Train ride to no where

Went shopping for groceries at the nearby shopping complex. Took the opportunity to let the kids go on a train ride. Its the favourite of Akid. He loves trains as well as cars. 

Getting clever

Munirah is a big girl now. Almost seven months old. Real chubby. Getting clever too. Very soon she will be walking in sha Allah. Then she can join her brother and sister with their non stop antics that sometimes bring the house down.

Tomorrow is another day

I decided to take a break today. Stay at home, do some reading, writing, sleep, memorising the Quran, rest and recover from the hectic driving, eat and more sleep. After all, I'm working on my own. Nobody will question me if I don't show up on the road this morning unlike those days when I was working. Its a great option to have. As for tomorrow, it is another day.

There will be a way

Its been almost three months since I retired. I'm still without a job although I really need one. At sixty years old, my options are somewhat limited. Its not the same as young graduates applying for jobs. Its a retiree looking for a job. There's a vast difference there. Meantime, while waiting for one, I drive Uber for some cash. Its not that much but it will do. It also takes up some of my time so that I will not be bored dong nothing. Its the best arrangement at the moment. As of now, that's the way it is. For the future, I dare not think what it will be like. In sha Allah, there will be a way.

Be careful

Nowadays, we get news from everywhere, including the social media. Living in this kind of environment is good cause we get to hear and see a lot of things but we have to be very careful about some of the news we received. They might be skewed to one side and not tell the whole story. That's the problem these days. People are quick to comment without even checking if the story being presented is telling the whole story or not. This applies to all news that we received, not only from the social media. Newspapers will write stories to please one side. They do it all the time. We need to be careful before believing them. 

Its going to be a great season

This season the premier league is slowly getting back to a familiar pattern. After six weeks, the usual suspects are there and there about unlike last season when it was unpredictable so much so that in the end, an outsider became the champion. This season, it looks more familiar. Man U, Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea, they are all up there in the top half. There's no surprises. One of the above teams will win the league I'm sure. Man City with Pep is perfect so far but Liverpool is going strong as well. Arsenal is long overdue but Man U and Tottenham will put up a fight as well. Its going to be a great season.

Satisfaction guaranteed

After using for about a week my new smartphone that cost me less than eight hundred ringgit, I am thinking how we have been conned into buying phones that costs thousands of ringgit. With all the trendy marketing, the unsuspecting public have been conned into buying the expensive phones when the phones that costs less than a thousand can do the job just as well. Most of the things that that they add to the phones to make them expensive are things we hardly use or notice. Can we tell the difference between the photographs that we capture? No, except the professionals off course. Can we tell the difference between a few milliseconds of speed? No! What about the display? Can a few additions here and there make a difference to us? No! It is all unnecessary! We don't need them. My new phone is giving me lots of satisfaction without having to pay a bomb.

Just you wait and see

Somebody posted on my facebook a write up about the future. Very interesting but also scary because it can happen and will happen. Everybody knows about Kodak and the story of its demised. Within a few short years, from being a household name, it became a non entity. All because of technology. Nobody takes photographs with film anymore. Uber has changed the way we hail taxis. Despite protest from the traditional taxi companies, Uber is here to stay. Already its the biggest taxi company in the world without owning any taxi. It only has a software. AirBnb is the biggest hotel company in the world but it does not own any hotel. It only has a software. You see the pattern here? There are many others that will go the same way. Just you wait and see!

Good times bad times

Business has not been good the whole of this week. I can feel it. It shows in the accounting as well. I have always been a salaried man. At the end of every month I know how much is being put into my bank. Now, its a whole new game for me. I don't even know how much its going to be at the end of the day, not to mention a whole month. There are days when the pickings are good but there are also days when the pickings are just the opposite. There are times when half the day is already gone but my pickings are not even half my target. Then there are times when its only time for breakfast but I have already exceeded my target for the day. I'm learning everyday. Through it all, I learned to be grateful all the time, no matter what the situation, in sha Allah.

Not an option

When I bought my Samsung Note 2 many years ago, it was the phone of the day, albeit together with a few other brands like the I phone. Today, it is so outdated. With applications getting more and more sophisticated, using battery like taking water from the sea, the phone cannot survive. The battery cannot even last half a day. On top of that, charging it is a pain in the arse, with lots of difficulties. That's why I bought a new phone yesterday. Not that expensive! Cost below a thousand ringgit but it does its job. I am satisfied with it so far. I would have like to buy a more expensive phone like I used to but these days, it is not an option.

That's how it is

Yesterday, business was good. The requests keep on coming. They were long drives too including one to the airport. By early morning, I had exceeded my target. Unfortunately, by about 3pm, my phone battery was down to almost zero. I tried charging with the power pack that I brought along but alas, it was all to no avail. It refused to be charged. In the end  I gave up and headed straight for home at 4pm feeling terribly disappointed.

Don't want to be disappointed again, I bought a new phone last night. One with the biggest battery capacity, 5000mAh.  

So today, the battery was doing fine. It lasted three quarters of the day. After that, I charged it with the power pack. It worked beautifully. I can drive till late in the evening but unfortunately, business was only so so. I went home at about five, feeling there's not much use going on and on when the request were few and far between. 

Now I know how the nasi lemak seller by the roadside feels when business is thriving and also when its the opposite. 

Stopped by the authorities

What an eventful day! I was stopped by the SPAD at KLCC while I was dropping passengers there. They took photos of my identity card, license, car and even myself. I was asked to get into their vehicle where I was 'interviewed'. At that moment, my mind was playing games. Will they take me to their office for further investigation? Will they tow away my car? Will I be charged in court? Is it illegal what I'm doing? I was worried, no doubt about that. In the end, I think it was just a show to please the taxi drivers. They were watching from not so far away. Once inside their vehicle and cannot be seen by prying eyes, I was only advised not to do it so blatantly, right in front of the taxi drivers because they are an angry lot. My car may get smashed! Otherwise, I was let go scot free. 

Its a constant challenge

Tonight I'm slotted for my monthly religious talk at the surau. It has been almost a year since I first started giving the talk. To me, its something I can feel great about, given my education backgound and work experienced. I'm an engineer, with a degree in engineering. I didn't go to religious school. So, to be given a monthly slot at the surau is really a great honour to me. No matter if the surau is small and the   audience can be counted with the fingers. Its a responsibility that I take seriously. I am grateful to Allah for giving me the chance. I will do my best in sha Allah. There's still a lot for me to learn. I need to increase my knowledge, read a lot more, have more stories to tell, make my talk interesting and lively. Its a constant challenge.

Long haul

I used to have plenty of time when I first retired. Most days I would be free with nothing to do. I would spent the time sleeping on most days. Because I was sleeping during the day, I sometimes had difficulty sleeping at night. There were times when I couldn't sleep such that I decided to be at my desk with the computer. However, now that I am driving with Uber, sleeping at night is no more a problem. I would go to sleep as soon as I put my head on the pillow. That, in a way is a good thing. Driving the whole day long except for the occasional stop for food and prayer can be tiring. I will get used to it soon. The way things are going, looks like I'm in for the long haul with Uber.

1988 - Penang

With bapak and mak and our children.

1988 - Penang

1965 - Selama Perak

  I was nine years old.Standard 4.

Cannot imagine how

For three days I was on the road. Must have driven more than a thousand kilometres. Alhamdulillah, the roads were quite empty. People are still on holiday. Come next week it will be back to normal. During that time, I have driven to every nook and corner of Kuala Lumpur. Sometimes I don't even know where I am. Where people wants to go, I take them. The GPS is my constant companion. Without it I will be lost. Makes me wonder how it was before the GPS was invented. Cannot imagine how.

A friend has left us

At about 12 noon yesterday, I was shocked to receive the news that one of my friend had just passed away. In fact, I couldn't believed it at first because there was no warning at all. He seems healthy. There was no news of him being hospitalised or being sick or whatever. In fact our Whats Up group received his salam in the morning at 5.36am, which is typical of him. I double checked before I finally accepted that the news is true and not a mistake. A very nice person, loved by all, very sad that he is no more around. Really sad. 

Life is so fragile

Life is so fragile. One day you are well and healthy, the next day you are gone. One day you are rich and famous the next day you are a nobody. One day you are happy and so contented, the next day you are sad and disappointed. Life is like that, like it or not. In my sixty years of living, I have experienced it all. Yesterday, I was sad to hear a friend has passed away. Today I still can't get over it but then, tomorrow is another day. We are all humble servant of Allah. Be grateful always. Then Allah will reward you even more, in this world and in the hereafter.

Aidil Adha

Two of my children came to the house for the Aidil Adha celebration. As for me, was in the house throughout the day except in the morning when I performed my duty leading the prayers and giving the sermon during the Aidil Adha prayers. After that I was in the house all day long.

Peaceful mind

Munirah was up early but gone back to sleep after given a bath by the mother. At 5am, she was wide awake while the others were still sleeping. I was thinking can I go for the morning prayer cause I dare not leave her alone. In the end, the mother who was sleeping beside her woke up to breast fed her. I was able to go for my morning prayer at the surau with a peaceful mind.

Still sleeping

Its a Saturday. The kids are still sleeping although it is almost 9.30am. As for me, I am usually up by 4.40am.

Great games

I was up till late last night watching the football games. I couldn't watch most of the Man U vs Man City game because I was at the surau but I managed to see the Arsenal vs Southampton and Liverpool vs Leicester games. Arsenal were lucky to secure a win but Liverpool was something else. They dominated the game scoring four goals in the process. I think this Liverpool team can go far. I like Firmino, their Brazilian player who was lively throughout scoring two goals as well. He seems like a decent player, getting into spaces, clever running off the ball, with some trickery in his arsenal and calm and compose in front of goal. This can be seen in the second goal he scored. Most players would have taken a first time shot but he did not. Instead he calmly got round the opposing player, giving him free shot at goal which he duly did.  

Enjoy the game

I look forward to this weekend when Man U will play Man City. Both teams have started with a hundred percent record. Somebody will have to give way during this clash. Who will it be? Adding spice to the clash will be the managers, Maurinho and Guardiola. Both at the top of their profession, among the very best in the world. Only the best will win. I dare not predict. Just want to sit back and enjoy the game, in sha Allah.

That's the plan

I will be at home most of the time during the long weekend that is coming. Monday will be a public holiday because of Aidil Adha. In sha Allah I will be leading the prayer and giving the sermon for the prayers at my local surau. I pray to Allah that everything will be alright. Other than that, most of time it will be at home taking a well deserved break from driving. Maybe we will take the kids to Titiwangsa lake or to some other places for fun and recreation. It will be three full days of rest before starting again on Tuesday in sha Allah. That's the plan.

Learned a new thing

Been so busy with my Uber driving I did not realise I have not been updating my blog for quite sometime. Its a new thing for so I need to adjust to the situation quickly. I need to find the time to update regularly no matter what. I also need to ensure I have my meals on time. Sometimes I am too busy driving I delay my breakfast or lunch. That is definitely not good. However yesterday I learned a new thing about the Uber application. There is actually a feature where I can stop request coming in when I feel like wanting to stop for things like going to the loo, to have breakfast, lunch or just a break from the driving. After I picked up my last rider, there is a point on the application that I can initiate. That will stop the request coming without having to go offline. After I have dropped the passenger, then I go offline. A rider who is also an Uber partner doing part time informed me about this feature.

A brave decision

Aidil Adha is coming soon. In Makkah, the crowd is already building up. People from all over the world are converging in the holy city for the Haj pilgrimage. My daughter and her husband is one of them. She will be flying tonight. I salute them for the decision to go for the haj at still a young age. A brave decision. I did my first haj at almost forty years old. My daughter and her husband is barely thirty. Leaving their little children behind to go for the pilgrimage is a real sacrifice. Not many people will be willing to do that. In sha Allah, everything will be alright. They have my blessing and my doa. 

That's how it is

Its 4th September already. Just a few days ago, we were celebrating independence day. Time keeps on moving, waits for nobody. We are always playing catching up. If we don't give a care, time flies off just like that. There's a saying, if you don't plan, then you plan to fail. That's is true with time. If we don't plan, then time will just go to waste. I thought I have not done my memorising of the Quran for only a day but looking back, it must have been a few days since I last did it. I have a plan but I am not following it. I need to plan and follow the plan. Otherwise I plan to fail. That's how it is with time.

Assalamualaikum

Just back from the surau after the Subuh prayer. Weekend I take a much needed break from my Uber driving. Recuperate before driving again on Monday. This Aidil Adha, in sha Allah I will be leading the prayer again. It will be my second time. Hopefully everything will go smoothly. I still have this strong beating of my heartbeat when leading the prayers if I read a verse that I seldom do. I need to improve on that. Otherwise, I will never improve.