After 9 months of silence, what better way to start blogging again, than to begin it with the above photo eh? One look at the photo may make you think that it seemsage never really catches up with me, or rather, it actually moves backward?Hahahaahhaa......
In my defense (like I need one, haha), the lady photographers (yes! more than one) told us the guys, to make funny faces while they snapped our photo.How could I know that those guys didn't have a sense of humor? I mean, that was how they interpreted as being funny? As a result, I became the only one who acted clownish. Sob.. sob...
Anyway, as the banner behind us suggests, the photo was taken during my 3-week course in TokyoJapan, last July 2010. These guys may give you the impression that it was a seriously grueling course. Actually, it was not.I had a blast touring around Japan (as much as I could and for most of the time, I ventured out on my own) and I was much loved (kes perasan.. haha) by my course mates, facilitators and lecturers.
Anyway, I have so much to tell you (readers, or at least, this blog diary of mine), not only about my 'trip' to Japan, but alsowhat went on throughout the past 9 months(had this involved a pregnant woman, the baby is going to or already pops out eh?). Hopefully, I can give you a quick overview this weekend, before blogging those interesting events in detail, after that. So... yes! I'll c u soon....
Some stuffs that crossed my mind or touched my heart....
1) Loving me...
The other night, my son was wearing his home-slippers which he got from the Hollywood Hotel in HK Disneyland, where he spent his one night, early this month. I was taking out a work shirt from the wardrobe when he suddenly came into the room and asked me to look at him with the slippers on. I complimented him and the slippers, and then he said "Saayaangg Ayah" Wanting to kid with him, I asked whether was it Mickey Mouse or him who loved me. Hiis reply was "Ikhwan..lah.." I came down on one knee and hugged him. He hugged me back so tight that I couldnt un-hug him. It lasted for a few seconds longer than the usual (hugging time). If not mistaken, that was the first time that he held on to me, not wanting to let go until he was ready. Usually, he would rush it just so that he could start watching his favourite show or go to the kitchen to get his sweet from his mum or something. Nonetheless, touching eh...?
By the way, isn't it cool that while most hotels only provide (crappy) complimentary adult slippers (which can usually be worn for only a few times), the hotels in Disneyland do think about their small guests and give them a pair, and they are of good quality too.
2) Beverages
Almost every morning, I would call my folks' home. Sometimes, I call hometown, up to 3 times a day, especially if there WAS something else to talk about, other than a quick chat. A quick chat would usually involve some usual questions I ask my mum or dad.
Likewise, every now and then, we get calls from hometown too. Usually, it's from the grandparents wanting to talk to Ikhwan - to listen to his bubbly words.
One night, it was just me and Ikhwan home. When the phone rang, Ikhwan picked it up and it was my dad on the other line. I could hear my dad asking him whether he already had his dinner or not. He said he already did, which was true. Then my dad asked, what did he had for a drink? His response was "Kopi takda, teh takda, air suam aja..."(No coffee, no tea, just plain water).
Again, his answer was honest, but it made me burst with laughter. First of all, the way he answered was like, as though he was 'orang tua' (some old man). Then, what's with such an elaborate answer son? Yes, we gave you sips from our coffee sometimes, but never the whole mug. We hardly drink tea and most likely never mentioned it to you before. You must have learned that such a drink exist from someone else eh?
Finally, "..air suam aja..."? Son, were you trying to hint that plain water was so.... errr... plain?Aaahhh.... poor you.... You see, my wife usually makes him Ribena, or water mixed with honey, or some other tasty drinks. But with me, I usually stick to plain water - simple plus less dishes to wash. You may think I'm lazy, but plain water is also good what? :-)
What he said that night was one of those many harmless-but-yet-really-funny lines that came out of his mouth, that really cracked everybody up.. WE ALL LOVE YOU SON...
3) A friend to Nature
Malaysians are more environmental conscious these days or at least, this is what the retailers are trying to educate us. True?
There is one major book store which deducts RM 0.50 off your purchase, if you bring your own reusable/environmental friendly bag. Now, more and more hypermarkets and mini markets in Malaysia (even the less well-known ones) are encouraging customers to bring their own reusable bags on certain days of the week (otherwise, customers will have to pay for the plastic bags). It's also been said that in the future, the practise of charging customers for plastic bags will become a daily thing.
Actually, the latter practise has been adopted by developed countries way way back. I remember how when I got back from my study in the UK a decade ago, I wanted to bring this good habit home. I was also under the impression that the same policy was being practised here.
There were a number of times when I went out to shop, I told the cashier that there was no need for bags, either because I brought my own or because I didn't see the need, due to the small number of items purchased, or I wanted to consume that one item straight away.
Here were some responses that I received from the cashiers, who were obviously perplexed by my request:
(a) "No! You have to put that in a plastic bag. Otherwise, the security will hold you for stealing." (Hmmm, I wonder why we didn't think this before - that customers could carry out their bought items in their hands, so long as the cashiers had put the sticker 'PAID' on them).
(b) "No! You can't put that in your own bag. Otherwise, the security will check your bag and hold you for stealing. You should have left any other bags outside anyway..." (Hmmm, I wonder why we didn't think this before - that customers could carry out their bought items in bags other than the retailers' ones. What was the security alarm system for anyway? Wasn't it to detect any unauthorised smuggling of unpaid items?)
(c) The cashier nudged her friend, upon looking at me taking a bag from my pant's pocket. They both laughed, probably thinking how silly it was to bring your own bags and fold them into your pockets (Well missies, look who's laughing now? You were lucky I didn't take out pigeons after pigeons from my pockets instead).
It is amazing just how slow we came to realise the need to reduce the use of plastic bags. If only I were the Environmental Minister a decade ago? :-)
Coming up soon:
(1) How colours colour my life...
(2) Travel journals and photos - A Famosa Resort Malacca and Hong Kong
(3) How I made Ikhwan cry and I still couldn't get that image and his cries out of my head...
(4) How I made my mum cry for close to two weeks...
Stay tune, if you can bear the delays between updates :-)
I remember the time...when I took my first roller coaster ride...
Time is.... 2:43am of 1st January 2010. You may think that I stayed up, to wait for the 2010 countdown on t.v. or because I just got back from celebrating it elsewhere. If the latter, with Ikhwan in the picture? No way, and for me to abandon my wife and kid just to do that? Even more no way...
Actually, the whole family was 'unconscious' (sleeping) through midnight just now :) At least this year (or should I say last year?), all of us were home on new year's eve. During last new year's eve, my wife was on-call. That night, I already put Ikhwan to bed before the midnight came. Only when the fire-crackers were lit up to mark the beginning of 2009, was I awaken and remembered 'Oh... It's new year...'
So you see, new year, or rather, new year's eve is just like any other day and any other night. Not just to me, but also to my family and parents. We never went out to celebrate and sometimes, we hardly waited in front of the t.v.
Looks like this year, the fire-crackers (whether the ones at KLCC or at the nearby lake) were not loud enough to make us wake up and cheer Happy New Year 2010. Nonetheless, I am wishing this to you - For the brighter future in 2010 and beyond.
Anyhow, I would like to start the year by blogging about the past. While it is true, no good will come out by reliving and pondering about the past, especially the bad memories and mistakes, but it is from past bad memories and mistakes, that we learn to grow. After all, there is no tomorrow if there was no yesterday, right?
However, what I'll be blogging (now and more to come) is not about past bad memories and mistakes. But rather, those unforgettable memories worth to be documented, in multiple colours and white and orange (as opposed to black and white, since the wordings in this blog are in multiple colours against white and orange background - see the joke? Hahaha....).
From the entry title, I reckon, you can guess what memory that I'll be sharing with you today.... The year was 1999. The ride was Space Mountain in Disneyland Paris.
Why was it memorable? Not just because it was in Disneyland and that it was my first time, but also because my life could have ended that day.
Now, the latter statement may stir some questions, like did I almost get hit by the roller coaster or was there a serious technical failure? Well, neither of those.
When I agreed to go to the Disneyland with some friends, little did I imagine how frightful a roller coaster ride would be. I also forgot how I was never fond of heights, and that roller coasters and heights - they mixed together! Guess the word Disneyland had clouded it all...
When we got there, the guys decided to take the Space Mountain as the first ride. As the que moved slowly, fear started to sink in, but for some reason I just kept it to myself. Probably because I still wasn't sure what to expect and thinking, it was only my normal reaction since I was about to try something new.
What made the ride so frightening, other than the swooshing and turning and twisting, was... the whole place was so dark!The ride was enclosed in a building (and with the lights off!) instead of out in the open like other rides in the park. But that was not the worse part. The worse part was, despite how frightened I was, I couldn't scream at all... I couldn't let my fear out - not even a short shriek. Luckily, the ride didn't trigger any abnormalilty to my heart conditions that could lead to...death? Yikes!
I was grasping so hard on the restrainer (each passenger was restrained individually, unlike what is shown in the picture above), had the ride been longer, the metal would have dented by my clench. The fact that it was dark around me, made it feel like I was thrown into the space. I couldn't shut my eyes either. Perhaps, it was fear of the unknown and I was looking for something visible that could comfort me.
Then, the ride came to a sudden halt. Slowly and surely, the train was climbing up.As we were ascending, the passengers were cheering by the sights of planets and stars, temporarily litting up the place. The others may be enjoying themselves, but not me. Do you what I did? I was hell bent on trying to 'escape' by trying to push the restrainer open. Had my attempt been successful, I could have fallen to a certain death...Yikes!
After reaching the peak of its climb, the train descended to such a great speed, that I could feel my head was dangling at certain points. My friends later told me, the 'dangling' feeling that I had was due to the train making a 360-degree loop (or loops).
The train stopped (finally!) at its starting point. But that was not the end of how close I was to danger... or death. Funnily, or rather, stupidly, while others exited from the train by stepping out to their right side, I, who was sitting on the left side of the train, stepped out to my left. Immediately, the train was filled with new (exited) passengers. Puzzled, after realising all the others were on the other side of the track, couple that with my dazed and confused feelings, resulted from the traumatic roller-coaster-ride experience, I felt the urge to climb down onto the track (to get to my friends). Had I not been told by the security, that there was a door that I could enter to exit from the place, I could have followed that urge (to climb down) and be electrocuted...Yikes!
My friends were shocked to learn that I had suppressed my fear. They taught me to just let it go - scream it out... I followed them and took other rides after that of course (Heck! it's Disneyland). From thereon, I just screamed and screamed... even when I was not feeling that scared. Alhamdulillah... I survived the first and those other rides. However, at this age, no more rides for me, thanks. Kiddy rides... maybe... with my kid(s), hehe...
Meantime, I leave you with some photos, taken when I went to Disneyland the 2nd time. Yep, I went there twice, with different groups of friends.
Recently, I mentioned about having my two weeks off. The two-week off also meant two weeks without salary. I didn't mind being salary-less for a short period of time, and the 'new' company had allowed me to postpone my starting date with them. I really needed the break. After all, I still wasn't ready, physically, spiritually AND mentally for the transition of my career journey to take place right after I left the 'old' office.
Wife was working as usual during my break of course. But, since I had some time away from work, we thought of planning a trip together - and so we did, just the three of us for the first time. So, off we went to... LANGKAWI!!! (from 22 to 24 February, the day before my birthday)
We took the AirAsia. Initially, we were worried on how Ikhwan would react when looking at the sheer size of the plane, hearing the loud noise of the plane's engine and being on the plane itself (we gave him sweets to help reduce the effects of 'blocked' ears on him, especially during take off and landing times).
Surprise, surprise... he was as active and talkative as usual. Even when on the plane, he was friendly to strangers.
He did look rather perplexed sometimes, like when he felt the inclination as the plane took off, or when we took him up the cable car ride to Gunung Mat Chincang (Chopped-off Mountain) and when he saw the beach, the rolling waves and the vast ocean (from the beach) for the first time in his life.
A little bit about Langkawi - It is a cluster of 99 islands, but the main island is the major attraction and accessible by ferry and by air. When you are there, I'd say renting a car and exploring the island on your own is more recommended than depending on taxis or tour guides. The roads are so easy to navigate and no traffic congestion at all! (unless during peak periods I guess).
When you are at Langkawi, a trip to Mount Mat Chincang by cable cars is a must for all nature lovers (I prefer sight seeing from up a mountain without the hassle of climbing up the mountain myself, so this fits me well). The total journey up the mountain is 2.2km. As you feel the incline of 42°, enjoy the surrounding views - the green forests, the choppy peaks (thus the name of the mountain), the rock formation that took 450 million years to form, the Telaga Tujuh waterfalls, the sea and some of the 99 islands. When going up and down in the cable car, we could see that Ikwan might have felt a bit 'gayat' (afraid of heights) but not knowing how to express his feelings. 'Cian dia...'
When at the Middle Station, you can choose whether to alight from the cable car, enjoy the sceneries at the viewing platform there or just stay inside the cable car, which will take you further up the Top Station.
The Top Station is at 709m above sea level and has two viewing platforms. Up there, if the weather is clear, you can see the mainland Kedah and South Thailand. Talk about the weather - the cable car only opens at 10 and closes at 6 (if not mistaken). So, if you only leave your hotel after 10, most likely by the time you are on top of the mountain, it's close to noon already. You know how noon is like in this tropical country. So, imagine standing on the viewing platform during mid-day. Most likely, you'll be drenched in sweat and your eyes cringed due to the sunlight. So, you may want to go there later in the evening instead, like after 3, where the weather is a little milder and not so hot.
One more attraction not to be missed when at Top Station is the The Langkawi Sky Bridge. The curved pedestrian bridge provides different perspectives over the land (including Thailand’s Tarutao Island) and sea, perches precariously over a spectacular chasm, 700m above sea level. Incredibly, the cable-stayed bridge curves 125m around a single support.
When at the bridge, it somehow reminisced me to the time when I went to the Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen, Germany (read here and view here). A bridge nearby the castle, was just almost as high. From the bridge, I could see the castle, a waterfall, a deep gorge and the nearby mountain and forests. The weather may be cooler and breezy, but it was a straight bridge. So, I'd say the Langkawi bridge is more unique in its special ways.
Other places that we went to and things that we did were strolling down the beach (Ikhwan was quite intimidated by the waves and the sand, the latter due to him probably thinking the sand is swallowing him), visiting the Underwater World (don't miss the penguins!!) and Dataran Lang (Eagle Square - Langkawi was derived from the Malay word 'helang') and did some shopping. A funny thing happened at Underwater. Ikwan was so exhausted when we arrived there, we couldn't wake him up. Since we didn't want him to miss the chance looking at all those fishes, we went for lunch at this one restaurant. Even being in that rather noisy and stuffy restaurant couldn't wake him, until we reached the Underwater entrance door back again, one hour later. All in all, we were satisfied and enjoyed ourselves. Ikhwan was also such a sport! We know that it is very likely Ikhwan won't be able to remember most of these experiences, if not all. So, every now and then, I would tell him stories about being on the plane or our cable car rides, in my efforts that hopefully, some memories could be etched in his memory somehow, Wallahua'lam...
But we plan to go there again someday and stay there longer. Next time around, we want to take the excursion to that Lake of Pregnant Maiden where the excursion includes eagle watching/feeding, visit one of those waterfalls/caves and perhaps the Crocodile Park, the Mardi Agrotechnology Park and those historical places like Makam Mahsuri and Burnt Rice (I visited the historical ones when I was in school). Wife also wants to do more shopping (and I wish we did drop by at that particular store selling Italian-made products. The store is among the many stores at the foot of Gunung Mat Chinchang. I want to look for Versace jeans).
************************************
1st April was Ikhwan's 2nd Birthday.We had it all planned, even from last year to have Ikhwan's 2nd Birthday celebration a grand one! So, the condo hall was already booked, and some invitations had already been sent out! But due to a mixed up at the workplace, the size of the guests had been to be shrunken (luckily, I haven't sent out the invitations to everyone that I wished to invite yet).
Initially, I was told that I had to go outstation to an overseas country, on that same day we planned for Ikhwan's birthday party (it was the 4th, Saturday). So, the invitations had to be cancelled (imagine having to do that to those who already said 'yes') and we thought of having a very small one instead, just a 'kenduri doa selamat' (a gathering to thank God for all His blessings) among close family members only, so that it could end early.
But at the last minute, the outstation trip got cancelled. Due to lack of time (and lack of spirit to have it so big anymore), the size of the guests was increased just a little bit, by inviting some close friends, and we did have it in the hall. So, if you read this, and you did get invited the first time round (and then said 'yes') but the invitation to you was cancelled, I do apologise if you weren't re-invited. It was still a small party anyway, and not as grandeur as initially planned. No hard feelings yeah?? :-( Anyway, Ikhwan showed his intimacy, caring and gentleman side during the party. He gave his heart (or rather, a heart-shaped ballon) to a beautiful young lady, but somehow got rejected. Aaaahhhh, poor him .... (see below photos) I am sooo proud of him. So cute, huh? Hehe ... Anyway, you can view more photos of the Langkawi trip and Ikhwan's Birthday here: 1) Langkawi 2) Birthday party for Ikhwan
Ad 1: Fun Fun rain coat I went for a travel excursion the other day. The travel organiser provided us with a gift bag that consisted of some stuffs like mosquito repellant patches, a balm, a packet of baby wipes (they included this in because the wipes were safe to be applied on the face), a small bottle of sunblock lotion and a rain coat.
The label for the rain jacket struck my attention (see above) and made me and a friend laugh. Putting aside the possibility that the photo could have been Photoshopped, don't you think these models are rather sad/angry looking, as though they were forced to pose. I would say the brand name Fun Fun should have been Sad Sad instead. Perhaps these kid models areSad Sad because it rains, and putting on those rain jackets doesn't help in making things easier or any happier either :))
Ad 2: Sofa set
One day, as I flipped through an interior design magazine, I noticed the bi-lingual magazine contained so many grammatical errors. Whether the articles are in English or in Malay, I was appalled by the number of wrong words used. Considering that the magazine was published by a renowned Malaysian interior designer and tv personality, those mistakes should not have happened in the first place. I mean, didn't they proof read?
I do enjoy reading advertisements in papers and magazines sometimes. Since my wife and I were looking for contractors and contacts for interior items, I was browsing through the ads in the magazine too. On the second last page, there was an ad on a sofa set. Judging from the sets shown in the ad, I'd say, design wise....well... nothing intriguing about them. At least they were not as interesting as the words they used in their ad, which said:
"There is gene filling around view, it is as happiness, sweet and warm, and the thoughts are cleared in details, nobody knows where does confidence come from. Maybe it has thousands of resources, millions of embodiments, but when we are faced with the warm and real house, the confidence is easy to be found, placing myself into complete space, closing eyes such as the extending branch, colour stretching and white cloud disappearance field in deep heart becomes lovely soon....
When you want to sell something, credibility is built through proper use of words so that information about your product is delivered effectively to readers/potential buyers. I wonder if the ad was prepared by the same writers for the magazine since the words used are all too flowery and catchy, they lost their meaning. I as a reader, ended up dazed and confused - just what the heck were they trying to say here?
Now, let's quickly translate what could possibly be the message(s) that the ad was trying (too hard) to tell us, shall we?
"...gene filling around view..." and "...where does confidence come from..."
- hmmmm....if humans, animals, insects... whatever, are in the same room where the sofa is, kinda' hard to imagine that their genes could somehow exit their bodies and fill up the room.With regard to confidence, maybe it's in their genes (pun intended), hehee..
"...placing myself into complete space..."
- I wonder whether does the ad try to make us imagine being lost into complete space or it was describing what the copywriter was feeling when he/she wrote the ad. It sure sounds like the latter. Maybe the copywriter should write a novel some day.
- I think ads should always make customers understand what benefits they will get from choosing a particular product or service, and this can be achieved by using the word'YOU' instead of 'I/ME'. Say for examples, an ad for a fabric softener"Softness you can feel" or a courier service"The name you can trust!". Unless of course it's something like McDonald's tagline that says I'm lovin' it! - even THAT is putting us, the customers to say I'm lovin' it!, not the McDonald's owners/franchisees/franchisors.
"...extending branch, colour stretching and white cloud disappearance field in deep heart becomes lovely soon..."
- errrr... what?????
Ad 3: Hijama air vacuum
Hijama is the Arabic term for acupuncture. My parents have this one health gadget to help them perform hijama on their own. The gadget, just like the conservative approach, use cuppings. However, it provides a more relaxed and less painful way and does not cause blood to be drawn by vacuum since it does not involve skin incision or burning of papers inside the cup to make the cup cling to the skin. Nowadays, they no longer use it though when one day, my mum experienced some skin disorder at the site chosen for cupping.
I found the box with the gadget still inside it the other day, on a shelf. Judging from the 'instructions to use' on the box, obviously the whole thing is made in China. Then, on the side of the box, here's what the manufacture wrote with regard to the benefits from using the product:
Health care gift, old and little all proper - hmmmm, so how about those who are young and big? hehee..
Elegant features and economy enduring - great to know that the features are elegant that it can endure (if not help us to endure) the current economic turmoil.
Ego diagnosis, health care prevention - so it's recommended to any egotistical maniac out there who doesn't care about their health then?
Inside disease, outside remove, result special- I bet it is...
Traditional Chinese medicine, China treasure - how lucky we are...while archeologists spend years digging for treasures buried in the land of China, we could easily get this from the night market. Ads 4: Ad on radio and t.v. Don't you just hate it when you see or hear an ad over the t.v. or radio that ends with laughter? Say for examples, family members are laughing because the foods are delicious as mum cooks only with the cooking oil brand J or two friends can now play tennis together because they no longer have sprained muscles, thanx to the massage oil brand K or a customer laughs with a sales assistant when buying a washing machine at a well known electrical/electronic store......hahahaa, hohohoh, hehehehee...
Oh please....enough pretending already! These ads make me (and wife) sick...
Full name is Abdun Nizar Ahmad. With the exception of few relatives, everybody else in the family and at schools (primary and secondary) called me Nizar. A couple of relatives call me Abun, while all three cousins from my mother side call me.... guess what - John McKeterk, or in short, John. Since it's a made up name, I don't really know the spelling to the second name, but judging from sound, that should be it. To this day, they still call me John, their spouses also call the same, and their children - Cik John (Cik is the short for Pakcik, which is Uncle). As for my uncle and auntie (my cousins' parents), they sometims call me Nizar, and sometimes John.
Ever since I began my college/university years, everyone there called me Abdun with very few who prefer Abun. I remember a joke made by a housemate back in the UK - he said Abun Sabun (sabun is soap). Issshhh.. of all the names, but I didn't take it seriously :)
Now, if I meet someone new, if they are relatives (like in the case of my wife's side whom I never met before OR from my side, who may not remember my name), I'd introduce myself as Nizar. But, if they are not (going to be my) relatives, then it's gonna be Abdun. Don't ask me why. I'm comfortable of introducing myself that way.
The address book in my phone
Due to most people calling me Abdun, although I may not be the most important person in their lives, my name usually happens to be the first one in their phone's address book. This has a disadvantage. People had been accidentally calling me/sending me empty messages. What really annoying is that sometimes, the calls/smses caught me at the wrong times like in the wee hours of morning (if they are going to sleep with the phones by their sides, why can't they lock the phones, dang it!) or after rushing to get to the phone, only to hear people's conversations (the case of phones in their pants' pockets or handbags and the calls accidentally made) or kids' voices (obviously their kids are playing with the phones).
There was one time, my phone kept beeping due to receiving almost a dozen of empty messages, one after another, to the extent that it started to attract the unnecessary attention from people at the office. The smses were all coming from a person I met at a seminar.
Guess, I was in the wrong mood to be disturbed like that. You know what I did? I texted her, "since you hardly know me, you might as well remove my name from your phone book." Pretty nasty huh?
There was another incident where after picking up the phone, I heard a friend's conversation with another....and they were talking about me. Luckily, all I heard were compliments about me.I was smiling ear to ear....it took me a while before I hung up the phone :))
All these incidents had taught me something. In my phone book, I put 'abdun'and 'zzzdun' as the first and last names. The numbers behind those names are invalid of course, so those in the 2nd and 2nd last list are spared from any accidental pressing on their numbers.
My nature
I have stint eyes, but without my glasses, people perceive my eyes as rather big (especially if I roll my eyes). Well, so many people had said so, guess that is true. Wife said, my bulging eyes must be the reason why Ikhwan gets so excited whenever I do some acts in front of him.
I am a quiet person and shy by nature, ahaks.... I mean, seriously.. throw me into a social gathering packed with 'strangers', I'd definitely feel very uncomfortable. I think because I hate the fact that I have to put on a (fake) smiling face, and having to think what to say most of the time.
But once well acquainted, you will probably see my bubbling nature. Heck, some even said I was naughty.
On precaution steps
1. Before entering a lift, as the doors open, I always double-check that the lift floor is of the same level as the floor where I'm standing at. Why? Because stories about people who fell to their deaths when they entered the lifts which were not there (after the doors were opened) scare the crap out of me!
2. When driving, if the light is green for me to drive straight or make a turn, I will always make sure the light is really green - to the extent I have to verbally say it sometimes, for example I'd say "terus...hijau" (translation: straight...green). Sounds like I'm too safety conscious huh? Hmmm...despite of this, I still beat the red light once in a while, huhu...
3. I make sure I do these things before leaving the car (after parking it) - the gear is at PARKING, the handbrake is pulled, the aircond is off and the steering is locked. If say, I also need to switch off the headlights or the wipers or the rear window demister as well, I'd do those other things first, followed by the four, starting with PARKING, and the rest in that order. I would also sing them (the four things) in my head or hum them just to make sure they are done.
4. If there are routines that I do in the car, I also have own routine before leaving the house, especially where travelling is required, using the Power of 2 'formula'. Two things in my right pants' pocket - car key and hanky; left pocket - house keys and card holders (that hold credit cards, shopping reward cards and Touch N' Go card); elsewhere around the waist - small comb and wallet AND phone holder with phone in it; and upper body area - wrist watch and glasses. I hate forgetting things which may cause unnecessary strain to the brain. Even with having these routines, I still forget sometimes, usually involving bringing the phone holder but without the phone.
I'm a sucker for......
zombies. Movies have portrayed zombies to be moving so slow like....errr, the dead (but somehow still able to catch and eat the survivors, like in Shaun of the Dead), or can still run so fast, you might s*it your pants while trying to escape (like in 28 Days Later). Fast or slow, the zombies are either undead (Dawn of the Dead) or they are not yet dead, just infected with some kind of disease (I Am Legend). Either way, they are hunger for flesh and blood. Don't let them catch you, as they will devour you alive. If only your certain body parts are eaten or you were bitten or scratched by zombies, be prepared to join the zombies club soon. Movie-makers always come out with fresh storylines and some horrific/gory scenes never before seen involving zombies being killed or zombies killing people. Apart from zombie movies, as I also love horror and slasher movies. Hmmm.. maybe I should just say, I love movies. Period.
Friends and The Simpsons. I can watch all Friends episodes over and over again until I throw up (I've never actually done that, hehe). So far, no other sitcoms can beat Friends in terms of great storylines, and along with them, come those funny lines (Joey and Phoebe gets the best lines), outrageous acts (like Chandler's quirkiness), memorable characters (Monica's constant urge to clean) and unforgettable scenes (like the one where Rachel and Ross had a big fight when Ross, who thought they were on a break, had slept with someone else). Some favourite episodes would be (among others): the one with the wedding in London, the one where Phoebe tried to seduce Chandler who had been secretly dating Monica, the one with Brad Pitt as a guest, the one where Joey learned French from Phoebe, the one when Joey confessed to Rachel that he's falling for her etc etc etc.
With regard to The Simpsons, just like Friends, I've been a fan since school time. The longest ever running sitcom received its well-deserving airtime last Halloween with a dozen episodes shown back to back. I had a great time, especially since for some of the episodes, I've never seen them before.
I believe in...
respecting other people, regardless of differences in ages, ranks, races and faiths. Say, for example you have a kid niece or a nephew, it doesn't mean you as an adult can easily look down on him/her, because when they grow up, they can easily strike back at you. So how does it feel to be at the receiving end for a change?
good personal hygiene, which I think, should be taken seriously. It's understandable if after a long day, you still haven't gotten the chance to freshen up. What I can't tolerate is those who constantly disregard their personal hygiene. Heck, their bad body odour foul the environment and public places very early in the morning and they expect us to talk or be around them? I also can't stand those who spit in public. Sadly, we Asians are well known for this bad behaviour (other than generally being bad drivers and like to talk at the cinemas). I remember reading how the New Zealand government was trying to educate the Asians not to spit on their sidewalks. Wonder how that went...?
Movies that I watched this year and can't seem to get enough of:
Cloverfield and Bridge to Terabithia. Read my reviews on the movies here and here. While, here's the theme song to the latter. An excellent attempt from a cute-cum-excellent young actress:
I really feel like going.... to so many places in the world. One of them would be New York - probably influenced by how NY is portrayed in TV shows and movies, like in Heroes, Cloverfield, CSI:NY etc etc.
am mostly awed by... God's given gift - the human intellect. How babies develop physically, mentally and spiritually, starting from not knowing anything; new inventions are discovered numbering thousands every year;new catchy songs keep coming out, each sounds usually different from the other, considering there are so many singers for so many years and each album has at least 10 songs; ideas may be repeated but brilliant writers always know how to make the stories fresh and interesting.
scenic places - whether it involves beaches, mountains or lakes/lochs. Top that with a peaceful friendly neighbourhood and nice weather (the latter is open to your own interpretation). I always love to travel. I may no longer be able to travel extensively like in the past, but whenever opportunity to travel comes along, I always take some kind of memorabilia home, and it can be as simple and cheap as a nice looking paper/plastic bag that I get after buying a magazine. I still keep those bags, some, for 10 years now, that I collected from travelling. Now, I shall leave you with this beautiful photo that I found from the Net. Not sure where the place is, but it looks like Bergen in Norway.
As much as I want to start a tag on this, I've learned my lesson that people are not going to do it. But you are welcome to share whatever little things about you that you don't mind other people knowing.
Wow, almost three weeks have passed huh, since I last wrote in this blog. The thing is, I've been rather busy. Other than spending most of the time with Ikhwan, there are other non-job related stuffs that (my wife and) I need to straighten up. At times, I feel perhaps I should just give this blog a wrap. But then, there are so many things I had shared in the past, that I don't want to lose, should this blog be removed by Blogger after many months of no updates. Also, I'm sure there'll be stuffs in the future, that I would definitely feel like sharing with the whole world, especially those involving Ikhwan or my family.
But one thing for sure, should the day has come when I've made up my mind not to blog anymore, I'd print out all the entries (photos, sketches and comments included) and bind them like a book, so that one day, when I'm already old(er) and my children all grown up, at least I can share with them that their father once had a blog called boulevard-ijab.
Anyway, back to usual blogging for today. I went to a music store, VS in Sg. Wang Plaza (a shopping complex) the other day, to get the latest Madonna's CD but it was still not out yet (sori, I find the cover of her latest album too..... scantily to portray it here).
VS is my favourite store when it comes to buying the latest original music CDs. Newly released albums or albums of a particular artiste whose song is currently a hit over the radio stations, are sold at 10 to 25% off their original prices, much cheaper than other stores.
The size of VS store is relatively smaller and I'm not aware if they have branches elsewhere. But, they have a good strategy in winning over their customers. Compared to other more popular music stores which require customers to own certain membership cards or to purchase above certain $$ to get discounts on newly released CDs, VS store offers CDs at much cheaper prices with no terms and conditions attached to it. The only condition is that, you have to be quick and lucky enough to get them before they are sold out or before the store removes the albums to regular-priced items shelves.
The VS' unique sales pitch has enabled them to survive the competition, not only with other stores selling music CDs but also stores selling other stuffs, in this 4-storey shopping complex building.
The building that housed Sg. Wang Plaza (SWP) is one of the earliest built. Back then, obviously, not much attention was paid to the design of the building. As a result, on the outside, the shopping complex looks just like another square-shaped building.
Not just on the outside, the inside of the building is also rather poorly planned (in my opinion). Despite still heralded as one of the most popular shopping spots in KL, one cannot deny the fact that on each floors, SWP is crammed with so many shops along its many aisles, with some shops are rather hidden (i.e. not easily found, unless by chance) than the rest. Now, let's not even talk about Bukit Bintang Plaza, which is adjacent to Sg. Wang Plaza and within the same building. It has more stores there too..
Come to SWP or BB Plaza during festive seasons or when there are sales, you'd find the ambience, especially on the lower floors, rather suffocating and you might prefer other shopping complexes which are more spacious instead.
One thing I notice about SWP is that when it comes to product categories, most of the shops sell fashion apparels (especially for women). With Parkson as SWP's major tenant (and Metro Jaya in BB Plaza) and plenty of popular shopping complexes around, I wonder how do the smaller shops make themselves stand out or any different from their competition. What's their unique sales pitch (provided there's any)? Guess, that's why certain shops close down only to be replaced with another that also sells clothing lines... sigh...
Let's reflect having sales pitch in real life. You don't have to be in sales to have your own sales pitch. In fact, we are already good sales persons ever since babies. Babies/toddlers have their way of getting what they want (well, most of the time) like by crying, screaming, throwing tantrums, or simply, by showing their sweet, chubby and have-mercy-on-me kind of face (ok, I'm thinking about my baby here and perhaps, Puss in Boots of Shrek 2 too).
As adults, we may have to think through on our sales pitches (or tricks, as some might prefer) in 'winning over' the love of our dreams, in obtaining the blessing of our parents (and future parents in law) before getting married, getting that dream job or the promotion we're after, having our arguments/opinions/suggestions accepted, defending our rights or wanting to be included in the group of peers.
So, what's your sales pitch? Whatever it is, just don't sell yourselves short la ok or cause other people to be sickened by your pathetic 'sales pitch' :-)
*****************************************
Madonna is one of those singers/entertainers whose voice is easily recognisable without the need to see her singing. Ok, so, she doesn't have such an outstanding voice that can be projected like what Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Whitney Houton and the likes can. But Madonna is an entertainer who doesn't rely solely on her voice. She has the whole package and her unique sales pitch makes her still a sought after singer to this day.
One may argue that her music styles have changed over the years and her 'older' songs are more catchy and memorable. I mean surely you can remember and may still even hum to the songs like Holiday, Material Girl, Like A Virgin, Papa Don't Preach, True Blue, La Isla Bonita, Like a Prayer, Cherish and Oh Father. Compare those with her most recent songs, the difference is highly noticable. I strongly believe that Madonna's strategy is to win over the hearts of younger people, so that she is not known only to older people like me, hahhahaaa...
The Oxford Dictionary says "boulevard" means wide city street, often with trees on each side. As for me, "boulevard" is the path that I thread my way through in life. At times, the trees give me protection from the hot sun above. While at other times, no amount of trees can comfort me when it pours. Come rain or shine, the road continues to provide me with the journey of life until it reaches its destination.
People say I'm sweet, kind, a gentleman, caring, romantic and observant (let's just concentrate on the good attributes). I love those who matter to me, and care about things that count. I'm a Malay Muslim and proud to be one. I DON'T think Islam should be judged by those nasty followers. Islam should be judged by the religion itself; its teachings and the purpose behind them. I mean, humans will still behave like humans right? Usually, regardless of religions that they embrace. It is also in my nature to please, since I believe that TO PLEASE EVERYONE IS AN IMPOSSIBLE FEAT, BUT NOT TRYING TO PLEASE ANYONE OTHER THAN ONESELF IS A POSSIBLE DEFEAT (own quote). Apart from sharing the things I read, watch and listen to, I'd also share my thoughts and feelings, and express my views on certain issues. Last by no means least, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM EVERYONE OF YOU OUT THERE ABOUT ANYTHING! If we knew each other 'in the previous life' and had lost contact, or we hardly contact each other nowadays, do email me or comment on my entries. Feel free to explore my blog & website (http://members.fortunecity.com/abdunmy/). Cheerio & Wassalam.
Sometimes, to boldly go (where no one has gone before) at warp speed may cause you unnecessary troubles.
Own quote, based on Star Trek
Lesson from the quote: Rushing to reach your destinations or goals may get you there fast, but may not always be the smartest thing to do!
"Note The Quote (Malay translation)"
Kadang kala, perjalanan (ke tempat yang tidak pernah ditujui) pada kelajuan maksimum boleh menyebabkan kesusahan pada diri sendiri.
Rekaan sendiri, berdasarkan dari Star Trek
Pengajaran: Terburu-buru untuk sampai ke destinasi atau matlamat hidup mungkin boleh membawa kita ke sana dengan cepat, tetapi langkah itu tidak semestinya yang terbaik!
You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If you don't have that kind of feeling for what it is you are doing, you'll stop at the first giant hurdle.
George Lucas (Film Director and Producer)
"Favourite Note The Quote 2"
A sign in a mosque on the need to switch off handphones:
P/S: Email me if you wish to receive a "Weekly Note The Quote" newsletter, a compilation of quotations that appear here in this column or in any of my blog entries within a particular week. Please put Note The Quote in your email subject. TQ.
If you have a specific field/term to search on Islam, you can also enter your search item(s) at Islamic Web Directory, available at the bottom of an entry entitled Proofs. For your convenience in accessing the Directory, Proofs is available in "Other own (cool) stuffs" column. Thank you.
Penguin Rush
