My Buttercup

Last Saturday evening, as I was going out to buy a few things, I noticed Butter was nowhere to be seen, and she did not came out of hiding when I called her name. Panicking instantly, I drove my car hingga ke hujung jalan in front of my house (the dead end side) with high beam of the headlights. All with the hope of finding her somewhere.

I did not see her anywhere, on the road or at any of the neighbor's. So at the end of the road I slowly made a three point turn, while my eyes melilau ke sana ke mari especially ke belukar nearby the abandoned construction site. As I was driving towards the main road, I saw the vision of a kitten in front of my neighbour's house, about a house away from mine. I pointed to Faiz "Hah itu dia, itu dia!".

There she was, the ever-so-naughty darling of mine, looking lost and worried, staring to the road. I thought she must have gotten lost, having wandered along the road alone, curious as always. And not being able to find the road back home after dark. Padahalnya tersangat dekat dan mudah. Imagine, selang sebuah rumah sahaja. But agaknya to her it's so so jauh and confusing. She's only 5 months old after all.

I called out her name as I got out of my car. "Butter, Buttercup sayang, mari sini,". The moment she heard my voice she responded quickly and said "Meow, meow" loudly. Nampak saja I lagilah riuh mulutnya, as if mengadu hal. Terus I dukung dia and asked her "Adik pergi mana, sayang, adik tak jumpa jalan balik ya. Kesiannya dia..."

Then she said "Meow," this time slowly, as if agreeing with what I said. See, Butter is not the type of cat who is really friendly and meows all the time. Only with me and Faiz, if I am not around. With others, nampak saja orang lain dia akan lari and hide. I bawak saja dia ikut ke kedai, because I am worried jika I hantar dia balik dia akan berjalan lagi. On the way, I sort of lectured Buttercup. "Itulah, kan Along dah pesan, jangan nakal-nakal, jangan merayau-rayau sendiri. Kan dah sesat. Butter nakal lah, Butter janganlah degil, ya."

Butter diam saja, tak respond apa-apa. Macam faham yang I sedang menasihati dia. When we arrived at Danga Bay, I stayed with her in the car while Faiz went to kedai. I angkat dia agak tinggi sedikit so that boleh nampak ke luar, and I said, "Butter, ini Danga Bay.. sebelah sana tu Royal London Circus. Banyak lampu warna-warni, kan? Butter tak pernah tengok lagi, kan? Dia diam saja dan pandang ke arah circus. Later I took her back home safely.

Alahai risaunya kan si Butter ni. Suppose bila I dah kerja nanti, bagaimana lah agaknya budak sorang ni... especially if I have to stay late ke. Nakal betul. She is in contrast to Berry, who is more to the quiet type, nakal nakal juga tapi taklah sampai merayau-rayau sendiri. Hari ini dia hilang I jumpa kebetulannya. What if jika dia jalan jauh sikit, or what if ada sesiapa yang 'berkenan' nak jadikan dia pet. Or if there's budak-budak yang tiada kerja dan tak boleh tengok kucing-kucing yang aman damai dan mesti nak mengacau? The list is endless......

Ya Allah Yang Maha Pengasih, selamatkanlah kucing-kucingku dan letakkanlah mereka dalam perlindungan dan perhatianMu sentiasa. Jauhkanlah daripada berlakunya sesuatu yang tidak diingini kepada mereka dan jauhkanlah mereka daripada manusia-manusia dan makhluk-makhluk yang zalim. HambaMu yang lemah dan serba kekurangan ini memohon ampun sebanyak-banyaknya atas segala kesilapan-kesilapan yang lalu. Sesungguhnya Ya Allah, Engkau adalah sebaik-baik Penjaga. Amin.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,

I would like to wish every dearest friend of mine a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Maaf Lahir Batin should there be anything from me that has caused unpleasant feelings or thoughts.

May you celebrate a meaningful Syawal with your loved ones.

Love from the City of Johor Bahru,


SpectacularBerryWave

October 24, 2006
Syawal 1, 1427

My Goodness

Astaghfirullahaladzimmmmm.... My Goodness.. I don't know what to say right now. I really, really, don't. I am deply upset, shocked, terrified and bingung.

Why? Here's why.. minutes ago as I was here on the Internet I heard the sound of cats fighting and I ran fastly downstairs and went outside to check. AND I SAW THAT BLESSED, BIG, Persian Cat, that has been in this neighborhood for quite some time, creating terror among the cats at this particular area. And I say it coming from the direction where Badrul and Blossom are. I checked on them.. I found Badrul lifeless, tapi his body is pretty stiff, which means he's gone agak lama juga.. maybe for hours. Innalillahiwainnailaihiraaji'uun. Badrul is dead, today October 21, 2006. That leaves Blossom. I suspected Badrul died not because of being injured by that Persian, but probably from cold.

As if that alone is not enough to cause huru-hara, I looked for my darling Buttercup but could not find her anywhere in sight. Yang ada Bochee, the mother. God Help Me, masa I menyuluh ke sana sini, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw her face pressing from the windscreen of my brother's car, as if signalling for help.

I ran frantically to asked for car key from my brother, with the hope that there's no mess created in the car i.e. urine accidents or the likes. But I took Anis' travelling mattress and throw it in the washing machine for safety measures... tak mau ada bulu kucing whatsoever.

Kasihan memang kasihan sangat-sangat but Butter is so, so nakal.. which worries me greatly.. you know what they say about cat's curiosity...

Tak Taulah Apa Nak Kata....

Spectacular Schumacher

As I have always said, Michael Schumacher is always my hero. My Formula One Hero. No matter what.

As it was, he was not so lucky in Suzuka last weekend. Though managed to get second position at the starting grid behind his team-mate and later become raceleader, he had to retire at lap 37, due to what described as "an extremely rare Ferrari engine failure".

This is what we call 'tiada rezeki' dan 'takdir'. Surely there are reasons behind it. Maybe God wants him to work harder and stay focused for the final GP of this season at Interlagos, Brazil. Maybe God does not want Schumi to be in a comfort zone by winning in Suzuka. As human being, we will never know.

And my spectacular hero, retired from Suzuka race with a smile. A philosophical smile, the attribute of a truly, truly professional Formula One driver. Not even the slightest trace of anger in his face. And he went straight to his team, to give them support. No unpleasant facial expression, or body language at all. NONE WHATSOEVER.

The following is his post-race quotes in Suzuka"

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari : “We are a great team. Our guys are the best and I have a great affection for everyone at Ferrari and am always more than satisfied in the way we work. Incidents like today’s can happen and they are part of racing. You win together but you also lose together. Today we did our best, I was leading the race and then my engine broke. That’s the simplest way to sum it up. That is Formula One. We can be proud of what we have achieved since Canada: we were twenty five points behind and no one could have thought we would be back in the fight for the championship, but we did it. Now we are nine points behind in the Constructors’ classification and we will do all we can to win this title in Brazil. As for the Drivers,’ it is lost. I don’t want to head off for a race, hoping that my rival has to retire. That is not the way in which I want to win the title.”

Anyone who knew Michael Schumacher would know that he meant what he said. This is a man whose sincerity can be seen in his face. "I don’t want to head off for a race, hoping that my rival has to retire. That is not the way in which I want to win the title." How honorable, Michael, how beautiful and how respectable. YOU ARE ALYWAYS, ALWAYS MY SPECTACULAR HERO.

To Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa, my prayers are with you for the coming FORMULA 1 Grande Prêmio do Brasil 2006 at Sao Paulo on October 22, 2006. All The Best, Good Luck, Stay Focused, Work Hard, and Win!

Saturday's Updates

Anis Farissa

Today Anis mula makan Farley Rusk. Looks like tak cukup sahaja sekeping for one session. Hehehe. This is the first official food for her. Before this dah banyak dia makan cebisan kurma, kismis dan lengkong ketika 'tumpang' berbuka bersama-sama orang lain. Mama dia yang berbuka, Anis yang kenyang.

Kiko

On saturday, Kiko died. I found Kiko in the afternoon, laid motionless in the cage. Kiko is one of Bochee's three new babies. Reason not known, but I suspected Bochee terpijak Kiko waktu malam and injured Kiko. The name Kiko was given, since the last kitten who died when it was little was named Coco. The other two, Blossom and Badrul, looked okay today.. Ya Allah, kurniakanlah kesihatan dan panjangkanlah umur mereka. Amin. Kiko was buried in between Coco and Berry's grave. I managed to get rosepetals from Kim Florist yesterday and sprinkled them all over the graves. May they rest in peace and safe with Him.

Berbuka Puasa di M-Suite.

Today, all of us berbuka puasa di luar. It is done every year during Ramadhan. And this year, it's at the M-Suite Hotel just behind our house. Nyaman, facing the sea. Anis was so happy. Menjerit-jerit. Ada my fav drink, sirap bandung. My choice of lauk was nasi putih, ayam masak kicap, udang goreng dicelup tepung sweet and sour and broccoli coked with black mushroom (also my fav). Ada juga nasi minyak di buffet tadi, but doesn't look appealing. Apapun, Alhamdulillah, dikurniakan rezeki untuk berbuka puasa.

My Hero

I learned that Felipe Massa had the pole position in Suzuka GP tomorrow and Michael Schumacher, my hero, is second. Alhamdulillah, Ya Allah, let them win 1-2. Amin. And the best thing is both Renault drivers are at the third row of the grid, at 5th and 6th place respectively. All the best, Michael and Felipe. Good Luck Ferrari!!!!

UTM

I went to UTM to fetch Mas, my sister and later sent her back to campus. I passed the library, which is next to the mosque. The library was so big, nyaman nampaknya, and so comfortable. Mudahnya sesiapa yang nak solat, masjidnya di sebelah saja, so big and peaceful-looking. Teringin nak buat MBA di situ, bolehlah study di library dan solat di masjid tu. Semoga diperkenankan. Amin.

Michael - Continuation of the Shanghai GP

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Anthony Rowlinson – Autosport) Michael, after a race like that, why are you retiring?

MS: I explained myself pretty extensively at Monza and it is very nice that you ask the question and it is better to go maybe when you are still asking the question than that you hint that it is time to go…

Q: (Ranran Li – Xinmin Evening News) Someone said that Shanghai is an unlucky place for you – do you still think that? What do you think of Shanghai now and will you return as an ordinary visitor in the future?

MS: Indeed, the last two years weren’t very good for us, we were not - lucky is not the right word because Rubens won the first year and I had a bit of unlucky moments there losing time and last year we were just simply not competitive and it was very straightforward. I thought yesterday that the way the weekend was going it may be one of the unlucky ones again when things don’t work out for you, but obviously the pendulum of luck has swung the other way around and hit me and I am naturally very delighted about it for having another win for the championship and for the conditions altogether, just beautiful, and particularly if you don’t expect to win a race and just think to keep the damage as small as possible. Concerning Shanghai, an interesting city, very interesting people and I would like to express a lot of thanks to all the fans here because they have been extremely nice and enthusiastic all the week I have been here, very nice to see, in particular the tribune at the end of the straight, a beautiful atmosphere over there with all the pictures of my history, my family and everybody. Beautiful. Thanks a lot for this. If I come back again, we’ll see. It is possible in a way. But I don’t know yet.

Q: (Wuh Shanjing Fan – Changjiang Times) Today you are the champion, so do you give a wonderful kiss goodbye to your Chinese supporters?

MS: Yes, well, I think so… Chinese fans down here and in particular at turn 14 all the guys everywhere else who were cheering for us saw a great race and a lot of entertainment and from my side a good result and a little present and give-back for the last two years. Q: Michael, Suzuka is one of your favourite circuits and Ferrari and you used to be very fast there – how do you analyse the next two rounds of the championship considering your car and the Renault as well?MS: It is very difficult to predict the characters of a circuit and then to draw conclusions for the cars, which one it is going to suit better to the circuit and so on. I really puzzle to have a strong feeling. You are right in terms of driving style and so on I love Suzuka. It is a fantastic circuit. Our car has been good and we have to see if we can manage the tyre situation as we have done in other circuits and we have to take it from weekend to weekend because it is difficult to make predictions.

Note : The information contained in this entry and the immediate previous entry is obtained from The Official Formula 1 Website and from Yahoo Sports.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER, MY HERO

Autograph time... Schumi in Shanghai with a fan before the practice session.

To be honest, I was a little bit worried yesterday when I learned the fact that Michael will start the Shanghai race at 6th place whereas Fernando Alonso got the pole position and his team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella in second place .

For one thing, there's the drivers' championship points. Until before the Chinese GP, that is up to the Italian GP, the difference in championship points between the two drivers was very small - 2 points i.e. Alonso 108 points and Michael 106 points. For Michael to start at 6th place is something not really helping if he were to win this year's GP and retire in style.

But as it is, I was only a little bit worried...because... this is the man who miraculously finished the race in fourth place when he started at 14th place. This is the man who managed to have a podium finish when he has to start at the back of the grid due to penalty reasons. This is the very same man and perhaps the only man in Formula One history who could ever overtake a raceleader with his very precise calculation of timing and determination and optimism. It was once said that if an F1 driver have the image of Michael's red Ferrari on his rearview mirror, he would not have the comfort to drive with a peaceful mind and heart. For Michael is a very , very competent, skillful, determined and forever-optimistic driver in the circuit.

Michael's Shanghai Post Qualifying Quote:

"We did the best we could in these conditions as our chances were damaged by the rain and sixth was the best I could do. You could call it a damage limitation operation. We still have the race ahead of us and from the third row of the grid, we can still aim for a good result, given that in the dry, we have proved to be very competitive. This qualifying session has not compromised my chances of winning the world championship. Apart from tomorrow’s race, there are still two Grands Prix to go and everything is still possible.”

Apparently, the heavy rain and the wet conditions ahead of the Shanghai race were not good for Michael and the Ferrari team. Michelin tyre was apparently superior in wet conditions as compared to that of Schumacher's Bridgestone. But as the race progressed, it was apparent that the circuit was drying. Schumi climbed into third position behind Alonso and Fisichellla.

Despite all the strategies and tactics used by the two Renault drivers ahead of him, Schumi managed to overtake both of them at the later stage of the race and obtained his 91st career victory. Though he earned sufficient points to match Alonso's in the Driver Standings, Michael takes the lead courtesy of his seven wins to Alonso's six.

Michael after winning the Chinese GP in Shanghai

Michael's Shanghai Post Race Quote:

“I am so happy! I want to thank the team for this result, as they did a fantastic job. After the start, I was surprised to find that I could match the pace of those ahead of me, which was better than I had expected. After a while, I was able to close up on Fisichella. I thought that if I could pass him, even if I could not win, then at least I would only lose two points to Fernando (Alonso) and given where I started that would have been a good result. It was very important to reduce the gap to the Renaults when the track began to dry. The crucial moment came with the switch to dry tyres. I knew that even if Fisichella managed to stay ahead of me after his stop, I would have the chance to pass him going into the first corner as he would be in trouble with the temperature of his tyres and that is what happened. In the final laps, I drove very carefully. I had a good gap but the track conditions were getting difficult, however, I was never worried about getting caught. Now we go to Suzuka, a track that I love. But it is difficult to make any predictions and as usual, tyre performance will be crucial.”

SHANGHAI POST-RACE INTERVIEW

Q: Michael, what a day, what a win, from sixth on the grid and after nine laps, 22 seconds behind the leader.

Michael Schumacher: Yeah, quite an exciting and extreme weekend, being pretty much competitive in the dry on Friday, then came to the qualifying, suddenly a downpour, and almost didn’t make it into the first ten. Finally got into sixth which was vital, obviously, to start the race. We had a reasonable pace to start with. I could at least keep up with the guys in front and slowly overtake and then our tyres started to work because, as we saw in Hungary already, at different stages of the race we were certainly slower or quicker. Then we found the right moment to change to dry tyres and luckily I had enough of a gap to drive home safely.

Q: Your pace on the intermediates, even before you switched to dries, was just phenomenal. That’s effectively what won the race. Talk us through that phase of the race.

MS: It was a gamble to stay on the tyres because it’s very difficult to see in what state the tyres are while you’re driving so you have to gamble and judge what you’re going to do. So we decided on the option to stay on the same tyres which worked perfectly fine and it was the right moment to change because they were just about to lose performance and it got too dry for them and then we obviously had the option to pit and change to dry tyres.

Q: And a great pass on Giancarlo when he had switched to dry tyres going into turn one there, and then pressure from Fernando at the end with the storm clouds building again.

MS: First of all, concerning Giancarlo, it was clear that turn one would be difficult because I had a moment there and I knew from practice that several drivers spun off so I took it reasonably easy, but even that was almost too fast so I was thought there could be an issue with Giancarlo and there was so I got that opportunity to dive in and that won the race. Afterwards it was obviously turning down the rpm and driving it home safely, with some doubts, obviously, because in between there were some drops of rain a couple of times and when you’re in such a comfortable position, you sort of have to weigh up and judge how much risk you want to take. Obviously I decided to play it safe.

(back to Michael after Alonso and Fisichella)

Q: Michael, two races to go in more senses of the words than one, 116 points each for you and Fernando.

MS: Yes, looking back some while ago, it’s a quite a miracle that we’re there, but thanks to great work from everybody we managed it and now we go to the last two races and I believe that we will have to wait until the last one before a decision can be reached and yes, it’s going to be an interesting couple of weeks that we are going to have to face. I really look forward to that.

SHANGHAI PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Michael, you really seemed to have enjoyed that one. The team obviously did a fantastic job. Were you surprised to be so competitive today?

MS: Basically, I was a little bit surprised in the early stages of the race that we could follow the pace compared to the guys in front, because it was still reasonably damp, but then as the circuit became more and more dryish, then I was not surprised that things were working out. But the most critical decision was obviously after the pit stop, which tyres to go on, and that was kind of a gamble.

Q: Were there a few moments on the wet track?

MS: Off the circuit? Well, you slide a little bit but off the track? I don’t think I have been off the track.

Q: Obviously you overtook one of the Hondas early on.

MS: Yes, I had a little battle with Rubens, pretty straightforward. With Jenson as well, yeah, I overtook him as well, and then it was it was just closing the gap to Fisico which was looking pretty good and then I picked up the pace and it was sort of stopped from there on.

Q: Was the car good in all the different conditions that were thrown at you today?

MS: Yes. We knew already from Saturday morning, when it dried out, we didn’t have an issue with our tyres in those conditions. The dry tyres were very good. The intermediates or rain tyres worked towards these conditions pretty well. We had experience with those, so from that point of view, it was just the perfect combination in a way, and after that I just had a big gap, reduced the rpm, saved the engine and just drove it home safely. Watched out for the conditions in order not make mistakes.

Q: And then of course when Giancarlo came out of the pits ahead of you and then slid wide, that must have been a relief as well.

MS: I sort of expected something like that because I had a moment myself, getting out of the pits, even though I was very cautious but I kept on line, luckily. So coming along the pit straight, and him knowing that I was coming along the pit straight and that it might be tight, I guessed that he would obviously press to a certain limit which could cause a moment and that sort of happened and that was enough for me to go through and honestly, in these conditions, any of us who went out of the pits had a moment there because conditions were very tricky coming out of the pit lane. Having to go through the wet at a certain period and then turning into turn one was the most difficult moment of the race overall.

Q: You really seemed to have enjoyed this one!

MS: Oh yeah! Absolutely!

I LOVE YOU, SCHUMI! YOU ARE MY HERO!

Will share some more news on the Chinese GP later...... Well done, Michael!

Announcement

Alhamdulillah, I am happy to announce that my cat, Bochee gave birth on September 30, 2006. At posting time, the number of kittens are not known accurately, but it should not be less than three. Presently they are all in the rumpun pokok at my neighbour's, so I won't disturb them until 1-2 weeks. This is because queens are really protective of their babies during this period of time.

I pray that all of them will be safe and will live healthily and happily. Amin.


Note: Where is Bono? He's missing for five days now. :( Be safe, Bono.