are also caring and wonderful fathers. Sometimes, fathers need time just to be with son or daughter. While her proud dad is playing, Dil will sit next to Zaini's daugther to get the hang of it soon.....:-)

And sometimes, dad wants to be with friends... This is a picture of a recent Karak's Breakfast over the weekend.... gearing up for a '20 minute ride' KL - Karak... :-) with Haji Rujhan and Haji Idzham (holding the camera!).

2005-07-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

My Blogspot

The idea to set-up this blogspot is to share the latest of me with friends especially when everyone is so busy with work after graduation. We planned to get together in a big reunion, but it was not successful. I guess, this blogspot will be a good substitute until we can make it happen.

Again, here is the latest of me. Got my first superbike in the homeland... it was over 15 yrs ago since the last experience with this ultimate big boys' toy. Not to forget, I'm still loyal to the brand, Honda. This picture was captured by a paparazzi whom I don't know where-he- came-from-with-a-camera type of person in Kemaman last week. Of course, at this age, I gained some weight.

Last three weeks, I joined a group in Kuala Kemaman going for Candat Sotong (Squid fishing). It was a good trip, but the sea was rough. Out of 9 people onboard, only three managed to survive seasick (two being the tekong and jurumudi, and one was awarded with real fisherman medal!). Not much sotong were caught as most of them were fed well with our 'lunch'! Anyway, those who are interested to experience it, please let me know. More pictures of the sotong caught!

Preparing the fishing rod!

Fresh catch! See the color of sotong is clear.... and its size! Amazing!