All for Nothing!

I carried my heavy desktop all the way to Machine service center at The Gardens as soon as the shop was opened.

It hang over the weekend and my plan to process some travel photos went to the drain. I had a great weekend, nevertheless.

As soon as the technician switched it on, everything was OK. No hang, business as usual. It's really weird! I tried to to reboot many times, yet it still haung, at home.

After slogging the machine, nicely saran-wrapped from the apartment to my car, to the office and to the service center and there is nothing wrong?

Dang!

The brighter side -MUJO nothing is wrong, hence, no repair cost incurred. But, I ended up buying a protective cover for the Nano.

Bike Buddies

The last ride I had with my cycling buddies was a few weeks before election. Our favourite route. The route is scenic with very little traffic. It’s not an abnormal Sunday if we bumped into other cyclists, a group of weekend warriors on their high powered super bikes pushing their machines to the limits or even a convoy of Satria GTI clubbers! Typical boys-and-their-toys Sunday.







Had breakfast on the fly, in the car while speeding to Ulu Langat, the trailhead. I was 15 minutes late. A long the way, the traffic was heavier for an average Sundays. Oh no wonder, it the Chinese Ching Ming – the day they visit the graveyard.




As soon as I arrived, I told my 2 buddies – hey lets not talk about politics today. It lasted for about 10 minutes and the bitching session start shortly after that. To think of it, I have not met a single soul who has given a positive remarks on the current leadership. Lets not get there lah.


We only completed a 45km ride. I was struggling to reach the top, but I did. Not a surprise to me as I have been neglecting the saddle and the treadmill for a while. As usual, after the ride we took a dip into the cold Sungai Langat and reward ourselves with nasi lemak bungkus for carbo reloading.




I was quite pissed off to see a major deforestation along our favourite route. It should be part of the forest reserve. I took several pictures and will send them to the authorities.


This is a weekend home we drool over each time we pass by. It's simple yet nicely done on an undulating piece of land. One set back though - it's good that the owner kept the original terrain but why did he has to chop off the original vegetation? It's a beautiful weekend home, nevertheless...

All In One Sat-Car-Day!

Car 1

Started my weekend with cheecheongfun breakfast with TFF. I was supposed to return her luggage which I borrowed but never got the chance to use it.

At the car park, I tied yellow ribbons to her SUV… in support……




Car 2

Went to see the progress of the Fiat.
I have to say I am very happy with the progress. It has been a while and the progress slow, but I very happy and impressed with David Joseph’s resourcefulness. Without David, the restoration cold be extremely challenging. He knows the car inside out and the best thing is – he knows where to source for scarce original spare parts.



Naturally, being Mr. Fussy, I still have a list of thing to be done such as re-chroming and other esthetics…



The mechanical and suspensions works are completed. I actually drove the car around the workshop and very happy with the job done. Suspensions are a lot smoother and less noise from the engine.

David informed me, it’s going to take another month. I am very okay with is.



First, I am not in hurry, I CAN wait – as long as the work done is up to my level of satisfaction and they are pretty much aware of my high expectation.

Secondly, since it takes another month - it gives me a comfortable room to manage my cash flow: the art of stretching payments.



RS got me a bunch of material samples with variety of colors to be considered for the upholstery.

The color of body is BLANKO white. I haven’t decided which color or combination of colors to be used to do up the interior. RS gave his professional advise not to use more than 2 colors. I can agree to that!

I am considering:

Material : synthetic leather – cheaper (a lot) and easy maintenance. The original material is PVC – which is rather ugly.

Colors: predominantly white leather-like with some red.

I trust RS’s taste.





Car 3



David (as enhusiatic as ever) : Did you see the GT outside?

M: Yeah! I thought it was a Corvette Stingray (in Malaysia? You gotta be kidding!)

It’s an OPEL GT – 1969 model only 1 unit in South East Asia – something that we have Jakarta doesn’t.. ha! ha!



Mint condition, left hand drive.









The headlights do not flip up. Instead they turned over to reveal the lights. You have to see yourself how the mechanic works to appreciate it.



Car 4

KW’s neighbour has this classic 1959 Porsche 356A.




Simply sexy! I love it!


p/s
Red Planet, if you read this, sorry to bore you.

Fes el Bali - within the medina wall

View from a higher point




This guy only sells yarn - spun thread used for knitting, weaving, or sewing. They are made of silk. He insisted to be photographed when I approached his shop to find out what were those colorful materials in the background. He actually wrote his address for me to send him this picture. I feel so bad, I haven't done that!



Spices and herbs sold by the roadside. Most of them, among others are ingredients for authentic Morrocan cuisine - the tajine - simply delicious!




Ahmed was our guide. He said he used to work in the university - I took that with a pinch of salt. He was not as knowledgable as I expected. I remember once I asked him how big was a mosque we were visiting, expected him to give me at least the capacity of people the mosque could accomodate during friday prayers.

Ahmed! How big is this mosque

He went: Ohhh.. Very big!

I felt like strangling him.



Two boys hanging around an entrance to a university, on an old fountain which was used for drinking and ablution.



Fresh picks

Six? Why Not?

The result of the 12^th General election is the best election result in 50 years.

Best for the rakyat.

Best for Malaysia political system.

Best for the future of plural society Malaysia.

The people have spoken and the Government has to now listen, and listen carefully.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy with a system of parliamentary democracy. It’s unique but it’s certainly not unfair. It’s a mechanism to work to ensure the balance of power without which the extreme would be flirting with abuse and more abuse.

Yes, the members of the Royal Houses had a share of their very own doings which lead to the amendment of the constitution in late 80s. We all have heard things like thousands of acres of timber concessions given to selective few who are close to the Royal Family, inter alia. These selected few were not necessarily of the Malay race, as a matter of fact!

Unfortunately, as a result of the amendment, the Executives had more power and there were cases of glaring abuses of authority. We all know the hundreds of millions, accumulated to billions of Ringgit projects awarded to selected few who are close to the ruling political leaders – again, they were not necessarily of the Malay race, as a matter of fact!

Casino?

Why casinos? Why not holiday homes in Switzerland, bank accounts in Zurich, Houses in Kensington, flats in W1, London with a fleet of Ferraris and Porches, luxury yacht in the Mediterranean?

Oh well, I don’t really care about how the Sultans or their family patronize the casinos in London and spent millions of Pounds even marry the casino bunnies and who is now his consort. Most probably its duit mak bapak dia that they inherit. Some of them have hundreds of acres of land in Singapore and literally chests of gold and jewelry still within the family. They even have their in-house goldsmith (and I can confirm this!). Who are we to dictate how they should spend their money.

On the other hand, what about the ex Chief Minister who lost millions of Pounds in London casino. Where did he get the money to gamble and to cover such losses? And what about those Ministers and their wives and their cronies who have their several times a year first class holidays including in casinos in Vegas with suitcases of USD cash? I don’t think that’s duit mak bapak dia. (And I might be able to confirm this too!)

What really pissed me off is actually some of these politically well connected neuvo-rich are just arrogant, in some instances, they were more arrogant then the members of the Royals and it is NOT mak bapak dia punya duit!

All I want is just a mechanism to ensure Check and Balance in our system to ensure there is no abuse, or at least work towards the eradication of such inefficiency in our system for the benefit of every rakyat of Malaysia, regardless of their skin color.

Why do we suddenly turn to the Monarch?

Well, who else? At least he genuinely cares about the people, especially the rakyat in Terengganu. He is definitely not the kind of person who sleeps in the office and official meetings…..

Heck! If my car has six doors, I will tie

SIX YELLOW RIBBONS!

pix: Arms of His Majesty The Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia

Yellow Mellow

Got this from GAJ this morning.

The sms woke me up from my deep slumber.

Dear friends,

For those in support of the Monarch and Rukun Negara, tie YELLOW RIBBON on your cars and vehicles to show support for the institution of royalty.


I bought a roll of yellow ribbon in Bangsar on the way to work.

You guys want yellow ribbon? I got loads!

Lets get the message across to those big headed politicians!

I didn't do it!

Picked this up while I was having nasi lemak by the road side breakfast while waiting for my car to be serviced.

It was a few days before election where the biased mainstream media was filled with political messages which made me really sicked.

I strongly believe general population (qualified voters, especially) are more internet savvy than the ruling parties. They have certainly overlooked the power of the Internet.

Apparently the person who had breakfast before me at the stall was not a happy camper either....

♥@ 1st sight - 14

As planned, after my busy weeks and election fever before Jakarta trip, I went to visit the Fiat at Torino Auto.

All the paint job has been done. Now is the stage where all the parts (bigs and smalls) the undercarriage of the car is being scrutinized in detail.





The mechanics have been very careful with the newly painted body. Like those used in Auto Bavaria, they actually use the protective vinyl / canvas to avoid contacts when they installed the engine.





New set of altenator. Original Fiat, Made in Italy. I haven't got a clue how David managed to source for this item. I was advised to used a Japanese equivalent.

I refused.

I want the Fiat to be as Italian as possible.

If I had to feed her with extra virgin olive oil, I certainly will.






I requested the engine compartment to be painted white. Not so much to match the color of the body, but to enhance the visibility of the engine once it's hood is up for people to appreciate the original parts and the simplicity in its design.






Engine oil reservoir - has been cleaned thoroughly. All of the sediments accumulated for tens of years has been flushed out completely. The cooling and lubrication system will be regained, naturally.





Gearbox - cleaned from years of exposure to road elements such as dirt and road tar.





Steering system has been dismantled. All the small moving parts are at the machine shops for repair and restoration.





Shock absorber: All fours are kaput. Good news is: Original replacement has arrived.
Yeay!





Still waiting for all the work to be done for a month may be.

2 more major procedures to be done: To seal all windows / screed / windshield parts with customized rubber.





Meanwhile, Mr. Fiat 600 are still waiting for another 2 to 3 weeks in semidarkness of Torino workshop. She look sad from this angle.

Jakarta - Dance The Night Away!

Jakarta has got great clubs. Since the city is rather big and spread out, with 10 million inhabitant, the distant between clubs are quite far so its not a good idea to go club hopping especially when traffic can be really bad.




I have to say the clubs like X2 and Dragonfly were designed very well. Nice deco and all and more importantly the ventilation and air conditioning systems (which KL clubs lack of) are sufficient. So, you have more room to be stylish because it's quite comfortable to be in suits or jackets.

I had the chance to party at the Stadium as well. Reminded me so much of our very own Backroom (which has been closed down). Big, dark, loud, dodgy, creepy, filed with people from all walks of life - all stoned their shaking heads off. Watching the crowd from the Balcony, it's like a convergence of cults in a big column-free cathederal.


Nobody in a correct state of mind would not be able to enjoy it without the input of chemical substances....


The most amazing facts about Stadium is - Open 24 hours from Friday to Monday and you know what? You can get ANYTHING there. I mean - ANYTHING!


Of course I felt like a zombie on the last day........

Had a fantastic time and made a bunch of new friends in the process.

Jakarta ROCKS, Big Time!

Just got back from a 5 day holidays in Jakarta and Bandung.


Had a great (party) time, met a bunch of new friends.




BUT,

Malaysia still have the same Prime Minister

AND

The Menteri Besar of Terengganu has NOT been appointed YET!



I need to catch up on my sleep!

Capek Banget!




The view, shortly after sunset, from the 7th floor balcony of Somerset Grand Citra, Kuningan, Jakarta and Paris Van Java - Bandung.

It's now -9 days gone after Polling Day, March 8, 2008. What's the plan?

-jeffooi.com

I am eagerly waiting for Perlis and Terengganu.

Especially Terengganu.

Who's next?

The people have spoken.

The royals too?

Auntie

I finally had the opportunity to meet “auntie” for the first time, the last time for almost 5 hours.

I have heard about her from KW all the time.

Auntie is KW’s mom. Single-handedly raised 3 children from the, fair to say, day they were born until they graduated with at least a Master Degree from London School of Economic and Political Science.

The first and the last time I saw her, we were in the same car for 5 hours enroute Singapore. Very motherly, yet stern. You can see hard work and struggle on her face, in gesture and emotion.

I know a lot about her, not during the 5-hour cruise down south, but through KW – one of my closest buddies who I can talk about ANYTHING with.

She is EVERYTHING to KW as his father was never around. But softhearted KW still took care of his dad when the dad was battling cancer but defeated last year.

Auntie used to run snooker centers and slot machines joints. You can never imagine how hard she had to face and deal with the intricacy of the underworld and the authorities. She retired a couple of years ago when the children are pretty much independent and quite successful.

Her last job was watching Bloomberg everyday. Neither she understood the Financial Reports nor the language. She only watches probably one-tenth of the screen – the stock market flicker – to keep track on her investment. Whether she bought on rumors or fundamentals, I never could tell. I remember though, once I gave her a market tip, through KW, she gave me a bottle of wine and whiskey – which KW drank them all, I think. I used to tell KW, it takes more than red wine and whiskey to shake corporate information from me – like I was that privileged to obtain such sensitive matters!

I still remember since pre-cancer days, KW regularly had dinner with his mom. I could normally guess what’s on the menu at her place. Steamed fish. Is that her specialty dish or she tried to eat healthy? I am not quite sure. One thing for sure, she would not have kerang – cockle – on her dining table. A taboo.

Once when KW was small, he was not allowed to eat cockle because of potential hepatitis related diseases. Being hardheaded KW one day ate that at home. Mom literally dumped the food onto the dining table. KW never took cockle since that day. Even today if KW ever saw cockle in my plate, he’d be shitting in his pants.

She was KW’s EVERYTHING.

KW called me like at 5 or 6 in the morning a couple of years ago. I thought he was high and stoned at the club or something like that. Nope! Worse than that! He spun the brand new 3 series mom bought near KLIA after dropping mom at the airport for her one-week holiday to China. KW told me, the scariest part of the accident was when the car spun, the image of mom appeared and asked himself: How the fuck am I going to tell her… Luckily KW managed to get the car fixed on time and she only learned about it weeks after. Being the only son (Chinese some more!) KW got away with it – like in any other cases.

I owe auntie a big one for sharing an individual, a son to her and a dear friend to me.

Auntie passed away a few hours ago after fighting a losing battle called cancer.

May God bless her soul.

With all other challenges KW is facing right now, I am very sure he will be a better and stronger person.

My deep condolences to the whole family, especially Auntie's children and grand children. They are going to miss her forever.


FUNERAL DETAILS:

Today 13th March 2008
2.00 to 5.00pm or 7.30 to 11pm
Xiao En Centre Hall 7,
no. 1, Jalan Kuari.
Cheras

image from www.metafilter.com/19807/

MUJOland

Mujo or mujur in Standard Bahasa means "fortunate" or "lucky". InTerengganu it means more than that. Mujo is an attitude, a testament to the optimism of the Terengganu folks.

I believe that Terengganunese are optimistic. I haven't heard of any suicides there yet. No newswhatsoever of people jumping down from coconut trees or drinking expired budu (preserved anchovy thick sauce) neat in order to expire themselves.

You must remember that Terengganu people lived with ferries, morningpapers that came in the night and other things people in the West Coast take for granted. In spite of doing without 4D shops, discos, malls or Hot Spot-enabled coffee houses, they are surviving well without any mental hospital in sight. All because they have mujo.

Like I mentioned previously, mujo encapsulate a philosophy in itself. It means one should thank God that it is not worse. Time for an illustration.

(Cut to a scene of 3 village ladies in their kemban washing clothes by the village well)

Mok Long Selamoh: Guane doh adik mung Mek?
(How is your brother Mek?)

Mok Teh Som : Bakpe pulok adik die?
(What happened to her brother?)

Mok Long Selamoh: Laaa! Mung dok tau ke Som?
(You don't know Som?)

Mok Teh Som : Dok tau setarang kite.
(I don't know anything)

Mok Long Selamoh: Adik Mek ni kene langgor loghi kemareng.
(Mek's brother was knocked down by a lorry yesterday)

Mek Beso : Bukang loghi Mok Long, beng ikang!
(It wasn't a lorry Mok Long, it was a fish van)

Mok Long Selamoh : Mujo bukang lori!
(Lucky it wasn't a lorry)

Mok Teh Som : Pah tu? Teghok ke?
(Then? Was he seriously injured?)

Mek Beso : Kaki patoh sebeloh......
(One leg was broken)

Mok Teh Som : Mujo dok patoh due due
(Lucky both legs weren't broken)

Mok Long Selamoh: Tu pong mujo dreba beng dang bghek.
(It was lucky that the van driver braked in time)

Mek Beso : Mujo beng tu dok laju..
(Lucky the van wasn't going fast..)

(Fade to black)
If both legs were broken, the response would be "Mujo dok pecoh pale"
(Lucky the head wasn't cracked).

If the head WAS cracked, the response would be "Mujo dok mapuh"
(Lucky he didn't die).

If the worst happened and the brother died, the mujo would still surface. "Mujo lah bukang adik kite"
(Lucky it wasn't my brother).

You get the drift.....??? Mujo. A nice word. Adopt it. Embrace it. It will preserve your sanity...



Sent by a friend.... I don't know who is the brilliant author from Terengganu...

Current scenario application of MUJO:

Mujo kite deny two third je.....

Lomo

Yes,

You pronounce it as lomo.

Lo as in LAW

Mo as in MORE

It is a word from Terengganu dictionary.

Lomo means sapu, as in to apply. Like applying moisturizer to your skin, kindathing.

Came across this word again recently when one of my Terengganu friends was ill from small / chicken pox.

I asked him,

What did the doctor said and what did he prescribe?

Obak makang and obak lomo.

I guess you can tell what it means....

Malaysia Decided - 2008

The people of Malaysia (of all races) have expressed themselves through their votes over the weekend. The result, as you know, has been quite a pleasant surprise for most Malaysians. The general sentiments are - this is a brand new start for a batter and fairer future for everybody.

Having a louder voice in the Parliament formed by a slim majority (2/3 denied), the oppositions (which are the ruling parties in 5 states) will have more leverage to ensure the check and balance in various aspects of the governance of the country, including political and economic policies, which will be ironed out for greater transparency and accountability.

The stock market (Malaysian Bursa) took severe beating, down by 10% which triggered the circuit breaker. Is has been renewed shortly before 4pm a moment ago. A substantial amount of foreign funds has been pulled-out from the country because foreign investors are not yet sure (perhaps still trying to digest and understand) about the situation. This could be a correctional period toward stronger fundamentals with less political influence especially on certain related counters.

As far as Pahang and Terengganu states are concerned, where most of our business interests are located, the ruling parties are still the same parties but with, like the Parliament, stronger opposition voices which will result a good balance. As at now, the legislative lineups for both states have not been finalized yet. True, it is good to deal with familiar faces in the state governments. However with G’s track records and values to offer towards the development of mining and manufacturing industries in both states, it will be seen by the new guards, who will be closely watched by the oppositions, positively - based on merits. To the Board of Directors and the Shareholders of XXX Limited, I assure you that we are approaching a new interesting and very promising era with more transparency in the administration of the country with enhanced professionalism.

I have personally gone through these transitions not once, but twice, over the previous two elections in the Sate of Terengganu. The state executives serve the Government of the Day and they have been very professional and apolitical.

Today, as we speak, the country is as peaceful as ever and business is as usual. Nobody has taken their defeat or victory to the streets. In fact there are positive signs and remarks everywhere – the streets, the coffee shops, blogs, on line and internet news and facebook.

Over the weekend, Malaysians have rejuvenated their pride to be Malaysians, a better and stronger pride. We have reached a new, higher level of democracy and this is an excellent indicator for a better MALAYSIA.

MH

MAIMUN BINTI YUSUF

Ramai orang bertanya sebab kita sanggup mengambil perjalanan yang jauh dari Kuala Lumpur ke Kuala Terengganu untuk berkempen untuk Maimun Yusuf (Tok Mun).

Jawapan: Dari permukaan, orang mungkin berpendapat bahawa kita tidak mempunyai apa-apa persamaan dengan Tok Mun - kita mempunyai perbezaan dari segi umur, kaum, kelas, agama dan sebagainya. Namun apa yang kita berkongsi adalah semangat untuk berjuang bersama-sama untuk negara sebagai warganegara Malaysia.

Many people have asked why we were willing to travel all the way from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu to campaign for Maimun Yusuf (Tok Mun).

Response: From the surface, it would seem as if we did not have anything in common with Tok Mun - we have differences in age, race, class and religion among other things. However, what we share is a passion to strive together for a better Malaysia as Malaysian citizens.


source:

http://www.maimunbintiyusuf.blogspot.com/

Tuk Mun's very own blog.