ISO Workshop

The View from my hotel room

Some of the participants

Last week I was sent to KL with 3 other staff to attend a workshop on ISO at Hotel Seri Cempaka. We left the College on Monday around 8.30am. We were supposed to check into the hotel at 3pm but we had to go earlier because 2 other staff were assigned to send exam scripts to UiTM Jengka and Shah Alam. On the way to KL we had to detour to Jengka and our friend Rahman (one of the lecturers) was generous enough to treat us for breakfast. Thanks Rahman. We arrived at the hotel just a few minutes past 1pm. Since the first slot (a simple briefing to all participants) was scheduled for 4.30pm, Dilla and Ruzlina invited me to go "throw" some money at Jaya Jusco. I am not a shopper by nature but I ended buying a pair of sandals because they were on sale and are so comfortable to put on.

The schedule for the workshop was so tight. We were cooped up in a room from 8am to 10.30pm with a few breaks here and there! After 3 days of writing, reading, and editing the necessary produres, we were ready to hit the road back to Kuantan. The workshop was over around lunch time on Wednesday (18 Nov) but we couldn't leave until after 5pm! We had to wait for our accountant who was attending a meeting at our HQ. We had to do something or the waiting would be so unbearable [:)]. Ruzlina, Dilla, and I went to Tesco to "throw" some more money (which we didn't have! hahaha). I bought some locally made chocolates ( which were quite tasty) for my kids and 2 books: "Travelog Dakwah" by Prof. Kamil Ibrahim and the Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom.

Pressure Problem?

We haven't had pipe bursting problem for quite sometime after JBA replaced the old piping system around our neighborhood. Unfortunately, for the last 2 or 3 months I have seen sights such as pictured above on 3 different occasions. This one occurred in the middle of the night on the 31st of October. According to my neighbor, when the pipe burst that night it made a loud explosion! I must have been sleeping like a log! I only noticed it early in the morning when Najla and I were getting ready to go for our fast walk. I ran back inside to get my camera to record this wonderful "water fountain". Najla and I got excited and we even thought of letting the water spray our bodies! But nay... we went walking instead.

Eid (Raya) Gathering at KPTM

More eating! Just when I thought I could be saved from stuffing my face, the College had arranged for the Raya gathering this morning. There were so many types of food - satay, soto, laksa, lemang and rendang, cakes, cookies, candies, and thank God some fruits too. While I was so busy talking and eating inside of the "hall" (actually it's a part of the library), I completely forgot to see what was going on outside of the library where the students' canopies were set up. I guess the students were happy because they didn't have to pay for lunch. From what I heard, the food was plenty at their canopies too. I hope, there will be no more gatherings with food until next year!

My Clan and the Director

The General Studies Group

The Engineering ClanMy Clan

Math and IT group

Some of the staff present

Sebatan Peminum Arak

Saya begitu tertarik dengan penerangan yang diberi oleh Saudara Zaharuddin Abd. Rahman, www.zaharuddin.net mengenai isu sebatan peminum arak yang diutarakan oleh Tun Dr. Mahathir baru-baru ini. Di antara penjelasan beliau yang agak santai tetapi sangat serius dan sinis adalah seperti berikut:

"SEJAUH MANA SEBATAN INI ADIL?

Pertama

Jika ia benar-benar hudud dan termasuk dalam hak Allah swt, tidak layak manusia yang hina untuk mempersoalkan tentang keadilan, kerana Allah swt sentiasa adil walau menghumban sesorang manusia ke nerakaNya. Allah tetap adil walau Dialah yang menyesatkan sekumpulan manusia dan memberi hidayat kepada sebahagian yang lain. Kerana apa adil? Kerana piawaian adil Allah tidak sama dengan manusia yang dicipta. Keadilan Allah adalah kerana dia yang mencipta kita, dan Dia berhak untuk menentukan apa sahaja yang diinginiNya. Jika kita merasakan Allah tidak adil menyesatkan sekumpulan manusia, maka individu tersebut perlu memulangkan nyawa yang Allah berikan kepada mereka dan beredar dari galaksi ciptaan Allah s.w.t ini ke sebuah alam ciptaan sendiri."

Bagi sesiapa yang ingin membaca artikel penuh mengenai isu tersebut bolehlah melayari laman web Saudara Zaharuddin di alamat www.zaharuddin.net

Pada pendapat saya, sebagai seorang penganut Islam, tidak seharusnya kita mempertikaikan hukum sekiranya pengetahuan kita sangat cetek. Bak kata pepatah, kalau kail panjang sejengkal, jangan lautan hendak diduga, tak gitu?

Jasma Brand

Looking for halal pasta, bar-b-q, mayonaise, or chilli sauce? Well, search no more because now we have 100 percent halal products produced by our friend Kak Ju. The factory is located in Klang. This past Raya we were fortunate enough to visit her family in KL and to our surprise and excitement, Kak Ju gave us 4 bottles of sauces to take home! Wow! We have been buying her Mayo ever since she told us that Jasma is her products brand. Yesterday I decided to try her BBQ sauce on 1 whole chicken... and less than half an hour, the whole bird was gone! Mmm, mmm, finger licking good. I urge all my friends and readers to support these products. You can get them at Giant and some other super and hyper markets.

AGRO Bazar

It was Sunday the 13th of September. Suddenly we realized that we had exactly one week before Raya. That was the best available time to do our Raya shopping because we hadn't bought any clothes for the kids yet. We went to a shop near Parkson building and bought each one of us a "baju Melayu" and "baju kurung". After that we walked to Parkson to get some pants for the kids. On the way to Parkson I saw a stall selling halal products mainly produced by cottage industries around the region. There were so many of them, beautifully packed, and tasted so yummy. Now that we are provided with halal alternatives, I would like to invite all Muslim friends and readers around Kuantan to shop at this stall. If we do not support them who else will?

Peaceful

Almost as pieceful as being in this forest

Ramadhan is only 2 days left and Syawal is coming really soon. As usual, at this time of the Islamic calendar year, our campus is very peaceful and quiet because most of its inhabitants have left to celebrate Eid in their hometowns. Only students from Sabah and Sarawak do not go home but they usually go to their relatives' or friends' places. Just awhile ago, I stepped out of my office to go to the next block, there was not a single movement around. It felt great but spooky at the same time because the only time I felt like that was when I walked near a graveyard.

Cow Heads

Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking when they do something. Or they simply do not think at all. The case in mind is the group of Malays who stomped on cow heads in Shah Alam recently. Being upset about something is understandable, but being disrespectful to others is downright disgusting. All of us in Malaysia are so well aware that Hindus revere cows like we revere our Prophet (peace be upon him). Even if some people claim that they are not aware of it, ignorance is not an excuse. Have we forgotten how upset and hurt we were when some hateful European drew and published a horrendous caricature of our revered Prophet? So why do the unforgivable act unto others? Think! Islam is for those who think.

RM800?

I was shocked when I read an article about a demand that was made by a country to pay its citizen RM800 a month as a maid in Malaysia. Not only that, these maids are required to be given a day off and they must be provided with health insurance (even some of their employers do not own health insurance). I think, with this kind of provision, some of our single mothers would be willing to work as maids. I believe at some organizations in Malaysia, even clerks get a mere 600 – 700 Ringgits as their starting salary. In my personal opinion maids are not entitled for a complete day off. When we work in the office, school, factory, etc. from Monday until Friday or Saturday, we still have to work at home on our off days. I can understand why those foreign workers who are working in construction companies, restaurants, gas stations, and plantations should be given a day or two off in a week because they are staying in their “own” place. But in the case of maids, where would they go on their days off? Where would they eat? What would they do? Do the employers have to cook and serve them when they get back from shopping with their buddies?

Bidet and Squat Loo

When I first walked into Bangsar Shopping Center, I thought I was in a “Mat Salleh’s” country. There were so many of them around that you can easily have mistaken the place as Dallas or Toronto. Since the place has many western customers, the toilets are also westerner-friendly. There are more sitting toilets as compared to the squat type. Of course they do not provide any hose for water but instead they provided bidet. Personally, I think seated toilets are suitable with bidet but definitely not with the squat ones. On top of that, the squat holes which are available are the kind with water in it. Just imagine someone with a severe diarrhea using it every thing will be splattering around you-know-what! Wouldn’t that be a nuisance for practicing Muslim like me to pray afterwards with “najis” on my body? Washing it thoroughly is already out of a question because there are no water hoses!

The Great Wall Of KPTM

The Front Entrance

I was wondering why there were cement mixing machine and mountains of sand near the entrance of the College. The puzzle was solved as soon as I saw the poles being erected along the site where the old fence used to be. The College is in the process of building The Great Wall of KPTM! It should have been built a long time ago but I guess the College didn’t have the right amount of extra dough to burn. Ever since I can remember the fence has been vandalized by the raging- hormone occupants of the hostels who were too lazy to walk an extra meter to the gate. Every time a hole is fixed a new one will appear. It’s a losing battle and definitely an administrator’s nightmare! So we have many holes around the College which are really ugly to look at. Most of the time students use those holes to get to the nearby restaurants at meal times or to get in and out after “curfew” hours (between 11pm and 7am). As much as I hate seeing it and being surrounded by the prison-like wall, I think the decision to build it is helpful in solving the problem. When I was traveling in Mexico, I saw many houses were surrounded by high walls and they put broken pieces of glass at the top of the walls. I supposed to prevent intruders from climbing up their fortresses. I wonder if the College should do the same. Hmm… it would be interesting to see people’s reaction to that.

God willing, when the wall is complete, I will try to post another entry.

New Gym Machines

Yours trully exercising

The last time I went to the gym was on Saturday 8 August 2009. I was excited to see a few new machines bought by the owner. I will try to go again after Raya. While fasting I just do a little walking and bike riding whenever time permits. But so far I spent more time farming on my FarmVille! Hahaha! It’s so addictive and I regret joining it.

My Favorite Bottles

These are my favorite bottles which contain perfume I bought from my relative in Mekah (Mecca). I don’t think I have the heart to throw them when they are empty.

Swine Flu

Call it by any name! The fact remains that it is swine flu. Why are Malaysians so afraid of the word PIG? In the Quran (and in the Old Testament too) there is a verse forbidding Muslims from eating the flesh of pig, but there is no mention of hating the word pig or to hate the pigs. I think it’s about time calling the spades, spades. Anyway, that’s not what I want to write about. I would like to share that many of the students at my college have been quarantined because they are suspected of having the swine flu virus. Some of the lecturers are suspected too and they have been given a week off. I would love to get a week off without having the flu! These poor students have been placed in one of the vacant hostel blocks and they are being “guarded” by no other than our Mr. Bud. They must be bored to death (not literally, God forbid!).

They were playing somekind of board game

Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Malaysia?

Utaya Sankar was pretty upset when “Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP)” didn’t allow him to use the word “Bahasa Malaysia”. I think I know the DBP’s reason and personally, I don’t agree to change the word Bahasa Melayu (Malay Language) to Bahasa Malaysia (Malaysian Language). I think it is wrong to change the name because that is the proper name of the Language. Just like we wouldn’t think of changing the word English to any other names such as American, Australian, or New Zealander, although English is also spoken in those 3 countries. However, people accept the terms American English, Australian English, etc. I think it’s acceptable if we call it Malaysian Malay, as oppose to Indonesian Malay etc. The Malay Language has been used by the Malays as their main language to communicate long before the arrival of the Indian and Chinese Malaysians. Why do we have to change the term Malay Language just because it is now spoken by races other than Malay people?

New Look, Old Joint

Very Attractive Decorative Batik

It is a great welcome to our café which opened yesterday after staying dormant for a few months. I have been working for more than a decade at this College but this is the first time I see our café being decently decorated. The new operator has put in a lot of effort to make the place look attractive and inviting. I was pleasantly surprised to see that he even put up big mirrors above the sink areas. That was never in existence before! So now we don’t have to worry about walking around with morsels of rice at the corner of our mouth or having a tiny piece of red chili pepper stuck in between our teeth! Usually I would go off campus to have my breakfast but for the past 2 days in a row I found myself voluntarily walking to the café. I just hope that the operator will continue his enthusiasm throughout his contract. Only time will tell.

Nice skirting for the tables. Just hope that customers will not use 'em to wipe their hands

Even the columns are decorated!

The staff lounge

Check out that big mirror! I hope these sinks will not get clogged.

The look of a very satisfied customer...:)

Very practical, students don't have to stand in line waiting for someone to make their drink. All is readily available

Even the burger stalls look cheerful!

Writing Travel Pieces Workshop

I would love to be a writer someday. When I saw an advertisement in the NST about the workshop called Writing Travel Pieces, I signed up to attend. The workshop was conducted for 2 days, on July 4 and 5. There were 39 aspiring writers who attended the session. We were lucky to have a very knowledgeable and experienced facilitator named Padma. The guess speaker was Putri Zanina. There was an article written on the workshop in the Monday NST.

An NST article written about the workshop (Monday July 6)

The first day we covered the following topics:

• What it takes to be a travel writer,
• Writing travel stories
• Tips on effective travel writing,
• Travel photography,
• Getting published, and
• What editors look for in articles

A field trip to China Town was scheduled for the second day and we got to choose one of the three subjects to write on: the Central Market (CM), shop houses near or around Central Market, or the Sze Ya Temple. We were paired together to work on the assignment and my partner was Maimun, a lady from Johore.

We took lots of pictures, observed the activities in and around CM, and interviewed a few shop owners. I took the opportunity to visit the Temple although I was not writing about it. It was a really nice experience because that was the first time I entered a Buddhist temple.
The field trip lasted for 3 hours. When we got back to the “class room” we had to produce our story based on what we have learned. The stress level was high. It felt like I was taking an exam! We were given a certificate of attendance before we took a group photo.

We gained a lot of knowledge and useful tips on writing travel pieces but my most favorite tips are “leave your temper at home and take your sense of humor with you” when we go traveling. We were also told to “fire on our five senses – sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound” in order to be a great writer. As usual it was hard to say goodbyes to all my newly acquainted writers wannabes. We exchanged phone numbers and email addresses. I have contacted a few of them, some responded and others kept silent. Oh well, I guess they are busy with other things, or they were out of credits.

Pictures of my newly met friends

Hmm... This is no ordinary friend

Below are some of the friendliest and very helpful NST personnel