xMRSM Muar Batch 88 Reunion 2009

Ansara Muar Batch 88 had a reunion. 21 years after we left MRSM Muar. The last time we had a reunion was like ages ago. I can’t even remember when.

This time around, the reunion was held at the MPSJ 3K facility in Subang Jaya. Nothing fancy. We just needed a comfortable place to gather for dinner and touch base with each other. 3K also provides rooms for those who were traveling to KL.

Mike, Ramboi and I car pooled to the event since we lived nearby. Reached 3K at around 8pm. Everyone was already enjoying their dinner. Our tardiness was justified.. we had Ramboi with us. Hahaha.. Sorry Ramboi.. can’t help it..

Anyway, among the first few batch mates we met were Mok, Lalek, Bonat and Badak. They arrived at the same time as we did. Took me a few seconds to recognize Bonat. Somehow I was of the impression that he was not able to make it to the reunion. Hehehe.. sorry Bon.. after all, it’s been what? 21 years since we last met?

Then, just outside the hall entrance, sits a rather familiar face. Lo and behold, it’s Angau! Again, sorry Angau. Just could not recall who you were at first. Hehehe.. Besides, you being there really was a surprise. Hahaha.. Mingled around with the few others who were hanging out outside the hall for a bit. Then went straight for the food. Tummy was already complaining anyway.

The Food Was Really Good

Food was good. Love the “Udang Sambal Petai”. Somehow food was really not important that night. As long as it didn’t taste terrible I’d say no one would complaint. I think every one of us there just wanted to meet each other. After all, it really has been quite a while since we last got together like this. Food was likely just an after thought to everyone. I know it was for me. I can only remember the “Udang Sambal Petai”. What else did they serve?

Only Cikgu Safar, Cikgu Faridah and Cikgu Ajid was able to attend, though. Yes, we also invited our homeroom advisors to the event. Too bad only the three could attend. Well, perhaps next time, insyallah. Surprisingly, all three of them looked as if they didn’t age. They pretty much looked just the way I remembered them.

After a quick dinner and a brief chat with Cikgu Safar, it’s time to catch up with old friends. I thought I would probably have problems putting names to the faces of those who were there. Amazingly, I thought wrong. Only a few names slipped my mind. For the majority of them, I was able to put names and faces together. Phew!

Paparazzi at work

Photos were taken, hands were shook, hugs and pats were exchanged. Amir and Mantok were among the loudest when they laughed. Of course, there were the usual ear piercing shrieks from the ladies.

At 11pm we had to clear the hall. The event is still far from over though. Off we went, well not all of us, to Kopitiam 333 to continue to catch up with each other. We basically took all the tables in the Kopitiam. Hahaha… Havoc! Still, I bet the owner must have appreciated the sudden extra income for the night.

We were at the Kopitiam until way past 3am. By then, everyone was clearly exhausted but still excited at the same time. So, it was time to part ways. The parting ways session alone took almost half an hour. Hahahahaha.. as expected..

All in all, this was truly a great event. Kudos to the people behind the organization of the event. To all those who were there, it was great to meet you all once again. We should do this again. Lets not wait for another 10 plus years this time. How about in 5 years time?

Photos which I took during the event can be viewed at my KodeeXII Picasa Web Album. Enjoy my xMRSM Muar Batch 88 Reunion 2009 photos. Some of the paparazzi should have also posted theirs in Facebook too. Go check them out.

A friend, fellow Ansara Muar, recently posted the following in his Facebook status:

Assalamu’alaikum n good morning. Please pray for my friend Dr. Nurfiza Isa (x MRSM Muar SPM84). She is now in ICU @ KPJ Seremban since Sunday of H1N1. Her condition is said to be critical and she is on life support since 2 days ago. I got this info from Dr Norherah via Khamsiah.

Muluk’s FB Status

Let’s all pray for her.

H1N1 is seriously becoming a major threat to all. How do we protect ourselves from this pandemic?

The basic protection is by wearing a mask. Not just any mask. I’ve done some reading. Not all mask is able to protect us from the virus. The mask we buy must be of the N95 types.

N95 Flu Masks, however, only protects us to a certain degree. The only sure fire way to protect yourselves is by putting on an air tight mask like an oxygen mask. That’s probably is way too bulky and expensive for daily use.

So, I guess we are only left with N95 Flu Masks.

Those flimsy type of masks you see almost everyone is wearing today doesn’t protect you much. Better get yourselves some N95 Swine Flu Masks now.

Any local flu experts out there? How much protection does these N95 Flu Masks give us?

3M 1870 Surgical Mask N95/NIOSH 1 each
Price: —

5 used & new available from USD 2.00

SAS SAFETY 8610 Particulate Respirator N95 (Box of 20)
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9 used & new available from USD 7.63

As usual, we make it a point to at least spend a minimum of one week in Perlis every time we make the trip. No point in traveling the distance and only spend a few nights there. This time around, I initially planned to spend about ten days up north. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, we had to depart a couple of days later than planned.

The journey up north was pretty smooth. We traveled at leisure pace. No hurry and no traffic as it was not a weekend. We stopped for lunch at our favorite rest area – Sungai Perak. It was about 11:30am when we arrived there. A little early, thus it was not crowded. The best thing about being early – freshly cooked “Patin Masak Tempoyak”. Of course, we also tapau’ed the Patin too. Patin for dinner in Perlis later.

After lunch, the children get to spend a few minutes at the playground in the rest area. After two and a half hours in the car, I reckon they need to stretch their legs a bit. What does a father do when the children are having fun at the playground? What else.. snap some photos, of course. Thankfully my ever faithful Sony Ericsson is available.

Check out the photos at my KodeeXII Picasa Web Album. I will also upload a few of them photos into Facebook later.

Children Having Fun At Playground In Sungai Perak

One hour pitstop at Sungai Perak and we are off again. Next stop.. Sungai Petani. We’re meeting up with a few networking friends up there. How far is Sungai Petani from Sungai Perak? One and a half hour drive? Well, that’s just about right. One and half hours later, we are already in Sungai Petani looking for the rendezvous point.

We arrived at the rendezvous point as they completed their eCosway Business Opportunity presentation to the prospects. We hang out and chatted for a bit. Told them a thing or two about the process of becoming eCosway’s Condo Store Operator. Yes, we are currently waiting for our eCosway Store. In the meantime, network marketing is the name of the game.

One hour later, we continued our journey. No more pitstops. We opted to take the Bukit Kayu Hitam way instead via Alor Setar. Didn’t want to get caught in the Alor Setar rush hour as we were there slightly after office hours. The Bukit Kayu Hitam route is certainly a little bit further. However, it’s got less traffic. To top it off, it is a full fledge highway.

We finally reached our destination at about 1800 hours. Just in time for dinner. The Patin Masak Tempoyak sure smells good. A nine hour journey covering 530 kilometers in mileage. Surprisingly, we still had like one fifth of the tank still filled with gas.

In the past, we normally had to do a gas refill in Gurun. I think the leisure pace and the Automax Nanotech formula worked. We saved at least 20% fuel on this trip. That’s quite an awesome feat, I must say.

So, what did we do for a week in Perlis? What else.. rest, relax, eat and eat and eat. Isn’t life wonderful? It certainly is for me at the moment. Alhamdulillah.

A Serving of Satay

Being new in the business and doing it alone by himself, I decided to tag along for the night and help him out. Thus, I get to learn a thing or two about the satay business. It was 5 hours well spent, indeed.

A serving of 10 sticks of satay with compressed rice (nasi himpit), slices of onions and cucumber costs just RM7.00. His pricing, 70 sen per satay stick and RM1 for the rice. Pretty much the standard pricing for a single meal of satay these days.

The satay, is certainly tasty. I had just 5 sticks of chicken satay. All I can say, they are sweet and scrumptious.

The night started off with an order for 100 sticks of satay – 40 beef and 60 chicken. A to-go order. Badak’s first large quantity order. A good thing I was there to help out. While he tended to the satay, I helped him out with taking orders and serving the eat-in customers.

Business was good. Non stop from 8:00pm till about 10:30pm. A few 10 sticks order, a number of 20 sticks order and before we know it, we’ve served about 200 sticks of satay. All in just two and a half hours. Not bad for a newly started business, I’d say. Only after that two hectic hours did we manage to take a breather to sit down for a bit.

At the end of the 5 hours, a total of about 350 sticks was sold. According to Badak, it’s his biggest night to date. Not bad, considering it’s just his 10th day in the business. It would surely get better once word spreads out about his delicious satay serving.

During the breather, I asked him about the business. He says he gets his supplies from an upcoming satay supplier. The supplier provides him with all the necessary supplies to start his business. According to him, the supplier is already supplying a number of satay stalls in Klang Valley.

Interesting, indeed. Pretty much like a franchise, I guess. Any one out there interested in starting up your own satay stall? All you need is a good location and the desire to start a satay business. You don’t have to do any of the tedious satay preparation like marinating and skewering the satay into the sticks.

I didn’t manage to get the complete details, however. If you are interested to start a business in selling satay, I guess you could just drop by Section 14 Petaling Jaya and ask Badak himself about it. You could also then try out the satay and judge if it is good yourself.

Can’t make it to Satay Badak’s stall in PJ? Well, if you’re really interested, just provide me with your contact details in the comment section below this post. I can then refer you to Badak and get him to provide you with the details.

Would Satay Badak be a good branding for a satay business? What say you?

Cahayaku Seri Iman Sports Day 2009

Irdina, have never taken part in any of her kindy’s events. Thus, when Tadika Cahayaku Seri Iman organized their annual Sports Day event, we decided that Irdina should take part in this one. So, off we went early Sunday morning to the event venue.

We were among the first few who arrived early. Thus, we let them little ones loose at the playground. Irdina went straight to the slide. Luqman ran about with the youngest Ikhwan.

The Sports Day event started with an exercise module. Every one took part in this module. I took shots with my trusted Sony Ericsson cell phone of course. Oh yeah, my Olympus digital camera is still not usable pending repair works on its shutter cover.

Irdina took part in 4 events. Frog jump relay, Coconut shoe relay, Baton relay and hula hoop relay. Her team (Bear) took second place in all but the coconut shoe relay.

Both Abah and Mama took part too. We took part in two events and got 1st and 2nd placing in them. Hehehe, we got some prizes for too.

The event ended at half past noon. Later that day, Irdina went down with a fever. Probably due to the heat. She’s probably not used to playing out in the sun.

Hmmmm.. need to give her more energy water and expose her a little bit more to external activities I guess.

I’ve uploaded some of the photos into my Facebook album. However, for a more complete collection, head on over to my Picasa Web Album.

It was also the kids’ last day with Tadika Cahayaku Seri Iman. Since Mama has resigned from her workplace in Cyberjaya, we no longer need to send the kids to the nursery and kindy there. We’ll be looking for new nursery and kindy soon.

My heart felt thank you goes out to every one at the Tadika Cahayaku Seri Iman. It’s been a wonderful 4 years. Keep up the good work.

Water Is Essential

How many of you have installed a drinking water filter system in your house? I’m pretty sure that a majority of you have at least one water filter installed somewhere in your house. A drinking water filter system is the least you should have in your house.

Why do you need at least a drinking water filter system? Have you taken a close look at the quality of water you get today? Are you confident enough with the water you are getting from the tap?

Yes, most of the time, the water that comes direct from the main pipe in my house do look clean and clear. However, there are times when the water supply comes in murky and brownish in color. These makes me wonder about the cleanliness of the water coming in direct from the water mains.

As such, I’ve installed a water filter system at the main pipe to my house. Yes, my tap water now is consistently clear. On occasions, I’ll have to flush the main filter system rid off the murky brownish sediment from the main filter.

Still, does a clean and clear tap water indicate a safe to drink water source? Is my tap water now safe to drink? To the naked eye, it would seem so. The truth is really the opposite.

Tap water which is seemingly safe to drink really is not. There are still way too many dangerous content in the water which makes it not safe for consumption. Among the chief ingredient of fresh tap water is chlorine.

Chlorine is indeed required in our tap water. Yes, chlorine keeps the water free from dangerous bacteria which could cause us harm. As such, it is important that you ensure that the main which you install at the main pipe to your house does not filter out chlorine from the water. Without chlorine, the water will be stored in the internal tank in your house where bacteria will then be cultivated in mass. The presence of chlorine is required here to ensure the water in your tank remains safe from harmful bacteria.

Chlorine, while good to prevent bacteria, is really not good for your health. Experts have dicovered that excessive consumption of chlorine over the years will cause problems to a majority of our internal organs. Chlorine produces a cancerous compund called Trihalomethane that if taken in the long term causes problems to the kidneys, liver or central nervous system.

Trihalomethane is created when the water containing chlorine is boiled. As such, tap water is even much more dangerous if consumed after boiling. We’ve always been thought to boil water first before drinking right? What now? Don’t boil water? That’s not too safe either. Chlorine is still in the water.

What we need then is a drinking water filter system that removes chlorine at the tap. That’s the point where we get water for our consumption. Thus that’s the best point to remove chlorine from.

With chlorine removed from the water, you can now consume the water as you wish. You can boil it first if you wish to do so without worrying about the cancerous trihalomethane. You can also drink the water as is since chlorine have kept the water free from dangerous bacteria prior to it being filtered and removed from the water by the drinking water filter system.

With a proper drinking water filter system in place, you are assured of a chlorine and bacteria free water supply for consumption.

Get yourself a Drinking Water Filter System that gives you the best value for your money. The Hexagon™ Hi-Energy Structured Water System is the Drinking Water Filter System You Want To Buy.

What can I say? Yeah.. Congratulations bro. It’s been a while since we last saw each other.

Yes, some of you might know him. He is probably better known as M.Zulkifli. Back during his years in the legal system, we used to call him YM Zul. Before that, it was Zul Blitz. Hahaha.. The great days of Blitz – “Try Your Best.. ”

I just got news about his Hujah debut today. Saw the link in Facebook. Checked out how he got roped in to host Hujah in his blog. Then checked out the Hujah episode.

M.Zulkifli in Hujah

Yeah, as he mentioned in his blog, his initial nervousness was clear crystal. It all dissipated after a while though and things went rather smoothly indeed.

The topic – Theater, for the elite? Not really a hot topic at the moment. Really, I don’t think many in Malaysia is even bothered about this right now. Most people don’t even follow the Malaysian theater scene.

When was the last time I actually went to a theater? I think, it was 5 years ago perhaps. I got a free ticket to watch Alang.. something.. Adlin was the main actor. Prior to that, I occasionally went to Actors Studio in Bangsar.

Today, I don’t even know what’s playing. I don’t even read the newsletters from Actors Studio which I am subscribed to.

However, that’s just me. Things might be different for the other odd millions of people in Malaysia.

The topic is probably suitable since it is your first attempt at moderating Hujah. A hotter topic might be in store for you in your next moderator gig. All the best in this new venture of yours bro.

Some time last week, I sent an email out to all those in my XFSBM mailing list about Amru’s invitation to his wedding reception. He initially planned to have it in April. 11th April, if I am not mistaken. However, something came up and the reception has been brought to an earlier date.

The reception event is now happening on March 28th. That’s like this coming weekend. Same time.  Same place.

Don’t have a clue to the whereabouts of Putra Perdana? Not to worry. Check out the map to the event.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Amru for his wedding. As the saying goes, “Semoga kekal bahagia ke anak cucu”.

To all XFSBMs and FSBMs, lets all attend this wedding reception. It can also be sort of a reunion event too. Been a while since we last see each other anyway.

I’ll probably be there for an hour or two. I’ve got another reunion event on the same day. A “Mee Bandung Muor” mini reunion back in Ampang with my fellow xMRSM Muarians.

Friday night, with a drizzle to top it off. Traffic was certainly an issue. It took me almost an hour to travel 1km from my house in Ampang Jaya to the Flamingo traffic light.

In the end, I used the right lane, when there were no incoming traffic of course, to go on the AKLEH via the entry beside Petronas. We managed to reach the venue at about half past seven. Plenty of time to spare.

The first thing I noticed was the long registration counter. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a registration counter for a malay wedding reception. But then again, I don’t think I’ve ever been to a wedding reception like this before.

A couple of Malaysian royalties were present that night – Her Royal Highness Raja Perempuan Perlis and  Tengku Mahkota Pahang. Quite a number of VIPs were also present. Among them were the FAM and TV3 big guns. Nona crew was there too doing their interviews and what nots.

A. Samad Said presented a piece of his creation for the beloved couple. His presentation was backed up by the tunes of Mohram. As the guests were being served dinner Joanne Yeoh appeared and mesmerized the crowd with a few tunes from her violin.

At the end of the reception, the bride and groom, spent quite a while at the entrance of the ballroom to receive well wishes from the guests as they leave the ballroom. This alone took about an hour I think. Imagine, having to shake hands and take photos with about 800+ guests. Yes, there were about 800+ guests that night, judging by the total number of tables in the ballroom.

I think both the bride and groom must have been pretty spent after that one hour ordeal at the entrance.

Finally, all the guests have left. I thought that was it. To my surprise, there was another late night session for close relatives. Another poco poco session.

Wow.. I am truly impressed with the stamina of the two bride and groom, especially Alin. Both my feet was already aching at that point after standing and walking around in the ballroom through out the night. All I can do then was sit down and enjoy the late night supper and watch the others do the poco poco.  I have to admit.. they were good. They certainly know their poco poco steps.

Want a peek at the event that night? I’ve got them up on my Wedding Albums on PicasaWeb. I have yet to collect and compile photos from the other family photographers. Will update when I get to compile their photos together.

The Ijab was held on August 22nd 2008. The event took place in Alin’s hometown in Kangar, Perlis.

It rained almost the entire day. Thus, prompted the organizing team to prepare three sets of contigency plans. However, when the groom arrived, the rain, as if on que, stopped. The rain made the night cool and perfect for such an event.

A lot of work was put to prepare for the wedding. The left side of the driveway became the buffet serving center. The right side (lawn) was covered with wooden platforms and tables for guests. At the end of the buffet line, a cabana is decorated to house the bride during the Ijab ceremony.

Opposite the bride’s cabana is another cabana prepared to house the Qadi, father and the groom for the Ijab. The path to both cabanas are littered with white flower petals. I think they were white roses, perhaps – not too sure. Flower petals were basically everywhere.

I arrived early. Thus, I had plenty of time to take photos of the wedding grounds. It was really very lovely. Two LCD panels are placed at the dining area. Thus, guests had a clear visual of the Ijab without surrounding the cabanas.

All in all, the grounds looked pretty much like a resort in Bali. Not that I’ve never been to Bali, though. I might be wrong, it may not look like Bali, I wouldn’t really know. Ok.. Ok.. It just looks really really great. Kudos to all who worked on the grounds.

Both the bride and groom looked radiant in their white Baju Melayu and wedding gown. After a few minutes of discussion in the house, the groom appeared and took seat in the Ijab cabana. As he walked across towards the cabana, photographers rushed in to take their shots.

Pretty soon, the Ijab cabana was surrounded by photographers. Camera flashes begin to light up the cabana as the Qadi, father and groom take their seats, respectively.

Alin followed suit a few minutes later. Once again, the camera wielding photographers went rushing to shower the bride with flashes of light from their cameras. Alin blushed a little at first. She regained her composure after getting used to the showers of light from the flashes.

Once both the bride and groom were comfortably seated in their cabanas, the Qadi proceeded with the Ijab ceremony.  Datuk Redzuan is to give away Alin himself. He himself will act as the Wali in the Ijab. The Ijab ceremony went along without a hitch, except for a minor slip of tongue by the wali.

“Aku nikahkan akan dikau .. ” said the wali, Datuk Redzuan.

“Aku terima nikahnya ..” replied the groom, Datuk Yusof.

Thus, the bride and groom is now officially man and wife. No “You may kiss the bride” stuff here. Save that for later in private. Datuk Yusoff and Datin Norazlina are now legally husband and wife.

Alhamdulillah.

My heartiest congratulations to both Datuk and Datin. May you both be blessed with a happy family through out your life. Photos of the wedding events can be found at my Picasa Wedding Album at http://picasaweb.google.com/kodeexii.weddings

These photos are a collection of pictures taken by at least three photographers. The total number of photos I collected was close to 2000 shots. This is for three events. The Ijab, Reception and family dinner.

It took a while to compile the shots and select the most suitable to be posted in my Wedding Web Album in Picasa. I still have yet to complete it. I’d say the Nikah event is pretty much completed. The other two, will probably complete during the weekend.