I AM NO FARMVILLE'S FARMER - EP. 1

it looks small but it required a lot of sweat and toil

The last time I played ping pong was one year ago. While waiting for the right time and people to continue with my favourite pastime, I had to find another alternative to get some sweat out. Facebooking and playing games on your computer all day long are not good for your health. So I started hoeing a small plot of land behind my house and turned myself into a part-time farmer and part-time blogger. That was really a hard work done. It is definitely not the same with Farmville where you can simply plant everyting at the click of a mouse. If I continue on with this work, sooner or later I will very muscular like Conan the Barbarian.

trees successfully planted

So let's see whether the small scale project will bear any fruits. Pray hard that I can reap what I have sown and pray that no one else will reap the harvest for me.

A MEETING DURING A SCHOOL HOLIDAY - MY 100th POSTING

Selesa Hotel, Pasir Gudang

Bad news: having to attend a meeting, representing the Principal, during the school holiday. Good news: it was held in a hotel. There was only one person whom I knew there so there was no socializing activity. It was a half-day event but I really think the whole session could be cut short into a quarter-day event. The food was good so there was not much to complain.

This is my 100th posting for my blog so I am trying to add some colours in. All this while, I just write and post pictures. After all, people are more interested in the content and the photos; I just don't have the time to explore more to make my blog's layout more attractive. I do envy some people with beautiful layouts but to do that will require quite some time.

Anyway, how do you like the new look of my blog? Any comments?

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY NAN MARAN

I was invited by Nan Maran to attend his 21st birthday party. Nan is an ex-student who was always polite and courteous throughout the years he was in school, and I believe he still is and that is the reason why I could not say no.

with the birthday boy

I thought it was just a usual birthday party in the house with a few guests but I was wrong. It was a feast with many people filling in the tent, specially prepared food and with loud music in the air. There were special decorations and bunting - to put it in a nutshell, it was a joyous occasion.

with Nan Maran's friends

these are all my ex-students at the party

I met a few ex-students there as well like Christopher, Sanjeev, Parthiban, Thiban and Sasi. They have all grown into young handsome men (and beautiful ladies too) after a few years leaving school. Well, thanks Nan for inviting me and wish you all the best in the future undertakings.

ON ANOTHER SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT

busy at work, as usual

I have been away for three days for another official assignment which has become an annual event. Other than working, it is a pleasure to have the chance to meet the people that I can only see during these sessions.

I had to bunk down in D'Idaman Inn in Parit Raja because there was no vacancy at the hotel I used to stay in Kluang. As the place was nearer to the meeting venue and quite new, it was not that bad except for a few things like there were limited TV channels and no telephone line so I couldn't get the receptionist to give me a morning wake-up call. But the room is very spacious, it is more like an apartment - with a bedroom and a hall so you have the whole space to yourself.

sitting beside a doctor

I had the chance to meet another old classmate from school. This is Dr. Md. Som who happens to be staying near my lodging. He has his own clinic now, Klinik Sejahtera, which is situated opposite of Universiti Tun Hussin Malaysia (UTHM). When you go there, if you mention my name, may be you will get a special discount. Remember, I said "MAY BE". Thanks to Dr. Md. Som for the supper as well as the breakfast the next morning.

And I will have to be there again in about two weeks time from now...

BOOK REVIEW 7 - KHALLED HOSSEINI'S "A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUN"

My second read of Hosseini's book, right after The Kite Runner. Another story of the lives of Aghanistan's people, mostly about their sufferings of the oppressed people, women to be exact. The novel centralizes on two characters, Laila and Mariam. Mariam is given away to be married to a man older than her at the age of 15. Laila, is in a way forced to marry an old man at a young age too when both her parents are killed by a bomb. As their fate crosses, these two unlucky characters start to have conflicts between them when Laila is actually marrying Mariam's husband as the second wife. Initially, they become enemies but in the end, when they both try to confront the brutal and heartless husband, they become closer and start to protect each other.

It would be unfair for me to disclose the ending of the story. You MUST read this novel yourself because you will soon realize that we rarely are thankful with the lives we live, the air we breathe and the freedom we have. Kudos to Hosseini for making me see lives from a different perspective.

AN AQIQAH AND A WEDDING

Mr. Bohari, Cik Ain, Pn. Anum. Pn. Saidah (PK1), Pn. Nilam (Principal) and Pn. Yusidah

Aqiqah is a ritual where an animal is slaughtered when a baby's hair is shaved for the first time, and after that, most frequently, people will be called for a feast, and in a way the guests will offer prayers to the baby's health and well-being. We were invited to the Principal's house for this event and since her house is only a stone's throw away, I guess I had not much choice. Met other people from school as I had promised to be there at the same time.

at the wedding feast

Then we made our way to the second place which was a wedding invitation of an ex-staff in Bandar Baru Uda. There are many people holding wedding ceremonies during the school holidays and that is not good because you tend to eat a lot in just one day.
By the way, this is Mr. Bohari, an ex-student who has now become one of our school staff. And there are two more similar invitations to attend tomorrow.

EXTREME MAKEOVER - PART 1

It is not really a makeover, and it is not extreme. It is just a spring cleaning session that should have been done a long time ago. There were always reasons, for being too busy, especially towards the end of the schools holidays. Work piling up and there were deadlines that were waiting one after another so I guess I had valid excuses. So I had to pull up my sleeves to clear my room cum workstation cum entertainment station. Make hay while the sun shines, especially by next week I will be very busy again.

before - while waiting for my new cabinet to arrive

It is not easy to clean up. First, you have to decide between things which are good and which are not needed anymore. Second, you have to decide whether to throw or not to throw. I guess we always keep some things which we feel we like but actually we don't need them and in the end, these things are accumulating dust. It is amazing that no matter how frequent we clean up, there will still be rubbish and unwanted items. We humans do produce rubbish, and a lot of it.

while - the cabinet is here and the boxes are gone

The best way to get rid of things you want to throw away is by recycling. Remember to reduce, reuse and recycle. And do not be surprised that you can earn some amount of money by sending these items to a recycling centre, and that is the money that you will easily throw away if you don't recylce. The best way is send them straight to a recycling factory rather than to the old newspapers lorry because the person will offer a cheaper price.

after - hardwork that pays off

I spent quite some time to finish this extreme makeover (to exaggerate again). The question now is, how long will this room be in this condition? There are other extreme makeover projects for me, just hope I have the strength and the will to carry out this task.