The joy of being a grandfather

Two days ago the 10th of September, was the birthday of our eldest granddaughter. Maisarah, the daughter of our eldest son, turned 3-years old.

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.

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.

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?'

'Sakit sikit je. Mula-mula ada darah tapi sekarang dah kering,' I replied.

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.

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!

I showed her the healed finger with the cut no longer visible. She smiled.

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 edition last year. This time around, I brought a camera tripod because Maisarah already understands the concept of posing for a photoshoot.

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!

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.

Three years old and I love her to bits.

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.

Grandpa's jewel

Completion of vaccination with 2nd dose

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.

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.

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.

Did not have that much time to read the book that I brought

Had a volunteer snap this final pic

1st dose of Covid19 vaccine

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.

Yesterday 21 July 2021, I had my first dose. Pfizer.

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.

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.

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, Alhamdulillah. The rest of the day shall involve taking things easy like continue reading the novel, updating a blog post and other online stuff.

Thank you to the authorities and all frontliners for doing a great job. I look forward to the 2nd dose.

At the first checking station

The 1,938th recipient for the day at 3.30pm

Accessibility to this blog (unsecure site)

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.

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.

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.

Thank you.

Update 26.06.2021 : 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.

I've removed all my sidebar gadgets which are not original Blogger gadgets and may contain unauthorised javascripts. Still no luck.

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...

Update 23.07.2021 : 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. 

Online training course in the new normal

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.

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.

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 MySTEP21. The first part of this program is to have the participants attend a series of training classes that cover various professional and management subjects.

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 Essentials of Project Management. 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.

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.

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.

Thank you to Dr Zulkifli Hassan of ZOHL Group for giving me the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience.

Screen capture taken at the closing of class on 2nd day. Class held using Google Meet

Khairuddin Mohd Amin dalam kenangan

Khairuddin Bin Mohd Amin
Lahir : 1 Mac 1964
Kembali ke rahmatullah : 14 April 2021 (Rabu) bersamaan 3 Ramadhan 1442

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.

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.

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 -> And then there were three...

Allahyarham meninggalkan seorang isteri dan dua orang anak.

Innalillahi wainna ilaihi roji'un. Semuga Allah swt ampunkan dosa Khairuddin Mohd Amin dan tempatkan roh beliau bersama kalangan para soliheen.

Allahyarham Khairuddin (kiri) selaku pengacara majlis
ketika perkahwinan anak saudara kami 5 tahun yang lalu

April blooms

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.

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 bunga kertas flowers in different colours - pink, white, dark red, orange and purple.

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.

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.

1. Oxalis corniculata

Common name : Creeping woodsorrel
Malay name : unknown

Macro shot. Flower about 10mm in size. Actually a weed

2. Clitoria ternatea

Common name : Asian pigeonwings 
Malay name : Bunga telang

See earlier post -> A flower as vivid as its name

3. Stachytarpheta urticifolia

Common name : Nettle leaf velvetberry
Malay name : Selasih dandi

Scavenged from the wild and planted using stem cutting

4. Ixora coccinea

Common name : West Indian jasmine
Malay name : Siantan / Jejarum

White flowers. Large leaf variety

5. Ixora chinensis

Common name : Chinese ixora
Malay name : Siantan / Jejarum

Red flowers. Small leaf variety

6. Wrightia religiosa

Common name : Water jasmine
Malay name : Jeliti / Anting Putri

Very fragrant bloom. A favourite among local bonsai hobbyists

7. Lantana camara

Common name : Big sage
Malay name : Bunga tahi ayam

Scavenged from the wild and grown via stem cutting

8. Begonia convolvulacea

Common name : Shield leaf begonia
Malay name : Asam batu

Local name asam batu covers so many species

9. Gasminum sambac

Common name : Arabic jasmine
Malay name : Melur

Fragrant flower popularly used in garlands

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.

A year into the life under new normal

The first Movement Control Order (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.

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 new normal, which to my mind, is not something I would like to make normal for any length of time.

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.

1. Seriousness of a plague

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.

The Black Death, 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?

Okay then. Closer to home and in more recent times, the Nipah Virus 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?

Well now, we shall not be taking contagious diseases so lightly anymore. The covid-19 virus has made sure of that.

2. Almost total shutdown of economic and social activity

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.

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.

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 -> Panic buying.

3. Standard Operating Procedures

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.

Fixed rules 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).

Fluid rules 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.

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.

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.

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.

Social distancing while queueing.
Reminds me of a song by The Police - Don't stand so close to me

4. Closure of mosques

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.

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.

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.

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 rapatkan saf) cannot be implemented. This particular rule has seen continuous heated debate among Muslim scholars until today.

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.

Main prayer hall of Masjid Kota Damansara

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 Masjid Tun Hussein Onn 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.

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.

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.

I went to the empty gazebo, placed my prayer mat on the clean floor and prayed. Terubatlah rasa rindu solat di masjid.

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.

The gazebo at Masjid Tun Hussein Onn

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.

A bridge connecting two Tanjungs

Tanjung 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 tanjungs or capes in Malaysia. Tanjung Rhu in Langkawi and Cape Rachado in Port Dickson are two that come to mind.

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 Port of Tanjung Pelepas on the east to the Tanjung Bin Petrochemical Hub 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, pulai is the name of a tree species and it has lent its name to many places throughout the country. But I digress.

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.

The Sungai Pulai Bridge 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.

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.

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.

Thank you to CRE Ir. Shahrudin Muhayat and his team for a day well-spent.

Overall plan view of project displayed on a large signboard

View of central piers while crossing river by boat

Looking southwards from top of central pier. PTP quay cranes on the left

CRE on left hosting his two retired engineer friends

Changing my photo-sharing platform

In the early years of the new millennium when the world-wide-web was still a teenager, digital photography was becoming more affordable to the general public. In 2003 I bought my first digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix that had a 3.2-megapixel resolution, which was considered a sufficiently high specs at the time. It was a simple point-n-shoot compact and cost upwards of RM1k, a princely sum which had taken me a few months to save up. The dSLR was still out of my range.

With the ease and popularity of taking digital pictures, photo-sharing websites came into existence on the internet. The most popular platform at that time was Flickr. Many photos shared on Flickr were taken by serious photographers who were possibly professionals too. The high standard of digital pics somewhat scared me a little so I opted to upload my photos on a different site called Photobucket.

I am not sure how many photos I saved to Photobucket. I can't remember my login password and I'm not sure if the photos are still there. A bit of online checking reveals that Photobucket still exists but of course, at a much smaller scale than what it used to be. They have not deleted any old photographs so there is a possibility that I may be able to view what I had uploaded. I just need to explore how to do so.

With the advent of picture-taking capability on smartphones, the convenience of sharing the photos directly from the phone meant the emergence of new photo-sharing apps catered principally for the mobile market. In September 2015, I signed up on EyeEm, which I blogged about here -> Social Networking for Photographers. I uploaded quite a number of photos to that platform, mostly good quality shots taken on my dSLR. After a few years with EyeEm, my interest waned and I decided to deregister. I'm not sure what happened to the photos that I had shared. Are they deleted or does EyeEm have rights to use them? Who knows, it is probably in the terms and conditions (small print) which most of us do not read and simply tick 'accept' when we signed up.

Apart from photo-sharing sites, I also created a photo-blog using Blogger. It was called Oldstock's Images and a link was available on a sidebar on this blog. The objective was to display some of my photos which I think are worth sharing. Just pictures and a short caption. Brief or no write-up.

I have decided to shut down that blog too. I have not updated it since March 2017 and it hardly has any traffic. A total of 46 pics in 20 posts were on that blog with the first photos uploaded in May 2010. The last pic was a sunset shot taken at Lumut, Perak in March 2017. Perhaps I'll share them again on a different platform in future, who knows.

I am now on Instagram... yes, I know, only now, you ask? Have been on IG since December of 2020, so still very much a newbie. Although initially set up as a photo-sharing app, I note that many people use Instagram for marketing and commercial purposes. I do not have such intentions, so the number of followers or activity ranking is not important to me. What I do appreciate is the huge number of quality photographs on varying subject matter that can be viewed.

How long will I last as an Instagram user? We shall see...

Lumut sunset captured on Sony Xperia mobile phone

Another departure to the life hereafter

It has been a few weeks of sad news. My nephew passed away about two weeks ago (see previous post). Yesterday 3rd March 2021, I was notified in our K79 alumni WhatsApp group that one of our brothers has departed.

Bhadarul Baharain Sulaiman was good friend from our MCE 1979 batch at MRSM Kuantan. When we parted ways after the final exams in 1979, I lost touch with many of my fellow batchmates. Bhad and I re-connected via social media and we met up again for the first time since our student days at a reunion in 2010. Since then, we would meet again occasionally, normally at the wedding receptions of the children of our large MRSM Kuantan alumni family. Once in a while, Bhad would have some business in Johor Bahru and he would always let us know that he is in town. I and a few other K79 friends would then join him for lunch or dinner. Such meet-ups would almost always end up as hour-long sessions of chat and banter. Full of fun, light-hearted ribbing and humour.

The last time I met Bhad in person was in December 2019 at the wedding reception of the son of our MRSM Kuantan senior in Petaling Jaya. I was in Shah Alam on another matter and had contacted my fellow K79 friend Syed Idrus to ask if he was going to the wedding alone or with his wife. If he was going alone, I'd like to hitch a ride. Syed wasn't sure at first but he later called back saying that we can go together in his car. As it turned out, on the way to the Dewan Sivik MBPJ, Syed picked up two other K79 friends, Bhad Sulaiman and Harun Aminulrashid. Of course, there was not a silent moment in the car as four high-school friends shared jokes and stories.

The Covid-19 pandemic which began in February of last year meant that we never had the chance to meet again. Some friends in Klang Valley did however manage to arrange makan2 sessions with him during the few times when the MCO restrictions were relaxed.

Bhad Sulaiman was a very kind-hearted and generous man. Between the time I reconnected with him in 2010 until yesterday, the Almighty granted me about ten years of renewed friendship. It was a privilege. I miss him already. The K79 Departed List now has a new name added to it. Thirteen of our brothers and sisters have left ahead of us.

Innalillahi wainna ilaihi roji'un. Farewell, my brother. May Allah swt place your soul among the soliheen.

Pic taken in Sept 2010 at a K79 reunion. Bhad is standing 2nd from left. I'm next to him in the middle

Pic taken in Dec 2019. L to R : Oldstock (K79), Bhad (K79), Ahmad Azlan (K78 bapa pengantin), Dzul Fadzilah (K80), Syed Idrus (K79), Harun (K79)

Life is short. Make full use of it as best you can...

It was early morning Friday last week 19 February when the call came in on my wife's mobile. I was outside in our small garden, just about to connect the hose to water my plants. From the opening greetings that I overheard my wife say on her phone, I knew that it was her younger brother on the other end.

The initial greetings then changed to serious tones and my wife started crying. My brother-in-law had called to inform us that one of our nephews has been invited by the Almighty. I could guess which nephew he meant. I had seen a Facebook post from this nephew's wife the day before about him being warded at the ICU in a hospital in Muar.

Ahmad Rifaiee Zaid was the eldest son of one of the elder brothers on my better half's side. His father, Hj Zaid Md Amin, had passed away two years earlier. At that time, we had the opportunity to visit the father when he was in a hospital in Kluang. This time, the Covid-19 restrictions did not allow us to visit the son before he left us.

After my wife had calmed down a bit, she obtained some information with regards to the burial process. The deceased was still at Muar hospital where the cleansing and shrouding process would be carried out before sending to his home in Tangkak. My wife then made a few phone calls to her other siblings to ensure that all close relatives are informed. We then made preparations to travel to Tangkak, roughly a two-hour drive away. But before we could start our journey, a police permit is required for inter-district travel.

Modern-day technology has allowed the death certificate to be quickly shared via whatsapp. I printed a copy of the certificate and together with copies of our identity cards, applied for the travel permit at our local police station. After answering a few basic questions, the approval was stamped on our application form. It was almost 11am when we entered the N-S highway and headed north. My wife was told that the burial would be held after Jumu'ah prayers. I was fairly confident we would reach Tangkak in time.

We exited the highway at the Bukit Gambir interchange. There was a police roadblock just after the toll plaza. The police officer on duty had a look at our travel permit and let us pass without question. When we arrived at our nephew's home, the deceased was already there and I was just in time to join the solat jenazah. Understandably, the mood was sad and sombre. There were tears and embraces even though the latter is highly discouraged under the SOP social-distancing guidelines. How can I not hug my other nephews (siblings of the deceased) who have just lost their eldest brother? The departure of Ahmad Rifaiee was quite unexpected although he had a history of hospital treatments. His previous admissions were due to gastrointestinal complications but he had always recovered. He had always been in cheerful mood and made light of his illness.

I got along very well with Ahmad Rifaiee. He had a joyful demeanour and a healthy dose of humour. He was a foodie like I am. We would regularly exchange information on where the best eating spots are. I miss him already.

The official COD mentioned on the certificate is Acute Coronary Syndrome. I assume that his heart did not obtain the required amount of blood due to internal bleeding caused by the gastrointestinal disorders.

Ahmad Rifaiee Zaid was 41-years old. He leaves behind a wife and five children. His eldest, Nurul Syuhada is presently taking the long-delayed SPM 2020 examinations. I could not imagine how the stress and sadness are affecting her right now.

Innalilahi wainna ilaihi roji'un. May Allah swt bless your soul and place you among the soliheen.

Our nephew on the right. Pic taken last year when he treated us to mee bandung at a local stall in Tangkak

On time delivery

There is no doubt that the Movement Control Order (MCO) enforced by the government to control the spread of the coronavirus is causing hardship to many people. It has been extensively argued that such a measure is necessary, otherwise more deaths due to covid-19 would occur and the increasing numbers of infected cases place a huge strain on healthcare facilities.

I do not doubt that our medical frontliners are most affected by the rising number of cases in this so-called 3rd wave. However, I do have reservations about the effectiveness of the MCO in its various forms (RMCO, EMCO etc). My main grouse is the lack of consistency in issuing the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) that the public and businesses have to adhere to. I would have thought that after a year of tackling the pandemic, the government authorities would have had some expertise in deciding what can or cannot be done.

I have previously written about how the pandemic is affecting my son who runs a food stall operation (Hard times during the Covid-19 pandemic). When MCO 2.0 was enforced a few weeks ago, dine-in at restaurants and food outlets were not permitted. All restaurants and food stalls had to rely on takeaway and delivery sales only. This meant that sales income reduced drastically. The dine-in only restriction has since been lifted a few days ago, but according to my son, the number of walk-in customers is still very low.

Apart from dine-in customers, my son's business is also registered on Foodpanda. In addition to this online delivery platform, he also takes phone orders for COD delivery within selected areas of Johor Bahru using ad-hoc runners. When his normal ad-hoc guy could not make it for whatever reason, I become the replacement delivery guy. To date, I have made four (4) deliveries. Three deliveries were within 10km from the outlet at Dataran Larkin while one was to a customer who lived outside the 10km limit. Technically speaking, this was against SOP rules. In fact, I just found out that the practice of cash-on-delivery (COD) for sending food by individuals (as opposed to the registered riders of Foodpanda, Grab Food etc) require a police permit. Failure to have one means the risk of being compounded to the value of RM1000.

My son's food stall business is really a very small enterprise. The money he makes barely covers his costs. In these very tough times, I have to help him out in any way that I can. Even to the extent of being an unregistered delivery guy and doing so at some risk. I sincerely hope MCO 2.0 would not be extended. There has to be a way in which the government can balance the need for economic activity against the risk of further disease outbreak.

While I'm on the subject, the photo below is the MCO Menu of Warong Noodle. Prices shown are not inclusive of delivery charges, which are very reasonable for customers located within a 10km radius of Dataran Larkin. Only RM5 per delivery, irrespective of the quantity of purchase, subject to the carrying capacity of the dispatcher. Thanks :-)

Menu for self pick-up. Delivery available for selected areas at nominal charge

A flower as vivid as its name

Some time last year, I bought a small pot of bunga telang plant from a local nursery. The plant is a creeper vine and I had intended to grow it against the rear wall of my compound which forms the boundary with my neighbour at the back. The plant had already sprouted a few flowers and I planned to let it grow a little bigger before transferring it out of the nursery pot.

However, a few months after the purchase, some of the leaves started to become pale and dry up. The plant is obviously not healthy and I started to speculate on what I was not doing right. Too much watering or too little watering? Too much fertilizer or not enough? Too much sun or too much shade? One thing I was sure was that there were no insect or bug attacks. Try as I might, the plant deteriorated and finally died. Luckily, before it died, it had already produced a few seed pods which I carefully collected and properly stored until they were mature enough to be replanted.

The seed planting exercise turned out to be quite successful and I now have a few more seedlings from the single plant which I originally obtained from the nursery. Two of the seedlings have grown well and I re-potted them to a single large pot which I later placed at the back wall as per my original intention.

A few weeks ago the plants have started to flower and thus add a spark of colour to an otherwise drab cement brick wall. The flower is vivid blue in colour with light yellow marking at its centre.

The bunga telang flower yields a natural colouring compound which is used in the cooking of nasi kerabu. Other uses of the flower include the making of a type of tea drink.

Bunga telang is known by many other names such as butterfly pea, Asian pigeonwings, bluebellvine and aparjita. But perhaps the most intriguing is its Latin name, clitoria ternatea. The scientist or botanist who first coined this name sure had a vivid imagination.

Clitoria ternatea... untranslatable to Bahasa Melayu

Stay at home celebration

Today 27 January 2021 is the 26th birthday of our youngest son, Imran Azizi. This time last year he was working at a restaurant in Cyberjaya. He left his job just before the first nationwide Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed and managed to return home in Johor Bahru before the travel restriction came into effect.

One year down the road, we are still under MCO restrictions although with significantly less stringent regulations compared to the first lockdown. Still, no dining at restaurants is allowed. Hence it is just a small and simple birthday celebration at home. Praise to the Almighty for the good health and blessings.

May this pandemic last not much longer...

Pizza and cake

Just a small cake for the three of us at home

Alternative mobile messaging platform

 * SIGNAL *

"Please signal me the photo you took just now." 

"I have signalled the pdf file to your phone a short while ago." 

The above sample sentences could become normal everyday use in the foreseeable future, just like 'whatsapp', a tradename that evolved into an informal verb and noun due to popular usage. A new mobile messaging app called Signal is touted as the safer alternative to WhatsApp, after the latter announced that subscriber usage data would be shared with its parent company, Facebook. This has raised serious concerns about privacy and sparked active debate in the Internet community.

I have subscribed to Signal, an app that counts Elon Musk (the Tesla electric car maker) as one of its proponents. Downloaded it yesterday, gave permission to access my phonebook and forgot about it for the night. This afternoon, I received notification that a number of my contacts are on Signal too. I sent a short greeting to some of them, just to check connectivity. Most of them have replied. Our Signals are up and running. As of 5pm today, 56 persons on my contact list have installed Signal. That's pretty fast, I think.

Am I worried about my WhatsApp usage? Not at the moment. I feel the risk is greater using Facebook (someone cloned my FB account last year). 

Would Signal be a better and bigger messaging platform than WhatsApp? Obviously, it is too early to tell. But perhaps the point here is not about being better or bigger. It is sufficient for Signal to be a reliable and trusted product for it to gain a significant number of users to remain viable. It may seem impossible to reach or overtake the immensely huge subscriber numbers of WhatsApp and I'm sure that is not the intention of Signal's developers. Nonetheless, strange things have happened in the IT industry.

Many years ago, Lotus 1-2-3 was the default spreadsheet application. I used it extensively in my line of work and even bought a thick book to learn more about the software's capability. I became so good at it to the stage that I could write macros to short-cut a number of routine steps. But then a guy named Bill Gates created the Windows operating system and his team at Microsoft invented Excel. The spreadsheet domain has a new king. Lotus 1-2-3 is now a fading memory. 

Ok friends... I'll catch up with you on Signal, if you're on it already.

A signal for change

Selamatkan Dua Jiwa...

Saya tidak ingat bagaimana saya mula dapat tahu tentang Baitus Solehah, sebuah pertubuhan kebajikan yang menyediakan rumah perlindungan untuk remaja perempuan Islam yang terlanjur atau mengandung tanpa nikah. Yang pastinya ialah melalui laman media sosial Facebook. Besar kemungkinan maklumat tentang Baitus Solehah dipaparkan pada `feed' saya bila ada salah seorang sahabat FB memberi klik `like' di `page' rumah kebajikan tersebut.

Saya mula membaca kisah-kisah tentang begitu ramai remaja perempuan Islam yang terlanjur, samada atas desakan nafsu sendiri atau terpedaya atau dianiaya. Apabila kandungan telah bernyawa, maka timbullah rasa menyesal, takut, kusut dan malu. Dan apabila bentuk badan yang berkembang tidak boleh lagi disembunyikan, maka terbocorlah rahsia dan berdepanlah dengan kemarahan dari ibubapa.

Masalah sosial ini sangat serius dan memang sudah lama berlaku. Tidak perlu kita berselindung atau berpura-pura ianya satu perkara kecil. Ada remaja yang mengandung luar nikah yang umur semuda tigabelas tahun. Ada yang mengandung luar nikah berkali-kali. Ada remaja yang tidak tahu apa itu mandi wajib. Ada juga remaja terlanjur dari kalangan pelajar universiti. Ada yang telah di `grooming' dari kecil oleh lelaki tua yang hanya berniat untuk ambil kesempatan.

Baitus Solehah telah diwujudkan dengan objektif untuk membantu remaja-remaja sebegini dengan menyediakan tempat perlindungan sementara untuk hadapi krisis serta memberi didikan dan tarbiyah dengan harapan remaja-remaja ini dapat insaf dan bertaubat. Mereka juga diberi latihan dan tunjuk ajar tentang cara penjagaan bayi dan kesihatan diri. Tempoh latihan di Baitus Solehah adalah selama enam bulan. Tiada bayaran dikenakan. Perbelanjaan untuk pelatih (makan/minum, tempat tinggal, kos rawatan hospital, keperluan bayi) ditanggung sepenuhnya oleh Baitus Solehah. Selamatkan dua jiwa.

Berbagai cerita dan coretan ditulis oleh Pengurus Baitus Solehah, yang membahasakan diri beliau sebagai Mak Liza. Tagline beliau juga cukup menarik... opah cucu seribu.

Ada cerita tentang pelatih yang datang bukan rela tetapi dipaksa oleh ibubapa. Ada cerita tentang pelatih yang begitu liat menerima ajaran agama. Ada cerita tentang pelatih yang lari tinggalkan asrama setelah selamat melahirkan kandungan. Ada cerita tentang ibu muda yang tinggalkan bayi dan hilang tanpa khabar berita. Ada cerita tentang waris yang membawa keluar anak perempuan mereka sebelum tamat tempoh latihan, di mana Baitus Solehah hanya digunakan sebagai tempat menyembunyikan anak mereka yang bukan lagi dara dari mata jiran tetangga. Ada cerita tentang datuk/nenek yang tidak mahu terima kelahiran cucu luar nikah mereka (nota : tiada urusan pemberian anak angkat di Baitus Solehah). Ada cerita tentang waris yang setelah anak mereka selamat bersalin, memberi gambaran buruk tentang Baitus Solehah, kononnya anak mereka hidup dalam keadaan terdera.

Namun tiada seorang pun dibuka aibnya oleh Mak Liza kerana tiada nama individu dikaitkan dengan kisah-kisah tersebut. Kisah-kisah itu disiarkan sebagai iktibar dan makluman umum tentang cabaran yang dihadapi dalam menjalankan kerja amal dan sukarela. Dalam dunia ini, alhamdulillah terdapat ramai orang yang baik-baik dan suka membantu. Tetapi tidak kurang juga manusia yang tidak bersyukur dan berterima kasih atas usaha kebaikan orang lain. Allah swt telah tetapkan sebegitu.

Di sebalik cerita-cerita tentang cabaran dan kerumitan yang dihadapi, terdapat juga kisah-kisah kejayaan yang memberi semangat untuk terus meneruskan kerja amal ini. Kisah tentang remaja wanita yang dilamar oleh lelaki budiman untuk dijadikan isteri walaupun maklum tentang sejarah wanita tersebut. Kisah tentang remaja yang dahulunya sesat tetapi kini sudah bahagia hidup berumahtangga. Remaja yang kini punya kerjaya tetap setelah semangat untuk berdikari disuburkan kembali. Remaja yang sudah berhijrah tetapi mengambil masa untuk datang ziarah semula ke Baitus Solehah bagi mengenang jasa keluarga angkat yang membimbing mereka ketika suasana kemelut.

Saya sangat suka baca coretan-coretan Mak Liza. Straightforward, direct and with empathy. Tidak tahu saya bagaimana hendak terjemah ayat ini ke Bahasa Melayu dengan tepat. Ada masanya tulisan beliau agak pedas dan menyengat. Saya sokong tulisan sebegitu kerana ianya kena pada tempat... memang sesetengah pembaca perlu merasa pedas sebab mereka sudah termakan lada.

Semasa mula-mula dapat tahu tentang Baitus Solehah beberapa tahun yang lalu, saya dapati lokasi rumah perlindungan ini tidak dinyatakan di Facebook. Memang disengajakan agar tidak disalahguna oleh pihak-pihak tertentu. Saya pun menghantar pesanan whatsapp kepada Mak Liza, minta izin dapatkan alamat dan berkunjung ke sana dengan tujuan untuk memberi sedikit sumbangan. Beliau membalas whatsapp saya dengan memberi lokasi serta masa yang sesuai untuk datang. Saya dan isteri telah berkunjung pada masa yang dicadangkan. Dapatlah kami berjumpa Mak Liza dan berbual-bual sedikit tentang latar belakang rumah beliau itu. Sejak kunjungan tersebut, saya terus berusaha untuk menyampaikan bantuan sekadar yang termampu.

Pada bulan September tahun lepas, saya mendapat tahu dari Mak Liza yang jiran sebelah rumah beliau berhasrat untuk menjual rumahnya. Harga jualan rumah teres 3-tingkat itu ialah RM500,000. Mak Liza memang bersungguh sangat untuk membeli rumah jiran itu dengan tujuan untuk menambah ruang asrama untuk pelatih. Semakin hari semakin ramai permintaan untuk remaja datang daftar masuk dan ruang sediada sentiasa penuh. Beliau tidak sampai hati untuk menolak permintaan pelatih baru. Orang datang minta tolong, jangan ditolak kalau boleh. Cuma harga jualan itu agak mencabar. Mana nak cari duit sebanyak itu? Lagipun beliau tidak berniat untuk berhutang dengan bank.

Dengan hati yang cekal, beliau bertekad untuk membeli rumah tersebut dengan membayar sedikit `down payment'. Selebihnya beliau akan usaha untuk dapatkan sumbangan dermawan dari kalangan orang awam dan follower page FB Baitus Solehah. Penjual pun bermurah hati untuk beri Mak Liza tempoh bayaran secara berperingkat.

Saya berbincang dengan Mak Liza tentang cara hendak buat rayuan derma untuk pembelian asrama tambahan itu. Antara lain, saya bantu beliau buat poster rayuan derma yang boleh disiarkan di Facebook serta mudah dikongsi dengan kenalan lain melalui whatsapp. Setelah poster itu dilancarkan, Mak Liza memberi makluman berkala tentang ansuran bayaran yang telah dibuat kepada peguam yang mewakili penjual.

Pada pagi 30 Disember 2020 (tarikh akhir kempen kutipan derma asrama tambahan), Mak Liza umumkan bahawa masih berbaki sebanyak RM25,000 yang belum ditunaikan. Beliau membuat rayuan terakhir agar followers dapat menderma untuk mencukupkan baki tersebut. Syukur alhamdulillah, rayuan beliau dapat sambutan yang sangat baik. Sekitar jam 12 tengahari, dana asrama tambahan telah ditutup kerana berjaya mencapai target. Apa-apa sumbangan yang lebih akan digunakan untuk menampung kos operasi. Terima kasih tidak terhingga kepada para dermawan yang percaya akan usaha baik Mak Liza dan keluarganya. Maha Suci Allah swt yang mendengar rayuan hambanya yang perlukan bantuan.

Kira-kira jam 2 petang, saya terima pesanan whatsapp dari Mak Liza yang memaklumkan bahawa Allah swt telah menyempurnakan hajat kita, walaupun pada mulanya nilai RM500,000 nampak semacam terlalu jauh untuk dicapai. Beliau turut ucapkan terima kasih kepada saya atas bantuan yang telah saya hulurkan. Allahu akbar... apa yang saya buat tersangatlah kecil jika dibandingkan dengan pengorbanan Mak Liza sendiri. InsyaAllah akan terus saya bantu di mana yang terdaya.

Pada hari esoknya 31 Disember 2020, Mak Liza telah membuat bayaran ansuran terakhir baki RM25k kepada pihak peguam. Maka pada penguhujung tahun 2020 yang penuh dengan cabaran dari berbagai sudut, Baitus Solehah telah berjaya memperolehi bangunan asrama tambahan sebagaimana yang dicitakan.

Semuga tahun baru Masehi 2021 terus membawa perkhabaran baik untuk Baitus Solehah dan pasukan pengurusannya.

Opah cucu seribu... selamatkan dua jiwa.

Dana asrama ditutup tetapi sumbangan masih diterima utk perbelanjaan operasi

Facebook : Baitus Solehah