Pak Idrus's Blog

These two shots was taken on the eves of the 31st of December 2020. The Petronas twin Towers as seen from Ampang Jaya. The sky was rather cloudy thus the image of the full moon behind the cloud. Taken with the Canon EOS M5 using the 200 mm lens. Enjoy it folks much as I had enjoyed taking it.  Have a nice day.

To help the economy bounce back we decide to do our part by spending. It the little thing we the ordinary folks could do, for spending and the multipliers effect could in a small way create jobs for the population. The Covid19 pendemic has somewhat reduce employment among the youth of the country and that includes the hospitality industries. So we decided to go for a holiday, this time to Penang. Last Thursday with daughter Lin driving the Accord we left KL at 7.30am to avoid the rain as well the traffic jam. We just stop at a few rest areas and had refreshments in the car only to avoid delay in getting to the island. At 4.30pm we were already on the new bridge heading for Bayan Lepas where our second granddaughter live. It was a smooth ride to her condo near the Health clinic where she works. We had lunch and took a good rest before proceeding to our hotel at Batu Peringgi. We arrived at the hotel just before 3pm and noticed the reception are crowded with tourists. We took...

I have tried to post video from the Blogger platform on the Smartphone but was not possible because there are no interface or tools to do so. So far I could only post photos and not video. I am bogginng this post both from the cellphone and the laptop. The old interface are gone on the laptop and only a few tools are now availble to do the posting.  BTW all my recent posting are done from the cellphone. I took this video using the cellphone and had to tranfer the above image to the laptop before I gould upload it here. Anyway here it goes.   I love to see little animals like squirrel and birds in my little garden. To attract them to come and go freely I hang a bird feeder and every morning I would put foods like bread and fruits to feed on.  Normally squirrel and the Merbau birds would come to feed but this morning I was happy to see many small birds starts to patronise my little garden. As can be seen in  these video that I took this morning these little birds...

Yes colour play a very important part of our food for it is because of a beautiful presentation that we get attracted to food. Remember we taste food first with our eyes, then with our nose. Only after that we taste it with our mouth. Had the presentation is dull we may just skipped it and move on to the next dish. Once both our senses gives us a positive input only then we put that food into our mouth. That is why foods comes in a multitude of colours. The plants want us to look at it and enjoy. Even if we did not eat it at least would have enjoyed the plants. That is how nature provides us human with the choice in life which includes the food that sustained our lives. Alhamdulillah.  The above combinations are Nenek's choice in the preparation of her dish today; it may go into the Cicit's soup or Rice porridge for the adults in the family. At the same times she is enjoying the ritual of cooking and that colours add to her enjoyment. Well folks good cooking is t...

5.12 2020 is one bright morning. It the 19th day of the Hijrah month of  Rabuilakhir 1442. I went out and look at the sky and saw the moon up above. Such a beautiful sight to watch and wonder the heaven. I am sort of fascinated with the moon from an early age. My grandmother says that we must respect the moon and not to point a finger to the moon. She say that there is a Nenek Kebayan on the  moon and we kids believe it for we consider Nenek is a wise person. As I grow up and have my own camera to shoot the moon my fascination with the moon continue.  Now with the Mirrorless camera and the 200mm lens I could easily get a good image of the moon whenever it appears in the night sky or in the morning.  Because of the monsoon season  the sky is hardly clear so for months I did not get to watch the moon. And today I saw it in front of my house. I took my EOS Mirrorless M5 and with the 200mm lens took several shots and sharing it here for every...

Dah bulan Disember 2020. Hari in ialah satu haribulan. Dengan secawan Teh Tarek saya duduk diserambi dan menulis ini. Nenek kat dapur seperti biasa memasak. Kesukaan dia, satu ritual setiap hari. Atas nasihat anak anak pada masa in dia hanya memasak empat hari je dalam seminggu. Hari Jumaat hingga ke Ahad dia tidak memasak. Kita berdua makan apa yang ada atau beli lauk dari warong atau makanan siap kat Fastfood yang berdekatan.  Semalam kami dikejutkan oleh kembalinya kerahmatullah saorang kawan rapat anak sulong dan menantu. Kita datang dan kita pergi, begitulah hukum alam. Alfatihah.   Sebagai saorang tua saya bersyukor telah dikurniakan dengan kesihatan yang baik dan sentiasa dikeliling dengan kegembiraan sepanjang masa dengan anak cucu cicit dan menantu. Satusatunya nikmat yang dikurniakan ilahi. Alhamdulillah. Begitulah ada nya.  Ceria selalu.   

Cengal is the hardest tropical wood in the Malayan forest. In most traditional Malay house the Cengal timber are use for the main structure that are subjected to the elements. Other hard wood like Resah are use as well. For interior Meranti are use. Cengal timber would outlasted the lifetime and could be use again and again for hundreds of years. The above image is that of the fence of my patio that are subjected to the elements of the tropical weather; the harsh rains and the hot and humid weather throughout the years.  I got.these fence done by craftsman from Petani who brought the timber too. They were doing the Cengal flooring at our  eldest daughter's house and I took the opportunity to get them do the fence at my house. I dream of living in a traditional Malay house so I did some renovations to my terres house in Ampang Jaya by adding some aspects of tradition like the Serambi as well. Here I  did the works myself. Since its  not subjected to the el...

My iPad that was a gift by my eldest daughter 9 years ago on my 72th Birthday have been gathering dust. With the smartphone I hardly use it. So with the help of my youngest daughter Lin I have turn it into  a Digital Koran. I have tried to download that Koran's site to my Kindle but to no avail. Anyway on the iPad it is as good. Now I could read the Koran easily any time and anywhere. Alhamdulillah.  Have a nice day.

Pada pagi hari Khamis saya pergi ke supermarket di Ampang Point untuk membeli sedikit keperluan dapur. Di tempat menjual Ikan saya ternampak Ikan Patin yang segar. Tampa berfikir panjang saya memelih saekor dan meminta pekerja disitu membersihkannya. Saya jarang membeli ikan disini, selalu membeli Ikan dipasar Datuk Keramat. Satelah selesai dibersih saya membawa pulang dan memberi tahu NekNyang yang ketika itu sedang memasak, saya ada membeli Ikan Patin. Pada keesokan hari, hari Jumaat dia telah gulaikan Ikan Patin itu dengan Tempoyak, cara yang lazim dibuat untuk Ikan ini. Jadi tengah hari semalam saya makan Nasi dengan gulai ini saja dengan sedikit Sambal Belacan. Memang kebiasaan saya setiap kali saya makan saya hanya memilih satu lauk saja untuk dimakan dengan Nasi. Bagi saya ada satu lauk dan sambal Belacan atau Budu sudah cukup bagi saya. Tampa menoleh kiri kanan saya menjamu selera saya dengan kelazatan gulai Patin itu. Kata orang sekarang Terangkat!  Selesai makan saya beri...

One of my hobby is photography and the above photo was taken on this gorgeous Friday morning (13.11.2020) in front of my house, part of my little garden. And this is that of the flows of light through the kitchen window, Nenek's special space. Flowers as they say are the keepers of our joys. Indeed. Enjoy the weekend folks. Have a nice day.

Sudah lama tidak merasai Halwa Maskat. Sangat sukar untuk dapat dibeli dipasaran pada masa ini. Puas dicari tetapi yang dapat tidaklah sesedap yang dibuat sendiri. Ini kerana bukan senang hendak membuatnya. Pertama hanya boleh dibuat dengan mengunakan Periok atau Belanga Tembaga. Belanga tredisi ini masih dibuat di Terengganu dan boleh dapat dibeli di Pasar Payang di Kuala Terengganu. Mengodel dan mengacawnya tampa berhenti mengambil masa tidak kurang dari tiga jam. Oleh itu hanya dengan menguna Belanga Tembaga yang tebal ini sajalah dapat menjamin juadah tredisi ini betul betul menjadi. Seminggu sudah NekNyang siapkan bahan bahan nya dan pada pagi Sabtu 7.11.20 ini bersama dengan anak dan cucu telah dapat dibuatnya. Alhamdulillah. Memang sedap. Recipe nya adalah turunmenurun dari Ayah saya yang membuat juadah ini sebagai makanan istimewa dihidang dan dijual direstaurannya di Kuantan pada setiap bulan Ramadan. Nasib baiklah isteri saya Asmah pada masa itu berumor dalam leng...

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...

Kau menjelema dalam mimpi ku. Kita dalam satu kumpulan menuju kearah tempat penginapan. Tiba tiba kita berpisah dari kumpulan dan tinggal berdua. Kau berpakaian putih dan masih cantik dan mesra seperti dulu dulu. Kau memegang tangan ku dan kita berjalan dicelah celah pohon pokok hijau menuju kearah jalan besar. Kita bepeluk mesra dan bercerita sambil berjalan menaiki bukit dan sampai ke jalan raya. Ku dapat merasai kemeseraan kau seperti dulu dulu, kita terus berbual dengan kata kata mesra. Kita sunggoh riang ria ketika itu sambil berpeluk mesra menuju ke tempat yang ditujui. Ku sunggoh gembira ketika itu. Tak ku sangka kita dapat bertemu semula satelah kita berpisah sekian lama. Tiba tiba terjaga dari tidur dengan peristiwa pertemuan kita masih jelas dalam ingatan. Jam ditepi katil ku menunjuk waktu 3.45 pagi. Lantas ku mengucap Alhamdulillah. Ku bangun dan mengambil Air Sembayang dan melakukan Solat sunat. Lalu berdoa kesyukoran kepada illahi. Ketika saat itu terfikir apa...

1hb Nobember 2020. Pagi tadi hujan lebat. Nikmat alam di hari Ahad yang mulai ini. Bumi basah and suasana menjadi dingin. Nenek tak payah lah siram pokok pokok di kebun kecil nenek dibelakang rumah. Ruang kecil sekangkang kera menjadi tempat Nenek bercucuk tanam sayuran dan herba untuk kegunaan sendiri. Begitulah dia melunangkan masa diwaktu pagi. Didepan Serambi berbumbong atap yang tulus cahaya ada tanaman tumbuhan hijau, kebun bungalah dikatakan, tampa bunga. Kehijauaan sepanjang masa. Diluar, didepan rumah ada tanaman yang sentiasa berbunga termasuk Kenanga yang sentiasa berbunga dengan bau yang sunggoh harum nyaman. Pokok Bunga Kertas dengan belbagai warna sentiasa berbunga, mengindahkan lagi laman didepan rumah. Bahagian in Atuk yang menguruskan. Memang menjadi kesukaan saya meluangkan masa setiap pagi disini. Kadang kadang lalai berjam jam. Disatu sudut dicelah tumbuhan hijau dibawah bumbong ada kolam ikan yang kecil serta air terjun. Kedau dua ini mengeluarkan bunyi...

This morning I decide to drive to KLCC to get some items that could be got only there. I have not driven the Accord to KLCC for some  times already. The furthest I drive nowadays is to Ampang Point, a mall that is just one and half kilometres away. KLCC is ten kilometers right to the parking lots. To and fro it twenty kilometers. An easy drive from my home in Ampang Jaya using the Ahlek elevated highway. Just before ten in the morning I left the house and got there before ten. Parked my car at level three and went into the mall after going through the Covid19 ritual of unsing the MySejahtera App. There were not many people at this early hour. Straight away I walk to M & S and got a few packages of our favourite biscuits. Then went to Kinokuniya to looks for books. I left kino without getting any book and took the escalator down to the Isetan supermarket and bought two whole roasted Black pepper chicken that my spouse had suggested that I buy. I then got to my car an...

Cat have been around since I could remember. It has always been part of the family. I just could not remember the numbers of cats that have been iiving with us all those years. Anyway our life have been like that alway with one or more cat at our home. Just until a few months ago we had two cats that live at the Serambi but are allows to come into the house from time to time. They are Tam and Kenet. Tam died a few months ago and now we just have Kenet that I raised from a little kitten. We also have an indoor cat, a British Short hair who live in the house only. We call him Boiboy. He is Nenek's favourite. Anyway to us cats do gives so much loves and sort of a good therapeutic relationship for us human and animals. I noticed that Kenet love to sit by the sejadah during solat time. It been sort of a ritual to him. Well folks life is like that and I am enjoying it. Have a nice day.

In the early days of photography the only way one can immortalized one's image is to get it done at the Photo studio. Before that through paintings or sculptures and it never reach to anyone in the society. Only photography allows everyone to get a photo of oneself. Now anyone with the Smartphone could photographed anything he or she wishes and kept that images in the computer or in the Clouds. The question here is it save, what with the ever changing technology. Remember all the images stored in the floppy disk and disket can no longer be retrieved and I believed even the VCD and the DVD would be obsolete soon. So if you had not turn all the images or at least a few into hard copy you are going for a  shocked!  With the ever changing technology you would no longer be able to see those memories of yours. Recently my eldest granddaughter phone caput and she lost all the photos of her first child. She cried! Lucky for her the others in the family kept some images of ...

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...

Daughter Lin had a job to do in Kuantan. Nenek ask me 'na gi ke'. Pucuk dicita ulam mendatang. Sure I want to go to Kuantan, my home town. Since I retires I always try to balik kampong once in two or three months and stay for a few days. If Nenek did not want to come along it was OK with me. I would get my eldest daughter's driver to send me and I would stay at the usual hotel which I call my home in Kuantan but now as I ages I can no longer go alone anywhere. This time with Nenek going too I decided to follow. We arrived yesterday and are staying at the Kuantan Hyatt at Teluk Cempedak. Teluk Cempedak used to be my playground during my childhood where we as Boy scout would go camping on weekends. The sea and the beach soon became part of my DNA...  I soon felt in love with the sea, the beach and the surrounding natures. From thence onward the call of the sea is always there. I am most happy whenever I get connected with the sea especially at Teluk Cempedak. So h...

Good Morning, it a gorgeous Saturday, the last weekend in September 2020. There is an election going on in the state of Sabah on the island of Borneo. Hope it went well and we see a new state government that could provides good governance to the rakyat there. For today I would like to share my thoughts on the role of the Social media in our lives. I always love technology and decides to use it the best I could. After I retired from the government service in 1990 I tried to find a way to share my thoughts using the new found means, the Internet. After experimenting a few ways I found blogging. It a platform to write and share one's thoughts in a blog. Even the word blog is new, so in 2003 I tried using Blogger.com to share my thoughts. At that juncture of my life after retirement what else could I do except to share my thoughts and voila I found a way in blogging. At that time one had to pay a small fee to use the Blogger platform, so I join in and start blogging. To ins...

The weather has been unpredictable. All of a sudden it may rains. It pours for hours and stop. Now at past 2pm it cloudy. Nice to sit at the Serambi to while the time away with a hot Kopi O. Yesterday I got some Ubi Kayu or Tapioca and now enjoying it the traditional way with finely  graded coconut slightly sweeten. I love to enjoy it that way. Not always but a once a while affair getting in touch with the past. During the Japanese occupation of Malaya from 1941 to 1945 it was the staple foods for most folks since rice was almost nonexistent. Because of having too much tapioca there were malnutrition among the population which led to deceases including Scavy.  I was born in 1939 so it was the period I grew up, watching the Japanese flags flown everywhere. Our family had rice all throughout the occupation because my father run a Kedai Nasi and could get the supply of rice. I start school in 1946 after the war. As usual at that time the Malay went to the Malay school...

The happening was yesterday. In the morning I went to Ampang Point to get some grocery and later went to have Roti Canai and Teh Tarek at a Mamak Restaurant that I frequent. While there I was told by the friendly cashier that  a young girl had been seen sleeping at the outdoor rest area nearby provided by the local council for food truck to served their customers.  And that he had given free food to her. Since he knew I help the needy who come here he suggest that I see that girl. I went and just say a few words to her. She look decent, a Malay teenager probably left her home after SPM. I did not want to probe further at this juncture and instead told her to 'Jaga diri'. After seeing her had some food I then discussed with the cashier and left. According to my friend the cashier he notice she had been there for some times already. Well in the city of KL and it's suburbs it quite normal to see homeless around. In and around KL there are many NGOs providing servic...

The Serambi is my favourite place in the house. It is here that I spend most of my times in the morning and afternoon and at time till late evening. On one corner I now have an old radio playing old and traditional music and songs all the times, for I love to listen to music and song when whiling the time reading or just surfing the Net. Most of the time the Serambi is a  nice place to sit with just the fan to give the place a pleasant environment to while the time in the tropical weather. Kenet my cat is always around to accompany me, at time sitting on my lap and at time on the Kopitiam table nearby. It really nice. I do most of my reading here and enjoy virtualising 'travelling along' as narrated in the story. It takes me everywhere while been to nowhere. That folks is what reading is all about. Interesting eh!. I always sit on the IKEA'S chair that I bought years ago. It really comfortable. Whenever I am not there my cat Kenet would take over to sleep. At ti...

It was a cool Sunday. The heavy rains that had poured the Kelang valley for the last few weeks had brought Flash floods and at the same time kept the atmosphere cool. After a brunch of Nasi lemak with Kerang I sat down at the Serambi to enjoy my coffee and while the time away. It has been a long time not having the usual Nasi Lemak from the Mokcik stall nearby. I no long could stand on line especially on a Sunday to que to buy the delicious favourite Nasi lemak. Age has caught up and I just could not stand on line at time for 40 minutes to get to buy two bungkus of Nasi lemak, one for NekNyang and one for me. Nenek like the Biasa one with the sambal put in a separate container and mine always with Kerang and the sambal thrown in. It has been for months and Asmah had quipped yesterday 'tak beli Nasi Lemak'  since I was out to take the laundry near the stall yesterday. I just answer Tak. In actual fact I had wanted to buy but simply could not stand in line to buy. At ...

It was a gorgeous morning. The sky was blue. Suddenly I saw a plane passes by up above leaving  a trail of clouds as it move on toward it's destination, perhaps Kota Bharu in Kelantan. I decides to take a picture of it as it move. Had I go and get my camera it may not be there any longer so I decided to take a snap using my cellphone.  By the time I got to taking a few shots it has moved further. Anyway I managed to capture a good image of that passing jetliner. Had I wait and lost a second that plane would have gone further and would not be possible to take a photo, what with the cellphone! Anyway luck was on my side and I managed to take a relatively good photography of that passing jet. Happy I edited the image and sharing it here for all to enjoy.  Have a nice day.

Woke up to a beautiful day. I went out and saw a clear light blue sky up above with some clouds. I look and then saw the Moon. I then took my new camera, a Fujifilm xt100, fixed with a telephoto lens 50-230 and took a few shots of the moon. I am learning using t he new camera and happy that I could managed it with ease. At this age it takes time to understand the working of a new gadget. Anyhow I got the feel of it and managed to get a few good shots of the moon. Above is the Moon taken this morning. Enjoy it folks much as I had enjoyed taking it.   Have a nice day.

Today Malaysia Celebrates 63 years of Merdeka. Due to the Covid 19  pandemic and the MCO the anniversary celebration was held according to the New Norm. As a sovereign and peaceful country Malaysia has succeeded in all development efforts and is now one of the most developed countries in the region. On 31.8.1957 the day Malaya was declared as an independence country ( Merdeka) dressed in the Scout uniforms I was presence at the Padang in Kuantan, the capital city and of the state of Pahang where the British flag the Union Jack flag was lowered and the Malayan flag the Jalur Gemilang was raised. At that time I was eighteen years old. My date of birth was 17.8.1939 and  I grew up during the British colonial era and the Japanese Occupation from 1941 to 1945. I start schooling in 1946 after the country returned to peace. In 1957 I graduated from high school after taking the Form V examination. I am very proud that my country Malaysia has continued to succeed and prospe...

Since the MCO because of Covid 19 pandemic we have not gone out since the month of March 2020. Now that the MCO had been relaxed we decided to go the the Dome at KLCC to have dinner. Since I no longer drive in the evening to the city daughter drive the Accord. We left and got caught with evening traffic. It took us almost an hour to get to KLCC which is just 10 kilometres away from our place. We take our time and got to the Dome restaurant on the ground floor. We soon found that the Dome had move to a new location to a  better space with a totally new ambiance.  Nice!  We got ourselves a comfortable table for three and placed our orders with the friendly waiter who had ushered us in. While waiting for our foods we chats and notices that more folks are walking in for dinner too. Then our foods arrived. Without much a do we dug in and enjoyed the sumspous meals.. After dinner I had Coffee and it does rejuvenate me. After paying the bill we head to the M & S ...

Yesterday 17th August 2020 was my 81st birthday. I Was born on 17.8.1939 in Kuantan, in the state of Pahang. At that time Kuantan boast of having an international Port on the east coast of Malaya. Ships from China and Australia  ply this port. I grew up when the country was occupied by the Japanese that rule the country from 1941 to 1945.  In 1946 I starts schooling at the Malay school there. Kuantan been a coastal township is near to the pristine beaches thus I was expose to the sea at an early age. I soon felt in love with the sea and the nature surrounding in. Spend my childhood swimming and camping  near the beach of Teluk Cempedak was a norm. Soon going to the beach and enjoying the sea became an extension of myself. Till these days I would find the time to enjoy the sea. Alhamdulillah I have been blessed to be as healthy to enjoy life as it goes.  Have a nice day.

A new color scheme for my garage. From an idea in my head to starting this project it takes me a week and I am happy with the outcome so far. More to come before I complete the whole color scheme of the whole space of my garage.  I am am still thinking.  Have a nice day.

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.

As I had said in my earlier posting on the function of the EFM  11-22 lens it could do Macro too. So I tried and found it to be one easy shot to take. Above is a shot that I  took a few days ago in my little garden. I edited it and voila it turned out to be one good image.   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. 

It was past seven in the morning. I decided to walk to the beach. It was drizzling and I was alone. I walk to the beach up to where the waves pound the beach. It was a great feeling to get my feet wet as the waves bashed the shore of the wet sand where I was standing. I have been to this beach thousands  of times before, from my childhood time up to this very moment. I  always felt good to be here and get connected again with my root at this beach of Teluk Cempedak which I referred to as my beach. This time we stayed for three nights at the Hyatt hotel fronting the gorgeous beach. This image of me was taken at 7.33 am on 8.7.2020. Standing there does made my day.  Have a nice day.

I was at the balcony of the Hyatt hotel at the Teluk Cempedak beach in Kuantan.  It was evening and turning left I saw the sun ray in between the pillars. It was going down. I then took a few shots with my cellphone and below is an image of the sunset. A magnificent view indeed. Have a nice day.

We decided to take a break at Kuantan, my hometown. With daughter Lin driving the Accord I just sat behind and enjoy the trip. My spouse sat at the front seat. The weather was fine all the way from Ampang to Kuantan. Left KL at 10 am and arrived in Kuantan at 1.pm. We got to the Hyatt hotel at Teluk Cempedak and because the hotel was fully booked we had to wait for the rooms to be ready. Eventually we got two adjacent rooms at the ground level, partly facing the sea. Sort of lucky to get such good rooms with a view of the sea.  We had brought our lunch and enjoy the Nasi Lemak in the cool comfort of the room. Then took a rest. Would be here for three days. Memories of my youth came coming back; the days we used to camp on the same ground where this Hyatt hotel, the first five stars hotel build in the seventies stand proudly, with rooms facing the sea of Teluk Cempedak. I was then probably just 10 years old and now at eighties plus blessed with the opportunity to sleep on the same ...

The MCO has been relax and folks could now do whatever they did before the pandemic occurred like go to the park or just jog around the neighborhood for exercise. I decided  to start jogging around the neighborhood again. So this afternoon with a walking stick I  start walking slowly like I normally did and enjoy the walk. It was indeed refreshing. Today I did not seen other people doing that like in the past. Maybe like me they may start doing it one of these days. Last week in the early morning I saw one of my friend already start to do his morning walk. He stop and we chat at a distance to avoid contact, following the Distancing SOP. It looks like this pandemic did change our norms which folks now call the New Normal, like not shaking hands when we meet friends and at the same time wear mask to protect ourselves from  getting infected. Because of the lockdown which the government call the Movement Control Order  or the MCO the country under the leadership of the ...

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 ...

Since the MCO I have not been going out for my favourite breakfast at the Mamak Restaurant. I do miss this combo which is sort of my lifeline ever since I was a child growing up in my father restaurant in Kuantan. Every morning he would prepare the Roti Canai for the many people who comes to the restaurant in the early morning for a simple breakfast of the Roti and the Tea with condensed milk. It was indeed a nutritious breakfast to start the day off.  As for us kids it was a breakfast we had every morning or snack at any time of the days. So until this age I am hooked to the combo of the Roti Canai and the Tea with the condense milk, except that at that time it is just call Teh and only now it is call Teh Tarik. Anyway I have always enjoyed taking the Roti Canai with the Teh Tarik.  Well folks as soon as the MCO was relax and folks were allow to go out to eat at the restaurant under an almost normal condition [with the condition of Social Distancing] I decided have an go a...

From the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic that hit the world in February 2020 Malaysia has put in place special measures to prevent the virus from spreading and endangering its population. The plan was called the Movement Control Order or in short MCO beginning on the 18th of March 2020. When the the Virus came into control, the MCO was canceled and replaced with the RMCO [Recovery Movement Control Order]. At the time of the MCO the people were told to stay at home and could only go out of their house to buy food. From 10th June 2020 to 31st August 2020. The MCO is being extended in a new and more relaxed manner. During the period of  the RMCO  folks are freed to move across the states borders thusnd folks are relieved and can move more freely. Likewise all businesses except for a few that are still not allowed, can operate as usual. The government has done their best to contain the spread of the Covid 19 virus.  Now its up to the people to take care of themselves, as we...

Merbau and Buah Nona I always feed the birds and small animals around my house. Every morning I would prepare some cut apple, banana and bread in containers and placed it at the Small Garden in front of the house and another set hanging on the branch of the Nona fruit trees at the backyard garden. Buah Nona is Custard apple in the English language. [read my past posting on the Buah Nona here ] The family love eating this fruits. We also share it with the birds and other small animal that come visiting the fruit trees. I had planted it from seedling and it has grown and bear fruits all the years round. The other day while at the kitchen my spouse told me  to look at the window in the kitchen and there I say the bird that we call Merbah pecking and eating at the fruits. I then went to take my camera the Canon EOS M5 with the 200mm lens and took many snaps of the birds enjoying the fruits. I also did a video on the happening which I filmed from inside of the kitchen as not to di...

This evening at about seven in the I went out of the house and on looking at the sky I saw a half moon which is the eighth day of the Syawal month of the Islamic calendar; eight days of the Hari Raya or the Aidil Fitri this year. I then took my Canon EOS M5 with the 200 mm lens and snaps a numbers of shots. Edited it and above is among the best image taken at 7.12 pm on May 31, 2020. Enjoy it folks as  much as I had enjoy taking it.  Have a nice day.

A blogger wrote that he just got a haircut. Ha ha! at least he got himself a haircut. It seem he got his son to cut his hair using a new hair trimming tool bought online. Barber shop has yet to be allows to operate during this MCO. The last time I got myself a haircut is about three months ago because of the MCO and my hair is getting longer by days. It no longer felt comfortable although I do sport long hair during the period youth of yesteryear but now I do really need a haircut. I  do hope the authority would allows for the haircut folks to start business so that I could get a decent hair do. With the unlikelihood of the MCO ceased and instead may be extended my spouse suggested that I should just go Botak [bald] and then let it grows as we move on. I may do just that but I have been thinking of an option. I can still get a good haircut when it start operating but by going to the Woman Hair Salon to get the cut. I have done that before and the woman do cut as good. The rea...

Before I go on narrating about the Hari Raya let me regress a bit and talk about fasting during Ramadan. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The other four are Shahadah, Zakat, Solat and the Haj. Except for doing the Haj [Do the Haj when one could afford it] these other pillars of Islam are mandatory. According to Islam we are all born as a Muslim, its our parents that change it after birth. So that is why we say when a non Muslim want to become a Muslim we say one revert to  Islam. To begin with, to be a Muslim one had only to say the Shahada, accept the Five Pillars of Islam and then conform with the norm and values of Islam. Remember we human is a Spiritual being so believing in a religion is to complete the whole. Without religion I do not believe one would be able to enjoy life to the fullest. After completing the fasting during the whole month of Ramadan it time to celebrate the victory of going through the ritual of fasting, not eating...

Tomorrow May 23, 2020 would be the last day of fasting during this year Ramadan thus we would complete thirty days of fasting. Pending the sighting of the Moon we would be celebrating the Aidil Fitri or the Hari Raya this year on Sunday May 24, 2020. Because of the MCO  and Convid 19 folks are advice to celebrate the Hari Raya only at their home with a maximum attendance of only twenty. So let us make full use of the opportunity and enjoy this year Raya with the family in our home. Selamat Hari Raya to all those who visit this Blog.  Have a nice day.

We all need energy to survive on planet earth and that energy come from the Sun. The only specie that could convert the sun's energy into foods is the Plant. Without the plant all other species could not survived on this planet. And of course it the greens which produce the oxygen that is vital to our survival. Our specie now takes all kind of meats other that vegetable to get the sun's energy. By taking meat mean that we get the energy from a second-hand source. Remember the animals first have to eat the plants in order to get the energy from sun. It is ridiculous for our specie to go to the third party to get our energy when we could easily get it from the second party, the plants. We can get all the nutrition we need to live a healthy life if we just consume vegetable. I am trying to do just that slowly, one step a time. Now I consume vegetable and seafood with very little meats.. The family now take mostly white meats and vegetable and hope in due course we could do a...