Just Write!

~ Faber-Castell TG1-S 0.8mm Technical Drawing Pen (something that I have always wanted to own since my teenage years!) and my monologue notepad for my personal use (got one more for work related use lah). Dulu tak mampu, sekarang ada rezki sikit, bolehlah kumpul slowly the TG1-S, 3 units of Lamy Vista fountain pen each filled with different colored ink - red, black & green and a Unicorn MP300 0.7mm mechanical pencil as my main instruments to jot down my thoughts & feelings.

I have been writing this blog since January 6th, 2005. Before that I actually started my first blog on October 3rd, 2002 "The Greener Grass On The Other Side: Living the life we have...the only one" but I was not too focused on writing, not until I got Alisya & Naufal.

From time to time I'd jot my thoughts in my monologue journal, since February 8th 2008. I guess the old habit that I had when I was in my college day - writing journals / my thoughts / ideas here & there - just came back to life in 2008.

When the ISP fails, I could always turn to the monologues to write or sketch anything. It will remain there and when I am gone, I hope my children and their children could learn something from it.

I might not be the good intellectual kind of writer, famous with lotsa followers and all....but I write from my heart and for me that is all that matters.
Alhamdulillah...I think my everyday has now somehow become a lovely day, each one of it, as it comes...InsyaAllah.

Love

~ more than words can ever say.

....perhaps not really "just another day"?

My Girls:
Siti HAJAR, ALIYA Irdina (Neena), ALISYA Irdina
with NAUFAL Irsyad at the background reading his book

I took this shot as we were about to leave our condo (read: rumah pangsa!) to start the day - send the kids to their skool & me & wifey off to our offices.

.....sometimes, our present "just another day" could be something that we'd cherish very much in the future....for me, every single moment with the family is a treasure I would not exchange with anything at all

Reliability

...seriously in need of reliable ISP.
Otherwise I'd be spending more time with the monologue notepad & the new Faber-Castell TG1-S 0.8mm tech-pen.....which I don't mind doing at all.....because I am sure the TG1-S & the monologue are reliable!
~ on Symbian mobile device

090709

9th July 2009 marks my 37th year on this earth. Alhamdulillah.
Blessed with wonderful family & friends, I am the luckiest person on earth for the past 37 years and more to come insyaAllah. I got 3 cakes for the day... 2 from the Sunshine floor bunch and one from my lovely Wifey & kids - the unique NIKON cake!
..and a cute Certificate that I have installed on my workstation..

With my beautiful kids
- my wifey took this shot!

Wifey made this - such a talented person
and pretty too!

"Not so surprise" Lunch @ CPK
with the Sunshine Bunch

The Sunshine Bunch

...really appreciate every single things that I have around me....ALHAMDULILLAH...have to appreciate it more than ever...and let go of all the negatives and that's been killing me for the past 5-7 years.

Team

Diva's Advocates: Moments before "Menyumpit"
session of the AdventureRace

1.
I have been working in the same organization for more than a decade. I have moved from one unit to another, joined a number of operating units, corporate centers, project teams....and in my 13th year, I somehow made it to this unit on the Sunshine Floor.

2.
After 13 years of ups & downs (the latter is more applicable for the past 5 years and more) when it comes to "climbing the corporate ladder", the Sunshine Floor seems to be a place that has somehow managed to revitalize the "allspark".


3.
...what I need for the rest of my life in this organization would be the buddies & the leaders that I can trust and who are there as a team, always.....for that is what I truly believe is present on the Sunshine Floor....insyaAllah.

...some of the things that might happen when you group
a bunch of high-competent engineers from various disciplines,
business analysts, strategic planners....and me! (ahehehe!)
(Bazukishot with our ultramassivecool Vice Pres)

4.
Given the time to design & implement the session...I think the team did very well.

What I did was just a small part - lead........ Alhamdulillah.THE BEST!

5.
Yes, I am not the staff that will be graded as the best by many other leaders in the organization but for me, that does not mean anything at all, because majority of them are not the kind of leaders that I would trust and appreciate anyway, or simply put - to my definition, they are not fit to become leaders at all. Especially the SM's & GMs & VP of the last place I was in. Yeah, telling straight to your face again, sissies!!
So, I am not getting any increment - so be it. Every single items I am being denied my rights, so be it. Every single rewards I am being denied my share but instead being given (or shared) by/to others, be it. I won't be getting any 4-5-6 months bonus, so be it. ...because, ALHAMDULILLAH, I am so glad I have to deal no more with back-stabbers that treated me like a great buddy but took the credits and reward for himself/ themselves. I am not that much concerned about it anymore but the pain & scar remains and it's my persona, if I am being hit, I'd hit them back much harder when the time is right or pray they'll get what they deserve, if not from me,from others, or from MY GOD. WALLAHI, all of you involved will get it ten-fold from MY GOD, AllahuAkbar!

The pain & scars I have to live with from the past are too much to just simply be forgiven so don't tell me about holding grudges or "dendam".
..but I am more concerned about the future, it will be better for me & my family, InsyaAllah.

Optimus

Such a co-incident, the meaning of my name in Arabic is similar to the Chinese characters to spell it....and quite similar to the actual meaning of Optimus Prime!! (Ahahah!! Tak caya pi belajar Arab & Mandarin & English, I am doing it for my kids to valide this claim of mine! Weheheheh!)

Anyway, we went to the see Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen.
The kids love it (mak & ayah diorang pun laa!)

The only minus was when a stupid lady stood right in the middle of the aisle as Optimus was about to be resurrected by Sam. Who does she think she is? Megan Fox?? Bodoh ke apa itu orang....
People were restless with the presence of that stupid bitch so as Optimus Prime, I had to save the day....used the mask of Optimus to nudge the bitch away from blocking the people's view.....and the battle between Optimus & The Fallen was viewed by many who sat on the same file as we did, without a stupid bitch blocking the way!

So....ada sesiapa lagi nak cari pasal dgn Optimus Prime? Wehehehe!

Alisya is a massive fan of Optimus Prime.
Naufal prefers Bumblebee
Neena: "Neena suka Megatron!"

Celebrating World Refugee Day

UNHCR (Malaysia) Celebrating the World Refugees Day
for the refugees in Malaysia.
No shots of the refugees will be displayed here lah, sorry!

That's me doing "BazukiShot" lah,
with the UNHCR staff & volunteers

...some people may think they can always do better than others....
...but mostly, they were always not there, but we were....
...I don't compare, I just do what I can and capable of doing...
...I never say I am the better than others nor I am the best,
...I just walked my steps, took what's being offered, gave my best
...and keep on moving...

On assignment

Self photography - on a Medevac helicopter piloted by the ultra-cool Captain Rohaizad during the 2009 Petronas-Malaysian GP F1 Week.

The first time for me in a heelo! The first for me doing aerial photography & medevac too.

Like my Grand Master Moi Chee Keong says - "There's always the first time..."
The fear of failing is nothing compared to the fear of trying. You will never know what you are capable of until you took that step to prove it to your self, gain more confidence as you do it and one day you woke-up telling yourself - Hey! I have made it this far already!

Of course, you must put your priorities right, measure the possible risks involved and put proper milestone of achievements, with the end-state clearly defined. Otherwise, you might end up being like the vast majority - always competing to the end of their life but in the end their life has no meaning and its too late to do anything about it but continue bragging on what they monetary & positions they have achieved - but not necessarily what they love to do and managed to do it well....

Some people I know (close and far), I find it that they are always fiercely competing each other (though they don't really admit they are doing it!) ...some achieves what they want (in proper, truthful ,noble ways or not, that's between them and their creator lah!) some does not....but both are pure losers in the end because all the time is always about how rich you are,: who drives a Merce/ Beamer, who owns Rm1m house, etc etc.. Kaya camana pun kalau part pergi Haji always bagi reason "Belum sampai seru"...jawabnya tak ke mana laa kut.

Only those who realize that there is more to life than competing against each other, would be the one that realize they should put more time on doing something they really want to do in that ONLY ONE LIFE that they have! InsyaAllah these bunch will achieve something that they want (not necessary worldly wealth)

....and we should always be humble no matter what we achieve. Celebrate it with your family & those that matters , acknowledge others that made you achieve what you have achieved, help others to achieve their goals, share your stories but not to the extent that you are actually boasting about it.

Anyway, to the losers out there....GET A LIFE! (.....NOT!!! Continue losing, we are not interested to know anyway!)

Miahahahaha!

Optimus Torque....(don't tell my kids & wife ok!)

Ni kes nak sangat masa kecik2 dulu laa ni....time tu mana mampu...
sekarang, ada masyuk sket duit ambik gambar etc, boleh la layan!
Alhamdulillah!
Weheheheh!!

How Cute

1.
The P1 WiMax is really a massive upset. I could not upload anything without getting error message. If the file ever get to be uploaded it will take hours. It is lucky if I can manage to upload one single shot per day....and all they can do is, ask me to check the connection, light color, setting etc...and then change some technical setting which I did - and it worked only for a few minutes...then they asked me to go to their "Pit Stop"....yeah right...fast service, my foot.
So, that's why I had to go to Old Town White Coffee Jusco AEON AU2 to upload the shots below.....and the kids enjoyed the foods....well actually they wanted to go there - they just love the roti bakar served....and while they did some shopping, I get to upload all the shots I wanted to my FlickrPro and blogspots. Then we head home.

2.
After a good afternoon rest, we went out for dinner...and Mama started baking her kek lapis Sarawak for a regular customer. Just before I decided to call it a day, the kids called me and they presented a nice cake baked by my Wifey....something called Japanese Cotton-soft cheese cake or sumthing, a recipe my wifey is trying out for her line of products.
They wished me happy father's day and Neena insisted to sing Happy Birthday to me! Ahahah! What a cute bunch I have! Alhamdulillah.....

Refugee of the world, are we not?

1.
20th June - World Refugee Day.
One of the races that's has been in this country as refugee would be the Myanmar tribes. Vietnamese and Cambodian would also be common faces to Malaysians. Many this are left untold about these people, except the text that are publish on the media locally. The untold truth would remains the untruth to the masses and not really a matter that concern them.
Not unless one day they woke up and find themselves wearing the shoes similar to those of these refugees, on a foreign country, unwelcomed by the locals, literally, struggling to survive, fighting for what they are being denied back home. A struggle that seems endless but nobody seems to care.

2.
At about 7am, after a good breakfast and morning chat from 630am, with a group of buddies I went for a street shooting to day. Though I could not get the one shot that I wanted, I got the secondary shot....and an interesting experience. We heard somebody shouting for help from a distance and after a short while a Vietnamese refuge came out from an alley holding his head, bleeding.Pha Mun Tai, was pulled by a group of Myanmar and forced to surrender his belongings. He lost Rm300, and lotsa blood.

Passers-by were stunned and literally did nothing. Mun Tai then tried to contact his friends but everybody were busy today. We helped Mun Tai by applying whatever emergency rescue steps that we are familair with and a few minutes after the incident we were lucky to have a police car on duty passing by. We stopped the car and the officers called for an ambulance. Immediate treatment was done on location before Mun Tai was taken to a hospital for furter treatment.

Imagine What if we are in his shoes instead?

Pha Mun Tai - A Vietnamese refuge, was walking pass a small alley in Kuala Lumpur when he was pulled by a group of Myanmar refugees and forced to surrender his belongings. Hit with long sticks, he managed to escape. Pha lost Rm300, and lotsa blood.

~ Khairil F. Jamian/ CHAPs, Malaysia

Keep On Moving

<- My two buddies, on the left is A.dli Ghazali (A.G.) and the one behind the iBook is Rahman Roslan (Rahman). When it comes to pursuing one's passion, I think I am blessed to have a group of buddies who support each other regardless what level of achievement every single one of us are at. Regardless which age generation we were born. Yeah we have our disagreement and all but it is part and parcel of the synergy to move forward and onwards. At least between us there is no back-stabbing, denying one's worthiness, taking credits of others' works & contribution.... Humble. Passion. Discipline. Helping each other all the time, all the way. Something that would be quite a mystique in an organization, I would say.

Teotihuacán

Teotihuacán...in Nahuatl it means "The City of Gods...or "Where Men Became Gods". Since I was 12, I have been amazed by the ancient civilization of the Toltecs, Aztecs, Mayas, Incas...the South Americas. One day - on my 3rd month of retirement, after spending the first 2 months in Maghribi - I'll find myself photographing & documenting these marvelous ruins...insyaAllah...a friend of mine, a Peruvian wind-instrument artiste living in KL, promised he'll help me with my intent, he used to be tour guide to Machu Pichu...by that time I could already afford some Leicas in my bags too...insyaAllah.

I can't wait to retire....but not until my kids are able to live on their own.

..enjoy the Teotihuacán - by Noel Gallagher of Oasis, for The X-files Soundtrack.

Cendol and Rojak

Since my childhood days, I have been eating (drinking?) cendol. The best would be to have rojak mee with cendol. Perfect match.....and my kids seems to fancy the idea too. From time to time we'd go out for rojak & cendol but I have to make sure the gravy ofthe rojak is not too spicy for the girls - Naufal is ok with spicy & hot foods.
We tried the famous cendol of Haji Wahab's near our rumah pangsa recently. The kids love it so much and they fondly name the place "kopitiam cendol" ~ because the tables & seats are kopitiam style!

On the last day of the school break, we did the pool all out...after which, the kids were complaining that they are hungry! Their appetites are really amazing...kuat makan siut...and they wanted to go to....Kopitiam Cendol! Ahahaah!

Sadly, it was late in the evening and they have to prepare for school wake up early (today la tu)....so, no Kopitiam Cendol for them....maybe this weekend, insyaAllah...

Those who has not tried Haji Wahab's Cendol shoud give it a try.
The taste is superb, the quality is consistent.

Priorities-2

1.
This would be my second day with the kids on their mid-year school break. With the present condition I am in, I could not afford (Rm, time & energy factors lumped together) taking them for proper holiday so I have to ask them what they'd like to do for the day and try to meet their expectations as much as possible.

At their age - 6 & 3 - it is quite easy to satisfy their expectation. Even though it is easy,I have started educating them to appreciate what they have and what poorer others don't have - NOT what richer others have and they think they also MUST have - too much of that at the Zoo previously: sikap tamak haloba & lupa daratan. Al-maklumlah....ramai sangat orang kampung masuk bandaraya sampai lupa diri nak berlagak mcm modern-urban-being - makan pun kena tempat ada kelas & berair-conditioned, padahal masa time tak berapa ada pangkat dulu sikit punyer ngeri ke bila kawan ajak pi makan kat level 4 Suria pun....sanggup cross jalan berpanas makan kat tempat murah, frequent by orang yg tak perpangkat (ataupun yg berpangkat tapi tak pernah lupa daratan!)....nak buat camana, time tadek pangkat dulu stylo tapi sengkek cover baek punyer - style kena jaga beb, sengkek kena cover!!

Anyway, back to that value I tried to coach my kids - I realized, it's working, Alhamdulillah...today on our way back from KLCC the kids decided to have roti canai as lunch (nothing wrong with that,as far as I am concerned....), when Neena spotted a signboard of Wangsa Walk:

Neena: Ayah! Look, ada Sushi King (logo)
Me: Mana.....ohooo yes yes,pandai Neena.
Neena: Ayah, Neena nak makan Sushi King?
Me: Eh! Tadi Neena kata nak makan roti canai kan?
Naufal: Ha ah laa Neena, kita makan roti canai laa, Sushi King mahal la.
Me:*Giggling* OK, kalau nak makan Sushi King kita tunggu Mama ada sekali (Mama had to go to office today after almost 10 days working from home) ok Neena?
Alisya: Kita tunggu Mama ada sekali la, Mama tak ada tak best la pergi Sushi King.
Me: Ha'ah...nanti Mama ada kan, dia boleh blanjer kita kan kakak?
Alisya: Ishhh..Ayah ni kan....Mama mana ada duit lagi...
Me: Ehh...Mama tak ada duit duit ke Kakak?(Trying to sound surprised)
Alisya: *Giggling* Ehh....Mama ada duit laaa, dia simpan dalam kocek seluar dia laa...apalaa Ayah ni....heheheh!!
Me: So, Neena, camana ni...nak makan apa?
Neena: Neena nak makan roti canai saje lah....
Me: Ok...kita makan roti canai...
Naufal: Naufal nak roti canai dgn kuah dal & pedas (this dude kuat makan pedas considering he's only 6)
Neena: Neena nak kuah dal sahaja...
Me: OK ok...let's go...

Though they know Sushi King quite well, they also know it's not something that we could do everyday - expensive to a certain extend, to my kind of income at least. Once a month only we'd allow them McD, KFC and Sushi King....


2.
....and today it's A&W's "turn" as far as "allowed amount of fast food per month" is concerned.
After spending almost 2 hours at the playground, the kids has emptied the plain water I packed in the 1L Sigg Bottle. So I took them to A&W for a treat - Strawberry smoothies for the girls, Mango+Banana smoothies for Naufal, & "slurm" (root beer float) for the dad!
After waiting for 10 minutes - no smoothies were in sight. My slurm is half emptied by the kids already. Then the counter-lady came & said strawberry is out of stock so can they change to mango +banana instead,I asked the kids and they gave the thumbs up.
10 more minutes - slurm not even half an inch left in the mug - still no sign....intervention was imminent laaa kan?
Called the crew leader & the counter girl, ask them to settle it immediately. The counter girl then came to our table and explained that they're a bit late and apologized and asked if I'd want to cancel the order.
I told her that if it's any adult's that put up the order, I don't mind at all but it's MY KIDS, MY KIDS and they are thirsty...the counter girl promised 6 minutes and sent the kids a cup of cold chocs. OK, fine. Thank you.

When the smoothies finally arrived - sent by this bloke who'd probably had a bad childhood cuz the word "smile" is probably not in his vocab I bet - none of the mugs had a straw in it!!

As the boy put the mugs on the table, I asked Alisya & Naufal to get the straws - and the blardy bloke did not even realized the kids were doing his job and did not even helped my kids to get the straw at the counter.

Apa lagi...another intervention lah!!

Called the crew leader and asked him - Do you guys actually serve smoothies without straw? Nope! So he was trying to get the straw for me - I told him it's ok, my 6 yr old kids have managed to get it but please tell that boy you employ, next time he's on duty be more sensitive with what he's serving. I have eaten at the KLCC A&W outlet a gazillion times and this is the poorest service I have ever encountered. The only answer from the idiot was - Oh..ye ke...

I would not waste any more time on the crew...my prioritiy is my kids, not asking people to do their job better.
So, I just concentrate on what we have on the table with my kids....

Then we went off - almost lunch hour and Suria would be swarmed with "P" staff,, time to disappear before some hati-busuk people caught me be being happy with my kids!


3.
For the past 2 days, these are what I have been up to with my kids....would not trade this moment for anything else!!

Photos uploading - done much much later. P1 buat hal lagi!

What professionals use to cari makan

The DYMM SPB YDP Agung's assignment went well.
I cannot put up any shots though, ethics & protocols.
It was a privilege to be in a team of real professionals. The cameras above belongs to(from bottom):
1) Peter Lim - professional sports shooter (PeterLim.com)
2) Ian Ahmad - photojournalist for NST
3) Me - thanx to Rafique for the superb 70-200mm Nikkor

Massive thanx to Master Ted Adnan (tedadnan.com) for this assignment.


~ on Symbian mobile device

Priorities

1.
This shot was taken during the LEGO show in KLCC, last Friday.
I observed so many kids & parents in the play zone, when the competition time comes, only registered (competing family are allowed to be in the area) I was allowed in because I was with my DSLR & NatGeo bag perhaps! Ahaha...no laa, I was friendly with the organizer/ MC so it's just natural they would allow me to shoot the event without many questions asked).
One clear thing I realized - those who are in the competition, the parents are more "competitive" that the kids!
I am not saying it's wrong but my whole point is - kids just love to have fun. If winning is part of the deal, they'd be better off doing it naturally & it is good for them to know that to become a winner there must be worthy losers so show respect towards them.

What's the word...haaaa.. KIASU! It's just so apparent in our society already....

"I have been to this country - 3 times...have you?"(...and you think Tronoh is in Saraawak?!)
"We went to Europe for holiday last semester break, next time we are going to Japan lor....where you bring your family for holiday aaa?" (...and your never bring your kids for a swim in Sg Tua?)
"Your camera how much aah? I bough this latest model recently you now, thinking of getting the f2.8 prime lens laa, what do you think better that of get the f1.4 terus?" (Matrix metering pun tak reti nak berlagak superb plak adehh!!!)
"We buy our kids toys from Fisher Price only" (...and you actually don't make the time to play with you kids lah!)

You get what I mean, I guess....

Some may argue - it's natural for people to tell where they have been etc etc - well, maybe partially natural - but excessive comparison and rampant boasting to others that you know cannot afford such things you can do...that's just way too much is it not?

The unfortunate others may have more important priorities than yours and for that matter their disposable income could be very limited to make it possible for them to do stuff that maybe just something that you can do very frequently.

...but some people people just love to compare & boast about themselves regardless of the situation the other person is in....they must always be above others...in every items or topics!

Let them have it their way lah....kan?

(Yang lagi best tu - travel atas nama company - supposed to be on business but focus is on personal leisure instead....heheh..sounds familiar aye?)

2.
Some poor soul's priority can just be something that we take for granted....
Like a comfortable place to sleep at night....

So, any of you would dare go ask this street dweller if she has been to for holiday recently?

(The shot was taken during a night street shooting with buddies - Sy Din & Hazarizal)

3.
So, what's your priority in life?
Is it similar to those Taxi Pakciks (read entry below) who prefer to make more dough rather than being honest in the trade? Well, go ahead...it's your choice!

The Zoo Out There

1.
The weekend was a long one since I don't have to work on Friday so we took the opportunity to take the kids and cousin Ika to the Zoo. I could not recall when was the last time I been there but is was sure a long time ago, I think it was with one or two of my buddies when we got bored at the college hostel one weekend so we decided to visit the monkeys and gave them some Marlboro for their own entertainment - the monkeys were much more bored then we were too I guess! (Owhh..don't do what we did laa ok! We did it out of curiosity and back then Zoo Negara was not really a place where people do trips and all like this recent couple of years lah!)
Anyway, the kids enjoyed the show..... and I "kena pau" by this bird by the name of Kikuro....smart Zoo Keepers, they used RM10 as the benchmark and I have nothing much in my wallet by RM10 being the smallest denominator! So literally, "terbang Rm10" while the other audience plus my wifey & kids laughed and clapped!! Ahahaah! I am just glad the kids enjoyed the trip...I could not complete the whole session cuz it's Friday and I have to go for Friday prayer.

2.
....well well well....
Another surprise other than "terbang RM10" was when a lady kept staring at me and my kids....then called out "Eh kau meh sini kejap" (Samseng siout!!)...it was Ellina Razak (those who knew Anuar & Ellina would know her lah kan) whom I never met except via my buddy Danil in FaceBook & when I was with the band taught by her father - Cikgu Razak Shafie @ JakPie. I forgot to mention to her that I actually was behind the drumset for one of her concert rehearseals - had to play one number from The Bangles for that matter... terpaksa ketuk itu drum cuz I was just warming up the instruments with the bunch on heavymetal/speedmetal numbers when suddenly Cikgu JakPie asked the band to do the rehearsal and the actual official drummer was still not around!

Anyway, I had to make a move to KLCC for prayer so I told my kids to enjoy the rest of the Zoo and off I go....just to discover a story to writer about in this blog...


3.
There were at least 4 taxi drivers waiting at the exit gate of Zoo Negara. One of the pakciks asked me..

P1: Nak pergi mana encik?
T: KLCC, boleh pakcik?
P1: Kalau KLCC, boleh la tapi sekarang ni sibuk la kat situ, kena charge sikit, nak buat apa gi KLCC?
T: (Half smiling & thinking - Aish...tak reti ke hari ni hari Jumaat) Nak sembahyang Jumaat la pakcik.....
P1: Kalau KLCC, Rm30 laa encik
T: (Trying to not ROTFL, packing the DSLR into the bag and still half smiling)
Another Pakcik who was having some peanuts entered the frame...
P2: Nak sembahyang kat WangsaMaju aje laa encik, masjid pun besar, selesa
T: Ohh Masjid baru tu, saya tahu Pakcik, saya duduk WangsaMaju pun...
P2: Haaa...WangsaMaju Rm15 ajer encik
T: (Pergh...aku kayuh basikal tak sempat berpeluh ketiak dah sampai! Now I am really smiling!) Tak per la pakcik, KLCC tak pergi ke?
P2: Sekarang ni jam kat sana, susah nak masuk & keluar nanti.
T: Ohh...tak per la pakcik, terima kasih ye! Assalamua'laikum! (Non replied my salam - ikut kitab Fiqh cara jawab salam, dpt free negative points dah pakcik2 tu semua)
T: (Mumbling - Baik amik cab gi KLIA jer!)

About 200 meters from the exit gate, a taxi driver (the name is Pakcik Shaharudin) was exhaling his last puff of cigarette and asked me...
PS: Nak pergi mana dik?
T: KLCC pakcik, boleh?
PS Kalau pakcik hantar kat LRT station WangsaMaju boleh? Pakcik pakai meter.....berapa diorang mintak kat dalam tu?
T: (Laughing) OK tu pakcik, LRT station pun ok jer. Diorang mintak RM30 KLCC. WangsaMaju Rm15. Baik saya jalan kaki jer balik condo saya kat WangsaMaju dekat sgt ni!
PS: (Laughing) Memang macam tu la diorang....tak pernah pulak kena, bertekak2 dgn penumpang pasal tambang tapi masih lagi diorang charge mcm tu. Ambik kesempatan dari dulu...

We had a conversation on this & rezeki in general...Pakcik Shaharuddin is the type that would not want to ask for more that what is supposedly the fare his clients supposed to pay - legally - because bila hati dia rasa tak sedap he would not feel the rezeki is a good one for him to give his family.

Rezeki yg sedikit mana pun kalau berkat & halal, will take us far.

He sent me to WangsaMaju LRT Station, taxi meter rate RM5.30. I gave him RM8 and he was so thankful for that amount (Not berlagak laa...my intention was pure, I know he needs the extra RM3 more than I do....I always gave more to any taxi drivers who'd engage in good conversation with me anyway!)


4.
Thank you to Pakcik Shaharudin, I made it in time for Jumaat prayer and meet my buddy, gave my D70s for him to use for his job whil I took his 70-200 f2.8 ultrazoom lens for Agong's assignment on Sunday.

Great lens that Nikkor....tested it on the kids playng in a pool of Lego blocks!

5.
...while busy composing I realized my lecturer was there too so, I greeted him and he was quite surprised to see his BBA student now is a professional photographer...Well not really Sir (I told him) maybe one day...insyaAllah...
He admitted he had many students so he could not recall my name. I told him it is totally OK! Student yg tak ingat cikgu yg tak patut..not the other way around! The lecturer was one of the fiercest & "kedekut markah"...but I tend to like his was of lecturing - we came into the lecture ready to discuss the intended topic - we had to do our readings & research much earlier and those who did not will surely be in a limbo!!

I scored quiet well in his classes but the most important thing was he taught us to think differently.....Allah blesses him!

6.
After a couple more shots I was approached by a dude.....who has been a frequent in a forum and asked me if I am Torque~! He came from JB and he was observing me doing my shots for quite a time before he decided I am Torque and decided to say hi....ahahah...I should have not put on the red tee-shirt lah! The dude asked me why I am not active in the forum anymore. Simple - got other priorities! He's doung well down south I guess because he came up tp KL to get some styuff from another professional photographer. Anyway, it's great to finally meet you Jak!


7.
Friday was sure a long day cuz I went night shooting with Sy Din & Hazarizal....while worrying about the Agong's assignment all the while!

Malam

The second exhibition that I joined for 2009...and the second time I could not be there to witness my own work on display too!

The theme is "Malam" and the chaps showcased their latest works - quality screened & selected by Rahman Roslan.

I was just lucky to get my 2 last minute works approved and exhibited....maybe (with "a wee bit" of hard work & dedication when I hunt for those shots lah!).

For the rest of 2009, the chaps has decided to be more serious that previous time....we are entering the next CHAPTER of our journey...insyaAllah...

Schoolbreak!

Yeeeeehaaaaaa!!!!

Some shots from the early year holiday we had....I wish I can find more time for this activities....MUST!!!
...a mix of cuti2 Mesia, family gathering & community service....so that my kids can learn about community & where they are, so they would not grow up being spoiled brats....like those who assume everybody else is as rich & lucky as they are...or is merely there to serve them!

...but actually, we don't just do those stuff during schoolbreak, weekend also can leh...
...and no need being rich also can do this stuff as long as the intention is clear meh!
Some people damn rich always talk big boast boast also but got no time for own child - not good what?

Ahehhehe! Happy holiday school children & teachers!

No Rules?

This cute t-shirt is one of her favorite....

Haywire-less

1.
The weekend been a hectic one and I wish I had more time to play with the kids rather than just be near them while shooting the weeding of a relative's daughter....anyway, at least we are together all weekend!

2.
There are some stuff that I still don't quite understand when it comes to adat perkahwinan. No, I am not referring to the event over the weekend but overall adat perkahwinan Melayu. Some of the events are just too well..urhmm "unique" to say the least. For instance, "Khatam" section where normally a bunch boys & girls will be reciting the Muqaddam of women singing songs appraising the Prophets Muhammad S.A.W. and Allah S.W.T...in Arabic & Malay....I am not good in Tajwid and all but, the kids Tajwid are so huru-hara and the pronunciations are just a confirmed failure in the first place...and the women singingand reciting doa (rather long and winding ones to tell the truth) do they understand the whole length of what they are saying in Arabic in the first place? To top that, what's the link of some contemporary erkk..."tempo" and songs to the overall intent? And the lyrics...by-george, mengada2 gelenyar style pun aada sesetangfah tu....with the influence of frigging Bollywood and those so called artis-artis "kontemporari" - thanx to reality TV shows lah! Nak barakah ke just untuk berhibur? Almost like jamming session some might observe...?

3.
OK laa....maybe the stated options are better than joget lambak & "kugiran"...but still....what's the overall intention? Nak barakah ke nak berlagak?
Haywire siut....like that so called Ustaz (who is said used to be a rock band singer - I dunno, must be a small time rock band cuz I just listen to the likes of Search & Belantara!) and this Arab-like lady artist who recently made the news about their erk...hurmm...well....relationship...even though the Ustaz is married with 4..or is it 5 or 6 (I dunno! I don't read this kinda news obediently - ntah apa kelas punyer publisiti siut!!!) .
Apa ke jadahnya....nak jadi Ustaz ke nak kejar glamer dgn alasan berdakwah? Apa dia ta'arif dakwah tu in the first place? Macam Sisters In Islam? (Aheheheh.....that's another HAL laaa...too pandai, baca Quran in English jer...kut yer solat pun abis semua in English depa hayun....kalau yer la bersolat pun....padahal adab jaga aurat pun ntah kemana!)
Anyway...yeah...ramai yg pandai sangat sekarang ni, kan?
Nak tegur tableh, so, lantak diorang lah beb.....

4.
So, camana nak buat? Quoting my recent Fb status (I don't quote a lot like many "intellect" writers wannabe lah!) :

"....rimas dgn suasana lagak sekeliling? The fact is - some stuff you can't control, so just don't try to control! Work on the stuff that's within your control...like plug-in that 'Touch and everything is cool! Nak lagi best, get the hell out of the "suasana lagak sekeliling", whip out the SLRs and work some creative shots out! Woohooo!!!"

5.
The 30th May marked our 10th year as husband & wife. Celebration? well, not in place yet since we were busy helping a relative with her daughter's wedding - on that same day. Mak & Abah arrived from Jeddah after 2 weeks of performing Umrah & Ziarah on the same date too.....truth be told I do wish I could do something to celebrate the event but there are many other priorities we have to see through first...dough is kinda tight this year due to the situation I am in, so, insyaAllah, we'll celebrate sometime soon, insyaAllah.

What matters most is, we are still here as a family, and the priority is still the same- the kids comes first....

Monochromatic Toxication 2

1.
With roller-coaster kind of emotion when it comes to (non)achievements and sacrifices done for more than a decade at the workplace, I realized I have been losing too many battles and trusted too many backstabbers and the best to do now is to gain a save distance away from all the negative vibes...and people. I knew what I have been through, what I have done...but it's just being written that I am going to be in the deeper end, so be it. ...and though it is a "failure" I have to deal with, somehow I feel obliged to "reward" myself, which is, well... kind of... weird. Normally, for many decades I have been breathing, I will not reward a failure...guess this is not a failure at all, just a small distraction (or annoying nudge by those who were involved). So, I got something that will be useful for me to move a notch up in this journey...and I am honored to have new friends and respected leaders who actually stepped up to assist me in this whole fiasco....unlike those who were supposedly claiming to be very responsible leaders but actually just a bunch of "tak kenal halal-haram" character-killing heartless sissies who just wants achievements engraved with their names. Alhamdulillah.

2.
For many months I have been trying to distract & disconnect from the wasted past efforts and continue with a new slate. While at it I have been trying to improve on monochrome composition, tight, using 50mm on 1.5x CMOS base...and 50mm on a 35mm film base.

My kids & family being the main subject, and insyaAllah gonna do some outing on this format soon & continue improving....improving, improving....cuz that's a vital part to achieve the target of clinching bigger stuff in 2009/ 2010...insyaAllah...

3.
Nikon FE, Nikon MD-12, Nikon 50mm F1.8 manual lens.
Believe it or not, this is my first SLR, acquired over the weekend, used, very mint condition, almost ad good as new, got it at a very good price, affordable to my kind of limited budget....
Actually, the item was blocked booked many months ago...only took it this weekend because I feel it is the right time for me to finally own a "reliable" classic SLR body - a legend some might say...
I can't afford to have my own SLR when I was in my college years, so now is the time....Alhamdulillah.......
I have not even done a roll of film since I took this classic as part of my equipments, maybe in a week or so I would be processing the shots and see what I need to do to move up to the next notch in "above average compositions" ...InsyaAllah.

Wesak Parade 2009, KL - outing with CHAPs hardcore members

It has been quite a while since CHAPS had an outing. At the rate I am going now, Outing is a luxury. Since VII had a workshop in KL recently, I took the opportunity to view closely (in real prints!) the works of the best photographers in the world at Balai Seni Negara. It was an eye-opening experience...shots that I have been admiring on the internet, right in front of my eyes. I went with the kids and Wifey....
Then Rahman & the others with our guest of honor, Mr Siddharth Jain arrived, I stayed and the family went back. We went through two galleries, then had a drink. The grand finale was the Wesak Parade.....boy, what an interesting outing!! Based on inputs received, I am happy that I have moved to another notch, with lots of rooms for improvements, still!
It is not easy to frame emotion& feelings.....but I am getting there, insyaAllah...

Buddhists devotees touching a floater decorated with Buddhas in small "caves" during the Wesak 2009 Parade in Kuala Lumpur, MY.

A monk swarmed in bubbles, riding a colorful floater during the Wesak 2009 Parade in Kuala Lumpur, MY.

Wesak Day is an annual holiday observed traditionally by practicing Buddhists in South Asian & South East Asian countries, universally commemorated on the full moon in the lunar month of Viskha, usually during late April or early May. Informally called "Buddha's birthday," it actually encompasses the birth, enlightenment Nirvana, and passing (Parinirvana) of Gautama Buddha.

~ Khairil Faizi Jamian/ CHAPS, Malaysia

Umrah 2009

There will be moments in life that you feel you are not at ease and have to be with somebody you love almost immediately even though it is quite impossible due to some constraints. I have faced this situations many time and the most recent one was when I immediately sms-ed my beloved Wifey and told her we need to be back in JB and send my parents off to their 14 days Umrah.
It came in as a surprise to my parents because I have mentioned to them earlier I could not make it because the only "usable car" I have is not in a good condition to travel far...the other two are still in workshops - one just recovered from being stolen, the other one still waiting to be properly restored after almost a year waiting for reasonably priced parts.
Anyway, we made it to JB by 2am that night and the next evening we are back in KL, Alhamdulillah....
Myself, Wifey & the kids missed Tok Mak & Tok Abah....they are enjoying the trip with my Pak Ngah & Mak Ngah who have not been there for quite a while due to health situation. Alhamdulillah, finally they are ok to visit their favorite place again this year.....insyaAllah, I pray we'd be there soon, the whole family. I pray I'd be able to bring them soon, InsyaAllah....

...Neena wanted to follow Tok Mak!

What drink would you like to have? .v2

...erkkk....hmmm....ANYTHING lehhhh?!!

Haaaa amik kau lagi se-round....!!
Kan dah cakap kat bawah sikit tadi, memang ada air ANYTHING!

Carbonated, the one I got tasted like F&N Orange but lighter on the gas & nicer orange taste.

...so next time if you ordered WHATEVER or ANYTHING, you should expect SOMETHING like the ones I showed here lah!!

Happy Teacher's Day

I might not be able to recall all the teachers that have thought (and still is teaching!) me but one thing for sure I really appreciate what they have done for it it nos because of these wonderful beings, I would not be where I am now....

Especially to my Mother - Hjh Halijah Haron, my Father - Hj Jamian Dollakim, my grandparents....my uncles & aunties, especially Allahyarham Tn Hj Abd. Rahman Haron (Pak Uda) whom I know really rich with loves though he had nothing much to share in ringgit & sen....I wish I could helped him much better when we did our Hajj back then....terima kasih Uda...may Allah bless you & the others....

Thank you to all my teachers....I can never express how much I appreciate what you have thought me...thank you.....

What drink would you like to have?

...erkk...hurmm WHATEVER-lah!

Haaaa amik ko!
Ni haa, mmg ada pun!!!
Sedap gak...ala-ala Jasmine Tea.

There's another option.....
ANYTHING....tak caya?

(ANOTHER!) Happy Birthday Mama!

Yeah...we had a great weekend....and it did not stop there!
Another round of celebration for Mama (and Alisya insisted the cake is hers too) courtesy from a
hotel in the city center.....



....and we also had the yummylicious chickenwings for dinner....

ALHAMDULILLAH!!!

Happy Birthday & Happy Mother's Day Mama!

The weekend was splendid.....we celebrated Mama's birthday at home on Friday... then on Saturday at Concorde Hotel, together with Mother's day...

...and then on Sunday we celebrated Mama's Birthday & Mother's day again at HRC!

There's nothing more rewarding than being with the family!!
Alhamdulillah!!

Aliya's Artwork

I believe most people would use a diary or notebook (moleskine or not!) to write what they have in mind...or draw what they have in mind.
I did the same until recently I decided rather than just writing (or drawing) what I have in my mind why not I let my kids draw (or write) whatever they want in the notebook (no, not "the" moleskine, not yet!), it will be priceless memory down the years.
So, I started with Aliya (ok ok ok... Neena!). I drew the heart on that page presented above and asked her to color it... but then she asked me for my 0.7mm mechanical pencil (oh yes she really is fond of this particular pencil!) and started to draw the rest of the items on that page, then she colored the items.
Humming her tunes as she does her arts....my baby.
I love you Neena!!

Heartbreak

..finally told Mak & Abah about the situation....wish they were here & the kids too, badly need a family hug....

When we did our Hajj, one of Mak's doa & nazar was to bring my baby to Kaabah....and when Aliya is born....I targeted 2007 to bring the whole family and was so sure to achieve it (how stupid of me being too dependent on getting a good rating for a good reward, in the end, everything was shot down and nobody actually cared that much what I have sacrificed and done for that team, no friend is a trusted friend anymore from that moment)

So much for lesson learned, 2008 is the worst yet for me when it comes to rating and appraisals..and when I told Mak & Abah about my situation they were very supportive. I know they are quite confused because since the day I started working they always say I work too hard for the company...
Maybe I did...and now it is time I learn my lesson and change the did to don't.

"I know, others are enjoying what they have achieved...just bersyukur for whatever you have and for whatever it was those others has done to you, they'll be rewarded one day too..." said Mak.

Well, at least Mak & Abah are going for Umrah in a few weeks time...how they love to be there (Ya Allah only you know how I love to be there too!.....2010, with the family, insyaAllah....)

Just face the future, just let the river flow...just take each day as the first day of the rest of my life...

OK...let's work that documentary....

John Stanmeyer, co-founder of VII Photo Agency

I had another pleasant surprise...
John Stanmeyer - co-founding member of VII, contract photographer with Time Magazine since 1998, and works regularly on assignment with National Geographic magazine- replied my mail and added me in his FB. He'll be in KL end of 2009. I did mention I really want to meet him in person so hopefully I can, insyaAllah.

Some of John's marvelous works can be viewed here:


VII
Time's Exclusive

I Must really shift to the next level...more to come insyaAllah.

~ Khairil Faizi Jamian/ CHAPs, Malaysia

Joachim Ladefogeed, VII Photo Agency

Among some other professional photographers, I really admire the works of Joachim Ladefoged, one of the world's best photojournalist/ documentary photographer. Recently, while having a drink with Rahman Roslan (an international photographer - a local rising star in documentary photography), it just struck me that maybe I should get in touch with some of them via FaceBook....and move on to the next level of my journey in this arena.

...and Joachim Ladefoged was the first to add me as a friend. Thanks Mr Ladefoged!!
His marvellous works can be viewed at:
www.viiphoto.com/
www.joachimladefoged.com/

~Khairil Faizi Jamian/ CHAPs, Malaysia

~Recent TT with A.G & Rahman Roslan