Old is gold

David Beckham's on loan transfer to AC Milan has been received with mixed reactions.

My humble opinion is not intended to favor Beckham, but throughout the years all of us have known Mr. Golden Right Foot, sometimes it's not wrong to appreciate such a rare talent like him. He may not be the same we had expected and got of him in his heydays; nevertheless, he is still in his own league in certain aspects of football and is definitely from a different planet when we talk about cross-pitch deliveries.

Remember baby-face predator Solkjaer only needed to run towards the goal and Mr. Becks calculated the distance so perfectly his long ball fell right in front of running Solkjaer. And the rest is another goal from the man you think is only needed to sell shirts. I bet he got As for all his Calculus exam papers. And who else but the great Zidane acknowledged Beckham's delivery is perfect where in many instances spectators' jaws dropped seeing the ball flying to Zidane's chest out of nowhere.

From Becks' boot, that is. He arrived at Real Madrid with mixed perceptions - goals or shirts. He managed both successfully, helping Real Madrid out of 4 barren years to lift their domestic trophy as well as pulling the club out of the red to rake in millions of profits. Kewl... Albeit a year plus older, he is not useless. And Milan's manager may have the last laugh.

And to England - they need to find a new Beckham, and a new Scholes too...

Tanda-tanda kemalasan menulis, so salin dari laman saya yang lain - yang pernah bacanya (Wira etc) jangan maraa arr...

On my way back from Santiago back in October 2007, I was blessed with meeting nice people who helped me out of near-miseries although it’s their first time seeing this ordinary bloke. What and how they helped me may feature later in my future postings. But now, I just wanna zero in on people’s niceness and kindness to others in general, no matter how they look and what language they originally speak, and the lasting power these 2 mahmudahs possess.

Don’t think about ageing sign yet. These days, people complain about a growing concern of individualism in the society. When I flash back 15 years back during the final lapse of my secondary education, images of nice people would evoke in my mind. They are either my relatives, teachers, dorm-mates, friends or even passers-by merely smiling at me at bus-stops or in restrooms. Perhaps, as life then was less dictated by the breackneck pace, people would tend to accomodate more time for others.

Coming back to 2007, my recent experience is supposed to negate any notion that mankind is dealing with a growing number of individualists. Well, whilst still many beg to differ, I think I hafta be comfy with a preconceived notion that wherever I go, there will always be kind-hearted people who won’t hesitate to lend a helping hand in unavoidable circumstances where I need help.

Come to think of it - I mean that we should still be able to roam the planet conscious that we may not be left alone in the dark - one should also wonder how the society’s tolerance level against individualism is gonna take shape 20 years from now. Okey, this time lapse may be a bit too far ahead for you guys, but hey, if you can still visualise your life 20 years back, that means life is so short and probably, in a blink of an eye, blink blink blink, you are 20 years older, you see. So then, will there be nice people in 2027? I bet there will, do you?

Hehe, is looking to far ahead a sign of ageing process in me?

Bye

Ramadhan sudah berlalu, so has Syawal 1,2 and 3...

Time has never flown this fast, that's what I perceive at least. For the umpteenth time, I left Ramadhan or, perhaps more precisely, Ramadhan left me unfulfilled with the best endevour to achieve the zenith of 'ibadah to the Almighty, granted on a night known as Lailatul Qadr, which is singled out in His holy words. Truly, where else can I get something worth a thousand times more without spending a single cent, with just a limited amount of energy and time needed in the final third of the night. Which night is the night, only He knows and only they who put concerted efforts to find it will find it.

This year's Syawal to me is different in many ways. Still, I celebrated it in Malaysia, unlike some of my ex-schoolmates and blogger friends who are away in Berlin, Cork, Al-Hambra etc. Lucky eh? And for the first time, I bought 3 shirts for the first 3 days (pants, recycle from Syawal 1 lah). This shows Luck 2. And because my wheel-chaired mother could only celebrate the festival at my brother's house in Senawang where she's been staying since her discharge from Seremban Specialist Hospital on 19 August, for the first time in my entire life had I had my Aidilfitri celebration outside my hometown in Kuantan. Blessing in disguise, all my nephews and nieces were there, and I treated them as if they were my own blood. so, this year I had longer time with them. Luck 3. My ol'time buddy Dr Fariz the physician, sorry we can't celebrate Raya together this year.

Jintian ji hao? Syawal 5. October 5 (timekeeper Tissot still shows Oct 4, but it's not from Petaling St. maa). Back home in Kajang, the mood to return to work has not returned. Fingers crossed, most are feeling the same. Tomorrow my office will look like a deserted curved monument as some continue their leaves and others are overseas for meetings or preparing for such meetings (leaving me grounded to do the most boring and least glamorous jobs).

And owh, an issue that I need to solve is whether our Federal Constitution has successfully achieved the separation of powers in our country.

Ramadhan di Samudera

Ramadhan di Samudera

Semalam aku buka puasa kat pejabat, jamah kurma yang nampak berlendir (I don't know why) dan minum air mineral yang Akram (my colleague) beri. Memang bengangla sebab kena sambung discussion dengan bos. Nak buat macamana, kerja punya pasal. Kalau tak, tak dapatla cuti harini untuk bawa mak jumpa ahli fisioterapi di Hospital Tuanku Jaafar, Seremban.

Balik rumah lebih kurang 10.00 malam, baru dapat shoru sambil tengok tv. TV1 tayang dokumentari orang-orang kita buka puasa kat tempat kerja. Yang paling menginsafkan, Ramadhan di Samudera. Mereka adalah para nelayan kita yang kerja tangkap ikan di laut lepas, yang adakalanya beberapa hari baru balik rumah mendakap isteri dan memegang kepala anak.

Di bulan puasa, nelayan masih terus bekerja macam biasa, tangkap ikan yang kita makan. Best juga jadi nelayan sebab ikan paling segar masuk perut diorang dulu. Yang kita makan tu mungkin dah beberapa hari dalam kapal, tapi masih segarlah. Dalam kapal nelayan, mereka seolah-olah hidup macam biasa, namun dalam hati Tuhan saja yang tahu. Sesekali, kapal beroleng diusik ombak. Mujur masa dokumentari tu dibuat, cuaca nampak mesra. Tapi tu pada mata kita. Berat lagi bahu yang pikul. Anak isteri kat rumah tak lekang bibir dengan doa agar sang suami selamat pergi dan balik. Go out one piece, come back one piece.

Sambil sedap kunyah ikan goreng masak kicap yang rasanya masih manis, mata ni tak lepas dari suasana berbuka dalam kapal di tengah laut. Lepas berbuka, diorang solat Maghrib dan rehat sekejap sebelum sambung kerja. Kerja yang tak sama dengan kita di pejabat yang ada air-cond, kerusi empuk, PC HP, printer, siap ada sofa dalam bilik. Waima dalam bulan puasa, nelayan kerja macam biasa. Maknanya, sahur tak boleh miss langsung, nanti takde tenaga nak tarik jala yang penuh ikan. Kalau di siang hari matahari terik mencengkam kulit, ada risiko dehidrasi. Boleh mati kalau tak sempat ganti air dan garam yang hilang. Tapi muka diorang selamba saja.

Nelayan banting tulang tangkap ikan, kalau tak, bekalan protein kita tak cukup; ikan tu sumber utama protein, ayam jatuh nombor dua.

Sampai di jeti, peraih tunggu dengan tawaran harga tak seberapa. Nelayan bagai tercabut nyawa di samudera, peraih senang-senang untung atas angin. Daylight robbery. Hidup nelayan tak sama macam kebanyakan dari kita. Langkah kerajaan nak beri RM200 sebulan kepada mereka memang kena pada masanya. Walaupun zaman le ni banyak mana la sangat RM200, tapi bolehlah nak bagi dapur berasap.

Nelayan zaman sekarang lagi bertuah berbanding nelayan dulu-dulu.

Dulu lain, sekarang lain. Zaman dah berubah..

like a rock falling on my head..

On 3 August 08, my mom was being prepared for the hemiarthroplasty operation scheduled the following day.

The x-ray taken two days earlier showed the crack detected on Saturday, 19 July 08, had developed into a complete fracture. Such cases of fractured neck of femur are common to women, especially those with ostheoporosis. My mom is 71 yrs old, so chances are very high. The best option for her would be hemiarthroplasty, a kinda hip replacement suitable for old infirm patients with a fractured neck of femoral bone like my mom.

If the ops was not done, mom would be bed-ridden for a minimum of 6 months, and this could only invite more harmful risks like pneumonia, backsore etc. My family had discussed and we agreed to the ops as scheduled by the specialist attending to mom.

Then (at the time of writing), I saw the nurse pushing the ECG device into the room to start assessing mom's condition to ensure she's fit for the ops. Later on, her blood would be checked to ensure there's no infection and it's sufficient for the ops.

I was the first of my family to be briefed by the specialist about the condition of my mom's fractured neck of femur. Then, I returned to the room, looked at my mom, and went to the toilet inside the room. My eyes were shedding tears. I just felt very difficult to accept the news. Tears not voice was pouring out when I was explaining it to my father and family members.

Dear Allah the Almighty, please heal my mother

Today is the 8th day since my mom has been admitted. What I can say is the Seremban Specialist Hospital (SSH) serves extremely well in terms of services rendered by the specialist and nurses. My outright observation is public hospital service is a far cry from what we expect for medical treatment. Nevertheless, credit should also be given to the government for efforts to improve the medical service deliverables, such as waiting time, ccomfortable wards and nice staff. But still, some areas remain deplorable and need a gentle kick in the you-know-where.

My mom was admitted to the General Hospital in Seremban on Friday, 18 July 2008, the day she complained feeling screechingly painful in her right thigh whenever she wanted to walk. The hospital SOP tells that every patient (really?) will be admitted to the 3rd class ward before he/she goes to a higher class subject to entitlement. At the Seremban GH, patients may have to wait in a long queue to get a 1st or 2nd class room despite their entitlements. Maybe, there's an exception to those with "big cables". This is what had happened to us. Because all the 1st class rooms were occupied (no 2nd class for ortopedic cases at this GH!!), we're told to wait in the long queue, which would take days before my mom's turn. What made me so restless was the 3rd class condition where its toilet was far from my mom's bed. Worsestill, it stinked and almost made me puke. Being a toilet is never a warrant to be smelly, especially if an outside party is paid to clean the toilet. Where did they disappear? It's not an isolated case because another toilet at the same level with the cafetaria at the lower ground was also not properly maintained, as was evident with its bowl clogged with that yellowish you-know-what. Despicable!

So, we all decided that enough was enough and our mom deserved a better place. Not trying to be overly demanding, we just wanted the best for a woman who has sacrificed a lot in our upbringing. That's basically how SSH came into the picture. A few hours ago, I had the chance to discuss my mom's situation with the specialist, an ortopedic surgeon. He showed us the result of CT scan my mom had 2 days ago, and from the film, we could see the crack area looked obvious. Encouraging words from him were that my mom would need a rest for 2 weeks and undergo physioteraphy everyday in order to recover on time. Which means another week to go. Hopefully by then, my mom would get stronger and be able to walk again.

May all our prayers for mom's fast recovery be granted by the Almighty, and may He bestow those praying for my mom with eternal happiness.

My mum is in SSH

Dear all,

For the time being, I won't be able to remain an active blogger since my mother's admission into the Seremban Specialist Hospital last Saturday. Early diagnosis from the specialist attending to her, Dr. Wan Hazmy, the cause that has disabled my mom from walking is lombosacral stenosis, ie something to do with her spine. Everyday, mom undergoes her physiotherapy training, and she's showing some progress.

All I need is your prayers so mom will recover fast and can walk again.

Only Allah SWT will return the favor to ye all.

Kriss 1904

Finally, my Kriss is back to life, resuscitated by a few hundred bucks and a bit of patience. It also has a semi-new look, after more than a year of injustice done by its master, myself that is. But more importantly, it can now take me to the nearby surau or shops. There have been requests by orang kampung to buy my Kriss for one k. So, my decision to not accept the offer seems to pay off. Hehe... After the recent fuel price hike at the local pumps, one could anticipate less people driving their gas-guzzling machines especially those of big cc. Alternatively, people may start considering riding motorcycles so as to reduce fuel consumption. A good sign for bike sales. I may be thinking towards riding to my office and class too although my Kriss hardly pretends like a safe ride. Or maybe, just maybe, I trade my bike in for a bigger and safer two-wheeler. Virago? Vulcan? Or Harley-Davidson? Hmm... Anyone wanna joyride with me?

Coming back to the record high fuel price, yesterday saw the highest level yet for the global crude oil price - USD141 pb is triggering more fears into almost all sectors of the economy. If the runaway increase of oil price becomes unstoppable, many economies will be badly hit, with Malaysia not excluded. Such dreadful scenario will spell disaster to Malaysia's economic plans, notably the Ninth Malaysia Plan of which Mid-term Review has been tabled by the Prime Minister at the Parliament. Already beleaguered with pressure after pressure, the last thing he would want is escalating costs of living due to higher price of food and fuel that is certain to hurt the rakyat. The question is, how well the Government is responding to mountains of challenges emanating from risks such as the 3F (finance, food and fuel), global imbalances, geopolitical uncertainties and other risks. Finance risk refers to the the international financial market turmoil which started with the US subprime mortgage crisis and the ensuing credit crunch.

The most immediate measures should also encompass finding an equally reliable alternative to petrol and diesel as the source of energy. It's heart-warming to learn that Proton, as announced by my ex-boss the MD/CEO, will roll out from its production line in Shah Alam its first car factory-fitted with the NGV tank latest by this October. In the other part of the world, Nissan is chasing Toyota and Honda in producing hybrid cars. Toyota will be, or probably has been, celebrating its 1,000,000th car running on a hybrid engine. Now its R&D is working very hard to perfect the lithium-ion battery technology to suit the need for economics of scale. You know that's the battery you see in your handphone or laptop.

Perhaps, as far as the global foreign direct investment is concerned, investors are now more sensitised to our ageing world, and environmental technologies will be the in-thing.

And for my Kriss, selling it off may not be a good idea after all if I still have my sentimental value - my Kriss 1904 is my first vehicle which, bought using my first salary, is a huge contribution to what I am today.

I love you Kriss 1904, muuuaaaarrrggghhh.

maleh tollll

Hmmm... rasa maleh betol nak blogging lepas Pulau Batu Putih jatuh ke tangan Singapura dan jadi Pedra Branca. Lama gak lepas tarikh memilukan tu. Member2 cam Dr Fariz asyik dok provoke ajer. Aina lak maintain dengan posting nya yang soooo very the panjangggggg... Letih hendak kubaca... Tapi best...

I got soooooo much to write that now I don't know just where to start first. Should I write on my tot about the recent fuel price hike which is driving many crazy? Or about the stinking armpits in KTM commuter yesterday that almost made me puke (are people turning to public transports following the hike)? Or Pedra Branca? Or any other heavy stuff? Wait.. wait waddabout my commendable 1st sem result (hmmm.. A good start to complete my double degree as a friend of mine remarked)? Or should I for now just 'terjah' others' blogs like Dr Fariz said? Can be fun too...

Anyways, I'm sooooo sooooo bored and clueless. Period.

Rintihan

Rintihan

Biar berlinangan air mata
Ku takkan hentikannya
Biarkan ia menyembuh luka
Hilanglah rasa duka

Tidak ku termampu merentasi liku-liku
Oh sungguh ku tak mampu menghadapi semua itu
Oh sungguh ku tak upaya

Jangan dibiarkan jerih perih kehidupan
Bisa meleraikan iman...
Kan hancur semuanya
Walaupun menitis air mata darah
Tak bisa merubah segalanya
Melainkan taubat nasuha
Moga kan diterima...

( korus )
Namun ku percaya
Masih ada kesudahannya
Kerana Allah itu
Maha kaya maha mendengar
Rintihan hamba-hambanya
Kerana sesiapa bertaqwa kepadanya
Pasti akan ada
Jalan keluarnya
Rezeki yang tidak disangka-sangka
Cukup Allah baginya berkuasa segala-galanya
Terima seadanya

Sumbangan Putera Izfiq & Maulana Nik