Nice living

Today is the last day of 2018. The year will leave us soon. For me, I managed to build my house and moved in as planned although there was a delay. In the end, its all well that ends well. I love staying in the new house. I enjoy living in the village. Life is at a slow pace. There's no rush and no jam. I try to go to the mosque five times a day, riding my good old Honda bike. The place is quiet and peaceful. Everyday I see people fishing along the monsoon drain by the road side. Things are generally cheaper than in KL. You can still get Nasi Lemak for 50cents. I get my petrol for the motorcycle from the grocery shop. All in all, its a nice living living in the village.

Great win

I didn't see the match between Liverpool and Arsenal a few nights ago but was pleased with the result. An emphatic win for Liverpool 5-1. I was actually asleep by 11pm but woke up at about 1.25am just when the match was about to start. However, I managed to resist the temptation to stay awake to watch the match. Its nice to stay awake but I was more concerned about how I will feel when I wake up the next morning for the Subuh prayer. I know it will be a good feeling. More often than not I will regret staying awake the night before. Anyway, its immaterial now. Liverpool won. I saw the repeat. The second goal by Firmino is really class.

Celebration do

Was in Shah Alam on Saturday to attend a do by my niece whose husband is now a Phd holder. The do was to celebrate the achievement. While on the way there, stopped over at a tailor in Puncak Alam. Akid need to have his school badges sown on to the shirt. Maisarah as well. Then we we went to Econsafe for our grocery needs. After that we wanted to head straight to the event but felt hungry along the way. Decided to stopp at the Elmina R& R for some Satay. Then only we went to the house to attend the event. While there, the kids couldn't resist their temptation to jump into the swimming pool as it is just behind the house.

Schooling time

On Friday, Akid was at school again to attend his orientation day. This time it is the Sekolah Kebangsaan Parit Mahang. He will start his standard one class come Wednesday 2nd January. Wow! We have come a long way since he came into this world three days after we went for the Bersih rally in KL. He will be one busy kid once the school starts as in the morning he will attend his Sek Kebangsaan from seven till one. Then at two he will attend the KAFA school till five thirty. Its great that the schools are only about two minutes drive from the house and of course, living in the village there's no traffic jam.

Visitors

Visitors from the wife's family was at the house Friday last week.

Great lunch

Lunch date at Ja's house (niece) in Rawang. Great lunch with tempoyak, sambal, petai and other kampung food. From my house in Bkt Cerakah Jeram to her house in Rawang is only 25 mins.

Happy Birthday

Maisarah is five years old. Munirah will be three in march next year but she can't wait for her birthday to come. She is celebrating with her elder sister as well.

Orientation day

Akid will in standard one come the new year. On Monday he attended his orientation day at the Sek Ugama Parit Mahang. He will be attending this school in the afternoon. In the morning he will be going to the Sek Kebangsaan just next door to this school. The next year will mark the beginning of a busy time for him. Schooling in the morning and afternoon. No more relaxing at home watching TV. In sha Allah he will cope well.

To be grateful

I look back over the years and only now I realised, how blessed I was. However back then, I didn't appreciate it. I was always thinking that the grass on the other side is greener. I was never happy and satisfied with what Allah has given me, what more to feel grateful. Only now I know. It took a long time but alhamdulillah, I am finally happy because I am grateful all the time. Don't even talk about money or career or personal life, to be healthy is a blessing already. Those days money was plenty but I never appreciate it. Never grateful. Now I am retired, money is little and hard to come by but I am grateful. I am satisfied. I am happy. As I said, to be healthy is a blessing already. To have seven kids, four already living their own life while the other three are as healthy as can be, that's another blessing and there's many more to be grateful to Allah about Yes, many many more.

My many faces

Give them time

I read in the papers or the social media that the PH government has been a disappointment and is failing the very people who had voted for them. Personally I don't think so. I think they are doing reasonably well. Taking over from a government that have been running for over sixty years is not an easy thing to do. They have been so entrenched in their way of doing thing that changing it takes a complete overhaul. Like it or not, with so much corruption, abuse of power, huge debts and other wrong doings, changed is definitely needed. Change takes time. The pain will come first before the gain but we are definitely heading in the right direction. After all, it is only six months old. Give them time.

Sign of a champion

Liverpool has just opened up a four point gap at the top of the Premier league table. They have played one extra game compared to Man City, their nearest rival. Today Man City will play Crystal Palace which they are expected to win but anything can happen. As for Liverpool, they had a good win early this morning over Wolves playing away. These were the kind of games that Liverpool used to flounder before. Losing or drawing at places they are expected to win. No use winning against the top teams but failing against the also ran teams. Now, they have got that corrected. So far this season, they have been winning and winning, be it against the top teams or the bottom teams To me, that's a sign of a champion.

Posing

My little princess

Beautiful beach

Been quite sometime since I last went to Pengkalan Balak Melaka. Really like the place. Been there many times and for so many years. I accidentally went there many many years ago when I was around the area to do a job. That's when I discovered this place. Been going there ever since.

Sad

Sad to hear about the death of Adib. An innocent victim who was only there to do his job, to put out fires. It was a shocked to hear his death because I thought he has been progressing quite well after receiving treatment. The beating he received must have been severe. The pain he felt being beaten must have been unbearable. can't even imagine how he must have felt. There's no two way about it. The thugs who beat to death him must be punished. 

Sacked

Mourinho is finally sacked. Its been long overdue. Ever since the beginning of the season, he has been brooding, sulking, sour face and the like. He hardly smile. He quarrels with almost all of his players. He played his Man U team against Liverpool with his best player on the bench. That was the last straw I think. When you paid top dollar for a player but don't play them, something must be wrong. Its time Man U start again. After Fergy left, Man U has had three managers but still couldn't find the right one. The team is struggling badly this season.  Very uncharacteristic of Man U.

Can't update

The internet has been so slow I had difficulty accessing my blog. Don't know what is the problem but it certainly caused me to be unable to update. Very frustrating. The funny thing is other website can be easily access. No problem! So what is actually the problem?

She is tied

The shock news of the day for me must the news that Nurul Izzah has resigned from all posts in her party PKR as well as from the government. The news is as shocking as it can be. For what ever  reason we do not know as she has not said anything other then the obvious, that is to resign. Maybe she's disappointed in her career as a politician as she is unable to progress further beyond being an MP which she has been for the last ten years or more. As long as her father and mother are in the fray, she will have to take a backseat. Cannot be a Minister as her mother is the Deputy Prime Minister or people will accused her of nepotism. When her father takes over as Prime Minister, her mother will resign but for her, it will still remain the same. She is tied!

Bye bye for now

Aara and Alia are back with their parents since Friday. It has been a tough but enjoyable twenty days looking after them while their parents were doing their Umrah. Three children plus two grandchildren combined to make it an unforgettable experience. At times we felt like what have we got ourselves into but most of the times we enjoyed their presence. Tough and tiring it may be but they make our day. Aara is easy to handle. She can be put anywhere, anytime and still survive. Alia is still small. Takes a bit of a delicate balance to look after her. All in all, I enjoyed the experienced.

Phone scam

There are all kinds of scam nowadays. One well known way is using the telephone to scam you out of your money. They have been successful too. Millions have been lost. Sometime I cannot imagine how it can happened. These people must be real smart able to con millions out of people using only the phone. Who have not received such phone calls. I for one have received numerous time. The person on the line will say that I have an outstanding loan from a bank. The funny thing is, I have never done any dealing with the said bank but these people can get you rattled. Suddenly you start thinking, is it true or not? You get curious and asked for more info. That's when they trap you. So far I have managed to curb my curiosity I just told them don't worry I will call the bank myself thank you. If they persist, I will put the phone down. One even told me Bank Negara will come after me after this.

A delight

Been watching Liverpool a lot on TV these days. One player that have always attract me is Firmino. I enjoy watching him play, his control of the ball, his exquisite passing, his movement on the pitch and his link play with the other players . One minute he will be attacking and the next minute he is busy defending. Boundless energy every time. Another player that I like watching is of course Mo Salah. Brilliant little player. He can outran most defenders, small that he is. Dribbles well, can find space even in tight situations and wiggle his way around. A slight body movement and a shuffling of the feet, suddenly his through on goal! His goals against Bournemouth must rank among the best so far this season. Liverpool, in my opinion, is a delight to watch.

AFF cup final

Malaysia will play Vietnam in the two leg final of the AFF cup. The first leg will be played in Malaysia tonight if I am not wrong. All tickets are sold out. Thousands of fan queued overnight at the stadium hoping to get tickets once the counter opened. Thousands came, thousands got what they came for but thousands were disappointed as tickets were all sold out! Hmm.... so much the interest. I hope Malaysia wins the cup. At home, play an attacking game. Use our fast moving forwards on the wings, get the goals. Then in the away, play a defensive game. Play deep but keep it tight in the penalty area.

In KL

Was in KL yesterday after a long time. Two or three weeks I think since I was last there. Now that I'm staying in the Jeram area, which is about an hour's away from KL, I seldom go to KL unless I have something to do. Yesterday for example was to attend a wedding. Since I was already in KL, took the opportunity to meet a friend at Subang Parade. I got home at about 4pm. When my next trip will be I have no idea. Its the school holidays now. I might have some time but once the school starts, Akid will be in standard one. Maisarah will still be in preschool. Whatever it is, we will be busy starting next year. For me, its the second time around after about twenty years when my fourth child stared his standard one. He is now a working man already.

Gruesome

The Kashoggi murder is really gruesome. He was lured to his country's embassy in Turkey and then brutally murdered. It took his killers just seven minutes to kill him after he entered the embassy. His body was then cut up and dismembered. Until today the body has not been found. Initially only his disappearance was questioned but as it became abundantly clear that something was amiss, the disappearance turned to suspected murder. The Saudi's initially denied it but when it became impossible to do so as the evidence were overwhelming, tried to cover up with tall tale stories. Of course nobody believed it. Finally they admitted to murder. The fifteen killers were taken to custody and will be tried but the world is still asking, who ordered it? Just like in the case of Altantuya. Who ordered the murder?

Cannot access

Don't know what is wrong but yesterday I couldn't access my blog. This morning I had problem accessing it. It took a few minutes before I managed to get through. Tried other websites, they all seem alright. It was just business as usual but when I tried accessing my blog, I couldn't. After trying a few times I was finally able to get through. Hope it is just a small hiccup, the kind that you get everyday in your life. Its been ten years since I started it, in 2008. I hope to go on for ten years more and beyond. I don't get many visitors but never mind, its not a problem to me. My problem will be when I have no desire to write anymore, for whatever the reason. That will be a problem.

Biggest kleptocracy

Its been more than six months since the historic day of 9th May when we Malaysians voted for a changed in government. It was a day when we decided enough is enough. The kleptocracy government has to go, no doubt about it. Needless to say, when we managed to do it, I was overjoyed. It was a day I have been waiting for so long. Now, six months on, have I regretted what we have done? Absolutely no! Many of the corrupt leaders of the previous government have been charged. Many more are waiting in line. That's what we want. That's why we did what we did. They were destroying the country, putting it to shame. Now it is all behind us. Let's move forward to a better future with the  new government.

Having a dip

Changing taste buds

I never knew that taste buds can changed but now I know it can because I am experiencing it. Before I was never able to eat the small spicy chili (cili api) because it is so hot but now, I can. Before, just putting a piece of the chili in a dish would be too much for me. What more if the chili were to be cut up. However, now, I can even eat it raw. Wow! That's a massive transformation. My only explanation for it is because for the past seven years, my wife have been putting the chili in most of the dishes that she cooked. So, little by little, I began to get used to it until today, I suddenly find that I can take them. Now I can't wait to try some of the hot offerings that I was unable to enjoy before like the spicy condiment (sambal) in Publika, Damansara Perdana and the Assam Pedas Power in Melaka.

All is not lost

What a disappointing game. Malaysia huff and puff but couldn't get the goals they wanted. Thailand played a controlled game, very well disciplined in containing the Malaysian attack. They played deep, keeping it tight in the last third of the field, not allowing any room for the Malaysians to maneuver. On their rare counter attacks, they almost stole a goal. The Malaysians will need to very careful in the return leg as the Thais will surely play a totally different game when playing at home. At the moment, the advantage is with the Thais but all is not lost....yet. There's still ninety minutes of play.

Fun time

Having a good time

When aunties meet their nieces.