CMK vs CKT

Had dinner with D3KATians, plus a few extras tadi kat Kelang. Place called Muara.

The place was packed, and you had to queue to order food. Well, not much choice if you want to pick and choose... Headed out to find a table, managed to get one on the deck, but not really by the sea. It worked out fine... we were too distracted by food to pay much attention to the surroundings.

Food came after some waiting, and more, and more, and more... God! There was so much!! Too much sampai we had to tapau the extra bawak balik. It was nice to be able to meet up and chat, though. The sad part was... Cik MK... Our supposed "entertainer" belted off one off-key tune after another! But she can gelek la... Azam & Yuz's eyes were popping out already.... tee hee hee... no offense, guys! And we missed the 11.00 pm CKTFC meet. Decided that these 2 had already migrated to the CMK (Cik Muara Kelang) camp already...

That's all the report for today... Am off to Tg Tuan for a nature guiding class tomorrow morning, gotta be at MNS HQ at 6.30 am. Later, guys! Have a good weekend...

Recycled Entries

Sometimes, I write poems. Hardly ever, just once in a while. Would like to share these two; taken from an obsolete spot I had a long, long time ago. Enjoy!

The Dream
It was in my dreams
In the deepest corner of my heart
That someone came, to light up the embers on the hearth
The flame caught, and became a merry blaze
But the wind was so strong, the fire was extinguished
I tried to save the flames, it was dear to me
But there was nothing to shield my precious
And nothing to fuel the flames, save a few sticks I threw in
To keep the moment alive
Alas, a fire does not burn by wishes alone
So it died...

Dark...
Cold...
And lonely...
In the shadows of my heart

----------------------------

Fight, Spirit, Be Strong...
Make mountains out of molehills
Create chaos in a teacup
Take away what belongs to me
And crush my bones to dust...

Spirit, be strong...
Fight back you must...
And in the end be victorious

For only then, can you shine in your glory.

Passiflora

When Tekadmons meet

Came back from a Tekadmons' gathering in Hartamas Square at about 1.30 a.m. It took us about an hour just to say goodbye - we kept chatting on and on...

Had gone to Rumah Ilham last night - being with the kids can be pretty addictive. We asked everyone to introduce themselves, gave a test and had a storytelling session. Acat and his sister Ana were great storytellers. Qina wrote down key words on the board while the rest of us were pelakon tambahan or chatted outside. The activity ended at 10.15, but we left close to 11.00.

I dengan bangganya terus drive to Hartamas Square. Pikir jugak - hmm, could I possibly tumpang Sherrie tak? Then thought, nanti leceh pulak nak drop me off, pickup the car, etc,etc,etc. So continued la. Dah sampai Hartamas, called Inas for directions. Rupa2nya dia baru nak keluar!! Hampeh!! Kalau tau tadi sure tinggal keta kat rumah Inas and tumpang her. Sabor ajelah, dah sampai dah pun. Mula2, tawaf kawasan Mont Kiara dulu, on 2nd round, found the place AND a parking spot just opposite. Saw Aizan & Naz just as I was coming up to the Square. Elok sangatlah tu...

Helped to pasang lilin on Bet's cake. As we were struggling to light the candles in the draft, one of the waiters asked if we wanted to put on a birthday song. But of course!! So we approached the table with a cake, song and Inas' entourage... sayang tak nampak Bet blushing... he he he... comelnyerr adik akak...

Soon, others arrived. What else- berborak la...! Yuz yang baru habis kursus kat Rompin tu pun ada jugak... Found out Aizan was just one year my junior in TKC. Zehan is from the younger generation (sigh... now I feel REAAAALLLLY old...) Tiba part ambik gambar ni yang I wished ada digital camera nih. Hmm... maybe can upgrade phone to camera phone when this current one dies (which I suspect isn't too far off, since in a moment of frustration and desperation, I bought a 2nd hand one last year) Oops... Choy! Choy! Cannot sebut maa, nanti jadi... Would prefer spending money on something else other than phone...

Omigod... dah 3.20 a.m.? And I'm rambling all over the place... Ni la jadinye kalau dok melayan blog... Hari tu tak sempat nak mengeblog pasal takder ilham... Lain kali I just recycle my old entries ajerlah. Naz was fishing for my super secret blog addy tadi... heh heh heh... sorrylah Naz... bahaya blog tu... there's a reason it's secret... Orait guys... those who were hounding me to update, hope you're appeased, for the next couple of days at least... Chao chin chao....!!!

Circles

CIRCLES

Round…
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a reel
Never ending or beginning
In an ever spinning wheel…

All our lives, we are part of circles – Family circles – circle of friends – circles of influence. Where are we in those circles? Are we on the edges looking in? Or are we in the inside searching for a way out? Or perhaps in the center, turning the wheels and making things happen?

Each of us has a role in those circles. What we do, how we do it and how well it was done affects how we are perceived in our circles. Sometimes it is necessary to exit one and enter another. We should choose wisely the circles we are associated with. And whatever happens, we have the right to change whatever necessary to achieve the greater good. May your circles make you a better person and support you in your time of need.

I did it again!!

Oh no!! I done and stayed up late AGAIN. Ni Naz punya pasallah ni, ajar I buat tagboard... :-p he he... lagi nak menyalahkan orang... Still not happy with the font and appearance, tapi tak reti nak ubah. Nasib la, orang baru nak belajar....

This morning was so zombified I only left the house at 12.30 pm. Had a slew of things to do - pickup sandals from cobbler - 2 days overdue; repair car - postponed since 3 weeks ago; etc, etc, etc. Dah la hari panas bagai nak rak, lama giler pulak diorang tu cari sparepart for the car... Dari furniture shop ke pharmacy ke waiting room ke kedai mamak ke waiting room balik tak siap2 jugak... Sabar ajelah aku! Habis semua handai taulan aku message...

But by the end of the day did manage to get most of them done, though.

~WHALE DONE, OZA!!~

He he... sometimes have to give yourself a pat on the back maa...

Baru tadi janji nak keluar dengan Yumiko at sevenish this morning... Ha ha... wanna bet if I could actually open my eyes by then?? Hope she wakes up late too :D

Quality of Life Enhanced

It's almost 2.00 a.m. Balik kerja tadi, explored jalan baru thru Kg Tunku and got lost in the maze. Did make my way back, albeit after a convoluted route which I do not care to retrace. Sampai rumah, makan sikit, solat and headed to Rumah Ilham in Pinggiran TTDI.

A home for orphans and underpriviledged children, it has been there for years, but somehow never visited. Tonight, pergi jugak after being invited by Inas and Naz. Got there a little late, joined them in reviewing last week's activity. Helped the kids remember their phrases; then we had a pictionary session. It was really fun being with the kids. I still have trouble remembering their names, but insya-Allah, will be there again. I remember a few- Boboy, Hasif, Kecik, Haziq. The rest kena rewind balik :-) Makcik ni dah tua... Volunteers tonight were Naz, Arshad?, Aida, Adita, Khalid?, Wiwin, Azam and Inas.

We split at ten, and continued with our session at Mohsin's sampai midnight. Balik, balik, check email, Friendster and Blogs dulu. Updated Panda Escapades, still trying to figure out Hello, tried to add a Tagboard, tak tau successful tidak; and now updating Paus Biru. Cheez, I'm really turning into a geek, aren't I? Malam tadi pun tidur lewat, working on a dbase, my other obsession. Esok have to choose between repairing the car and straightening out the house. Have a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG list of things that need to be done. Constraints - time and money. Ye la, kalau satu rumah nak kena cat balik, pengsan la makcik nak buat sesorang!! But... let's deal with it after we wake up from at least 4 hours of sleep. So, mes amis, bon nuit!

Entertainment Today...

Have been reading the bantering among the Tekadmons with interest. Pantun, bahasa istana, karaoke, dangdut, you name it, semua keluar. Its amazing, how playful these guys are in real life compared to the serious, working adults they portray at work. But I guess that's the practical combination - play hard, work smart!

It's only been a month since TOT and 2 1/2 weeks since Tekad Selangor. Yet these guys have become part of my daily life in more ways than one. Especially the D3KAT gang. It's like getting
the best new years' gift ever.

Anaz, Inas, Zura, Yus, Cik Jee, Wong, Izreen,Elya - thanks for being part of my life

:-) Az

My 2 darling nieces - Anis (the elder) and Aina. Aren't they sweet? Nasib baik la they're so girlie ikut mak dia. Kalau ikut Ucu dia dok keluar masuk hutan bawak teropong, habis jatuh saham! :-)  

View from my Hammock

Just before going to Tekali, I found the ancient hammock I had bought during my UPM degree days. Hardly used it, only put it up in the pondok in Enggang for a while. Then when I started working; it spent most of its time in my cupboards. It got even more forgotten when I quit camping in '98.

Recently got into a frenzy of home repairs, since I had a bit of time to dedicate to it. Cleaned up the balcony, redirected to air-con hose so it would stay dry and not get all mossy again. Found that the hammock fit just nicely. For the first week, had to forgo the hammock due to other pressing commitments. But once this holiday rolled around, I had time aplenty, Endau trip was cancelled, and I finally started reading there. The hammock was sheltered from prying eyes by the balcony wall, and I had a beautiful view of the sky. It's perfect!

Last night woke up at 4.00 a.m., switched on the light and took my book there. The lighting was just right, it was sheltered from rain and the fresh air was a boon. I loved being outdoors again, even if it was just the narrow balcony outside my room. Hey, when you can't sleep on the beach, you'll just have to make the best of what you have! C'est la vie...

:-) Az

Believe it or not...

I can't believe it... 20 seconds after blogging my frustration, I fiddled with the LAN connection and it worked perfectly! And I had been going nuts trying to set it up for 2 hours this morning!!! Sigh... story of my life...

Feeling Out of Sorts

Am feeling quite bleargh - am in the office trying to finish that tiny bit of work that has been dragging on for the past few days.

Ended up fiddling around with the internet connection because even though the comp is connected to the LAN, I can't connect to the Internet or get my emails. Bloody frustrating, that. Nothing I did worked. Must have screwed the settings when I set the home network. Am now on good ol' Jaring connection. Bukannya banyak email masuk pun... But the thought of being disconnected drives me up the wall!!!

Am supposed to meet up with the D3KAT guys later. Tengoklah macam mana. Always love meeting up, but have been spending too much time playing, so many things are left undone on the home front. :-p I need a maid...

Awal Muharam

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

Alhamdulillah, kita melangkah ke tahun baru Hijriah...

Sorrylah, itu ayat orang square. Aku tak adalah sesquare itu. Yang mampu aku lakukan cuma membaca doa akhir & awal tahun semalam. Pas tu cuba amalkan azam baru. Tu ajelah...

Hari ni takde mood nak mengemas rumah ke, nak mengemas komputer ke, wax kereta, semua tak larat. So bila Nisha call, aku pack2 barang, ambik dia, gi rumah Yumiko. Kitorang lunch kat MidValley, beli2 barang sikit. Aku beli makanan kucing je. Si Jepun sakit gigi tu lah memborong macam-macam. Balik tu kitorang lepak aje kat rumah, baca buku citer and tido. Dalam pukul 6.00 tu kitorang turunlah kat pool. Diorang menayang diri sambil baca buku/paper sambil aku berenang. Exercise, jangan tak exercise... Badan dah macam badak air dah... Sabar ajelah aku. Macam mana nak tackle pakwe macam ni? So nak tak nak - buatlah 20 lap kat pool tu. Kot tak turun jugak tak taulah aku.

Balik tu gi makan, hantar Nisha, baru balik rumah. Ni baru nak jenguk2 email ni, update blog sikit. Nak cerita panjang2 banyak nor... So citer panjang kena KIV dulu. Tengok bila makcik free nanti makcik update, kay? Cau cin cau....

Tekad Selangor

15th January 2005
Training of Trainers
First time meeting fellow trainers, went through the routine, picking up tips on how it should be done, building our team.

16-28 Jan 05
D3KAT team building continues

29 - 30th January 2005
Tekad Camp
Coach teams were realigned, but D3KAT are always together. Headed Squad 3 with Yuz. Our Champs - Vincent, Harris, Nik, Herman, Haikal, Alin, Arifa, Siti, Beh & K-run were super. The modules were good, Hazami's entrance a bonus. Forgive me if I'm not gushing with excitement - have been there and done these things for ages. But I believe in the cause, and I love the kids and coaches alike. So I hope that this made a positive impression and opened their minds to career possibilities.

Sometimes I think I learned as much from Tekad as the kids. Keeping cool under pressure, thinking ahead, career planning... I find myself continuously thinking about my own career path and how it can be made better. I learn and gather inspiration from fellow coaches. All in all, it was worth the trouble.

:-) Az

Grrr...

Pagi pagi lagi aku dah bengang. Nak pergi joging, then teringat nak betulkan lampu signal keta. Dah parking baik dah - baru perasan aku tak bawak wallet. So... pergi jugaklah ke Bukit Kiara. Follow tai-chi sekejap, then joging, balik.

Layan kucing aku dua ekor tu, then check bank balance online. Duit untuk laptop tak clear lagi. So aku tak boleh la nak pergi beli laptop hari ni nampak gayanya. Bosan betulla Maybank ni. Dah la start charge aku RM5 untuk apenda entah, pas tu cheque makin lama makin lembap nak clear. Tension aku.

Malam tadi, kad kredit pulak lesap. Kalau tercicir satu hal, almaklumlah semenjak dua menjak ni aku kelam-kabut sikit. Meja bersepah-sepah, beg entah berapa yang aku pakai. Habis kereta, bags, meja, bilik, semua aku cari secara sistematik. Tak ada jugak. Aku takut ada yang ringan tangan ambik dari wallet aje!! Kot nye la dia nak bayar balance aku tu Ok la jugak. So no choice, aku block kad tu, nak kena tunggu replacement pulak.

So in the meantime aku tak leh la nak repair keta ke hapa. Kena la tunggu duit masuk dari my bosses... Bosan. Payment untuk job semalam tak tau bila nak dapat. Orang tua tu karang, kalau tak remind 99 kali, bulan depan la aku nampak duitnya.

Lega Rasanya...

Finally completed and sent the outstanding translation job. One down, one more to go. Ada jugak yang nak escape MNS meeting malam ni... Tak larat la. Hari ni kerja sure busy punya, pas tu nak buat Balu punya job lagi. Entah sapa entah buat draft macam katun, editor jugak yang jadi mangsa. Ni yang aku nak naikkan fees ni...

Dah la penat Projek Tekad tak habis lagi, dok mengejor projek macam2... Ari tu aku free tak nak bagi.Sabor ajelah! Hmm... apa nak buat, cari makan...:-p

Kelahiran Paus Biru

Kah kah kah. Terjaga 5.30 pagi pasal kerja tak siap and ended up buat blog baru. Ngeng tak?? Kejelesan dengan blog orang lain, walhal blog aku top secret, takleh tembus punya. So terasa ada la ala ala nak buat public blog untuk tatapan umum tanpa perlu di censor censorkan lagi...

Pasal apa paus biru?? Satu - aku memang suka main air. Pas tu saiz aku pun ada la ala ala sebesar paus biru tu kan. Lagi satu, paus biru takde gigi. Besor besor dia tu, nak makan main tapis je udang geragau dari air laut. Takdelah ganas macam killer whale ataupun jerung. Lagi satu, dia ni haiwan terancam. Macam aku jugakla, lebih kurang...

So... citer pagi ni... Ada 2 job yang dah overdue - satu patut hantar semalam, satu lagi minggu lepas :-p Aduh! Nasib baik semalam kat ofis takde kerja, so aku bantai la buat keja freelance ni. Job lagi satu tu, target hari ni aku buat la.

Malam ni ada MNS meeting pulak dah... sabar je lah aku. Macam mana la aku boleh kena heret buat benda2 pro bono yang memakan energy aku yang maha terancam ni? Tapi nak tak nak, aku kena jugak memperjuangkan planet aku yang aku sayang - planet "environment". Pasal environment jugak la aku sibuk-sibuk join Projek Tekad minggu lepas. Padahal aku tau, aku sure takleh glamer macam coach2 yang lain, pasal aku kerja kompeni kecik, kasi kad pun kad freelance pasal kad kompeni aku tak siap2 dari hari tu lagi. Aku ni memang sensistif sikit pasal glamer-glamer ni pasal aku suka jeles kat orang. Almaklumlah, aku ni datang dari planet yang asing buat kebanyakan orang lain, so kalau nak compete, sure aku kalah nye.

But in any case, aku bersyukur ada kawan2 yang rapat dengan aku semenjak dua menjak ni, so takdelah rasa alien sangat. Alamak! Dah masuk subuh ker? OKlah... continue this later. Nak siapkan benda alah yang tergendala tu, boleh email siap2 and hantar invoice. Kaya sikit aku - boleh la nak membayar hutang and pergi holiday kat Endau -Rompin... Tempat yang aku dah lama nak lawat sejak aku kat sekolah lagi... :-p