Pak Idrus's Blog

The Serambi is the place where I find peace and tranquility. A space created by our forefathers as a part of the traditional Malay house. It is a space that allows one to enjoy one's personal space without really living the house. Such a wise move. I had the Serambi built some years back and now in my golden years became my personal space.  I sat here to while my time,  reading or just let my mind to wander along. That piece of material as seen in the image above reminds me of the great times I had working in the state of Sarawak some years ago.

It 11.28am. I have been sitting here since after breakfast. Outside is a beautiful sunny day. In the little garden nearby I could see birds chirping and picking up bits of foods that I had left in the birds feeders.  The small fountain at one corner makes dripping sounds as the water falls into the container below. The stray cat that I named Tompang comes and go disturbing the silence of the place. After my cats Tam and Kenet died of old age I did not want to adopt any other cat. I would just let Tompang live here and feed her with cat food. For now I just want to continue with living as it is and enjoy the moments.  My Serambi provides me a space of tranquility to while the days away....

It 2.41pm on a Thursday afternoon. It drizzling outside and it kept the Serambi cool. I just read some verses of the Koran, a ritual that I starts lately other than reading books on various subject. I always have a few books around so that I may continue reading.  I have converted an old iPad that had been left gathering dust into a sort of a digital Koran. Now its by my side all the time, useful for reading the Koran. Reading kept my  mental faculty active, thus healthy. In between I surfed the net on my cellphone.  At time I let my mind drift into the unknown, looking at the ceiling and at the greens in my little garden. There is nothing much to do but keep oneself active. I just saw a Merbau bird flew in and pecking at the food that I had left on the bird feeder that hang in my little garden. I am happy to see it enjoying the food that I had left there every morning without failed.  Today Nenek had prepared Kacang pool for lunch. It real...

When I was working I used to stay in hotels or resort. Everything in a hotel looks great to stay but it cost. So when I retired  I decided to turn my house into sort of a resort living standard. Why not since we have the space. I decided to do the interior only and since it a terres house I did little on the outside except plant more green to keep the front of the house cool. Interior deco is my forte so it only takes my imagination and times to get whatever I want to reality. No fees needed ha ha! With the money I got in retirement I started to works on my dream. I tell myself that take one step a time. So after coming back from the US in 1999. (We live in Boston for one year to takes care of our three grandchildren while our eldest daughter and her husband did their post graduate studies at Harvard University) So after a month of back in our house I start planning. Got a contractor to do the major works. First change the flooring to laminated woods and construct a woo...

After breakfast I sat at the Serambi to while my time away. With Kenet sitting on my lap I just let my thoughts run wild. It just rain and the Serambi is cool. Nice!. In between surfing the net on my Smartphone I read a few pages of Rumi's. Sufism always enriches my understanding of life. At this age; I am now 80 years old I am taking things easy. In Sya Allah come the 17th of this August I would be 81. Alhamdulillah my health is as good for my age. I still love to read and always enjoyed my meals. Of course I get tired and felt sleepy from time to time for age is catching up. I would then take a break. There is nothing to rush but to enjoy every minutes of the time that I had been blessed. The image on this posting is part of my own woodwork. I had always enjoyed doing creative things with woods.  Have a nice day.

Last week I got a new lens for my mirrorless camera the Canon EOS M10. This is a Wide Angle lens which also allows for taking Macro shot. With this 11-22 mm lens I could get into another level of photography. It would be a new adventure in the world of photography using the Mirrorless camera. Because of its advance technology many aspects of photography could be done with this single lens thus it a good lens to have when travelling. Above is a wide angle photo that I took using this lens. Amazing indeed.  Have a nice day. 

Woke up to a beautiful Sunday. It is the last Sunday of June 2020. I thought that for now I would just talk about photography. I got my first camera in 1971 when working in Malacca. It was a Canon that use film. So most of the pictures that I took by myself starts from that year. Before that all the photos that are in my collection was taken by friends or professional photographer or at the Studio. So that is how I got to liking for photography. When I retired some thirty years ago and with some extra money I bought the first digital camera and then progress to the DSLR. With the Digital photography taking photos went up to another level when there was no need to process the film and only then one could get to see the photos. With digital photography one could see the result in mere instance. After a few years I upgrade to the Mirrorless camera which is lighter and less bulky compare to the DSLR and the photos are as good and in fact better. As the years goes on the Smartphone ...

It a cloudy morning on June 2, 2019.  I am taking the day easy. Tidy up the Serambi and the Little Garden awaiting Hari Raya. Two days more to go before the end of Ramadan and the arrival of Syawal and Hari Raya Aidilfitri on June 5, 2019. So far it has been a blessed Ramadan, Alhamdulillah.. After I had tidy the Serambi Kenet the cat decides to take a nap on the tikar, how nice.  With that I wish everyone;  Selamat Hari Raya. Have a nice day.

I love the green so with the little space I have at one corner of my patio I created my Little Garden  with a varieties of potted plants. At the same time I  grow whatever trees on the roadside of my house which kept the area green and refreshing. In the front of my house I grows many creeper plants up front of my gate and above the garage. These are creepers that flowers all the times. Other than that I also plant the traditional Malay flowering plant call Kenanga. Kenanga gives a smooth fragrance. Bougainvillea of different color of flowers are grown in pots and put on the ground to control it growth as not to become too big and difficult to control. Other than that potted plants that flowers throughout the year are grown outside the gate as well. Above is an image of the plants above my garage and in front of my gate producing shades and colorful flowers. These plants kept the house especially my Serambi, the favourite space of the house cool all the time. Have a nic...

It past 6 pm. It is getting dark and the sky cloudy. It has been raining lightly since afternoon. I like this kind of weather. It kept the atmosphere cool. I am enjoying the day passes by at the Serambi reading and surfing the net accompany by the two cats Tam and Kenet. Well folks that is an episode of life in the golden years.  One a second thought; it would be just nice to have a hot steamy glass of Teh Tarik.  Teh Tarik is a special tea concoction that is Malaysian. It is a mix of condense milk and hot tea. The image on the left shows the Teh Tarik at the Mamak restaurant nearby. This is the real Teh Tarik. It is served in the proper glass and taste like a Teh Tarik should be. Not like the one a friend and I had at the restaurant in the Village 2 at Bangsar the other day. It was served in a sort of a wine glass and did not taste like Teh Tarik should be. I know because at the restaurant of my late dad I used to make many cups of Tea and Condense me. It those ...

  ·   Woke up to a beautiful day in December 2018. Good Morning from Pak Idrus's Serambi.[image above] This morning my two cats Tam and Kenet give me another dead Mouse. I believe in appreciation for giving them a treat of Wet Food other than the dry biscuits. It felt really good to know that animals know how to thanks the hand that feeds them. A beautiful life indeed. Thanks Tam and Kenet. I was sitting at the Serambi and saw the workers from the local authority the MPAJ are cutting the grass in front of the house and it smell real good. I love the smell of freshly cut grass. It a free fragrance that nature gives us from time to time. That is why we must keep as much green around the house. It our source of fresh and free oxygen for our specie to survived on planet earth. I believe that the space at my Serambi have excellent vibes. The reason I am saying this is that I felt very comfortable sitting there and while the times awa...

Whenever  I do not go out and lepak at the mall I would just sit at the Serambi and read a book. It was one of those day. It just 3.55 pm and the sky was cloudy, darker than it usually is at this time of the day. It looks like it may rain. I love the rain. Coming from the East-coast of Malaya, at this time of the year it rains cat and dog for days thus it kept the atmosphere cool. Folks had to wear sweaters to keep warm. I believe the temperature must have gone down since the coconut oil solidified. For me it was a nice time of the year where we get to wear cravat to work. I like wearing cravat and kept a few till these days. Well folks just daydreaming of the memory of my youth in Kuantan, my hometown. Ha ha!  Have a nice day.

I have always love the rain, the sound and the smell of rain always made me happy. I believe it all because I was born and grew up on the east coast of Malaya where it often rains. During the Northeast Monsoon it rains cat and dog for three months from November to January every year. The temperature would go down to below twenty degrees Celsius and at time even the Coconut 0il would solidified. Folks would go to work using umbrella or raincoat.  Now it January and it rain off and on here in Ampang in the state of Selangor on the west coast where we live now. I would sit at the Serambi/Patio of my house and enjoy the rainfall making it noise outside the house. As usual it nostalgic, it brought back memories of my youth living in Kuantan. Today as I sat there with my two cats, Kenet and Tam I watch and feel and smell the rains. I then took my camera and try to snap an image of the rainfalls. Above is that image that I took of the rainfalls. It not easy to get such i...

I have always love flowers thus I tried to plant it in my little garden but as usual it does not last long except for the Bougainvillea, Bauhinia kockiana, Allamanda and some little White which flowers throughout the years. I have both flowers grown at the front of my garage and it does colored the front of my house.  Another flower that I like and could not grow is the Rose. It need a cool weather like in the highland to grow well. When it is brought to the lowland and sold it does not last long, the most is one week if placed in a cool place in the house. Although it has such a short lifespan it does give so much love with its glorious colors and fragrance. I love Roses and from time to time would buy it especially on a special day like birthday or anniversary. The above dry roses are the one which I bought last year. I dried it and have been displayed in the house, still giving so much loves despite it already dried. True as they say that flowers are the keepers of our ...

I have just rearranged the items at the Serambi to give it a new refreshing looks. Here are some of the scene that I took with my cellphone camera. Enjoy it folks.  Have a nice day.