A short reflection...

Well, the year 2005 had been a great year for Me and the rest of the family.. We all had a great time in one way or the others... One of the greatest thing of been a Malaysian is that we all get to celebrate all the major festivals of the world and last week was Christmas, so on the Christmas eve being Saturday we decided to have a family dinner at the restaurant at the local club nearby... The whole family of three generations were there, us the Grandma and Grandpa, our daughter and her husband and their kids and another daughter who is back from Boston... So here we are on Christmas eve having a family dinner at a restaurant all decorated for Christmas, the waiters and waitress were all dress up in Christmas dresses and of course there were Santa as well... What a Christmas without a Santa! As I have said before I am not a member of any club but in this case non member are allowed to dine here...Out daughter and son in law are members so for tonight we get a ten percent cut for been with them...Anyway we decided to foot the bill for this dinner... Unlike the other day it turn out to be a great dinner and we all really enjoy it. And as usual little Adibah, who we call princess, in her pink dress were really enjoying herself at this party of a sorts... She would walk and wonder around the spacious dining area and joyfully run back to the table smiling with that cheerful look...It makes me real happy to see her in such a joyful and delightful manner.....Our grandson, the first boy in the family have grown up to be a fine young boys and take to the cyberspace like duck to the water... He love to tell stories of the books that he has just read and want to do a degree in Computer...Well it is at least his dream now, what it would eventually be I have to just wonder, but never, never underestimate kids today's, they are a new breed of our species that could do anything once they set their mind to it... We use to say that the sky is the limit...To today's kid it is no long true, the sky is their new frontiers in their never ending endeavors in search for a better tomorrow.....These kids nowadays are so different from my generation..In that early age already have visions of what they want to be when they grew up....A forth night ago our eldest granddaughter got 7 A's in her PMR [lower secondary examination] and for the family it is worth a celebration for her excellent achievement......I have always emphasize that education is very important for their future and I think they got the message and at present are doing well indeed in their studies..... We were all really delighted with her achievement in this examination and in a way tonight's dinner is a sort of a celebration for that achievement...I guess that is indeed a great gift to the family for the year 2005 and it is indeed a great way to end the year 2005 with that optimistic note.... Hey! Wait a minutes..The Moslem festival of Eid Adha would be on January 10 whereas The Chinese New Year festival is around the corner as well...This year it fall on January 29, 2006..So here we goes again, another festivals to celebrate....What a life....Have a nice day....

Happy New Year 2006

Well this year come mid night on December 31, 2005, we Malaysian would be celebrating the New Year 2006 with the usual celebration of Fireworks, Live entertainment shows in many night spots in Kuala Lumpur and other major cities of Malaysia...Last year we did not celebrate it because of the Tsunami.....Well the count down has began, Happy New Year to all and may we all have a great life in the year 2006

A sufi thought....

Well.. for today just give a serious thought to this words of wisdom " Trust in God, but tie your camel's leg".....Have a nice day...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2006

Here are some scenes of Christmas decorations at the Suria Shopping Mall at the Petronas Twin Tower. This Christmas tree is five storey high and it stand majestically in the center of the mall's main concourse...I was there a few days ago... My spouse and our daughter were doing the shopping while I whilst the time browsing along and window shop. With plenty of time to wonder in this great shopping mall,I took its easy and explore.....The mall were throng with shoppers of Malaysian and foreigners of all walk of life, seen going about doing their business the way they like it, and enjoying the good life in this country ..As a Malaysian to me the year 2005 had been a great year... The country is getting prosperous and the people continue to have a great life... Let us continue to work toward peace and live in harmony, so that we all may continue to enjoy life....Right from the beginning of the year we start celebrating national festivals of one kind or the other... Starting with The Chinese New Year, then the Dewali for the Hindu, the Eid Mubarak for the Moslem and now come Christmas for the Christian and in a month time Moslem would be celebrating the Eid Adha... What a way to go Malaysian!!!.... We all celebrate its our way...And in shopping we all always find excuses to do just that...Shop! Shop! And shop!...And with the endless of festivals, what better time to do just that...Shopping and enjoying doing it.. May all my Christian friends have a bless Christmas this year and a Happy New year 2006 to all....

High tech...Eh!!

At the Great Eastern mall, I parked the car at the third basement floor. Normally I would park my car at the second basement floor but for today it look like the mall is crowded...So I went down one more floor and parked the car there... And then went to take the lift up to the Lower Basement....There are already another couple with kids waiting for the lift to arrive, it took rather longer then the usual to arrive this time...Usually at this new shopping mall the lift were rather efficient...So we waited patiently...And after a few minutes the lift arrived and the door of the lift open. As usual we wait for the occupants to leave first and then we all went into the lift and press the relevant buttons to our destined floors...As soon as the door of the lift closed an electronic voice greet us saying " We are sorry to keep you all waiting".. It startled me!!,,, for this is the first time that a lift apologized for making us wait...What a way to go!!...That electronic voice did the jobs of a senses of the responsibility of this lift, giving it a human face...Another person in the lift remark that "well..That is high tech"...True in this age of electronics we all can never know what would they think of next!!...For a second I was lost as what to say and was about to reply "Its is alright" to that electronic voice...But I stop short of saying that..That instant reply is only natural to us human when interacting with another of our species but how do we react with an alien of a sorts ?!...The talking lift.. What a way to go and with that live continue to be interesting and as colorful as ever...Have a nice day...

The dinner, the coffee and Me...

I am not a member of any exclusive clubs such as the golf or recreation clubs...The first reason is that it is too expensive to be a member of one and the second reason is that I do not play golf...But I do get to venture inside the clubs from time to time when friend's club members invite us for dinner or lunch....One such club is the Lake club at the lake garden, a club that was set up by the British colonial government for its kind of people and now after independence Malaysian have taken to the management of the clubs and its members are mostly Malaysian now...Well a few days ago a couple invited us to dinner there...So we accepted the invitation and went and hoping to have more of a good time rather than having the actual dinner....Because the invitation was to the club we dress accordingly for the occasion...So out we went to the club...At the club our host say that we should proceed to Sri Hartamas, another township for that dinner... Well we were in a sorts of dilemma actually...First the dress, if it is for the food court at Sri Hartamas, I would just put on a jean and a t_shirt, for that is how I would dress to such places...Anyhow, by some unseen intervention, perhaps from our guidance angels... The host got the message that we all were not really happy and ready to go to Sri Hartamas...They then decided to have the dinner at the Club....With that we sat to finding a restaurant to have dinner...At one restaurant, we had no luck of getting a table despite the numerous requests from our host to the waiter...To me they look rather busy and just could not help to get us a table..Very busy indeed.!!!, I just do not know!!....Anyway it does not matter to me...Our host I sense were not that happy with the situation and then suggest that we have dinner at the Chinese Restaurant there...So we proceed to the Chinese Restaurant and since the place were almost empty we got ourselves a table without fuss...And had the usual dinner of Chinese foods...The service here were OK but I felt it need improvement, anyway I had no complain and set to enjoy the dinner and chat along while we all enjoy the dinner....And then at just past nine thirty, the spouse of the host decided that we should have coffee at the coffee corner of the club...Knowing this charming lady well, I truly believe that she wanted to have coffee and enjoy the evening at a better surrounding...So what better place then the coffee corner of the club!.....I was delighted and happy with her suggestion...And We, the three couples move out of the Restaurant and went to the coffee Conner and ordered coffee and some other drinks....And guess what!!!, we were told that the place is closed for the night and the waiter could only served us plain water, She did just that and then left us in a lurch... What an evening!!!... Actually I was desperate for a cup of coffee, for it has been my ritual to have a cup of steamy hot coffee after lunch or dinner and now I just could not have one... Well what could I do for I am just the guest....I believe all guests behave themselves when such things happen, lest we embarrassed the host... Anyway we sat there. Both the host and us are of the same age group, the other couple are of our children's generation...He is by profession an Accountant but now has gone into farming for reason He only knew and could understand..Personally I am wondering why he chose farming rather then getting a fat pay as an accountant...Well!!..Our species are a peculiar one indeed!.... We always have reasons for doing things and I believe He has his reasons and we all have to respect that...His spouse I found out later works with an IT company and enjoying been a career women..They came with their young daughter, a sweet little girl, cheerful and well behaved throughout the dinner...Well finding the area comfortable to sit and chat...We just took the time to chat and yarns along on subjects that just came to our minds...And while in the midst of yarning, a couple came over and we were introduced...A gentlemen of my age and his charming spouse, the gentlemen, whom I later on found out to be one of my classmate of the class of 1957...Wan Othman is his name and an Engineer by profession and now like me retired...Hey!! What a way of meeting someone who were in the same class, after more than fifty years!!..So the issue of the plain water and coffeeless evening soon became irrelevant now and forgotten.......At this juncture the young couple decided to call the night off. And with that we all continue to yarn along with stories of old times intercept with some recent developments that we both seem to be involved without us as yet rediscover our long lost past....In our chat I found that these couple, a member of the club as well, already got their fair share of disappointment at the club this evening...I guess that in a club that have hundreds of members, things happened from time to time...In a way it is to be expected...Anyway with the dinner settling down and the 'coffee' issue has died down as well...We continue to yarn of old times and exchange notes and as the night goes I began to recollect ..Slowly my memories of him and the past events in our former school[Abdullah School, Kuantan] became clearer. Despite without that coffee and just served with one glass of plain cold water, with the chats became more interesting and colorful we soon forgot about the drink.....With so many interesting stories to tell we soon lost track of times and went on to chat until late night and eventually left the place at after one in the early morning... Had it not for the good chat that I had had with my new found old friend, the evening would have been a dull one....,instead it turn out to be a very enjoyable evening indeed.... Well friends that is life...Some times things happen when you least expect!... And it is these small happening that makes life so colorful....Nothing is perfect in this world and we have to makes 'hays while the sun shines' and enjoy the minutes passes by..For to me living is to be enjoyed...As for clubbing I guess that I am right of not been a club member after all....Have a nice day.

Of Lady and blogs.....

Blogging takes some of my time...I have plenty of it...Time..It is mine now and at my command....So I write blog and read other's...Making the time I spend in cyberspace productive...For those who do not visit cyberspace do not realized that they are missing much, for cyberspace is a new world altogether... Almost everything are there to be use and enjoy...From time to time I found blogs that continue to post interesting and thought provocative view...Others post images that are a wonder by itself. True to the saying that picture tell a thousand stories...So for today I would like to introduce three blogs that I found interesting, provocative, full of knowledge and at time amusing...And in one word as colorful as the personalities themselves...So friends do visit these blogs from three Malaysian ladies, though of the same age group are living in a very different kind of world altogether... A new generation of women that have taken upon themselves to venture into new territories and dare to be difference.. Take this blogger for example...She is obviously a mother and career women who is dynamic as well in her job, then there is this young lady, a diligent one who seem to be enjoying doing new things and it look like she is real good at it...And this blogger who is working in a faraway land and look like having a great time doing her job of helping others..A sorts of a social worker who is trying to make living beautiful as ever......These are the generation of my children...Women were not like them during the period of my Grandma and Mother...Women were at that time were just playing the role of the homemaker and a very submissive wife...They mostly were not been given any other roles...Only as the old saying say 'orang dapur' [roughly translate...Kitchen people]..They are the kitchen's department people!!...?...Those were the days..., it is no more like that in these days and age..The changing role of women start to change during my generation. And today women especially of my children's generation, like the three bloggers I mentioned, are the new breed of Malaysian women that are in the forefront in almost every fields, despite still had to play that important role of a homemaker...Juggling their times with raising kids which are the nation future assets with their career as well....As a person who have been involved in social engineering works before, I am optimistic that the emergence of these new breed of career women in the society would augur well for the future of this country we call Malaysia...It does not matter to me where they are, in the country or overseas, they are in a way contributing to making this world of ours a better place to live and enjoy life...To them all 'Syabas' and carry on with whatever you are doing and I believe that you all are indeed contributing greatly to the society, as well as to those kids that you give guidance now.. True to the saying that " the hand that rock the cradles could also rock the world"....Have a nice day....

Another colorful day....

Well.. I wake up to another beautiful day... It did not rain this morning although it rain last night.. So as usual my other car which is park outside the house is wet again...It is the classic Volvo 122 that is one of its kind in the neighborhood where I live.. Even without the rain, I still had to clean it so that it had that great look of a classic...As usual the ritual start with getting my patio clear and in good looking after the end of the day yesterday...Our patio are in two parts, one is the 'serambi' made of wood and plank and it has that traditional Malay house look and the other part has slate tile floor, together with the fish pond and the small fountain, some banana and bamboo plants,small shrub and ferns, it give these space a sort of a rough and rural look with a difference..The ornamental Banana Plant that I had planted and nurtured had grown well and its gorgeous pink fruits add color and glamour to my patio...When it rain the translucent roof protect the space from getting too wet, but at the same time one could see the rain drops as well as hear the pattering sound of that rain as it drop on the thin translucent roof...I love to be there when it rain...Especially to enjoy that special freshness smell that only comes with the rain....As usual all the greens had to be watered and weeded, so that it do not turn into a jungle...In the tropic if you neglect an area for a while it would turn into a sort of a jungle, so not to allow such things happen, a regular tending had to be done...So today I took to weeding and watering these space outside my patio and while doing that my cell phone beep...I stop doing whatever and accept the call... What a surprise!!, it is a call from an old school friend that I had lost touch....It was great indeed to get in touch again...We talk a while and promise to do more later and perhaps meet....I would write more about this friend of mine later...What a day...It has indeed been an enjoyable day....

The Rain...

Well it is the end of the year again... As usual at these time of the year we get plenty of rain...If you live on the East coast of Peninsular Malaysia, in the states of Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan and Johor, or the West coast of Sarawak and Sabah which faces the South China Sea, than you are subjected to the strong winds of the North East Monsoon....It brings strong rain and wind and the sea would be a dangerous place to be at that time of the year, high waves all throughout the three months from now to the end of January.....I was born and bred on the East Coast, a small town of Kuantan, a coastal township that nestle along the mouth of the Kuantan River....It is indeed a beautiful small town, at that time in the forties it had two streets, one the Main Street and the other the Wall Street [now renamed Mahkota].... Well talking about rain always bring me memories of my childhood on the east coast...The river, the sea, the mountain ranges, the jungle, the mangrove swamp are all sorts of playground to us kids....And of course the rain that comes at the end of the year...It rains cat and dogs and it would keep raining for days and weeks without stopping. Sometime the coconut oil that we use then, would turn semi solid....In the tropic the monsoon would actually cool down the tropical weather, which is normally hot and humid...For us kids at that period of time, it is indeed a welcome period, where we could swim on the swelling drain and ponds, care less about the world around us...Get wet everyday was just normal and playing in the rain were a real wonderful experiences....Drenched and shivering at time does not deter us from playing in the rain,... It was really fun and we kids really enjoy it...What a day in our childhood....Last week we were at our Malacca's home and outside it was raining cats and dogs as well...The beach which is just two hundred meter from our front window were bashed with strong waves on and on and we could hear the bashing that far... And I found out that the same is happening at this moment in time to the weather on the east coast, where a close friend spend half a month there throughout the years.. And in his email today, He say that he is enjoying the rain as well... Well friends that is living, for whatever comes we should continue to enjoy life as usual.... take care.

So what is reality...

......These fruits are not the real things, but was thought so by a group of monkeys that happen to pass by my patio... A few took it and after biting it, found that it is not real, throw it away...I found a few scattered around and then collect the one that are not touched and here it is display once again on my coffee table...What a deceiving images....So what is reality!!...

A personal space...

Yes, a personal space, a space of our own... As space in time and moment that we want for ourselves alone... A space that we want to be independence of anyone else....A moment in time that we want to jealously guard as our own and we have the right to have one...The special personal space in time.... As I journey on in life and getting there in my golden age...I yearn to have that personal space more and more and slowly and surely I am getting there....It is not that easy and I believe with perseverance and patience I would eventually get there...It does not mean that I want to be alone all the time...It is not that...I love to be with my loves one but that sometime I do really need my own personal space....A time that I could dreams, whilst away in the clouds, contemplate, flirt in my mind and wonder of all the possibilities, to be able to spend time with friends on my own and on my own choice, without being subject to other people reaction...I want to be able to do my things my way...The way I like it,during that special space in time..From the time we are born, we have been subject to live with others and subject to be living in a common space in time, we are subject to rules and regulation that are made for us and that us not being involve in the making it...We are program to believe in certain value and norms and we are expected to go on believing in it whether we like it or not...In a way we are subjected to live and conform with the values and norms of our parents and our own culture...If not we would not be allow to live comfortably in the society...Personally I think this is wrong...We are human with individual brain and such we should be our own self always...Of course with should conformed with the society rule and regulation as far as civil society is concerned but at the same time we should be allowed to live our own life as we like... When I was living in the States some years ago...I found that I am more free to live as I like although I am a foreigner...I believe this should be the way forward...Making everyone happy and able to contribute constructively to the country and the world at large...We would not have all the new inventions and all the new discoveries if we are not allow to think and venture on, on the belief that there are better place and things in the future... Had it not been for that freedom of thinking, we would not be able to communicate like we do now...i.e. the internet. All the new happening and inventions did not just happen...I believe it is because we were allow that personal space in time, to think and to take that risk and venture on...That makes our world a better place to live and enjoy life....In another front, if we want to makes our marriages life successful and achieve all those dreams together, we have to respect each other, especially in the aspect of giving each other that freedom of having a personal space in time, from time to time...It is only with the understanding that we are all individual and have the need of that personal space...That make life so wonderful...And like I often said...It would be colorful as well....My friends that is life....Have fund and enjoy.... I blog this from my Malacca's home...

From Mata Mata to Polis...

The local newspaper reports of anger from Malaysian of what just happen New Straits Times.. Well it is to be expected.... I hope the Police would put things right quickly so that things would get to normal again... As a person that saw the transformation of a humble policing unit that was formed during the colonial era by the British...I do appreciate all the good work that our policemen and women have been doing all these while...First it was just know as Mata Mata [translate into English it means Eye Eye]...It is supposed to be the Ears and Eyes of the colonial master... So at that time the society were not that friendly with the Mata Mata but as the country develop the Mata Mata was change to just Polis in the national language...It soon transformed itself into a people friendly institution and with that the society at large soon appreciate what the Polis were doing for them...But like any institution the society soon took the existence of this very important institution as just always been there, to create the peaceful atmosphere that we all took for granted now.... We all should realized that the Polis is a very important institution of our society for without them I doubt we would really have the peace in the country like now....The police in this country have play many roles in bringing peace to this country...It was the Polis Hutan [Police Field Force] that together with the Army that fought the communist terrorist insurgents in the forties until the early sixties...Many good men and women were lost in these fight and after independence they continue to play a very important role in keeping the peace in this multi cultural country, for without them I do not think we would be able to walk the street in peace like we do now...In any institution especially with hundred of thousand members, there surely be some black sheep or bad apples...But we all should not forget that are more good policemen and women doing their jobs diligently then the few bad one...So in these time of finger pointing, where the few have tarnished the good reputation of the police...I believe we all should continue to support our Police and not to be distracted with some of the bad moment in the history of this great institution of ours.... The Royal Malaysian Police or the PDRM [Polis Diraja Malaysia]....To all the good people that makes the PDRM do proceed on and let me assure you all that we really appreciate what you are doing in trying to keep the peace and harmony in this country...Personally I thanks those hard working cops that sweats in the sun just so that we may be able to drive with pleasure on our streets and roads and to all the other cops whether in uniform or plain clothes that are out there keeping the peace for us all....We Malaysian should not forget that it is because of the good work of our policemen and women that we all could go to sleep every night with peace and not to worry upon waking up, thus managed to go on making a living to support our families and love one days in and days out in peace....So to all the Policemen and Women, Terima Kasih [Thank You ]...

Changing of the guard...

Well today we saw the changing of the guard in Germany, one of the largest economy in Europe...This time a lady took over the leadership of this country that had for a long time been in the hand of the male of our species...... She is the conservative leader Angela Merkel [BBC news], who was today elected as the new Chancellor of Germany, the first lady to held this post....It is indeed an interesting development and we all hope that she would give Germany the leadership that the country need now.... Once Great Britain had a lady leader in Margaret Thatcher,...the Iron Lady they call her, who lead her country to a new height...Could we expect leaders such as Hillary Clinton or Condoleezza Rice to be the next President of the United State!!...Well anythings are possible now that those ladies that was given the leadership role in the past, like in the states of Israel, Great Britain and now Germany have pave the way for women to play a more pivotal role in the country political leadership.... They have shown that they are as capable as their male counterpart in the leadership role of a country... Well America.. Would we see a lady as the next president of the USA.?....

Politic, the arts of the possible...

They say that politic is the arts of the possible...As a person who have been somewhat involved in the politic of the country, to me, the event that is happening in Israel today is another of that possibility...The resignation of Sharon from the Likud Party that He found and than forming a new party to continue on his political life...What a strategic...I believe that Ariel Sharon had took a calculated risk and because of the present political environment in Israel now, I believe He could win with a much bigger support in the next election, come February or March 2006.... For us who have been watching the development of peace in the middle east and hope for a lasting peace, I think He still has a lot to do in order to get the peace process with the Palestinian going...It is not going to be an easy task but I believe that these new development would go a long way in bringing peace to these trouble area....As usual the Middle east had been a place of many surprises!!...So here we goes again...And I hope that in not too distance future, there would be real peace in the Middle east and that the state of Palestine would be realized. With that there would be real peace to this historical area of our world...Let us all pray for peace and hope that the year 2006 would be a year of Peace in these area of our world...

Interesting blog...

As I surf I found that cyberspace is becoming more and more interesting and with the birth of blogging the journey became not only interesting but knowledgeable as well..The are many great blogs out there that worth a visit from time to time and here is one of my favorite... Do find the time to visit it... A sweet, familiar Dissonance.....Like me I am sure you would enjoy reading the postings....Have a nice day

A thought provocative article...

This is a thought provocative article by Suhaini Aznan -the Star/ANN..As it appear in e.sinchew-i.com.... ...Thin Line Between honor And Terror...I believe all of us have been raised up to be Good always and never ever to think of doing otherwise..... Remember that evils comes in many forms but we all know too well that Good always prevail over Evils...So let us do our bits in making this world of ours a better place to live and enjoy life, for us now and for the future generations..

Halwa Muskat..Sweet cake...

I have often said that Malaysia is fortunate to be a Multi cultural country... With that we have inherited many varieties of foods, cakes and cookies... And as the country became more sophisticated and the society became more knowledgeable... More and more foods are being put on the table as years goes on... Come the various festivals then we see more and more cakes and cookies appear, some are new but the traditional one still stay...One of our favorite is the Sweet cake that we call the Halwa Muskat, which I believed originated from the Middle East.... When my dad was running a restaurant, he would make the Halwa Muskat for sale during the Ramadan and now our family try to keep that tradition alive by doing the same either on the Hari Raya Haji [ Eid Adha ] or the Hari Raya Puasa [ Eid Mubarak ]...The ingredients are simple... It is made with ordinary white flour, ghee, Sugar, Vegetable Oil and some cuts cashews nuts.. But making this Halwa is not that easy..., it actually need patience and lots of labor...For it had to be cook slowly with slow fire using a solid bronze/copper pan...If the fire is too strong it would not turn alright...And in doing the cooking of this special Halwa..Patience is the essence of creating a perfect and nourishing Halwa Muskat...So it would be advisable to do it for the Eid Adha festival, for before this festival we do not have to fast unlike the Eid Mubarak.. After experiencing the making of this special for so many years, we learn through experiences that we could do it much early before the festival and than freeze it in the freezer and when the time of the festival comes...Just thawed it and re cook it like before and...Voila you get a great Halwa Muskat, fresh and tasty as usual.. In much shorter time...I love this special and it is on the table come the festival time...So friends as the saying goes, "God gave us brain so that we may have roses in Winter", It is indeed true...In this case in a way we could have this Halwa in mere instance.... Have a nice day...

Worth a visit...

Some years ago on surfing the internet, I found a site that is thoughts provoking and full of wisdom...As I journey on and visiting it several times, I found the contents has indeed enriched my life...So I decided to link it to my site, so that it gets a wider audiences...The the site is this reata.org...Do take the time to visit it and I am sure, like me you would be enlightens by the contents...Have a nice day.

Of Jobs and the Malay graduates...

Just a few days ago there were report of some sixty thousand Malay mostly woman graduates could not find jobs...It is an irony that in a country where there are full employment and some one million foreign workers working in this country that our graduates from the local universities could not find jobs in their own country....From the report it says one of the reason is that these graduates do not have the command of the English language, less self confidence then their counter part who graduated from foreign universities. Time and again it has been told that Malaysian youth must master the English Language but it look like it just left on deaf ears...I believe it is the responsibilities of the Local Universities to see that the product of their institution are of excellent quality and geared to the needs of the Market... At the same time the Malay community especially the young must take upon themselves to master the English language which would make them marketable...Why this is still happening I just could not comprehend...The report in the local newspaper .....The Malay community must take upon themselves to solved these problem that keep happening from years to years....A change in mind set would solved these problems and at the same time not to be over dependence on the government...It is only with a new mind set could the Malay community succeed like the other Malaysian do...The previous Prime Minister, Dr.Mahathir Mohd say that he had not been successful in changing the mind set of the Malay..He was the leader for the last twenty two years and He admit that He had failed, Why is it so...And now the new Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is still saying the same thing and I hope this time He would be successful...But I doubt it would happen if the Malay did not wake up to the reality of today's world..Their culture must change with time..They must accept the global culture like the other Malaysian do...In another word they must change their mind set...Like acquiring more knowledge, master the English language as well the most important Asian language, Mandarin...They should talk less about religion but instead practice more and more of the good value that their religion teaches..The world is getting global and any race that do not follow or get into the global culture, would be left behind...I would suggest that the Malay should continue to accumulate knowledge, open their mind as wide as possible, for this they should travel overseas and to as many countries as possible and read as much books in English and Mandarin or other languages...Another media that they should accept as their culture is the Internet, they must get use to the internet, where information are endless, for their future depend on themselves alone, not on the government spoon feeding them or other people, they have to help themselves ...The Chinese saying ' give a man a fish and he would live for a day, but teach him to fish, he would be able to fend for himself forever' So fellow friends, please do learn to fish...This is the only way toward success....

Keeping the tradition alive...

Tradition dies hard so they say but with globalization it would soon die if we all are not careful... So in our family like all other Malay families we tried hard to keep some of the tradition alive, like the wearing of the traditional Malay dress and the preparation some of our traditional foods so that it would be there forever, come Hari Raya day... Take the case of the Ketupat and Rendang..It would not be Hari Raya in the Malay world without these two traditional foods, that only the Malay know how to do it best, perfect and well... To me personally the Ketupat and Rendang should be there on the table come Hari Raya...For without it the real atmosphere of a perfect Malay Hari Raya would be a great miss...So what is so great about this Ketupat and Rendang....Well the Ketupat is special because it is simply an authentic Malay food...It is actually rice cook in a container made of coconut Leave intricately woven into a small box like container and then rice is put inside it and boiled until it is cook solid with a soft texture of its own...It is then cut into cubes. Because it is cooked in containers made of coconut leaf, it retained the taste and aroma of the leaf, thus it peculiar smell and taste, that could not be got when the same is boiled using plastic container...As for the Rendang..It is an original of the Malay for it is cook entirely with various herbs and coconut milks...Except for the chilly no spices are use, although it look spicy....It actually do not contain any spices at all..Thus when well done it has a taste of its own and an aroma that comes only with the Rendang...It is done either with Chicken, Beef or Mutton and if it is well done, it would stay fresh for days without refrigeration... The Ketupat is then eaten with the Rendang, thus the saying "Ketupat and Rendang"....To me these two are a must for the Hari Raya spread... It surely would not be a perfect Hari Raya or Eid Mubarak in the Malay world without these traditional special....

Eid Mubarak... Selamat Hari Raya..

Today Malaysian Moslem celebrate the Aidil Fitri and it is the same with Moslem all the world....May everyone have peace and enjoy this auspicious day... To All I wish Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri or Eid Mubarak...Have a nice day...

Selamat Hari Raya - Happy Aidil Fitri...

Happy Aidil Fitri to all...May we all have a great time...It has been a wonderful year and I hope that it would continue to be so in the years to come...The greeting card below is what our grandchild, little Adibah did specially for us....It is simple thing like this that makes lives so wonderful...

..

This year EiD Mubarak came just two days after the Hindu festival of Dewali, which Malaysian also celebrate...In a multi racial, multi religious and multi languages country like Malaysia events like this are indeed a welcome coincidence.. For such great festivals that comes so close gave us Malaysian a great opportunity to celebrate it together, in the spirit of the festival itself...Peace and prosperity for all... To all Malaysian my wishes are that do take great care of the country...We are fortunate to be living in a peaceful and prosperous country where the wealth are shared by all...As the economic cake grew we shall together enjoy the added prosperity, thus enhance our quality of life...Malaysia is just forty eight years and a young country indeed...We had never had this good with the country enjoying full employment and everyone having a great time living in a prosperous and peaceful country...As a person who had live during the colonial era, the period of war, the Japanese occupation, the time of Emergency during the communist terrorist insurgent and then to the early days of independence...I know for sure that we have achieved much during that short period of our independence...Malaysian have never had these good... So continue to work hard and smart in the spirit of Malaysia Boleh Malaysian can do it ...so that the country would continue to be more prosperous, thus we would be able to enjoy a higher quality of lives and continue to enjoy life...... Once again Happy Dewali and Selamat Hari Raya to all,..Enjoy and Have a nice day.

Happy Dewali....

Happy Dewali to all Hindu, May we all prosper and continue to have a good life...Have a great Dewali....

Cheer Up....

Well friends, I had not been blogging for almost a week..Being away on a rest of a sorts...Would write about my retreat as I go on and in the meantime, do enjoy this great blooms in our garden. Colorful Orchids blooming at its best, awaiting the arrival of the Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. The day of celebration after the Ramadan Fasting month.. Enjoy...

Google Talk...

Well it look like time passes fast and hardly we knew it,the technology of using email is now thirty four years old....An amazing advancement in the way we communicate now...The email makes communicating so easy that we just took it for granted..Let look back at history of how it all begin...Read a little history ..the first email @ And hope that there are more things are on our way in the not too distance future...And today I just got to using another tool provided by Google..That my friends is Google Talk...Which make phone calls over the internet a piece of cake and it is free. I just got connected with friends in Malacca and Kelantan with ease...So why not try it yourselves and enjoy this new means of communication by phone, without having to pay those telephone bills..I guess I had it all now, with my Webcam and this Google Talk it make communicating with friends so enjoyable...So friends why wait... Go and download the Google Talk and get in touch, another way us Cybernuts could communicate...My gmail address is pakidrus@gmail.com ... Let get to talking other then just reading this blog... Have a nice day..Take care....

Datin Seri Endon Mahmood...Al Fatihah...

This morning a close friend Datin Sri Endon Mahmood, the wife of the Malaysian Prime Minister was call to the lord... She pass away peacefully at her home in Putra Jaya at Seven fifty five this morning of October 20, 2005... I got a call from a friend this morning saying that Endon has pass away...She had been sick for sometimes already... I switch the TV and there were the announcement on...I told my wife and decided to pay our respect and with the friend who call me this morning would part for Putra Jaya at eleven this morning....Without much ado, we left our home at eleven and then went to fetch the friend and his spouse...And straight away drove to Putra Jaya...One arrival we found there are already many people arriving to pay their respect to the late Datin Seri Endon...The whole area near the Prime minister's residence were pack with cars bumper to bumper and people moving in drove...We drove slowly and had to park our car about two kilometers away from the residence of the Prime Minister...So we walk all the way and as we approach the building, it start raining, more and more people start to arrive, we move on in the rain and eventually arrived at the main building...Not knowing where the entrance is we just follow on and found ourselves at the back of the building...Luck was on our side, the back door was open and we saw people coming out of it and then a worker allow us to enter by this door and take the lift, which would take us to the main building...With the others we got into the lift and arrived at the main entrance of the main hall... Here the arrival of people to pay their respect were well organized. With the crowd We follow slowly up the step and eventually got into the room where the Late Datin Seri Endon Mahmood were laid..., We say our prayer and move on...I decided to call on the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi himself...My former boss and a friend in the seventies, when He was serving as the Director of Youth in the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports..I was then his assistant...[read the link - Pak Lah on my Blogsite] I move on and shake his hand and say my condolence to him, follow by my wife who did the same and in that short moment had a short talk with Him and then move on...I stop to write a piece in the Condolence Book and then left the building....Well friends, that is life, one day you are there and the other moment No More.. I pray... May She find a place in heaven...Al Fatihah [The first Surah of the Koran]...Amen...

The Angel.....

"Angels are aspects of God that touch us in mysterious and subtle ways and on many levels of the mind. They are divine messengers of God that can transform our attitudes, change our thought patterns and renew our ideals if we open ourselves to their heedings."

- Harvey Humann

I believe in Angels...I do believe that an Angle is always there taking care of me....I just know that...Many times as I journey on, on my journey of life, whenever I really got stuck and just could not find a solution to a given problem...All of a sudden I got the feeling of not to worry, a sorts of a confidence..That come in an instance...And eventually got a solution to the problems and that make me real happy and satisfied and thanks God for the blessing.. All my lives I have these feeling of often being help from an unseen hand, whether in my jobs or just in some normal way...I would try to relate these stories from time as I go by....In the mean time, friends enjoy living and always be good and do good to others...We all live in one world, an island of a sort. Like any island we all could make this island a wonderful place to live and enjoy life if we cooperate...This island that we call the blue marble, is the only home we have..to share...So lets share it and continue to enjoy life as we journey on....

Dessert to go...

A dessert of glutinous rice, with mango and cream of coconut milk to go...A great way to end the dinner at Buka Puasa or the Breaking of the Fast....

Tragedy and Peace..

The tsunami in Acheh brought peace to the once war torn region so I hope that the Earthquake in South Asia in the region of Kashmir would also bring lasting Peace to this trouble region...This last two years we have seen disaster after disaster, The tsunami, Katrina, Rita and now the earthquake in Pakistan and India...Many lives were lost and maimed and properties destroyed....I convey my sympathy to all those that are effected and my condolences to those who lost their loves one...Let us all pray that this event, like the tsunami in Acheh would bring lasting peace to the trouble region of Kashmir...

Bali..AirAsia Malaysia...

This advertisement appear in the New Straits Times Malaysia on October 10, 2004. It say that AirAsia a Malaysian no frill airline are giving away five thousand free tickets to the holiday resort of Bali, that was hard hit by terrorists recently... Thanks to Tony...The CEO of AirAsia...It shows how concerned Malaysian are to the plight of our neighbor... Consistence with the policy of sharing our prosperity with our neighbor...May Bali continue to prosper...We all have to help Bali, for the good people of Bali depend on tourism for their living..I am indeed glad that the AirAsia are offering their contributions in this time of needs of a friendly country and neighbor....We have visited Bali two years ago and did enjoy our stay there...So do visit Bali and enjoy while helping the good people of Bali.. Have a nice day....

Of Dogs, a Lady and Bloggers....

I was thinking aloud after reading an article in an internet newspaper..The title of the article is such that it might offend those that are too sensitive...So as not to give that impression, that may lead others to have a different ideas of my intentions, thus this title of this posting today. It look simple enough and because the subject is so important and pertinent to us bloggers,I felt that I should share this piece of article that I found on the internet newspaper...It is indeed a thoughts provocative article...I read and reread this article and found that it is full of knowledge and wisdom...And because it is so I felt that this article should be read by all bloggers.. ...So that we all may be wiser in blogging our thoughts in the future..., This generation of Malaysian had never had it so good, especially so in the sharing our thoughts this wide..With Blogging now we all have that opportunity to write our thoughts and share it with others..We Malaysian who are living in a relative new democracy, have come this far and live in a prosperous country is because we live with a set of common value and law that help to keep the country at peace and harmony..The ingredients that made these countries what it is today...Prosperous and a peaceful country...And a great place to live and enjoy life...We may not have a total freedom of speech like in the west but then as I had often said before, what is freedom of speech if the country is not at peace with itself...Malaysia is a very young nation, just forty eight years old...So we have to give time for us to develop our own kind of that freedom of speech...We just cannot ape the west in such a short period of time..It took most of the western countries thousand of years to get where they are now and even America, it took them almost three hundred years to get where they are in the 'freedom of speech' that they are enjoying today...We Malaysian is just forty eight years old, so please be patience and I believe we would get there relatively faster then those countries in the west...I do not believe we have to wait a thousand years to get there...We are almost there now..The Internet and blogging is already here for that purpose...Blogging is the tool that have in a way given us that opportunity to pursue our kind of freedom of speech...Before blogging we did not have that...So friends when blogging do blog with wisdom and never in anger and never ever touch those sensitive issues...This well researched article that I found is title 'Of dogs and Islam' by Mafoot Simon, the Straits Times/ANN. It is indeed a welcome call to us bloggers to be wise when we touch on certain issue that look simple. But when there is a reaction that touch of that sensitivity of others, then in this country it may became seditious. This well researched article do makes a point to all of us....So that we may be wiser in blogging, lest that we get into unnecessary trouble like our fellow bloggers in a neighboring country who was charge in court under the country's Seditious Law...It all start with reacting to the lady's article in their local newspaper.. The article from e.sinchew-i.com...Read on...Of Dogs and ..... And do give it some thoughts...Have a nice day...

Breaking fast at Malacca..

Well, I have just got the service of broadband at our Malacca's home and am now blogging this from Malacca...I just register it online over the internet and today when I came over, I got it activate...Thanks to Telecom Malaysia for the good and fast service in providing me their Streamyx service at this place...In the past I had to do by the dial up service and after using broadband all this while..Using the dial up service seem too slow..So here I am blogging this with easy again...We left our home in Ampang Jaya at eleven fifteen in the morning and arrive here at just about one thirty this afternoon..It was raining part of the way, so I had to drive slow...We are now getting use to the traveling to and fro Kuala Lumpur-Malacca-Kuala Lumpur and with the highway the traveling is easy...Just enjoy the ride and in no time we are here at our second home, with a view of the sea...Breaking fast in Malacca is three minutes earlier then in Kuala Lumpur, so we did just that. And after a short rest I am continuing this posting ....Well this is the first time we are breaking fast at this place and it went well indeed... Well friends, Life is like that...Have a nice day and take care..Enjoy...

This fasting....

Well it is the fasting month in Malaysia and for that matter in the whole Moslem world...And for the Moslem we fast the whole month of Ramadan...Fasting is not confined to the Islam faith only...All other faith like Christian, Judaism, Hinduism do have fasting as a religious obligation...So fasting is actually nothing new...It has been in the culture of man ever since...Let look at fasting like this...We have twelve months in a year...So for throughout the year our body have been program to work on the schedule of our eating habit...Most of the eating done during the day, starting with the breakfast and then lunch, tea, dinner, supper. So during the fasting month the eating habit is reversed...No food or drink during the day but once it in night then you are allow to eat and drink just like you did during the day...So actually there is not that much difference, only for this month during the day that part of the body that had to do with eating and drinking and the processing the foods, work less doing the day but would get to work at night...Its get a sorts of a rest during the day...In a way it is a good thing to do just that so that the system get overhauled, thus when it get to the normal eating habit after the fasting month, it would be working in perfect condition....Fasting for Moslem is not just about eating and not eating or drinking...It is more then that..You have to be a good person and not even to dream of doing evil, let alone doing it...So fasting is a total disciple of the person to be just a good human being...Actually it is not that difficult to fast during this month...What you have to do is to set up your mind to do just that...Fasting is actually the 'state of your mind'..Once your mind is set to just not doing the usual, like eating and drinking during the day and that you feast yourself after sun down..After a few days of fasting, it would be just second nature to you.... Well as I had said, to get the benefit of fasting...You have to be a good person in and out, it is not just showing off to others that your are fasting, but your heart must be as good as well...If you could just do this for this month for a trial period, then why not just continue on to be a good person all the way...That is what all religions teaches us, so just do it and if we all could just contribute to be a good person and never ever think of Evil, then this world of ours would continue to be a great place to live and enjoy life.....So friends if you had not fast before, why not have a go with it, just try to fast for a day or half a day first and then perhaps you would get the hang of it and would eventually graduated to do a further numbers of days...Who knows, you would eventually fast for the whole one month...Fasting among other things make you understand the real meaning of hunger and thirst and when the time come to break that fast of the day, you would really appreciate all those foods and drinks that are laid on the table, that you would enjoy at the break fast time.... Well friends, I hope you all continue to experiences the ritual of fasting in this holy month of Ramadan...May we all be bless this month of Ramadan.... Take care.

Ramadan, a bless month...

[Pengat Pisang and Coffee] Yesterday Moslem in Malaysia start the month long of fasting... Like everyone else we in Kuala Lumpur break fast at five minutes past seven in the evening... Different places break fast at different times... It was nice to gather around the table enjoying our first meal of the day.. Usually this would be the dinner... My spouse had cook a fish curry and other dishes but as usual with me I would just enjoy one dish with my rice...As soon as the Azan sound, we all break fast the way we like it ..Me, I just break it with a glass of fruit juice and a few dates...With that it give me back the energy and lives came to normal again...What a punch this liquid and dates do to your system..It rejuvenate the whole system and in that instance gave you that feel good feeling...With that I did the Magrib prayer and after this prayer I sat down to have a real meal...Of rice, the fish curry, with fish roe and egg plants...It really makes a great and nourishing dish that goes well with the rice.. My spouse had made the 'Pecai' a sort of salad which originated from the Javanese..It is actually fresh vegetables uncook and eaten with peanut sauce..I enjoyed my meals and end it with the usual cup of steamy black coffee,.. This time with a difference..I had a bowl of Pengat Pisang [banana porridge with sago cooked in coconut milk with coconut sugar, it would not taste that good with ordinary sugar, the kick is in the coconut sugar, brown in color]..... To go, a really traditional Malay dessert....... Well it had been an enjoyable first day of Ramadan... Have a Bless Ramadan to All..

A favorite place...

Part of our other lounge, a sort of a family area...Where everyone love to sit and enjoy the TV's or just relax, browse the newspaper or just day dream...

Sambal Belacan [Chilly shrimp paste sauce]

What would our Sambal Belacan taste without those Chilly!!!... I just could not imaging the look and the taste of such concoction.. Sambal Belacan without Chilly!!... Well that would it be if it had not been for the Portuguese who brought those Chilly to this parts of the world, when they came as explorer and colonizer to our regions.... For chilly is Not native to the countries in this parts of the world..It is indigenous to South America...Chilly, lada, Cili api, Cabai in the Malay language means Chilly of the Capsicum family....We Malaysian can never do without this Chilly in our food...It would never taste the same without chilly...But then have we every thought that Chilly is not native to this country and that our ancestors did not use Chilly before it was brought here by the Portuguese, when they came over to this part of the world in the fifteen century...Sambal Belacan is my favorite appetizer and if I had my way I would have it with every lunch and dinner, but at this age I take it from time to time...We all have to take care of what we eat...So as to stay healthy...Not that Sambal Belacan is not healthy...It is indeed a very healthy appetizer...It contain shrimp, lime, chilly and it is a very healthy food indeed...The greatest appetizer ever invented..I should say so!!...Well..In this part of the Malay world... Just take a pause and think hard...Before the Portuguese came...It meant that we, the Malay do not make Sambal Belacan like the one that we do it now...With the Chilly, We have perfected a sauce of our own, that had stood with times...Once only served in the traditional Malay homes, now could be found at almost all restaurants and even in four stars hotel...It has indeed progress well with times...A once traditional appetizer had graduated and found a place on the table of grand feasts in this country...Loves by all the races that makes the Malaysian...Surely it would not taste as good without those chilly, hot and pungent...Really hot especially the cili padi [Small chilly which is extremely fiery hot].. It is not a joke...Experience it and you would understand the fire in this tiny chilly , even the green one...It is these concoction that make the fun of eating Sambal Belacan and enjoying it with other dishes to accompany the rice that had been our staple food. And that all our lunch or dinner could not be just as complete without it.. The Sambal Belacan...A wonder sauce that we could proudly call our own..Thanks to the Portuguese..For the Chilly....

The AP's things...

It look like the AP [Approved Permit to import cars into Malaysia] is still a hot issue...It has taken much of the times of our Members of Parliament debating this issue...So I would like to suggest to the all the good members of our Parliament that they get the approval of the Parliament to give AP's to all Senior Citizen.. So that these people in their Golden Age could all import cars of their own choice...It would be great to see all those Senior Citizen in their golden age, who have contributed so much in the making this country to what it is today, driving happily in their imported cars...Come on surely they deserved this little luxury like those good members of Parliament that we all elected to office...

Blogging with wisdom....

This week many things happen in the blogging world in Malaysia...First there were those "good man" comments on a few blogs,this,this and this blogs, that could be seditious, a very serious offence in this country...And a few days ago this blog was hacked...In a week before there were some good articles in the local mainstream daily that talk about the effect of blogging to the society and today to top it all the Editorial of a mainstream newspaper the New Straits Times brought the subject of blogging to a new phase...As I had said before Blogging is a godsend tool to all of us who wanted to contributes our thoughts for others to read and perhaps in doing that we all contribute to the process of nation building, as well to the larger world, making it a great place to live and enjoy life..Well it look other then writing to the Newspaper, writing a book...Blogging gave us Malaysian a total new media that we never had before...A place to share our thoughts with others who surf the net...Both local and overseas...Use it with wisdom it would give us greater benefit then ever before..Since I start blogging some two years ago...I have always enjoy writing my thoughts and in that process get comments on the blogs itself and emails for one to one discussion, where more could be discuss further...In a country where we are bound by social contract between races, things could became offensives and seditious if it hurt one another, especially on subjects such as race, religion and the right of every citizen to live in peace and harmony as stipulated in the Malaysian Constitution...We are at peace and live in harmony now is because we all respect each others right and do not say things that are not nice to others...This might sound no freedom of speech...To me it is not...What is freedom if there are no peace and harmony in this country...We have all prosper well beyond the dream of our founder,just because we all are sensible enough to know what is right and what is wrong to say...We have develop our own way of talking about the freedom of speech and we are all doing fine and are happy with it as for now...Thing are changing with the coming of the internet and today with blogging...We have the choice to share our thoughts on our common interest and at the same time give us that freedom to express ourselves, so that things do not get bottled up and explode some time later, that would cause greater harm to ourselves, the society and the country at large....I have always told Malaysian that we are a very young country, just forty eight years old and a democratic country...Democracy does not give us a blank check to do what we like...For doing just that might destroy democracy itself...We have to give time to develop the democratic culture...And in the history of a country, forty eight years is indeed a very short period in history...So to Malaysian do take this into consideration and proceed on we caution and learn as we go...So that we may continue to prosper and enjoy living in this country that we share...Malaysia...Do blog with wisdom..

Awesome sight...

White Bougainvillaea that bloom in my garden, a magnificent sight to enjoy...