Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Festive seasons joke...

An elderly man in Mumbai calls his son in New York and says, 'I hate to ruin your day son, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are getting a divorce; 35 years of marriage... and that much misery is enough!'

'Dad, what are you talking about?' the son screams..

'We can't stand the sight of each other any longer,' the old man says.

'We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Hong Kong and tell her!

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone.

'Like heck they're getting divorced,' she shouts, 'I'll take care of this.'

She calls Mumbai immediately, and screams at the old man, 'You are not getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then , don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR??' and she hangs up.

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife,

'Okay', he says, 'It's all set. They're both coming for New Year and paying their own airfare!!'

MORAL:

No man / woman is busy in this world all 365 days.

The sky is not going to fall down if you take few days LEAVE and meet your
dear ones.

OFFICE WORK IS NOT EVERYTHING IN LIFE and MONEY MAKING IS NOT EVERYTHING IN LIFE. AFTER ALL WE WORK FOR SOMEONE ELSE'S DREAM.


Wish you all a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year ! !

Monday, December 29, 2008

Reflection of the past....

last 2 weeks, teman gi Hyperpanda kat Dubai Festival City, shopping groceries... guess what I found... tadaaaa....!!!!


sambal oelek, mike....!!! nostalgia sambal oelek nih... mase belajo dulu kat Peghancih, benda nih ler diguna utk menggantikan "cili boh"... buat nasi goreng ker, bihun goreng ker.... funny that I found it back here in UAE... haha.... geng2 yg sama belajo kat Peghancih dulu can surely relate to this "sambal oelek"...

on top of that, also found sos cili yg ini... tried it out, not bad...!! sedap gak...



and also found this satay sauce... errr... tried it out, but I do not recommend it to any Malaysians... tak sedap mcm homemade kuah kacang... terlebih preservative kut... not good, jgn beli...!!! haha....


Enterprem...!! tumpang glamer sekaki...!!

discovered today.... am in the news...!! haha... no, not ekcelli... tumpang glamer jer... haha.. here is the photo in Gulfnews : http://www.gulfnews.com/readers_photos/galleries/10270635.html (for a clearer photo)



caption : The Malaysian community in Dubai play volleyball during the weekend in this photo by Abu Bakar Rusdi taken at Mirdif Park.

see the circle in read?.... that's me... linesman for a game between 2 other teams (duduk while having a ciggie....) elok beno ler tuh... lepas sukan, hisap rokok & makan nasi lemak...!! haha....

Arab time.... (lepas angin panas...!)

Hari Sabtu lepas, gua volunteered to pick up some of the office colleagues to go for the dinner at Atlantis Hotel....

firstly, si Momo will go to Sahara centre, I would pick him up there. then go to Burjuman, pick up si Radha, then go a bit further up to pick up si Jovitha... gua dah pesan sama deme, "korang jgn lambat... kalo lambat aku tinggai....!!" siap kasik warning sket...

come the day and time for the outing, jam 3h55pm, gua talipon sama si Momo, bagitahu that I would be in the parking area, in Sahara centre (instead of the parking in front of the mall, sebab parking tuh dah penuh....). si mamat sekor nih, masa itulah pun dia nak bagitahu yg dia akan sampai lambat sket.... excuse dia, tak dpt teksi, and his father would be taking him to Sahara centre instead....!!

hmmm.... siksa camni... dah bagi warning awal2 pun, dia dtg lambat jugak....!! excuse dia... it is Arab time... nobody is on time in UAE... pergghhhhh....!!

lepas ambik si budak sekor nih, nak pegi ambik si Radha & Jovitha... bila call depa, depa lak bagitahu change of plan, depa suruh pegi ambik kat rumah si Jovitha... hello....!!! last minute baru korang nak bagitahu... and rumah si Jovitha nih pulak is out of the way... tak ler jauh, but in Dubai, a simple u-turn can make you loose 30mn... so gua cakap kat dia org, jgn mengada... go back to the place where I was supposed to pick them up.... depa complied.... in the car, they mentioned that they changed the plan becoz, Momo was late, and they didn't wanna wait by the roadside for a long time... well,... what can I say... valid excuse...

bila dah sampai kat Atlantis Hotel, si Dina & husband lak call... depa cakap, they would be late as well, coz they were at Dina brother's house doing some stuffs, and got delayed there....!! Astaghfirullahhhhh.....!!!! siksanya dgn depa ni... so not punctual...

dgn selamba doknya teman pun cakap.... "
you guys know why Dubai starts to get people from Malaysia & Singapore to come work in Dubai?.... coz Sheikh Muhammad (ruler of Dubai), has had enuf of these people from Sudan, India, Pakistan, Philippines & the local Emiratis who are always late when it comes to mtngs and appointments....!! never on time...! the Malaysians & Singaporeans are always on time or even come early to appointments & mtgs..."

kuang kuang kuang....!! abis ler teman lepais nih... kalo teman terlambat sket jer for any mtgs after this, memang sure kena baliklah dgn depa nih.... hahaha....!!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Hurt....!!!

am so hurt...!!!

sempena long wknd yg lepas, the MalaysianUAE group organized a small volleyball tournament among Malaysians... sempena semangat bersukan dan together2ness, maka yours truly pun ikutlah join main "bola tampar" sekali....

maka dgn atas semangat yang berkobar2, pada game yg pertama, apabila ada bola yg hampir jatuh ke tanah, maka teruslah menerjun si yours truly diving menyelamatkan bola.... we won the point, and subsequently, the game...!! yeah...!! also, as a result, yours truly hurt his hand and his wrist... (diving on a hard non smooth surface sakit giler kome...!!)

then on 2nd game, somehow our team was not playing correctly... semua hancur... bola melantun ke kiri kanan ke belakang... (dan definitely bukan ke depan...!! ..)... maka sekali lagi, dgn semangat yg berkobar2 tinggi trying to get things right, maka yours truly pun sekali lagi dive to save a ball which was flying out of court (by fellow team mate)... bola berjaya dimasukkan balik ke the other court... but while doing that.... I fell,.... and sprained my ankle.... hmm...

and on top of that, the opponents managed to push the ball back to our court, we lost the point, and also lost the match.... boringnyer...!! sia2 aku dive bakkan professional player... haha... rugi tak ada cameraman tangkap gambo masa tuh.... kalau ada, kan ker glamer....!! :D

hmmm... tak pa... tak pa... semangat mesti ada.... at the same time, I was having this thought... "hmmmm, dah tua ker aku nih,... dah mula reput dah anggota2 badan nih.... haha"

so balik rumah after the event, the following day, started to feel muscle aches di peha, kaki, tangan dan kwsn2 yg sewaktu dengannya... perghhh....!! some muscles have not been used for a long time... how comes...? thot that the jogging would have used them all... but helas, that was not the case....

jadiknya, smlm, was lepaking at home, trying to recuperate from the activity last Fri...

btw, this week, 3 hari jer keghojer... hari Khamis dah dpt anthr long wknd... boss dah beranak smlm, so dia tak dtg opis minggu nih. si boss lagi satu memang cuti... makaaaa..... this week, ala2 beraya ler kat opis...!! haha...



not mine... sekadar hiasan

What is an ankle sprain?

Ligaments connect bones in your ankle. If you turn or twist your ankle in an unusual way, the ligaments can stretch or tear. This is called an ankle sprain (see drawing).


How can I tell if I have an ankle sprain?

If it is sprained, your ankle may hurt even if you aren't standing on it. Your ankle may be swollen or bruised and you may not be able to move it very well.

You should go to the doctor if your ankle hurts badly, if you can't walk or stand on your ankle, or if your foot is cold or numb. You also should go to the doctor if you have diabetes or another serious illness and you think you have an ankle injury, even if you aren't sure how badly it's hurt.

How is an ankle sprain treated?

Ibuprofen (one brand: Motrin) or naproxen (one brand: Aleve) can help with the pain. Putting ice on your ankle and wrapping it with a bandage can help keep your ankle from swelling and bruising. Keeping your ankle raised also can help. You should not walk on your ankle until your doctor says it's okay.

Two or three days after your injury, you should start exercising your ankle several times a day to make it stronger. Ask your doctor when it's okay for you to exercise.

How can I prevent an ankle sprain?

Wear shoes that fit. Stretch before and after activity. If you have had a sprain before, ask your doctor what you can wear to help support your ankle when you are very active. Talk to your doctor about how to prevent an ankle injury while playing sports.

geng2 yg main volleyball... photos not from the volleyball tournament but from earlier volleyball sessions.... deme terer menerer main bola tampar kome.... don't be deceived by the size of the players... haha... they are good...! (photo ehsan Bro Halim : http://picasaweb.google.com/abdulhalim.abrahman/)

gaya mesti ada....!! cuma nampak gayanye, bila melompat nak spike or block spike, kurang tinggi lak lompatannya... haha... tarikan graviti yg bertambah2 bila usia naik... (photo ehsan Bro Halim : http://picasaweb.google.com/abdulhalim.abrahman/)

teman pun kurang paham, amende brader nih buat sebenonya... spiking from the base line...? hua... terer tuh...! (photo ehsan Bro Halim : http://picasaweb.google.com/abdulhalim.abrahman/)

spiking service tuh.... laju menjunam...!! (photo ehsan Bro Halim : http://picasaweb.google.com/abdulhalim.abrahman/)

Atlantis hotel....

Remember Atlantis Hotel, Dubai which was opened 2 months back? yang opening ceremony expenses dia tuh sampai USD25,000,000? sampai meletup satu Palm Jumeirah with the fireworks display...?

well, sempena cuti2 hujung tahun nih, the whole office colleagues decided to go to have dinner at this hotel.... ala2 bonding session laaa...

saper yg kat Dubai nih, baik pegi lunch/dinner kat Safron Asian resto at Atlantis hotel cepat2... sempena rege tengah murah nih...
conclusion of the dinner :
  • resto was nice... a bit big though, hilang rasa "exclusive"nya
  • food & buffet spread.... masyaAllah....!! punyalah banyak makanan, macam2 adaaaaa....!! memang berbaloi sebab mcm2 benda ada... (but then, you only have a tiny stomach to fill in... how much food can you eat, rite...?)
  • service was tip top baguih, friendly and helpful waiters & waitresses (despite the "country slang"... mcm2 ada.... pinoy slang, china mainland slang, subcontinent slang, east europeen slang.... tak pa, selagi korang smile & serve customers courteously, customers semua tetap akan puji korang...!!)
  • rege buffet AED195 per head... boley makan dari jam 6ptg sampai 1pagi... kalo korang ada perut mcm ikan jaws, gajah, ataupun lembu yang ada 3 perut tuh... korang tentu puas ati...!! haha...

psssttt.... AED195 per head in a "self proclaimed berjuta2 bintang" brand new hotel in Dubai, is really cheap....!! no joke... Burj Al Arab cheapest friday buffet brunch pun is about AED400, itu baru lunch, not dinner... btw, kat Atlantis hotel nih, lunch buffet is priced at AED145 per head nett...

I guess after their official launch and the current economic crisis, they just have to continue the hype with these kinds of promotions... so, korang baik pegi secepat mungkin... kang depa naik rege lak kang...

btw, since it was relatively cheap, the "ambiance" was kureng exclusive la kannnn... nak buat camna... memang org2 yg kureng exclusive pun yg pergi... (tunjuk kat muka sendiri.... hehehe...)
nih kat sebelah aquarium "the lost chamber" tu... dulu dah masuk dah dgn Alex, Alias & Imran... so this time around, I showed the colleagues around... showed them the main tank (which is free, no need to pay), and advised them not to go into the aquarium... dah ler ternampak pokok krismas nih.... aper lagi... sempena nak lawan org Singapore dgn ke"kiasu"an & Ke'kepoh"annya, we must do Malaysia proud... ambik gambo ler.... haha... with Sweety Jovitha Coutinho...
with Radha, Jovitha and Momo

Momo & me...

the way to the lobby & restaurant...

Radha & Jovitha...


nih kat lobby hotel atlantis nih... tak tahu ler teman aper ker benda jadahnya binatang nih... but it's a nice deco to the hotel..

and combined with the ornated dome... hmmm... melopong lah tengok... haha...


konsep "the lost world of atlantis..."... tak paham gua gambo2 nih...

so, am I supposed to understand that this is how it looks like in Atlantis...?


got Centurions oso huh at Atlantis...?

Dina Encallado, new customer service + admin lady... very the efficient one... taking the photo of the husband... William Saya-Ng

the colleagues going for the outing... yours truly, Momo, William, Dina, Jovitha & Radha...

just some sample of the foos... grilled king prawns, broasted fried salmon, vegetable lasagna... sedap...!! sehingga menjilat siku & bahu...! tak berani ler ambik gambo of the various food stations... kang depa kata spy menyepai lak for other restaurants/hotels....



curi2 ambil gambar of the restaurant.... lampu pun suam2 jer...

the guys again... btw, look at the table & seats... tak nampak exclusive rite? but and again, orangnyer pun tak ler exclusive pun... machai2 jer... haha

note : this restaurant is meant for carnivors mainly, k....!! not many vegetarian dishes... kesian si Radha... limited choices...

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Season's greetings

wishing everybody a Merry Christmas, and a meaningful year 1430 & 2009.

May the new years 1430 & 2009 bring with them abundance of love, kindness, tolerance, understanding & above all Peace & Prosperity for all...!!

(... and big big sales for Johan...!!:))

A'am Hijri Jadeed wa Saeed 1430..!
Happy New Year 2009...!

Foggy Dubai this morning

these photos gua ambik sendiri, k... bukan curi darik any websites.... :)

view from ground floor.. interesting to see that the fog was quite low, and the upper part of the building was clear and reflected the sun shine light




went to the 27th floor (opis Nokia...), went to the lobby and mintak kebenaran to take some photos... remember this hotel...?


Hotel Atlantis.... at the end of Palm Jumeirah... one would be able to see Palm Jumeirah on a clear day... but pagi tuh... nunnnnn jauh nun, nampak samar2 jer Hotel Atlantis (btw, will be going there with opis colleagues this Sat, dinner... treating myself sempena nak masuk tahun baru nih... hehe)

the buildings nearby, covered by low fog... enjoy the view...! :)


Monday, December 22, 2008

Momo...





This is Momo... (Mohammad bin Tagelsir bin Hasan)... the new Technical Support... Sudanese, fresh grad... the joker in the office... haha...!

btw, skrng nih teman seybok ler sket... so teman visiting kengkawan punya blog gitu2 jer... tak sempat ler pun nak tinggaikan komen... but am visiting senyap2... :)

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Things have been slow... economic downturn...

hmmm...

work has been slow... lots of customers are on leave... again....!! well, end of the year, people are clearing their leaves before the start of 2009, I guess.... combined with Awal Muharram, Christmas & New Year (oh yeah... forgot Raya Haji, 2 weeks back...), people are going on holiday big time... as a result, it's quite a challenge to get things moving... customers all not around... leceynyerrrrr....

was manning the booth at GSM 3G Middle East exhibition.... 2 hari berturut turut from 7h30am till 6pm... the exhibition was a bit quite, not so many visitors (like previous years, it seems)… but working from 7h30pm to 6pm, standing most of the time was really killing me…! Really felt tired after the event… had a good recovery during the wknd though… nasib baik…

a part from that, nothing much… keep on hearing bad news nearly everyday on the economic situation… construction companies are laying off employees here in Dubai… the banks also… well, it has started… at the same time, hearing all bad news on the economy worldwide everyday in the news… it starts to be a bit scary… Apparently, in Dubai alone, 3000 filipinos have lost their job over the past 2 months. Some Malaysians are also affected… start to see advertisements in MalaysianUAE group of people selling stuffs coz they are going back Malaysia… hmmm… I wonder how the situation is in Malaysia… are companies laying off people too…?

As for my industry, currently is still going strong. However, it seems that the telecom industry will start to feel the pinch in Q2 or Q3 2009… we’ll see how it goes… not a good time to move to new companies…

The prices of apartment rental are still holding in Dubai… it seems that Villa rental prices have gone down big time, but not the mid class apartments yet… again, it is forecasted that apartment rentals will go down in Q2 2009. well, I hope that it will happen… my current rental contract at Sharjah will terminate in July 2009, may be then, it would be a good time to move to Dubai…

Btw, went for the interview for this Lebanese company, new player in the smart card industry… frankly, sajer jer pegi suka2 interview tu.. don’t think that I will move to a small player in the industry at this moment… first, it is just too risky, 2nd, I have just had enuf working with these Arab companies… kalau Lebanese tuh, lagilah tak mau…!! Haha… )


anthr interesting thing... in order to maintain its business, Singapore Airlines has increased the number of flights to Dubai... 4 additional flights per week.... this would mean that they will have min 2 direct flights everyday... actually, they have decreased the number of flights to some unprofitable destinations (due to the economic crunch...) and move these flights to Middle East (where apparently, the economy is still booming... ye ker...?). so now, they have flights to Riyadh (via Dubai, I think) and a few other Middle Eastern cities... not stupid huh? Malaysia Airlines jugak yg terhegeh2 with 1 flight per day to Dubai (and on certain days via Karachi...)... camna org nak ambik Malaysia Airlines? not an attractive offer...


what is interesting is that in order to increase passenger load, Singapore Airlines is currently doing a promotion... Dxb - Sin, only AED1990 return... murah tuh... macam off peak season punya offer lak (walhal, kan ker skrng tengah peak season...? mcm2 cuti ada, and people are travelling for the holidays)... offer is valid until end Jan 2009 for outbound flight latest 31st March... hmmm... ni yang buat teman pikio dua tiga kali nih...!! haha... teman kan ker cadangnyer nak balik end March for 2 week hldy kat Mesia.... so tempting...!!


ciao cincau...!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Saturday, December 13, 2008

What's new... Dubai & UAE

Hmmm… what has been happening in the UAE the past few months…?

There is of course, the opening of Atlantis Hotel…!! Happening…!! It was also promoted as the official opening of Palm Jumeirah. Ala… pokok kurma atas laut tuh… It created some buzz in the news as for the opening lots of celebrities came down to Dxb for the opening ceremony/party…. (Hollywood stars, Bollywood stars, Businessmen… etc etc…)

And for whole event…., they spent USD20M. Utk bunga api, perbelanjaan utk Kylie Minogue concert, the party held during the opening, dan bermacam2 lagilah benda yg depa buat masa opening ceremony tuh… errr… USD20M…? fuhhh, banyak tuh… banyaknyer duit deme berbelanja beso2… it did create some critics from around the world bcoz of the current economic downturn… org merata dunia tengah nak save duit, depa senang2 berbelanja beso… tambahan pulak, after the event, Nakheel (the developer for Palm Jumeirah) announce that they would be laying off around 500 employees bcos of the economic downturn… mcm2 depa nih…

http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081120/NATIONAL/736708452/1001



after the opening of Atlantis Hotel and Palm Jumeirah, there was the opening of Dubai Mall… the biggest mall in the world apparently… (mall bawah the tallest building in the world, ala2 Suria KLCC). been there a few times, bawak kengkawan dari Mesia jalan2 kat sana… as mentioned in earlier postings, the biggest attraction for me is the aquarium… best tengok ikan2 beso kat aquarium tuh, jadik mcm budak2 ler kejap…




guess what…? En MIM kita dah dpt keghojer… and guess where…? Kat Dubai Mall weh…!! Amboi, glamer bebeno ler pun Pakcik tuh… keghojer kat Kinokuniya kat Dubai Mall (the first Kinokuniya in UAE)… interbiu hari nih, terus dpt, start keghojer the following day… boley…? Hai, desperate bebeno ler pun Kinokuniya tuh… tak berapa paham teman amende jadahyer yg dia handle, tapi ala2 advising customers on various books that they would have there… which section? What kind of books? Teman pun tak ingat… nanti ada ler dia menjawap blog nih kang… hehe… better salary then last job in Dubai… rezeki… rezeki…!! Hepi bebeno ler dia pun… bila dah confirm dpt keghojer, siap bersiul2, menyanyi2 lagi kat rumah…! Hahaha… Ada lak geng2 Singaporean kat Kinokuniya Dubai Mall tuh… ada 6, 7 org… lagi hepi dia jumpa geng2 senegara… perggghhh…!

Lepas nih, geng2 kat Dubai yg nak beli buku, sure dtg jumpa si MIM punyalah. Dpt staff discount maaa… haha…

What else.. well, there is of course National Day celebration (2nd Dec), then Raya Haji… Dubai tengah kosong skrng… ramai pegi hldy… mana taknya, gomen declare holiday from 2nd Dec until today (11th Dec)…. Panjangnya deme cuti… termasuk wknd, jadik 12 hari cuti. Sekolah pun sama… so ramai yg keluo UAE bercuti… traffic jam pun kurang… Ahad nih (14th Dec 2008) start balik ler traffic jam in the morning & after working hours…

Next week, full working week, then the following week, got 4 day long wknd sempena Christmas & Awal Muharam… gomen tak cuti Christmas, but kompeni teman kasik cuti satu hari… yeah…!! :)

So begitulah ceghiternyer… ceghiter2 happening kat UAE… kat Mesia, teman ada baca pasai tanah runtuh kat Bkt Anatarabangsa… hmmm… takziah kepada sesiapa yg terbabit… what a tragedy…

Ok, ciao cincau…!!



Thursday, December 11, 2008

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Musandam... jeng jeng jeng....

masa nak pegi, hari macam nak hujan..

look at the sunlight going through the clouds... nice view

naik turun bukit nak ke Musandam... first view of the sea...


alamak... kat sana dah hujan...

we went up that mountain... and came down...
at the port... tengah survey Dhow (bot ler tuh...)


accompanies by auntie Zoe, and uncle Thiru...



siap jalan, bukak kasut ler, pakai selipar, kang nak snorkeling...



lepak dulu... ada gaya Pak Sheikh tak? haha...


others in the Dhow... Mat Saleh Jerman and Indians/Pakistanees...


basah daaa... sengteng seluar tuh sket...




minum teh arab... sambil sembang2...

kingkong jumpa pisang... aper lagi... siap sental ler...


dah hujan daaa... depa nih memang... kecoh satu bot...! :D

on the way to the snorkeling site...


eeh eleeeerrr.... over...!! haha...





while si Kingkong enjoying the banana....

fishermen village... the old houses have the same colour as the background... first line of defense for the village... (dulu2 laa...)




saper la yg rajin menyusun batu bata tuh


yeah... snorkeling time... look at the background... cantik...!


yours truly... takut tenggelam sebab baru makan, so pakai pelampung...:)

tak pakai pelampung pun tak apa... water was quite salty, senang terapung...


berenang...!! berenang...!! exercise sket...



fishermen village again...



after 1st round of snorkeling... makan dulu....


2nd round of snorkeling, different site... look at the fishes...!! but they are not as friendly as the ones that you see in Pantai Timur... no joke...



nampak bulan lak siang2 nih...



another Dhow....


nampak tak Dolphins tuh...? tak banyak laa.. belum musim lagi... may be in Jan there will be more, I think...

kecoh bila dolphin keluar dari air... haha....


masing2 dah letih... on the way home...




berehat2... berehat...



gambo2 dari camera auntie Zoe... guna camera dslr... the photos come out better... warna air lagi biru...


senyum...!! you are on candid camera...!!
conclusion.... Pantai Timur lagi best... Tioman, Perhentian, Kapas... Redang....!!! tu lah orang kata... bila dah merantau nih baru sedar betapa cantiknya negara sendiri...