Al-Fathihah ... A Traggic Farewell

i've known the late dr. amin tai and dr. haliza since my early days in hospital kuala lumpur way back in 1985. our friendship grew even stronger ever since we started working together in the same organization since the last 10 years. A renowned pediatric surgeon, an active mercy volunteer and a nature lover, amin tai will always be remembered by family members and friends. likewise, haliza a skillful & caring pediatrician and also an active mercy volunteer will also be sadly missed by all friends.

Their decomposed bodies were airlifted from a deep ravine in bukit taboh, hulu klang yesterday evening. been among the first to identify the body, at a glance i just couldn't recognize them, but the backpacks stacked to their bodies were definitely theirs.

Amin and haliza were schedule to scale mount kinabalu again on saturday with a few other friends. i presumed on that fated wednesday evening, both must have decided to go for a warm-up before the kinabalu trip. Both were seasoned trekkers, having been to the everest base camp, and having reached some of the highest peaks in africa and asia. Why the need for a warm-up when they have conquered the kinabalu peak before.

i'll always remember amin as a close friend and a mentor. to the many surgeons in the country who were trained by him, will definitely remember him for his patience, fine decision makings, skill surgical techniques and his dedications to his job. and mercy will now be without 2 active volunteers for medical emergencies.

Al-Fathihah to dear friends. May Allah rest both of you in peace and make your abode in Jannah.

Sabar Aja lah

dulu kata nak a bigger car, kereta yang lebih tinggi, boleh nampak traffic ahead. and now after driving for 2 weeks, katanya tak bestlah sangat, bawak rasa bumpy semacamlah, tak der accelerationlah, nak park susahlah. sekarang ni ada orang tu asyik bawak kereta kita pulak. ish ish ish sabooooorrrrr aje lah.

Jakarta Revisited

I can't exactly remember how many time i've visited this city, but for sure this was my second visit for the year. For the kiddos this was their first even venture. Over the years, jakarta has really transformed. back in the mid 90's when grand hyatt was THE only hotel in town, one now is spoilt with choices of superb 5 stars accommodation.



(and there we were at Ascott. unfortunately we couldn't get the rooms on the higher floor as the occupancy rate was very high. needless to say, the location was good and very closed to the major shopping malls)



(view from the room overlooking the plaza indonesia and grand indonesia mall)


talking about jakarta, i'm always inspired by their inhabitants and their way of life. sometimes i think life is really unfair - looking at the poor on the street struggling hard to earn an honest living, the under privilege street kids and the helpless baggers. and in between the misery are the noble rich in their shinning lexus and bimmers (opss, btw i've already sold my bimmer !).


(and the greener part of jakarta pusat .... Ascott in the background)


Although the traffic in jakarta is a nightmare, i still feel that dbkl can learn a few tips from them to help manage our own chaotic traffic. For those who fancy shopping (the other half included), then jakarta should be on the list. for bargain hunters, mangga dua, tanah abang and blok m are among the options. Grand indonesia plaza is perhaps the biggest designers outlet mall in south east asia with hundreds of stalls ranging from nina ricci to harvey nicole. but the only setback is the branded goods in these stalls are perhaps 30 to 40% more expensive that in klcc - no wonder the jakartarians always shop for branded products overseas. and the mall also houses some fine restaurants (also fairly expensive and perhaps out of reach for ordinary jakartarians). we pay close to rm 400.00 for the dinner, which could have only cost us about rm 250.00 if it was in klcc)


.... and some of the images captured on our slr


....a must eat thing. despite on a 6 hourly feeding, i have only gained 0.5 kg in 3 days.






(a fairly common phenomena in jakarta ..."peaceful demonstration" . unlike in kl, the police were there to assist and not resist. and thanks god they never get sprayed!)



another common sight in downtown jakarta





(anybody fancy sop buntut or sop kepala kambing, then this is the place!)

Reunion

it's been more that 20 years since we left the medical school. and the opportunity to catch up with them again was very nostalgic. there are those whom i totally lost touch with. and for some, though we hardly met in person, their whereabouts were known as they constantly appeared in the newspapers and tvs. i must say i'm very proud of you people. and among us, quite a number of our children are now in the medical school scattered all over the world. to dato' charlie, dato' maamor, prof zea, jah and irma thank you for your effort and hard work in organizing the get together.





and some friends caught on my camera



(tapo & irma)



(daud, nazri @ head department ophthalmology kangar hospital, zai @ director of health services seremban)



(murni @ director tangling hospital kl, adib, rick @ consultant radiologist DSH, jee @ head department of psychiatry selayang hospital, man @ director serdang hospital)



(murni, jee, azie @ director utm student health clinic, noi @ deputy dean faculty of medicine uitm, adib @ practitioner kl)



(general ello @ consultant physician & director lumut hospital, yeop @ head department of pathology, ipoh hospital, zai, pian @ consultant anesthetist southern hospital melaka, daud)



(man, maamor @ persatuan pengguna islam)



(rick, jee, jah @ practitioner ipoh, muhaya @ consultant ophthalmologist prince court medical centre, ba'e @ batu pahat director of health services)

well friends, i'll load more pictures in my fotopages. till we meet again, you people take care !