Eid Mubarak....!!

Wishing you and your family Eid Mubarak. May this Eid bring with it abundance of love, kindness, tolerance, understanding & above all Peace & Prosperity for all

Selamat Aifilfitri & Maaf Zajir Batin

note :

• kat UAE, hari nih dah raya... yeah...!!
• caught though, coz my flight to KL is only for tmrw, never mind, will go to airport today and be on standby... mana tahu, kalau dapat flight mlm ni (SQ has 2 flight tonite)
• will be away till 11th Oct.... so kalau senyap2 jer tuh, paham2 jer laaaa.... :)
  

again, Salam Aidilfitri to all...!!

Mood...

orang dah cuti balik raya... am still working... boringnyer...
a few "interesting" things happened the past few days, but just didn't have the desire/mood to do any blog updates..

so here’s a resume of what happened last week…

1. no more internet surfing in the office

the company has detected that there was a surge of internet traffic during office hours lately… On top of the list of sites visited were :

• beruangmadu.com
• blogspot...
  

you can guess who the culprit is don’t you…? Luckily tak kantoi red handed… hehe. So no more internet surfing in the office after this… kalau kantoi pun, gua tak mengaku salah… Gua akan salahkan si Beruang Madu tuh… abislah lepas nih semua company akan ban dia punya blog… fofular sgt… hehe..

no more Beruang Madu blog reading during opis hours... huaaaa...!!

Yemen - yang kat bawah sebelah kiri tuh, jgn tak tahu lak...

2. to go or not to go….

Am supposed to go to Yemen & Syria after coming back from Raya (in the month of Oct, 14th Oct – Syria, 21st Oct – Yemen)…. Everything is planned – the flights, the hotel, the meetings… however, there have been some bombings lately in Sana’a & Damascus (2 bombings in Sana’a the past 2 or 3 weeks, 1 bombing in Damascus yesterday….). The boss asked me to do a “security check” before going to Yemen & Syria… (check with the Malaysian Embassy in these 2 countries if it is safe to go there)… OK, will do that a few days before the travelling date… hmmm, aku ingatkan Iraq jer yg bahaya (which also falls under my territory), but Yemen & Syria too…. Camna nak buat bisness camni…?

Syria - jgn tak tahu lak lepas nih... Syria nih dekat dgn Lebanon... tempat berperang jugak negara Lebanon tuh

3. Ramadan Bazaar food dah abis…!!

Remember the tonnes of food that I bought during the last Dubai Ramadan Bazaar? Well, they are all eaten… tak membazir. The sad part is that I have finished the whole stock before the end of Ramadan (3 more days to go). No more supply for this week… so boring one… Yesterday, ate the last dish - rendang daging… and since that was the only dish available, had to cook rice & ikan masak asam pedas (with the help of Chef Brahim of course) to eat together with the rendang…. Not bad, the whole combination was very tasty… bak kata Beruang Madu, sedap hingga menjilat siku & bahu… kuang kuang kuang…!!

dah abissssss... cuma tinggal dlm kenangan... keh keh keh...:)

4. Replacement of Marizel – macam sama bangang jer…

The replacement of Marizel, si Amfil has started to take over some of the tasks from Marizel. Utk pegi ke Yemen & Syria nih, gua suruh dia check sama ada gua kena ada Visa atau tidak (atau I can get Visa on arrival, ambik kat airport jer, like in Kuwait)… at the same time, gua check jugak on my side (sebab depa nih tersangatlah cemerlangnya kepantasan bekerja…)… into that I have gotten my side, no need to get Visa in advance from the embassies (Yemen & Syria), can easily get Visa on arrival at Sana’a & Damascus airport. Akan tetapi… jeng jeng jeng… si Marizel came back to me saying that for Yemen, can get Visa on arrival, for Syria must apply Visa in advance…. Aper ke halnya pulak berbeza infos nih… I probed her asking for more infos, who did she talk to? What’s the name of the officer? She called the embassy in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate in Dubai....? maka terbocorlah rahsia… rupanya, dia call Syria embassy & consulate, and couldn’t get hold of anybody, make dia ambik jalan senang mengatakan that I have to apply for the Visa in advance…. Hua… buat undang2 sendiri huh…? Apa dia ingat ini Negara bapak dia aper…? Dia ingat dia pandai, dia tak tahu yg rakan sekerja dia nih lagi pandai dari dia...! kan dah kantoi red handed...? hai... apa “pesen” (fashion) depa kerja nih...? 3rd bad encounter with filipino style of working...

aku tertanya2, depa yg keluar dari negara nih, semua yg kena reject ker by the local filipino companies...? sebab tuh semua kualiti kureng sket... errr, same rule apply for Malaysians here...? eh, maner ader...!! hehe... reject? kena reject ker...?

5. Blogger visit

Last Thu evening, ada fellow blogger singgah Dubai on the way back home. Dia naik EK, transit 10jam… so jumpa fellow blogger tuh, dan bawak dia jalan2 “Dubai by nite”… very fast tour one… 1h30am to 4h00am (tour of old Dubai & new Dubai).. ntah dia Nampak ker tak benda2 yg ditunjuk tengah2 malam buta tuh… jam 4h15am kelam kabut cari makan utk sahur… jangan serik sudah laaa… hahaha…. Btw, Mr Danial Ma, it was a pleasure showing you around….

6. Things to do this week

Gua belum pegi beli buah tangan utk bawak balik Mesia… aiyaaa… have to go out and buy them either this evening or tmrw evening… kalau tak, abislah aku kena halau balik keluar Mesia bila sampai nanti… hahaha….

Duit raya....!!

Sempena hari raya tahun ini, I have decided to hand out duit raya to everybody... here it is... silalah ambil, no hal... am feeling generous this year...

Pinky, Josh, Danial, Azizi, PB, Zuer, Yaz, Wahaza (sori kalau ada yang terlupa name).... yang kat Mesia, yg abroad... silalah, jemput ambil... no hal... durian runtuh... hehe...

Selamat Hari Raya.... :)

Entry Update

Got my passport & Resident Visa....!!

yeah...!!

you suck BITCH....!! :)

BALIK KAMPUNG....!!!! Oh oh oh... balik kampung...!! hati riang.....!!!!

Frust....

have not been feeling great the past few days... here's why...

I don't have my passport with me now, coz it was submitted to the Immigration Department (through "Dubai Internet City" management) for Resident Visa application (change company, so have to change resident visa)... it was submitted on 26th August 2008...

a process which normally takes 2 weeks (at most) to get done, is now taking nearly a month... and I still don't have neither my passport, nor my resident visa.... in worse case scenario, if the application for resident visa is rejected, I will be in even bigger trouble coz I have exceeded the grace period to leave the country after the cancellation of the previous resident visa.

I have been following up on this matter nearly on daily basis, and si filipina bitch Marizel tuh has been telling me that she can't do much as DIC authorities says that the application is stuck at Immigration department. As we have shorter working hours, things move at a slower pace... This bitch just call DIC authorities, and if the guys tell her that it is "O", she will say "OK, zero..." if the guys tell her "go shit yourself", then she will go and shit on herself.... begitulah kira perumpamaannya.... just a "stupid postbox"

she knows that I have alrdy bought this non reimbursable, non changeable ticket to go back for Eid, despite that, she just couldn't be bothered about this matter... ala2 "lantaklah ko, bukan masalah aku... resident visa tak siap bukan hal aku..."

I am so pissed with this "couldn't careless" attitude... tahu la ko nak blah... jangan la buat tahi lak... so I decided to take some action... went to see big boss to talk about the pbm (ala2 mcm nak mintak kebenaran, "can I take over this matter from that bitch and handle it myself" kinna thang... she tells me to go with that bitch Marizel to DIC authorities and check out the situation myself...

went to DIC authorities 2 days ago... after some questioning on why things are not ready, why the application is taking so much time, they checked and double checked (and was puzzled themselves why the passport is still not ready when everything is in good order), they finally told me that the passport (with resident visa) will be released tmrw (Wed)...

What the f**k? Aper ker jadahnya si bitch Marizel tu buat selama nih? aku tertanya2, dia betul check ker dgn DIC authorities...? nasib baik I have decided to take things on my own hands... if not, I would miss my flight back home for Raya... terbakar duit beli tiket tuh...!!

what a bitch....!!

well, hope that everything goes well, and will get my passport & resident visa tmrw... that bitch is supposed to go pick them up tmrw....

The time is now, the place is here....

The time is now, the place is here... Malaysia...

had Iftar with colleagues at Radisson SAS, Dubai Internet City ystdy evening (22nd Sep 2008). from 8 people who were there, only 3 were fasting (muslims)... but sebab kompeni Sagem Orga ni, sangat berprihatin kepada staffs dia, therefore we had iftar together2 ystdy...

main dish spread was ok-ok jer.... nothing to compare with the spread at Malaysian 5 star hotels in KL (seriously)... may be sebab tekak aku dah mula mual dgn makanan Arab/India/Pakistan nih... but the appetizer & dessert spread was nice.... ada selection benda2 yang aku suka...

some interesting things that I have learned during the dinner...

• Jessica, the big boss (MD) has been to Malaysia and she loved it very much.... kembang hidung aku...
• my immediate boss (Tariq) has also been in Malaysia, in actual fact, his parents are staying in Malaysia now. his father is working as the CEO of HSBC Amanah (something like that laaa... something to do with HSBC and its Islamic Banking division). yes, Tariq has good memories of his visits to Malaysia (scuba diving at Pulau Payar)
• HSBC hq & centre of excellence for Islamic Banking is in KL (huaaa... really huh...?).. kembang idung aku lagi...!!

you will be amazed on how Malaysia has gone far with Islamic Banking... you will only realize that when you are abroad, attend conferences on Islamic Banking, and hear the name Malaysia being repeated again and again as a source of reference and inspiration. And I thought that what we have achieved in this field is really peanuts (that we still have a long way to go)... hehe...

the 2 bosses said that people don't know Malaysia, and start to discover it. people do not have high expextations and when they arrive, they just get blown away with Malaysian Hospitality, Warmth and Beauty...

we have exceeded expectations...! now we have to maintain that reputation...!

coming back home yesterday evening after Iftar, I was completely full... not with food but with pride on what we have achieved and what other people think of us....

ok, ok, ok... with food oso laaa... this is the one and only iftar buffet that I am attending this year... :)

gambo2, gua curik dari Tourism Malaysia.. hehe...

Inilah akibatnya....

apabila tidak bersahur...

dan apabila "mentekedarah" bila berbuka posa... :)

The Ultimate Dubai Ramadan Bazaar

Below are not the pics of food sold at the last Ramadan Bazaar in Dubai...

they are the pics of food that I HAVE BOUGHT at Dubai Ramadan Bazar....

Meghoyan makan...., Dubai style...!! hehehe...

len chee kang... (not in photo, terlupa...) x 2

nasi goreng kampung

nasi ayam goreng

kuih bakar kemboja (besar) x 2

epok2 x 2 (x4 per pack)

onde-onde buah melaka

nasi himpit & kuah kacang & rendang

laksa penang x 2

kuih tako x 2 (x4 per pack)

Gulai ketam masak lemak cili api x 3 ekor ketam

kuih lapis

kuih kara berlauk

kuih bakar (small)

dan satu kuih nih yg aku lupa apa namanya (last photo, in the middle, green 'karer', with coconut grates... 'badak berendam' ker...? don't think so, lupa laaa....)

in all fairness, below items were donated to some friends when I visited them after the visit to Ramadan Bazaar :

kuih bakar kemboja x 1

onde-onde buah melaka

kuih tako x 1 pack

Gulai ketam masak lemak cili api (1 ekor)

maknanya.... masih banyak lagi makanan dgn aku...!! hahaha... semua masuk fridge... pagi tadi makan sahur dgn "roti perancis cicah ketam masak lemak cili api"... perggghhhhhh....!! power ya amat sedapnya....!! hahaha...

inilah akibatnya duduk lelama kat perantauan... jadik giler bila jumpa makanan Mesia. aku rasa aku boleh dapat title, "the most dedicated customer of Dubai Ramadan Bazaar 2008"... mana taknyer, beli makanan sket punya dahsat, berkejarkan pasar Ramadan sampai kena saman...!! hahaha... ini sudah kes gila...!!

come on..., kasik 'can' laa..., this is the last Ramadan Bazaar for this year... (yeah.. yeah... yeah... excuses, excuses, excuses....:))

Selamat Berbuka kepada semua... kepada yg posa, yg tak posa, yg ponteng, dan juga yg memang tak leh posa

Deciphering the Muslim call to prayer

have realized that I have put too many rubbish in my blog lately... from time to time, need to have some "intelligent content" to get our brain working...

in MalaysianUAE Yahoo group, a discussion started regarding the call for prayer in Islam (well, I guess related to the issue of Teresa Kok arrest under ISA), and what it should and should not be... I will spare you the whole email discussion, but I would like to share with you the last email respond from a member - Abu Ikhlas min Fujairah (Bapaknya kepada Ikhlas dari Fujairah...? hehe). I find that the email is full of words of wisdom, and definitely a "must-share" with everybody.... have fun reading (again, sorry for the long entry... but it's worth reading, seriously....!!)

"Yes, Malaysia is also my haven but looking at it deeply I found it was not because it is the last bastion of Islam. It is mainly because I have my family root and thriving social circles there (kawan kampung, sekolah rendah, sekolah menengah, universiti, kaki pancing, etc). I also like the weather. And I like to go to its many beautiful islands for a break. And I miss the local foods.I can relate well to many places there, where I fall and scratch my knee. And I can talk to people not only in Malay but also in my local dialect. Aah.. heavens.

And cost of living is low and standard is not bad. Never mind cannot get good pay like in UAE and RM purchasing power is eroding. And being Malay, I have good chance of getting scholarship for my children to go to university. Never mind there are not many universities around. And I can buy houses at better discount even though I maybe richer than many non-Malays. And if I toe the Government line all the time, I'll never be bothered by the ISA. Never mind people are robbing my country big time.And what's the worry with ISA - even the Americans and the Germans are doing it (they also support Israel, may be we should follow suit). If I am caught speeding, I can settle it cheaply - not like in Singapore where it is difficult to do it. Security situation worrying but I can live in fenced up area with security guards. Oh...I LOVE my Malaysia.... ...

But wait..... I suppose the Germans felt Germany was heaven during Hitler's time. And the "kaum kerabat Firaun" must have thought of Egypt as the best country ever. And the Serbs, yes the Serbs, until today still revere Radovan Kradzic and the likes who must have created haven for the Serbs within previous Yugoslavia. They all wouldn't want to change the situation in their country. Their haven.

Coming back to my Malaysia, as a Muslim and a good (this I consider myself lah) Malay, I cannot live a life where I benefit at the expense of the rights of others - that would be unislamic. Very unislamic. Haram. Prohibited. That is the same as stealing. You could not see yourself putting your hands in your neighbour's pocket - and yet usurping other people's right is akin to that. If you sinned against Allah, He in his Mercy will forgive you if you ask, however much you sinned. But any wrongs you did to others you can only square it if you return back what you have taken - how to do that with the masses? You will be asked from left and right and top and bottom in the "kubur" and some more in "yaumul-akhirat" . You think you can answer that? If so, good luck then. To be fair, the need to be "adil" or just is not limited to Malays only. It also applies to all, muslims or non-muslims, Malays or Chinese or Indians or anyone. I hope that is understood without further deliberations (not the main subject this time).

Shouldn't we then together change the unjust conditions? I want to change that. And probably UMNO wanted to change that also but has squandered the chance given. Squandered big time. The malady being systemic, there is no hope for recovery. And what is the biggest damage in not changing? That the general impression that all the unjust conditions in my Malaysia is, Allah forbid, sanctioned by Islam. No wonder people do not enter Islam in droves even though Islam has all the "hujjah" as they remain hujjah but not practised. If we practise Islam (a lot of things to do but why not start by being just) then we can gain one of two things or both - that more people become muslim, thus altering the demographic balance or that non-muslim will accept muslims as leaders regardless of whether muslim in majority or not. History has shown that a minority can successfully rule a country in either one of two conditions - by force or by being just. Easier said than done? Of course, the reward is paradise - you think it comes cheaply (again need subsidy?). We have to work for it.We say it first then we do it.

Too simplistic? All things are simple in the final analysis. And successful people are the one who keep it simple and execute rather than complicate himself to the point of no action.

All these just talks? Ok, let us start by promising ourselves than we will never give bribes, not to policemen nor to anyone. I paid all my traffic summons in Malaysia at police station, never paid under table money. And not to receive any bribes ourselves. If we cannot do even that, then we deserve the malady we have now in our beloved country.

Ramadhan mubarak.
Abu Ikhlas min Fujairah

Praise God for there are Truly Good Malaysian Muslims out there

p/s if you want to read the whole discussion on the matter, send me your email address. will see if I can forward it to you (have to ask permission first...)

Diamond studded watches....?

Participated in an event (for work, launching of a new high end credit card for a bank, got invited coz am the "sales account manager" for that particular bank. we worked with the bank to come out with this new product, so depa invited us laaaa, as one of their partners who made this product "happened"), and as a welcome gift to the event, the organiser gave out a pair of "diamond studded watches"... (for him and for her...)

huaaa.... punyalah hepi....!!

but when I opened the boxes at home... I was like..... errr.... "mana diamond dia nih....?"... jenuh belek2 the 2 watches....

rupanya adalah 2 bijik diamond yg kecik ya amat, studded on top of the watches (above the 12 o'clock).... nak ambil gambar pun tak nampak... haha... nampak kilau2 jer gitu...

furthermore, the watches are basically branded "Damas", which is a well known jewellery shop in Dubai... hmmm... tak ada brand lain ker depa boleh guna...? gunalah brand jam yg ada nama sket... paling kurang Seiko ker, 25hours ker... kalau pakai jam Damas nih, kira macam buat promosi for Damas pulak laaa...

hmmm, thinking... thinking... ada saper nak beli tak....? hehe... nak dptkan balik the AED600 that I had to donate to my "sayang" kat Dubai nih... haha... joking jer....

Iftar meal outside...

couldn't be home for iftar today.... had to go somewhere to pick up some stuffs... so instead of going back home, then go out again to pick up the stuffs... decided to go pick up the stuffs, iftar outside.... then go home...

to start with something sweet.... apple pie McDonald

then Kuey Teow Padprik.. tak habis pun.... ate half only, then tapao home... will eat the rest for sohor...

then there was this company which was doing a promotion for "Susu Wunta....".... so I took 2 to test it out... perasa strawberry, and Vanilla... tak berani nak ambil natural flavour.... people say that camel milk has a certain taste & smell.... so since I am not used to it, better go for the mild version... flavoured camel milk....

tengok tuh...!! tersengih besar giler si Kamil tuh....! hish...!! tak try lagi... later2 lah... they are in the fridge now.... jgn lepas minum, gua tersengih macam unta kat atas tu sudahlaaaa...!! haha...

What's the use of having nice cars....

Nissan Infiniti

Lexus
BMW X6

Nissan 350Z

Corvette

Lexus

if you are going to get stucked in the traffic jam like this...?

Welcome to Sharjah....!!

I was bored...

was stucked in the traffic jam on the way home.... got bored, and started playing with my handset... this is the result... hehe

Gua dah tak tahu dah apa gua nak buat masa2 traffic jam nih.... radio boring, CD asyik ulang2 CD yg sama jer.... what to do? you tell me...?