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.

Buttercup Story

Tadi petang I pergi ke pasar ramadhan di Taman Suria. Before that singgah di Pet Shop di Larkin Perdana. Was trying to get kitten food for Buttercup, Berry's sister. Nearly a week dia tak berapa nak makan sangat. Purina Friskies for kitten memang dia tak mau makan langsung. Kadang-kadang menumpang makanan Friskies abang-abang dan mak dia. Most of the time dia makan nasi berlaukkan ikan, leftover for the night yang our house assistant selalu beri kepada kucing-kucing sekelian.

About four days ago I caught her vomitting, masa tu dah hampir tengah malam. Cari-cari tak jumpa rupanya di tepi parit. Kasihan betul. Since that night I brought her inside waktu malam. Dia ni dah tinggal sorang sorang sekarang. Mak dia, Madam Bochee, is now heavily pregnant dan jadi garang sangat dengan anak-anaknya. Bochee and all Buttercup's brothers tak tidur di rumah lagi. Kalau balik pun really late, 2 a.m ke 3 a.m. Kasihan kalau tidur sorang sorang, dahlah sakit. The weather over here pun last few days tak tentu, mostly hujan dan sometimes panas berdenting.

Tapi now dah sihat, tak mahu makan pula. According to my aunt, Cik Nor, kucing memang berubah-ubah selera. After a while dia memang jemu dengan makanan dia. Kata Cik Nor, kucing dia pun sama. "Kucing-kucing ni tak bersyukur. Kalau stray cats tu, kita bagi Friskies, laju saja mereka makan". Cik Nor is also a catlover. Di belakang keretanya memang standby Friskies, kalau jumpa kucing di mana mana she will feed them.

Back to my darling Butter, Alhamdulillah, dia makan agak banyak tadi. Nampak montel pula hehehe. I thought tonight I nak biarkan dia tidur dengan Bobo, sebab tadi nampak Bobo ada. Cannot do anything if Butter is inside. Seriously, Butter is really nakal, contrary to Berry. But both are sweet and adorable.

This is the new food for Buttercup. Royal Canin for Kitten. Hai janganlah hendaknya dia cepat jemu dengan makanan ini. Nanti I kena beli Science Plan punya kitten food pula. Kopak!! Hee hee.

Note: Uh huh, sepatutnya this story masuk ke dalam my blog for my fellow feline.. tapi tak apa lah... kononnya 'sneak preview' heheheh.

Michael Schumacher - His Last Win In Monza, His Retirement

Current Drivers' Standing : 106 points.










PROFILE

Name : Michael Schumacher

Team : Ferrari (1996 - 2006) , Benetton (1991-1995)

Date of Birth : January 3, 1969

Nationality : German

Status : Married

Wife : Corinna Schumacher

Children : Gina Maria ( February,1997), Mick ( March,1999)

Place Of Residence : Vufflens-le-Château, Switzerland

Hobbies : Karting, Cycling, Skiing, Soccer, Tennis, Rock-Climbing.

Favourite Food : Pasta, "Kaiserschmarrn" (Scrambled Pancakes with Raisins)

Favourite Drink : Apple-juice with Soda

Favourite Music : Rock, Dance.

For many people, Michael has been the best driver in Formula 1 since 1994. Described as ambitious, self-disciplined and totally committed to success, and is respected by friends and rivals alike.

STATISTICS

World Championship wins - 7
World champion - 1994,1995,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004
Number of GP - 244
Victories - 89
Podiums - 151
In the points - 186
Pole positions - 68
Fastest laps - 74
Career points - 1338.0
Career points with curent rule - 1338.0

In what he called as "his last win in Monza, this Formula One legend announced his retirement from Formula One racing.

Michael in Monza

"It's been a very special day" said Michael in Monza.

His last race would be on October 22, in the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

Michael will leave the sport with every major record in Formula One.
His seven titles are two more than Juan Manuel Fangio's five.

Kimi Raikonnen will join Ferrari from next season with Felipe Massa.

Welcome, Ramadhan - A Note from SpectacularBerryWave

Assalamualaikum and Hello to everyone,

Finally after a long silence, I finally have the drive to be back here. Not that I do not have the time, material, or opportunity. It's the drive, the urge, call it what you like.

Firstly, I would like to wish my friend Princess Shieda a very Happy Birthday, on September 18, 2006, May Allah Bless you, Princess. And May you always be under His care and protection, wherever you are. Selamat Berpuasa, and may all your wishes be granted by Him. Have a safe journey. Amin.

Secondly, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone, every beloved person who has been to this place of mine, Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan and Selamat Menunaikan Ibadah Puasa. I pray that all of you, dikurniakan kesihatan dan ketenangan untuk berpuasa, and semoga lebih khusyuk lagi dalam beribadah. Semoga semua amalan kita diterima olehNya, dan semoga doa-doa kita dimakbulkan, dan semoga apa yang ingin hadiahkan akan disampaikan dengan izinNya.

Next, I would like to share with all of you on what's been happening to me since the last time I was here.

1. On August 13, 2006 my dearest and sweetest kitten, Berry left me to meet her Maker.Perhaps this is the saddest day in my 30 years of living. Never have I cried so hard and so frequent all my life. She was accidentally hit by my brother when he was reversing his car. I left her for only 10-15 minutes, and then she's gone. Forever. In the beginning I was upset beyond words, but now, I understand completely, that this thing sudah tertulis since the very first day I met Berry. And I tell myself, I should not be too upset , as Berry is now happy and safe with Allah. I may think that I took care of her as best as I could, but then I tell myself, who am I to say that? For Allah is The Best in everything. She would be far well-cared with Him.

I dedicate this song in loving memory of Berry, even though it did not happen in January, but, I feel the lyrics kind of match.






kasihku..sampai disini kisah kita
jangan tangisi keadaannya
bukan karena kita berbeda
dengarkan dengarkan lagu... lagu ini
melodi rintihan hati ini
kisah kita berakhir di januari
selamat tinggal kisah sejatiku
oh..... pergilah..........

Very soon, I am going to have another blog dedicated especially to all my Jedi Feline, and In Loving Memory Of my Berry.

2. My congratulations to both my cousins, Azie (Nurul Azilah) and Bijan (Mihazrizan/Izan) on their respective wedding.

Nurul Azilah Hamdan and Shahrurazy Mohamed
August 12, 2006

Mihazrizan Misli
and
Rafidah Buang

August 20, 2006

Semoga beroleh kebahagiaan yang berkekalan dan diberkati Allah selamanya. Amin.

3. I had three job interviews, ended up attending one - half-heartedly. Still not ready to work yet.

4. Recent visit to my neighbour's with an intention to 'berubat', revealed that there are, again, many attempts to menyihir myself. In actual fact, those things appeared in my dreams. One in the form of a man-sized cobra, a talking cobra, with the pattern of my kain batik sarung. Another form of dreams were, the persons with ill-intentions towards me, appeared in my dreams, one of them tried to give me a plate of fried chicken and persuaded me to eat.

To these people, as long as you want to, try all you like. I only have this to say: I seek protection from Allah, and Allah ONLY. Whatever you do, Allah knows. And I pray with all my might that nobody will be affected by your doing. And you guys might want to ask this question to yourself every morning when you open your eyes : What is my vision and objective in life?

5. These days, I like to include Berry in my nick, as in SpectacularBerryWave. Hence, if you see spectacularwave, specwave, specberrywave or spectacularberrywave, be rest assured, it is the same old .....

ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Selamat Pengantin Baru

Selamat Pengantin Baru diucapkan buat Sharifah Munauwarah Syed Jaafar and Mohammad Khairul Izmy bin Harun (30 Julai 2006). Semoga Majlis berjalan penuh lancar dan memperoleh keberkatan dan semoga dikurniakan kebahagiaan yang berkekalan.

Amin.

Of A Stalker - PART I

As of July 8, I have a new stalker. Don't know if I could rate the person a stalker, really, for, to be a stalker one would have to have a certain character. I mean, please , give some grace to the profession *grin*.

The first sms I received the night where there a football match to determine th 3rd place for the World Cup 2006. It went something like "had your number in my phone, few missed calls, would like explanation. do you mind introducing yourself?" And since I am VERY CERTAIN that I don't do things like that, I just replied "Who are you? I don't even know you." And for the record, at that moment I am slightly irritated already.

It went on and on. I entertained his messages with one motive: to know who on earth gave him my number or how in the world did he get my number. RESULTS: I found out that he actually STOLE my number from the particulars that Jobstreet.Com sent to his company. Maybe I did apply for a position in his company via Jobstreet some time in the past. Also, he is MARRIED with two kids, and kononnya having MARITAL PROBLEMS. And I obtained all this info overnight.

And the next day and days after that, he called me so many many times per day, for someone who just knew a person via sms. No, not 3-4 times a day.. almost 10. I know him not even a week, and hey I do not like him. Kalau I suka lain cerita, tak mau hang up pun tak kisah, but of course that is not possible, because people have things to do. And please, I did not take every call he made. I do not like him, and I have been doing something. Routine work, obviously, and caring for Baby Anis (Nissy). Adalah sekali dua I layan, depending on mood. There are a few things about him that I really cannot stand, that is why I am on NO, NO, NO. I will elaborate on this later in this post.

July 12 was when I started to ignore him totally. Why? Read the following messages. I still have it in my cellphone because I haven't got the time to delete it. I will after this. Bear in mind that all morning on July 12, nobody got to call me, just this jerk. Again, for the record, sepanjang yang I masih angkat phone calls from him, I gave him the same treatment like anyone else.. agaknya kerana itu dia menyangka he can step on my head and open a spice factory, kot..

July 12, 2006 14:06 : why tak jawap phone...ade boyfriend kat sebelah ke? hp kalau tak nak cakap... buang dalam TONG SAMPAH!! at least sms la balik bagitau i'm in a middle of having something with my bf.

July 12, 2006 15:08 : hp u rosak ke? You beli kat mana hp? kat pasar malam kajang ke?... kejap2 kejap rosak... sampai tak leh angkat phone or call... ha! ha! ha! ha! ada warranty lagi ke tak???

July 12, 2006 18:13 : aaaaiik merajuk.... I am sorry if i hurt you Suraya... betul ke i panggil you suraya or you want me to call you Sura or Raya... i think Raya IS OK... bunyi pun cam ceria je !! he! he! he!

July 12, 2006 22:05 : why x angkat phone... r u mad at me? had super supreme@ warta tadi.. call call u tak angkat.

July 12, 2006 22:10 : angkat la phone.

July 13, 2006 00:34 : i dah mintak maaf.. you maafkan tak? at least you angkatlah phone, talk to me... dah penat i dial up your number.. i am so sorry if it hurts you. i am SORRY..

As of July 12, I did not respond to him at all. One day, he did not call at all, and I thought the 'suwey' was finally over. Later that night I found a missed call from an unidentified number. Thinking it was one of my KL friends, I sent a message asking 'who is this?' The next day, so earrrly in the morning he sent sms to me explaining that his phone was out of battery all day the day before so he called me using his friends's mobile. GOSH, did he REALLY expec me to buy that???? Well then thank youuuu thank you kindly for letting me know beforehand that that's your friend's number.. made my job easy. I continued to ignore him entirely after that.

However on July 20, after he sent nearly 5 similar sms, asking me whether I merajuk and all... I finally reached my limit. Impressive, really considering my blood is actually made of mercury - how I can stay silent this long, I'll never know. At the afternoon of July 20, I send him this : I am going to say this only once. I am not interested at all to be your friend whatsoever so please stop all the phone calls, sms etc. that was at 17:03.

After midnight at 01:32 July 21, I received a lengthy sms from this stalker. What I can understand is, he must have told his friend about my sms earlier, and the sms forwarded to me was a reply from his friend. I am pretty sure about this as there was an email add at the end of the sms. Probably the guy was sending it from yahoo to his mobile. This is it:

"Sorry lambat reply wwf.. had a site visit at Kampar this eve.. now aku kat R&R Tanjung Malim.. penat n macam2...imagine cable boleh tersilap tanam kat site.. tu yg aku temper tak habis tadi, after this kena korek balik.Budak civil structure conclude boleh save cost... kau tahu la aku benda2 cam ni aku tak boleh compromises... OK.. Pasal minah tu eelehhh not interested pulak, pegi mampus la! that day masa tengok bola sibuk sangat nak cakap dengan aku...! told u b4 minah cam ni is so unpredictable. you can pick them up everywhere n anywhere down d street.... Like wat you were telling me, cakap kena kuat2, nak call prepaid habis n bla bla bla... Benda2 ni semua nonsense! if u want me to introduce my engineer or my admin pun aku boleh kenalkan...setakat minah mentah macam ni nak call pun prepaid memanjang habis. Bila kau call dia kata kau pondan... i had a feeling minah cam ni dia org suka control... if me, ok la tak interested aku tak rugi apa2.. even it will encourage your spending now n in d future, wwf. i am wondering how did u get to know minah ni? just tell her OK la if she wants to make a full stop. Not a big deal! Next week, we meet up at SB Bangsar Village.kalau boleh bawak Suhaili sekali, ada project infra kat Kelang.. ok Chow! mart.book@yahoo.ca

In reply to this, I send 5 sms in a row to him. I know I sepatutnya ignore him. But this time I will take the pleasure to spell it out to him what I have been concealing in my mind. Since dia tak faham faham kalau orang tak layan tu, means tak berminat, or mungkin dia buat tak faham, thinking that I maybe jual mahal to him, because he thinks he is so adorable (ptuih). I will comment on his sms and on him at the PART II of this post. Save the best for later hehehe. Please read my reply:

1) Haha. Sour Grapes.

2) Also, if you really have marital problems and are seeking for female-shoulder-to-cry-on, at least have the grace to look at the mirror, and having done that, please choose carefully hehehe. Reasons: if you examine yourself properly, you would notice that you are a freak and that no self-respecting lady would ever want to have anything to do with you.

3) Reason number two: careful in choosing girls, because again, no self-respecting lady would entertain the prospect of calling a freak, who is not only prsistent but irritating too. Plus, no self-respecting lady would respond to inducement by desperados who think they can smoothly deceive ladies to call them and listen to their sad pathetic stories. Cheap desperados to be exact, for they can't even afford the expenses of infidelity.

4) Having said all that, please have some integrity lah. If a lady does not favor your company, accept it and face it like a man. There's no need to harass or criticize the lady, makes it all the more amusing. And by the way, I really do not blame your wife for not finding her life with you pleasant. Please accept my sincere thought.

5) Good Luck in your conquest to find some sympathetic girl. Really, you need the luck.

Alhamdulillah, after that and until now I heard nothing from him. Don't know if I should be aware of the calm before the storm. But tak kisahlah, yang penting I memang tak berkenankan perangai sebegitu. Next : My Overall Comment. Stay tuned hehehe.

He Did It Again!

Yes! Yes! Michael Schumacher Did It Again!!!!!

He won the race at Magny-Cours, France on Sunday, 10 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso. His team-mate Felipe Massa finished third.

This is his fourth win for 2006 season. The first one was at San Marino, Italy, followed by the European Grand Prix. The third one was at Indianapolis, just before this fourth win at Magny Cours.

WELL DONE SCHUMI, KEEP IT UP!!!!
Schumi Is Always The Coolest!

Next Stop : Hockenheim, Germany at July 30, 2006

Note : The above picture was at Magny-Cours Race on Sunday, Quoted from Yahoo Sports.

My Favourite Poem

This is one of my favourite poems. I dedicate this poem to each and everyone out there who falls into the category of "tak boleh tengok orang senang". i.e. to those people yang tak senang hati watching people succeed, or have something special and extraordinary, and mesti nak do something untuk upsetkan orang lain and berdengki.

This is in view of my latest development - being a victim of black magic.

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard'
Cause I laugh like I got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise
I rise
I rise.

Happy Birthday, Jedi Knight

Dear Feisal,

I hope you have received my sms just now.

Happy 37th Birthday, and Many Happy Returns.

Semoga Dipanjangkan Usia oleh Allah.

Semoga Dimurahkan dan Ditambahkan Rezeki.

Semoga Tercapai Segala Hajat Dan Cita-Cita.

Semoga Sentiasa Berada Dalam Perlindungan Allah.

Semoga Dikurniakan Kebahagiaan Di Dunia Dan Di Akhirat.

Stay Cool and Handsome and Naughty.

Finally, please accept the warmest Birthday Greetings from

Me....

Note: I hope you would not mind reading this greeting in Malay. For one thing, it is not easy to say it accurately in English, I mean the doa... Also, we seldom communicate in Malay, kan? So apa salahnya.

Okay, here's a song for you on your Birthday.. one of my favourites when I was living abroad.



Earthbound by Connor Reeves

You took me higher than I've ever been
Now that we're strangers, I've come down again
Back to the real world, back to the real world
Back to the ground
Not high above it, without your loving
Now I'm earthbound

Because your love it lifted me above it all
Without it, it's leaving me so far to fall
I hope you find what you're looking for
I never thought there could be anymore

But if you really have to go
You take the high, I'll take the low
But when you leave me don't you know
You leave me earthbound

You took me higher than I've ever been
Now that we're strangers, I've come down again
Back to the real world, back to the real world
Back to the ground
Not high above it, up where the love is
Now I'm earthbound

Because we used to say that we were far away
Because our love, it took us to another place
And it's so hard for me to face
But if you really have to go
You take the high, I'll take the low
But when you leave me don't you know
You leave me earthbound

If you really have to go
You take the high, I'll take the low
But when you leave me don't you know
You leave me earthbound

KASIHANILAH MEREKA......

Last month, our cat Bochee gave birth again. Ada 4 anak kucing kesemuanya. Sadly, one of them was stolen and eaten by the father. So, there were three left, and when they were strong enough to stand on its own, the three of them selalu bermain-main di tepi rumah.

One morning, I only saw two of them around. I strongly suspected something was not right, so I went to the box where the kitten slept at night and I saw Coco, the other one. At first I thought Coco was still sleeping, but when I pushed the box to wake him up... Coco's body slided lifelessly from one side to another. Coco must have died sometime during the night.

Crying silently, I went to find my brother, Faiz and told him. He went to check on Coco immediately, and he put Coco's body aside. Both of us were of the same opinion that Coco mati kesejukan. Pada masa itu, di JB memang selalu hujan dan di kawasan rumah kami, kesejukannya boleh dikatakan agak teruk, kerana terletak di atas bukit. Bochee, Coco's mother datang berhampiran dengan Coco dan mengiau-ngiau, seolah-seolah memberitahu tentang kesedihannya. At this moment I felt as if my heart was torn into tiny pieces. My feelings were totally indescribable.

I went to find a clean face towel while Faiz sat there with the cats. Then I went to the back of the house, found a cangkul dan menggali lubang di bawah pokok mangga. Apabila lubang yang dicangkul sudah agak dalam, I asked Faiz to wrap poor Coco with the face towel, which he did with extra care, as if to keep him warm. Then he placed Coco carefully into the hole, said goodbye for the last time. After burying Coco, I ran to the garden at the other side, and I plucked some flowers. Untuk setiap species orkid, I memetik sekuntum, dan ada tujuh atau lapan kuntum. And then there was one type of flower, tak tau apa namanya tapi sangat harum, so I petik juga. I menaburkan bunga-bunga itu di atas kubur Coco. This is not a ritual or spiritual whatsoever, and people may think of it as strange. But it is my way of expressing my love for Coco. I did the same when Precious, my goldfish died a few years ago.

After then I searched for a bigger, stronger box and a clean old but thick towel. Kemudian I sendiri yang mengangkat Berry dan Buttercup, adik beradik Coco yang masih hidup, ke dalam kotak itu. Deep in my heart I prayed may they always be warm and safe in the new box.

Last two weeks, when I was in KL to pick up my stuffs, I was about to enter a 7-Eleven when I heard the voice of a kitten. Mengiau dengan kuat dan tak henti-henti. But I saw no kitten there. Then I realized that the voice came from under a car, which must have belonged to one of the residents of the apartment. So I went inside, bought my things as well as a packet of whiskas for kitten. Kononnya nak umpan anak kucing tu keluar dari bawah kereta...bahaya, takut dilanggar tanpa sedar. Tapi.. panggil-panggil tak keluar.. kemudian bila dengar betul-betul rupanya suara anak kucing itu datangnya dari dalam egine compartment kereta... For the next few minutes I termenung dalam kereta memikirkan bagaimana nak mengeluarkan anak kucing itu. There was this little girl yang dengar juga dan cuba mencari-cari anak kucing dan hulurkan tangan tapi tak dapat juga. I dah merasa teramat-amat sedih kerana setiap kali dengar tapak kaki orang nak ke seven-eleven, anak kucing tu akan mengiau sekuat hati, as if crying for its life.

I waited for half an hour in my car, in case the owner of the car appeared. Jadi bolehlah I selamatkan anak kucing tu. I was seriously considering to take the cat with me back to JB jika anak kucing itu tiada ibu atau sesiapa. Kesian sangat.. but then my friend called me and told me he would arrive in a few minutes to help me pack my things. So I did what I could think of at that moment. I ambil sekeping kertas A4 dan tulis dengan marker :

DEAR OWNER OF THIS CAR, I BELIEVE THERE IS A KITTEN TRAPPED IN YOUR ENGINE COMPARTMENT. WOULD YOU PLEASE OPEN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND LET THE KITTEN OUT BEFORE YOU START YOUR CAR? THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Then I put the note di celah wiper, with the hope that the owner would see it sebelum menghidupkan enjin. Tapi tidaklah bimbang sangat as the little girl decided to stay there for a while untuk perhatikan kucing tu.

Later, when I drove around that area, I saw that the car was no longer there, and somehow I dapat rasakan yang anak kucing telah dikeluarkan dengan selamat oleh tuan punya kereta. Jika benar, Alhamdulillah dan semoga ianya selamat di mana-mana.

Tonight, when my sister got home from work, I quickly ran outside. Nak suruh dia hantar ke kedai yang berhampiran untuk membeli barang. Bila sampai di kereta, terdengar bunyi anak kucing mengiau. Rasa terperanjat, kerana I ingatkan si Berry or Buttercup yang termasuk ke bawah kereta. Smiling, Lin pun mengangkat anak kucing di atas ribanya. It was a very beautiful and lovely kitten. Warnanya light grey, a very beautiful shade of grey. Apparently the kitten was terrified, yalah mana pernah naik kereta sebelum ni. With a total stranger pula.

(Kata Lin, she went to meet some friends at the college where she previously studied. Her friends yang tunjukkan Lin kucing tu... sangat comel. Bila Lin nak balik, tak ada satupun kucing lain di situ. Kafe tu pun dah nak ditutup. Mulanya Lin fikir, tak apalah nanti mungkin ibunya datang. As she was walking towards her car tiba-tiba anak kucing tu mengejar dia dari belakang... as if telling her... may i follow you, i have no one here... please... Lin yang sememangnya penyayang dengan kucing berasa kasihan dan tak sampai hati untuk meninggalkan kucing itu...dibawanya balik..)

Di kedai, I bought the things that I need, and again, a packet of whiskas for kitten. Sampai saja di rumah, kami terus berikan anak kucing itu makan dan dia makan dengan cepat.. mungkin dah lama tak dapat makanan yang proper agaknya...kasihan sungguh... Faiz pun turut sama menemankan anak kucing itu makan... by this time Bochee was already there.. dia tercium-cium anak kucing tu.. agaknya bila merasakan bau anak kucing itu tidak sama dengan anaknya dia pun terus berlalu. 3 kucing lain pun begitu.. habis makan anak kucing ini sudah tidak mengiau-ngiau lagi... Seemed to me dia dah mula menyukai suasana sekelilingnya.. even tried to play with Bono, Bozo and Bobo. Tapi the three of them bukan saja tak menghiraukannya, malah semacam garang pula. Mungkin kerana bukan adik mereka...atau mungkin baru kenal...

We started to worry... si Bobo boleh tahan suka bergaduh.. takut diapa-apakan pula si kecil yang baru datang. Nak dibawa masuk ke dalam... agak susah (our Mom doesn't like cats.. leceh sikit) plus we have a baby living with us.. And then there's a kucing liar yang selalu attack our cats malam-malam... (not Wang Wang, a new one. Wang Wang is also missing for a long time now).

Finally we decided to take it back to the college... at least no cat could harm it there.. sekurang-kurangnya malam ini ia tak akan lapar...and the area pula berpagar besi yang agak rapat.. so no threat from dogs... lagipun sedih juga memikirkan kalau si kecil ni ada ibu, alangkah sedihnya jika ibunya mencari dan tak jumpa.. dan sedihnya jika dia mencari ibunya di malam hari...but me made a pact.. if tomorrow Lin datang dan si kecil itu masih berseorangan.. she would definitely take her back with her.

We drove to the college to put the kitten there. We put it in a lovely basket, alaskan dengan two layers of tiny towel so that it will be warm and we put the packet of whiskas together. Yang amat menyedihkan, selepas kami letakkan ia di sudut kafe dan penjaga kafe nak mengunci grill, it came running dan mengiau-ngiau.. seolah-olah nak ikut pulang.... we stood there for quite a while.. sedih dan tak sampai hati.. yet serba-salah.. we thought of its safety... at least here..tak ada kucing yang akan kacau dia... kemudian kami angkat dia dan letakkan kembali dalam bakul dan lari dengan lajunya supaya dia tak sempat mengejar... because we said to ourselves... one more time dia kejar lagi we would take it back, no matter what....agaknya kerana tak nampak kelibat kami, anak kucing itu tidak keluar lagi. Esok, Lin akan ke college untuk melawatnya.

And I would like to share this with all of you.....

HUBUNGAN MANUSIA DAN HAIWAN (quoted from daawah.com)

Bersama-sama dengan manusia, tuhan menjadikan binatang yang juga makhlukNya Firman Allah:
"Dan tiada satu pun di antara haiwan melata di bumi atau pun burung terbang dengan dua sayapnya melainkan mereka juga umat-umat seperti kamu; tiada satu pun yang Kami lupakan di dalam Kitab, kemudian kepada tuhannya mereka dikumpulkan." Al An'am 38

Jelas dari ayat di atas menunjukkan binatang juga diberi penilaian dan haknya. Dengan itu manusia juga mempunyai tanggungjawab terhadap haiwan. Antaranya:

1. Memberinya makan dan minum bila diperlukan. Sabda Rasulullah: "Sesiapa yang tidak mengasihani tidak akan dikasihani."

2. Mengasihani binatang. Sabda Rasulullah apabila baginda melihat beberapa orang menjadikan burung sebagai sasaran panah mereka: "Allah melaknat orang yang menjadikan sesuatu yang mempunyai roh sebagai sasaran." Mutafaq 'alaih

3. Janganlah menyiksa haiwan ketika menyembelihnya atau membunuhnya. Sembelihan hendaklah dengan pisau yang tajam.

4. Janganlah menyiksa binatang dengan apa cara sekalipun. Sabda Rasulullah:"Seorang perempuan dimasukkan ke dalam neraka disebabkan seekor kucing yang dikurungnya hingga mati, perempuan itu akan masuk neraka kerana kucing itu tidak diberi makan, tidak diberi minum dan tidak dibiarkan memakan binatang-binatang tanah". Riwayat Bukhari

Bagaimanapun, dibenarkan membunuh binatang yang menyakiti manusia atau yang menimbulkan bahaya kepada manusia. Tetapi pembunuhan itu hendaklah dengan cara tidak menyiksanya.

MY HORRIFYING EXPERIENCE - the completed version

At dinner tonight, I had the chance to bersembang-sembang with my brother Firdaus and sister-in-law Ayati (Anis' parents).

Firdaus was telling us about the accident which occurred at dawn this morning on his way to work. He worked at an oil and gas fabrication company at Pasir Gudang, so he used the same route i.e Pasir Gudang Highway. That highway is known to be a very dangerous one because it is a main route for all the trailers and lorries to the Port Of Pasir Gudang. Since he worked there, he has witnessed road accidents which claimed the life of 20 people separately.

According to Fir, the accident this morning involved a motorcyclist and a vegetable lorry. The authorities were not there yet and he could see the body of the unfortunate man covered with newspapers while his motorcycle was badly crushed.

That reminded me of my own horrifying experience last week as I was driving back to JB from KL after taking my stuffs in KL.

I was driving alone, and it was nearly 1.00 a.m. in the morning of May 31, 2006. The location was at the KL-JB highway, southbound, and I just passed Seremban, heading towards Melaka. Frankly, Alhamdulillah, so far I have no problems whatsoever driving alone, and at night, even at 1.00 a.m. Alhamdulillah I jarang sekali rasa mengantuk bila drive long-distance. But really, this does not mean I can bersenang-senang hati driving.

That night there were mostly lorries and express buses.. and their driving was what I classify as Recklessly Life-Threatening.

As I was driving at this one corner at 80-100 kmph (which is quite slow, actually given that this is a highway), secara tiba-tiba, there was one long trailer tiba-tiba drive masuk ke jalan daripada tepi jalan. Probably the driver was resting, and was about to resume driving. Tau sajalah, trailer... bila baru masuk ke jalan raya.. really, really slow, macam semut sakit kaki! And I really had to brake like mad... even though my speed was really that slow (80-100kmph) and managed to stop barely 2-3 inches from that damn trailer!!!!!!!!! That was not all, my friend, that was not all. From my rearview mirror, I saw the front lights of a bus, semakin lama semakin besar heading straightly towards my car... which only meant the bus was REALLY laju!!!!! So I did the only thing I could think of, I pulled my car to the left side of the road (emergency lane), and in short seconds the bus arrived exactly at the spot where my car was a few seconds ago...but it was still moving and out of a sudden the bus driver had to pull the bus to the right lane of the road.. and , LUCKILY THERE WAS NO OTHER VEHICLE COMING FROM BEHIND!!!!!!!

I was totally dumbstruck and shocked for the next few seconds. When I recovered, I drove behind the truck for the next few minutes and guess what??? I tekan my hon panjang-panjang dan berkali-kali. I did not cry whatsoever, did not feel upset in the least. All I was feeling was anger, extreme annoyance and hatred. So mad was I that I had forgotten to make the approrpriate thing, that is, to dial the number shown at the back of any commercial transport should they drive recklessly. And when I overtook the trailer, I deliberately drove slowly when I passed the driver. I glared at him but that moron never looked at me and pretended that nothing happened. Only God knows how much cursing I have generously thrown to the driver in my heart!!!!

Yes, so you have to drive at night, and you do have mouths to feed at home. But who gives you the licence to risk the life of others and to drive RECKLESSLY and endangering people in the course of "mencari rezeki"????? What, you think other people do not have family???????? How could you feed your children, when the money is obtained by having people killed tragically by your own recklessness?

I swear, if I were killed that night (Na'uuzubillahiminzaaliq), jika diizinkan Allah, my own spirit or hantu whatsoever will go and find that driver and I will find him and throw him and his truck in the deepest of the jurang at the highway in between Pagoh and Yong Peng! Please do not say I am cruel because Dear God, his recklessness took my life!

And I was even madder tonight when Fir told me that he had encountered a pretty similar experience a few years back at Pedas-Linggi, on that JB-KL Highway, northbound, on his way to Shah Alam. A huge lorry was trying to move into the right lane but when Fir flashed the headlight, the driver immediately pulled the lorry back into the left lane.. So Fir went ahead and overtook the lorry.. just as he was about to pass the lorry, the lorry driver drove into the right lane when Fir's car was exactly next to the lorry. On impulse, he immediately drove his car to his right side.. guess what? The car went straight into the pokok-pokok bunga perhiasan which served the purpose of a divider of the highway. I do not want to imagine what would happen if it was not pokok-pokok bunga and was actually a concrete divider... GOD FORBID! Habis semua pokok bunga patah riuk, because he was actually driving my father's Volvo, the one that is really fast and panjang lebar, so it really swept off all the pokok-pokok... itu nasib baik tak terbabas ke the other side of the highway where cars were coming from the opposite direction!!!

At first he was panicked, as he put it.."tangan menggigil, nak masuk gear pun tak boleh"... When he recovered, he quickly chased the lorry. Bila dah jumpa lorry tu, sengaja he drove next to the lorry and shouted ""Words Of Appreciation"" to the driver. Either the driver was drunk or sleepy, but one thing for sure - he was reckless and careless. Yeah, I guess it was not very nice for us to do that to the drivers, but hey, bila nyawa dah terancam, agak susah untuk bersabar, lebih-lebih lagi akibat perbuatan yang cuai, lalai dan tak langsung bertimbangrasa. I guess we, the real descendants of Laksamana Bentan memang tak boleh diusik agaknya. We are by nature ordinary people who live ordinary life. We believe in living fairly, honestly and in harmony. It is not in our nature to cause any harm to others. But please do not touch our family, friends or relatives for no apparent reason. We could 'melenting' like mad.

Note :

1. I thank Allah endlessly for saving me on that horrifying night, and for keeping me calm and not panicking, hence I was able to think quickly and sensibly.

2. Lessons learned : BE ALERT ALL THE TIME WHEN DRIVING, DAY OR NIGHT.

: The rearview and side mirrors are invented for a very important purpose.

: BE EXTRA CAREFUL WHEN DRIVING UP OR DOWN A STEEP HILL.

You can never predict what's waiting for you!

: When driving at night, do not switch on the radio loudly, because you will

not be able to stay fully alert this way.

: Do not take things for granted and do not think other drivers are as careful

and mindful as you are.

: TRY TO BE IN CONTROL ALL THE TIME BECAUSE THIS WILL ENABLE

YOU TO THINK RATIONALLY AND HENCE, MAKE SOUND JUDGEMENT

AND DECISIONS.

3. I really have high regards for lorry drivers who made safety their number one priority. These kind of drivers made full use of the R & R place - they took quick showers to refresh themselves, took a nap or even sleep when they know that they are tired and are not able to be alert, or even take the trouble to stop and get a cup of strong coffee to remain alert. These people are the real human beings, who are not selfish, who really use their brain. They are well-informed, and bertimbangrasa and berperikemanusiaan. Semoga Allah memberkati rezeki yang mereka perolehi dan memurahkan rezeki mereka.

4. A lot of things could happen to me that night:

A - I did not see the trailer that appeared out of no where.

B - I did not manage to brake my car.

C - I did not see the express bus coming behind me.

D - I panicked and did not know what to do.

E - I did not manage to pull my car to the emergency lane.

F - The bus did not manage to brake on time.

G - The bus did not manage to divert itself to the right lane.

H - There was a vehicle coming from behind the minute the bus turned into the right lane.

I - There was a car at the emergency lane the moment I had to pull into it.

Ya Allah, kecutnya perut mengenangkan the impact. Imagine the explosion... kalaupun it's between the bus and the trailer, pastinya I terpaksa menyaksikannya, mau tak mau. Or... kalau tak sempat masuk ke Emergency Lane.. mau jadi sandwich.. Na'uuzubillah....

5. To all my friends, please do remember to recite this before you begin your journey.

Ayatul Kursi,

Du'a Menaiki Kenderaan Darat:

Maha Suci Allah yang memudahkan ini (perjalanan @ kenderaan) bagi kami (1) Dan

tiadalah kuasa kami mempergunakannya tanpa kurnia dari Engaku (2) Sesungguhnya kami

akan kembali kepada Tuhan Kami (3).

then,

BismillahitawakkaltualAllahuwalahaulawalaquwataillabillahil'aliyilazim.

6. Semoga kita semua dipelihara Allah dalam segala keadaan. Semoga selamat sentiasa dan dilindungi daripada kecuaian diri sendiri dan insan lain. Amin.

To My Special Someone

Assalamualaikum, this is from Johor Bahru City. From this moment onwards I am officially relocated to this city until year end, Insya Allah.

This song is the favourite song of my very special someone who is currently in KL and is working with our national airline. It is also one of my favourites.

If You're Not The One (Daniel Bedingfield)

If you’re not the one then why does my soul feel glad today?
If you’re not the one then why does my hand fit yours this way?
If you are not mine then why does your heart return my call
If you are not mine would I have the strength to stand at all

I never know what the future brings
But I know you are here with me now
We’ll make it through
And I hope you are the one I share my life with

I don’t want to run away but I can’t take it, I don’t understand
If I’m not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

If I don’t need you then why am I crying on my bed?
If I don’t need you then why does your name resound in my head?
If you’re not for me then why does this distance maim my life?
If you’re not for me then why do I dream of you as my wife?

I don’t know why you’re so far away
But I know that this much is true
We’ll make it through
And I hope you are the one I share my life with
And I wish that you could be the one I die with
And I pray in you’re the one I build my home with
I hope I love you all my life

I don’t want to run away but I can’t take it, I don’t understand
If I’m not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

‘Cause I miss you, body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away
And I breathe you into my heart and pray for the strength to stand today
‘Cause I love you, whether it’s wrong or right
And though I can’t be with you tonight
And know my heart is by your side

I don’t want to run away but I can’t take it, I don’t understand
If I’m not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am
Is there any way that I could stay in your arms?

May this distance makes us stronger, tougher and closer than ever. May Allah bless us in whatever we are doing, May He protect us, May He blessed our relationship. And May Allah protect our family, beloved friends and their family, our relatives, our pets, and all Muslimin and Muslimah worlide. Amin.

A Little Bit More

More Photos of RMJ and family members

At the State Banquet in conjunction with the Birthday of DYMM Sultan Johor





DYMM Sultan Iskandar, DYAM Tunku Ibrahim Ismail and DYAM Tunku Ismail Ibrahim

DYMM Sultan Iskandar with DYAM Tunku Ismail

DYMM Sultan Iskandar with YM Tunku Iman, YM Tunku Jalil and YM Tunku Idris, the brothers of DYAM Tunku Ismail.

DYAM Tunku Ismail with YAM Raja Zarith Sofiah and DYTM Tunku Azizah