2011 |
Jul-Dec |
Sekelip Mata |
A Celestial Event of Galactical Significance | Dated 2011 Jul 9 Sat 7 Syaaban 1432H |
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Had never taken place before anywhere in the human history. 2011 Jul 6-8 Wed-Fri, PWTC, Kuala Lumpur. And consequently never before extrapolatorily. Unfortunate, because every one, from the highest top to the lowest bottom, to every of their peripheral variable to the horizon, was in a state of plasmic confusion. Unable even to differentiate between a nation and a country. And between knowledge and civilisation.
One noted derogatorily, that he had naver seen a gathering of so many of them in his life before. He said in all his life he saw only one, not one thousand and seven hundreds of them.
I knew many of them before, as I expected. Many of them did not expect my presence in such a place. I saw many former less-acquaintanted who were not one of them before, now all are in the flock. And I could imagine many more in their offices who were not lucky enough to be able to be here. I might have been one of them if the fate did not take me away to TGG.
Another, perhaps had other things in his mind when he saw so many of them from the stage. If every one were mine, my one word would translate into one thousand mechanical motion in order to have my every night sleep in peace.
Meeting The People That I Have Met Before | Dated 2011 Jul 20 Wed 18 |
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The weekend Jul 15 Fri was another rare weekend that I spent in TGG rather than in Sg Merab. The count down started from Sat late afternoon. ICOTOS 2011 in Taman Tamadun Islam, Kuala Terengganu, Jul 17-19 Sun-Tue. "Rumah besar tiang sebatang", the acid test for FPB management. It peaked during the Conference Dinner in Primula, Jul 17 Sun night. It was known then the conference was a success, in terms of participation, preparation and proceeding. All were compliments, zero complaints. Including those that were directed to NC were all redirected to me by NC himself. Closed Jul 18 Tue. And the training Jul 19 Tue was a matter of fact only. The staff were in jubilation. Tue night, every body went to bed in a good deep night sleep. And, during the closing of the conference Jul 18 Mon, I introduced the term "Swiftlet Affair", and invoked the school-days ROME to make the conference perpetual for the coming gathering, and concluded with my favourite, "we will meet the people that we have met before, and we will go to places that we have been there before." |
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2011 Jul 20 Wed was a state day of Sultan B-Day Celebration in TGG. Some were conferred Dato' while I was on a TGG-KUL drive with Dr Raja Daniel. But I was blessed with one already the day before, Jul 19 Tue, late noon. The 7th Datuk. This one from An Nur BBBangi, of #4Muzani-Niza, their #1daughter.
Recovering in the seclusion of quiet and silence of home-alone, I was pondering the feelings of those I never thought of how they felt. And wondering what sort of feeling that the fate would take me into, those that have never come into my mind before. And those that I never thought of being made to be pre-viewed.
Ramadan 1432H, the Second Time | Dated 2011 Aug 8 Mon 8 Ramadan 1432H |
 Manir Ramadan Market, 2011 Aug 8, 5.46 pm, the 8th day of Ramadan 1432H. In Bangi, more crowded than this, perhaps. |
Ramadan 1432H set in, 2011 Aug 1 Mon, after twenty nine days of Shaaban, like last year.
..2010 Aug 11 Wed. 1 Ramadan 1431H. The fourth Ramadan since home-coming to Trg 2007 Aug 7 Tue. The first: 2007 Sep 13 Thu. The second: 2008 Sep 1 Mon. The third: 2009 Aug 22 Sat. And now the fourth: 2010 Aug 11 Wed - the first time WITHOUT Azizah. (The first time Ramadan WITH Azizah was 1977 Aug 16 Tue, in No 7, SS22/15 Damansara Utama, PJ. Only two of us). Bangun awal, awaken by the alarm at 4.30 pagi from a dream I could not build the story, but related to some drizzling outside and the blowing stand fan. Called home 03 number. Zidni jawab. Later called Alya. They were about to begin sahur too. Sahur fibre bread, beli di Giant Mon petang. And a nes O. And while strolling the space. To subuh. Solat, baca yasin, and a nap. Tiba office ca 8.30 pagi..
This was the second Ramadan. We survived the first. Last year. And had the Shawal in Terengganu, as we normally did, except otherwise, with one and only reason. The second Shawal would be in about twenty days time.
The difference was more at home in Sg Merab than in my work-stay in Terengganu, where the only difference was the food price had sky-rocketted. A wing-breast-quarter of ayam kampong, is now 12-15 rm. I recalled last year, it was 7-9 rm only. But the worst is that it's harder and harder to find the food of the taste I used to when I was a citizen of here. Batu 6 is getting more and more 'imfamous' with it.
Gathering Enough Courage | Dated 2011 Aug 20 Sat 20 Ramadan 1432H |
Just sufficient for revisiting the Jun, the moments before and beyond that, for archive. And bracing for Shawal 2011, the second Shawal, dues in ca ten days time.
Dated 2011 Aug 30 Tue 1 Shawal 1432H |
 It was a flash in the mind dated 2002 Apr 14 |
 And actually hatched, dated 2011 Aug 29 Mon 29 Ramadan 1432H |
 Dated 2011 Aug 30 Tue 1 Shawal 1432 |
The second time without Azizah, and thus by a consequential non-conventional reason, in Sg Merab, which was a staggered junctions of fate and destiny, with the four lower kids #5678 each of whom perhaps may have been persuasively following a different course.
Forteen months was virtually still recent, but impendingly receding, into just a memory, nonetheless, non-independent in each. It was possible, by the break schedule, to have it conventionally as always in TGG. But I took the liberty to keep the four pieces of heart unperturbed by the unwords and undeeds of the lives who otherwise were part of them.
We spent Shawal last year 2010 Sep 10 Fri in TGG. All of us, in full flash of the deck. It was just three months after, then. Experiences that were hear-said suddenly turned true and real. Some were like pixar characters jumping out of the screen to join the audience. Every line that branched out leads to an unknotted end. Every prose tell-taled, internally or externally, made it an object rather than a subject. Incidents and anecdotes, before, during, and after had a few things to be persuasively reconfigured in times to come, the changes from which were irreversible. Shawal this year 2011 was one of them.
Noted: The year 1432H, Ramadan was 29-days, preceeded by 29 days of Shaaban. Two consecutive 29-days months of lunar calender. Shawal would be 30-days, but Zulkaedah will be 29-days again, and Zulhijjah 30-days, for the new year 1433H Muharram 1 Sun, 2011 Nov 27, which would be 29-days.
The Autum of September 2011 Shawal 1432H | Dated 2011 Sep 25 Sun 27 Shawal 1432H |
  (Left), dated 2011 Mar 17, nasi lemak in Terengganu, RM1, bought and consumed at Warung Dek, Alor Terebor, Batu 6. (Right), dated 2011 Sep 20, nasi lemak in Bangi, RM1, bought at Pasar Malam Jln 6 Shell, consumed at home. Both nasi lemak were 'branded' as "nasi lemak kukus", whatever it means, other than that both were pax-ed in PE-layered brown paper, most probably recycled in the same local factory. |
Based on nasi lemak price, Kuala Terengganu is twice more developed than Bangi, Selangor. Nasi lemak is one of the most popular meal in the country, currently for any time, especially for breakfast, anywhere now, including in flight. Accordingly the price veries very much according to place, type and perception of the eatery, time of consumption, pax or in-house, sit-in, in-situ or mobile, delivered or acquired, etc, etc, etc. Pics, both at RM1, are the simplest, and the quickest form for breakfast by a comotizen. Nasi lemak.
Terengganu is well developing. And in accelerated pace. Twice faster than that in Selangor, based on nasi lemak price. There are other measurement-bases to opt, e.g., traffic congestion, drivers mentality behind the wheel, order-enforcers magic-wanding, the effects of the flying hidden fingers, the city-dwellers reaction towards their deswelling abodes, etc. People are frenzy-ing in Terengganu, so that not to miss the opportunity. All people, local and foreign, even the virtual people. They are purely subjected to natural mechanics of the winner takes all, the fittest survives with the predictable outcome of socio- and ethno-transformation, a 101 lesson in history and sociology. The "sekali air bah sekali pantai berubah" always in operation, but without annual the-like beach activities as it used to be in Terengganu, even the monsoon torrent, perhaps autum would remind the impending winter, after which changes could be seen very clearly. Unfortunately, irreversibly.
 Capture dated 2011 Sep 21 Wed 10.02 AM 23 Shawal 1432H in Sg Merab. |
A swallow, a waning gibbous of moon, an airplane, and traces of white clouds. All were moving in their own directions, and in one moment were all captured over the roof top of a terrestial house within the same frame.
They were there in a moment in harmony minding their own matters, as though independent on each other. They were very randomly unknown before and after the moment at which, as per visible, could have made a catastrophic end. It would, in 2-D. In reality, a third dimension was there to ensure the harmony-ness, as per visible, and before, and after the captured moment, in which the third dimension exists in virtuality.
Many take the third dimension unargued, because they are part of the dimension, whereas on many occasions it is the third dimension that dissolve all that seemingly leading to a catastrophic end.
Many would not discourse the third dimension because they could not comprehend it as an added dimension, since the dimension is part of themselves, and thus as per se. Taking out the third dimension would annihilate them, just like taking out a programme while running an application would annihilate the application. Of course the application could be annihilate with the third dimension still in place.
Arguably, the fourth dimension is out of touch, incomprehensible all together. The key to the un-understanding is that in most of the occasions, not all the four dimensions are involved in one moment. Which dimensions are involved depend on which characters are to be affected. A matter could not make mix-characters change simultaneously.
By the same token, poly-dimension is a matter of reaching it.
Returning HOME to alma mater, 2011 Sep 24 Sat, for UniSZA's NC. I mean the former, in fact since Sep 19 Mon after an arduous two packed weekends of receiving new students intake followed by UniSZA #3 Degree Conferement. For the first time, the student intake was in Sep, after years in May then in Jul since a Univ was formed in this country, before merdeka in SG.
Never mind the latter for I used to say that it is not one in my revisiting list. The sphere of alumni had enlarged into a giant biosphere since 1973, perhaps had grown into more than a hundred thousand in numbers. The sphere is no longer round. Perky and porky, big and small, everywhere on the surface. It does not roll in a straight line any more, even on a mirror-abcisa surface. Even one of my superior when I met him recently, 2011 Sep 13 Tue in KL ConveC, where all the super alma mater gathered to show their flexing muscles, did not bother to poke in its closet to see what is happening in it now. So did I. I never unexcited to go home, which neighbours my alma mater.
Dated 2011 Oct 7 Fri 9 Zulkaedah 1432H |
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Indonesia has lands both above and below the equator, in the form of thousands of islands. Extended longitudinally across two time zones. The mother island is Java, not the largest though, nearly 10 degrees below equator. With that geographical span, Indonesia is as exotic as the Asia is known to the west. Jakarta is a large city. Larger than Kuala Lumpur. Undoubtedly, older, at least ten times more populated, more advanced and more civilised. Less intense, but more extensive.
2011 Oct 3-6 Mon-Thu, was on Study Tour and Academic Visit to Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia, accompanying the Management Delegation of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Kuala Terengganu, comprising the Vice Chancellor, and The Chairman of Board of Director. The university was previously Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), born from Universiti Indonesia, congruently as did Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB). The place some of my buddies went to in 1971 when I was supposed to be sent to Australia but ended up in UKM. From Jakarta to Bogor was ca half an hour drive on the tolled high way. But to cross the Bogor City to IPB Darmaga Campus on the other side took ca an hour. It was not twice the distance, but ten times more congested. Macet.
The two hrs flight was an agony. I was sandwiched between two odorous stocks of yellow and dark, in both to-and-fro flights, thus Jakarta could not be indulged from above, which upset me a bit. I was a millionaire since yesterday. In Bangi, it took 360 rm to become an instant one. My colleague spent 390 to be the same in LCCT. And my other colleague spent only 358 rm in Soekarno-Hatta airport, Jakarta. (During the return trip, in the no-man land, 1 rm was accepted for 2.5 k rp, which made 400 rm for 1M rp.) The hotel was in the heart of Jakarta, among those high rise building, but with an open park, surrounded by sport facilities. Judging by the bath accesories provided, the hotel was a 5-star, or above. Not many padestrian but non-stop flow of vehicles of 2- and 4-wheelers. |
The high way chorus was typically Asian. The sky over Jakarta was never blue through out the stay. Even on landing Oct 3 Mon, (and on taking off Oct 6 Thu). |
A mission 1-hr drive from Kota Campus, to Dramaga Campus of IPB in Bogor city. |
The ground work was with the Faculty of Agriculture and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Other faculties were also of interest, but sanctioned by the time available. Hoping to come again on another day. |
The city of Jakarta and a two hours tour in Tanah Abang plaza market. |
Homeward bound. |
A Discounted Lunch | Dated 2011 Oct 17 Mon 19 Zulkaedah 1432H |
  It was in Terengganu again. One scorching, but windy, afternoon, on the street of Tok Jembal, a stone-throw away from the lights to the collapsed stadium, next to LTSM INTERNATIONAL (insisted so to the announcing stewardess on arrival, which should then be LTASM) airport. A street, forty years ago was just a sandy track for a very infrequent four-wheeler, straightened between the bushes of kemunting, bamboo-grass, gelam-tikus, hardened lalang, sporadic cashew, and other wild shrubs, in a paradise of savannah wilderness. In a self-service eatery by the roadside, on the left side to the airport. Served on-demand, a half-portion of white rice, and then self-served a small cut of chicken breast in a dilute local curry, a small garam-kunyit-fried terengganu kembong (red meat, indicated that it was bought in Pulau Kambing, unloaded from a lorry from perhaps Lumut, Perak. Not those that were fished-out from Redang or Bidong by a fiber-boat moon-lighter line-fisherman), a senduk-ful of kicap-fried kangkong, together with a glass of mango juice (later tasted benzoate-flovoured juice from a cartoon, instead of freshly extracted from a baru-mari from Siam, fruit). Took them to the cashier who held on her palm a small canon calculator. After a minute, she said, "spuloh inggit tige poh seng, .. .. uummh, spuloh inggit doh aah", which means, ten ringgit thirty cents, but discounted to ten ringgit only. Wow! What do you know! A lucky 3% off. So, I indulged my discounted lunch that afternoon. Discarded only the fish bones, and chicken bones and skin. It was close to 2 in the afternoon, and there was only a young pair of other customers at a closeby table. A mother and a son had just left. After the pic was captured, a local-re-registered C200 stopped by, and spitted off four lasses, who later seated at a table, and berkicau-ing without punctuations. |
Telling the Waves | Dated 2011 Oct 28 Fri 1 Zulhijjah 1432H |
In an evening on Friday in the Ketapang Beach on the coast of south china sea in Terengganu. A rare Friday I was in Terengganu instead of usually in Bangi. |
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Unprecedentedly Blue | Dated 2011 Nov 11 Fri 15 Zulhijjah 1432H |
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It was since after the Eid Adha 2011 on Nov 6 Sun, in Sg Merab, off-Putrajaya, with every one, big and small, and extended to all staying around. A gathering in the evening, every one could tell that every one missed the only one missing.
Nearly cloudless over Tok Jembal, K TGG, in nearly mid Nov, the monsoon season, over the green water of south china sea which usually saw marches of waves of waves of clouds to down-fall in the hinterland.
And thus the full moon of Zulhijjah at night.
And a hop of homeward-bound while on MatriQ tasks in Concorde KLIA and on Tembila critical matter in KPT Putrajaya.
The Monsoon of 2011 | Dated 2011 Nov 24 Thu 28 Zulhijjah 1432H |
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It was massive compared to that of 2010, which had its late showing only 2011 Mar. Nevertheless, it was just infinitesimal compared to that we used to have in the old days of the 60's, 70's. It was such a fun during monsoon season, only memory can recount.
The rain pouring down, stops only as though to takes its breath. Drizzling alternatively. We were wet all over, scantily cladded though. All day and night. Sometimes whistling wind. In melody with the sound of roaring waves pounding the beach like a giant flipper splasing on the surface. Continuously. The sea was closed to fishing. Dark sky. The clouds covering like one roof of eternity, only a close look would reveal that they were actually in waves of waves, marching to the hinterland. Water every where, even around the house compound. On the stilted house, in part, sharing the shelter with the chicken, sometimes with the goats. The rivers and the swamps, and every water body, swelled. Flooding. Some were in frenzy catching the fish, the prawn. By which ever way they were skilled in. The sun had not been visible for days, even weeks. The nights were dead, only the rain was alive. And to the next day, and the day after it. Every object was bathed, and looked like staying still, even the cattle, except men. And women. And especially alive were the boys having annual fun during the monsoon season. The fun the kind the boys these days missed.
Weekends on Weekdays | 2011 Dec 15 Thu 19 Muharram 1433H |
Which enabled the bumper fruits in the back yard to be tended to, bestowed on us in this time of the year, nearly unlimited for our consumption. A stereoagronomics which took six months to complete.
2011 July 30 - flowering |
2011 August 25 - fruiting |
2011 October 29 - ripening |
2011 November 11 - ripened |
The harvest from late Nov   | |||
The produce,   | |||
And still plenty of them on the trees by mid Dec.   | |||
All the rambutans, yellow and red, oval and round, big and small. Especially one, originated from the tree perhaps my grand father or my father planted in Kalang Arang infront of our house during the time I did not remember. The red round fruit cheDe, or cheEmbong. It was then cut-budded by AbngWi and planted in his place abaout two hundreds meters away. From that another generation was cut, and taken to Sg Merab and was planted in the middle of 1990's. This year, 2011, it gave a bumper fruit, for the first time. Dokong had all been consumed last months.
All chempedak.  |
Some of the dokong  |
The duku   
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But most of all was, the duku, in its maiden fruiting since planted here in the near 1990, nearly the same age as the house. It was taken from Paya Datu, among about forty others, first to BBBangi where they were nursed. Only two survived. One was planted in Sg Merab when the built house was habitable in 1987 September. The other one was planted in Sg Buah. Had not been there to see for many years now. If it continued to survive, it must have transformed back into a wild one, since Sg Buah had not been tamed yet.
But most of all was in the company of children. Both in Sg Merab, and Kalang Arang, in some instances, commutatively air-ferried, throughout the school end year break which began on Nov 19 Sat which was at the end of my biannual gathering of MatriQ in KLIA Concorde Nov 13-18 Sun-Fri, where every one enjoyed themselves in the dip. After which, to stroll the time, I towed along SB, Asri to TGG to have a taste of Monsoon frolics while Alya, CB were with their own matters in the colleges. And they had, from Nov 21 Mon evening when each of them acquired a new bicycle, riding on which they played seek and hide with the monsoon rain in Kusza campus. The following weekend, Nov 24 Thu, KUL drive was a breakthrough when we arrived HOME in Sg Merab just after 9. Asri had broken out of his traumatic feeling of unbearable sorrow when arrived in Sg Merab by car by 9 at night. He hid it by saying that because the next day was not a school day. Before hand, since without his mother 2010 Jun, I had to made him arrive before dark. And by air, so that the swift travel during the daylight would not invoke his unconscious inner feeling.
I had quite a hectic commuting to do, TGG-Putrajaya. Thus both had to travel by themselves during the weekend. And had another monsoon frolics, even a durian frolic, and more when Alya joined in the middle of the week.
 2003 Dec 9 Tue |  2011 Dec 14 Wed 1735 |
After another engagement in Putrajaya Dec 8 Thu I took all the liberty of a long leave to be with them, all of the children, and their children. For the most, one of the pivotal accomplishments to make: To resume the thing that Azizah had well prepared for Asri since 2003 Dec 9 Tue, during the time of CB and SB turn. The Dec 12 Mon repl holiday in Selangor (for Sun Sultan BD), was a bonus, especially for CB and Alya, in bracing for the accomplishment.
My initial quest Dec 9 Fri for an appointment in Penawar Jln 6 Shell, PP Bangi on the other side, Az-Zahrah, and An Nur, all were disappointed. Out of my anticipation, no more slot was available even throughout Dec. Dec 10 Sat I went to walimah of Mohd Embong in JPS Hall, Ampang at the insistence of Dr Md Soot who dropped by in the morning. It was fated that soon after I arrived, Dr Ismail Maulud arrived, and joined us. And thus commenced a SAS-ian mini-re-union at the table, comprising batches as early as the third, F4 1965. During which I told him my 'ordeal' about the appointment. He suggested to go to PUSRAWI where it could be performed there and then, but I said I preferred in Bangi, to take into account the return drive from Pusrawi through the very thick Kuala Lumpur to Sg Merab. He agreed, and within an hr he fixed for Dec 14 Wed at the earliest availability of one senior surgeon in Az-Zaharah. To cut the story short, Asri's only pain was the agony of waiting on Dec 14 Wed, from the arrival time 3.40 for the appointed time at 4 pm, to changing dress, to the time on the table, ca 5, and was performed by Dr Hassan Mat, an eight-batch UKM, thus first year 1980, the year I was in England already, otherwise I would have been his Chemistry lecturer. A mission accomplished in 2011.
Closing 2011 | 2011 Dec 31 Sat 6 Safar 1433H |
At HOME in Sg Merab like last year 2010. For the past eighteen months almost always behind the fate to the destiny.
2011 |
Jul-Dec |
Sekelip Mata |