Pak Idrus's Blog

Last evening [ December 29, 2019] I went out to look at  the sky and there in front of me up above is the crescent Moon and below is another bright light like a star. It always there but today it a bit brighter and in line with the crescent moon above it. I then went up the house and took my camera with the telephoto lens. I came  back and snap the picture of the crescent moon and the scene of the moon and that bright star. I then posted on Facebook and was told in comments and on checking other sources on Google that the dot in the sky below the moon is Venus. I am indeed happy to know now that bright Star that I at time saw in the evening sky is the planet Venus or Mars. This time it is indeed Venus. Above are images of the sky that I took at 8.17 pm last night. Have a nice day.

Folks, the year 2019 is special to me for on August 17 this year I was blessed to be in the eight series. Now as an 80 years old Great Grandpa I may continue to share my thoughts with the world through the Social media. Do keep the peace for only with peace and harmony could we prosper together. May the new year 2020 be a blessing to all. Alhamdullilah. Have a nice day.

Solar eclipse is a rare occurrence and this time after 21 years it happens above the sky of Malaysia. It was mid day and cloudy but the sun could be seen behind the clouds and the eclipse was happening. With the old technology camera it would be difficult to take a shot of the solar eclipse as it was not possible to simply point the camera and shoot at the sun, it intense brightness would affect the eyes. Now with new technology shooting the sun is easy. I am using the Mirrorless camera where there is a touch viewing screen to monitor the images. I could see the images of the eclipse on the camera viewing screen and to take the picture I had only to touch the touchscreen to snap the sun. I took many shots and  managed to get a good shot of the eclipse at 1.13 pm today December 26,2019. The camera I am using is the Canon EOS M 5 - on Auto using the configuration of 1/4000 sec. f/20 200 mm - ISO 100. Above is th...

1.  In the seventies I was told to take along a youth leader to attend a Commonwealth conference on Youth in Accra, Ghana. This youth leader had never travel overseas. I help to get his passport and teach him all the ropes about going overseas. Years passed and he became someone important in the government and later became a Dato. A few years ago I was invited to attend a function and I saw him there. He just look away when I notice him. I thought he did not recognised me so I went to him but he refused to engaged in a conversation with me. So I moved away. Later on I found his datoship had been withdrawn by the state that conferred him the title. ... Well life is like that! 2.  This is a story Asmah told me the other day. She had gone to KLCC with the grandkids and I stayed at home. She always use a walking stick. On that day she was trying to get into the Lift to get to the parking lot. Pressed the button and the lift's door open. There is a couple with a kid in the lif...

That morning the sky was clear and I saw the moon. I went in to get my camera with the telephoto lens. I then try to get the best shot of the moon. While focusing on the moon a plane passes by but I was not able to get the image of both the moon and the plane in one shot. Since the place was moving and not to missed to capture the image of the plane I decided to shoot the moving image first and later would do the moon. I then took a few shots of the moving plane and about is a shot that I felt good about it. Thus I am sharing it here for all to see and enjoy, much as I had enjoyed taking it.  Have a nice day.

Good Morning folks. It December 2, 2019 and soon we would be in the year 2020. Last week I went to the KLCC after a month of absence. It was a beautiful day. I decided to take a long stroll at the mall and then went to the level 4 and browse along at the bookstore there. From the window of the bookstore Kinokuniya I took this image of the KLCC park. They have put up a huge Christmas tree  there awaiting the celebration of Christmas this year. Above is an image that I took that morning.  Have a nice day.

Taken on 17.11.19 at 7.43 am Taken on 20.11.19 at 7.40am                                                     Taken on 23.11.19 at 9.20 am For the last half a year the weather have been cloudy, first with the haze and then with the arrival of the Northeast monsoon it rains most of the times and the sky became cloudy too. Thus it was just difficult to get a good shots of the moon, the raising or the setting sun. Anyway on any sunny days I would try to get a good shots of the moon or the sun or any object that I saw. About are some images that I shot which turns out to be good images. I am sharing it here for all the see and enjoy.  Have a nice day.         

Woke up to a beautiful day with bright sunning sun at the kitchen. I have been under the weather for almost a month and beginning to recover now. It starts with a bout of fever and bad throat and felt lousy. Did not have appetite too, thus I have not been blogging. After taking all the medicine I am beginning to heals. Well at this age the healing process takes longer than before. Anyway I felt as healthy now and could go out to enjoy the day. And today it was really nice to see the sun ray passing through the kitchen's windows. It does add colon to the kitchen space. About is the image of the kitchen this beautiful morning.  Have a nice day.

A week ago I decided not to do any posting on Facebook since I thoughts that FB is actually beginning to waste my time and energy. Before that I  have totally stopped using Twitter and Instagram. It has the goodness but once you are hooked then I think one have to take stock of what's good and what's not. So far after more than a week I have survived without FB and I am happy with it. I want to be in control of my personal space and no one or institutions are going to take that away from me. At this age I felt that I should be in control of what I want to do and enjoy doing it. Before FB most of us blog and enjoy writing and sharing our thoughts among bloggers and because of FB most have left blogging but not me. I still blog at least once a week and happy with it. I felt the Social Media has the good in it but one should be in control. These media to me are  sort of a cultural subversion to the society of the world by indirectly trying to introduce new Western norms and va...

There are not many underground pathways in the city of KL. Above is one which connect the Suria KLCC mall to the Avenue K, as well the KLCC LRT station. I like this pathway since it always lively with folks crossing both ways. A colourful area indeed. At the Avenue K side there are the machines and booths to get tickets for the train ride from the KLCC LRT station below this level. At time one get to enjoy Busker performing at entrance of Avenue K. I would watch and take pictures of their performance from time to time and of course do give donation for their entertaining performances. Beautiful indeed.  Have a nice day.

Of late I have been thinking of going back to Kuantan my hometown but so far have not made up my mind as yet when I am going back there. Anyway with the monsoon starting early this year I thought that I may go back some time this month to have the feel of the Monsoon rains. It would really nice to enjoy and relived the time I grew up and enjoy the monsoon rains that happens at the end of every years. It often rain cat and dog for days without stopping and it kept the atmosphere cool when the coconut oil that folks use for cooking would solidified. Some months back I went to Cherating, a tourist spot north of Kuantan where the beach is just like in Bali. There are many hotels and resorts there for folks to enjoy the sea. Above is a scene of a path at one of the resort beside the sea there. Have a nice day.

In those days when we mentioned tourist it had to be the White from Europe or America but today it as different story altogether. Today it the Chinese from the PRC. They came in droves to enjoy themselves with the luxurious life that any country could offer. One of their favourite destination is Malaysia especially to Kuala Lumpur. Above is a scene of the Chinese tourists enjoying themselves at the tourist area of the city, Bukit Bintang.  Have a nice day.

In this posting I want to talk about Flags. I was born in 1939 and grew up during the Japanese occupation of Malaya from 1941 to 1945. So the first flag I saw was the Japanese flag, the white flag with the red circle in the centre. With the return of the British authority the Union Jack was again flown everywhere. With the defeat of the Japanese and the return of the British authority in Malaya the school was reopened. Except for the Japanese school all other schools was closed during the Japanese occupation. In January 1946 I start schooling. I remember my father took me to Sekolah Melayu Teruntun at Jalan Gambut in Kuantan. From the shop-house at Wall Street [now Jalan Mahkota] where we live we walk across the Padang, then follow the path across the grassland behind the Kuantan District Office to the school. The school is across the road with a few Pokok Kelapa Bali planted in front near the roadside. Kelapa Bali is what the Oil Palm is now known. It was at the school tha...

Thanks to the kind thought of Anuj Agarwal, the founder of Feedspot, my Blog Posting in now among the top 40 of Blog in Malaysia.. URL   https://blog.feedspot.com/ malaysia_lifestyle_blogs/   Have a nice day.

Street Photography; Advertising at Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. The images on that cube screen changes fast and this is a split-second take at that moment in time. That advertising cube has been part of the Bukit Bintang scenario. Indeed a wonderful way to advertise and I am enjoying it.  Have a nice day.

The year 1948 and I was just 9 years old. This is a story that is still vivid in my mind. The happening was in my hometown of Kuantan. One morning my father took me to a building call the Malay club. I remember a small wooden building varnished black about 400 Sq feet in size. The building is situated in an area between the old MPK Building and the present Masjid Negeri. Holding my hand my father took me into the building where I saw many people talking together. I actuall y did not know what was this gathering of so many people including my father is all about. Then I heard the word Merdeka said by someone in the crowd. At that moment I did not know what the word Merdeka meant. Never heard it in school or anywhere else. Anyhow that word stick to my mind and It was only at the Kuantan padang on the morning of 31st August 1957 where as a Boy Scout I took part in the gathering at the padang, where the Union Jack was lowered down and the new Malayan Flag was flown for the first time. I...

One my last visit two weeks ago to the Bukit Bintang area of the city I saw many changes. I believed I had not been there for almost a year. Most of the buildings in  the area had either been upgraded or renovated with a a new front befitting the looks of a tourists destination in Kuala Lumpur. Above is an image on one side of the road. Enjoy it folks much as I  had enjoyed snapping pictures of the area.  Have a nice day.

The night of October 5, 2019 I had a lucid dream or sort of an astral trip. It cannot be a just a dream since even at this time at 6.56pm October 6, 2019 some twenty four hours later I still could remember vividly what happens during that trip. Had it been a dream I would not be able to remember of what happened in that dream a few minutes after I woke up. This is what happens in that beautiful dream... I just got a new Sport Car, an off white BMW, a flashy car. As I was about to get into the car an elderly man [deceased] the father of my friend Halim want to have a look at the boot of the the car. I open it not by a Remote Control but just by my thought. He saw the exclusive boot space, happy and then left. I closed the boot, got into the car and start driving it. I felt real good with the luxurious interior space and the comfort of the driver's bucket seat. As I was about to move on another car stop by and a gorgeous woman came out, on seeing my car looks at me and smile. I sm...

I had to get a Decoder for one of my TV, so I went to the Low Yat Plaza at Bukit Bintang to get it. I got there by the E-hailing taxi MyCar. It was a pleasant ride which cost me just below MR10.00. Got there in good time and went to the Food Court to get some bites. After getting the Decoder I went to take a walk along Jalan Bukit Bintang heading toward the Pavilion. I was surprised to see that whole area had been sprue up and the place looks different that before, since I went there a year ago. Bukit Bintang is already throng with tourists going both ways. I took it easy and just walk at my pace. At the same time with my Canon EOS M10 I took as much images of the changing scenes along the way. The haze is still there but not that bad so it was alright to take some good images along the way. I felt real good walking and at one point I managed to get a tourist to snap a picture of me standing at the MRT station there. Since I was the one taking snaps most of the times I am always n...

We have a small Flat TV hanging on the wall at the kitchen. It has been a permanent feature in the kitchen. The TV is on all the times when my spouse is in the kitchen, sort of a 'kawan' to her while she is there doing the cooking. As usual this morning October 1,2019 she switch on the TV there but there was no programs displayed on any channels except a notice saying that it now need sort of a decoder or a VHF aerial to be able to function as usual. There has been warning from the relevant authority about the change from Analog to Digital but I thought that TV could just pick up the signal as usual since its already connected to a VHF aerial. This TV is on its own and not connected like the other two TVs in the house that use Astro decoder. It looks like I had to get the decoder or a new TV for the Kitchen. So this morning I took an e-hailing taxi to Low Yat Plaza in the city, a mall that got everything on computer and related products. On arrival at the mall I had breakfas...

I was in Pekan, the royal town of Pahang a few years ago. While there I visited the many museums there. I was impressed with the way the state authority had upgraded the old palace and a mosque into museums. I have blog about the museums that I had visited and today I am posting the image of  the landscape of the surrounding area near the Sultan Abdullah mosque , now a museum, that had been professionally done.  Have a nice day.

The 17th August 2019 was my 80th birthday and we had a small family celebration at our eldest daughter's house on that day over lunch and Birthday cake. And then over a weeks later our daughter suggested that we all go to Kuantan, my hometown to have an extended Birthday celebration. I was delighted with the idea; now I get to celebrate my eightieth birthday in my hometown where I was born and bred eighty years ago. So they planned we would leave for Kuantan on August 30, 2019 just a day before the 62th Independence day for Malaysia which is August 31, 2019. So just before noon on the Saturday August 30 my spouse and I leave for Kuantan in the Honda with our youngest daughter driving. The weather was good and we stopped at the Petronas Station before Bentong to have brunch. After a hearty brunch of Nasi Lemak we left for Kuantan and arrived just before three in the afternoon and straight away got to the Hyatt Hotel at Teluk Cempedak.The other members of the family are coming on ...

I bought this classic lamp at Ikea some years back and hang it at my little garden under the translucent roof. Everyone who saw it always ask where did I get it and that always starts a conversation on things of the work of arts. Just think how much works had been done to create this masterpiece in aluminiu. Of course it started with an idea but idea would be just be ideas unless more input are put to realise it into a consumer product like that lamp; well the discussion among us who love the work of art would continue on and on thus add to our knowledge of things of beauty like that lamp above.   Last month it did not light up as usual when switch on. I decided to find out why it kaput so I took it down and found it got corroded by rain water that drip onto it over times. I decided to do the repair myself. I dismantled the whole set, got it clean and try putting it back with a new cable set with bulb holder. a spare I happens to have in store. Since...

This is a campaign to get the Muslim majority in this country to buy goods and services made or provides by the Muslim. It is not an official project but rather a people's project; the Malay Muslim of the country. There are some 22 millions Muslim in Malaysia thus their purchasing power is very strong indeed. It not a boycott of others business but is purely a way to help the Bumiputra who are mostly Muslim to benefit from the expanding of the economic cake of the country. After 62 years of independence it time the Malay and other Bumiputra take care of themselves especially in Business.  Have a nice day.

Above is a scene of new trees been planted along Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur. A way of greening the city. Thus keeping the city dwellers cool while walking on the pavement.  Have a nice day.

Last years Honda Malaysia recall all Honda Accord to replaced the faulty Airbags. I got a letter from Honda Malaysia to make arrangement to get the faulty Airbags replaced. After making the arrangement to get it done within weeks of getting the letter, I got both the Airbags for the front seat replaced at one of the Honda Workshop in Ulu Kelang. Then two weeks ago Honda Malaysia send me a registered letter saying they wanted to replaced the Airbag on the driver side of my Honda Accord again. Thus for my car this is the second time the Airbag of the driver side need be replaced. And last Saturday August 24, 2019 instead of asking the car to be taken for replacement of the faulty Airbag to the Workshop Honda Malaysia say that  their service people would come over to the house instead to replaced the faulty Airbag.. On the afternoon of that Saturday their people came over to the house and got it replaced. It was done is just five minu...

I was born in Kuantan in the state of Pahang on August 17, 1939, a period during the colonial era. Thus this Saturday August 17, 2019  I am 80 years old. The kids had arranged a Birthday Party at our eldest daughter's house nearby. So we all gather there during lunch time; surrounded with the loved one who are around that day and had sort of a family celebration with Birthday cake and the special Nasi Kunyit [Yellow Glutinous Rice] that I had requested my spouse to make for this special occasion. In those days Nasi Kunyit is always cook and served at a special occasion. It a tradition that we have had for thousands of years. So it was only appropriate that I had this done when I reach my eightieth birthday. Above is a  photo of my wife and me on that auspicious day at our daughter's house. A wonderful moment in my life indeed.  Have a nice day.

I love photographing the Moon. It a passion of mine since I got the Mirrorless Canon EOS M5 and the 200 mm lens. So from time to time when the sky is clear and the moon is bright I would just get outside the house and snap it in various shape as it move across the night sky day by day. For days the night sky have been covered with haze thus it just too difficult to get a good image of he moon. Anyhow I would try my best to get that window of opportunity, the seconds the sky is clear and the moon shows up I just snap it and happy with the result. Like tonight I went outside the house and saw the moon but the sky was hazy. It was just past 9.00 pm. I waited and managed to get a good shot of the moon as shown here. It does made me happy and I hope the visitors to my blog are happy too.  Have a nice day

I was in Kuantan last week. It sort of a Balik Kampong [return to hometown] retreat for me. Kuantan being my hometown I always go back there to relived my childhood as well the days of my youth. On the second day of my stay there which was a Saturday I decided to go to the nearest mosque to perform my Magrib prayer. After the Magrib prayer at the Masjid Negeri in Kuantan as I walk outside the mosque I saw this crescent moon in the night sky. I did not have my camera with me at that time so did not take any picture. Later on just before having dinner in town I again saw the moon. This time I use my Smartphone camera and snap the above image and sharing it here. Mashallah!.  Have a nice day.

While making a stopover for lunch at the beach of the Andaman Sea in South Thailand two years ago I saw this Squirrel running up and down the tree nearby. With my camera I took a numbers of shots of the active creature as it move up and down the tree. Here is an image of that Squirrel with a mouthful of a nut for its lunch. Interesting indeed.  Have a nice day. 

It Saturday, the weather is beautiful. After doing the morning ritual like feeding the Cats, the Fish in the pond and putting fresh foods at the Birdfeeder at the Serambi I decided to Lepak at KLCC. My spouse did not want to come along. She say just get a takeaway of Biayni for her. I drove the Honda and got to the mall in good times. Had a simple lunch of Mee Mamak at the RASA food court and then after browsing at Kinokuniya bought a book by John Grisham. Went upstairs to the Coffee Club and sat down to enjoy the coffee with a snack. Well that's life... Have a nice day.

The  escalators at NU Sentral, Kuala Lumpur.

Last year a female alley cat came over to the house and became friendly. I shoo it off but it kept coming and slept on the chair at the Serambi [patio]. After a few weeks of doing that I found the cat was trying to find a more comfortable place to sleep. My experience with cat say that this cat is trying a safe place to give birth. I then took out a basket and laid it with old newspaper and put it under a low lying table at the Serambi. Sure enough that night she slept in that basket and later on give birth to four beautiful kitten. To help her raised the kitten we took all the kittens and the mother cat and put all in a bigger cage at the back of the house. We already have three cats so we do not want to have more. My spouse and the grandkids help to feed the kittens. Later on we decided to spay the mother cat so that she would not continue to have kittens. At the same time as the kitten grows and could eat solid food we decided to get folks to adopt it. We put up notice on Facebook ...

This morning went to do marketing at the Datuk Keramat Wet Market. Got ready early and wait for the driver (eldest daughter's family driver) to come at 8.30am. I no longer drive to the market, moreover I need a helping hand at the market. All the vendor's there are friends since I have been going there for some forty  years. So it was easy, just tell them what I wanted without haggling on prices. So today I boughts Crabs, Sotong[Cuttle Fish], Udang[Prawn] and fishes as well Ikan Bilis[Dried Anchovies] now at RM8 0.00 per kilo. Ikan Bilis used to be a poor folks dried fish, now it a luxury item. Got some fresh Veges which includes Chilly Merah which today is RM26.00 a kilo. I was looking for Udang Galah and Ikan Tamban Beluru but none was seen. I have not eaten Tamban Beluru for years already. One of the tastiest fish, Goreng or Singgang. Even in Kuantan it difficult to get this fish. Well folks and for lunch today we had the Crab Curry as seeing above. Delicious ind...

1- Today Sunday the kitchen closed. Leftovers dah habis so my spouse suggest that just cook rice and buy the Lauk. With confidence I drove to Ampang Point and park the car in front of the Kampong Thai restaurant and found the shop closed. Then drive on and saw a new Chinese Muslim restaurant, parked the car and as I walk I saw a notice Not open. I then drive back to the Mokcik warong at Jalan 1 Ampang Jaya that sell Thai food and found that too is closed. I call my spouse and she s uggest try another Thai restaurant at the back. I move on and park my car and got out, on seeing me one of the worker say it not open until 12.00 noon. At that time it was 11.30 am and I ask whether I could order a takeaway. The worker say they only take order at 12 and not now. I then drive home. My spouse say just buy the usual at McDonald's. I drove to the McDonald's drive in and bought 2 set of Filet of Fish, the only food that we could take from that fast-food. That folks is the the story of ou...

I have always love driving, it actually has became an extension of myself; a passion indeed. From my first car the Fiat 600 that I bought in 1967 and to the last car a Honda Accord that I bought after my retirement from the government service in 1990  I have always love driving.  That Honda Accord is now 14 years old and hardly use. The above image shows the speedometer of the car now only at 090399 kilometres. As we all know pretty well cars price in Malaysia depreciated at RM10 thousands a year. I bought it at RM140 thousands new in 2005. It a good car, the top range of the Honda's and it a pleasure to drive. The furthest I drive now is to the KLCC which is just 6 kilometres away from home. Last week on the way to Kuantan I could only drive as far as Bentong. The rest of the journey my daughter Lin took over the wheel with me sitting behind like a boss and enjoying the trip. Life is like that in the golden years.  Have a nice da...

Last Monday June 24 we went to Kuantan for a short retreat at my hometown. The next day I decided to go to the beach to do some photography of the rising sun, a sort of a ritual whenever I am in Kuantan. I went early to the Teluk Cempedak beach on the morning of June 25, 2019 to wait for the sunrise. Being a weekdays there were not that many people at the beach. The weather was good but at the horizon there was cloudy making it difficult to see the rising sun. While taking some photos my nephew took this image of me; the Photo of the Photographer which is quite rare.  Have a nice day.

Some locks are not often use, it just use only from time to time. I found that in my house the locks to the bathrooms are the most frequent used thus the wear and tear are more than the other locks. At time because of the many usages it got jammed and one had to go and look for the keys to open it. So as not to get locked in by one's bathroom it is always wise to check whether the lock need replacement. My spouse told me that one of our bathroom's door got jammed from inside and it take awhile for her to open it. I told her that it looks like I had to get both the locks of the two bathrooms replaced. So last week I went and bought two sets of a new one. Since I could easily fixed it I decided to do it  myself. I decided to start working on the bathroom door of the main bedroom first.  It took awhile to fixed one door because I have not done it for some times, since replacing a door lock doesn't happen always. Anyway with the try and error I got it don...

Today is the 13th day of Syawal and I believe most of us have got over the Rendang and Ketupat overdosed and now back to square one of enjoying our regular meals before the ritual of the Hari Raya Open House starts this weekend. Yesterday being a Sunday we went out and had lunch at Madam Kwan in KLCC. It was indeed one sumptuous meal we have had since after Ramadan. With the Hari Raya Open House everywhere the roads would be jammed with cars of all made, parked in the neighbourhood like an outlets of secondhand car dealers. Then everyone would be overdosed again before the country is back to normal come July!  That folks is the lifestyle of Malaysian; Makan, Makan and Makan! Beautiful indeed!  Have a nice day.

Some years back I planted a Coconut Palm in front of my house in Ampang Jaya. It has since grow tall and bare fruits. I have collected many young coconuts to get its sweet water as well the flesh of the coconut. It does made a nutritious cool drinks. The above image shows a branch broke down which lead to the young coconuts dried. I took a picture of it and sharing it here for all to enjoy.  Have a nice day.

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.