Bukittinggi Trip

Yes, it's different from the Malaysian version, it's a single word.

Words cannot describe how nice the food was there. Scrumptious maybe? One thing for sure, there's an abundant amount of food.

And small plots of rice field are everywhere. And the rice are not seasonal. The farmers independently farmed their rice regardless of the time. So rice is always enough.

Lots of fishpond too. Mostly beside houses, or rice fields.

And most of our entourage feels healthier there. Probably because the food is really organic, so to speak.

The highlights are mostly

• all the Minang style houses
  
• Japan tunnel
• Pasar Atas, Linduang Bulan, Putri Minang (the shopping haven)
  
• the food, yep, most of the eating sessions anyway
  
• the quick-opening goods hawker (more shopping)
• Tracking the old and intermittent Dutch railroad track
• all the waterfalls
• Danau Maninjau and the 44 Corners
• Gunung Merapi and the views
• the abundant rice fields, with all sorts of color
  

A few downsides though, my camera passed yesterday, together with the seat I occupy on the bus. That was followed by a good bout of runny nose later that night. Must be the rain.

But that's okay. I fell in love already.



The boys at LCCT, anticipating the exciting flight to Padang



The famous Nasi Padang, on the first day. Surprisingly delicious, and organic.



One of the first stops, this particular waterfall alongside the Padang-Bukittinggi road.



The uphill rail track from the Dutch era days



Minangkabau Tourist Information Center



The multiple rice field, from all stages of progress.



Lake Maninjau



Japan Tunnel,



Almost everybody at the Jam Gadang (Clock Tower )

Me-Me

Muzaffar is an advanced kid now. Or so I think.

So now, Muzzammil is next.

Actually he can speak, sorta.

Dad: abah
Son: a-bah
Dad: mama
Son: ma-ma
Dad: abang
Son: a-bah
Dad: kakak
Son: ka-kak
Dad: atok
Son: a-tok
Dad: uwan
Son: wa-wa
Dad: adik
Son: a-wa

I think he just refuses to pronounce the word "adik". He used to shriek a longish "adik" everytime I bathe him, but that was like early this year or so. So he must know.

Dad: muzaffar
Son: pa-pa
Dad: muzzammil
Son: me-me

But I love it when I came back home, when he usually will greet me with a loving "abah". And I will be very disappointed when I came home, and he is already asleep.

Caught In The Studio

I guess I won't be doing this next Tuesday with my colleague.

I'll fly to Indonesia instead.

But that's awright, I can still air-drum!

Nervous Brake Down

I feel like a fever is coming.

It's very apparent when I reached the masjid for my Friday prayers.

It's the feeling when you first feel restless, and the body seems warmer than the usual.

Then comes the bits of nausea.

The stomach churns. You think you oughta go to the loo.

Loss of appetite.

Mouth seemingly dry, and it loves it.

Neck feels some tingling.

Does it have anything to do with the office aircond getting broken? It's getting hotter and hotter these few weeks.. Or...

Does it have anything to do with the upcoming PTD exam?

Does it have anything to do with the fact I hyper-anticipate whatever that is coming, when I drive the brake-less STELLAR this morning?

Yes he ain't got no brakes, other than the handbrake. And it takes lots of guts, and a very early morning trip. Yes, the cold wind seeping in the side glass, and the cold water I took bath with. Hmm...

I do admit that I do drive him, whatever his condition is. I just need the extra guts, extra car distance, extra numbers of downshifting gearchanges, and lots of pulling up the handbrake lever, while taking extreme care if it's wet.

Gotta do something about this fever t0-be, and also the brakes of my mate.

Next Flight

I am looking forward to going to Padang, Indonesia on the 18th of August.

Going to a vacation by plane is indeed a new experience. One they will not forget, especially the engine sound, and looking down at the clouds.

I know Muzaffar never forgets the Mar Vista Resort, or what he call his "Rumah Penang" in Batu Ferringhi.

And I know Muzzammil will love the experience too. Although I know, they will remember the playing freedom the most, and then the Penang Ferry.

And the mummy, she may never forget the shopping experience. She may prefer not to remember Mar Vista though, unlike Muzaffar. For one, the resort is a-ok, but not pretty.

Muzaffar: "Nak balik Rumah Penang"
Dad: "Rumah Penang jauh, Japa.."

Rapid Predicaments

One thing about using Touch n Go around the RapidKL line of transport is, sometimes you are not guaranteed of really logging in the system.

The "Kad Tak Sah" (Card Is Invalid) sometimes appear.

And most of the time, it happens at Pasar Seni, my favorite transit for E1 bus.

Sometimes, the readers of all three turnstiles at the Pasar Seni exit breaks down. So, there's no logging out of the Putra system.

And then, it will happen again on the bus. So I have to fork out another 3rm.

Some readers in buses, like the 301 in Wangsa Maju, are not even maintained. And yet they insist that I pay the RM1.

Sometimes I feel like shouting at this particular old man who drove the bus, to repair and familiarize himself to use the so-called unfamiliar system. "Change your ways old man!"

And then, it's the re-queueing problem. The E1 bus will stop over at KL Central too, but if I board the bus there, sometimes, I have to step down at Pasar Seni, and re-queue. So might as well I wait for the bus at Pasar Seni.

And then, there's this "time-steal" problem of the E1 bus. The supposed half-hourly duration is marred by, at times, a 45 minute duration instead.

They should have re-increased the duration. More people are using these buses now.

NGV No More

Lucky I did not install the NGV tank, especially inside the passenger compartment at the rear seat.

Coz if I do, it would be an illegal installation.

The people at Nice Network in Gombak never told me about this small fact. Only thing is, they encouraged the installation to be in the boot.

But then again, it's the people at Malaysia NGV in Balakong that informed me instead.

I know I don't need to go to Puspakom, but I 'fraid that should STELLAR went through a roadblock, the questions will be raised. So there...

So now, a Hydrofuel installation is the next alternative.

Or maybe the very expensive "Hi-Pa Electric Motor In Wheels" like the one by PML. Which should set me back at least one or two hundred thousand in Sterling Pound.

Or I should take a bus.

Or I should work nearer.

Dizzying I know...

Exam Pressure

I don't like exams. It's very stressing to me.

The stress might result in me getting multiple canker sores from the pressure.

So when I received the letter, I got stomach-sickness straight away.

It's the letter from SPA.

I was invited to attend the PTD exam on the 23rd of August.

But suffice to say, I will endure it. It's just seven hours of torture.

Might get some books from my school days, or study the Wikipedia pages about Malaysia, for the more current facts.

6 A M

Hearing stories from a bus mate on Friday, I decided to try out the 6am bus this morning.

For one, the bus is relatively late. I expect it to arrive the latest 6.10, but it turned out at 6.15. But small matter, I am too early anyway.

The bus arrived at KL Central at 6.50, which is fine.

I managed to board the LRT that arrives straight away. The crowd is similar to the one at night, but all seat's taken anyway.

I arrived to Wangsa Maju at 7.15. Managed to board the 301 bus without any rushing. It departs at 7.30 anyway.

Phew, I am early at 7.40am.

Wishing to do more of this, hoping I would not be so exhausted of the crowding I usually endure by traveling late.

And I shall sleep at inopportune times at the office no more.

Carpet The Culprit?

We've been to and fro the government clinic several times already.

Both Muzaffar and Muzzammil are not well.

I am worried about Muzaffar's fever, but I am more worried about the cough both of them got.

It's stressing to know that whatever you tried is to no avail.

The coughing is worse at night.

And I thought the lung spray puffer is going to work, but the cough persists anyway.

The doctor today mentioned something about getting rid of the carpets. I for one, would love to do that first.

Not to get rid of it altogether, just maybe move it away from the living room will suffice.

Offline Netting

I don't have internet at home.

But I don't mind. I can go around this small predicament anytime.

My mind is usually busy with things to find out about. So I do all that searching-for-stuff thing at the office.

But I do not necessarily spend a worthwhile time on it. If it's an extended read, I usually saved those instead for me to read at home.

The files are saved as a whole. The pictures, the diagrams that comes with the page are usually saved as well. And when I am not in the lazy mood, I type the filenames myself instead of relying on the default names, for easy search and retrieval.

At the office, most of my internet use are for reading emails instead. And on the background, downloading some movies that I have thought about.

The things I usually browse are those things that I have no information of, back in the days before internet was available, like, 70s and 80s scene or movies. And yes, part of the 90s too.

I always regard myself as born to the internet world in 1995, when I first started using it.

While all that, there is this particular song though, I have not an idea of. This particular English song title is unknown, the female singer is unknown, and I only remembered a part of the ending chorus. I think I heard it when I was 3 or 4, though I really think I heard it only much later, like when I was 6. So I am still matching up words that I remembered, and also research some of the possible artists. More on this later.

And I usually blog offline too. I just opened Notepad, and write away, and put the time-stamp together, so I can put the actual time I wrote it, rather than the time I published the blog.

Weekly Music Session

Rehearsing for two hours every week playing various songs was enough for me.

I feel confident drumming to most music now.

Only thing is, the guys I currently play with is not really my original band. Instead they are music lovers at my office, or to be easy, the SCS Music Club.

I would love to reunite with Cruwy again.

AMMR and MRMR, MICK will be back, and kicking up dust under the foot pedals once again.

By the way, the music club plays tunes like these regularly. We add one or two new songs each new week we play.

• Nirvana - Come As You Are
• DJ Dave - Seruling Kasih
• Misha - Sembunyi
• Siti - Destinasi Cinta

For today, we added the songs Eternal Flame by The Bangles and Doa Buat Kekasih by Ramli and Khaty. Next week, we'll probably play Green Day's Basket Case.

The music seems diverse enough for me, though I always put some hard rock beats and fills in the songs I play.

There are some weeks when some of us do not show up, and that's when I love these sessions the most. I usually will suggest playing a predetermined hard rock number instead.

And I look forward to playing music every weeks without missing a session.

Rosso Dream

Seen a few glimpse of Ferraris already this year.

I think it is by far currently the most popular model for Malaysia.

Judging by the looks (I see only from quite some distance away), it must be the Ferrari F430.

The last encounter was last night. It was a grey, or smoke color example.

I'm going crazy!

I once admired the Ferrari F50 before, and the F40 way back, but the F430 will be my current craze.

I even thought of owning one. Who doesn't? Hmmm...

Late?

Muzaffar can really read Malay now.

I am happy about it, though I can be a bit concerned about what he reads.

There are too many questionable words around him, even in newspapers, that I wish he would not dictate.

I can imagine him reading something appropriate, like the case of the ex-TPM of 1998.

"Abah, li-wat tu apa abah!". Ya Allahu Ta'ala, can I answer him, "li-wat tu terlewat pergi kerja" instead?

Gross!!

Deep Sleep Too

It's confirmed!

Short deep sleep can really recharge somebody.

For adults like me, an hour is enough for a short outburst of energy. I THINK!

For kids, it really means a 30 minute session. I do mean REALLY!

My kids really can perform after their smallish session of sleep. Especially within a short distance car ride, to Nenek's or Uwan's house.

And now I need a longer sleep.

Prologue Of Rosso Dream

While driving to and fro our resort in Penang, I usually stumble upon the CIMB Dream Deposit Drive billboard, with a Ferrari on the cover.

It makes me wonder, if ever I were given the chance to own only one Ferrari, which would I choose?

There are so many of them Millennium models to choose from. You have the 360, the 599, the Enzo, the FXX, the 575, etc etc.

But I think, the F430 is the way to go. For one, it's quite recent. And it's cheap at 1.2 million, if I can call it cheap. Of course the expensive road tax and the hefty fuel bill are non- issues if you drive a Ferrari.

But then, there are several variants of the F430. You have the Scuderia, and the Spyder. And I am torn between the two. You either choose the upgraded version, or the topless version. And both I love!

Apparently, the Scuderia is the grippy version, so it should fit my driving style of cornering hard. But add 50 percent extra cost to the 1.2 million price of the standard 430, and you get the idea.

I will choose one in red, definitely. And drive it everyday.


PS: Somebody's birthday is today!




The Scuderia

News To Me

Today, did a few errands I ought to continue from last night's auto-insurance shopping.

One of it was renewing my road-tax sticker.

I arrived just in time to Carrefour Wangsa Maju's Post Office. In a few minutes, it opened, with me getting the queue number 35.

So I will not wait. I'd rather not. Off I go loitering. Actually I meant to say going for a survey.

Handphone.

It's the nearest visible thing to the Post Office. Most of the stalls are just opened as well.

After asking three shops, I got what I regard as a low price for this basic handphone I have in mind since early this year, the Nokia 1200, at 110RM. Others I saw displayed the higher prices of 119, 129, and one even showed 147!

The 1200 seems enough for a person who only look for the practical side of things. Although I admit I do dream of the Communicator series every once in a while.

Looking at it, yes. But buying it, not yet.

Renewing the road-tax sticker this year means getting some extra. So in anticipation that things might not be what it seems later on, I renewed somewhat early. Mine expires late this month, though.

Straightaway after renewing and getting the rebate money, I went to the handphone shop first. So the first thing I did with the 625RM, is buying the handphone.

In fact, this is my first new purchase after four years since my last new buy of the Nokia 3120 (which I gave to my brother-in-law) way back in April 2004!

What else I did? Walking downhill from Carrefour, I felt like entering into Proton Parts Shoppe conveniently situated nearby my company, just having a look. There, I got me some massive while otherwise painful advice regarding some question about Proton that has been lingering since long ago. Among it, was about:

• Link Arm (aka Dog Bone)
• Camber Screw (the myth)
• Timing Belt
• Alignment (blues)

I don't feel like writing about this yet. I will set aside a day for that, hopefully.

Tiring it is, walking 500 meters to Carrefour, but it pays handsomely.

Vacation Small Talk

I always think that vacations are unnecessary. Not only that, they are wickedly expensive!

I think I'm just the homely type. Do the routine, stay at home, eat what you have, sleep when you need to, play with the kids most of the time, and playing with hobbies next, not to mention playing with the unmentionable.

But my wife thought otherwise.

So a small request actually ends up being escalated. There's the impromptu Langkawi work-cum-self-rejuvenation trip, which actually happen again last May, a second one after last year's July.

I always thought that for a family, one vacation per year, if at all, is enough.

The thing is, when the Langkawi trip commences, we had planned for another trip, to Indonesia.

Yes, it's partly because of the expenses. And partly because I worry about me. I 'fraid that I might do shopping too. Like, impulse shopping. I have loads of wants in mind. And all are not cheap. And then, there's the vacations fatigue. Vacation expect people to move a lot, or "you will miss all the heavenly glories", to borrow Bruce Lee.

I don't know guys, but too many trips are extravagant to me.

Although I have to accept the fact that I did promised, it's still quite unpleasant to think that this year is actually the year we travel a lot. Luckily the tiring Langkawi trip a month ago was paid for.

And then, there's this Penang trip. What worries me more about it, is the highway fuel expenses, going and heading back. Aiyoo... And it's happening around the corner.

So, in preparing for these two occasions, I should save whatever I could.

But in the end, I knew my wife needs this more than me. So next year, there will be A vacation. One vacation. Just one. Strictly.

What Is Up

A few might be wondering, if at all, what I'm up to these few weeks.

First thing was, I had an interesting dream lately. One of them was of me in the course of installing the NGV kit to STELLAR. In it, he was attended to by 7 people, and it's done the same day. My dream abruptly ended before I get to drive him though. So I don't know if it works well. But a dream is just a dream, a play in one's sleep.

Apart from the dream, here's reality. I've been busy with my small trading business. It's nothing epic. It's just auctioning what's lying around at home. I have sold things like my kit lens, my 6820 Nokia, and some of Stellar's parts like brake servo and his air-con set. I don't earn much, but that'll do for now.

More items are for sale as I wrote this. This includes some other new and used Mini spare parts, some parts from Warrior the Wira, two toddler car seat, and some toy parts. Please do ask me if you are looking for anything.

Next, I've been doing site visits. This includes Kuantan visitation for corrective maintenance as well as Kerteh, doing spare parts supply.

I will be sure to grab any chance, if at all, to go anywhere.

And then, I've been contemplating on doing some saving. I'll be stingy, or quite, most of the time, while allowing some breathing space just in case. I don't eat out much anymore, and that saved quite a bit. I'll shop less too, apart from the basics like biscuits for lunch and breakfast.

The NGV option that I dream earlier is actually shelved for the moment. I need to re-list all the possible suppliers. Last I heard, more suppliers and installers has emerged, and probably has better offers since my serious initiative before the election. Then I need to sort out my financial situation. Yes it's nothing phenomenal, save for some extravagant expenses *wink*.

For the moment, I'm contented with taking the bus.

Hopefully by the end of this month, things should improve a little bit.

Emotion

Kiranya ku diberi
Sehari bersamamu
Kan ku buka kembali hatimu
Kiranya ku diam
Tak meninggalkan dirimu sendiri
Tak mungkinkan begini
Menyesali kesalahanku
Yang menurut perasaan selalu

Kau di dalam emosi ini
Dan perasaan ku seolah tak mengerti
Kau di dalam emosi ini
Terpanggil menangis ku mengenangkan mu
Kiranya ku kembali
Sambutlah diriku
Peluklah daku
Ampunilah diri

Kiranya ku diberi
Mencari kepastian
Ku berdoa, engkau bersama ku
Menanti selalu
Kau umpama teman yg ku cari
Tak mungkin kan begini
Menyesali kesalahanku
Dan menurut perasaan selalu