What Have I Done to My Life?

Got this from my sis in law via email... Hmmm it got me thinking how much time I have wasted in my life working aimlessly and for those who don't appreciate my sacrifices... tau-tau ujung bulan dapat gaji (I am so item number 6 and 7) with no bonus and no increment (hehehe, really! sometimes I think keje kerajaan lagi bagus... can rilek-rilek, curik tulang and sometimes jadik corrupt.. opps!)

10 reasons why you should leave office by 6.00 pm, for some of us 5.30pm.

Click on the image to enlarge...

I know someone who is item number 8 - and he got the Employee of the Year award some more tau! (not me, of course)

Congratulations Achoi & Ctot

Congratulations to Achoi & Ctot on the arrival of Aqil Nazhan on April 24th 2008. Ctot and Achoi were our dear ex-colleague who got married in July last year. Aqil Nazhan decided to join his parents earlier than his due date on May 14th 2008.

Teater Muzikal Patung Kertas @ Paper Doll

Yey! We're going to the musical theathre, Patung Kertas at Matic ampang this Wednesday April 30th 2008. This would be our first play this year after the last being Puteri Gunung Ledang on Valentine's Day last 2 years. I used to frequent plays whenever they are staged around KL when I was younger and still Solo. I sorta miss going to the Petronas Philharmonic where I used to be a member for a few seasons early this century. I still have passion for plays and classical music, perhaps it's about time to start going again? Hmmmm where's that suit of mine lah?

Excited nih and we're also planning to go to P.Ramlee The Musical Season 2 end of May (if it's not going to be full house again like in the previous season, hopefully we're able to get the tickets - going to get them this evening @ Tower Records, KLCC. Yey again!

Our seats on Wednesday, April 30th - Seats J14 & J15

Jalal Hayati Watak Pondan Tua dalam 'Patung Kertas'
13-12-2007 10:39:51 AM
Oleh SITI AZIRA ABD AZIZ

SUDAH ramai aktor tempatan yang berani mengubah haluan lakonan mereka dengan memegang watak 'lelaki lembut'.

Sebelum ini, pelakon dan penyanyi Ahmad Azhar Othman atau Awie juga pernah melakonkan watak 'lelaki lembut' yang juga pereka fesyen bernama Sophie dalam filem "Apa Kata Hati" yang bakal ditayangkan pada tahun hadapan.

Mampukah Jalal melakonkan watak "lelaki lembut" dengan baik? (Foto The Star oleh Ricky Lai)

Selain Awie, pelakon utama filem "Waris Jari Hantu" Rusdi Ramli turut melakonkan watak tersebut sehingga berjaya menerima Anugerah Pelakon Lelaki Terbaik dalam Festival Filem Malaysia ke 20 lalu.

Kali ini, pelakon popular Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan atau lebih mesra dengan panggilan Abang Jalal yang biasanya melakonkan watak lelaki sejati itu menukar citarasanya untuk mengikut langkah Awie dan Rusdi dalam pementasan teater muzikal "Patung Kertas" pada Februari tahun hadapan.

"Masa mula-mula dapat tawaran untuk berlakon dalam teater ini saya tak fikir apa-apa pun dan tak tengok skrip.

"Tetapi setelah mendapat panggilan daripada produser yang mengatakan pengarahnya adalah Lokman Ghani terus saya bersetuju kerana beliau merupakan salah seorang pengarah teater yang terbaik di Malaysia.

"Seminggu selepas tu baru saya mendapat tahu skripnya melakonkan watak lelaki lembut," kata Jalal ketika sesi bergambar bersama pelakon yang lain di Pusat Pelancongan Malaysia semalam.

Teater muzikal "Patung Kertas" karya penulis skrip dan pengarah tersohor A.Wahid Nasir mengisahkan seorang lelaki bernama Arman atau Adik Chu lakonan Zuhairi yang memang disifatkan menjadi 'lembut' sejak kecil lagi.

Beliau merupakan anak yatim piatu yang kematian seorang ibu yang menderita penyakit barah darah yang kronik.

Selepas ibunya meninggal, Arman terpanggil untuk membuat kerja amal untuk membantu yayasan penyakit kronik dan kebetulan rapat dengan seorang penggiat seni dan peniaga butik, Hairol (Jalal) setelah beliau diselamatkan oleh Hairol atau Along dari serbuan polis.

Barisan 'Patung Kertas' yang pertama kali mementaskan kisah 'lelaki lembut' membuat pertunjukan amal.
(Dari kiri duduk: Zuhairi, Wafa, Jalal dan Along Faris)

Mereka berdua menubuhkan pasukan "patung kertas" untuk tujuan mengadakan persembahan amal bagi mengisi tabung yayasan penyakit kronik itu.

Sekian lama Arman memendam rasa pada Hairol namun demi persahabatan, dia terus membisu sehinggalah muncul Khairi (Along Faris) iaitu seorang pegawai bank yang menjadi ahli kumpulan "patung kertas" dan konflik semakin bertambah apabila muncul seorang gadis bernama Mariam (Rashidah Jaafar) dalam hidup Hairol.

"Sebagai pelakon, ini merupakan cabaran saya untuk memainkan watak lelaki lembut yang tak pernah dilakonkan sebelum ini. Perasaan saya berbaur dan bimbang kerana memikirkan samada saya boleh buat atau tidak.

"Namun saya percaya dengan skrip yang dihasilkan oleh Wahid ini saya dapat teliti dan halusi kehendak skrip itu dengan cara terbaik atas sokongan Lokman dan semua tenaga produksi.

"Lagipun saya pernah bekerjasama dengan Wahid sejak berbelas tahun dahulu dan bagi saya skrip cerita "Gerimis Salju" adalah antara skrip yang terbaik untuk dilakonkan," ujar Jalal yang berusia 54 tahun ini.

Jalal tertawa lucu melihat wajahnya setelah disolek tebal

Melihat Jalal memakai pakaian wanita dengan solekan tebal, rambut palsu dan bertumit tinggi, wajahnya nampak feminin sekali setelah didandan selama dua jam oleh jurusolek Ika Osman, Gina dan Lili dari Ika Frency.

"Cabaran saya adalah untuk menukar watak lelaki sejati kepada seorang lelaki lembut yang tidak tahu bagaimana dunia mereka secara sebenarnya.

"Tetapi sepanjang saya bercampur dengan golongan ini, saya dapat tahu serba sedikit tentang mereka dan hormati mereka sebagai mahluk Allah.

"Insya Allah, dengan bantuan mereka saya dapat lakukannya kerana boleh dikatakan saya selalu berjumpa dengan mereka pada sepanjang hari bekerja," ulas Jalal yang menjadikan jurusolek artis sebagai rujukan untuk memantapkan lakonannya nanti.

Beliau juga menggunakan peluang dan bertanya kemusykilan menghayati watak dengan merujuk kepada wartawan Syed Yusof Wafa yang turut buat penampilan khas sebagai Doni dalam teater ini.

Jalal disolek selama dua jam bagi mengubah wajah asalnya menjadi lebih feminin

"Setakat ini, keluarga saya belum tahu mengenai watak yang akan saya lakonkan ini. Saya sengaja tak bagi tahu mereka kerana nak bagi kejutan.

"Saya juga tak mahu canangkan kerana khuatir jika ia ibarat indah khabar dari rupa. Kalau mereka tahu selepas ini pun saya akan diamkan sahaja sehinggalah hari pementasannya nanti.

"Kalau mereka tahu mungkin mereka akan faham dan mereka selalu memberi sokongan yang jitu kerana ini adalah karier saya," jelas Jalal yang sudah lebih 20 tahun membabitkan diri dalam pementasan teater manakala bergiat dalam dunia seni lakonan sejak 30 tahun lalu.

Selain bakal sibuk dengan teater yang bakal dipentaskan di Pusat Pelancongan Malaysia nanti, beliau turut sibuk dengan pengambaran drama 26 episod "Noktah Dendam" arahan Rosli melalui usahasama Malaysia dan Indonesia.

"Saya yang memegang watak Mahadi sudah memulakan pengambaran di Pulau Langkawi bersama pelakon Datuk Aziz Sattar, Nisha Dir, Marisa, Jessy Lim dan pelakon lelaki dari Indonesia.

"Pada bulan Januari depan saya berada di Indonesia berkemungkinan selama empat hari untuk menjalani pengambaran bersama pelakon popular Indonesia, Roy Martin.

"Saya seronok mendapat tawaran ini dan bekerjasama dengan pelakon Indonesia kerana dari situ kita dapat menonjolkan disiplin kita dan cara kita berkarya.

"Diharap kita akan berada setaraf dengan pelakon mereka seperti pelakon hebat Roy Martin.

"Pertama kali ditemukan bersamanya dalam satu drama saya berasa teruja kerana saya meminatinya sejak dahulu lagi," kata Jalal mengenai drama yang dijangka siap pada bulan Mac akan datang.

Drama terbitan Double Vision Sdn. Bhd. ini berkisar perniagaan melibatkan seorang saudagar berlian yang mendapat persaingan dengan saudagar dari Indonesia untuk meneroka 'player' di Asia.

Selain dapat bekerjasama dengan pelakon Indonesia, Jalal juga pernah berlakon dalam drama "Tsunami" yang diarahkan oleh pengarah dari China dan drama tersebut bakal disiarkan oleh saluran CCTV di sana.

"Saya senang bekerja dengan pengarah tersebut kerana saya hanya perlu menggunakan bahasa Malaysia dan kefahaman dari segi ekspresi muka.

"Bagi saya disiplin penting dalam berlakon sebab dari situ produksi luar akan memerhati dan menilai cara kita bekerja," akhiri Jalal yang tidak kedekut untuk memberi nasihat dan tunjuk ajar kepada pelakon lain tentang disiplin diri.

Rumah Amal Limpahan Kasih, Puchong Perdana

I am posting this on behalf of a friend, sapa-sapa ada kelapangan or you have things to giveaway, do contact him. Thanks and may God bless.

Dear friends,

We are going to spend a day with orphans at the Rumah Amal Limpahan Kasih, Puchong Perdana this coming Thursday, 1st May 2008. We welcome those who would like to contribute any kind of donation (e.g food, clothing, books, toys, furniture, electrical appliances, etc) as much as we welcome those who would like to participate in this event as part of our crew.

Those who wish to join us, kindly contact / msg me on YM @ leo_freestyler as soon as possible. Thank you.

Nuril - 012 29 89 065 / 019 66 99 065

Wan Irham & Syafinah's Cute Baby

I've finally got to see a fellow good-friend's, who was an ex housemate/coursemate's back at the Uni, very cute son. the boy, Wan Imran Khalis (photo) is in the running for Mix fm's 2008 Baby Idol Competition. Do vote for him if you have the time. TQ.

Congkak

The trio, Ahmad Idham (Director), Pierre Andre (Script Writer) and Producer David Teo are back with their second installment of the new generation local horror movie triumph. After their success releasing Jangan Pandang Belakang which practically collected millions from Malaysian and SEA audiences, the creative trio came back with an improved all new horror flick.

KN and I was at KLCC TGV on the first day of Congkak screening on April 17. After months not going to the cinema, we were looking forward to another cerita hantu to scare the wits out of us. Knowing KN yang sungguh penakut will definitly have both hands covering the face throughout the movie.

Well I think the plot is somewhat like the classic Poltergiest (but defnitely not as scary). The female lead Nanu Baharuddin and the two children actresses were superb but there was something wrong with Riezman's acting. Rieazman I think was a bit unnatural, perhaps because this was his first movie as a lead actor - I dunno, I just think him being around his family, the way he talks and the way he acts is unnatural.

The movie was okay overall, there are improvements from the previous Jangan Pandang Belakang but I think the effects are simply overdone. Especially the ending part where the earth was broken in two and I especialy do not favor the part when the house supposedly collapsed. I think with the RM7+ million these trio collected from JPB, they could afford to at least make the house really collapse, like those in Western movies.

Another thing is I hope in Pierre's next horror movie, Jangan Tegur, Ruminah Sidek wont become a ghost or a freak old lady anymore. Get what I mean? Too much of the same person will be boooorrriiinng. Don't do the same Dato' Yusof Haslam and Abdul Razak Mohaideen's (yucks I don't watch his films - crappy to the max) mistake of hiring the same actors and actresses in most of their movies... balik-balik muka tu je until you can't differentiate one movie from another. I guess this is a norm in Malaysian movies ever since the late Tan Sri P.Ramlee's days to Ogy and Ebby Saiful era, Awie and Erra era and so on and so forth... There are many talented people in Malaysia (Kal El for example hehehe) who is waiting to be discovered.

Here's the plot in summary (as taken from Wikipedia)
Kazman is a dedicated husband who, despite his wife Sufiah's protests, decided to buy a bungalow for their family near a lake as a family getaway. Anxious in the new house, Sufiah feels as if someone is watching her. Her daughter Lisa, who would always go downstairs at night to play congkak with someone whom she could only see, compounds her uneasiness. Sufiah throws the congkak in the lake, but is awakened the next night by the sound of the congkak being played again and upon investigation, she sees an old lady playing it. When her daughter disappears, the oldest resident in that area, Pak Tua, comes to the family's rescue and helps in locating the missing family members.

Roadhouse Grill

The roads were jammed up pretty heavily on March 28, thanks to the closure of SMART tunnel that KN and I decided to have dinner at an eatery nearby my office. Less than 10 minutes drive from my workplace we headed to Roadhouse Grill along Jalan Ampang. It' on the same row as Great Eastern Mall and right beside the Perkeso building. As far as I can remember, this family restaurant bearing the identity of cowboys has been here even before Great Eastern Mall was built. I of course started going to this place with late mummy as her favourite was western food -now you know where I've got that liking for Western food.

The last time KN and I came here was August last year with Roy and his brother for dinner. Eight months later the place has rather changed, not the decor (it has been the same ever since they opened) but the menu has changed and the bucket of roasted peanuts were no longer served. They used to serve a bucket of roasted peanuts while waiting for our orders to be ready but now instead, they serve homemade buns which in my opinion is so much better than the peanuts... jerawat maaa... But without the cracking sound of peanuts and the remains being thrown all over the place I think Roudhouse grill has lost its originality and identity.

Our favourite seating place is definitely by the huge window nearby the entrance. Here we can see the kitchen where our steaks are charbroiled to perfection.

The really tasty bun

As usual, for appetizer, apa lagi if not nachos. Again, Chilli's serve better nachos but we enjoyed sharing the very filling plate of our favourite dish..romantic la konon hehehe . We also ordered their new menu, meatballs which was a real yummy!

The new Meatball menu

Our Favourite appetizer... mana-mana pergi pun order ini

For mains, I ordered the medium-rare charbroiled steak with black pepper sauce and sweet potatoes while KN ordered the well-done charbroiled steak with mushroom sauce and fries. I would say the sweet potatoes tasted great.

Well-done charbroiled steak with musroom sauce and fries

Medium-rare charbroiled steak with black pepper sauce and sweet potatoe

Service wise, the waiter adn waitresses are very professional and the make dining at the Roadhouse grill a pleasant experience.

Mahid Masseluang

I had nothing to do as I was alone tonight. So I searched for my name in Google and guess what? I just found out a very close and dear friend of mine who is in Labuan, an ex roomie and coursemate at the Uni now writes for the Star - he has indeed a column of his own (eh sorry, just sent him a text message, he said "I only occasionally write for the column" - ok ler tuh...) but whatever it is I am republishing it here because

1. he's a dear friend and I am very gila proud of him and
2. he had used my name as well as our other best(est) of friends' names in his examples - ahahah guesslah which is mine?

So, here's the article. on English usage...duh! Engrish...

The STAR

Wednesday April 16, 2008

Knowing ‘form’ and ‘function’

MANY thanks to Mr Oh Teik Theam for the good activity on identifying and differentiating the parts of speech (March 27).

It is indeed beneficial for us to know the different parts of speech within a sentence because it will enable us to correctly position these in a sentence. For example, knowing a word is an adjective allows us to place it before a noun or after a “verb to be”:

1) A diligent man.

2) Azzuhri is diligent.

Other than the different parts of speech, another aspect of grammar that is of great importance is the difference between “form” and “function”.

“Form” can be broadly defined as “what it is” and “function” as “what it does” within a sentence.

Examples of “form” are verb (or verb phrase), noun (or noun phrase), adjective (or adjective phrase) and adverb (or adverb phrase). Examples of “function” are subject, predicate, object, adjectival, adverbial and complement.

It is critical to know the differences because 1) we can grammatically position or arrange all the parts within a sentence and 2) some “forms” can have many “functions” within a sentence, as in the following examples:

1) The students are studying.

2) The students are completing the assignments.

In the above sentences, “the students” and “the assignments” are both noun phrases. However, “the students” is the subject while the “the assignments” is the object.

More examples can be seen in the following:

1) The man is gone.

2) Syahrel is standing under the tree.

3) Irham has placed the vase on the dinner table.

4) Roy is a belly dancer.

5) We have voted Shaz the president of the Q Club.

In 1), “the man” – form: noun phrase; function: subject / “gone” – form: verb (past participle form); function: adjectival / “is gone” – form: verb phrase; function: predicate.

In 2), “Syahrel” – form: noun phrase (proper noun); function: subject / “under the tree” – form: prepositional phrase; function: adverbial / “is standing under the tree” – form: verb phrase; fuunction: predicate.

In 3), “the vase” – form: noun phrase; function: object / “on the dinner table” – form: prepositional phrase; function: complement / “the dinner table” - form: noun phrase; function: object of preposition / “dinner” – form: noun; function: adjectival.

In 4), “a belly dancer” – form: noun phrase; function: complement / “belly” – form: noun; function: adjectival

In 5), “we” – form: noun phrase (pronoun); function: subject / “Shaz” – form: noun phrase (proper noun); function: object / “the president of the Q club” – form: noun phrase; function: object complement.

Good grammar books should have all the forms and functions explained thoroughly.

– Mahid bin Masseluang, Labuan

MOre of Mahid's articles here, here, here and here
Hehehe have I not become Mahid's stalker now?

Bila Aku Sudah Tiada

I am suddenly struck with emotions and remembered this very relevant song by Hujan. Need I say more? Tsk...



Bila Aku Sudah Tiada

Bila, aku sudah tiada
simpan semua lagu ku
jangan di tangis selalu

Mungkin, itu sementara
bila jumpa pengganti ku
jangan di lupakan aku

Pagi itu indah seperti biasa
tidur yang lena terhenti di sana
layap kuyu masih tak terdaya
bukalah tingkap mu
curahkan cahaya...

Siapa yang sangka
bila tiba masa kita
untuk pergi selamanya

Takkan terduga
jika saat ni
tuhan tentukan
aku lah orangnya

Gelak tawa tangisan yg hiba
kenangan kita masa d dunia
alangkah indahnya jika
kita mampu hidup selamanya...

Lyrics courtesy of Mylirik

OMG! Err...err....Yucks!

For those who do not understand Malay, the narrator among others said

"Every morning this guy eats 'fresh' cow dunk as he believes it contains nutrients as cows only eat grass..."

Gross man, but it makes sense kan? Cows only eat grass while chicken and fish eat God knows what... but eating it's dunk? Huhuhu perhaps tastes like 'Dunk'in Donuts? Wanna try?

Who or What's at Fault? God?

It is really ironic when only yesterday we were shouting for a global warming action theme for our governments to take serious considerations in combating global warming. It was the same evening many KLites had to swear and curse in their cars for being stuck in massive jams. On April 17th for example, some of us even had to dive (see newspaper article below from Malay Mail - Drivers Diving Down Jalan Travers.) Lucky enough for me by the time I left the office yeasterday it was after 7pm and the rain had nearly stopped. It was only drizzling and thank God going home from the office isn't as bad as having to travel along Federal Highway or MRR2 (and many other roads in and around KL) on rainy days. Otherwise, I too would be swearing and cursing all the way home - such a nice way to end the day after working hard at the office.

So, who is really at fault? Who is really to blame? Is it God? Do thank Him for blessing us with rain. I'd rather have rain than drought, cooling rainy weather than the hot sunny day (most of us would agree to this, I think) - stop grumbling for too much rain and stop blaming Him for the disasters that we ourselves create.

It wouldn't be fair to just put the authority at fault either or just have them shoulder the responsibilities of taking care of our home. Of course, yes, we're tax payers and we'd like to see our money put to work for our own benefits, but how much tax money should we spend on saving the city from flash floods when there are still many parts of the country that is under developed? How much more money do we have to put to waste to build facilities like the 'not' so SMART tunnel, just to curb flash flood problems and help ease traffic - all these efforts are wasted if KLites themselves are not involved in making their home a nicer and a more pleasant place to live in.

Many of us agree that flash floods are mainly caused by clogged drains and not due to over flowing rivers, but how many of us still throw rubbish into drains and into rivers? However small your litter is, it will accumulate and cause trouble sooner or later. So my point of writing today is to urge fellow KLites to stop blaming others; the authorities or even God for that matter, but to start being aware and responsible of our own environment.

Flash flood is an outcry by the surrounding to tell us that our environment is not healthy. It is an indication that we're living around piles of rubbish accumulating from our own negligence. However good our local councils are at planning, executing those plans and curbing flash floods, if we keep littering, nothing will change but worsens.

Of course, to the authorities, WAKE UP - there's definitely a reason why you're chosen to be up there - not to play God but to work your ass out for us tax paying citizens.

Article from the Malay Mail, April 23, 2008

WAKE UP, Mr MAYOR
By: Dawn Chan, The Malay Mail

MOTORISTS, fed up with the daily gridlock and struggling through floods, have blasted City Hall for its inaction in tackling the problem, especially in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

The business community, including hoteliers, have also taken City Hall to task for the constant fl ooding that has tarnished the image of the capital city.

The Malay Mail newsroom was inundated yesterday with calls from irate readers who said they had had enough of the after-effects of the rainy spell in Kuala Lumpur which started about two weeks ago.

The readers said they get stressed and nervous whenever it rains as the authorities have done nothing to counter fl ash fl oods.

A reader, P. L. Cheng, is wondering if his diligence in paying his taxes on time every year is duty ‘gone down the drain’.

The senior citizen wants City Hall to explain how they have been spending the rakyat’s money as he has seen little progress when it comes to these fl ash fl oods.

“Clogged drains continue to be one of the main problems. If City Hall has indeed hired cleaning contractors, then they are not doing their jobs well.

“All we want is to have our little voices to be heard. What’s the point of having a complaint hotline, which probably receives mostly complaints on clogged drains and uncollected rubbish, when nothing is done?” Cheng said.

“The mayor (Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan) should wake up. He has to deal with a lot of unhappy, irritated and frustrated KLites if they don’t do something.” Another reader, who wished to be known only as James, described the problem as ridiculous and had no qualms about laying the blame on City Hall. He said City Hall should stop blaming Mother Nature.

“We don’t want to hear any more excuses! Is it really all that hard for them to be on the ground daily to clean clogged drains? We are taxpayers and we want them to get into action quickly.

“While they probably have bigger plans to counter this problem, they should do the logical and basic thing. Clear the drains.” Iskandar Ramly, who called while stuck in a traffi c jam at Jalan Sultan Ismail, vented his frustration at City Hall, which recently spoke about wanting to implement a plan for future developments to have underground water tanks to combat fl ash fl oods.

“Don’t they realise that it is a little too late to do so, particularly in the city centre? The impact will hardly be seen.

Moreover, there is not much land available in the city centre anymore.

“They should instead look at the bigger picture and face the harsh reality that their drainage system can no longer cope with the vast and unmonitored development.

“They have been giving approvals as and when they want to. They have not been doing their job and have been ignorant about the environment. They are cutting down trees as they like.

In the end, it is the rakyat who suffer”.

Tour agent Marcus Lim said it was embarrassing to explain the situation to a tour group from the United States while caught in a traffi c jam for more than 30 minutes for a less than twokilometre ride from KLCC to Jalan Sultan Ismail.

“The fi rst-time tourists to Malaysia were very impressed with our beautiful infrastructure but criticised our inability to cope with fl oods.

“Imagine the damage if they go home and tell their family and friends of their experience here.

That won’t be nice at all and we may lose them as repeat visitors.

“This is a bad example of a world class city and it would refl ect badly on the tourism industry.” Meanwhile, a 24-hour City Hall Natural Disaster hotline spokesperson, when contacted at 4.35pm yesterday, said they had dispatched traffi c wardens to areas such as Jalan San Peng, Jalan Sallehudin and Jalan Sultan Ismail to help ease traffi c congestion, and also to roads surrounding Puduraya where traffi c was reported to have come to a standstill.

The spokesman admitted that fl oods were due to clogged drains that resulted in water from the drains spilling onto the roads.

The Malay Mail had, over the past two weeks, conveyed to Ab Hakim the grouses of motorists.

Unfortunately, Ab Hakim’s reply was: “What can I do? The rain has been too heavy.” On April 10, City Hall directorgeneral Datuk Salleh Yusup had said plans to implement the rain harvesting system through underground water tanks, which is part of the Malaysian Environment-Friendly Manual (Masma) system, were in the pipeline.

The rain harvesting system is currently used in Australia, Japan and other developed countries, according to City Hall.

Drainage and Irrigation Department director general Datuk Ahmad Husaini Sulaiman, in a report on April 7, had said that fl oods in the city were not caused by the rivers overfl owing their banks — the drains were the cause of it.

He had explained that water has not been fl owing smoothly because some drains were too small and easily clogged with rubbish and construction debris.

“If the channels fl owing into the Klang River are clogged before the water can reach the river, it will spill onto the streets. This means all channels leading to Klang River should be well-maintained.”

Earth Day 2008

April 22 is our dear Earth Day. This year's mission, a global warming action theme is A CALL FOR CLIMATE where millions around the world will urge their governments to start taking appropriate actions and taking global warming seriously.

Unfortunately I don't think Malaysia will be one of the country organizing and celebrating Earth Day (please correct me if I'm wrong) but on their map shown on the Earth Day Website, Singapore would be the closest to Malaysia celebrating this very important event.

However, whether or not we're holding an events for this memorable day, please, do our parts in making sure the Earth, our Home, is taken care of. Treat every day as Earth Day.

My little contribution would be a promise that starting today, I would not spend too long on my morning and evening showers, hoping to save water, seriously. Just hope I don't start smelling bad lah. So, what's your move?

Jalan-jalan on My Laling's 31st Birthday

"Happy Birthday to You,
Happy Birthday to You,
Happy Birthday to my love my laling,
Happy Birthday to You!"

It is my laling's 31st Birthday today - tsk, we're both getting old but we're happy to be getting older together. Today, nope, this whole week actually is filled with us spending time together and doing those things we love. Although we go to work everyday together and have dinner together we seldom have time for leisure, especially these few months since I had that stroke attack. Well, it's me to be blamed indeed but KN has been very understanding and helpful in so many ways.

I've given my laling's present early this month, or was it late last month - a swivel flash for the new DSLR. I know my laling wouldn't be able to wait to save for a flash so I decided to give one as an early birthday present so my laling would be able to play and experiment with the new toy.

Since there's not going to be another birthday present on the day my laling turns 31, I decided to celebrate this week with today being the highlight. Heheh the way I'm writing this is as though I've planned a birthday bash for my laling but nope, it's just something for my laling to remember by when I am no longer around. I hope so. We didn't do anything extravagant only went down memory lane doing those things we usually do together when I was healthier; movies, buying pirated DVDs , karaoke, food and more food . I am however going to write about what we did the whole of today.

The day started with brunch at McDonalds, apa lagi... McD Breakfast la at Petronas Station behind Ampang Puteri Hospital. We usually go to the Ulu Kelang Shell Station McD (formerly Projet) but since we're heading to KL City later, we decided to have breakfast there instead. As usual, we both had the Big Breakfast set - yummy! I just wish they had mustard served at McD - just the way I ate meatballs at Ikea..

After brunch, we headed to Bukit Bintang Plaza to Green Box for their Happy Hour Karaoke Session. We've been a member here since 2005 when we frequent Red Box at least once a month then. The last time we were here karaokeing was last year I think - we've been so busy with work and our daily routines that we've forgotten this part of our life. We intended to start singing at 1pm but unfortunately the place was fully booked until 2pm - well, that's not bad after all. Since we had 2 hours to kill, we walked to Low Yat (ahahah bunyi macam jauh je kan... walked, it's just across the road, really) and bought some DVD-R. My eyes have been set since our last visit to Sony Centre KLCC a couple of days ago on A Sony VAIO laptop - tapi kan, what am I going to do with the one I already have?

Chee Meng Hainanese Chicken Rice @ Bukit Bintamg - Photo taken from their website

After ronda-ronda Low Yat and naik kan my darah looking at the very tempting gadgets, we decided to walk further to Chee Meng Hainanese Chicken Rice on Jalan Bukit Bintang - and yes, I am proud to say, I walked there (hehehe still, isn't that far, about 100 meters from Low Yat, or perhaps less). I ordered the Roasted Chicken Rice while my laling ordered the Steamed Chicken Rice. What's best about this place is they serve the sambal in bottles so that I don't have to keep asking for more from the waiters/waitresses, which could be a real hassle. We finished lunch a little half an hour before two and headed to Bukit Bintang Plaza while KN snapped some photos of BB street life.

Roasted & Steamed Chicken and the Bottle of Sambal... Tu Yang Best!

So we sang our hearts out, kemaruk nak menyanyi (ahaha like don't sing in the car everyday lah!). This was the cheapest karaoke session we've ever had. Being a member of the Dot Red card, my laling got a free Birthday voucher and we had to pay a total of RM27 only - that's what we like about Green Box, for not forcing us to pay the RM8 per bowl tit bits like at Red Box. For the Happy Hour session, there's free flow of drinks and tit bits.

After the karaoke session we headed to Pavilion (by car, we didn't walk as it was raining heavily - alasan!) That was our first time there. Well, there was nothing much that could impress us except for the size of the place perhaps. We snapped some photos in admiration and walked around aimlessly. Come 7pm we were hungry (again) and walked (yes we walked) to Planet Hollywood for dinner.


Our 3rd visit to Planet Hollywood for dinner; the first being in 2004 before Sheila Majid's concert, the second in Bali in 2006 and this time to celebrate KN's birthday. We of course ordered the nachos (our favourite dish but decided the one served at Chilli's is better). I ordered the Sizzling Mixed Grill and KN the BBQ Chicken. The food was OK but we both agreed that the food served at Planet Hollywood Bali was a dozen times better. And guess what, my laling found a strand of hair in the coleslaw - yucks! If we were the west, I guess we would already be given a free meal, but the manager ordered a replacement instead ( I wonder if he just pulled the hair out and sent my laling the same bowl of coleslaw after... ahahah bantai sajalah!) We found out that Anuar Zain is performing somewhere in June. Wings would be performing in May. Unfortunately they have no idea when Sheila would be back - nanti tau-tau aja dah full house!

Nachos

KN's BBQ Chicken n Fries - Half Chicken, Big Portion

My Sizzling Mixed Grill - Sausage, Chicken, Lamb and Beef with Fries

On the way back to Pavilion, we snapped more photos of Jalan Bukit Bintang at night showered with glittering lights. Since my laling was the one with the DSLR, my task was only to pose - huhuhu mcm model tepi jalan je gayanya. We decided to try the J.Co donuts as recommended by many and found it to be just like Big Apple - I personally prefer the ole' Dunkin for not being awfully and overly sweet. And the letter 'J' actually means Jakarta... not bad for an Indonesian company gone international.

We headed home, watched a few minutes of the Anugerah Planet Muzik shown live on TV and went to bed early. It was indeed a happy day for me and I hope my laling feels the same.

Happy Birthday My Love!

Happy Birthday My Love

It's my laling's 31st Birthday Tomorrow!
Happy Birthday Sayang, May All Your Dreams Come True...

Love Always,
Kal El

Laksa Shack

I get to finally write about Laksa Shack.

I've been a patron at Alpha Angle's Laksa Shack since 2005. I have seen this restaurant at various places before like Summit USJ but have never wanted to try it, believing that no Johore Laksa could probably be able to beat the best - Ka'ngah's.

Since Ka'ngah hasn't been well and not wanting to trouble her with cooking, I decided to try the Laksa Johor there in 2005. Ever since, I think they have changed both their menu and management at least a couple of times. They are still selling Laksa as their mains but bit by bit some new menus are added to their line up. Even the Laksa Johor (the only Laksa I like and I've tried there) has changed over time.

In terms of portion, the last time I was there on March 27th, it was indeed getting smaller (ironically the bowl was getting larger, but not deeper). In terms of taste, I would prefer the now than the then for a couple of reasons:

TheLaksa Johor Served with Otak-otak

1. They now allow customers to choose the noodle with that of your preference. Honestly I like my Laksa Johor with the white Assam Laksa Noodle instead of the spaghetti (In traditional Johor, Laksa was served with home made spaghetti-like noodle, so eating Laksa Johor with spaghetti is such a spoil to the taste).

2. I finally get the taste of chai po or lobak masin in the Laksa - the more the tastier. Plus they've put in extra onions which was so pleasing to my taste buds.

Unfortunately, the sambal belacan still fails me big time. Sigh, macam the peel fresh advert kata la, "you one something better, prepare it yourself" - perhaps it's about time I learn the secrets and recipes of Ka'ngah's Johor Laksa. Tsk! And one more thing that I do not understand is why in the world would Laksa Johor be served with boiled eggs?

Curry Laksa

KN seems to be a bit adventurous here, apart from the favourite Curry Laksa (note: there's no chicken in the Laksa now as compared to before) KN has tried the rice dishes and other things from their menu in our previous visits. For me, it's Laksa Johor all the way.

The Urinal Tragedy

I was at KLCC TGV last night to watch the new horror film Congkak by Ahmad Idham (will write about this in another entry) and stopped by the gents before entering the cinema. While doing number 1 at the urinals came a young Chinese guy, very stylish and good looking. He was walking behind me as though he was going to use the urinal at the other end (I would usually do that if there are only two people at the urinals - what's the point of standing really close to someone at the urinals!) And this was just what the guy did, he stood beside me and I heard him mumbling something that sounded like "Excuse Me" and when I turned to looked at his face , I caught him peeking a view of (more like staring at) my dear willy! Not once but twice to the extend of leaning forward for a good view of Mr. P - It was so damn bloody obvious lah! Not that I've never glanced someone's dickie whilst at the urinal, and not that I've never willingly exposed myself (hehehe pengakuan of a part time exhibitionist nih) for those yang jeling-jeling at the urinals (ala everyone at the gents pun has the same thing kan) - biasa I think for men to compare their sizes but being polite and rude at the same time isn't the way to do it - what the heck saying excuse me for then leaning forward twice to see my P? Teruk la some people! Such cheap trill!

p/s i don't know what label to put this entry under but since it happened in Malaysia and in the heart of KL City Centre some more, I simply decided to put in under the current label. No harm intended.

Macam ni la lebih kurang...

5 Miserable Hours

It was time for my laser treatment at Ampang Hospital again. (Read: It's time for a long wait doing nothing, again).

As usual, I would be at the hospital as early as 8am hoping that I'd be called in early so that I can go home and rest if I were to see the ophthalmologist or go back to the office if I were to see the doctor at MOPD or the Nephrologist. The eye doctor would usually give the day off as my eyes would be very dilated (meaning, blind lah lebih kurang) for a while so I won't be able to drive, cope the glare from a monitor screen or even watch the idiot box. I would usually spend the rest of the day sleeping with the curtains drawn or the shutters shut.

OK, so I was at the clinic as early as 8am. Guess when they called me in? 11:45am, yes that's the truth and I had to wait a further 2 hours before my laser treatment. There is hemorrhaging in my left eye (thanks to this bugger diabetes and a my failing kidneys) so this dear left eye of mine needs about 5K shots of the laser but due to the raptured blood vessels, it was hard for the doctor to carry out the treatment (the first treatment they could only do 500 and this time only 190 - meaning I have to come back many more times to complete the treatment, sigh).

However long the waiting time at the eye clinic was, I am really happy with the doctors there. Dr Siti has seen me several times, unlike the doctors at MOPD, she remembers me personally and takes me very seriously. I was attended to by Dr Noriman yesterday and he too was superb. At least the 5 miserable hours of waiting, and not being able to do anything (I can't read as my pupils were dilated) paid off with such good doctors around. I just wish all doctors at the government hospitals are as good and tentative as these two doctors are.

Afterall, I didn't go there for free. I paid RM5 (heheheh) every time I go for follow up, apart from the INCOME TAX I have to pay every year.

Next laser treatment, 20th May 2008.

p/s another good eye doctor if you're looking for one and are willing to pay is Dato' Dr Baljit Kaur at Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital - I did cataract operation on both eyes in 2004 with her. Believe me, she's good.

Dubai Here I Come?

I applied for a job in Dubai somewhere last month and received an email from the HR two weeks ago asking for my current and expected salary. Seems I've been shortlisted for an interview. Well, the offer is very attractive (perk wise, I don't know how much basic salary I get to bring home every month) and loking forward to the interview, hopefully soon. I haven't decided whether I'd really go or not, if offered but I'm keeping my mind open if there is really a job offer coming from them. Perhaps it's time to start anew, many issues to think through though, particularly my health. I'm sure life would be interesting in a new environment.

Save Taman Melawati Hill

Location of Phase 3 Hill @ Taman Melawati

Being a resident since 1977 (still consider myself one although I have moved to BA, my dad is still there), growing up (unfortunately not schooled) and spending most of my life at Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, formerly known as KL's Hollywood, I feel obliged to convey this message to preserve the Phase 3 hill (which is indeed just behind my dad's house). Please, help keep this beautiful part of the city green. Sign the online petition HERE.

The following was taken from the campaign site, SAVE TAMAN MELAWATI HILL.

"The hill in Phase 3, belongs not just to the residents of Taman Melawati, but is a favourite picnic, walking, jogging and exercise spot for people even from neighbouring Taman Permata, Taman Melati, Wangsa Melawati, Wangsa Maju, Bukit Antarabangsa and Kemensah Heights.

Old driving range at the base of the hill

It is a much enjoyed and needed green lung and should stay that way, untouched. The Taman Melawati Hill has many mature trees and is home to many birds and animals like monkeys and squirrels. They have this green oasis to live in after the rest of Taman Melawati was developed. It would be a selfish act to cover every bit of remaining land with concrete.

Development needs to be balanced with the environment and should benefit everyone; Not just to a select few who can purchase 2-3 million Ringgit bungalows. We, the residents of the areas surrounding the hill in Phase 3 , strongly object to the proposed development because it poses a clear and present danger for our safety and the safety of families and properties.

This is what we're fighting for

Development of the hill will rob us of our ecological heritage which should rightly be preserved not just for us, but for our children and future generations. We urge you to help save the hills of Melawati, and the lives of residents in the surrounding area, which will be endangered by the proposed development project. Join us in voicing our appeal.

So why are we doing this? True, we all did move in to Taman Melawati and did not oppose development then, only because there was still a lot of green areas then. That is why many of us chose to live in Taman Melawati instead of say, Petaling Jaya. Some of the reasons for opposing the proposed development include:

1. The hill is on elevated land in an area that has been gazetted by the Selangor state government as "kawasan sensitif alam sekitar"(KSAS). Many parts of the hill has gradients exceeding 35 degrees This is a blatant violation of guidelines published by the (then) Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment in 2002, there should be NO development in areas where the gradient is more than 35 degrees. In areas between 26-35 degrees, an EIA report is required.
2. The Taman Melawati Hill has had areas of recorded earth movement. In 1987, 2 semidetached houses located on a slope at Jalan G1 collapsed. In 2002 there was a landslide on another part of Jalan G1 that buried 2 cars. Luckily no one was hurt. There are many areas on this hill where there is soil erosion, even before any development where the present houses even took place. Once the trees are cut and the land cleared of ground vegetation, for development, there will be nothing to hold the soil. There will be soil erosion and what we fear most, landslides.
3. The hill is part of the Hulu Klang area where the soil condition is unstable and prone to landslides. There have been many landslides in neighboring areas due to indiscriminate development. One such incident occurred in 2002 when a landslide at Taman Hillview killed a whole family of 8 and most recently in 2006 at Kg Pasir which killed 4 people.

Coverage of this issue by the TV3 News Channel on the 11th of August 2007 showed scenes of local residents enjoying the surrounding landscape by taking strolls and practicing Tai Chi on the hill. We received an email stating that the local residents are only interested in preserving the hill for their personal recreation and our actions in attempting to stop the proposed development should be deemed as a selfish act. It is unfair to refer to the residents as selfish when they are just trying to protect their lives and homes.

As indicated above, people have actually died all in the name of development. How many more lives must be sacrificed in the name of "development" We are not opposing development per se, but we are against indiscriminate development which will endanger lives and the environment. There is a proposed development near Desa Melawati but we are not opposing that project because it is on fairly flat land at the bottom of the hill.

When soil is washed off the hill, it will eventually end up in the streams and rivers causing stagnation and floods during heavy rains. You may think that this development will not affect you but next time you are stuck in a traffic jam because some road or area is flooded, think about what is happening on Melawati Hill and all the other hill areas that is being cleared.

The developer and local authorities may appease us with arguments that all mitigating measures to ensure "minimum effect on the environment" will be carried out. They may come up with an impressive array of "engineering solutions" to protect the slope and the environment. They may say this is only a "low density development" that will not affect earth movement. However, building 167 houses will involve considerable land clearing. We only need to see the devastation on nearby Amber Hill near Kemensah area where they levelled the hill and did not leave a single tree behind, to show that "low density development" does not mean low impact on the environment. A lot of the soil from that development ended up in the stream leading to the Klang river.

The Taman Melawati Resident's Association (TMRA) hopes that we all open our minds and our hearts to what we can contribute to our environment and the community. We may not be able to save the whole planet but we could start with our own neighborhood."

Hillside Corner Restaurant @ Bukit Antarabangsa

On 21st March 2008 KN treated me to dinner at Hillside Corner Restaurant Bukit Antarabangsa... very near to our home, opposite Burger King and behind Giant Supermarket. Hillside Restaurant is the only decent restaurant there and we've been patrons since 2003 - I could still remember the first time was with mummy and ka'ngah a couple of months after I moved into the new house.


The restaurant is with very simple deco yet it is very cozy and is a suitable place for family dining. There are interesting paintings on the wall indicating the owners indeed have very exquisite taste, both in decor as well as in food. The restaurant serves both local and western cuisine with some selection of sliced cakes. The specialty here would be their home made chicken pie and very tasty but extremely sweet bread pudding ( a no-no for me lah ye)

Garlic Bread - Yummy!

Nachos - Wish There were more Jalapeños

Hainanese Fried Rice with Fried Chicken

That night I had the Nachos as mains with garlic bread and KN had the Hainanese Fried Rice. I also ordered a piece of the delicious home made chicken pie for breakfast the next day - believe me, it was really yummy (unfortunately I've gobbled up the poor pie before realizing I've forgotten to snap a picture of it). I wished the Nachos had more jalapeños on it but it tasted all right. The Hainanese Fried Rice was served with a piece of fried chicken. The garlic bread was indeed superb. Overall, for good and affordable food and superbly friendly service I give the place a definite A.