Monday surprise

Thought its the school holidays but this morning, I was surprised by the early morning noise coming from down below. It sounds familiar. When I looked, I saw that the school is back in business. They were having their usual early morning assembly. Perhaps, it will be another few weeks before the holiday begins. Who cares anyway....not me. My school days are long gone, so have my kids!

Saturday morning jotting

Here I am sitting high up in the balcony. Down below, I can see vehicles driving up and down the main road. Everyday there are cars, lorries, buses, motorcycles.......don't know when there'll be a day when I will see none of them. Looking straight ahead, I can see KLCC, towering above all the buildings in the city....and KL Tower as well. Left, right, in front, everywhere in the distance, I see high rise buildings. Some look so strong and majestic while others look like it will fall when the next wind blows. Except for the never ending sound of vehicles coming and going, everything else is quiet. Even the school below is eerily silent. Its the school holiday off course. I sit here, watching, thinking, plotting, writing. Life goes on, like a wheel that is turning. The right path has been shown to us, as well as the wrong one. It is up to us to choose where we want to go, heaven or hell.

Pursuing my interest

Retirement can mean different things to different people. For me, six months into my retirement, I am seeing and learning and discovering many things that I never knew before. Not actually new but things that I had always being interested in but never care to find out and learn more. Perhaps being busy with work kept me from pursuing. Now that I am so free and have all the time in the world, I am looking at these things with renewed vigour. Who knows, one day I might even become an expert in some of this things!

A Final to Remember

The Rugby World Cup final was one of the best rugby matches I have seen in a long time. Everybody thought the All Blacks would swamp the French with their sleek, fast running, open, attacking rugby but as it turned out, it was the French who was doing most of the attacking, especially in the last thirty minutes or so. The All Blacks were reduced to some desperate defending, closing down the game, tackling ferociously and kicking the ball away at every opportunity. Nevertheless, I thought the end result was fair. The All Blacks deserved the win, showing to all that they can also defend when the situation warrants.

Smartphones

Samsung has surpassed Apple as the biggest smart phone seller! Don't know about others but I am certainly not surprise. Samsung smartphone has caught my fancy because of its beautiful screen, easy to use features, light and thin. I also like the Android platform that it uses. Enjoying my Samsung Galaxy S II................

Its the same every year

Every year its the same. The audit report will give a damming assessment of how departments spent the money away in the wrong way, wasting millions in the process. And every year, promises are made to improve the weaknesses. But I can say for sure, next year, the audit report will again be more or less the same! More millions being wasted! Where's the promise? Hmm.........Sigh.........

Everyday is a Sunday

I didn't know that Wednesday was a public holiday because of Deepavali until Wednesday itself. That morning, I noticed things were quieter than usual. The hustle and bustle signaling the beginning of another another busy day was absent. It was like a weekend but I know it was not a weekend. I only realised it was Deepavali day when I switched on the TV. Anyway, that's life in retirement. The different days, weeks or months don't mean a thing anymore. Everyday is a Sunday.

The end of an era

Forty years in power, ruling with an iron fist, controlling every aspect of the country as if it belong to him and his family. Nobody thought he could be overthrown. It was thought impossible but in the end, it became possible. Living his last days on the run, chased out of his fortress and finally meeting a violent end, cornered into a sewage pipe, pleading for his life. A terrible end, one we would not want to happen to even our worse enemy.

Euro woes

Europe is facing financial woes of a magnitude so big, they are having problem solving it. While still wrangling on how best to tackle the debt situation with Greece, Italy is proving to be another that will surface soon if not nicked in the bud. The there's Portugal, Spain. To solve their problem, they need to go on an austerity drive, making highly unpopular measures that will not go down well with their citizens. Otherwise, Germany, their Euro partner that can help them, will not.

In the mood for exploring

Been busy lately exploring new things. Things that I have always wanted to do but didn't have the time nor the resources. Now that I'm retired, I'm looking at them with renewed vigour. Don't know where all these new 'ventures' will lead me but all the same, I'm eager and excited. Hopefully, they will take me to greater heights.

Wow!

What a match. I was on tenterhooks throughout. They had to do it the hard way. Never thought the match would turn out the way it did. Missing three relatively easy kicks along the way didn't do the nerves any good. In the end, one point separated the team. The French played the game of their life. While they were controlling the ball and attacking, one mistake from the All Blacks was all it needed. Somehow, they held firm, not giving any penalty and not giving any quarter. In the end, I thought the All Blacks deserved the win, ugly rugby or not. Overwhelming favourites all the time but failing to deliver when it matters, this time they did it, at last.

Memories of Padang Indonesia

Sea side stalls - Padang

Buya Hamka......my teacher

A dream come true. I have always wanted to visit Sg Batang (his birthplace) ever since I first started to read his books about thirty years ago. His books form the basis of my foundation in Islam. Before that it was a case of just follow what people do without really understanding. He put me on the correct footing through his writing. I shall forever be grateful to him.

The house where Hamka was born in Sg Batang, Bukit Tinggi. Its now a museum.

Bukit Tinggi from Pasar Atas

Down in the valley, small villages dotted the Padang/Bukit Tinggi road.

Padi field on the road from Bukit Tinggi to Padang. Stop over for lunch here.

View from Kelok 28 with Danau Maninjau in the background