tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10861094461121927632024-02-26T04:33:11.922+08:00Just observations...Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.comBlogger498125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-62347960082122006102023-04-20T22:16:00.001+08:002023-04-20T22:16:24.059+08:00The end of the line...<p>I guess this is it. This 15-year-old blog shall come to a close. There are a number of reasons why I have decided to stop posting any more entries here. It is obvious that I have not updated since September of last year. This first post of 2023 shall be the last of <b>Just observations...</b></p><p>The opening entry was done on Tuesday, 8 April 2008. I had initial plans of writing an anniversary post for this year but then I simply did not have the drive. Ideas for an anniversary post quickly shifted to one of closure.</p><p>Over the next few months, I would be progressively deleting all posts except for the token opening and closing entries. In other words, the blog itself would not disappear because I value the <b>oldstock.blogspot</b> trademark too much. Hopefully, Blogger would allow me to hold on to that unique account name as long as possible.</p><p>I may return to blogging someday but most likely on a different platform and covering a different subject matter.</p><p>Goodbye. Thank you for the wonderful experience.</p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-5674427873906363332022-05-30T16:53:00.002+08:002022-05-30T17:02:26.099+08:00A teacher who is close to his students' hearts<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSyVMXtWanM2Rwi3pBzWFuxp0rblpisDdd8v6dN-xknKl8qLNCoZNZUBXvwRuwkzUQx0eL5q9ayWVBe42rAj_m-Nl10rdH9o2Mmu56SmLW5i17AyWF6f0S5tJtwdcaxbU_p9cB5_4WXJ4ns3DshNZvhdIyDC61UbmESd4KArdJpOLp_GgHj5k9LWd/s3117/IMG_20220528_cikguzamriA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3117" data-original-width="3117" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSyVMXtWanM2Rwi3pBzWFuxp0rblpisDdd8v6dN-xknKl8qLNCoZNZUBXvwRuwkzUQx0eL5q9ayWVBe42rAj_m-Nl10rdH9o2Mmu56SmLW5i17AyWF6f0S5tJtwdcaxbU_p9cB5_4WXJ4ns3DshNZvhdIyDC61UbmESd4KArdJpOLp_GgHj5k9LWd/w400-h400/IMG_20220528_cikguzamriA.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It is normal to hear of students who visit their former teachers after they have long left school. It is quite rare to hear of the reverse - teachers who make the effort to visit their former students. My former secondary school teacher at MRSM Kuantan is one such rare breed.</p><p>Cikgu <b>Zamri Mohamed Isa</b> taught me Chemistry when I was in Form Four. When our Pioneer batch held their annual reunion in Johor Bahru three years ago, I volunteered to help by picking up Cikgu Zamri and his wife when they arrived at Senai Airport. Last Saturday morning, I received a call from him saying that he is in Kluang at his daughter's house and was wondering if I was at home in Johor Bahru. Of course, I was honoured that he would like to come over and visit. I shared the location of my house and a few hours later, Cikgu Zamri and his family arrived at our humble abode in Kampung Melayu Majidee.</p><p>A convenient coincidence in that my better half had cooked Laksa Johor that very morning, which made it a special serving for our guests from Kuantan.</p><p>Cikgu Zamri is well-liked by hundreds of his former students from his teaching career spanning three decades at a number of MRSMs. The oft-spoken trait of his, as mentioned by many former students is his remarkable memory of the full name of his students.</p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-71585771987741452642022-05-23T16:28:00.001+08:002022-05-23T16:28:23.859+08:00Mothers and daughters-in-law<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGM6aQLE4invxf16LRcX_3z7XdYU9NZ3Oczm3yuI1-DpXJU87SMNuYBNHyLGtJpoZLDQVK5mpNVDdutcMS_idORUYqCmeVn2U9ySze2ES_dVSo1tDAMhR4AnB0hUEuSsDsZKs3p2Rcx7hwnV-vkfKxYHtWWFOaFSjbIy7kNoQ7q5FKm688QENdM74u/s2594/Mothers%20and%20DILs.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2594" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGM6aQLE4invxf16LRcX_3z7XdYU9NZ3Oczm3yuI1-DpXJU87SMNuYBNHyLGtJpoZLDQVK5mpNVDdutcMS_idORUYqCmeVn2U9ySze2ES_dVSo1tDAMhR4AnB0hUEuSsDsZKs3p2Rcx7hwnV-vkfKxYHtWWFOaFSjbIy7kNoQ7q5FKm688QENdM74u/w400-h300/Mothers%20and%20DILs.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three generations of ladies in our family</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>Four mothers and three daughters-in-law in the same pic. A rare photo indeed. Only possible because international borders have re-opened and Aidilfitri celebrations can return back to normal. This photograph would have been perfect if our three granddaughters were in it. It would then show 4 generations of ladies in our family. But the eldest granddaughter was in a reticent mood while the twins were already asleep.</p><p>Praise be to The Almighty... "Which then of the bounties of your Lord will you deny?"</p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-38492497557339725462022-04-30T17:26:00.006+08:002022-04-30T17:26:36.275+08:00The twins first time visit to their father's hometown<p>Our 2nd son and his family came down to JB for a visit. So we took the opportunity to do some raya shopping for the twins. Sogo department store at Mid Valley Southkey was the destination.</p><p>Both girls were still recovering from slight flu and it was quite a challenge to cater to their occasional grumpy mood. When all the coaxing and cajoling do not seem to work, this grandfather suggests that we all take a drive and explore the various places in Johor Bahru that they have not been to before. Apparently, the smooth ride and cool interior of Tok Abah's car were quite relaxing and put them at ease.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvKqmam-m3P0IUlHyrsjDX1H9Y3FHLNtxYff2Pv8fjUk1zf7TJFvZZdLYD-30hge0AytShm_41OxUC3s9u71i57XVZkQbCYnxBGmkCPWeNrGnFZKw3no2JHoD8wp26O6oYLI-Kxk1ZR4IPy68bwOMc8cZe62ZuUAOwotOSYDgaqBiosWymq-T59h6/s1081/Humaira%20at%20Mid%20Valley%20(cropped).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="1081" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvKqmam-m3P0IUlHyrsjDX1H9Y3FHLNtxYff2Pv8fjUk1zf7TJFvZZdLYD-30hge0AytShm_41OxUC3s9u71i57XVZkQbCYnxBGmkCPWeNrGnFZKw3no2JHoD8wp26O6oYLI-Kxk1ZR4IPy68bwOMc8cZe62ZuUAOwotOSYDgaqBiosWymq-T59h6/w400-h300/Humaira%20at%20Mid%20Valley%20(cropped).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humaira (the elder twin) holding the hand of her mother and grandmother.<br />Haura is in her father's arms hidden in the back</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-55515241498365457032022-03-31T13:32:00.005+08:002022-03-31T13:34:35.852+08:00When I grow up, I want to be an engineer<p>If I were to look back to the days when I was in primary school, I do not think the profession of <b>engineer</b> had been in any of my answers when the teacher announces to the class, the oft-asked question, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' If I recall correctly, my frequent reply was being a detective or police officer, obviously being influenced by the many mystery books that I had read and the detective shows on TV.</p><p>When I was in secondary school, my ambitions changed a bit. Although being an investigator was still in the picture, the top choice was to be a journalist. Being offered a scholarship to study at university changed all that.</p><p>This time last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to have lunch with two of my friends from a long, long time ago. They are my friends from different times of my growing-up years but their paths crossed, and now they have become mutual friends. Both are lecturers of engineering at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, here in Skudai, Johor Bahru. Although in reality, neither handle classes that much anymore as they are retiring pretty soon. <b>Prof Noordin</b> (on the left in the pic) is a Mechanical Engineer, while Prof Shahrin (on the right) is a <b>Civil & Structural Engineer</b>.</p><p>Noordin was my classmate in primary school while Shahrin was my classmate in secondary school. In all probability, Noordin or Shahrin may not have answered 'engineer' as their ambition of choice those many years ago.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatIzKPC9y-VUtAH0H-_1oOeEHSjwIA0T3pHcH13yxAEeCeg4WlmapZp0D6ewj8ceUMta2c4ExQthku_WkC0QcJ8Rs-bj0v3JZIrK8Nc5EeyWKaGwV98lVOPlQWKeqQs9qOvLCD9aezmt5WsR4SQSTP4tpImDOM7DC9KpHD9UJrFwKuzqGXQLFTBzA/s3071/Noordin%20Fadhil%20Shahrin.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3071" data-original-width="3071" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatIzKPC9y-VUtAH0H-_1oOeEHSjwIA0T3pHcH13yxAEeCeg4WlmapZp0D6ewj8ceUMta2c4ExQthku_WkC0QcJ8Rs-bj0v3JZIrK8Nc5EeyWKaGwV98lVOPlQWKeqQs9qOvLCD9aezmt5WsR4SQSTP4tpImDOM7DC9KpHD9UJrFwKuzqGXQLFTBzA/w400-h400/Noordin%20Fadhil%20Shahrin.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three senior engineers meet up for lunch</td></tr></tbody></table>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-63275807286101410592022-03-16T11:48:00.000+08:002022-03-16T11:48:24.161+08:00Heart and Mind<p>For someone who claims that he is retired, I somehow find myself being busy since the start of the new year. Which is a good thing, I guess.</p><p>To keep this blog ticking its slow and steady existence, I'm copying an article I received from former blogger friend Ahan via email, way back in December 2008. I'm trying to do some spring cleaning to my email storage, that's how I came across this interesting article. (Note : The <i>former</i> in the earlier sentence refer to the blogging part, i.e. Ahan no longer blogs, I think. But she is still my friend.)</p><p><b>How to make your heart and your mind work together</b></p><p>The same voice in your mind that told you to act is the same voice that ridicules you later for making that choice.</p><p>Am I the only one that thinks this is ridiculous?</p><p>I want to show you how I’ve learned to make my heart and mind get along.</p><p>Because unfortunately…</p><p><b>It’s typical in our society to feel a conflict between what we want to do (our heart) and what we feel is practical (our mind).</b></p><p>We end up living 1/3 of our lives in a cubicle for the “benefits.” We stay friends with people we only kind of like. We do and say things to fit in and seem cool that really go against what we feel is right in our hearts. Because it’s caused so much heartache in my life, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to diagnose the source of this problem.</p><p>Is my heart at fault? Are my feelings just silly and frivolous? Or maybe it’s my mind that’s to blame. It seems like it’s always coming up with conflicting messages anyway.</p><p>And on it goes and we never really seem to get to it. There’s a lot of social conditioning that covers up and obscures things too. Even if you really feel like that’s the right choice, how do you know for sure? How do you know it’s not just what you think you should do?</p><p>All of this might sound a little over the top, but it’s a real problem. It ruins lives because people can’t make up their minds about whether or not the path of their heart is valid or not. They end up living a shadow of the possibility that they could. All because they couldn’t make up their mind.</p><p>There’s a simple answer to this problem. It might seem even a little too simple. But most things are. Bruce Lee once said, “The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.” I believe this.</p><p>First… let’s take a look at where this problem starts.</p><p><b>Confusing the purpose of the heart and mind</b></p><p>The main reason we suffer from this illness of indecision is that we’ve mistaken the purpose of heart and mind. The heart is like a compass, its purpose is to guide the direction our lives should take. Our heart takes a birds-eye view of our life and says “this is where you’re at and this is the direction you need to go.”</p><p>Our mind on the other hand isn’t made for making purpose-driven decisions. The nature of the mind is that it conceptualizes, organizes and compares information. It does this as best it can and says “here are the facts, here are both sides of the story.”</p><p><b>If we compare our mind and heart to a courtroom, our mind would be the defendant and the plaintiff (both stories) and our heart would be justice or the judge (the right direction).</b></p><p>The reason we’re so troubled by this conflict of head vs heart is that the mind is not only playing the prosecutor and the defence, but has taken over the role of the judge as well.</p><p>The mind should never be the judge. The mind's job is to compare and contrast. To sort things out and say “this is what I’ve got, do what you want with it.”</p><p>But more often than not, our mind isn’t doing that. Our mind is making our choices. What’s worse, is even when we don’t need our mind to be at work, it’s still going. Comparing and contrasting everything. Brooding, mostly.</p><p>Have you ever noticed that even when it’s completely unnecessary to think about anything, your mind is still going? Have noticed that when this is happening, your mind is getting in the way of your experience? Just a few examples of this that come to mind for me are; sex, watching a sunset or taking a shower. My mind really doesn’t need to be thinking while doing these things.</p><p>There’s no point. At all.</p><p><b>Taming the mind</b></p><p>Before we can get the mind to take a break when we don’t need to be incessantly thinking, we have to make friends with it first. If we try to tell our mind to go away, or that we don’t need it, we’ll just encourage it all the more. Instead of a retreat, we’ll get a resurgence. We don’t want that. So if we want to end the conflict of head and heart, we’ve got to figure out a way to marry this disparate pair.</p><p>Remember when I told you the answer to this problem is simple? Well, it is. But it won’t be easy at first, because we’ve been doing it all wrong for so long.</p><p>What we have to do is only use our mind to go with ourselves. The Latin root for sin means “to go against.” So we have to learn to be without sin.</p><p>We have to learn to constantly realign our decisions to be “with ourselves.”</p><p>Have you ever wondered how to tell whether a decision is right? It seems so difficult, doesn’t it? But it becomes so easy when you think “Is this choice going with me, or against me?” You’ll find that the right choice is immediately evident.</p><p>If you can learn to practice this every time you make a choice, you’ll start to regain your personal power. You’ll create a marriage of your heart and mind. Maybe then their child (you) won’t have permanent emotional damage from the divorce it’s been suffering from for so long.</p><p>Make the choice today. Just try it out. I think you’ll like it.</p><p>Go with yourself!</p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-32065675362230387552022-02-28T17:01:00.005+08:002022-03-01T14:51:27.823+08:00Close and casual<p>Last week I received an sms from the government's Covid-19 health portal, saying that I have been classified as a casual contact with a person or persons who are infected with the disease. The message further told me to remain calm and perform home monitoring assessment using the MySejahtera app installed on my phone. My better half received a similar message.</p><p>I duly checked the app and saw that my C-19 risk status has now turned yellow - Casual Contact No Symptoms. The system has identified me as such, based on my check-in history to the various places that I've been to. The app also provides me with directives and advice on what to do next. This includes answering three questions relating to my current health status, every day for the next few days or so. Presumably, until the app is satisfied that I'm full okay and can be re-classified.</p><p>It is now two years that the MySejahtera app has been in use. Despite various updates in that time, I do still feel that the app has so much room for improvement. This latest information about me being a casual contact is an example. Why can't the developers include the source or location where the close contact happened? When my wife and I received the notification, we spent the whole afternoon wondering where we could have gotten the contact or perhaps we had been slack in practising the required SOPs. If this information had been provided, we could at least know where the contact occurred and be more cautious when we visit the same place in future.</p><p>But I guess user convenience and satisfaction is not on top of the list of the app developers.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEDAN_t5UgrOpWt88n4AZwz6-bh63CJUf63leqw6-r9iK5Jg4WVWi5gokeU_7XhKMpm2fRTfc4IKuBhxItCnik_tcNbC1X5DtqiA9rvnkPusHtU6nCxr60EC2aDCn-DAUG6U8rEa5hD9269GKA6pRi062IMvR4CHcMFWdZY888mDbsloHxeb7TIgr4=s2400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEDAN_t5UgrOpWt88n4AZwz6-bh63CJUf63leqw6-r9iK5Jg4WVWi5gokeU_7XhKMpm2fRTfc4IKuBhxItCnik_tcNbC1X5DtqiA9rvnkPusHtU6nCxr60EC2aDCn-DAUG6U8rEa5hD9269GKA6pRi062IMvR4CHcMFWdZY888mDbsloHxeb7TIgr4=w180-h400" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Current status. Have tried setting up the MySJ Trace but had trouble loading the page</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-1360288073003255842022-01-31T16:07:00.007+08:002022-01-31T16:10:04.147+08:00Booster dose<p>The first month of the new year has zoomed past so quickly that I realise we are on the brink of another new year tomorrow. The Chinese Lunar New Year will happen on 1st February 2022. It will be the year of the <b>Tiger</b>, of which I am one.</p><p>So what has happened in the month of January 2022? Nothing much really. I had my third so-called booster vaccine earlier this month. The booster dose was the Astra Zeneca type compared to the two Pfizer shots I had earlier. It was also done at a different vaccination centre but the process was not less efficient.</p><p>Some minor side effects were felt in the evening after the shot. The next day my left arm and shoulder felt a bit sore so the whole day was spent resting at home.</p><p>I do hope that no further vaccination would be necessary. Getting tired of being pricked.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCLtYPNmG2qiOMMoqN4dgMYY1CNXTebpGrTW4A_0bjnSvml_VSm6vEcypHYkUrMJaxC-vPJxHbbPB3xdytTjNCKiN64V8BVya-I5UhCnjilIzpWxOtq4zP3N9kFYTVR_d1ZJ1xSvf_7GjjcrJkhRidF7R8dN2NXFYwVzI15mVDtK0YVTWWgY-NuO1B=s3456" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCLtYPNmG2qiOMMoqN4dgMYY1CNXTebpGrTW4A_0bjnSvml_VSm6vEcypHYkUrMJaxC-vPJxHbbPB3xdytTjNCKiN64V8BVya-I5UhCnjilIzpWxOtq4zP3N9kFYTVR_d1ZJ1xSvf_7GjjcrJkhRidF7R8dN2NXFYwVzI15mVDtK0YVTWWgY-NuO1B=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Booster dose done at Persada International Convention Centre</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-90450580805445487582021-12-31T16:25:00.002+08:002021-12-31T16:25:33.740+08:00Events to close out the year...<p> Park this space. Write up to follow.</p><p>1. Floods in Selangor</p><p>2. Family BBQ at Huda's Haven Resort</p><p>3. Letting go of the Harrier</p><p><br /></p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-19298748202260655962021-11-29T15:50:00.007+08:002021-12-01T13:54:52.788+08:00It's all in the genes...<p>A few days ago, our second son messaged me for help in getting some of his boyhood photographs to be scanned and converted to digital format. He asked me to select a few photos from when he was a baby and into the time he was at kindergarten and primary school. For some throwback project, he said.</p><p>I am a photographer and for sure I have tons of pictures of my family using the various types of cameras that I owned. Of course, the photos of my children in their younger days are in the old school printed format. Buy the roll of film from a photo store (usually a <b>Kodak </b>or <b>Fujifilm</b>, ASA100 with 36 exposures), load the film into the camera (be careful to ensure the leading edge of the film roll is engaged to the sprocket of the frame advance lever), close the camera caseback and advance the film (either by the manual lever or, for motorised cameras, by pressing the shutter release), proceed to take photos while bearing in mind to check for exposure and composition because you wouldn't want to waste the film by taking poor shots, roll back the exposed film into its cartridge after you have used up all the exposures (manual or auto rewinding, depending on the camera), open the caseback and take out the roll, send the roll to a photo processing outlet to be developed, come back in a few days (or a few hours if you are willing to pay extra for express processing), get the full set of 3R sized prints either in matt or glossy paper, plus the negatives of the roll. You then get to see the results of your photo-taking skills. How many of your shots turn out to be under-exposed or over-exposed, or out of focus, or blurred, or skewed, or colourless, or bland, or just simply lousy. But the few prints that turn out sharp, colourful and well-composed give you that strong sense of satisfaction.</p><p>Gone are the days of such excitement in non-digital photography.</p><p>Anyway, as I was sifting through the old photo albums, I came across a photo of our youngest son taken in September 1997 when he was about 2 and-a-half years old. I realised that I have a recent digital photo of our 1st granddaughter in a strikingly similar post. So I searched for it in my mobile phone's memory and made a collage of both photographs side by side. The similarities are obvious. Definitely in the genes.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1TEubKS0bMNils56Et6cSoYVnWS85Aj_dRK0V-8swJ6ZtdmmXJJyzpq1EyPLjRt75rrWl4HngXg22DudHxwmb9_KvV5KklHmCOlLSrrV7dF0HoPC_2PkDTK3EmKJDnk2QzGYrufzM7c/s945/Ucu+Yan+dan+Maisarah.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="945" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1TEubKS0bMNils56Et6cSoYVnWS85Aj_dRK0V-8swJ6ZtdmmXJJyzpq1EyPLjRt75rrWl4HngXg22DudHxwmb9_KvV5KklHmCOlLSrrV7dF0HoPC_2PkDTK3EmKJDnk2QzGYrufzM7c/w400-h290/Ucu+Yan+dan+Maisarah.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The uncle and his niece, 24 years on</td></tr></tbody></table>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-44897861423247482522021-11-17T22:23:00.005+08:002021-11-17T22:24:58.974+08:00Thirty-three and hopefully more...<p><b>17 November 1988</b> : We started life as husband and wife</p><p><b>17 November 2021</b> : Thirty-three years on, we are blessed with relatively good health and a happy family.</p><p>When we started life as a young family all those years ago, Allah swt blessed us with 3 boys. We are now further blessed with 3 lovely girls as our granddaughters. Looking forward to growing old together.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTsOmL7RcJ5Oz8KYcliICI1t4fhPnVvUhP98H8jdxLJymDSudw-57ujQ2xP9T-vQk96Mo4IKZ01jUvmwl97BK3HCoJaANcH2qRDf1jIWCxDB6loBFVMxSDPWFhHjGM1ipRfhIaeYokjg/s2048/Anniversary2021.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTsOmL7RcJ5Oz8KYcliICI1t4fhPnVvUhP98H8jdxLJymDSudw-57ujQ2xP9T-vQk96Mo4IKZ01jUvmwl97BK3HCoJaANcH2qRDf1jIWCxDB6loBFVMxSDPWFhHjGM1ipRfhIaeYokjg/w400-h400/Anniversary2021.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just so happen that this restaurant has a suitable backdrop</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPIQVS64UHxk38U-0QyjNKcaXaDfWRuYX1n8u2Z_JXQail5Ev8m0YB1Zh3qy15Y5FjKws6S35LGxgxKqtf-90em1O2u0gVlT9G-PETGWiEdCa8tFkq9m_i0ZPTKYywiipAzZBXmDMbrU/s2048/Anniversary2021-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPIQVS64UHxk38U-0QyjNKcaXaDfWRuYX1n8u2Z_JXQail5Ev8m0YB1Zh3qy15Y5FjKws6S35LGxgxKqtf-90em1O2u0gVlT9G-PETGWiEdCa8tFkq9m_i0ZPTKYywiipAzZBXmDMbrU/w400-h400/Anniversary2021-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A good time to try the <b>Meat Cartel</b> restaurant at Bandar Dato Onn, JB</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-62228289047210347102021-11-03T12:45:00.004+08:002021-11-03T14:25:53.288+08:00Double dose of joy in being a grandfather<p>We made the trip to Selangor last weekend. The four-day itinerary was jam-packed with visits and stopovers. Truth be told, 4 days is never enough to cover all the things that we wished to do but we have to manage it somehow.</p><p>This trip is the one we had been waiting for for quite a while, having been prevented from inter-state travel for a number of months due to the pandemic situation. We visited the graves of three siblings on my better half's side, dropped by the houses of some nieces and also managed to squeeze in a visit to the new gallery of illustrator friend, Emila Yusof. The highlight of the trip was meeting our twin granddaughters only for the second time.</p><p><b>Afra Humaira</b> and <b>Afra Haura</b> are now 10-months old. We look forward to more joyful occasions with them in the near future.</p><p>We are now blessed with 3 granddaughters. Praise to the Almighty for granting us these jewels.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK439P92OC3aXWW0yL77nDT_xLQxQpht4fTMjh_3cQEwaoQV_5YwYqKhVQhgAqm6-_sJEcMDjkyfQSgrEwn8xjacMk69UFGlrztGSfgudpTJ7kuB_xXQVB4iWvf6sLMF29Lc2FMdiyW3k/s2048/TwinsOct2021.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK439P92OC3aXWW0yL77nDT_xLQxQpht4fTMjh_3cQEwaoQV_5YwYqKhVQhgAqm6-_sJEcMDjkyfQSgrEwn8xjacMk69UFGlrztGSfgudpTJ7kuB_xXQVB4iWvf6sLMF29Lc2FMdiyW3k/w400-h400/TwinsOct2021.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double trouble or twice the joy, it's a matter of choice</td></tr></tbody></table>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-56848502243734813642021-10-27T16:10:00.010+08:002021-10-27T16:33:56.818+08:00You can do it...<p>The wonderful thing about being semi-retired is the opportunity to spend the free time doing things at a leisurely pace. No time constraints, no pressure and for sure, no high expectations. Doing things just because you want to try and that it doesn't matter if it doesn't work out.</p><p>I consider myself a DIY enthusiast. Not really a skilled craftsman but an amateur handyman who can tackle the minor repairs that often need to be taken care of at home. Basic stuff such as plumbing works, install light fittings, replace faulty locksets and the like. The extent of what I am able to do is limited by the tools that I have, which, while not much, is more than sufficient to cover the routine maintenance work. Until recently, the only power tools that I own are a used corded drill and a jigsaw. The drill was given to me by my late brother many years ago. Also included were a few of the most common and necessary drill bits. I've used it many times for drilling into brickwork walls or timber posts. Works fine and there have been no problems so far.</p><p>But such a tool is not suitable for screw fixing work such as in the assembly of flat-packed furniture. Not really a necessity because a manual screwdriver does the job just fine but then, where's the fun? Any serious DIYer worth his salt should have a few power tools in his arsenal. The first tool that most skilled woodworkers or handymen suggest getting is the cordless drill driver. I had been longing to buy such a tool for quite some time. There are so many in the market and the cheap no-brand ones from China can be got for less than RM200. Many times I have been tempted to buy such an unbranded drill, the reason being that I'm only to use it occasionally, hence an inexpensive one would do just fine. However, after watching some Youtube videos by seasoned DIYers, I followed their advice and opted for the established makes. </p><p>And so, two weeks ago I took the plunge and placed an order for a <b>Black + Decker 18V cordless drill driver</b> from a dealer on Shopee. I chose the most basic package available; single battery plus charger (don't see the need for spare batteries as I won't be doing continuous drill driving work), no drill bits (I already have some) and without dedicated casing (an old toolbox I have would do fine for now). I went for the B+D brand because the corded drill that I have is a B+D and that has been very reliable so far. Black + Decker is an American brand but like most other manufacturers nowadays, assemble their products in China.</p><p>Delivery from the dealer was quite fast. The package arrived within 5 days of ordering.</p><p>The first task I put the drill to use was in the repair work to an old folding banquet table that I bought in 2011. I use the table for my bonsai gardening hobby (pruning and re-potting). The original tabletop made out of fibreboard has rotted and I replaced it with 12mm thick plywood which was also bought online. The plywood board is sold pre-cut to the dimensions of 600mm wide by 1200mm long (or 2ft x 4ft in old-school terms) and this is exactly the size of the existing tabletop. No further cutting is required except that I rounded off the four corners for a neater look. For this, my jigsaw came in handy.</p><p>Other additional works that I did was to cover the plywood top with wallpaper (which was already on hand from a botched attempt to re-coat an old refrigerator) and to spray paint the table legs (also from cans already on hand). All in all, I like the look of the finished product. Not sure how long this plywood top will last but hey, I now have the tools and experience to make another one if so required. No satisfaction like do-it-yourself.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgr7MgQm_MlDhTTtfRFxV9z6bVG3r1Q9LzQaRGKxjNVS1jOugFnFQBycOzS9ODywgDo2twxptWcqr18BsQTuioIcFpg0_1N-lwh60oweQ1Tg6a9wyJydUeWxwWxLUnZ4uGU-ftvUJ5Dw/s2048/BnD+cordless+drill.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgr7MgQm_MlDhTTtfRFxV9z6bVG3r1Q9LzQaRGKxjNVS1jOugFnFQBycOzS9ODywgDo2twxptWcqr18BsQTuioIcFpg0_1N-lwh60oweQ1Tg6a9wyJydUeWxwWxLUnZ4uGU-ftvUJ5Dw/w400-h300/BnD+cordless+drill.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Have gun, will DIY</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFEpgHalmXCTNoOpy_3-jIQcwQ2lZM7r9-QKXhMjuUc_iOspNxAWQJIrx6nCf7K2SIUl8n6s6OKroqJc76cP3Lp6KKWzbOMvy1ofhDWsxqMf5I16WkFyH4C3t6_6bDOZMyfqNUo91d1LY/s2048/Old+banquet+table.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFEpgHalmXCTNoOpy_3-jIQcwQ2lZM7r9-QKXhMjuUc_iOspNxAWQJIrx6nCf7K2SIUl8n6s6OKroqJc76cP3Lp6KKWzbOMvy1ofhDWsxqMf5I16WkFyH4C3t6_6bDOZMyfqNUo91d1LY/w400-h300/Old+banquet+table.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old banquet table set to be given a new life</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8limYJj1Flv8EePxEuzOujh2XGl-jMEK0Rh1uv8f6Ar8apAzP6DK3jTi68_l_G_HLGkia-EzoM3kveGenPV-EDOToGovtt4aIW2DZMkieOjBp-PdNf7wifvfdpT9Yo2gG6ZSjbCB6dg0/s2048/Repaired+table.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8limYJj1Flv8EePxEuzOujh2XGl-jMEK0Rh1uv8f6Ar8apAzP6DK3jTi68_l_G_HLGkia-EzoM3kveGenPV-EDOToGovtt4aIW2DZMkieOjBp-PdNf7wifvfdpT9Yo2gG6ZSjbCB6dg0/w400-h300/Repaired+table.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blue table legs because that's the leftover paint<br />my son used to spray his bicycle</td></tr></tbody></table>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-70241850983873763232021-10-20T16:23:00.008+08:002021-10-21T14:36:08.582+08:00Spread your wings...<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8h42GHDYWMlsVglJRJVsSVYO5jFMw2o2kkmLKiipBPAjDSEmgHRMEZhrR6O1IBgayjjdYypHLtvIxS3fQB-RQurt0Trj_eS9-aauODssTg1qLzZyIIiYsNn6KfurOxyFaltRQ-rDvFc/s2048/Maisarah+19102021.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8h42GHDYWMlsVglJRJVsSVYO5jFMw2o2kkmLKiipBPAjDSEmgHRMEZhrR6O1IBgayjjdYypHLtvIxS3fQB-RQurt0Trj_eS9-aauODssTg1qLzZyIIiYsNn6KfurOxyFaltRQ-rDvFc/w400-h400/Maisarah+19102021.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maisarah at AEON Mall Bandar Dato' Onn, Johor Bahru</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Work hard and aim high,<br />You'll never know if you don't try,<br />The only limit is the sky,<br />So spread your wings, my dear and fly...</div><p><br /></p><p>Lunch and a day out at the shopping mall with my eldest son and his family yesterday. The first time we took our granddaughter to the <b>AEON Mall</b> at <b>Bandar Dato' Onn</b> was in January 2019 when she was still a babe-in-arms. At that time, her parents were on assignment and we gladly agreed to babysit her for a few days.</p><p>This time around, <b>Maisarah</b> is a 3-year old toddler. Highly observant and very talkative. Her parents wanted to buy new sandals for her and the children's shoe section at AEON has enough variety on sale to allow the young lady to pick out the pair that she likes.</p><p>After choosing her shoes, it was just a short skip to the adjacent section which all kids would not want to miss, the toys department. While her parents were at the cashier, I took the young lady to browse the toys.</p><p>"Tengok saja tau, take beli ya," I told her. Ok, she agreed, although I had doubts if she would actually keep to this arrangement upon seeing the huge range of toys on display. We had recently bought her a toy for her birthday last month, so I didn't think it is time yet to get her another one.</p><p>True enough, the moment she laid eyes on a particular doll, she told me she wanted it. So I said, you can hold it for a while but we are not buying it. A few minutes later, she walked to the stuffed toys area and picked up a unicorn. She hugged the toy and told me she wanted it. Again I gave the same response. I was pleased that she was quite obedient although there's a visible look of disappointment. The important thing was that she did not create a tantrum. I could have easily agreed to buy the toy because it wasn't terribly expensive. But I was hoping to teach her something and I do believe there is no better time to start than at an age when she is already aware of things that have value.</p><p>After a few more minutes of browsing, I told my granddaughter that it is time to move on because we had other places to go to. As we passed the stationery section, I spotted a sticker pack of the cartoon characters from <b>Didi & Friends</b> (a local animated series). I pointed it out to Maisarah who immediately became excited and picked it up from the display stand. She looked at me imploringly and said that she wanted it. I finally relented and said okay, I'll buy it for you. The look of delight on her face was precious. Those stickers would probably not last the week when she gets to play with them but her happy smile I will remember for a long time.</p><p>Maisarah kept her hold on the sticker pack as we made our way to the cashier counter. I told her to place the pack on the counter for the cashier to scan. After making payment, I told the cashier to hand over the sticker straight to my granddaughter. Without prompting, Maisarah said, "Thank you, Achik."</p><p>The young cashier was pleasantly surprised, smiled back and replied, "Sama-sama."</p><p>That's another person that Maisarah has caused to smile that day. Lovely.</p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-24537159995191843402021-10-06T15:41:00.003+08:002021-10-06T16:29:33.244+08:00Bonsai gardening... an update (4)<p>It has been a while since I last posted about my bonsai hobby. The last post on this topic was almost a year ago when I wrote about the pair of ficus religiosa plants that I re-potted. Those plants have since grown new leaves quite vigorously to the extent that I had to prune them again a few months ago.</p><p>In this post, I'm sharing the update on a ficus retusa plant that I am styling to have an umbrella-shaped canopy with some exposed roots. I believe I've had this tree from the very start of my bonsai hobby (about 3 years now) and it has been re-potted once. It has grown quite healthily and is slowly approaching the design that I have in mind. I did some minor leaf pruning a few days ago and I'm happy to say that it is one of the better-looking bonsai plants in my collection, not that I have that many.</p><p>I am now planning to buy a more suitable bonsai pot, one that is slightly larger but shallower, with the intention of re-potting it again in a year or so from now.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTAU_nXY7vc86z9At6XXpsvas_qv7pnxrigj_WbUU4PoiwHw0cxcDymxCdBhmmq42EeIUgYp6hsEGllgZll5wFnrWMz7xXAbDH1Qasp7lYf3_TqOTCbxrTduURIggUUfgxGaM159b2Kc/s2048/Row+of+bonsai+cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTAU_nXY7vc86z9At6XXpsvas_qv7pnxrigj_WbUU4PoiwHw0cxcDymxCdBhmmq42EeIUgYp6hsEGllgZll5wFnrWMz7xXAbDH1Qasp7lYf3_TqOTCbxrTduURIggUUfgxGaM159b2Kc/w400-h300/Row+of+bonsai+cropped.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Row of bonsai plants in training. Two ficus religiosa on the left, guava in the middle,<br />ficus retusa and bougainvillea</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIE47GPPH0LYYoCdySKLCSl7w0JyTO3XoO-OqwoOvH2WKCyK_dgZUYLb11pP2cBvDHSGj_PBejUKpNvzr19TYN2UZXth94mMKoz5WAJHvpWM4qUZVFxdCOB_WsPWg75ckM7SYrg57jn3M/s2048/Ficus+retusa+b4+prune+cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIE47GPPH0LYYoCdySKLCSl7w0JyTO3XoO-OqwoOvH2WKCyK_dgZUYLb11pP2cBvDHSGj_PBejUKpNvzr19TYN2UZXth94mMKoz5WAJHvpWM4qUZVFxdCOB_WsPWg75ckM7SYrg57jn3M/w400-h400/Ficus+retusa+b4+prune+cropped.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ficus retusa before leaf pruning</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyFNf96zhAkMT1hg-x2cTeg-N0AUzqOySeiOqzElkLCPZKGplb-UVWYCCmaaWrr65ae9OiX-OadiEjvLeb4ASuU21DownGUTT9F0YsHLtwucBmdlb8ch-A7JslJmDk63h9krIFQcQJ3M/s2048/Ficus+retusa+pruned+Oct2021+cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyFNf96zhAkMT1hg-x2cTeg-N0AUzqOySeiOqzElkLCPZKGplb-UVWYCCmaaWrr65ae9OiX-OadiEjvLeb4ASuU21DownGUTT9F0YsHLtwucBmdlb8ch-A7JslJmDk63h9krIFQcQJ3M/w400-h400/Ficus+retusa+pruned+Oct2021+cropped.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After some minor pruning</td></tr></tbody></table>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-23373661151695631632021-09-28T17:01:00.007+08:002021-09-29T12:56:27.475+08:00A time to watch<p>Over the past year, with the enforced lockdowns and restricted travel, I have indulged in a new hobby. Collecting wristwatches. Perhaps not quite a new pastime because I have been buying new wristwatches every few years or so but I had not paid much attention to the details of the watches that I bought. Neither did I make any proper attempt to take care of them or store them in a neat way. I had mostly bought them based on looks and of course, price. All my watches are cheap, or to use a more polite term, in the budget range.</p><p>With the extra free time because of MCO restrictions, I began to read up additional information about wristwatches and viewed many Youtube videos on watch reviews. I learned many new things which I had previously not cared about. I began to understand the significance between quartz and automatic (mechanical) movements, the important case dimensions to take note of and many other aspects of a wristwatch such as dials, hands and lume. To a wristwatch enthusiast, the term 'complication' does not mean a problem. And jewels are actually bearings and not precious stones. I noted that watches can be classified into a number of types : divers, field watches, dress watches, chronographs and pilot watches, just to name the most common categories. Looking at my personal collection, I mostly have quartz dress watches and chronographs. My next target would be an automatic field watch. I already have one in mind (launched a few months ago) but am holding out until the price drops to a more affordable level.</p><p>As a first step towards organizing my collection, I bought a watch storage box made of wood with a glass top. It has 12 slots, each with a small black velvet pillow or cushion to enable the watches to be nicely displayed. Initially, the box held six of my watches and six belonging to my better half. When I bought a few more of my own, I decided that another storage box is needed. The next box that I ordered has 6 slots and is made out of PU leather. Not as classy looking as the wooden box but not too shabby either. This smaller storage now holds all of the lady watches in the house.</p><p>As of today, I have six (6) watches that are in working order and wear on a rotation basis. I have a few which are not working, either the batteries have run out or the movements are totally gone. In my younger days, I would simply throw these faulty ones away but now, with this new hobby, I will attempt to check first by replacing the batteries myself. The watch repair toolkit I ordered via Shopee arrived yesterday. I am now able to open the caseback of the non-working watches without the need to send them to a watch shop.</p><p>In this post, I do not wish to give a full list of the watches in my collection but rather, introduce the latest acquisition which I ordered online and arrived earlier this month. It is the <b>Timex Expedition Metal Combo Black Dial TW4B17200</b> analog/digital quartz movement. I bought it from the Timex Official Store on Shopee because it had a huge discount during the 9/9 sales. I ended up paying less than RM300 for something that was normally sold at RM480.</p><p>To me, this watch looks great. Very suitable for day-to-day wear. It is 40mm in diameter with a lug-to-lug length of 46mm, a lug width of 20mm and a thickness of 12mm. It fits nicely on my thin wrist. The caseback is made of steel but the material of the watch casing itself is not indicated. A youtube reviewer has mentioned the case is made of brass, which gives the case a seasoned and tarnished look. It is a look that I actually like. There is a rotating black plastic bezel but since all the bezel markings are also in black, I fail to see how it can be useful. No matter, I prefer the black look anyway. But the feature that I like the most is the digital display window at the bottom. The digital component of this watch is in effect, a separate counter. We can use it to mark a second time zone, set an alarm, use it as a day-date display or utilise the stopwatch function.</p><p>Prior to buying it, I had searched Youtube for reviews of this watch. Not many of these reviews are positive but I went ahead and bought it because the discount was too good to ignore. Furthermore, this is the second Timex Expedition that I'm buying. The first Timex I own is also an analog/digital combo that has served me well for more than 15 years and still works.</p><p>Timex is an American watch company with some history. Nowadays, most of its watches are assembled outside of the USA. This particular model I believe is made in the Philippines. </p><p>The watch originally came with a tan leather strap but I swapped it with a black nylon one. I think it looks even cooler. I am extremely happy I bought this one.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKAqNm6hwX8-WipzE9MXETT-ckdviAhmCbvRlBtpT2XzmudVJ_BwGc8lLSeG_Lw-HIvLCkkYWgdJsIp2Rl0EvBPE5j5JOkE4YhW_VloQ4TBR7XtuEhJiMEjIUD3np1G5kscDC_ng6dNU/s2048/IMG_20210910_212320.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKAqNm6hwX8-WipzE9MXETT-ckdviAhmCbvRlBtpT2XzmudVJ_BwGc8lLSeG_Lw-HIvLCkkYWgdJsIp2Rl0EvBPE5j5JOkE4YhW_VloQ4TBR7XtuEhJiMEjIUD3np1G5kscDC_ng6dNU/w300-h400/IMG_20210910_212320.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As is, out of the box</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFjxuY0g0PHcVi-q7dKvxBpbytLlzxzWB2PiiEkUzbu9vveDrGuR4AdRYZZHCVLyktI8MPjyLfTlzODrCC7q8XT4_QOSv7zeeacBmHTFt7Wiq1yOl5mIfBZFZimqubjSxQOia7X3Hwso/s2048/IMG_20210915_140302.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFjxuY0g0PHcVi-q7dKvxBpbytLlzxzWB2PiiEkUzbu9vveDrGuR4AdRYZZHCVLyktI8MPjyLfTlzODrCC7q8XT4_QOSv7zeeacBmHTFt7Wiq1yOl5mIfBZFZimqubjSxQOia7X3Hwso/w300-h400/IMG_20210915_140302.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On wrist photo shot</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ59TfxRfRykfF2SJHIGkLAY8ANtWAXb2_84vUXC4IVSBwxNGvDcdoEfZMoG-smfLckbTK-9cIsd9l1TBevZp-UIrgEN_XwgErpssBEubRKZ1i2Cp4AtZfEV5gPGc3otPNiW-vMlSFknc/s2048/IMG_20210920_143105.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ59TfxRfRykfF2SJHIGkLAY8ANtWAXb2_84vUXC4IVSBwxNGvDcdoEfZMoG-smfLckbTK-9cIsd9l1TBevZp-UIrgEN_XwgErpssBEubRKZ1i2Cp4AtZfEV5gPGc3otPNiW-vMlSFknc/w300-h400/IMG_20210920_143105.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 1st Timex. Has undergone a few battery and strap replacements. Still reliable.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-55702899562313262042021-09-12T22:43:00.002+08:002021-09-12T22:46:33.858+08:00The joy of being a grandfather<p>Two days ago the 10th of September, was the birthday of our eldest granddaughter. <b>Maisarah</b>, the daughter of our eldest son, turned 3-years old.</p><p>We get to see her quite often because my son and his family live in the Johor Bahru area too. It is either our son comes by our home to visit or, if we feel we miss her, then I'd just drive over to their place. It's only about half an hour away.</p><p>Maisarah is a very bright girl. With each visit, there is always something new I find out that she has learned or is able to do. She was able to stand and walk even before her first year. By two years old, she has an understanding of basic words and I could communicate with her in a simple way. Then she learned about colours and shapes. At one visit, I found out that she knows how to count from one to ten. When we next meet her, she could count to twenty. Subsequently, she shows us her ability to sing the ABC Alphabet song. The amazement never seems to cease.</p><p>A fortnight ago, we were at our son's home. I showed Maisarah a small cut on the pinkie finger of my left hand which I sustained while doing some gardening the day before. Of course, it no longer bleeds but the cut on the skin can be clearly seen. She had a worried look on her face when she asked, `Tok Abah sakit? Ada darah?'</p><p>'Sakit sikit je. Mula-mula ada darah tapi sekarang dah kering,' I replied.</p><p>Her next question surprised me. 'Tok Abah pergi doktor?' It was her look of real concern that really warmed my heart. She was able to associate the injury with the need to seek treatment. I laughingly answered that it is only a small cut and no doctor necessary.</p><p>We met up again two days ago to celebrate her birthday. After the initial hugs and kisses, she quickly took hold of my left hand and asked, 'Tok Abah sakit?' She remembered the cut on my finger!</p><p>I showed her the healed finger with the cut no longer visible. She smiled.</p><p>As always, I would try to take selfies with Maisarah each time we meet. At a suitable time later, I plan to create a collage of the photographs, to show the progression as she grows up. I have previously done one such <a href="https://oldstock.blogspot.com/2020/02/maisarah-and-her-grandfather.html" target="_blank">edition</a> last year. This time around, I brought a camera tripod because Maisarah already understands the concept of posing for a photoshoot.</p><p>After I finished taking a number of shots using the delayed timer on the mobile's camera, I was about to pack up the tripod when Maisarah said it was her turn. She wanted to set up her phone (her mummy's old faulty I-phone which now has become her toy) on the tripod. I clipped the I-phone to the holder and was about to place the tripod when she stopped me to say, 'Maisarah buat', meaning that she wants to set up the shoot herself. She then fiddled with the tilt lever of the tripod, angled the phone to face where I sat, and then, in English, remarked, 'Perfect'. Whoa... where did she learned that expression!</p><p>She then came over and sat on my lap, and we both faced the phone in make-believe that an actual selfie is being taken. Complete with the imaginary countdown and the 'Cheese!' at the end.</p><p>Three years old and I love her to bits.</p><p>We have two other granddaughters (daughters of our second son) whom we've only managed to see once. They live in Selangor and thus we are eagerly waiting for the MCO travel restrictions to end so that we can visit them too.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPicZrLCL8JFN0YLJRqhoJKxyhpXBTH1y6raUnynwwiwbT5ha8TixQkDDTY1bycGFqNK6_tskkZ-ZscT4Eb_7iJ_yWsU8ABqz0Qa_0IPQdERw9stoye5NbeaGDzSjgI6Filb5Ka5y6h1U/s2048/Maisarah+3years.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPicZrLCL8JFN0YLJRqhoJKxyhpXBTH1y6raUnynwwiwbT5ha8TixQkDDTY1bycGFqNK6_tskkZ-ZscT4Eb_7iJ_yWsU8ABqz0Qa_0IPQdERw9stoye5NbeaGDzSjgI6Filb5Ka5y6h1U/w400-h300/Maisarah+3years.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandpa's jewel</td></tr></tbody></table>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-86244660397224092102021-08-30T16:42:00.007+08:002021-08-30T16:48:03.077+08:00Completion of vaccination with 2nd dose<p>This is a delayed post. I had my 2nd dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on 11 August 2021, which was exactly three weeks from the first shot. Apparently, the interval between injections for the Pfizer vaccine is rigidly observed and of shorter duration compared to the other types.</p><p>The overall process for this second dose is very much faster than the first. I arrived at the PPV well before the allotted time. There were not that many persons lining up for the 2nd dose and I was given a queue number without the need to wait for the actual time slot. The process was even quicker since I opted to go straight to the jabbing booth without the need for another doctor's interview since I had not encountered any major side effects from the 1st dose.</p><p>All said and done, it took just around thirty minutes for the whole process. A testament to the efficient work done by all the frontliners involved. Your hard work and sacrifice are fully appreciated.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0chKrAmUB1hBLKUE8Hn8yPAAhX_QFPO15FR2jLjDkYqaeZmy-T2uPLulqVZyW3CMNO7CDfBehhI1cMBHVgCAGvo4rYusv9GxFzdq1nbvm22tmJHcxSARPjtnIDwEyw-Mq28VhF9peQQ/s2048/2nd+dose+1+edited.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0chKrAmUB1hBLKUE8Hn8yPAAhX_QFPO15FR2jLjDkYqaeZmy-T2uPLulqVZyW3CMNO7CDfBehhI1cMBHVgCAGvo4rYusv9GxFzdq1nbvm22tmJHcxSARPjtnIDwEyw-Mq28VhF9peQQ/w300-h400/2nd+dose+1+edited.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did not have that much time to read the book that I brought</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnQl08oDurOWrmXlmnydxfe74tRgpDpzfEF2Qj9pfA-MVf2gqaqIu7twUdqm99FfSTHDmWs48wAvv30JbYMpqZK9wYpBqEHAOwqtFTFYuk9LXcj1qNigaJONbWTi4Y28jYlreSKzXhOQ/s2048/2nd+dose+2+edited.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnQl08oDurOWrmXlmnydxfe74tRgpDpzfEF2Qj9pfA-MVf2gqaqIu7twUdqm99FfSTHDmWs48wAvv30JbYMpqZK9wYpBqEHAOwqtFTFYuk9LXcj1qNigaJONbWTi4Y28jYlreSKzXhOQ/w300-h400/2nd+dose+2+edited.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had a volunteer snap this final pic</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-88024181601563636842021-07-22T09:53:00.010+08:002021-07-22T09:53:53.611+08:001st dose of Covid19 vaccine<p>Around this time last week, I received a notification on my mobile phone that I have been given an appointment for the 1st dose of the Covid19 vaccine to be administered at a vaccination centre set up at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in Skudai. It was a piece of welcome news after a wait of a few months although I was not duly apprehensive because I was pretty sure my turn would come. I believe the authorities have been working very hard to roll out the vaccination programme nationwide.</p><p>Yesterday 21 July 2021, I had my first dose. Pfizer.</p><p>The vaccination centre was at the Raja Zarith Sofiah Library of UTM, located about half-an-hour's drive from where I stay. Having been to the venue once before, I was not worried about how to get there. Nonetheless, I do feel for the common folk who do not possess their own means of transport. The university has a huge campus and the library is not serviced by a public bus route. This is where assistance from NGOs or community leaders would come in handy.</p><p>Reading the experiences of friends who already had gone through the process, I was expecting a smooth and quick process, around 30 to 45 minutes from arrival to exit. However, it took me significantly longer than that. But I am not complaining because I understand the tough situation the doctors, nurses and volunteers have to go through. The initial checks, screening and the actual jab were quite efficient. What took too long, for me at least, was the final waiting period while setting the appointment date for the 2nd dose. A few elderly gentlemen around where I sat were already complaining to the volunteer in charge that they had been waiting for more than an hour. I can understand their restlessness. I had come prepared with a novel to read.</p><p>It has now been about 18 hours since the dose was injected into my left arm. So far, things are looking good healthwise. I am feeling a bit of pain in the upper arm but nothing too serious, <i>Alhamdulillah</i>. The rest of the day shall involve taking things easy like continue reading the novel, updating a blog post and other online stuff.</p><p>Thank you to the authorities and all frontliners for doing a great job. I look forward to the 2nd dose.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhA4vdqoZ55RRUT9cL3_Hq1_yC5xxV7K4nsc4NAR_TVyCEMlWL3sdpsXJqOsuRf-QNrmXvfwFAwqwQJ1fVDzapYJ3cjPkKnjUB-EIw3Q5xHH7h2RDDRP5cDjqGyvwzgJDUF3r81wNBbNU/s2048/1st+vax+pic1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhA4vdqoZ55RRUT9cL3_Hq1_yC5xxV7K4nsc4NAR_TVyCEMlWL3sdpsXJqOsuRf-QNrmXvfwFAwqwQJ1fVDzapYJ3cjPkKnjUB-EIw3Q5xHH7h2RDDRP5cDjqGyvwzgJDUF3r81wNBbNU/w400-h300/1st+vax+pic1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the first checking station</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1sqRj-CuJl0YlK17qhPub57kPeqjoVUjI_R1kdxfJgHWRUqnEAV90hQvKBHMbhL17JtXDIjSUeh9bTOOwEZwCBxUjOF07zo8ajnVhxajNXmgUsWZ2WGO4wYrMEBEsP42_ady8W1e0wg/s2048/1st+vax+pic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1sqRj-CuJl0YlK17qhPub57kPeqjoVUjI_R1kdxfJgHWRUqnEAV90hQvKBHMbhL17JtXDIjSUeh9bTOOwEZwCBxUjOF07zo8ajnVhxajNXmgUsWZ2WGO4wYrMEBEsP42_ady8W1e0wg/w300-h400/1st+vax+pic2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1,938th recipient for the day at 3.30pm</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-65611046743476082672021-06-22T17:00:00.008+08:002021-07-23T10:18:05.840+08:00Accessibility to this blog (unsecure site)<p>I had not realised that this blog's URL is considered unsecured when it is accessed by others. I only knew about it when I tried to visit the site via links that I had placed in my Facebook and Instagram profiles. Clicking on the links would show a warning or simply do nothing.</p><p>I have checked my blogspot settings and chose the automatic https redirection option but still, there are errors. A fellow blogger has advised that individual links that I inserted in the blog may also be the cause of errors.</p><p>So, for the next few weeks, I'll try tweaking this blog's layout in search of the offending codes or links. I apologise if you see different or simplified layouts that change periodically.</p><p>Thank you.</p><p><b>Update 26.06.2021 :</b> This is looking like a labouriously long process. I've run the 'Why No Padlock' online checking tool. The results say my SSL certificate is valid.</p><p>I've removed all my sidebar gadgets which are not original Blogger gadgets and may contain unauthorised javascripts. Still no luck.</p><p>Another suggested process is to look at each individual post and remove any missing or expired links. Now this is going to take some time... sigh...</p><p><b>Update 23.07.2021 :</b> I have just finished reviewing the 11 blog posts in the month of April 2008 which was when I started blogging. The very first post contained a link to George Carlin's website which no longer exists. I have removed the link. Other posts have photographs that are apparently linked to bp3.blogger pages which are not secure. This is a bit strange because all those pics are my originals (i.e. not copied from others). I have removed the said pics but re-inserted them directly from my PC. Let's see if this resolves the issue. Tough days ahead to review all the other pics in this 12-year old blog. </p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-34131160500789631842021-06-07T16:54:00.003+08:002021-06-07T17:13:02.620+08:00Online training course in the new normal<p>There is no denying that Covid-19 has affected the whole spectrum of society. Some economic sectors have been very badly hit compared to others. The travel and tourism industry is perhaps at the severe end of the scale as are those who make their living on daily wages.</p><p>I am not able to personally judge the severity of impact on the construction industry as I retired from active work the year just before Covid-19 was declared a worldwide pandemic. At that time, I had planned to carry out part-time work as trainer or lecturer in civil engineering and construction management. I had prepared some course notes and dug into records of past projects so that I would be able to share some of my knowledge and experience with young engineers and contractors. When Covid-19 struck, the government prohibited face-to-face training classess and seminars. Later on, when there was a slight relaxation in rules, online classes using the various group meeting tools were allowed. Even then, many companies do not place staff training as a priority. Hence, the career training market is also very much affected.</p><p>With the slowdown in business and economic activity, many new graduates find it hard to obtain employment. The government, through Khazanah Malaysia, created an initiative to train and place these young graduates into short-term employment at Government-linked Companises (GLCs). This programme is known as <b>MySTEP21</b>. The first part of this program is to have the participants attend a series of training classes that cover various professional and management subjects.<br /></p><p>A friend of mine, who owns a management consultancy firm that was contracted by Khazanah to provide some of the training, had offered me a slot to teach the <b>Essentials of Project Management</b>. I initially accepted the offer on the basis that it would be a classroom teaching setup because I wasn't sure of my ability in holding the course virtually. I felt that my teaching skills were more suited to the normal approach because I thrive on student interaction in class. When MCO3.0 came into force, the restriction on physical classes were re-applied and I had no choice but to accept the challenge. Otherwise, I will never have the experience of teaching via online methods.</p><p>The course module that I taught was completed over 2 days last Friday and Saturday. The class contained 44 participants from various disciplines and educational background. Overwhelmingly female, which somewhat reflect the gender composition of most public universities in Malaysia. Even the two Civil Engineering graduates in the group were ladies.</p><p>Overall I think I did a reasonable job in covering the subject matter I chose to lecture about. Some of the course content prepared by the organizers were a bit heavy and too in-depth for young graduates with no job experience to digest. I tried to lighten the subject load by giving as much real-life examples as I could to illustrate the project management concepts and terminology. But whether I really did deliver a successful course can only be gauged by the feedback from the participants. It was much a learning experience for me as it was for them.</p><p>Thank you to Dr Zulkifli Hassan of <b>ZOHL Group</b> for giving me the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09Kp49a_8jXm18QRoFpqI9u16hRkFbncLQnCdjt4xWCrFPRtuaX0EqovhhtiUbNvsAYnGXu4ro6cPJb2cvyrY3h0y0xhpvT6ut0bKeSOeH3AWOF8ng4iTKAgy-pryvi9W629YoPbt6BI/s995/Screencap+cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="995" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09Kp49a_8jXm18QRoFpqI9u16hRkFbncLQnCdjt4xWCrFPRtuaX0EqovhhtiUbNvsAYnGXu4ro6cPJb2cvyrY3h0y0xhpvT6ut0bKeSOeH3AWOF8ng4iTKAgy-pryvi9W629YoPbt6BI/w400-h299/Screencap+cropped.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen capture taken at the closing of class on 2nd day. Class held using Google Meet</td></tr></tbody></table>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-78995219587063144472021-04-30T22:50:00.004+08:002021-04-30T22:57:36.908+08:00Khairuddin Mohd Amin dalam kenangan<div style="text-align: left;"><b>Khairuddin Bin Mohd Amin<br /></b>Lahir : 1 Mac 1964<br />Kembali ke rahmatullah : 14 April 2021 (Rabu) bersamaan 3 Ramadhan 1442</div><p>Khairuddin adalah adik ipar saya (adik kepada orang rumah saya) yang menetap di Puncak Alam, Selangor. Telah dijemput ilahi ketika menunaikan solat Maghrib selepas selesai berbuka puasa. Selamat dikebumikan pada awal pagi Khamis sebelum solat subuh.</p><p>Kami terima berita yang agak mengejut ini ketika di hujung solat tarawih di masjid. Dengan keadaan negara masih terkawal di bawah PKP yang tidak nampak penghujungnya, saya memang menjangka tiada rezeki untuk kami melihat jenazah sebelum dikebumikan. Namun begitu, keesokan harinya kami berusaha mendapatkan permit polis untuk rentas negeri dan bertolak dari Johor Bahru ke Puncak Alam dengan membuat sedikit lencongan ke Kota Tinggi untuk singgah ambil seorang kakak ipar untuk turut sama.</p><p>Menurut pandangan anak kedua saya yang juga seorang doktor, punca kematian yang secara tiba-tiba sebegini hampir pastinya berkaitan komplikasi jantung. Hampir serupa keadaannya dengan pemergian adik lelaki saya (Azhar B. Isma Yatim) beberapa tahun yang lalu yang saya catit di sini -> <a href="https://oldstock.blogspot.com/2015/08/and-then-there-were-three.html" target="_blank">And then there were three...</a></p><p>Allahyarham meninggalkan seorang isteri dan dua orang anak.</p><p>Innalillahi wainna ilaihi roji'un. Semuga Allah swt ampunkan dosa Khairuddin Mohd Amin dan tempatkan roh beliau bersama kalangan para soliheen.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMu4VC8yB9GNNBEGVzBwGTJ4hsRDTY32F9ljI8CkYpOIvV6N4q4C-3kckUAHPYkSJ32zaPcfW3J_xiSVgtAXkU_mih49h3peWWeoOCBcFZpEa5an0plY479xnTEjz_Dalet9xMN7oi0F8/s1935/Pak+Abang+09042016.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1299" data-original-width="1935" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMu4VC8yB9GNNBEGVzBwGTJ4hsRDTY32F9ljI8CkYpOIvV6N4q4C-3kckUAHPYkSJ32zaPcfW3J_xiSVgtAXkU_mih49h3peWWeoOCBcFZpEa5an0plY479xnTEjz_Dalet9xMN7oi0F8/w400-h269/Pak+Abang+09042016.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allahyarham Khairuddin (kiri) selaku pengacara majlis<br />ketika perkahwinan anak saudara kami 5 tahun yang lalu</td></tr></tbody></table>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-49023257860525222862021-04-01T22:46:00.013+08:002021-04-01T23:19:37.320+08:00April blooms<p>In the past week, there had been heavy rain here in Johor Bahru interspersed with days of hot and humid weather. This cycle of wet and dry days have been good for the plants growing in our garden. A number of the potted plants have started to flower simutaneously. It is the first time in my memory that our yard has this variety of colour.</p><p>My largest collection of flowering plants are bougainvillaea shrubs. At last count, I have fifteen pots of various species. Almost all of them are blooming now although some of the flowers are not as dense as I have seen in other people's gardens. I'm still learning about the optimum techniques in fertilization but I'm slowly getting there. I now have <i>bunga kertas</i> flowers in different colours - pink, white, dark red, orange and purple.</p><p>I am not, however, sharing photos of the bougainvillaea flowers in this post. I thought I'd like to show pictures of other flowering plants that were taken using the camera on my mobile phone. I took the opportunity to test the macro function when shooting one of the tinier flowers.</p><p>I had not known the name of some of the plants. In researching about them using Google's image search feature, I learned many new things. Gardening is such a wonderful relaxing hobby.</p><p><span><b>1. <i>Oxalis corniculata</i></b></span></p><p></p><div><span>Common name : <b>Creeping woodsorrel<br /></b></span><span>Malay name : unknown</span></div><p><span><span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowjD2udmRyA2aGlP0IX4yJ5-GOTk6rw7oJfdCWP1yuqkRJmcltrFUdtv6HVqTgHXiDZNARIXEs_a-w28TZFYPzev2nGMN6T0I9IaXWzzCv38MG8DEcHmpZwUO_8T4Qw46HYX2mg2TrO4/s2048/creeping+woodsorrel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowjD2udmRyA2aGlP0IX4yJ5-GOTk6rw7oJfdCWP1yuqkRJmcltrFUdtv6HVqTgHXiDZNARIXEs_a-w28TZFYPzev2nGMN6T0I9IaXWzzCv38MG8DEcHmpZwUO_8T4Qw46HYX2mg2TrO4/w400-h300/creeping+woodsorrel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macro shot. Flower about 10mm in size. Actually a weed</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>2. <i>Clitoria ternatea</i></b></p><div style="text-align: left;">Common name : <b>Asian pigeonwings</b> <br />Malay name : <b>Bunga telang</b></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkSfU4sI81fduCeRrzlx0n308iJaWJVVGXx2H7MCC0_C9V38uFVZN5xnORXwKDV13n_oB3Y16J6R18SPyy4yCygbKK4K_OwxODl_JmDqau2-Jj-xyo2zM4168WLa3jKHk3CIvSodFXYw/s2048/bunga+telang.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkSfU4sI81fduCeRrzlx0n308iJaWJVVGXx2H7MCC0_C9V38uFVZN5xnORXwKDV13n_oB3Y16J6R18SPyy4yCygbKK4K_OwxODl_JmDqau2-Jj-xyo2zM4168WLa3jKHk3CIvSodFXYw/w400-h300/bunga+telang.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See earlier post -> <a href="https://oldstock.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-flower-as-vivid-as-its-name.html" target="_blank">A flower as vivid as its name</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>3. <i>Stachytarpheta urticifolia</i></b><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Common name : <b>Nettle leaf velvetberry<br /></b>Malay name : <b>Selasih dandi</b></div><p><span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKlE7n90Kine-4I3kJGm8oyBjEnX0OLR0Rf04WjdsEDXgrBHlQEgd4I4qa32plumSKAO0m-IfDaejzCaEZICKMxmG7riiNy7ts9TWunaljVsdfcuRTZqmXLXwD6-xJvz95mumDyG8SQ4/s2048/nettleleaf+velvetberry.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKlE7n90Kine-4I3kJGm8oyBjEnX0OLR0Rf04WjdsEDXgrBHlQEgd4I4qa32plumSKAO0m-IfDaejzCaEZICKMxmG7riiNy7ts9TWunaljVsdfcuRTZqmXLXwD6-xJvz95mumDyG8SQ4/w300-h400/nettleleaf+velvetberry.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scavenged from the wild and planted using stem cutting</td></tr></tbody></table><span><br /></span><span><span><b>4. <i>Ixora coccinea</i></b></span></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span>Common name : <b>West Indian jasmine<br /></b></span></span><span><span>Malay name : <b>Siantan / Jejarum</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><b><br /></b></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnZsAOvl39hYNWnc3TpsZUDlG3HuTWksMyhrrmvubzezWufXJwC2pQ5S2FUln8_L6_7ue3wlBM_Btai82C342F0s_TPlDZ6WLdyLf0QHq2WTeTuevmHYN5OXtGv7EJD5DB3ZvWwxk2NY/s2048/ixora+west+indian+jasmine.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnZsAOvl39hYNWnc3TpsZUDlG3HuTWksMyhrrmvubzezWufXJwC2pQ5S2FUln8_L6_7ue3wlBM_Btai82C342F0s_TPlDZ6WLdyLf0QHq2WTeTuevmHYN5OXtGv7EJD5DB3ZvWwxk2NY/w400-h300/ixora+west+indian+jasmine.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White flowers. Large leaf variety</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>5. <i>Ixora chinensis</i></b></p><div style="text-align: left;">Common name : <b>Chinese ixora<br /></b>Malay name : <b>Siantan / Jejarum</b></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbHKnzwy6Z2HBCvqr4Loz80Y09yj7w1JtwlFrMIKae_VP5SBzKaO8UsO55K-dOgnvCgePepDqweiG6k8WKmJ0w7O48mvvyA_nyiAoF_HHMwypzBh2VNigoaw1wEaZUlp8r03-A5DDKMU/s2048/ixora+chinensis.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbHKnzwy6Z2HBCvqr4Loz80Y09yj7w1JtwlFrMIKae_VP5SBzKaO8UsO55K-dOgnvCgePepDqweiG6k8WKmJ0w7O48mvvyA_nyiAoF_HHMwypzBh2VNigoaw1wEaZUlp8r03-A5DDKMU/w400-h300/ixora+chinensis.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red flowers. Small leaf variety</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>6. <i>Wrightia religiosa</i></b><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Common name : <b>Water jasmine<br /></b><span>Malay name : <b>Jeliti / Anting Putri</b></span></div><p><span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdV3wddABv8__KL6rgxz9B4WcgK_jPm0zuhEsJWqQ7AW_5S0WmJZaIVnpJNPlt75MGecmiyNHUJCOJIq3L8c9Aq1TLOHsSMsgDlR5vRJNv6Cp7n488I48AcaaIs29pj2qCQ-kP4yvgscg/s2048/jeliti.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdV3wddABv8__KL6rgxz9B4WcgK_jPm0zuhEsJWqQ7AW_5S0WmJZaIVnpJNPlt75MGecmiyNHUJCOJIq3L8c9Aq1TLOHsSMsgDlR5vRJNv6Cp7n488I48AcaaIs29pj2qCQ-kP4yvgscg/w400-h300/jeliti.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very fragrant bloom. A favourite among local bonsai hobbyists</td></tr></tbody></table><span><br /><b>7. <i>Lantana camara</i></b></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Common name : <b>Big sage<br /></b></span><span>Malay name : <b>Bunga tahi ayam</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><b><br /></b></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Kdnqe-XuLAMIYgMYk1RxTfVahXq6Pw_12APQe04kddrwdszq14OyugF4C1wU0_m23SlI7sNt8i2p4bPe2b-BR7oJ0YHV9AvpnIoYG3UE3EoqnUHjBWFQNSc8kO7_xJWSFUNL7MRzzCg/s2048/lantana+camara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Kdnqe-XuLAMIYgMYk1RxTfVahXq6Pw_12APQe04kddrwdszq14OyugF4C1wU0_m23SlI7sNt8i2p4bPe2b-BR7oJ0YHV9AvpnIoYG3UE3EoqnUHjBWFQNSc8kO7_xJWSFUNL7MRzzCg/w400-h300/lantana+camara.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scavenged from the wild and grown via stem cutting</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b><br />8. <i>Begonia convolvulacea</i></b></p><div style="text-align: left;">Common name : <b>Shield leaf begonia<br /></b><span>Malay name : <b>Asam batu</b></span></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguH_-VzG6QVc8aMsSRgH72-2cGe4Pyp4cjnaAn6-etnqZ5_jBkJyFAdEDztTrqAPVQhzriqwkMjanNBZ7W0oEpbimQkEt2qksK1b2ejFM5x4dAJvuJSfVsN3UW3wqm583Az3R7gSqdpEU/s2048/shield+leaf+begonia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguH_-VzG6QVc8aMsSRgH72-2cGe4Pyp4cjnaAn6-etnqZ5_jBkJyFAdEDztTrqAPVQhzriqwkMjanNBZ7W0oEpbimQkEt2qksK1b2ejFM5x4dAJvuJSfVsN3UW3wqm583Az3R7gSqdpEU/w300-h400/shield+leaf+begonia.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local name asam batu covers so many species</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>9. <i>Gasminum sambac</i></b><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Common name : <b>Arabic jasmine<br /></b>Malay name : <b>Melur</b></div><p><span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQM4y_s6kTlCOZmuNaszfKMJroGzxD4QAizcZJFU2Kq9rnI0CUYP1GwqhPHOZVDKRr1MKPgRUVACg5848-umqFKW9Y4rBYglYO3_rPGIoZbWMXSVzF0hnLKN0PjC6ogdTALpPkWf-QrF4/s2048/melur.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQM4y_s6kTlCOZmuNaszfKMJroGzxD4QAizcZJFU2Kq9rnI0CUYP1GwqhPHOZVDKRr1MKPgRUVACg5848-umqFKW9Y4rBYglYO3_rPGIoZbWMXSVzF0hnLKN0PjC6ogdTALpPkWf-QrF4/w400-h300/melur.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fragrant flower popularly used in garlands</td></tr></tbody></table><span><br /><br /><span>There are a few other plants that are about to flower and whose names I do not know. I would carry out a similar exercise once I am able to photograph the bloom.</span></span><p></p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-65581229295280277152021-03-29T18:09:00.008+08:002021-04-01T21:42:27.244+08:00A year into the life under new normal<p>The first <b>Movement Control Order</b> (MCO) imposed by the government of Malaysia to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic was announced by the Prime Minister of Malaysia on 16 March 2020. It was to commence on 18 March 2020 and would be in force for two weeks ending on 31 March 2020. This very first lockdown rule was something unprecedented and caused confusion, anxiety and loss of livelihood.</p><p>When it was announced, many people have the view that two weeks of restrictions would not cut it. The virus is spreading too fast and drastic measures are needed. Indeed, what started as 14-days was later extended for another fortnight and as we continue to fight the war, the MCO was constantly extended under its various forms or derivations. We are now one year into the life of the so-called <b>new normal</b>, which to my mind, is not something I would like to make normal for any length of time.</p><p>Looking back at the past twelve months, the following are some of my observations which I'm putting down in writing, perhaps as interesting future reading when we do get to return to real normalcy.</p><p><b>1. Seriousness of a plague</b></p><p>When we read of disease outbreaks that have occurred in history, it seldom triggers any alarm in our minds on how serious it could be.</p><p>The <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death" target="_blank">Black Death</a></b>, considered the most fatal pandemic in human history, occurred over a period of eight years from 1346 to 1353. The bubonic plague caused deaths estimated in the regions of 75 to 200 million people. It affected countries in Europe, Central Asia and North Africa. But since it happened so many years ago and in places so far away, why worry right?</p><p>Okay then. Closer to home and in more recent times, the <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998%E2%80%931999_Malaysia_Nipah_virus_outbreak" target="_blank">Nipah Virus</a></b> outbreak in peninsular Malaysia occurred from September 1998 to May 1999. There were 265 confirmed cases of infection and 105 deaths. The other significant impact was huge losses to the swine-rearing industry when more than a million pigs were culled. Again, since it happened over a short period of time and caused a relatively low number of casualties, why worry right?</p><p>Well now, we shall not be taking contagious diseases so lightly anymore. The covid-19 virus has made sure of that.</p><p><b>2. Almost total shutdown of economic and social activity</b></p><p>Only essential services are allowed to operate. What are these? Utility companies like electricity, water supply and telecommunication services. Provision stores and supermarkets are allowed to open, subject to a limit on the number of customers and shorter operation hours.</p><p>Schools and offices are closed. No sporting events or any form of large social gathering. No praying at mosques or any places of worship. No wedding receptions. Restaurants shall sell food and drink items for take-away consumption only. No overseas travel. No crossing of state borders. Indeed there so many things that were not allowed that staying at home became the catchphrase. To say it was a shock is an understatement.</p><p>The announcement of the MCO was made two days before it was to come into effect. Despite assurances from the PM that essential daily supplies are adequate, there was panic buying all over the country. I had dropped by a Tesco supermarket one day before the lockdown and noted the almost empty shelves caused by a rush of shoppers the day before. I wrote about it in this post -> <a href="https://oldstock.blogspot.com/2020/03/panic-buying.html" target="_blank">Panic buying.</a></p><p><b>3. Standard Operating Procedures</b></p><p>With the imposition of restrictions, the government regularly issued guides on what can and cannot be done. These guides, named as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), can somewhat be divided into two categories which I shall call (a) Fixed rules and (b) Fluid rules.</p><p><b>Fixed rules</b> refer to the SOPs that more or less remain constant since the start of MCO. These include the scanning of body temperature before entering a premise, wearing face masks, adhere to social distancing and practice regular hygiene (washing hands and sanitizing).</p><p><b>Fluid rules</b> are those that change as and when the situation of any particular state or district also changes based on the number of infected cases. The restrictions would then change in line with the category of MCO that is applied (RMCO - Recovery MCO, CMCO - Conditional MCO, EMCO - Enhanced MCO). There were rules regarding the number of people allowed to travel in the same car, the distance one is allowed to travel from home, the number of people sitting at the same table when dining in a restaurant, the number of days to be quarantined, the number of people allowed to congregate in a mosque. Some of these rules change so often that many become confused. What makes it worse is when enforcement authorities are not consistent in applying these rules.</p><p>Initially, certain SOPs were just guidelines intended as measures for voluntary compliance. Over the past twelve months, some of these have become law. Failing to comply would result in fines or legal punishment.</p><p>Take the example of wearing face masks. I still remember the Senior Minister of Defence (in his role as National Security Council chairman) clarifying in one of his press briefings, that compulsory wearing of face mask apply when one is in a public place with many other people (example: traveling in public transport). It is not required if one is not in a crowded location such as in one's car or in a public park. Nowadays, it seems that a face mask is mandatory once you step out in the public domain. Failure to do so could mean being slapped with compounds by the enforcement authority. Even not properly wearing the mask could be reason for being fined. We have read reports of individuals being fined by the police for mere mistakes as not wearing a mask after getting out of the car or wearing the mask under the chin.</p><p>I do understand that rules are put in place so that we can all play our part to tackle and eradicate the pandemic. My main gripe is in the unclear regulations and inconsistent enforcement. We have read many news reports of politicians being able to travel overseas or cross state borders and meeting large groups of people where social distancing measures are not observed. Yet these politicians get away scot-free or are only fined after public pressure. Double standards.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaYfPBXEJ5LgZ-8yjp8YEMqWu0NtOekoErQ7CRu6CsHz1EbY9GeEYVDXsG8e17HRV2u-t523neH5LZ9fj4in_nbyOQpbaK8nSoZjdXApVuaQjpHqcfGIWu0_Fhcql-CWVJPTFEboH5g8/s2048/Que+markers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaYfPBXEJ5LgZ-8yjp8YEMqWu0NtOekoErQ7CRu6CsHz1EbY9GeEYVDXsG8e17HRV2u-t523neH5LZ9fj4in_nbyOQpbaK8nSoZjdXApVuaQjpHqcfGIWu0_Fhcql-CWVJPTFEboH5g8/w300-h400/Que+markers.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Social distancing while queueing.<br />Reminds me of a song by The Police - Don't stand so close to me</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><b>4. Closure of mosques</b></p><p>I wish to record something relating to this subject here, as a reminder in some distant future that there was once a time when the faithful were prevented from performing worship at a place where it is supposed to be.</p><p>I do not dispute that not allowing congregational prayers at mosques was a necessary step. However, I believe it is reasonable to allow certain sections of the mosque be made available to individuals such as travelers, lorry drivers, food-delivery riders and policemen on roadblock duty to perform their prayers. The main prayer hall of the mosque can be closed, no problem. At least allow some space on the verandah or corridors. Such spaces can be properly marked to ensure no close standing if need be. At the very least, do not lock the gates during the daytime. It is not a huge thing to ask and the risks are arguable.</p><p>During the early days of the MCO, I had tried to forward this suggestion to the Minister-in-charge of Islamic Affairs via a message on his Facebook page. After three attempts, I got a response from someone who I assume is a page administrator but the reply was disappointing. I had also shared the suggestion on my own Facebook page in addition to voicing it to an alumni Whatsapp group. Some friends who know the Minister personally had remarked that they would forward my suggestion to him.</p><p>After months of closure, mosques were open for congregational prayers but subject to very strict SOPs. Apart from the fixed SOPs mentioned earlier, individuals who come to the mosque must bring their own prayer mat, done the ablution rites at home and shall stand in prayer at least one metre away from each other. In other words, the traditional requirement of the close (shoulder-to-shoulder) and straight prayer line (in Malay known as <i>rapatkan saf</i>) cannot be implemented. This particular rule has seen continuous heated debate among Muslim scholars until today.</p><p>At first, when the mosques were allowed to open under RMCO category, only a small number of people were allowed to attend. For the weekly Friday prayers, only 40 persons were allowed. This was later increased to one-third the capacity of the mosque and controlled on a first-come-first-served basis. With such reduced capacity, foreigners were barred from attending. I once was able to attend Friday prayers at a mosque in Kota Damansara, Selangor where they employed a ticket-numbering system to keep count of the number of attendees. It was where I saw the security guard deny entry to certain persons who looked like they were Indonesians or Bangladeshis. A sad situation indeed. Sad for the security guard who had to spot persons who do not look like locals and sad for the Muslim foreigners who just wanted the chance to perform an obligation.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rik5fKEa4Ifv1RHkZNoblEd52MJ4v7umSUPJG6z5BBzrbbgpgBG_-E1cQJWs613pX1tjMRHy_pgowlpi0W_Rtync81vGuBNwzx4kYnd9mya8MedmAdu_tlmv5z-IPV0Y_kTPIL6q00Y/s2048/Friday+prayers+at+Kota+Damansara.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rik5fKEa4Ifv1RHkZNoblEd52MJ4v7umSUPJG6z5BBzrbbgpgBG_-E1cQJWs613pX1tjMRHy_pgowlpi0W_Rtync81vGuBNwzx4kYnd9mya8MedmAdu_tlmv5z-IPV0Y_kTPIL6q00Y/w400-h300/Friday+prayers+at+Kota+Damansara.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main prayer hall of Masjid Kota Damansara</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />Which now brings me to the final bit of story that I wish to share. For the past year under the various MCO categories, I have performed Friday prayers (when allowed) at <b>Masjid Tun Hussein Onn</b> at Larkin in Johor Bahru, other than the single occasion in Kota Damansara mentioned earlier. This mosque is not the nearest to my home and also not my regular Friday prayer venue prior to Covid-19.</p><p>When Friday prayers were first allowed at reduced attendance of 40 persons, I had tried to attend at the two mosques nearest to where I stay. Entry was controlled at the gate. Only those on a pre-selected list of names were able to enter. Of course, I was turned down. Trying to be in a list of 40 persons from a kampung of a few thousand residents is a very slim chance indeed. Priority would go to the mosque committee members for sure. Totally understandable. But I did not give up. I drove to another mosque located about 3km away in a neighbouring kampung.</p><p>Masjid Tun Hussein Onn is quite a large mosque and relatively recently built. Apart from the main prayer hall, it has a wide expanse of corridors and verandah which are unlocked. It also has a concrete gazebo that would make for a good prayer spot as well. This mosque is only fenced and gated at the front boundary that adjoins the main road. The rear perimeter is bounded by a large monsoon drain and external car park. Access from the car park to the mosque is by way of two small pedestrian bridges that are not gated. Only temporary red/white tapes were tied across the entrance, so it was a case of simply ducking under the tapes to gain entry. Technically a wrong thing to do but I took my chance. I was prepared to be turned away. Praise the Almighty, there was no-one to turn me back.</p><p>I went to the empty gazebo, placed my prayer mat on the clean floor and prayed. <i>Terubatlah rasa rindu solat di masjid.</i></p><p>In the following weeks, I continue to head out to Masjid Tun Hussein Onn on Friday. I noticed that a number of other like-minded people had taken the chance to perform prayers under the main foyer and external sidewalks. In essence, anywhere that is clean and proper to lay down a prayer mat. For this, I have to acknowledge the kindness and bravery of the mosque committee for not chasing us away. The committee may have ignored SOP requirements in this situation but I am glad they decided to practice common sense and discretion.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJr-DoQ8iymIdNX_LbbbA0YiRWj3LN01c_9rjVicE7KIQcIhnSz_bFwSyMhvNPlsSHSwRQg0J-N7BI7mILjEgTKEnNrsrgyHMS4sVAA8fjpb15cvzt8Cjv5ZmeyB-xGkS42bP8rxSqFw/s2048/Masjid+Tun+Hussein+Onn.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJr-DoQ8iymIdNX_LbbbA0YiRWj3LN01c_9rjVicE7KIQcIhnSz_bFwSyMhvNPlsSHSwRQg0J-N7BI7mILjEgTKEnNrsrgyHMS4sVAA8fjpb15cvzt8Cjv5ZmeyB-xGkS42bP8rxSqFw/w400-h300/Masjid+Tun+Hussein+Onn.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gazebo at Masjid Tun Hussein Onn</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />We have now entered the second year of MCO-imposed new normal living conditions. It seems that we may have to experience the long haul. The old normal does not seem to be coming back anytime soon.</p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086109446112192763.post-16119406197105945802021-03-23T18:33:00.006+08:002021-03-23T18:33:57.609+08:00A bridge connecting two Tanjungs<p><i>Tanjung</i> is a Malay word that means the piece of coastal land that juts to the sea or any body of water. A cape. There are a number of well-known <i>tanjungs</i> or capes in Malaysia. Tanjung Rhu in Langkawi and Cape Rachado in Port Dickson are two that come to mind.</p><p>The title of today's post refers to two tanjungs in Johor that are not that well-known. This time last week, I had the opportunity to visit a project site where a new bridge is being built. The bridge (and its associated highway) is being constructed to connect the <b>Port of Tanjung Pelepas</b> on the east to the <b>Tanjung Bin Petrochemical Hub</b> on the west. The crossing spans Sungai Pulai, one of the significant rivers in the state. The river has its beginning at the foot of the similarly named Gunung Pulai and flows southward to the Johor Straits. The district of Johor Bahru is on the eastern bank while Pontian district is on the west. By the way, <i>pulai</i> is the name of a tree species and it has lent its name to many places throughout the country. But I digress.</p><p>The visit was made possible because the Chief Resident Engineer of the project is a friend. Furthermore, a joint-venture partner of the construction firm is a former employer. Since retiring from active project-related work plus further travel restrictions under MCO, I had gotten slightly bored being cooped up at home. When my CRE friend arranged for an unofficial tour of his worksite following the relaxation of inter-district travel, I jumped at the chance. It was a long-awaited opportunity to don construction safety gear, re-live the experience of spending a few hours under the hot sun and learn something new about bridge-building technology. Retirement does not mean a stop to the learning process.</p><p>The <b>Sungai Pulai Bridge</b> and its approach roads on either side have a total length of 7.5 kilometres. There are actually three bridges being built; the main bridge spanning Sg Pulai itself and two smaller bridges spanning Sg Boh and its tributary. Apart from linking two large developments on either side, the bridge would be open to the public and hence significantly cut the traveling time from Johor Bahru to the southern region of Pontian district. The bridge would carry a two-lane dual carriageway road that, as at the point of writing, would be toll-free. To allow for navigation, the central river channel has a clearance of 100 metres wide and 25 metres high.</p><p>At the time of our visit last week, the central span box girders of the main bridge were in progress of being cast. It would take another month or two before the central piers would be connected. Overall, I would expect the bridge to be fully open in under two-years time. Hopefully no further disruptions due to the covid-19 pandemic.</p><p>I am hoping to make another visit to the project towards the final stages of construction. Not to waste any opportunity to keep abreast of construction technology, especially with a project so close to home.</p><p>Thank you to CRE <b>Ir. Shahrudin Muhayat</b> and his team for a day well-spent.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtODepkvycxsJN9OHFeEW6lqtvEDxWjbAkpeuUa93lQd9Vm7SWp7o3387gngjOWyfSf3YRHYU6pkOhrcZAVp9YEmPdSJTa0C-YNynMXoHSEtabMAGGDycat39RoQZYFgcG7_Ru_6ZWL4/s2048/Pic4+signboard+overall+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtODepkvycxsJN9OHFeEW6lqtvEDxWjbAkpeuUa93lQd9Vm7SWp7o3387gngjOWyfSf3YRHYU6pkOhrcZAVp9YEmPdSJTa0C-YNynMXoHSEtabMAGGDycat39RoQZYFgcG7_Ru_6ZWL4/w400-h300/Pic4+signboard+overall+view.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overall plan view of project displayed on a large signboard</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_BVOZFD86ct4KOsKeLCsRoPNeTp91Q8q4LL9ZCUTX_fq58YnRtNzDE0Br80kmPADNx0hkJQytGeZIqqF3k5sGro9iTi-8IDrVopFSk_-ZXJpw3VpvtWOpEb8-HckpVZUOGQYkpmDcsk/s2048/Pic3+Central+piers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_BVOZFD86ct4KOsKeLCsRoPNeTp91Q8q4LL9ZCUTX_fq58YnRtNzDE0Br80kmPADNx0hkJQytGeZIqqF3k5sGro9iTi-8IDrVopFSk_-ZXJpw3VpvtWOpEb8-HckpVZUOGQYkpmDcsk/w400-h300/Pic3+Central+piers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of central piers while crossing river by boat</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_p97beDbmmBEcHTngL0fjd8SNYtPEME1mmIN5Dlv0qOvqZlsR5fmSYNVKC1rlcC6-Og0QenDHqm8U7GvGgGM8sokmC4zAu7YWUx1Nnpt3fLa-snWDvBGOebXk-ufYOH_Ek8HbZGB11s/s2048/Pic2+View+of+PTP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_p97beDbmmBEcHTngL0fjd8SNYtPEME1mmIN5Dlv0qOvqZlsR5fmSYNVKC1rlcC6-Og0QenDHqm8U7GvGgGM8sokmC4zAu7YWUx1Nnpt3fLa-snWDvBGOebXk-ufYOH_Ek8HbZGB11s/w400-h300/Pic2+View+of+PTP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking southwards from top of central pier. PTP quay cranes on the left</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZp-3nvrwTsdZMeSdHP5prA9N15GyXEtED7PLu9iCAJaqeUWEfnHUXEedINo2W68VJIfuqMMn6MLnZKJLZU0pFy777jcXy7_eOFDagxzGdvLnUxTA9pCVV1HDPPYWEPds96oC1UwnU3p0/s2048/Pic1+3+Engineers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZp-3nvrwTsdZMeSdHP5prA9N15GyXEtED7PLu9iCAJaqeUWEfnHUXEedINo2W68VJIfuqMMn6MLnZKJLZU0pFy777jcXy7_eOFDagxzGdvLnUxTA9pCVV1HDPPYWEPds96oC1UwnU3p0/w400-h300/Pic1+3+Engineers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CRE on left hosting his two retired engineer friends</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Fadhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091828414987087822noreply@blogger.com2