New Year Resolutions

2010 headaches...hehe

Aahhhh the new year is here. Year by year, I always have "to blog a minimum of once a month" as part of my new year's resolution. Last year, I almost achieve it, except for January & March.

A few things occurred in 2010, but one major event outweighs the rest. 2010 shall  always remain in the hallmarks of my life autobiography (should I become famous one day..hehe) as the year I re-married again after almost 5 years being the President of Persatuan Duda Semalaysia (I wonder if there is such a society). The event left a few girls crying...and I heard through the grapevine that there was a guy too...huhuhu. Adapting to married life again took some practice, and the 'bad habits' that we picked up in our previous marriages added some spices to the occasional disagreements. I am happy to report that we had overcame this teething problem.

2010 was also a year I got problems with Proton Edar service centres. It surprised me as to how such a big company that always saying how safe their cars are and how good their service is, does not have a customer complain tracking system in place. My experience gave me the impression that Proton Edar is only 'nice & sweet' when they want you to sign that S&P agreement. Once they have gained profit, then they start to f**k you in after sales service. NOTE: you CAN request what things you want to change & what you do not want to when you send your car in for periodic servicing at these service centres. If you dont ask, then they would change things to the maximum number of items.

2010 was also the year that I re-kindled my involvement in 4WD activities. Having my 'anak gajah' stuck in mud on the way to Damai paved the way to 'enhance' further my 4WD. To be fair, it was a bad track and I did managed to winch for 7 times almost until the batteries died on me. But men being men, we always find reasons to buy or upgrade our Big Boys Toys....same as women who always find reasons to shop for clothes, handbags, furniture etc etc. For the ladies, if your husband or boyfriend spend a little bit of money or time on his Big Boys Toys, just smile and thank your lucky star that he is concentrating solely on his toys, rather than another woman (I hope my wife reads this...hahaha).

The closing of 2010 was closed with a bang when I suddenly decided to quit my job for reasons that's best left for the court of the All Mighty in the After Life. It was not an easy decision, but after numerous prayers to seek guidance, one day I just woke up and decided to leave the company.

Though much more could be said about 2010, I am more incline to think or rather plan for 2011. Among the resolutions for 2011:

• To blog for a minimum once a month
• To achieve a slightly more than acceptable degree of creature comfort
• To be financially stable to provide better life for my dependants (to buy more Big Boys Toys...hehe)
• To certify more people in scuba diving & take them to see the u/water world

Of course there's the standard resolution of being a better person, a better son, a better husband, a better dad... in other words a better human being. I am learning much from my wife about myself, coz she's like that talking mirror in Snow White...she tells me how a third party sees me.

 

Last but not least, I find that people nowadays are too busy planning for the future, or dwelling in their past, that they sometimes forget to live TODAY....live NOW. To everyone, Happy New Year from the both of us.

SSP Batch 81 High Tea Reunion

Over the past 1 ½ years, my ex-schoolmate from SSP (Sekolah Sri Petaling), had somehow re-connected, much of it thru the power of Face book. Some aged faster, some slower, and some looked as if they were stuck in time as they look as youthful as before. Unfortunately, I fell into the first category. Sigh!!! My good friend, Julian Khan, was the creator of the FB group. Much of the ‘recruitment’ was done by another friend, Derek Ho, about 88% of the total recruited. This feat may not sound extra ordinary if not for a fact he resides in Canada! How this guy managed to do that from there defeats my mind and tells a lot about the guy.

A joint birthday

Yesterday, I attended a joint birthday party for an auntie & her nephews. It was CaTz's xx birthday (she would kill me if mention here) and the identical twins 1st birthday.

Happy birthday honey

The identical twins

The candle blowing ceremony

The twins are a bit shy...but I know a secret on how to persuade a baby to 'cooperate'. Actually its the same secret for men...its through their stomach. So I practise it on one of them. He understood what I said (clever boy), e.g. when I pointed to the cake, he looked at it. After a while he became comfy...too comfy in fact that he soon dozed off.

Was it the cake or the 'extra sponges' on me? Hmmm...must be the cake...at least that's how I would like to think of it.

I was tagged....

I was tagged by CaTz and in true spirit of a gentleman, I obliged her by doing this quiz. So here goes....

1. Rate your life from 1-10 (10 being very miserable)
3

2. Do you have many real friends?
I sure hope so

3. Name friends you last hang out with?
Shariman Samad

4. Who was the last person you hugged?
Hmmm...rahsia

5. Anything that made you smile today?
CaTz being upset with me again....as always

5. Name one thing you have in common with your friends?
Handphones?

6. Do you trust your friends?
Yeah...depending on their 'clearance' level...haha

7. Do you believe in love?
I do...but whether it still exists in this world...remains to be seen

6. Except for family and friends, who are you in love with?
Hmmm..is this a trick question?

7. Do you honestly believe you have found the right guy/girl?
The signs are there...except for the nagging...hehe

8. Are you someone’s best friend?
Don't know. I hope to be everyone's best friend

9. Do you consider yourself as a happy person?
Yeah

10. Who’s the first person you call when you’re having a bad day?
Who ever that is willing to hear me nag, nag, nag

11. Last person who made you laugh like crazy?
CaTz...at Nando's. She would kill me if I tell you why...

12. Who’s your greatest inspiration in life?
My tok guru

13. Who was the last person to sing your current favorite song and what song?
CaTz....but I still prefer the original singer...sorry babe haha

14. What have you been telling yourself lately?
Life begins at 40 KAZ

A visit down south

Recently, I made a trip to Singapore with a few friends, including my girlfriend CaTz. I had a few objectives to achieve during the trip. Firstly, to attend ADEX 2009. Secondly, to go sight seeing. Thirdly, to buy some big boys toys.

Food was not a problem as there was this nice food court nearby. They had almost everything, Soto, Nasi Ayam, Briyani, Hot Plate, various types of soup, different types of beverages...at affordable price. One thing they didn't have though was tissue paper or serviettes. Hmmm...I wonder why that is...

Transportation was also not a problem. We mainly use the MRT to travel as its cheap, convenient and fast. We were amazed how clean the MRT coaches were...wish we could have the same back home. No graffiti, no vandalism, no rubbish.

As I had expected, ADEX was not as attractive as before. There were no interesting seminars or trainings. I paid a short visit, was a bit disappointed and proceeded to objective 2 & 3. Thus, no pictures or write ups as a sign of protest...haha.

Sight seeing was more in the form of window shopping. Our main place for sight seeing was around Harbour Front area, namely Vivo City. Its such a huge mall, with endless streams of people. Here are some of the pictures....


Hmmm, I have been asked by some of you what sort of big boys toys did I bought. Some thought that it has to do with a visit to a sex shop. Hello, if you are a 'big boy' then you wont have to make such visits, do you? Haha. Well, to put your minds at ease, here are a brief introduction to my new toys...

An Ipod Hip case
Hmm...simply to replace my old case which was not that 'hip' looking.

A Submersible PTT and Battery Pack for my Yaesu VX6R
An important addition to my handy. Since the VX6R is waterproof (submersible 30 minutes of submersion at depth of 3 feet) and extremely rugged, its makes sense to also buy the equivalently submersible PTT. Its a bit big though, but it should serve its purpose well. Now I can bring a radio during flood rescue or drowning body recovery without having to worry about getting it wet.

A Yaesu FT-8800R, a Dual Bander Mobile
A popular dual bander, with detachable front. It features a dual display, showing you 2 sets of frequency readings. The FT-8800R features Yaesu's ARTS™ Auto-Range Transponder System, important in search-and-rescue applications. Another great feature is it has Cross Band Repeat. I lost mine to a fried circuit board mishap 2 years back.

An Icom IC2200H
A good, cheap basic amateur radio which triggers a high transmit power of 65W (although MCMC only allows 50W). Its a single bander, rough but stylish radio. The LCD panel can change either green or amber. It doesn't have a fan but its built with a heat sink design. I lost mine when my 'anak gajah' 4WD was stolen.

2 unit of Garmin 60CSx GPS
One of the best GPS I had ever used. High sensitivity receiver chip, which is important especially if you plan to go jungle tracking. Our Malaysian jungle has a very shady tree canopy that makes it hard sometimes for less sensitive GPS to get a lock on the satellites. Plus its as rugged a GPS as you could get for the price I paid for it.

A bad experience I had during the trip was..upon my arrival in Singapore, I discovered that my 019 line was barred (in my excitement I forgot to pay my bill on time). When I tried using my Maxis line, I could not. So using CaTz's phone I called Maxis. I didn't activate my International Roaming and the girl told me that to activate it, I have to do it in Malaysia. Hmmm...what a bummer. Hello miss, I am a POSTPAID customer, not a prepaid customer. I could not see the rational of it and was on the line giving her a piece of my mind (which later cost CaTz about RM35 for just that call).

Moral of the story...if its just not your day, the odds are against you, even if you have 2 telephone lines, you could be rendered hopeless in a different country.


And where were we after all that shopping? Tired but happy. After all, it was a holiday.

My timing shucks

Haha I have been getting messages from some of you...even a few nasty ones like scolding me for wallowing in self pity etc etc. At first I was confused as to why they reacted that way. After all I blog only about my medical condition. Nothing that resembles self pity in there.

Then one of them mentioned about the video. Video? Hmmm? Then it dawn on me...the posting before that...the music video of 'Kaer - Izinkan ku pergi'. The video clip showed the story of a dead man singing to his girlfriend...kind of like that movie 'Ghost' starring Patrick Swayze.

Actually, there is no connection between the 2 postings. I am not feeling suicidal or thinking about death. The music video is for another story, unrelated to the medical story. By sheer coincidence, and poor timing, it looked like its inter-related.

Sorry guys and gals for ruffling a few feathers unintentionally.....anyway, it goes to show how caring you people really are. Cheers.

Why I am cranky?

I just received my results 2 days ago of the MRI scan that I did earlier. The first thing that the doctor told me was she is bringing forward my appointment from 20th to 11th. I had a bad feeling. Then she told me that she was referring my case file to Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) to meet a neuro surgeon, I had a worsening feeling. When she took the trouble to get an appointment at HKL on 14th, I knew it was really bad. Though an operation need not be the ending to this story, its there as one of an option...and it climbing higher on the list of options for KAZ.

I had mixed feelings, when I heard the news on my phone. The world kind of stopped for a few seconds. Every sort of scenarios came into my mind. If you never been there, you wont know the feeling.

People tell me I should have seek medical attention sooner. Well I did, but doctors brushed it off as me being over exaggerating my condition. Well, now I am in pain and I am out of painkillers and I am one cranky person.

For once in my life, I have to learn to prioritise myself. I don't have time to entertain or please anyone else because at the end of the day, its just me. I need motivators, positive thinkers, honestly caring people, people who would cheer me up. I don't need self centred people, who would only stay if things were good but leaves the moment it turns bad. Now I get to see the real person behind all of them....

My word of wisdom

I was reading a motivational book, a gift from a friend on 'making friends'. One simple rule that I think everyone knows is "do onto others what you want others to do onto you". This seemingly simple equation is very straight forward. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out.

However, this simple equation is the most overlooked rule. People expect other people to treat them with respect and dignity. When they don't get it, they get irritated. But what if they treat other people like shit? Using the equation, its only right for people to treat him or her like shit too. But there are such self centred morons who expect respect no matter how bad they treat others.

Us Asians are famously known to have a much higher tolerance level than others, so we learn to accommodate these morons. Because of this, the morons think that they could get away with anything, and they get bolder and bolder by the day. So its safe to say that the root cause of it is actually us. We let them get away with all these.

However, we Asians, despite having a much higher tolerance level, we are less forgiving once that level has been breached. Once someone crosses that line, he or she may never be forgiven. Even if forgiven, but not forgotten. When not forgotten...things would never be the same again.

"When there is no respect, there is nothing left but hate."...KAZ

Something forgotten

Alamak...in my rush to post this article, titled 'Senseless Killings', I had forgotten to acknowledge and give due credit to the source of the photographs that I had uploaded. It was CaTz that actually reminded me about it today. Being a photographer myself, this is unethical (even though she has given them at will). So I would like to thank Ryzah, a good friend, for the pictures and email.

An update: a complain was lodged with the respective ministry through a friend working somewhere up there. Within days, a team of officers were there including the Ketua Pengarah (KP) to investigate. Its a toxicating cocktail of jurisdiction, indigenous people, livelihood etc etc. For example, federal has no jurisdiction over Sabah state Taman Laut and that this case was never highlighted before. The KP was shocked to see the pictures. Even if things came out in the papers, we cant just assume the authorities are aware of it.

Well, lets hope that something good comes out from this. If the KP cant do anything, then there is definitely no hope left for our marine life...a very sad episode for future generations.

Diver, Diver are you ok?

Its always a pleasure to teach...I didn't know I had that interest until I became a PADI scuba instructor. There is a fine line between 'teaching' and 'nagging' though....teaching is the objective, and nagging is a method perhaps? Haha. But no matter how you conduct the course, fun is a compulsory by-product and safety is the rule of the day.

I am known as one who follow the book, no shortcuts...and I have lost a few potential students because of this. Never mind if they don't value their lives, but I DO. This is worst if they want to be certified Divemasters...they'll be looking after other people's lives. Cant have that on my conscience.

Recently, I had the pleasure to teach my two friends who were taking the EFR (Emergency First Responder) and Rescue Diver certification. One of them had a true life experience of witnessing a diver running out of air at 22m during a sunset dive. Both of them are avid divers and based on their natural instinct of helping out others, they decided to pay me to 'torture' them...haha. What a great job I have. So I would like to share with you some of their 'action' photos....

During EFR Training

During Rescue Diver Training

(photos courtesy of Ryzah)

Mind over matter....pushing the limits

Gently does it

Rescue Breathing

Chest Compressions

Recovery Position

De-briefing

Graduation night...The one in the orange tshirt is my Advance Open Water student, Swee Lian. Don't let the small size fool you, she has the courage of a warrior. Congrats to her too for achieving the AOWD certification level and for conquering her fears of the deep.

Congratulations to the both of them for taking the time and money to learn new skills on how to save someone else's live. They have earned their right to be called Rescue Divers. The next time you hear someone utter this phrase...Diver, diver are you OK?, then you know that he or she belongs to this special group of people.

Fine Dining

Last night I paid a visit to a friend's family owned restaurant called Subak. The friend, Farouk, was my ex-SSP school mate and the place is managed by Azlan, his close friend, who happens to be my ex tuition mate. Surprise, surprise what a small world we live in.

It’s fairly new place, about 3 weeks old, but managed by a very experienced crew. The head honcho in the kitchen is an executive chef that used to work for 5 stars resorts before joining this place...so I get to sample 5 stars food quality at 'normal' prices. The kitchen action is visible via glass windows...in case you want to learn how to cook from afar...haha.
The decoration was nicely done. It reminded us of the rice terrace over in Bali. They took the trouble of importing authenticated Bali furniture and fittings from Indonesia... right up to the colourful flags. The tranquillity of the place really sets the mood, with only the sound of crickets and frogs communicating in the background, amidst the pool of spring water. The right mixture of lights and candles, with soft jazz music, sets the ambiance to the place. The air was cool and breezy. Very nice.

When it was time to order, I went straight for something I had seen on their website, Lamb Shank. They recommended me Barbican, a malt drink originating from the Arab world, with different flavours to choose from. CaTz decided on Wantan Noodle Soup with Cafe Latte. Oh ya before all that, appetizer in the form of Gado-Gado. After all that, dessert...Es Teler.

What did I think of the food? It was superb. The portion sizes are just right. My lamb shank was so tender; I didn't have to use my knife much. Just using the fork was sufficient. And the taste? Mmmmm let's just say that my mouth is watering now just writing about it. Catz had nothing but praises for her food....and that's seldom seen or heard...haha.

I would certainly pay another visit very soon to this place to try out their pasta selection. Maybe this time I remember to bring my camera, coz the challenge to translate that entire comfy ambiance into pictures is just too tempting for me to resist. Most of all, I just want to chill with my good friend Farouk and catch up on old times.

For those of you who wants to know more about the place, visit their website at www.subak.com.my

Mr Matty King

I was sitting there at my table, reflecting about my life, when I saw my friend, Mr Matty King, from Australia, appearing on-line yesterday. Its been a long time since I last chatted with him. The first time I met Matty was during my IDC course (Instructor Development Course) a.k.a. PADI's scuba instructor's exam. I spent nearly 3 weeks with this guy on Perhentian island. Studying, diving, eating etc. Well the course and exams were like 2 weeks, the rest we just laze about doing nothing but diving.

When it was time to head back to KL, we took the same bus. It was the first time I had ever used a RM3k (after conversion from AUD1k) sleeping bag. We used his sleeping bag as the air conditioning on the bus was too cold. I remembered so clearly, I was amazed by it. Its rated for sleeping in minus 30 degrees and yet I didn't feel 'hot' like the normal ones I had used before. Its warm and very comfy.

I met him again when he stopped by here with his girlfriend en route to China. They were spending sometime in China, working as English teachers there. Every year during winter, they spend their time traveling.

For this year, Matty has come up with a plan...Motorbike trip from Singapore to China...him, Serena (wife) and Tristan (bro-in law). He asked me to tag along. I asked him how long you plan to be away? 7 months came the reply. Like wow...that's long dude. So in the end, I told him I'll tag along for the Malaysian part of his tour..roughly about 7 days on my trusty motorbike. Details are sketchy at this moment, but tentatively it starts on 28th April 2009. I am actually looking forward to it. I wish it's tomorrow.

Nothing but the open road . Maybe that's what I need...to re-charge my internal spirit.

P/S: Any bikers interested to join us?

Is privacy a passport to everything?

A friend just confided in me that his GF is sharing their intimate secrets with her ex BFs. My friend was very disturbed about all these. I asked him how he got to know...from chat transcripts sent by someone from a particular agency.

His suspicions came about when she 'secretly' added one of her ex BF into her FB. The fact that she did it 'secretly' shows that she knows that its politically incorrect. But when my friend told her his displeasure, she didn't delete the dude. So that's how he asked someone to do a check. What came back was a surprise for him indeed.

His GF was always accusing him of having sordid sex chats with girls, or having secret rendezvous, or what ever she fantasizes could be happening behind her back. He was very accommodating coz he says "its a sign that she loves me". True...maybe. But when its evident that she chats about their intimate stuff...well...cakap tak serupa bikin ni. Wasn't there a famous line that goes something like "do onto others what you want others to do onto you"?

He told me that the GF was mad coz to her its an invasion of privacy between her and her friends. Wow...is she for real? I think she's just mad coz she didn't have an answer. My 2 cents on this...

• What about the privacy between her and the BF? I think a relationship is a special bond between TWO people, and not to be shared with ANYONE. What about his rights? Doesn't he have a say if you want to share the intimate secrets between the both of you with your ex BFs?
  
• Invasion of privacy between her and her friends? So where does the BF stands? Outside the private circle? Hello...your soul mate should be the one closes, in the inner most circle, not treated like an accessory item. Kalau ada jodoh, you are gonna get married to him for god's sake.
  
• She was so engross about how she and her friends feels that she puts her BF's feelings last. It was always her and her friends first. If I were her, I would have deleted that dude as a friend if I know that it bugs my soul mate. No questions asked.
  
• That dude even had the nerve to suggest to be her part time lover a few months back even after knowing she is going out with my friend. Doesn't that tell you anything girl? That dude is bad news and you are taking his side over my friend?
• These people give advice la, saying things like maybe my friend is not serious, taking her for a ride, don't want to see her get hurt and taken advantage of etc etc. Hey dudes, the fact that you all are her ex BFs means that you guys are describing yourselves. And the fact that you guys f**k around while being married further loath me. At least my friend has the intention of actually marrying her. Funny thing is, she actually listens and discuss with you people? How stupid can you be girl?
  
• Privacy? Yes, as long as you don't do stuff behind your partner's back la. Sometimes people abuse and hide behind this word, as if its a passport to do what ever you like. You are still bound by the common rules of wishful thinking. I am sure, if the tables were turned, she would have gone bonkers.
  

So now my friend tells me that the GF wants to break off with him coz he invaded her privacy. Haha. Is she for real? Bloody arrogant if you ask me. You drew first blood girl. You expected him to behave nice and proper for you, but you on the other hand, is free to do what ever you please? Is that how relationships should be? Ask yourself...can you take it if it was the other way round?

My friend really like the GF and did everything for her, and was also seriously thinking of settling down by this year. Too bad the GF is too bloody arrogant to admit her mistakes but instead chose to blame my friend for everything. She says that its my friend who actually doesn't want to be with her by finding excuses. Its so easy ain't it to chicken out of a relationship by blaming someone else. Time to look in the mirror girl!

Keep your chin up my friend.

My First Wedding Job

Huhu, who would have thought...me...doing wedding photography? Well....I did that twice before, once as a favour (so that doesnt count as 'official') and the other was to bail out a friend who had to leave early while on the job (so that doesnt count as 'official' too). Guess that makes this one 'THE ONE' (official that is).

Understandably I was nervous. Why? I am not sure really. I think it may be because I dont know whether my 'taste' appeals to the bride & groom. After all, photography is a form of art and beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Well I guess the groom's family had seen my work (my 2nd 'unofficial' job was during the eldest sister's wedding) or maybe they were just doing me a favor.

I couldnt sleep that night. At 2am I was still busy cleaning lenses and charging batteries. Just like a small kid with his 'new' toy. At last, I managed to put in about 3 hours of sleep. Borrowing Catz's favourite expression..."crazy"...haha.

The groom is the son of Dato' Sham & Datin Saadiah, fondly called Ijan (not sure of his full name though). The bride and groom had insisted there will be no 'bersanding' ceremony on either side, so it makes it more challenging for me to get good shots.

I would like to share with you this unique wedding reception on the groom's side. Why unique? It was a BBQ reception, with stalls serving BBQ stuff, beriyani, char kueh teow, sotong kangkung, tauhu bakar, ice kacang etc etc.

The groom's reception




The families

The groom's family


The bride's family

To the bride and groom, I wish them "Semoga bahagia ke anak cucu. Amin"