Reminiscences

A lot of things have happened since 1974 when we first set foot in England. For one, Brighton Technical College is no more. Those days, Leeds United were topping the first division, as it was known then. Manchester United were struggling and about to drop to the second division. Nowadays, Leeds United is a has been while Man U is tops.
Among the fifty or so of us, most came back, settled down and become fathers. Some have even become grandfathers. A few have passed away. Some have made it big in the corporate world while most are just so so.
In the 30 years since, there are a few that I meet quite often as they are my work colleagues but many others just disappeared from my radar screen. That is until today when we meet in cyberspace.
Ah...... those days when we were young. Its something everybody goes through....... once in your life.

Brighton Technical College 1974-76

Another group from my yesteryear's have decided catch up on old times. This time its the Brighton Technical College 74-76 batch. In total there are more than fifty of us. We were teenage, 17-18 years old when we first went to Brighton, England in 1974 to further our studies. Now we are 53-54 years old and its 2009. That's more than 30 years ago. Some of them I have even forgotten but whatever it is, would be great if we can meet again.

A month of Eidul Fitri

KL is slowly coming back to normal. The traffic on the roads are beginning to get heavy. Thursday and Friday, going to work was like a dream come true. No problem whatsoever. How I wish it is like that all the time but off course it is not. Come Monday, KL will be back to its usual self.
With all the folks back, the Hari Raya celebrations will continue in KL where they let off in the kampongs. The month of Shawal will be full of open houses. One month of fasting is followed by one month of eating. Its great for the stomach but perhaps not so great for the health.

The things they do in Formula One

What's happening with Formula One? Scandals after scandals have rocked the sport. Who would have believed the things that have been happening. Spying, lying, cheating. I thought it was one of the cleanest of sport but I thought wrong. Wonder what else will surface in the future. I wouldn't bet against anything, given what we have seen so far!

Life goes on

Its already the 4th day of Shawal but the Raya mood is still very much in the air. Countless Hari raya programs on the TV add to the atmosphere. I managed to see a few while relaxing in the house. My immediate concern now is when to start my 6 days of fasting in Shawal.
Over at the mosque, its back to business as usual. Most of those who showed up during Ramadhan has disappeared. Only the regular few are still around. Its the same, year in, year out. I hope I belong to that regular few.
Tomorrow, its back to work for me. Back to the routine. Its 30 years already. Sometimes it does get to be a bit boring but then, as I have said many times, that's life. There are good times as sure as there are bad times. You take them all in your stride and move on.

The Manchester Derby

What a pulsating match! We could not have possibly asked for more, surely. Three times Man U scored and three times Man C replied but unfortunately, they couldn't reply the fourth time. They simply ran out of time and that was how it ended, 4-3 in Man U favor. A good advertisement for football.

Eidul Fitri 2009

As usual, the day began with the Eidul Fitri prayer at the mosque. We were a bit late this morning. By the time we got there, the prayer was already on. After that it was to my wife brother's house just a few miles down the road in Paya Jaras followed by my brother's house in Ampang and my sister's house in Subang Jaya. By the time we got back home, it was already 4.30 pm. My wife did some express cooking while waiting for my brother and his family who had promised to come. They came and left at about 6 pm. By that time, we were totally worn out and night time was spent just recuparating. That was how the first day of Eidul Fitri was spent.

More memories

Memories of Eidul Fitri 2009

University of Surrey mates

Osman (Ozzie), Ibrahim(Yem) and Hadi

Myself, Juhari (Jo) and Rosli (Tom)

From left: Osman, Ibrahim, Hadi, Halim, Nasir, Myself, Juhari, Rosli and Wan Salleh.

We had a get together recently at Selangor club. Although only nine turned up, we still had an enjoyable evening, catching up on lost years. Two of the nine that came are already grandfathers while another two will soon be. That's how long ago it was when we were in our early twenties, students at the University of Surrey, England. We had a whole life ahead of us then. Now, they are just memories of days gone by. Yes, life is like that. Like it or not, we have to move on.

An accident

Coming back from work last Tuesday, I drove right into a traffic jam. As I inched through, was wondering what was causing it. It was actually a minor accident. The car looks bad but I believe the occupants were none the worse for it.

Those were the days

Eidul Fitri is just a few days away. At 53 years old, the excitement and eagerness in anticipation of the day is naturally not as great as when I was, say 7 years old. Those days, the day is waited with much excitement. I can hardly sleep the night before thinking of my new shirts, shorts, socks and shoes that I will be wearing the next day. We might not be well off but somehow, my parents always ensure that we children will not missed out on that special occasion. Yes...those were the days my friend, we hope it never ends but then ............... end it must as we move on.

A new kid on the block

Hail the new champion, Del Potro. To win a five setter against the Swiss master, Roger Federer in the final of the US Open is a tremendous achievement. Only 20 years old, he showed great skill, composure and maturity to win crucial tie breaks, not once but twice. That was the key to his victory I think. Now we have a new kid on the block to challenge Federer and Nadal.

Its not a sprint but a marathon

Just four weeks into the Premier league but its already becoming predictable. The big four are right up there in the mix, as we had come to expect. Perhaps Arsenal has shown a bit of vulnerability but I'm sure its only temporary. Liverpool stuttered for a while but looks like they have found their rhythm. As for Chelsea and Man U, nothing more need to be said as they are going great guns on the pitch. Among the pretenders, Manchester City and Tottenham are winning matches but the big question is, can they last the season? Remember, its not a sprint but a marathon.

In search of Lailatul Qadar

Its already 24 days into Ramadhan. Everywhere we go, we are reminded that Hari Raya is but a few days away. The papers, TV, radio, hotels, restaurants ..... everywhere and anywhere. But before that, let's not forget the night of Qadar, or Lailatul Qadar. Its a night where the rewards are better than a thousand other nights combined. From the traditions of the prophet, Muhammad SAW, this very special night happens during the last 10 days of Ramadhan. Exactly when, God and his prophet chose not to tell us. So, are we going to search for it or are we going to let it passed us by?

Contradictions between Sunnah and Practise

There are many things that we do today that has no basis whatsoever. If we go back to the source, Quran and Sunnah, we won't be able to justify them. Innovations, additions and subtractions rule the day and there are so many of them. A simple example would be the practise of reading the chapter 'Yassin' on Fridays. This is widely practise in this country. However, if we go back to the source, we will find that this practise has no basis. In fact, it is contrary to the Sunnah. On Fridays, the Prophet SAW actually asked us to read the chapter 'Al Kahfi'. We can never find a hadith (saying of the Prophet SAW) telling us to read 'Yassin' on Fridays but try telling that to our local mosques. It will fall on deaf ears. What is frightening is that there are many, many more similar examples.

A World Cup without Ronaldo and Messi

Everybody is looking forward to the World Cup in June 2010 but we are faced with the prospect of watching it without the two best players in the world. Yes.... it is a real possibility. Argentina has dug itself into an even bigger hole with the lame defeat to Paraguay after the earlier defeat to Brazil while the Portugal situation is not much better either. If both failed to make it to South Africa, the unthinkable will happen. A World Cup without the two best players in the world, Messi and Ronaldo! I dread to even think about it!

At the Kg Kuantan mosque

Waiting for the food

I was at another breaking of fast function. This time at the Kg Kuantan mosque, just beside the firefly site in K. Selangor. A far cry from the hotels where the food are in abundant, this time just the rice and a few dishes to go with it. Great for a change. At least I don't have to crack my head deciding on what to eat. Its a no brainer. Just sit and relax and enjoy the food.

Another long day

Reached home about 10.30 pm today after attending yet another breaking of fast at another hotel. Counting from the time I left the house at 6.45 am in the morning, that's almost 16 hours! But what to do! When duty calls, answer we must. Tomorrow there will be another one. Thankfully, that's the last cause come weekend I'II be starting my leave.
Yeah.... that's right. I'II be on leave from Monday onwards right up to the Wednesday after Raya. That's 12 days in total. How very nice!

Broken at last!

Wow! Finally it happened!. After weeks of trying, the KLCI finally broke through the 1200 barrier. The resistance has been quite strong but when the bulls are in a charging mood, nothing can stop them. If tonight the Dow Jones goes positive, you can be sure tomorrow will be another good day for the bulls at the KLCI.

Increasing the pace

Hari Raya is fast approaching. 17 days have passed since Ramadhan begun. The local mosque is already showing signs of fatigue. No, not the mosque but the people. The numbers are dwindling, slowly but surely. Year in year out, its the same old story. Never mind that prophet Muhammad SAW taught us the last ten days of Ramadhan is where we should step up our effort. The graph should increase, not decrease but then, what can we expect when people are still ignorant. At least most are!

Great players but poor managers

The problem facing Argentina can be linked to that age old adage, great players don't make good managers. Maradona was a great player. On most people's mind, he has no equal except for the other great, the Brazilian Pele. Not Zidane, not Puskas, not Cyruff, not Charlton, not Backenbauer, not ........ Maybe Backenbauer can be categorise as a good coach, having won the World cup for Germany, first as a player and later as the manager but then, he never tried his managerial skill at club level! All the top managers, they were never great players. Maurinho, Ferguson, Capello, Clough..etc.

Argentina in a rut

The Maradona led Argentinian soccer team is in a rut. The defeat at home to Brazil yesterday was the latest in a string of unfavourable results thus far. Pity really because talented players like Messi, Tevez and others will be missing from the World cup if they don't get out of it soon. If that happens, soccer fans worldwide will be missing something for sure.

Very very sad

What was supposed to be a dialogue session turned into chaos even before it got started. What a terrible shame! From what I read, the session was never given a chance. Right from the start, the hearts were ruling the heads and when that happened, nothing can be solved. A very very sad day indeed for Malaysia.

Breaking fast at the Hotel

Just seconds before the azan with the food all ready

Places all taken up despite the hefty price

At 6.18 pm, one hour before breaking fast time. Still empty except for the hotel workers

By 7 pm, the hotel was already crowded despite the steep price. As usual, the variety of food available is astounding to say the least. There's no way a person can try all that was available. Like it or not, Ramadhan is slowly turning into a food festival.

Tomorrow is another day

Just came back from the mosque and decided to do some reading before going to bed. Seems like the cow head incidence is still very much in everybody's mind. Just about every blog touched on the subject. Almost all are critical about it and rightly so.
Over on TV, the earthquake in Indonesia is big news. Over 40 bodies have been found and there's a strong possibility of more bodies being discovered.
On the sport front, the US Open is in full swing with a few upsets already. However, the big four in the men's category all got through their first round safely.
The night is getting a bit late and I'm feeling sleepy. Tomorrow, I have to do some urgent things and .............. anyway, tomorrow can wait. It is but another day.

Ramadhan Bazaar

Still early, about 3 pm, they are just getting their things set up

People slowly coming

I'm not really a fan of the bazaars that sprout everywhere come Ramadhan. For one thing, they are too tempting especially for the empty stomach. I always ended up buying more than I should. Another is for me, home cooked food reign supreme, anytime. Anyway, after 12 days, I found myself at one bazaar in Shah Alam this afternoon. As always, I bought too much. Should have known better.

Petrol price gone north again

Don't know if you are aware but the price of petrol has gone up starting today. The Ron 97 is now slightly over 2 rm/litre while the newly introduced Ron 95 is at 1.80 rm/litre. Fortunately, the car I'm currently driving can go with the cheaper one. Therefore, I'will definitely use the Ron 95.

Beautiful Garden

Right here in KL

The routine of life

Its already 10 days into Ramadhan. Over at the local mosque, the crowd is still going strong, perhaps just a little less. On TV, radio and the papers, Ramadhan stories continue unabated. As for me, the 10 days have come and gone without much incidence.
Over the weekend, it was full house at home. All my children were in, even the one in Johore, taking advantage of the Merdeka holidays. Monday onwards, one by one they will go back to their respective places of study, UTM Skudai, UIA Gombak and Uniten Bangi. That will leave just the three of us, my wife, eldest son and myself, to carry on with the routine.
Anyway, that's how life is. I'm still on holiday. Will only go back to work on Thursday.