My Understanding Of The Usage Of RON 95

From 1st September 2009, the Malaysians were introduced to a new petrol called RON 95. On 3rd September 2009, an article was published in the Starbiz section of the Star entitled “Saving With RON 95” (please refer to the above image). From the headline, it made me want to rush to the petrol station and fill up my almost empty fuel tank of my Gen-2. However, hoping to be a smart consumer, I felt the urgency to check on the story first. Thus, here’s the result of my findings.

Firstly, let’s see if those Malaysians who rushed off to fill their cars’ fuel tank upon reading the article “Saving With RON 95” really save their precious Ringgit. On the surface, by switching from RON 97 to RON 95 the consumer saved RM 0.25 per litre or RM 10.00 for a 40 litre tank. This is just the price difference of RON 97 and RON 95.

Secondly, when we allowed for time comparison, effectively there is no saving at all! Prior to 1st September, we were using RON 97 at RM 1.80 per litre. After 1st September, if we switch to RON 95, the price is still RM 1.80 per litre. In other words, the monthly budget (if there is one!) for fuel consumption remains constant. There will be no reduction, so don’t ever dream of increasing the budget of other items such as food or clothing.

Thirdly, after having compared the price difference, to pursue the value for money analysis, we have to study the products in detail. What is the difference between RON 97 and RON 95. For that matter, what is RON?

RON stands for Research Octane Number. It is an octane rating number and is a measure of the resistance of fuels to detonation (engine knocking) in spark-ignition internal combustion engines. Detonation reduces the engine efficiency thus affects the vehicle’s performance. The higher the number, the more resistance to detonation the fuel is.

Therefore, switching from RON 97 to RON 95 will reduce your vehicle’s performance, hence, the saving of RM 0.25 per litre. One welcoming note though, all Perodua and Proton cars are compatible with RON 95 (this statement is taken from the above-mentioned article “Saving With RON 95”).

Do you think we have covered all avenues. Sorry. There is another issue to consider. Do you drive the following vehicles? Suzuki Swift Sport, Honda Civic Type R, Mitsubishi Airtek Turbo, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Range Rover and Skoda 200FSI. If you do, you might have to adjust your monthly budget. Using performance vehicles such as these made the usage of RON 95 a no-no! These vehicles are incompatible with RON 95.

Finally, taking this matter a little bit further, for those of you who are on the look out for a brand new Hari Raya vehicle to parade it on your “Balik Kampong”, I would suggest to include in your checklist an additional question to the salesman – “Is the vehicle RON 95 compatible?”.

In Real Life

In real life, what is important, in a relationship, is how you "accept" a person as a whole. It isn't about what YOU would like him or her to be. It isn't about his or her willingness to do whatever YOU wishes him or her to do.

Looking for a partner who is "perfect" for you in this world that is full of imperfections seemed impossible. Some will have to wait for a long time to meet his or her match. Others could be considered lucky not to have waited for a long time. However, some made drastic moves by willingly forgoing their rights to be with someone just because they couldn't find their "perfect" partner.

Perfection seemed to be their major blockage. "Where do I find this person?"."Is there such a person?".

Well, he or she might be staring at you now! Lo and behold! He or she might be sneaking behind you as you are reading this article. Turn around and accept whatever imperfections he or she has and make sure these imperfections are "perfect" for you. Have a look at this video clip and see what I meant.

Felt Betrayed By My Own Leaders

On Thursday morning July 9th, 2009, I, unusually, loss my appetite for breakfast. Seeing the day’s headline of THE STAR made my wife’s delicious fried meehoon was left untouched, although I only had tuna sandwich for my last night dinner. The dreaded decision made by the Honourable Minister of Education was the main cause of my sudden disinterest in the first meal of the day.

Before Thursday, I was praying very hard daily that our education system is left undisturbed well, at least, not until after the year 2014, when my youngest daughter will be starting her post-secondary school education. My prayers were not answered after all. My daughter will have to switch to learning Mathematics and Sciences in Bahasa Malaysia when she is in Form 4 in 2012. Bearing in mind that when she started schooling way back in 2003, she was used to the system of learning Mathematics and Sciences in English. Sadly, for the sake of somebody trying to show that he or she is doing a good job in his or her ministry, my last child has to endure two of her remaining years in secondary school learning Mathematics and Sciences in Bahasa Malaysia. It felt like an Olympic 110m hurdler failing to clear the last two hurdles and finishes fourth in the finals, the first placing for a finalist not to get an Olympic medal.

This is not the first time, I felt that I have been betrayed by my own leaders when it comes to my children education. In 2003, my son who was just starting Form 1 was made to learn Mathematics and Sciences in English after six years getting used to learning them in Bahasa Malaysia. I would sometimes shed tears upon seeing him struggling to adjust to the new system and getting unfavourable results in his monthly tests. Trying to motive him to continue learning is another challenge for me and my wife. However, what made us encourage him to continue learning Mathematics and Sciences in English was because at the institutes of higher learning in Malaysia, English is the medium of learning. From that moment on, we have willingly accepted that fact.

We thought it was going to be a sun-shining day, but it looks like it is going to rain in the afternoon. My youngest daughter who had learned Mathematics and Sciences in English for nine years, will have to quickly adapt to learning them in Bahasa Malaysia for two years, and finally reverts back to English if she is qualified to attend an institute of higher learning of her own choice. Attending meeting, discussing issues in detail and making decisions in an air-conditioned room seemed to be an ordinary routine for some, but we the rakyat will have to bear the consequences.

(This article was sent to editor@thestar.com.my on July 9th, 2009)

The Other Side of A Reunion

by mzauri@pc.jaring.my

“Malam ASPUTRA 2009”, that was the theme given for a reunion dinner hosted by the Alumni of Sekolah Menengah Sains Tuanku Syed Putra, Kangar, Perlis on July 4^th, 2009. It was held at Hotel Singgahsana, Petaling Jaya. Former students of the school starting from the SPM Batch 1976 until the latest batch, came from all over Malaysia, hoping to meet long lost friends, honouring their former teachers who were responsible, at least partly, for making them what they are now and enjoying the good food, good music and good company.

As I glanced around the hall, I could see happy faces, faces in tears (tears of joy), a lot of handshakes, a lot of hugging and a lot of cheek kissing. I could hear a lot of laughter, a lot of shouting and a lot of crying (cry of joy). Forget about good food, forget about good music and forget about the speeches! They just want to be together, they just want to hear the stories of their friends, the adventures that they had, their trials and tribulations and their triumphs. They would like that night to be a never-ending one. Some groups even held post-dinner gatherings at the coffee house of a well known hotel nearby or at “Kedai Mamak” opposite that hotel. The laughters could be heard until the early hours of the morning.

Walking away from “Kedai Mamak’s” table to start my journey back to where I came from was very hard. My pace was very slow and my body felt weak, showing the resistance to part company with my friends, some, whom I have not seen for more than thirty years! My mind started to wonder around.

I thought about those who attended the dinner. For those who live around Klang Valley, some came in chauffer-driven luxury cars, some in spouse-driven family cars and some car-pooled. For those who live outside the valley but made a point to attend the dinner, there are some of them who came by public transportation. I noticed that whatever transportation that were mentioned, all of them received the same enthusiatic handshakes, the same power hugs and the same pressure cheek-kissings among themselves. This is what you get when the friendships are based on sincerity and lillahi ta’ala.

Khushairi and I had the privilage of accompanying two former teachers, Cikgu Baharom and Cikgu Munir, to the reunion. The moment we arrived at the teachers’ houses to pick them up, we could observe the teachers’ enthusiasms, looking forward to meet their former proteges. Travelling from Kangar on PLUS Highway to PJ with the two of them really made the journey enjoyable. A lot of historical stories about our school, our teachers and the students were made known to us, some stories, we have never heard before! However, in between their stories, both of them kept on repeating how excited they are to meet all of us.

Being able to attend the reunion, made me consider myself to be very lucky. There were a number of my friends who made plans to attend the much awaited event, however, when the reunion came, they were unable to do so. I felt sorry for Azizi Ahmad Termizi, his medical review (wrist fracture) the day before the reunion did not permit him from attending (it seemed similar to EPL where you have to pass your fitness test before playing for the club). Dino, too, made an effort to come, but in the end, could not do so. Everybody who were able to attend wondered how it would be if ALL of us could come. That will be THE DAY (OR NIGHT!).

Those who were able to attend had their own stories, too. First, I would like to mention Cikgu Munir’s predicament. When Khushairi invited him to the Reunion, he said that he could not confirm immediately. Later, we learnt that his wife is partially paralysed. His attendance would depend on his son’s ability to get leave from work to take care of his wife during his absence. That night… there he was entering the hall, dressed smartly in light blue coloured batik shirt, smiling as if nothing was bothering his mind.

During the weeks leading to the reunion, I had heard stories of those whose, either spouses or family members, having long term illnesses but carried on the reunion promotion without any hesitation on their part. They politely declined when I asked their permission to mention their names. Were we lucky enough to be able to attend the reunion calmly and peacefully?

After the reunion, those who were from the valley would have been in the arms of their loved ones as early as midnight. Others would have to wait their turn, either later in the morning or afternoon or even evening the day after. The choice for the location might be tied to the addresses of the majority of the alumni members, however, everybody made a point to attend, wherever locations they might be settling in.

Lastly, that early hours of the morning, before I entered through the automatic doors of the hotel I was staying, I could still hear my wife’s voice persuading my youngest daughter, Deqda, “Abah have been working from our own home all this while. Now, let us give him some time to spend with his friends”. Dearest Ina, thank you so much for that kind and considerate words. I really appreciated them. May Allah rewards you for your kindness and sincerity.

“SEE YA, NEXT YEAR”

Taking A Break @ Genting Hill View Resort

28-6-2008 & 29-6-2008

Two and a half hours after parting with Munif at Desasiswa Bestari, Muadzam Shah, Ina, Deqda and I arrived at Genting Hill View Resort. The resort is about 12km from Genting Highland (GH) and it's elevation is much lower than GH. This was a scheduled stop and a part of our itinerary when we planned our trip to send Munif for UNITEN Registration Day. Click HERE for previous posting. It was supposed to act as a resting day for the drivers (that's me and Ina) before continuing our journey back to Perlis. Although there was air conditioning device inside our room, we hardly switched it on because the surrounding tempreture is cool.

D-Day for Munif

30-6-2009: 8:30am

It was D-Day for Munif. He had to sit for "Make Up Test". The first scheduled paper was Finance. He seemed ready to take the test, unlike 3 days ago, when I still had the feeling that he was not ready and not fully conscious. Both of us accompanied Munif to the examination room. It turned out that there was another student (according to Munif, his senior) taking the examination with Munif. Munif was able to glance through the notes he had prepared before he was being called into the examination room. We said goodbye and good luck to Munif and left him in the care of the invigilator.

I would like to take the opportunity here to thank COBA, UNITEN KSHAS (especially Puan Siti Marzam, Puan Wan Nurul Huda and her ever cooperative assistant Puan Nora) for their effort that enable Munif to take the "Make Up Test". "Make Up Test" is a replacement test for students who were unable to sit the Final Examination due to health and emergency circumstances. In Munif's case, he was still recovering from motor vehicle accident during the scheduled final examination and needed to rest, as advised by the doctors.

May Allah granted success to Munif, Ameen!

Munif as a UNITEN Undergraduate

It's been exactly a year now since Munif registered as a UNITEN undergraduate at Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Campus, Muadzam Shah, Pahang. I could still remember the instant our Gen-2 entered the township of Muadzam Shah, my first thought was "This is the perfect place for Munif to study." However, I was 100% sure that Munif would not concur with my opinion.

The gathering place was the Main Auditorium. The lobby was packed. In one corner, there was a grandma in tears being consoled by her granddaughter who was holding a UNITEN registration folder. Beside the Main Entrance, a pair of three years old twins playing "Police and Thief", whilst their eldest brother, in UNITEN formal dress code was trying to calm them down.

After a short briefing, we were instructed to go to Desasiswa Bestari, an apartment complex for male undergraduates. Munif was assigned to a 2 rooms apartment, DB5-00-05. His roommate was Abe (Business Studies from Klang, Selangor). Makyo (Business Studies from Ipoh, Perak) and Ajeem (Business Studies from KL) were the occupiers of the other room. Although he was the only Accountancy undergraduate in the apartment, Munif seemed contented. I have known Munif as a person who is not choosy when it comes to making friends.

Before we left, we helped Munif to unpack his belongings. I also helped Munif to identify the best spot for his "Blue Cube". When it was time to part company, we were taken aback when Munif rested his head on his mother's shoulder and shed tears. I understood the situation because this was the first time ever, Munif would be far from home and away from us. I and my wife had agreed not to reveal our real emotion in front of Munif, trying to mitigate the impact of being separated.

I felt I was right in bringing Deqda to her brother's registration day at the UNITEN although she had to skip two days of classes. I hope, from the atmosphere, she will be more determined to follow the footsteps of Kak Long (an undergraduate at UIA) and Abang Munif.

Thank You Ibu Ayra

It's barely a month since I've been following Ibu Ayra's Blog "Cerita Ceriti Ibu Ayra", I got THREE awards from her.

A friend who appreciates another

Is a true friend to consider!!!

This posting is dedicated to Ibu Ayra.

Flood Experience

Several months after Kak Long was born, we became flood victims. That night of heavy rain, with water level kept on rising, I didn't sleep a wink. For every half hour, I would go out of the house and observe the water level. At about four o'clock in the morning, the water level finally stop rising. The stop level was less than a foot from our floor (our rented house was on high ground but less than 1000 meters away from Sungai Pahang. Later, I was told that it was the back-flow of Sungai Pahang that caused the flood.

With no electricity and non-stop rain, we couldn't clean our everyday clothings on time. However, more importantly, Kak Long's cotton sheet diapers (at that time disposable diapers are a luxury) couldn't be cleaned on time. Furthermore, Kak Long’s milk powder was running low. It was up to me to go to Temerloh town to get disposable diapers and our food supplies. The road leading to town centre was submerged right from day one of the flood. Travelling in group (a few of our neighbours did joined in) for security reason, we started the journey through the woods and hills. My one month training stint at Pasir Panjang (Negeri Sembilan) Outbound School helped me tremendously. The 3 kilometer road distance now becomes 5 kilometer. We have to avoid deep waters at some stretches by following longer bypass routes.

At times, I would wonder, how my two love ones were doing back in the village. Were they alright? Were they in fear? I nearly backed out and returned to them. Images of their smiling faces kept appearing in my mind, pulling my tired body, like a magnet, to return to them. "Hey Zauri! Pull yourself together. You have to be patient and steadfast. They NEED you to be patient and steadfast.” said the inherent Mr. Positive Personality. “Alright! Alright!” replied his counterpart, Mr. Negative Personality. This kept on going inside my mind throughout the long and sinuous journey.

Seeing the roof top of Centre Point Hotel, Temerloh (the tallest building in town) in between the trees quickened the pace of my footsteps. Opposite the hotel was my destination, Temerloh Supermarket. With my hands shaking out of the excitement, I zipped open the side pocket of my back-pack and took out the shopping list that was prepared by my wife the night before. Once again, upon seeing my wife’s hand writing, I wondered again about the well being of my two love ones I left behind nearly two hours ago…

On the return trip, we unanimously agreed to hire a boat. With all the goods we bought from the supermarket, we had no choice. Everybody in the group chipped in a few ringgit and handed over the money to one ever-smiling, young “instant” entrepreneur.

On the last bend around a rambutan tree, I could see my wife standing in front of our house, wearing light pink round neck T-shirt and batik sarong, carrying Kak Long who was wearing her favourite Mickey Mouse shirt. Upon knowing that I was among the boat passengers, both of them waved excitedly, as if welcoming a warrior who had just returned from a fiercely fought battle.

Our Morning Walk Venue Updated

I have added pictures illustrating "Our Morning Walk Venue". Click HERE to check them out.

Memories: Family "Berbuka Puasa"

Three days before 1429 Hijrah Aidilfitri celebration, we hosted a family "Berbuka Puasa" at Putra Brasmana Hotel, Kuala Perlis. The gathering was attended by my mother, my parent-in-laws, my younger brother and his family members, my brother-in-law and his wife, my sister, my sister-in-law and all my children. It was the first time in 2008 that all my family members were back together again since Kak Long left for UIA Kuantan to start her 2nd year Dentistry and Munif left for UNITEN Muadzam Shah to start his foundation year in Accountancy. In addition, my sister-in-law, Nor Atikah, came back for the holidays after leaving Perlis to start her new career as a tutor in one of the private colleges in Seremban. In other words, it was also a family get-together after a few months being separated.

Happy Father's Day

It was 3 o'clock on a Tuesday morning of November 5th, 1996. The ringing tone of Telekom Malaysia's telephone in the family area of our rented house at Taman Bayu, Jalan Sultanah, Alor Setar, Kedah made my mind filled with all the negative thoughts. I was convinced that it was going to be bad news. Who, in the right frame of mind, would telephone somebody at this time of a working day when there was, at the least, TWO HOURS of quality sleep time left? Just when I was about to pull my blanket to continue my sleep, my wife uttered, "Abang, pi la jawab telefon tuu." I had no choice and slowly climbed out of the bed and made my way to the telephone. Yes, it was my mother on the line and it was about my father...

I could not recall the driving trip from Alor Setar to Kangar that morning but what I could remember was that it seemed like the longest 60km trip I've ever made in my entire life. Then, there I was in the ward of Hospital Besar Kangar (now known as Hospital Tengku Fauziah) kissing my father's forehead before covering his whole body with the white coloured cloth.

According to my mother, at about 11 o'clock on the night of November 4th, 1996, my father, during his sleep, had difficulties in breathing. We all knew about his heart condition and how particular my father was about his medication. Well, it was to be his turn.

Now, it has been more than 12 years. Each and every year, come Father's Day, these are the vivid memories that will be replayed in my mind.

Abah Zain's humble beginning teaches me about life. His stories about cycling to school, drinking "pipe-si-cola" (water from the stand pipe) during recess, how he missed the opportunity of going to Sultan Idris Teachers' College (now known as UPSI) because of financial difficulties, taking and passing MCE examination by learning on his own whilst working to improve his education will be remembered by me when I am faced with the struggles of my own. "Life is a struggle; life without struggle is death".

Frugal lifestyle of Abah Zain did not stop him from sending me and my younger brother to an english medium school in Kangar, 8 kilometers away from our village, although there was a malay medium school 1 kilometer away. I can see his determination to ensure that his children get the best education that he could afford. I can still recall how my classmates talking about "Ultraman", "Combat", "Bonanza" and all the other favourite TV programmes whilst I just sat down quietly and listening without understanding what they are talking about. As you can see, my village did not have electricity supply until the year 1972, hence, no TV.

Cooperation is one of Abah Zain's virtues. Determined to bring in electricity to our village, he and his neighbours (who happen to be my uncles and my aunt) agreed jointly to purchase a generator that is capable of lighting up four houses. They even shared the cost of building a generator house and it was located near our house. This meant that it was the duty of Abah Zain to operate and maintain the generator, which he gladly accepted the responsibilities without any complaint. I and my brother used to scramble with each other as to who would blow the horn (a warning sign to all the neighbours that the generator will be switched off for the day). From then on, I could join my classmates in discussing our favourite TV programmes and would not be left out anymore.

Guests were always welcomed to our wooden stilted house. Now I know why our living room was the biggest room in the house! After every Friday prayers, my friends from the neighbouring villages would asked me "Malam nih, cerita apa, Pak Long (my village nickname since I'm the eldest) ?". "Antara Dua Darjat" I obligingly replied, knowing that the question was about the weekly screening of Malay movies on RTM1 every Friday night at 9:00pm. Half an hour before the film started, our neighbours and their children started to fill in our living room. The 20inch Black-and-White Toshiba TV was the biggest screen Abah Zain could find but at the end of the film everybody enjoyed. Mak Cik Nah will always shed tears if the flick was a tear-jerker. Pak Cik Chin will always hammered his fist on the armrest when Mark Lewin pile-drove his "bad" opponents. Everybody cheered when Mokhtar Dahari scored for Malaysia during the life telecast of Pesta Bola Merdeka. Guess, who had the best seat in the house? That'll be me if I didn't consider my brother's argument. Nowadays, I smiled satisfactorily, when my neighbours children dropped by at our house to watch Disney's Channel, Discovery Channel or even ASTRO Ria. The best seat in the house is now occupied by my youngest daughter, Deqda.

In my primary school era, I most enjoyed the third term school holidays. What it meant for me was trip to places outside the state of Perlis. I had an uncle (Abah Zain's half-brother) working as a policeman in Penang Island. So, one of our annual destinations was the Pearl of The Orient. It was not about shopping at Penang Load (my younger brother's pronounciation for Road when the trishaw man asked for our destination), nor the slow climb of Bukit Bendera funicular train that was important to Abah Zain. It was reinforcing family ties and keeping in touch. Until to date, I have been following this practice (see previous posting, click HERE).

"Ya Allah, ampunilah dosa-dosa kedua-dua ibubapa ku, Engkau tempatkan kedua-dua mereka di dalam golongan orang-orang yang soleh, masukkan mereka ke dalam syurga yang telah Engkau janjikan dan jauhilah mereka dari api neraka."

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

"Kenduri Kesyukuran"

Date & Time: 12th June 2009; 8:30pm

Location: Wawa Cafe @ Wawa Inn, Muadzam Shah

That night, Munif (still donning the soft collar) was reunited with his four friends that were involved in the car accident (as mentioned in the previous posting, click HERE). Syahir (in crutches), Alif, Daoh and Myro managed to attend the kenduri despite still recovering from the injuries caused by the accident. A few of Munif coursemates also accepted our invitations and attended the small kenduri too. Thank you all.

Morning Walk @ Balok Beach

Munif's Hospital Encounter Part 2

28th May 2009 was the saddest day of our life. Our son, Munif, travelling with four of his friends from Kuantan to Muadzam Shah in a Viva, met with an accident. The Viva collided with one Toyota Hilux in the early morning. He was sitting in the middle of the back seat and was asleep when the accident happened. According to his friends, Munif was unconscious when his friends found him with his head trapped underneath the front passenger seat. They carefully pulled him out of the car. His mouth was full of broken glass. Upon noticing that he was not breathing, his friends gave him CPR. After Munif regained conciousness, a man in a white Proton Saga (thank you for being a good samaritan, may Allah rewards you for your kindness) brought him to Pusat Kesihatan Gambang (PKG).

After cleaning Munif's wounds and upon noticing the head injury, the PKG staff immediately put him in an ambulance and transferred him to Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA), Kuantan.

12:15pm was Munif's admission time at HTAA. He was under the care of surgical unit of HTAA. The first thing the doctor in charge ordered was to ctscan Munif brain for any internal bleeding. "No internal bleeding", that was the result.

However, Munif was still complaining about neck pains. He was transferred to the care of orthopedic unit of HTAA after the surgical unit gave him the clearance. Waiting for the ctscan of Munif's neck was the longest wait for us. Since the second ctscan could not be done immediately to minimise health risk on patients, his neck was braced. That made Munif very uncomfortable. We had a tough time persuading him to wear the hard collar all the time, however, occasionally and even in his sleep, he would pull off the velcro tape that was holding the brace together and removed it from his neck. Finally, when the ctscan of Munif's neck completed, the result confirmed there were no fractures nor breakages. On the 4th June 2009, Munif was discharged.

Raya Pix Part 1

Our Favourite Pix

This pix was taken after we have completed our shopping at The Mall, KL. Both of us love to observe the face of Kak Long, 4 1/2, gladly sharing her drink with her brother, Munif, 1 1/2.

Trip To Tioman Island

As a birthday present to my wife, Azarina, I had planned a 3D/2N holiday package for 2 to Tioman Island. After making baby sitting arrangements for our children, Kak Long, 8 and Munif, 5, with my parent-in-laws and having a tough time explaining to Kak Long and Munif why they were not included in the trip, we rushed off to Sultan Abdul Halim Airport to catch a flight to KLIA. Then, a taxi trip from KLIA to Subang Airport to catch Pelangi Air flight to Tioman Island.

Having received the take-off clearance from the Control Tower, the Fairchild Dornier 228 aircraft screaming it's heart out trying to take off. I looked at my wife, seated at seat No. 2, with "Can this aircraft actually takes off?" look on my face. Of course it can, with both of us heaving up our bodies the moment the aircraft wheels lifted off the runaway surface. Well, that was the least bit of help that we could contribute. Throughout the flight, my wife sat silently in her seat. I thought she was enjoying the view outside the aircraft window until I saw her pale looking face. I was in a fix when I tried to comfort her since we have got another return trip to go through.

Next came the time for landing. From seat No. 1, I could see through the aircraft windscreen. It looked as if we were heading towards a hill. The moment I felt that the aircraft was too close to the hill, suddenly, it made a sharp right turn, similar to a rally driver making the turn after receiving "Hard Right!" instruction from his navigator. The runaway and the terminal building of Tioman Island Airstrip popped up in my view. What a relief!

Berjaya Tioman Island Resort is a chalet-typed resort. Checking-in was plain sailing for us. We had a good time beach walking, jet-skiing and took a glass bottomed boat trip to view the coral reef oceanic life.

Then, came the time to leave the island. Having to endure another flight experience in the space of two days, we felt very reluctant. However, what made us willingly to carry on with the return journey was the fact that both of us were going back to Perlis, where Kak Long and Munif were waiting for us.

Deqda's Manglish or Englay?

There is a Teak Furniture Shop in the vacinity of Sultan Abdul Halim Airport, Alor Setar, Kedah. One day after attending our friend's wedding feast at the nearby Hutan Kampung, we decided to stop by at the shop to check out the new arrivals.

Our children, Kak Long, 12, Munif, 9 and Deqda, 3 decided to stay in the comfort of Nippon Denso air-conditioner as originally installed inside our family car. They intelligently declined our invitation to follow us inside the shop as the shop is naturally ventilated. It made matters worst with the Global Warming!

What happenned inside the shop was irrelevant. However, when we returned to our car, Aida, enthusiatically, reported that, "Abah! Mama! I saw a CATERFLY!". Kak Long quickly explained that what her sister saw was an aeroplane. Although it was funny in the first instant, however, we really admire Deqda's courage to speak in English.

Munif's Hospital Encounter

It was two o'clock in the morning sometime in 1992. I was awakened by my wife. She was worried about the condition of our two years old son, Munif. His face was pale and slightly bluish in color. For several days before, Munif had the tendency to vomit out foods and drinks that was given to him although there were no signs of fever, cough, dehydration or stomach-ache.

We decided to bring Munif to the Emergency Ward of Mentakab Hospital. Without disturbing Munif's older sister, Aimi, who was still sleeping, we called on our neighbour's help (Thank you Mak Lang and Pak Lang for being there for us in time of our needs) to baby sits her while we took care of Munif. The observation made by the Medical Officer was that Munif had extra large tonsilitis. This causes Munif to vomit out foods and drinks. The doctor recommended that the tonsils be removed, either in Kuantan Hospital or GHKL. We chose GHKL for the fact that it has better facilities and we have relatives living in and around KL.

Munif successfully recovered from the operation. It was ICE CREAM that made Munif gladly cooperated to undergo the operation. Why? When he was checked-in into the ENT Ward of GHKL, he saw every patients, coming out from post-tonsillectomy, was treated with a cup of sundae ice-cream (his favourite food). While in the Recovery Room, I burst into laughter when the first question blurted through Munif's mouth immediately after he was conscious enough to speak was, "Abah, where's my ice cream?". At that moment, all my fears, tensions and scepticism disappeared.

Kak Long's First Walk

It was lunch break after a busy morning session meeting at Merlin Inn, Telok Cempedak, way back in 1988. I decided to check up on my family members that I left behind since 7.00 am that day.

At the door, I was greeted by my ever smiling wife. Slightly obscured from my view was my (less than 1 year old, at that time) daughter, Kak Long, sitting on the carpetted floor of the hotel room, playing with her toys. Suddenly, upon seeing me at the door, she struggled a bit, steadied her small framed body and stood up. To our surprise, Kak Long took her first set of footsteps and walked towards me with her hands reaching out as if she is going to give me a big hug. Without wasting any time, I reached out and hugged her. This is one of those moments in my life that I will never forget - Kak Long's first footsteps. No wonder I felt a sudden urge to check up on my wife and my child during the lunch break.

Our Morning Walk Venue

Perlis River Jogging Track is a track along side a river. It is maintained by the Department of Irrigation & Drainage, Perlis Branch. The track's surface is tarmac with concrete kerbs. Throughout the track, the department has planted shady trees. If you happen to be there early in the morning, you might encounter a few wild life such as monkeys, king fisher birds, white sea gulls, monitor lizards (swimming in the river), etc. There are 2 river crossings, one hanging cable bridge and the other is steel framed bridge (resembling the Penang Bridge). The distance between the two crossings is approximately 1.5km. No vehicles (not even bicycles) are allowed to enter the track areas, therefore, there is no interruption for the joggers. For the young ones, there are a few playground spots along the track. Those who love reflexology can even try the reflexology track on both sides of the river. There are amenities such as toilets, surau and homestay.

Morning Walk

During the fasting month of Ramadhan in 2008, I was able to continue my "morning walk". However, during the Hari Raya, it was interupted for three straight days (most probably, due to lack of self-dicipline). As it happened, the fourth day was my routine check-up appointment with my cardiologist (now I realised why he chose that date for the appointment!). My BP went from NORMAL to BORDERLINE. It took me one week of "morning walk" to return my BP to NORMAL. From that moment I won't let myself from skipping my "morning walk" ever again.