Crazy

With the football season starting in about a month's time in Europe, the news in the transfer market is abuzz with all kind of stories, most of which are rumours off course. Chief among them is Rooney. Gareth Bale is another. The amount of money they are talking about leaves me speechless! I remember when we had the first million pound player not so many years ago in the shape of Kenny Daglish. It was such big news then. Now a million is nothing. QPR bought so many has been. They all costs more than a million. Gareth bale is valued at 100 million pound! Wow!

Sleeping in the car

Since the fasting month began, I have developed the habit of sleeping in my car in the morning. I usually arrive at my office very early, sometimes before seven in the morning. Normally after parking my car, I would head to my usual hang out restaurant. However, during this fasting month, I remain in my car to take a short nap. I will only enter my office about an hour later. That has been my practise since the fasting month began.

Sleeping late

Akid is going to bed at well past midnight these days. It really is putting a strain on myself cause as long as he is not asleep, it is almost impossible for me to sleep. As such, I am also sleeping late at night. Next day, as early as five in the morning, I have to wake up to go to work. During the fasting month, it is even earlier. This cannot go on. Must get him to sleep earlier but will he? Still,he is such a joy. Having him around has brought me much pleasure, no matter all the trials and tribulations.

Papa, Akid nak solat

Struggling to make ends meet

The price of gold went up a bit the past few weeks. I'm expecting it to go up a bit more. I believe it has reached rock bottom and is now bouncing back, at least I hope. The price went down so fast, it was scary. In the last few years, I have made or not made clever investments. I lose a lots of money plus lost a lots of potential money. Alhamdulillah I bought two houses as well. I hope those are good investments. Now I am back to square one, struggling to make ends meet. Endless bills to pay, loans to service plus many many others!

Just like that

Now I know why the Air Asia ticket price for Perth went up in a day. It didn't go up in fact. What happened was I made a wrong booking. Instead of booking for August, I booked for a July flight, three days away. That's why the price was high. What a stupid mistake. Because of that, I lost almost RM2000, just like that. Don't know if I can get a refund. From what I read, I can get a refund on the airport tax, not the ticket. That will be about RM500. Hope I get that refund!

Can't wait for my long planned holidays to come. Been working non stop the last six months a break will do me a world of good. I am working my brain to the fullest, that's one thing good about working again. Things that have been forgotten, buried deep in my brain, I have to dig. I have to learn, read, understand. That takes some doing especially for a man of fifty seven. However, I find my capacity to pick up new things have not diminished, at least that's what I feel.

Wow!

Wow! Days are flying thick and fast. Its already the sixteenth day of Ramadhan. Its already four days since I last updated my blog. Its already six months since I started working. Its already Thursday today! The way its going, I'II be in my sixties in no time. Sixties? Years ago I cannot imagine what it would be like to be in my sixties. Today I sure can cause its only three years away. Three years is not long. One wink of the eye........my God......I'm sixty years old.

They must match his mouth

Now that Maurinho is back, there's going to be more excitement in the premier league. He will light up the scene definitely. Alex Ferguson might not be around anymore but no matter. We have Maurinho. Let's hope the excitement his team generate with their play will be just as much if not more that what Maurinho will generate with his mouth. No more the dull, dour and boring Chelsea. They must match his mouth!

What to do?

What a difference a day can make. I booked an Air Asia flight to Perth for August. Yesterday the price was RM 894. However, I didn't make the booking because I was in a hurry. This morning, when I finally made the booking, the cost has gone up to RM1884! That's about double the original price. Wow! There's many other things I could have done with the extra RM894. Anyway, what to do?

Can't it wait?

I was having a good time for myself at the airport when I received an email that jolted me out of my thoughts. Its something to do with work again! Urgent! Can't even have a minute of break, here it come again. Tomorrow its weekend. Can't it wait?

Waiting for flight home

Back at Bintulu airport waiting for my flight home. After three nights in Bakun, it feels good to be leaving for home again. No matter where you are, home is where the heart is. What more if you have been in a place like Bakun, far from everybody and everywhere. Tomorrow its weekend. It will be a nice break before Monday again. Being in Bakun is not so bad. There's no traffic jam for one thing. Workplace and where you live are within the same compound. The weather is cooling and the air is fresh......

My Ramadhan this year

This fasting month is my worse so far in terms of going to the mosque for Tarawih prayer. Only twice so far, that is during weekends. Weekdays, forget it. Anyway, this year, there are three mosques within one or two kilometres radius of my house. I have been to two of them. Crowded, with many people but manageable. The third one, I used to frequent last year but this year, I don't see the need because the other two are not so crowded. The addition of the new mosque helps a lot. It is a much more pleasant atmosphere unlike last year when even finding a parking space poses a problem.

From the viewing gallery

Two weeks of nothing

Since I started working again in February, I have not taken any leave at all except for one day. Now its July, meaning I have been working almost non stop for about six months. I am thinking of taking a long leave during the Eid period. That will be in about three weeks from now after the fasting month is over. Really looking forward to it. It will be a two weeks break. Something that I absolutely need. Two weeks of nothing, thinking nothing and doing nothing.  How about that?

At the viewing gallery KLIA

Been absolutely busy these past few days. Didn't realise it has been four days since I last published anything until I opened my blog this morning. I'm back at the KLIA this morning, waiting for my flight to Bintulu. A bit of a breather after a hectic few days so have time to write something. At the office, there's work and there's work. Weekend, I sleep most of the time. This morning, instead of my usual hangout at level four, decide to while away the time watching airplane. I'm at the viewing gallery. Nice for a change.

Morning rain

The rain was really heavy when I woke up in the morning for the 'sahur'. It made me wanting to go to bed again after that, having done my morning prayer but alas....no...I cannot do that now. I have to get myself ready to go to work. I have to brave the rain, no matter what! How long have I been doing it? Almost forty years already, since my early twenties. I had a two years break off course but that break seems a long time ago now. Its long gone from the memory. Its work and work now, earning a ringgit or two money in order to make a decent living. 

Thoughts in the morning

I'm feeling a little bit tired this morning. Don't know why! Anyway, Last night I didn't sleep well. Too many things on my mind. From personal woes to work related problems to the coming Ramadhan to everything else under the sun. They all add up to make my mind ticking and my body tossing till well past midnight. Come to think of it, that's the way it is. As long as I am living a full life, I am going to have to face all these things, and more, like it or not. 

I'm already at my office this early in the morning. The traffic was not too bad today. Plenty of vehicles but moving, albeit slowly. Looking outside from my room, the view is not so clear. The haze is back for sure, blurring my vision. In a way, life is like that........ but no! its not like that. There's a clear path, if you care to follow it. God has make it plain for us through the Quran and the prophet. Follow it and you will be rewarded. Go against it, you will face the consequence.

Ah....Ramadhan....is here again. A time for reflection, a time for doing good deeds, for building up the portfolios, in preparation for the life after death...........

Ramadhan Karim

Tomorrow its Ramadhan once again. After two years of spending Ramadhan as a retiree, this time its back as a worker. There's plenty of difference. As a retiree I had plenty of time. After the Sahur and the morning prayer, its usually sleep and more sleep. Now that I'm working, it will be off to work instead. Don't know how I will find the time for the Tarawih prayer as I only leave the office almost seven in the evening on most days. Or for that matter, where will I break fast? In my car perhaps!

When I was one years old

How things have changed

Its sleep and more sleep during the weekends. After using up all the energy during the weekdays, weekends are the time for recovery and there's no better way to recover than by sleeping. That's how I spent my days. A far cry from the days when I had all the time in the world, just a few months ago. When everyday was a weekend. Today, everything has changed. Monday to Friday, I'm busy at work. Weekends, I try to recover, to refresh so that I be ready for Monday.

At BTHO new mosque

KL by night 2

Through no choice of mine, I ended up in KL last night. Took some photographs to capture the scene. The area around Sogo was crowded with people. Inside Sogo it was like a fish market. Too many people. I wonder where do all these people come from.

Kl by night 1

KL by night

Funny

Its mind boggling. Two years ago they finally managed to get rid of the army after a long long time. There were wild scenes of jubilation's. People rejoiced. Democracy had prevailed. Then they had elections. The first free elections in a very long time. They elected a President, the first democratically elected president they ever had. However, today, they are wild celebrations again. Why? Because the army has comeback. Effectively taken over the country. Removed the President they had elected. And they are happy! I don't understand!

Don't know

Its a never ending story with the Sarawak blackout. First it was a line that tripped that cause the whole blackout. Then it was the Bakun units that tripped that cause the whole blackout. However, until today, the real facts of the matter is still not known. From our side of the story, its a mystery why the units in Bakun tripped. Even after scrutinising the events as it happened from the daily logs, it still cannot be certain the real reason for the trip. We have no access to the what happened outside of Bakun. Did the line tripped first? and Bakun units tripped after that? 

I don't understand

When I heard early this morning about the military coup in Egypt, I was surprised. No, not surprised about the coup. I was sort of expecting it. Instead, I was surprised that the people are rejoicing. That I really do not understand. They put in a lot of sacrifice and effort just a year ago to oust a President who ruled the country with the help of the military. An election was held, a civilian President was chosen for the first time ever. After a year, the military kicked him out and took over. Guess what? The people are rejoicing!......sigh.....

End of an era

So Spain was well and truly beaten. Is it the end of an era. I saw the match. Spain was not playing their usual Tika Tiki game. I couldn't recognise them. The players look familiar but their game was totally different. Perhaps the Brazilian harass them, make them play a different game. They were making long passes, very unlike of them. As for Brazil, they will always have good players. Its the question of harnessing them into a unit. If they can do that, it will spell trouble for the rest in the coming world cup.

Clear my mind

There are too many things to do, I'm getting lost in the woods. I think I need to sit down, look back at all the things that have happened and one by one, list them down. Then only I can get my mind straight. Otherwise they are all jumbled up together, I can't see the forest for the trees, or whatever it is. I need to work smart, not work hard.

The aftermath

Been busy, busy and busy. Ever since the blackout, it has been a non stop discussion, discussion and discussion. Countless reports to be made, follow up action plus many many other things. Its a big setback for Sarawak and Bakun in particular. Until today, the real reason is unknown. Forget the blames and the faults, its how we move on from here that is most important.