Mari makan2.... Let's celebrate... :)

Baru-baru nih, sebelum balik Mesia, gua pegi ler makan2... ala2 celebrate laaa... celebrate berenti keghojer dari kompeni puaka nih... hehe.... Pegi makan kat Singapore Deli jer kat Karama tuh.... itu ler pun tempat makan yg aslinya sedap....

Popia goreng.... sedap...!!

Sambal tempe goreng... pun sedappppp....!!


Nih gua tak tahu amendenyer.... ala2 tahu sumbat tapi intinya ada rasa ikan.... eh, eh, baru teringat... ada rasa macam... macammmm..., macam satar...! serius...!

Ini gua tak tahu Nasi amende.... Nasi Peleh ker aper ker binatangnya... presentation memang teramat interesting....

dan bila dibuka, begini rupanya... Got style rite...? unfortunately, terlalu masin... tapi gua bedal ajer...

that was the celebration meal.... balik rumah perut macam nak pecah kekenyangan...!! haha.... :)

Semangat baru...!

Sempena nak start keghojer baru nih kan, maka perlulah bersemangat tinggi...!! maka sebab nak menambahkan semangat, maka teman pegilah melakukan retail therapy...!!

Kasut Camel Active baru... Got Jusco sale... 30% discount, berbaloi tuh...!

tali pinggang kulit Pakcik Larrie.... buy one, get one free.... Baiknyer ati Pakcik Larrie....

dan tahukah anda.... majikan baru suruh beli laptop sendiri...!! lepas tuh buat claim...!!! perghhh....!!! dgn bersemangatnya pegi beli laptop (guna duit kompeni...!! ahaks...!!)

ada satu lagi... errr... belum siap lagi... guia pegi beli tempah suit sepasang...!! alamak...!! masuk opis nanti bergayo abih la temannnn....!!

Semangat baru maaaa...!! semoga tahan forever and ever... haha...!

Landing....!!

Masa dlm flight, tak sabar2 aku nak sampai Mesia.... Punyalah hepi bila nampak Tanah Melayu...!! hehe...

First glimpse of Malaysia

Huaaa... look at the clouds... cumulus nimbus kaaa...? hantam sajalah Labuuuu...! hujan lebat tuh...!

as we descend further, I can immediately guess that we will be hitting the nasty clouds before touching down... time to buckle up...!

Going into the clouds...!! bergegar flight 777-300er tuhhhh...!

The wings touching the clouds...! happening...! ahaks...!! :)

come onnnn...!! just a little bit more...!! :)

that's the last one....!! the land...!! the land...!! :D

Bandar apakah ittew...?!!! could it be Shah Alam...? may be...

the final approach before touching down....

landed safely at 2h15pm.... alhamdulillahhhh...! :)

Crushed....!!!

Inilah dia couple Ukrainian yg himpit aku ke tingkap kpl terbang sampai aku jadik lempeng bila aku sampai Malaysia...!!! 6jam setengah kena himpit...!! Keluar flight rasa mcm aku dah jadik pancake hangus...!!! Perrggghhh... taubat dibuatnya...!!

Leaving with style....

Hmmm... tinggal seminggu jer lagi sebelum berhenti kerja dgn kompeni nih... segala benda dah settle, handover notes dah siap, mana kerja yg perlu dihabiskan, sudah dihabiskan....

aneh... masa masuk kompeni nih hampir 2 tahun dulu, terasa yg cara pengurusan menjaga pekerja2 adalah seperti kebudak2an... Otak tak mengembang, dan walaupun atas kertas, jawatan gua adalah Pengurus, tapi kerja yg dibuat seperti "Pembantu peribadi kepada Pengurus Besar"... Segala benda kena dapatkan keputusan muktamat dari Pengurus Besar... Kalo boss besar kata "A", maka "A" lah jadinya... Boss besar kata "B", maka "B" lah jadiknya... Dgn kehadiran Boss dan "Mem Lagi Besar" (Boss atas boss) kat sini, memang tak kemana lah peginya...

Bila gua dapat kerja baru, tetiba, dapat berita yg Pengurus Besar nih kena berenti kerja... Kabarnya, dia ugut kompeni mengatakan kalo kompeni tak setuju cara dia buat, dia akan meletakkan jawatan... Dia ingat kompeni akan beralah... tetapi, kompeni kata, "OK baiklah, kami terima perletakkan jawatan anda...", Kan dah melopong...!!

Kemudian "Mem Lagi Besar" pulak tetiba menerima kenaikan pangkat dan kena pindah balik ke Belanda... ramai orang tahu yg sebenarnya, dia di naikkan pangkat ke jawatan yg lebih sukar utk ditanganinya, dan supaya jawatan dia di sini akan di ambil alih oleh org baru yg lebih "segar" dan lebih "mendengar" cakap direktor2 di ibupejabat.... hmmm Politik pejabat, Politik pejabat..... Macam2 cerita...

Maka boss baru sudah masuk hampir 2 bulan... Walaupun gua sudah meletakkan jawatan, kerja jalan seperti biasa... Nak dibuatkan cerita, boss baru ni... orang Amerika... hmmmm... dah la ngam ya amat pulak dgn Boss baru nih...!!! satu kepala tuuhhhh....!!! have not had so much fun at work over the past 3 weeks... kerja memang jalan, tapi apa yg menariknya, dekat opis suasana memang lah teramat OK...

kan ker bagus kalo dapat boss camni dari dulu.... anyhow, gua dah nak ciao daaahh... tinggai seminggu jer lagi....

sempena minggu depan ramai bebudak tak ada kat opis, maka makan farewell lunch dibuat hari nih.... dan gua pun di berilah hadiah selamat jalannn....

babai uolsssss....!!! :)

farewell lunch... makan pizza jer... tenkiu...!!! :)

dapat hadiah selamat jalan pulak tuh... "leather attache-case"... canteeeekkkkk...! macam nak isi barang2 bawak balik kg kat Mumbai......!! !!... Hampeh...!! Dia punya rupa dan saiz, sebenonya gua kurang suka sket... Tapi dgn ikhlasnya menerima dan mngucapkan "tima kaceeehhhhh"...!! nanti aku pikirkan kat sapa aku nak bagi beg nih... ahaks...!!

depa bagi kad ucapan lagi tuh...!!! perghhh...!! depa tak tau gua nak pi mana... hehe... secara rasminya, gua balik kampung kerja balik kat Mesia... tapi..... sebenonya... hihi... later korang tau...!

Ombak....

Korang tau tak....? Kalo korang tak tahu, nih gua nak bagitahu nih.... hehe... Above photo is the photo of a perfume from the brand Amouage... It's not a western brand perfume, as a matter of fact, it is an Omani brand...

This perfume house/brand was created after a collaboration among some French Perfume houses to celebrate the Arab perfume heritage... (attar...?)

And guess what? This brand is dotted to be the most expensive perfume brand in the world... Above Amougae "Lyric" 100ml is priced as AED625 sebotol... Gua tolong belikan jer, bukan gua punyer... Ada kawan from KL pesan tolong belikan, coz in KL it's even more expensive...

Now, once you believe in your product/heritage, you have to show value in it... Therefore the price says it all... It's all about product branding...!!

Btw, "Amouage" sounds very French rite? Well.... it is not. Amouage is Arabic, and it means "Ombak".... I find that the choice of the name & product branding is very interesting...

teringat kat Galeri Ombak kat KLCC... ada ker lagi kat situ...?

Sejuuuuukkkk.....!!!!

Punyalah lama tak ke Eropah masa musim sejuk, bila dpt tahu kena ke Germany kat tengah2 musim sejuk lepas, gua pikiaq, memang abis bekulah badan gua bila sampai sana nanti...

check2 wardrobe, tak adalah pulak sweater/pullover/cardigan yg boley/bersesuain di pakai... abih tuh, pegi nih utk business trip, takkan nak pakai sweater ala2 nak pegi beronggeng kat kelab malam... kenalah toned down sket dgn colour2 tuh... tambahan pulak, sweater yg ada nih pun, hmmm... dah bertahun2 dah umurnya... nak buat camna, kat tengah Padang Pasir nih, takkan nak beli sweater tiap2 tahun, bukannya pakai sweater tiap2 hari pun... kalo cukup pakai 5hari dlm setahun pun dah bertuah dah tuuuu...!!

shopping punya shopping... maka belilah 2 sweater kat ataih nih... sesuai ler kalo nak dipakai dgn suit....

alang2 membeli, belilah 2 bijik kannn...?



memikiokan suhu yg sememangnya dibawah tahap beku, maka adalah eloknya supaya kita mendapatkan sarung tangan sekali.... sejuk kome, sejukkkk...!!

Tak caya? tengok gambo kat bawah...!!



kat Parking depan opis... jalan memang slippery...

kat depan hotel

on the way to the office.... sepanjang 4 hari kat Paderborn, salji turun tiap2 hari...!!

Paderborn... selain menjadi ibupejabat kompeni gua sekarang nih, ianya juga adalah tempat asal dimana sos cap Heinz dikeluarkan... Siap ada muzium Heinz kat pekan nih... :D

tahap Pekan jer lah... tak ler Bandar... tertanya2 gua, camna gayanya Pekan kecik nih boley jadik ibupejabat kompeni gua kerja sekarang huh...!! ajaib...!

anyhow, it was a nice 4 day trip... teringaaaatt zaman belajo "masa muda2 dulu"... ahaksss...! in Nancy, France... winter jer abih putih salji merata.....

Anak-anak buah, cucu... Err... cucu...?

yang ini Cucu nbr 2, si Raid,... 3/4 Sarawakian, 1/4 Perakian... rambut diaaaaa... punya lah lebat...!! dahsat...

yang ini, anak buah... si abang Fami... dah besar...! dah nak masuk 4 tahun... gambo ambik masa kat hospital while visiting my mom

yang ini , cucu sulung... Nisa'... yang ini pulak 1/4 Sarawakian, 1/4 Perakian, 1/2 Nogori ko...? alamak Tok Chu pun dah lupa daaa... Kampung Mak si Nisa' kat mana huh...?

Si Abang dgn si Adik, Firdaus.... MasyaAllaaaahhhhhh.... si Firdaus nih punyalah buas bermain... abang dia pun abis dia buli..., tapi bila dia bangun tido, dia tak nampak abang dia, dia nangis lak.....!! perrgghhhh...!!

at far back, Nisa' with her parents (bapak dia kuat main bola, sampai terkehel lutut)

kat rumah, main gusti2.... asal tak gaduh, sudaaaahhh...

photogenic lak tuh.... pantang nampak sesapa nak ambil gambar, terus depa start posing... :)

Nisa' pun tak berani sgt nak join Pakcik2 dia main gusti2...

kang langsung penyek kang kena slamp dunk... :D

The postcard that was never sent....

I make it a point to send a postcard to my parents every week... News no news, postcards must go... I thought that it was better than just sending a "somehow non personalized email blast to all family members" informing them of my whereabouts and whatabout...

Sadly, the below postcard didn't go.... I couldn't find stamps while in Germany, and thought that I would just post it from Dubai... who would know that I would be going back to Malaysia immediately then....

"Menemui Apak & Enche... Doanya Apak & Enche bertambah2 sihat... Faizul tulis poskad nih dari Paderborn, Germany, ibu pejabat syarikat faizul kerja... Dtg ke sini sebab menghadiri mtg tahunan utk semua Pengurus Jualan... Sejuk ya amat di sini, suhu paling rendah -9degreC, dan suhu paling tinggi, hanya -5degreC... Memang tak sanggup berdiri diluar lama2... Faizul di sini 3 hari sahaja, sampai hari Isnin, balik ke Dubai hari Khamis nanti... Salam utk semua di Ipoh...!!"

the postcard is not relevant anymore...,

one of the addressees is no longer there...

I better not keep it....

it'll just trigger sad memories...

Thank you guys and gals... You all are the best....!

I am sure that my mom, being an ex-nurse in HBI (Hospital Besar Ipoh), would have been very, very proud of you guys and gals... If it's not the case, then at least I am....

I have never really understood why my mom kept on insisting on going to "hospital gomen"... Not that I have had bad experience going to govt hospitals, but since we can now afford it (well in my opinion, I'll sell my house for the hospital bills, if need be...), let's go to a private hospital... No one can deny that in most cases, you get better treatment in private hospitals (at least faster than in govt hospitals), so why spare the best you can get for your own mother? Furthermore, we'll free the govt hospitals for the people who really can't afford to pay for their medical treatment... Aren't we being fare and reasonable to everybody...?

Well, my mom didn't think so... She didn't want to burden her kids with the medical expenses... And she was just too proud of the place where she used to work... "Walk the talk", my mom said... She kept on saying that, compared to other countries in the world, we are lucky to have one of the best medical team/institution anyone can get... Well, she really meant it, she really believed in it, and she really walked it all the way through...

Every single time she was sick, first, she will try to self medicate, and if she really needed to go to the hospital, direction HBI... Being a strong headed person, being the eldest daughter of "Tok Ketua Md Nor", nobody dared to say otherwise to my mom... Hospital Besar Ipoh, it is...

I couldn't understand that.... My mom has sacrified a lot for us... A whole damn lot... Being the youngest in the family, I was always dragged by my mom going everywhere, I mean everywhere, I have seen them all : to buy new warm clothes for my sister who was going to Arizona for her studies, to seek help from various Clinics/ Hospitals/ Bomoh/ Faith Healers/ Dukun for my brother's strange illnes when he was small (it turned out to be pneumonia...), to go meet up with all Pawang & Imams asking for holy water which, with God's permission, allow us to do better in our studies & get straight As, asking tips from friends and relatives to ensure that all of her 6 children grow to become good people... trying to start small businesses from home to earn more money to pay for our school and examination fees, and sometimes, to the extend of pawning whatever small jewellery that she had to ensure that we get the best of whatever is out there available for her children...

Well... that's my mom... and I believe that it is my turn..., our turn, to do the same for her... If need be, I will sell my house for her medical treatment, I will borrow money, I will work hard to get more income...., name it, I will do it...!! Just for the best medical care for my mom.... Heck, I was even willing to give her my heart if she needed it...

Lucky for me perhaps, my mom never asked me for those...

All she wanted was just for us to send her to HBI, whenever she needed....

And now I understand....

I remember that at times, she came back from work talking about wonderful stuffs that they have done, praising doctors and fellow nurses for their dedication, and all the mircales which happened during the day....

She was proud of her job, of the team that she belonged to...

Seeing what I saw, from the day that I arrived in Ipoh, 13th Feb, until the day my Mom passed away, 18th Feb 2010... I know that my Mom would have been very proud... Very proud of the team of nurses, doctors, Ammah, HAs... everybody at HBI, who took care of her all the time that she was there... If she was around, I am sure that she would come back home and talk all about the nurses and doctors, and everybody at the hospitals, of their dedication and commitment to take care of their patients... to take care of her...

Indeed, I am proud.... I am proud that my mom was once part of that group of dedicated people....I am very proud of all the people working in HBI : cleaners, shopkeepers, doctors, pharmacists, nurses, Ammahs, HAs, guards, canteen operators, kacang puteh sellers, newspaper vendors, cooks,ambulance driver,.... everybody....

And from the bottom of my heart, and with sincerest humiliation, I thank you all... I thank you all for taking care of my Mom, with gentleness, with care, with concerns, with support, with all the words of encouragement not only to her, but also to all my family members....

Thank you all very very much...
You all are simply the best....!!

In forever loving memories,
My Mom, Staff Nurse Mukhayani binti Md Nor

Loved with a love beyond all feeling,
Missed with a grief beyond all tears.

Innalilla wa innalillahirojioun…
Al Fatihah…

Time to move on...!!

I have been stuck on this particular topic in my mind for the past 3 months... As much as I wanted to "talk" about it, I just couldn't find the time, nor the inspiration, nor the courage, nor the words.... nor the guts..... And, at the same time, I just couldn't move on and stop thinking about it....

Well, this is it... It would appear to be a very raw & crude entry, but I just need to move on... Just can't get myself to start talking about other stuffs, as long as this particular topic has not been mentioned....

Very sadly, on 18th Feb 2010, my beloved mother passed away at 2 o'clock in the morning... What a sad day it was...

My mom... sadly missed...

I was on a business trip to Germany... I remember that I was swearing big time when I got to know that I had to go to Germany at the peak of the winter time in Europe.... I have not been to Europe during winter for a long long time... and the idea of wrapping myself in warm clothes everytime I get out of a building, is not something so thrilling.... Helas, just had to go....

Everything went well, the meetings, the discussions, the snow, the cold.... Anyhow, it was just a 4 day trip, nothing dramatic happened...

Paderborn, cold and chilly, -5degre Celsius

Thursday afternoon, went to Dusseldorf, and took the return flight at 2h30pm... was a smooth flight, arrived in Dubai at midnite... arrived home about 1h30am, and went to sleep at about 2h30am.... was tired, darn tired....

5am in the morning.... received a phone call from my cousin... Mom was in critical condition, my aunt told me that I have to come back. Called my brother, who reconfirmed that Mom was not in a good condition... immediately checked Emirates website and managed to get a last minute ticket for a flight at 10am... had 4 hours to get ready and go to the airport (just unpacked my stuffs from the Germany trip late ystdy evening...). Packed the clothes, and at 7am, left home and went straight to Dubai airport. Sent sms to bosses that I had to leave for Malaysia on emergency.

Frankly, knowing my mom, I was not frantically worried... She has gone through lots and lots of things in the pass, and she has always managed to go through them... She was a fighter and never she would give up... That's my mom, and I am proud of her... Everybody tells me that my Mom inherited the qualities of my GrandDad.... the "Tok Ketua Md Nor" in Kampung Padang Asam, Kuala Kangsar.... He kicked arses...., and so did my Mom... (my Dad's arse and her children arse included...!). I would be suprised that she doesn't make it this time, I last saw her 3 months back, and even though she was not that well physically, she was of sound mind and chatted with me lovingly during my short visit...


Arrived Ipoh at 3am in the morning, and was advised to freshen up before going to the hospital... Met up with my Mom at about 8h30am at the hospital.... Even though she was very weak, she was still of a very sound mind, and talking gibberish, she was asking me what time I arrived, and telling us, the children to check this and that.... She asked us to check her drip, she asked me if I have had breakfast, how long I would be on leave.... Yeah... She was a very strong will person... I was happy to see her, but sad to her very weak...

The Doctors and Interns - discussing what needs to be done

The doctor told us that if my Mom's condition stabilized (Mom was having a fever), the Doctors were going to get her into the operation theatre and one of her legs would be amputated (Mom was suffering from complications due to Diabetes)….

I stayed with her that morning…. Massaged her leg (the one which is not affected), and basically told her to rest/ sleep… She needed as much rest as possible to ensure that her fever subsides… She slept on and off… By mid day, relatives…. lots of them… came to visit my mom… My Mom’s rest was disrupted, but then…. can’t do much, my Mom just wanted to stay awake when these relatives visited her, her way of showing thank you I guess…

My sister & a friend nurse attending to my mom, unconscious

After the visiting hours, she went to sleep again… It was 2h30pm… and that was it…, the doctors realized that her body was shutting down during her sleep and did an intervention at about 5h30pm…. She was in coma and on life support since that moment… 5 days later, my Mom passed away peacefully at 2am in the morning, she never recovered from the coma… I was with her during the last moments of her life…

My mom…
Loved with a love beyond all feeling,
Missed with a grief beyond all tears.

Innalilla wa innalillahirojioun…
Al Fatihah…