MaKan & MaKan Lagi

To all Friends yang sempat berkunjung semalam .... Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. Nice meeting you all (oppss, after soooooo many years!)

Pada yang tak sempat jumpa semalam, see you all in Ri-Yaz Heritage Resort & Spa next Saturday, October 17. Please be informed that the venue is at 'VERENDAH' and the function will start at 3.00 pm sharp.

Good Luck Dear

To Adik @ Geena

BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR PMR EXAM













P/S - didn't realise that you're a big girl now.
alway thought that you're still our little darling .....

What A Raya .......

Sampai tanah malaya dah nak hampir senja, dah nak masuk malam raya. capet banget deh sebab gak bisa tidur masa dalam pesawat !. tekak dah mula perit dan batuk semakin menjadi jadi -sinario biasa aku setiap kali lepas pulang dari tanah haram. preparation untuk raya tahun ini below par. lepas beli lemang & rendang di pasar dato keramat terus tarik selimut sebab temperature sudah rising. the whole night jugak tak boleh lena sebab asyik terbatuk batuk !. bangun pagi dah kol 10.15, confirm solat sunat edul fitri terlepas. suara pun dah tak keluar !!. walaupun jiran-jiran di sebelah dan depan rumah juga tak balik kampung, tapi tak terasa pun seperti hari lebaran !!!!. well, the whole day berayalah kita sekeluarga di rumah dengan instant lemang & kueh kueh kering.

the problem started on the second day of raya. kata adik "kok jadi begini buk, gak ada papa yang enak mau di maken". and as usual adik came up with a bright ideal. so, there we were ....hari raya brunch in our favourite serena in nikko.

Hopefully we had a better raya next year .....


(hidangan hari raya 2009)



(waduh, kok uda besar mau di suapin !)



(makan tetap makan)

Looking forward to a better raya next year
& to all friends, a belated selamat hari raya dari kami sekeluarga.

Tarawih & Tahajud

Dapat juga aku menghabiskan hari hari terakhir ramadhan tahun ini di masjid al haram. kali terakhir aku bersujud mengadap baitullah adalah pada akhir ramadhan 2006. suara imam al saudis dan al makki masih seperti dulu, begitu syahdu dan merdu dan membuat aku menangis hiba semasa bersujud menunaikan solat tarawih dan tahajud.walaupun kali ini cuaca tersangat panas dan tempat penginapan lebih jauh dari masjid (akibat kerja kerja pengubahsuaian masjid), aku bersyukur kerana dapat melakukan ibadah dengan penuh keinsafan dan kesabaran.semoga Tuhan ampun segala dosa dosa aku.



(menunggu iftar diperkarangan masjid al nabawi)



(pemandangan masjid al haram dari hotel)



(suasana di dalam masjid al haram)



(sekadar berlindung dari panas matahari dengan suhu sekitar 49 C)


Ya Allah, semoga engkau memberi peluang lagi kepada ku untuk mengunjungi tanah haram mu. tambahkanlah kepada baitullah kebesaran, keagungan, kehebatan dan juga kemuliaan. Amin.

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!)