Celebrated my birthday last week. A small affair like every year with just me and my wife. I don't harp about my birthday and actually hate celebrating it. However, my wife made it memorable all by herself. Here were the highlights :
Wife sent a balloon surprise early in the morning of my birthday
Wife brought me to dinner at Prime, a posh steakhouse in Hilton KL (she really knows my meat)
Wife took me to a spa the next day and we checked-in into JW Marriott KL where a cake awaited us
Had a tasteful dinner at a Luk Yu Tea House at Starhill Gallery
Drove back home on a rare sunny day at this time of the year
Had a simple lunch at home and spent 2 days holed up in the house
On Monday, was out in the newspaper in an article promoting my 1 and a half year book
Received a card from colleagues with sick sense of humour
@TeeAssBee on Twitter or Tuan Senang Besar on Facebook was a man I get to know from social media. Yesterday, he was no more. This is an account on how he existed or what I perceived of him and it has a lot to do with how social media connects us.
Kharis, his real name died on 13th of October 2011 while he was running somewhere near his house. I got to know the news through Twitter upon waking up at 8am. It was from @rafairahman (who will hate me linking his name here) about not believing that Kharis is gone. I didn't too. I asked my wife to really read all the tweets coming in while I took a shower. I came out of the shower seeing my wife making a call. She hung up and she said, through Abby Latif, another twitter friend, the news was confirmed. I told my partner and office that I am taking the whole day off.
I stayed awhile at the morgue and saw his remains, saw friends started to turn up (mostly from social media) and I followed the whole event until the moment his remains were on the way to the cemetery. As I have my own family matter to take care off, I didn't follow the funeral procession. Between the morning until the moment of send-off, you can see how well-known was this person. At 35 he had touched so many life. I wish I could say the same about me.
When I first met him I was afraid to talk to him or more like didn't find the need to talk to him. It was at Las Vacas, a butchery which serves cooked steak too which I have been hunting all my life to exist in Malaysia. It seems that they have existed two or three years before 2010, the year I discovered them but if not for social media and @TuanSenangBesar (his tweethandle then) I would have never discovered it. It seems he was also the one who set up the Twitter account of @lasvacas and then relentlessly promoted it. If not for it, I wouldn't have known a few other people from Twitter. And to think that, the night before the tragedy struck
#RockKapak is the hashtag we created among a few friends on Twitter who appreciates good music which mostly comes from the rock scene in 70s and 80s, from rock band long forgotten. The Online Pub was where we held the gatherings every Thursday and Sunday. Those who had the gall to sing did and @TeeAssBee's favorite was Kamelia from Sweet Charity.
He is also a good eater. Unlike most who knew him through running and his exercise regime, I met him more at the eateries than anywhere else. I did doubt some of his preference but as a fellow eater, I can appreciate his eclectic taste in food. As for his exercise regime which seemed to have made him a few friends, I only trekked with him once with a Twitter group which trekked nearly every weekend (once).
If you read or talk to anyone else, it was never easy to say good thing about his demeanor. He asserted himself until you feel he was a snob. I guess it was just his way of making a statement. I can relate as a fellow person who is as big as him, who realised you will never get the world delivered to you on a silver platter, you fight for it and you stand your ground.
I never had long conversations with him or I can claim I know him as a great friend. However, a young man died at nearly the same age as me. That affect me a lot...
#RIPTSB
Here are other blogs which posts are dedicated to him :
There are no more cheap houses in the
center of Klang Valley. Unless you consider houses priced at RM500,000-00 as
cheap. Within my neighborhood in Shah Alam, where I bought my house for
RM255,555-00 in 2004, the same housing developer have just launched a new phase
where the house is just a few feet longer than mine, although with the same
width, the price is set at RM580,000-00.
So, what is the next best solution to
get an affordable house? The answer seems to be to look outside of Klang Valley
or nowadays better known as the Greater Klang Valley, which term I believe
derived from the other well known ‘Greater’ part of other more known city like
Greater London and such. There were plans by the government to create greater
Klang Valley which include the northern part, southern part and even the east
and west side of the the Klang Valley. It looks like the areas like Banting and
Klang or the east side towards the Titiwangsahave more housing development activities than the sporadic development
like in the north. Southern part is nearing the edge of the southern border of
Selangor with university township of Bandar Baru Bangi have prices already
going beyond the ‘affordable houses’ tag.
I was simply driving by around
Serendah the other day when I came across Antara Gapi an upcoming township
area.
Antara Gapi's entrance
Some of the completed development within Antara Gapi
This housing area in the northern of
Selangor is developed by Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor or better known as
PKNS. PKNS is known to be more than just a housing developer. They seem to be
well-known to build townships which include Kota Damansara, Bandar Baru Bangi
and Shah Alam itself.
As I am a weekend hiker, I have always
wanted to go to Serendah, which is a town quite near Antara Gapi. I was excited
as I had actually planned to go to Serendah on one of the weekends within this
year. As we passed the area between the exit of Bukit Beruntung and Serendah, I
can see tranquil area where the words rolling hills and deep valley come to
mind. As I reached the entry of Antara Gapi, I can still feel the same feeling.
As Serendah is less than 10 minutes away, you can also enjoy the waterfall near
there. Biking is also another option. There is also the Serendah golf course
where you can either practice your golf swing or starts to pick up golf. So,
just imagine if you live in Antara Gapi, other than living in a tranquil place,
you can be healthier.
If you are looking for a place of
convenience, Antara Gapi would be perfect for you. Just look at the place! It
has so many infrastructures in place. You can consider the travel that you need
to do either by highway, trunk roads or KTM Komuter is just a normal part of
your life in order for you to get a better living condition. You may have to
commute a bit but the fresh air and the weekend activities you can surround
yourself can even make you live longer.
Their first few phases of houses
launched by PKNS Antara Gapi has been sold off like hotcakes. And if you are
interested, do keep Dahlia in mind. I find Dahlia really interesting and
suitable for most people nowadays with its modern touch to its design. Also, if
you don’t believe, here’s why I think Dahlia would be a great place for you and
your family to grow:
Special characteristics of Dahlia Residence:
Elegant residential homes with only 64
units available
A wide frontage of 28 feet
Spacious contemporary design with
modern aesthetics Cul-de-sac layout that encourages
privacy
Seems that the argument is how Malaysia seems to have changed the way they greet one of the most celebrated day in Muslims calendar. There are two eid in Islam. Eid ul-fitr and Eid ul-adha. One is after a whole month of Ramadhan and the other is after the Haj season in Mekah.
The form is still the same.
The evolution goes like this :
Selamat Hari Raya - > Eid Mubarak -> SHRAF
The first is the Malay word for Eid ul-Fitr and the second one is how Arabs greet each other and the final one is the short form version which seems to circulate among the youngster.
However you say your greetings, have a great Eid and as is a norm in Malaysia nowadays, be safe on the road. Happy holidays too as Malaysia will have 3 days of holidays due to Eid being during Merdeka/Independence Day celebration at the same time on 31st August 2011.
And eat moderately. It will be a shame for those who manage to lose the pounds to gain it back so soon.
Every year, like any other year, the iftar or buka puasa part of Ramadhan will be in focus. People tend to go overboard when it comes to spending for buka puasa. Before I was married, in a family like mine where buka puasa is an event in itself, my mom tend to cook more than necessary as during those time Pasar Ramadhan or Bazaar Ramadhan were not as popular as it is now. We overeat on what our parents cooked for us, not some food which you are unsure of the quality of from a vendor who you suspect is only there to make money. All this thanks to a fast life of not being able to cook our own food.
Years back, when we were just married, my wife and I decided that we should do the same. Except for one delicacy which we will allow ourselves to indulge, we will only eat something which is well-prepared. Our Ramadhan routine changed but doesn't really change the way we overindulge. Only that we eat better food and something we are sure of being supposedly healthy. We also tend to cook more than necessary and we will try to eat and eat until the time for us to stop.
Once in awhile, we also tend to go out, book a hotel buffet and eat. I also treat the staff at my office the same. Hotel buffet is the norm.That is until 4 years ago when food prices started to rise and the realisation, we are overindulging in something we should take heed not to.
Nowadays, at home, my wife and I decided we would slow down on our food intake. Iftar is just water and some fruits, usually dates and an apple. I will usually perform Maghrib prayer first before we eat a proper meal. Sometimes, I only eat after the Isya' and terawikh prayers. My wife will usually cook one rice dish and we will eat peacefully at home. I rarely do iftar in hotels anymore. This Ramadhan, I have only had iftar thrice outside of my home or either my wife's parents or mine. One is with my staff in which the hotel buffet has now become a proper catered meal at our office, complete with grill lamb and twice with a bunch of brilliant young minds whom I got to know through their blogs.
There's still half a month of Ramadhan. As we go nearer Syawal, I think it is important to do more ibadah than go eat. As for me, I am trying to lessen more time eating outside of my home but more time inside....
8 years ago, after Asar, which then was nearly the same as now, at 4.45pm, I solemnized and officially become the man in someone's life. I was so nervous about going to the mosque from my kampung in Negeri Sembilan, I actually took a wrong turn to the highway. I had to detour nearly 20 kilometers away. I am not sure whether I ever told anyone, including the person I now called wife, about that tale. When it comes to the exact moment for solemnization, I don't think I had any problem, except due to the heat, I was sweating....
Just to commemorate the day 8803, which we have embedded in most of our plate numbers. 4 cars and counting.... One was written off due to an accident. One is being used by your sister. And two is still in our possession.
As this is Ramadhan, let us celebrate this anniversary with a quiet sahur later....
I was invited to see the production of Spin Masters 2 at the Zouk KL on one fine Saturday on invitation of the production company, Kyanite TV. It was interesting due to several reasons including that I never seen a reality television production (or maybe any TV production for that matter). The Spin Masters 2 which is has been shown on Astro Hitz and kinda on repeat every day since Wednesday, 20th July 2011 was won by DJ Ramsay (the guy in the green t-shirt in all the photos) from Penang who played an amazing set.
During the event, I was seated among the media and in the middle of it, I had a conversation with a journalist from Fluxxed magazine which covers nightlife events and she was covering the event due to the unique nature of the competition and the main prize being a trip to the Ministry of Sounds in United Kingdom for the winner to spin and show his prowess there for an hour.
When the conversation steered towards tea dance, I immediately feel the generation gap when she asked me "What is tea dance?". I bet not many young Malaysians know what is the concept of tea dance which is quite popular during the 80s and 90s.
It was an afternoon discotheque sessions which allowed schoolkids in Klang Valley to come into discos (as it was then known and not clubs like what it is known now) and basically have a good time. It will starts around 3pm and would lead up to 7pm, just before the real disco session for adults starts. One of the best well-known discotheque in town was located in the recently announced to-be-taken-down Atria, Picaddily. Picaddilly did try to make a comeback in 2006 but it didn't take off.
From that conversation, I realised that we have moved towards a new era of clubbing with table in the middle of floors and people drinking hard liquor which can never be afforded by schoolchildren. I am not sure whether it is a good thing or just a phase in how to get wasted as fast as possible era.
And from what I heard about tea dance, it is still in existence but nowadays it is serving a different kind of crowd. The maids and construction workers on their day-off on weekends.
Have you seen this YouTube video which is an evening show called The Evening Edition by BFM Radio? This show is where two or three guests will be interviewed about one topic which can be favoured by both or dissented by both or to make it more interesting, where these guests have opposite views.
For this particular The Evening Edition, the panel consisted of the Obedient Wife Clubs which was represented by Dr Azalina Dato' Jamaludin, Marina Mahathir who represented Sister in Islam and Dr. Ahmad Farouk Musa from Islamic Renaissance Front.
Let me put the question which has been debated and made jokes of by the social media community (which you can find through this Twitter link) : Did the Obedient Wives Club win here?
Now, let us look at the debate from a different perspective in point form :
Is this a debate or an attempt to ridicule a person?
Shouldn't a debate like this has moderator(s) and then the same number of debaters, not one person against FOUR people who attempted to make her see the light?
Isn't Islam a faith? If one doesn't believe in a faith, why must it be question? Did Islam ridicule other people's faith?
Isn't there a bully here who couldn't accept another point of view and was not really debating?
Is the Obedient Wives Club for all or just for Muslim women and is it compulsory to all? Even I lack the one factor in being a male.
As you can see, I am kind of bias in my analysis.If you ask me why, it is simply that I hate a bully (much like those Public Service Announcement in radio stations about how we shouldn't bully people).
Whether I believe in the Obedient Wives Club, that is another question altogether. They have valid points and for would you believe that a majority of my Muslim friends have swayed to believe in the Obedient Wives Club causes. Surprisingly they are hardworking Muslim women who have through a lot when it comes to men.
Yes, the Blues is coming to Malaysia this month. Malaysia will be spoilt for choice this July with Liverpool and Arsenal coming to Malaysia and pitting their strength with our Malaysia team, the Harimau Malaya. Thanks to Noobie and Samsung, I am going to get to watch Chelsea play Malaysia at the National Stadium Bukit Jalil this coming July 21st.
I am not sure which team I will be supporting as I love watching any English Premier League team but I love the resurrected Malaysia team too. The performance by our national team against Taiwan for the Olympic qualifier on 29th June was totally superb. I actually plan to wear a Malaysian jersey while bringing my Chelsea muffler which I bought when I went to watch them play Everton in 2004. That was in fact the only English Premier League I have ever watched.
However, do you know that you can win prizes where you can sit with the Chelsea team during the friendly match thanks to Samsung? Just purchase any Samsung product worth a minimum of RM300 and follow the instruction as stated in the poster above. You can also win tickets to the match.
If you have no idea what Samsung products to buy, here are some example. As you can see, you can get various Chelsea paraphernalia when you purchase these products within the promotion time :
