Happy birthday to me...   😞

10 DENAI ALAM

NO 10, JALAN ELEKTRON U16/89
DENAI ALAM

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Kisah Tok Wah

Tiba-tiba aku terjaga dari tidur ku. Ku lihat ke atas, kamarku beratapkan langit, dirimbuni dedaunan pohon. Argh! Apa yang berlaku ? Aku cuba bangun, terasa amat berat sekali.

Letih. Sengal. Miang….miang?

Urgh! Akhirnya aku berjaya duduk. Dalam kesamaran mata yang kuyu ini, ku lihat di sekelilingku. Berseorangan di tengah-tengah puluhan pohon buluh. Eh, bukan puluhan, sekelilingku semuanya pohon buluh yang tak berpenghujung banyaknya. Pelik, mengapa aku boleh berada di sini?

Hening. Aman. Tenteram.

Tiada kedengaran apa-apa pun. Sunyi.

Ku lihat ke bawah. Sekujur tubuhku ini tiada pakaian. Apa yang ada hanya sehelai cawat yang dibuat daripada dedaunan buluh yang masih hijau. Dedaunan ini disulam kemas dengan seutas tali. Ku kira tali ini pun dibuat daripada buluh juga.

Adakah aku bermimpi? Ataupun aku berada di dunia bunian? Seingat aku, malam tadi sebelum tidur, rasanya aku berada di hostel universiti. Adakah dunia moden itu mimpi, sekarang ini dunia nyata? Entah, aku pun tidak pasti apa-apa pun sekarang ini.

Kemudian, suara kanak-kanak sayup kedengaran memecah keheningan. Gelak ketawa, hilaian riang ria. Alamak! Hantukah, manusia? Semakin lama semakin dekat bunyi mereka. Berlari-lari ke arah ku. Apa yang harus ku lakukan? Langkah seribu atau tunggu?

“Yaahhh!!”, sergah mereka yang tiba-tiba muncul. Terkejut beruk aku. Mereka gelak. Ada empat orang semuanya. Semua dalam lingkungan sembilan atau sepuluh tahun, berpakaian seperti aku, bercawat daun buluh. Baru aku perasan, aku pun sebaya dengan mereka. Tetapi rasanya di dalam mimpi aku di zaman moden itu, aku berumur sekitar awal dua puluhan.

“Eh Wah! Aga idi ebu tinro. Oto, lao tase tikkeng bale” kata salah seorang daripada mereka. Hah? Bahasa apa yang mereka tuturkan itu. Langsung tidak pernah ku dengar. “Wah?” Rasanya itu nama timangan aku masa kecil di dalam mimpi itu. Mungkin “Wah” itu nama aku di dalam dunia nyata ini. Aku pun secara spontan terus menganggukkan kepala. Lalu tanganku ditarik mereka sambil berlari-lari entah ke mana.

Akhirnya kami keluar dari hutan buluh itu dan tiba di sebuah teluk yang amat indah. Airnya biru kehijauan, pasirnya halus keputihan. Kami pun berlari-lari ke arah sebuah rakit buluh di sebalik batu besar di tepi pantai itu. Terdapat beberapa batang buluh runcing di atas rakit, tombak barangkali. “Tikkeng bale” kata salah seorang daripada mereka sambil menghulurkan sebilah tombak buluh itu kepada ku. Tiba-tiba aku seolah-olah faham maksud mereka, “Tangkap ikan” kata hati ku. Peliknya selepas itu aku pun seakan boleh berkomunikasi dengan mereka.

Seharian kami menangkap ikan di tengah laut dengan hanya menggunakan tombak buluh. Hasilnya agak lumayan, hampir penuh bakul-bakul ikan. Di atas rakit itu jugalah aku menerangkan kepada rakan-rakan ku bahawa aku telah hilang ingatan. Mungkin disebabkan aku terjatuh lalu terhantuk di dalam hutan buluh pagi tadi. Aku tidak pasti sama ada kami ini rakan-rakan ataupun adik-beradik kerana hubungan kami amat mesra. Menurut Long Parani, yang tertua di antara kami berlima, semua warga kampung kami adalah satu keluarga. Kami berlima telah ditugaskan untuk menangkap ikan oleh Tok Wok, ketua kampung kami yang juga merupakan atuk kami. Aku dikenali sebagai Wah manakala tiga lagi saudara-saudara ku dikenali sebagai Ngah Menabon, Che La dan Cu Mas.

Lewat petang itu, kami berlabuh di pantai di mana kami berlepas pagi tadi. Kami menyusuri semula denai kecil di dalam hutan buluh itu. Kami amat berpuas hati dengan hasil tangkapan hari ini, cukup untuk bekalan beberapa hari penduduk kampung. Nampaknya kami boleh bercuti dan bermain sekurang-kurangnya dua atau tiga hari sebelum keluar ke laut semula. Yeah…

Semakin hampir dengan kampung, semakin berdebar-debar hatiku. Adakah aku boleh diterima oleh mereka? Bagaimanakah rupanya kampung itu? Akhirnya kami sampai di sebuah lembah yang indah permai. Berlatarbelakangkan gunung ganang, rumah-rumah yang diperbuat daripada buluh berselerakan di sekitar lembah itu. Kami menuju ke sebuah rumah yang agak besar berbanding rumah-rumah lain. Anjungnya melengkung separa bulat. Di kaki tangga rumah itu ada seorang tua menunggu kami dengan senyuman. “Tok Wok! Tok Wok!”, jerit Cu Mas berlari-lari ke arah orang tua itu.

bersambung...

Top 5 Best Moments of our China Vacation 2010

Here are my Top 5 Best Moments of our China Vacation 2010...

#1 Solat Asar in Masjid Huaisheng (Day 1)

Masjid Huaisheng, the oldest masjid in China, is also one of the oldest masjid in the world. Built by the uncle of Nabi Muhammad s.a.w., Saad ibn Abi Waqqas around 627 A.D. (5H).

Our arrival was welcomed by the Imam himself.













We then performed the Asar prayer. I felt peace.













It was a serene and tranquil place. For the peace we found there, definitely it was the best experience we had throughout our vacation.


#2 Hong Kong Disneyland (Day 4)

Finally we left today and entered the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy!!













The reason we came down to Hong Kong from Guangzhou was Disneyland. I've planned this for the kids to enjoy. But at the end of the day, me and Atiz enjoyed it too. It was like a dream come true.













The Greatest Moment in Disneyland was the "Disney in the Stars" fireworks finale. The synchronized lighting, fireworks and pyrotechnics were coordinated to orchestrated classic Disney music.













The other great moment here was the "It's a Small World" boat ride featuring brightly costumed audio-animatronic dolls in the style of children of the world, frolicking in a spirit of international unity and singing the ride's title track , which has a theme of global peace.


#3 Panda (Day 2)

We wanted to meet the real Po, the Kung Fu Panda. Where else to see the great giant Panda if not in the Chimelong Xiangjiang Safari Park in Panyu District, the largest animal park in all of China.













There were 10 Pandas here, the most Pandas you can see in a place. The Pandas were well kept and protected. These Pandas were actually the survivors of the 2008 earthquake in Xichuan Wolong Reserve.













Besides Pandas, there were more than 460 species here including more than 100 White Tigers, that is almost half of the total global population.


#4 Pearl River Night Cruise (Day 1)

We took a one-and-half hour night cruise along the Zhujiang River (Pearl River) from Tianzi Pier. We were captivated by the beautiful night scenery and cool breeze. The lights from the buildings, bridges and river bank were so fascinating, with jade-coloured water and coloured lights on shore.













Helmi said: "Ma, look! That's our hotel....(translated la!)"


#5 The Symphony of Light (Day 3)

Last but not least, my fifth pick was the spectacular night scenery along the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong, especially during The Symphony of Light show, a synchronized building exterior decorative light and laser multimedia display, featuring 44 buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour, accompanied by music.














Besides my Top 5 Best Moments above, I also need to mention the delicious muslim Uighur food. The best was seeing how they make your pull noodle by hand in front of you and then cooked them.













The best restaurant we had dinner was the Abdullah Qinghai in Sanyuanli. Over half of the patrons were Malay tourist groups! Other recommended are Nurbostan in Guangta Lu and Halid in Renmin Nan Lu.

Jalan-jalan di China... (dan Hong Kong)

For this year vacation, we were not physically prepared for long walk. We were not able to jog at FRIM park prior to the trip due to the recent heat wave (ala alasan jer tu...).

In the wee morning of March 16, we flew to Guangzhou, China.

This time, we walked a lot. Our option for public transport was limited. Taxi - we spoke no Cantonese or Mandarin. Local bus - all destinations were written in Chinese. So our option was left only to the Metro (subway train) which we used a lot. Although it was very efficient, the Metro network does not cover all places. So we walked, and walked, and pengsan......... aduh penat nye!!

In total we have walked some 53.3 km !!!


Day 1 : Distance walked - 7.8 km

Walked along Zhujiang Riverbank to Tianzi Wharf
Walked around Haizhu Square
Walked along Guangta Lu to Masjid Huaisheng

Day 2 : Distance walked - 11.3 km

Walked around Xiangjiang Safari Park
Walked around Zhujiang New Town
Walked around CITIC Plaza and Guangzhou East Railway Station

@ Xiangjiang Safari Park

Day 3 : Distance walked - 6.3 km

Walked around Tsim Sha Tsui
Walked along Avenue of Stars
Walked along Tung Choi Street

@ Mong Kok Ladies Market

Day 4 : Distance walked - 7.3 km

Walked around Hong Kong Disneyland

@ HK Disneyland Entrance

Day 5 : Distance walked - 5.4 km

Walked along Beijing Lu

Day 6 : Distance walked - 13.2 km

Walked along Yide Lu
Walked along Shangxiajiu Lu and Dishifu Lu
Walked from Guangzhou Railway Station to Shanyuanli
Walked along Beijing Lu












@ Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street

Day 7 : Distance walked - 2.0 km

The Most Expensive Cendol... NOT?

Went to Sg. Gadut near Seremban last weekend to the famous cendol of Leman Dawi. Location: N 2° 39.744' E102° 0.322'. You can see the Novice Food Review by Atiz over here.

It's not expensive isn't it. You can 'tambah' or 'tapau' unlimited for free. Why did I say it is the most espensive? Hmmm...















All six of us had one bowl each, some with 'jagung', 'kacang merah' or plain. The total cost was RM8.50 only. But...

Petrol for my MPV travelling 227km for the return trip = RM51.00

Toll for the trip = RM21.50

Thus, price per bowl approximately @ RM13.50 each.















Pak Cik Leman Dawi preparing the cendol for 'tambah'















So was it worth a trip. A big YES!!! Will come back again for the 'pulut' that we missed....















After Cendol session, kids playground next to the shop.

Fira's First Day @ School

*Text copied from Atiz :)

She rose up extra early today..
She brushed her teeth..
Took her shower..
She prayed..

Then she dressed up for her first day at school..
She was excited when the teachers asked her to line up..













In Classroom

She is now Year One..
1 Bestari..
That's my girl..

Study smart..
Play hard..
And Allah will lead the way..













During Break At Canteen

Dragon Ball Unleashed

Taken minutes after the new year 2010 lunar eclipse.

Job Interviews...

1989
1. License Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Program, Malaysian Helicopter Services (MHS Aviation)
2. Waiter, Nam Tai Restaurant

1990
3. Graphic Artist, Fajar Supermarket

1992
4. Sales Assistant, 7-Eleven
5. Trainee, Hotel Istana
6. Trainee, Eden Village

1995
7. Project Secretary, Kumpulan Guthrie
8. Project Assistant, Sitt Tatt Industrial Gases (Air Products)

1996
9. Engineer, Buro Happold

2000
10. Engineer, Kenkyuu Laboratories
11. Site Engineer, Percon Corporation
12. Project Engineer, H.Rosen Engineering
13. Asst. Project Manager, Pollution Engineering
14. Procurement Executive, Crest Petroleum
15. Project Engineer, PT Technic
16. Loss Control Engineer, Jerneh Insurance
17. Project Engineer, Chemkimia
18. Project Engineer, Chiyoda
19. Mechanical Piping Engineer, KNM Steel
20. Asst. Aftermarket Manager, Federal Auto Cars (Volvo)
21. Piping & Layout Engineer, Toyo Engineering & Construction

2004
22. Warranty Manager, BMW Malaysia (Agency)
23. Sales Manager, Cycle & Carriage Automobile (Peugeot)
24. Workshop Manager, Competitive Supreme (MG Rover)
25. Workshop Manager, Cycle & Carriage (Agency)
26. Manager, TAMCO System
27. Quality Assurance Manager, Zebcycle
28. Service Manager, Auto Bavaria (BMW)
29. After Sales Manager, Proton Edar
30. Branch Manager, Tahb Auto (Competitive Supreme)
31. After Sales Regional Manager, EON (Proton)
32. Service Manager, Hino Motor
33. After Sales Regional Manager, EON (Proton)
34. Service Manager, Euromobil (Audi)
35. Service Manager, Sime Cerah (Alfa Romeo)
36. Service Manager, USJ Car Express (Honda)
37. Service Manager, USJ Car Express (Honda)

2005
38. Branch Manager, Volvo Malaysia
39. Workshop Manager, ACM (Hicom)
40. Branch Manager, Volvo Malaysia
41. Manager, Field Service & Quality Assurance, Isuzu Malaysia
42. Workshop Engineer, Cryogenic Industries
43. Advance Quality Engineer, Delphi Packard
44. Sales Manager, Sime Darby Auto Italia (Alfa Romeo)
45. Manager, Sales and Product Training, UMW Toyota Motor
46. Floor Manager, ENEOS Car Centre
47. Floor Manager, ENEOS Car Centre
48. Head of Marketing (Aftersales), Tan Chong Ekspres Auto (Nissan)
49. Asst. Manager - Aftersales Marketing & Promotions, EON (Proton)
50. Sales Executive, Brooklands Motors (MG Rover)
51. Sales Engineer, Adecco Personnel (Agency)
52. Smart Team Leader, Cycle & Carriage Bintang (Smart Car)
53. Workshop Manager, Swedish Marques (Volvo)
54. Business Development Manager, Netstar (Captor)
55. Customer Service Manager, Goodyear
56. Asst. Manager/Senior Sales Executive, Hyrax Oil
57. Project Coordinator, Bredero Shaw
58. Draughtsman, Rubberflex
59. Workshop Engineer, Cryogenic Industries
60. Project Engineer, Petronas LPG (Agency)
61. Area Sales Manager/Product Developmet and Brand Owner, Proton Commerce
62. Service Head, Mitsubishi Motors
63. Project Engineer, UCT Engineering
64. QA Manager, Paragon Converters
65. Dealer Development Senior Executive (Service), Honda Malaysia
66. QA Manager, Paragon Converters
67. After Sales Parts Manager, BMW Malaysia (Agency)
68. After Sales Parts Manager, BMW Malaysia
69. Marketing Executive, Petronas
70. Service Manager, Torino Motor (Fiat)
71. Service Manager (Dealer Development), Manpower (Agency)
72. Database Manager, Motordata Research Consortium

2006
73. Aftersales Manager, UMW Industries

On Inspiring...

"Keep knocking down bureaucracy. You cannot be an effective leader unless you are prepared to go right down to understand the organisation."

"Get the best people, let them grow and find potential they don't even know they had. As soon as you start believing you are the best, you start to decline. Be humble and simple, always realise that you are only as good as tomorrow."

"Secondly, we need to always push ourselves to be innovative. If you stand still, you will enter the declining phase. You need to reinvent the whole time, to stay relevant and close to customers. Grab every opportunity, don't worry about failure. If you fail, you can try again. Failure is not trying"

Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes
(The Sun, Nov26, 09)

Vroom, Vrooooommm!!!

I've put the new FinePix S200EXR on test today. Me, Atiz, Fadhli & Fira went to the qualifying round of the penultimate Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2009 at Sepang this afternoon.

Right after the Sepang F1 Circuit entrance

This trip was actually requested by Fadhli, and he enjoyed the most. Fira can't bear the loud noise. Atiz......hhmmmm?!

Colin Edwards in Action. He qualified ninth

Rossi preparing before his run















And off he goes....

19 minutes left. Already on provisional pole. The Doctor is trying to break his own track record

Mika Kallio qualified twelfth followed by Andrea Dovizioso qualified eleventh

Rossi back to the pit















Finally he broke the track record with 2'00.518















Off to the Press Conference















Some 250 action. Imre Toth from Budapest

Karel Abraham from Brno chasing Raffaele de Rosa of Napoli

Mike Di Meglio of Toulouse qualified third

That's it for now. Going there again tomorrow for the raceday...

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2009

Wishing all Happy Eid Mubarak 1430H from H & Family

New Crocs

When to Crocs @ Ikano last Saturday. Atiz bought these...













Batman Kids' Cayman for Jimi














and Black Gabby for Fira.


I was looking for new work shoes too. But they only have this model in stock...














Chocolate Men's Santa Cruz which is okay but I want to see other options as well such as...














Chocolate Tideline Canvas, or














Chocolate / Khaki Tideline Leather, or














Chocolate Cove. TQVM...

S200EXR : The Price

Last week, Fujifilm Malaysia had announced the recommended retail price for the S200EXR as published at their website. Can't wait until they put them on the shelves.

The FinePix S200EXR

The FinePix S200EXR, a worthy successor to the award-winning FinePix S100FS. Aimed at high-end enthusiasts looking for excellent picture quality without the expense of a DSLR system, the FinePix S200EXR combines the pin-sharp long-range optically stabilized 14.3x manual zoom lens so popular in the FinePix S100FS with the latest 1/1.6″ 12 megapixel Super CCD EXR sensor, which has won a string of awards since its introduction in the FinePix F200EXR.

The S200EXR is intended to be more than that however, and is being pitched as a simpler alternative to interchangeable- lens DSLR cameras.Users of the FinePix S200EXR will find their results equal or superior to DSLRs, principally due to revolutionary design of the EXR sensor.

The EXR sensor on the FinePix S200EXR was built to perfectly match the optical qualities of the 14.3x lens. The goal was to produce a sensor/ lens combination that works as close to that of the human eye as possible. The EXR sensor is essentially a switchable sensor; changing its complex electronic behavior to suit the subject, changing its characteristics as the photographer demands, and producing the very best picture without making compromises.

A new arrangement of the color filter mosaic provides more image data than conventional arrays. Combined with new 3-way Capture Technology, the result is a single EXR sensor that can operate in three modes: High Resolution (HR), Wide Dynamic Range (DR), or High Sensitivity and Low Noise (SN).






The EXR Processor and the Super CCD EXR sensor work closely together to guarantee exceptional image quality. In the latest models including the FinePix S200EXR, newly researched Multi Frame Technology has been added, and along with it Pro Focus Mode and Pro Lowlight Mode.

Pro Focus Mode works by taking a burst of 2 or 3 frames, and analysing the distance between the subject and the background. The camera then is able to take the main subject and crisply matt it against a defocused foreground and background. Perfect for portrait or nature photography, Pro Focus Mode should be used when professional results are desired, with minimal adjustment to the camera, and without the need to edit your photos afterwards on a PC. The results from the FinePix S200EXR will look as good as those from a DSLR, or better!

Pro Lowlight Mode should be used when you are trying to avoid noisy low light shots. With conventional camera models, it is possible to achieve relatively blur-free low light shots using high ISO and CCD shift (or optical image) stabilization. But this comes at a cost, as the ISO 1600 setting will invariably produce distracting and ugly noise. Once switched to Pro Lowlight Mode, the camera will take burst of 4 high sensitivity images using Pixel Fusion Technology in quick succession. It will then deploy Multi Frame Technology to overlap the 4 images to create one, single image with extremely low noise.


The massive 14.3x zoom lens is truly a delight to use in such a compact, lightweight design. The ultra-high precision Fujinon lens achieves maximum resolution at all focal lengths of 30.5mm-436mm equivalent with maximum aperture of a bright F2.8 (wide angle) to F5.3 (telephoto).


Because of the composite body and lens structure, there is no need to worry about dirt or dust on the Super CCD EXR sensor, and they are perfectly aligned for the very best results. The mechanical zoom offers image framing with fingertip precision as well as offering a user experience that closely matches the use of a high-end DSLR.



The FinePix S200EXR will be available from August 25, 2009, with pricing announced nearer to the date of the launch (should be around RM2,500.00?).