Open my eyes, open...

Kaaakkkk... rasa nak pecah urat saya ni...

Kaaakkkk... berapa kali urut baru tak sakit camni?

Aahhhh... sakit kaaakkk...

My friend is amazed I can scream and laugh at the same time.

I can already feel swollen parts in my body. The worst are my legs as expected because of the nature of my job. God! I wanted her to stop but I can’t. This torture that I had to endure is supposed to make me feel better. Right?

We had a massage session today (errr... yesterday, since this entry is posted after midnight). A friend of mine called a lady who can do traditional massage to come to her place. She heard good reviews about the lady from her friends. I wanted to give her a try since I can’t stand the pain with the masseuse near my place. I thought there’d be less pain. I thought wrong.

I saw her massaging my friend and her touches looks so gentle. Looks can be deceiving and my friend seems to be suffering in silence. I can see her gritting her teeth with eyes closed but she didn’t scream. Either she has a high tolerance of pain or my body is more problematic than hers. She did not wear high heels. I still wear one despite feeling the pain in my leg. I don’t have a decent flat or low-heeled shoe. Yesterday I saw one nice flat shoe but my size is out of stock. Sigh! I’m sure I’ll feel the bruises on my body tomorrow. I already feel some of it now.

After the massage session, we continued chit chatting with our sarong. I haven’t done that in a long long time. Can’t remember when I have ever sit around kemban-style with a sarong before actually. After a while, I got hungry and ask her if there’s anything to eat. We are ravenous actually. There’s nothing much in the kitchen except bread, biscuit and Maggi mee. That will have to do. And it was raining, so hot Maggi mee was really nice. We shared a packet.

I got home before ten and feel hungry again. Sigh! So to the kitchen I go to prepare some fried rice. I had the fried rice at 11 and now I’m forcing myself to stay awake. I can’t go to sleep so early after a meal but so sleepy already. What’s the point of this entry? Errr... I had a massage then I got hungry then I can’t sleep? I can actually. Sleep that is but I’m not supposed to after a meal so here I am.

Open my eyes, open...

Bigoted Fatah

I’m writing this in response to Fatah’s unbecoming remarks of ‘janda gatal’ in the Dewan Rakyat recently. He is the PAS MP in Rantau Panjang, Kelantan.

Screw him for being so narrow-minded. He said he could provide proof of divorcees flirting during ceremonies and functions. Being a PAS MP, he must have attended more PAS functions and ceremonies than other functions and ceremonies. Is he referring to the divorcees among PAS members being the ‘gatal’ ones. As a PAS MP in Kelantan, he must have attended more functions and ceremonies in Kelantan. Is he trying to say divorcees in Kelantan as ‘gatal’? Well, then that would support the impression that many non-Kelantanese have that Kelantanese women are ‘gatal’.

But, I’m not narrow-minded like Fatah. I have many nice, well-behaved Kelantanese friends.

The ‘gatal’ trait is more individual than circumstanced like being a divorcee, or regional like in Kelantan, or group like PAS members.

I want Fatah to answer this. If a 'janda' becomes a 'janda' because the husband is 'gatal' or drug addict or abusive or fails his responsibility or unfit to be a husband for many reason existing in the society nowadays, does that make the 'janda' ‘gatal’ too?

I have many friends who are divorced because the husbands are not fit to be a man who is supposed to be the provider in the family. Imagine this, a fat man who is so lazy he lied about going to work to his wife only to come back and sleep in the house after sending the wife to work. He then steals from his own wife’s bank account to ‘support’ the family and ‘belanja’ other women as if he is some kind of politician cum business tycoon. Another man spends his money gallivanting, leaving the wife to pay for the house, car and children. Another man wants his wife to give all her salary to him so he can control the expenses.

Dear friends, you all are better off without these kinds of men in your life. Be a proud 'janda' because you know your right and because you know you can have better lives without the 'useless' husband. There are many men like your ex-husband and Fatah around. Fatah should find a better cause to fight like turning men who are unfit to become husbands to be a better and more responsible man. Just go to Biro Bantuan Guaman (view link in IE) for a day and see how some women have suffered in their marriage.

Fatah do not want to apologize for his remarks. Well, what can we expect from a narrow-minded person like him. Leave them in their cave of ignorance and arrogance. The women in Rantau Panjang should know who to vote for next time. In fact, PAS should sack him to send a strong message that PAS did not support his view at all and having him around only tarnished the party's image.

Articles on Position of Women in Islam:
1. Islam Online
2. Islam for Today
3. Jamiatul Ulama (an organization in South Africa)

More newspaper article here , here and here.

Our Heritage: Belum-Temengor

Let's do our part to save our forest. The write up on the campaign is here and you can sign the online petition here.


This is NOT Belum-Temenggor photo but a view I enjoyed every morning and evening from my campus hostel a long time ago. It is now gone and nothing can be done to get it back.

We all know how Malaysian companies work. Do all the paper work to satisfy the powers that be and then they can do whatever they want. Most of the times the powers that be has no clue on what's going on since they're so lazy to leave their plush chairs and air-conditioned office. They'll only bark when our media highlighted the damaged that has been done. I may be generalizing, there may be some responsible ones but let's face it, with a stroke of a pen, a forest will be gone and it can't be undone.

Then, nobody wants to hold responsibility and resign. Not that by resigning the damage can be undone but such thick skin people. The have the ball to face Malaysians when they have contributed to the damage of our heritage. These people should be fed to the wild carnivores that are now facing extinction due to the lack of food from the deforestation.

My Weekend Tryst

I had a great jungle walk in the morning, followed by Nasi Lemak which surprisingly I can't finish and I get to know 2 nice ladies. A great way to spend my Sunday morning :)

Flooded

My third floor’s apartment is flooded. Literally!

I reached home at 8.00 p.m., feeling so exhausted. I have just finished one of the many trainings I have to conduct this month. You know what two days of training can do to me right! I was thinking of soaking my feet in warm water, followed by foot massage. Maybe even rub hot oil all over my body irregardless of the smell and stickiness. That’s how beat and battered I felt even though I didn’t do anything physical except standing and walking around the whole day.

Back to my apartment, I switched the light and proceed to put down my bags only to realize the edge of my carpet is wet. The floor is totally wet. I inspected the window, thinking that maybe I forgot to close it this morning but I discovered it’s locked. The rain must be so heavy and the wind blowing the direction of the window, till water can seep through the window ledge.

The two bedroom doors were closed. I normally left them open cause I like more lights to brighten the living room. I went to one of the room that has become the makeshift store and drying area. One side of the window was wide open and part of the floor was wet. Not to mention the already dried clothes. Well, it is supposed to dry if it didn’t get wet during the rain.

I went to my bedroom and saw one side of the window wide open just like in the other room and my bed is wet. Let me repeat that again, MY BED IS WET!!! I don’t wet the bed. Never have since I don’t have to use the diapers a long time ago. The rain did. Wet the bed that is. The pillows, the book I left on the bed, part of the floor and all of the pillows. I know I have mentioned pillows earlier but I put all my spare pillows on the bed and they’re all wet. I have many extra pillows since friends and family often overnight at my place.

You just can’t imagine how frustrated I felt. I make myself comfortable and went to do the dishes. The kitchen’s fine. Only the two rooms and the living room are affected. I just don’t feel like tackling the problem area at the moment. I cook some rice, lie down on the sofa and called my mom. I felt a little better after talking to her. I did what I can with the soaked pillow, scatter some old newspaper on the floor in the room, wipe the living room floor with a ragged cloth and put Thirsty Hippo at strategic area. I’m gonna need lots and lots of Thirsty Hippo.

I don’t know what I’m gonna do with the bed but I’ll throw it away if I have to. I hope tomorrow’s gonna be a really really hot day. I have just soaked my feet. I’ll give it a massage once I feel like I have the energy. I have three days to recuperate before another round of training back to back next week. Sigh! Who am I kidding? Tomorrow’s working day and there’s no guarantee I’m gonna be sitting the whole day. Double sigh!

Gilmored

I was Gilmored. My training schedule is so hectic this month but I was Gilmored for the past 2 nights. Luckily I’m done reading or I won’t be writing this :)

Life is hectic. What else is new in my life? While thinking of continuing my work at home, out of the blue I remembered the Gilmore Girls. I Google the show, found the transcript and the rest was history.

I forgot about my pile high work to do and started reading from the episode where Lorelai started dating Luke (Seson 4). That’s when the show stopped airing in Malaysia. Suddenly I realized it was past midnight. I have to force myself to stop reading or I will become a zombie at work tomorrow.

The next night, I promised myself 3 episodes max and I must become a useful person after that, doing things like cleaning the house, doing the laundry and stuff. Again I was Gilmored till past midnight. I didn’t blog, didn’t blog hop, and didn’t even read my emails. I read till I can’t open my eyes anymore and I continued finishing them early this morning. Now I can’t wait for the rest of Season 6 episodes' transcript. I stopped at 7.

That is one reason why I stopped reading a thick anything. I can’t make myself stop. I even delayed going to the loo until it gets unbearable to hold anymore. Sigh! I have skipped classes to finish reading my books last time when I was studying so when I started working, I figured I should stick to thinner books or I’ll be in trouble. I managed to put my reading habit in control until the last two nights. I’m so happy I finished reading so I can get my life back.

I still haven’t done anything useful today but at least, I can’t blame the Girls.

Note: Just for the record, I can finish 3-4 Agatha Christie books in one day so any standard thick fiction book can be completed in a day, plus the night for some.

Bomb Hoax

Wow! Luckily I missed this yesterday.

JOHOR BARU: It was an April Fool's prank that came a day too late. But it was a scary joke as the captain of a Tawau-bound plane was forced to abort the flight and evacuate all 91 passengers and five crewmembers on board.

An official of the Sultan Ismail International Airport in Senai said a flight steward was carrying out a safety demonstration just before the plane was about to take off at 4.40pm when a passenger suddenly got out from his seat and told him he wanted to get off.

He said there was a bomb on board.

The steward immediately alerted the captain, who then radioed for help, including from the airport’s bomb disposal unit.

The captain then taxied the plane to the edge of the runway and airport security staff rushed to the plane and detained the 31-year-old man.

The other passengers of Flight AK5632 were then told to leave the aircraft, which they did so without panicking.

The disposal unit then searched the plane but did not find any bomb on the aircraft. There were also no casualties.

“This is the first time such an incident has occurred in over five years,” said the official.

He assured that security was tight at the airport and it was difficult for anyone to smuggle any dangerous items into planes.

As a result of the incident, it is learnt that all in-coming flights were delayed for about two hours.

At least two Kuala Lumpur-bound flights were also delayed.

Flight AK5632 was allowed to resume its journey at 8.30pm.

Police are investigating the man under the Civil Aviation Act and Regulations, 1969 for endangering the lives of those on board.

Johor Baru (North) OCPD Asst Comm Johari Yahya said the bomb disposal unit rushed to the scene as soon as they were alerted.

“We searched the aircraft but did not find anything suspicious,” he said, adding that two fire engines had been put on standby.

Source

First AirAsia and LCCT Experience

The plane touched down at about 10.10 at KLIA LCCT this morning. That is the scheduled arrival time as I don’t have a watch and my cell phone is still switched off. I saw the MAS Kargo building, KLAS Kargo building and some airport vehicles going about with their activities through the plane window. And then another building appeared. The sign was nondescript. So this is LCCT, smacked in the middle of the airport or so it seems.

I’m waiting for the plane to get nearer to the building but it stopped a distance away. I can see lines of people walking around the area. Oh oh… don’t tell me we have to walk all the way to the terminal and people from the terminal have to walk all the way to the plane. I already got the shock of my life when I saw people coming down from the plane and going up at the stairs where we’re waiting to board the plane earlier in Senai. I thought something was wrong with their plane? Alas, it’s a normal arrival. I just can’t imagine arrival and boarding at the same time and the same place. Back to LCCT, yup… no doubt about it. We have to walk.

I walk down the steps carefully with eyes squinting behind my glasses due to the sun’s glare. It’s a hot day and even hotter on the tarmac. I carried my hand luggage and my laptop, trying to catch up with the stewardess who is showing the way, now so far ahead with the people who came out from the plane earlier. It looked like one big kindergarten where teachers are walking in front and the pupils lining up trying to catch up with them. There are many lines going in different direction. I overtake a few parents carrying their babies and toddlers, and also a few elderly people walking slowly in the line. I’m not being rude but I can’t stand the heat. The faster I reached the terminal the better.

We have to walk about 800 metres from the plane to the terminal. I’m lousy with guesstimate so you just have to take my word for it. It’s far. I can feel the sweats forming on my upper lips and back. I felt a huge sense of relief when I finally reached the terminal. The aircond is not that cool but so much better than being under the sun. I immediately saw the Skybus counter and queue to purchase a ticket. 3 people are in the line in front of me.

While waiting, one uncle came and complaint to the guy manning the Skybus counter why we have to walk so far away? To which the guy replied, “Kementerian suruh pindah sini lah”. The uncle, still not satisfied said, “Apa kementerian? Jauh tau mau jalan sini!” The guy replied again, “Komplen dekat Airasia lah. Kita company lain.” Since you can’t hear the tone of the conversation, the uncle is angry but the guy is polite. I can understand how the uncle is feeling. Just imagine an elderly person having to walk that distance under the sun. I don’t think anyone was prepared with his or her first experience at LCCT.

Parents carrying babies won’t have thought to carry an umbrella to shield the little ones from the sun. Those carrying big bags without roller will be cursing AirAsia to no end. I don’t mind paying a little bit more if more money is what it takes to get the plane to stop nearer to the building. Or maybe they should provide some vehicle to ferry the passenger to the building. It doesn’t have to be nice bus. The vehicle used to ferry passengers at Bukit Cerakah, Zoo, Bukit Tinggi and the likes is quite sufficient. I wonder how it is if it is raining. Would passengers then have to run to the terminal or just be prepared to be soaking wet?

Anyway, from the counter to the bus, is very convenient. Just a few metres away. I took a seat, put my bags down and switched on my cell phone. It’s 10.25 a.m. I was only 2-3 minutes inside the terminal until I boarded the bus to KL Central. So that makes it about 10 minutes walking from the plane to the terminal. The verdict, my first experience with AirAsia and first experience with LCCT is scorching hot.