Hard times during Covid-19 pandemic

Without doubt, almost everyone is affected by the coronavirus pandemic raging the world right now. When the government imposed MCO measures in March this year, my initial thoughts were for the daily-rated workers who make their living based on daily wages. Almost as seriously affected are the small-time businesses operating from stalls that depend on walk-in customers.

On a larger scale, the worldwide travel and holiday industry is hit very badly. Some airlines have been shut down and crew that were laid off need to find work in some other field. Hence we read stories about former airline pilots now running food stalls, selling burgers and driving Grab cars. Nothing to be ashamed of. The ex-Malindo Air pilot who sells curry noodles at a food stall in Subang Jaya has been in the news lately. He is the son of a fellow blogger-friend, Pak Zawi who I first got to know in blogosphere many years ago and had the chance to met in person. It was Pak Zawi who first uploaded the story on Facebook about his son, Captain Azrin, serving meals to customers while clad in pilot's uniform. The post was picked up by another blogger-friend, Kak Teh who is based in London. Kak Teh in turn relayed the story to her local journalist friend who did an interview with the Captain and published the story in the mainstream media. Blogger-friends network in full cooperation.

I am happy for both Pak Zawi and his son.

In the same vein, I am trying to help my youngest son in his food outlet business during these tough times. Of course, nothing on the scale that Pak Zawi has managed for his son.

In late August this year, I posted about a new venture where I am partnering with a friend to give my youngest son an opportunity to run a food stall. At the time when the very first MCO was announced in March, my son had just resigned from his job at a restaurant in Cyberjaya. He managed to drive home to Johor Bahru only a few hours before the lockdown came into force. During the subsequent weeks when the MCO restrictions were relaxed, he did home-based cooking to sell set meals to friends who placed orders by phone. When the government allowed businesses to resume, he tried looking for a permanent job but of course, not many restaurants are hiring. I then took him to meet my friend who is already in the F&B business.

In the earlier post, I shared some photos with the outlet name as Gerobok Lauk. After some deliberation, my son came up with a revised name and re-branding. The outlet would now be known as Warong Noodle and has a short but hopefully, catchy tagline. Our stall operates in a foodcourt-concept eatery in Dataran Larkin, Johor Bahru known as Bucu Terminal Makan. It is not very far from the main bus terminal Larkin Sentral. The Google Map location is provided here -> BTM.

In the first three months of operation, sales have not been encouraging. Volume of sales has steadily declined to the point where we are running at a loss. The initial worry was that our products were not good enough but feedback from customers was generally positive. So we checked with our neighbour stalls and they too have seen a drop in their takings. It seems that more people are staying home for dinner. Or perhaps overall spending power has reduced. The state-wide CMCO restrictions haven't helped either.

But god-willing, we shall persevere. Tough times don't last. Tough people do.

New name that we hope would catch on

One of the best-sellers at Warong Noodle

Small stall but in a comfortable setting

Note : Warong Noodle @ Bucu Terminal Makan is open from Friday to Wednesday (closed Thursday). Operating hours normally from 3pm ~ 11pm, except that under CMCO we close at 10pm. Also available on Foodpanda under the former name of Cactus.

Honouring the recommendations

When it is the first time I wish to engage a particular service or buy a product, I would normally try to reach out to friends for recommendations. If the particular service or shop belongs to someone related to this friend, then all the better. I'll always try to be a customer of this new introduction because it helps develop trust and networking. Sometimes, the service or item bought may not be entirely satisfactory but then, I'll have the option of giving honest feedback to the friend or I would simply move on and seek a different service provider or shop for the next one.

Similarly, friends would advertise about the business of their relatives in social media (WhatsApp groups, Facebook and the like). In the present situation of a depressed economy, it feels good to be able to support friends and their relatives in any small way possible. However, while we may wish to become a customer, the party providing the service sometimes does not seem to seriously take our enquiries.

In the past month, two incidents of such nature happened to me.

In the first situation, I was looking for someone to help me register a new small-time business venture with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM). Just a small enterprise, not a private limited company, hence no need for a company secretarial service. I could probably do it myself but I had seen a friend post on Facebook that his son is involved in such business. So I messaged the friend who in turn gave me his son's phone number. I messaged the son on WhatsApp, waited for three days but received no response. Time to move on.

The second incident related to my laptop which was really lagging in performance. I wanted to get it serviced and install an SSD (solid-state drive) which, I was told, would greatly speed up program launches. I recalled that a friend had previously advertised that his son does computer servicing work. So I messaged this friend to re-share his son's advert. I made a call to the number in the advert but the it was not picked up. Okay, maybe he's busy. I'll try again tomorrow just to give him a second chance, unlike the first incident. 

The next day, I made another call in late afternoon. Still no answer. The following day, I sent a WhatsApp message, quoting that I got his number from my friend (his father). My message was replied the day after but sadly, without any apologetic tone. This meant that he had previously noted my two missed calls but did not think it important enough to respond. 

Anyway, there were further exchanges of messages relating to my intention of servicing my laptop but the responses were so discouraging that it gave me the impression that this guy isn't serious about it (said he was at work and I need to send the laptop to him but did not say where). The messages ended in limbo and I made up my mind to look for a proper computer service shop. I logged on to Facebook, did a search and found a shop located in Taman Daya which had a reasonable number of good reviews. The next afternoon, I drove to the shop with my laptop, discussed with the technician about my problem and listened to his recommended solution. Install SSD. Will take about 3 hours. Don't worry, all existing data on the laptop will be preserved. Cost is only RM so and so. I left my laptop, went to the nearby AEON Shopping Mall at Bandar Dato Onn to kill the three hours.

Came back after three hours and my laptop is sprinting faster than Usain Bolt. I should have done this earlier. Very good service and reasonable price. I'm now thinking of installing an SSD on my desktop next. 

How I wish sons would be concerned about taking care of the good name of their fathers. I sincerely hope my sons would not disappoint in the same way. 

Pantun Melayu Lama

Agak sudah ketinggalan juga posting dalam blog ini. Dua bulan tanpa cerita baru. Oleh yang demikian, untuk mengelakkan bulan Oktober 2020 berlalu tanpa catatan, saya salin semula posting yang telah saya buat di Facebook semalam 28 Oktober 2020. Jarang sekali sebenarnya saya buat coretan bekaitan politik, samada di blog mahupun Facebook. Cuma kadang-kadang tu, tersangatlah meluat dengan tindak tanduk pemimpin-pemimpin parti politik di Malaysia yang hanya pentingkan jawatan sedangkan rakyat jelata berhadapan dengan kesusahan untuk menyara hidup.

Dalam mencari rangkap pantun untuk mengiringi coretan saya, terjumpalah satu salinan pdf buku pantun lama yang dikarang oleh Sdra Alias Yunos yang diterbitkan pada tahun 1966. Penulisan menggunakan ejaan lama. Saya sangat berterima kasih kepada insan yang telah muatnaik salinan tersebut ke internet. Saya akan cuba cari buku sebenar, kalau masih boleh dijumpai. Paling tidak pun, diharap ada pihak yang sanggup berusaha untuk terbitkannya semula dengan edisi moden.

Tersangat dalam lah maksud kiasan atau sindiran dalam pantun tersebut. Boleh dibincangkan dalam satu post tersendiri.

...........................................................................

13 Okt 2020 (pagi) : Anwar Ibrahim berjumpa YDP Agong dengan niat nak jadi PM atas alasan kononnya ada sokongan kukuh dari 120 Ahli Parlimen.

13 Okt 2020 (ptg) : Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah mengadap YDP Agong atas tujuan yang tidak dinyatakan. Cuma terdapat spekulasi yang Ku Li dipertimbangkan sebagai calun PM. 

23 Okt 2020 : Muhyiddin Yassin berjumpa YDP Agong mohon isytihar Darurat agar dapat terus pegang jawatan PM tanpa perlu hadapi undi tidak percaya di Parlimen. 

Kalau lah saya dapat jumpa YDP Agong, saya nak mohon Tuanku pecat semua ketua parti politik di Malaysia...

Pantun Melayu Lama :

Buah cempedak banyak bergetah,
Jatuh se biji di atas tebing;
Ku dengar Dato' panglima gagah, 
Mengapa tikam gunakan lembing? 

(Pantun disalin dengan sedikit pengubahsuaian, dari buku Pantun Melayu Sastera Rakyat karangan Alias Yunos, cetakan 1966).

Nota : Gambarfoto 'Kuala Lumpur Di Waktu Senja' tiada kaitan dengan pantun atau coretan

Rumah Ngaji Ukhwah Safi Al-Amin

My better half hails from Mersing, a small town on the east coast of Johor. Her family home is located in Kg Sri Pantai, about 5km before reaching the town proper if we were to travel on the Kota Tinggi - Mersing trunk road.

According to my wife, her late father built the house more than 45 years ago when he retired from being an Islamic religious school teacher. They had previously lived in government quarters based on her father's eligibility as a state civil servant. Over the years, the house underwent very minimal changes, the most significant being the addition of new bathrooms to accommodate the growing number of grandchildren who come visit during festive periods. As time passed, the house began to age, in line with its old owners. When my mother-in-law passed away, the house lost its shine. My father-in-law later remarried a widow and stayed at her house in another part of Mersing. 

With no permanent occupant, the house began to lose its homely feel. With the exception of one elder sister who lived near Mersing town, all the other siblings on my wife's side have moved out of Mersing, either to pursue their careers or to follow their respective spouses. It was left to this sister and her husband to occasionally clean and maintain the house. When this sister became ill and decided to stay with her daughter in Shah Alam, the old family home slid into further decline.

There were discussions among the siblings as to what should be done with the house. Putting it up for rent was out of the question because we need somewhere to gather during hari raya. The next option considered was converting it into a homestay. To do this, the house would need some major renovations to make it attractive and suitable for customers. The budget for the renovation work and difficulty in getting someone trustworthy to manage the homestay were the main drawbacks. And so the sad condition of the house continued for a few more years until one of my sisters-in-law came up with the idea to set up a Rumah Ngaji (house to learn recital of the Qur'an), based on the model established by the Karangkraf publishing group. This effort would be a social contribution to the local community while at the same time, preserving the legacy of both parents.

This sister-in-law, Hjh Azizah Mohd Amin, decided to opt for early retirement from her job as a lecturer at a training college in Bangi and return home to Mersing and manage the house. In the few years prior to her retirement, the family pooled funds to renovate the house and buy some basic equipment and furnishings. We changed the layout of a few rooms, re-painted the interior, improved the plumbing system and totally re-wired the house to comply with current safety standards. The sitting room area (where classes would be held) was installed with wall-to-wall carpeting.

After a few months of renovation work and preparation, the first class to teach the reading of Al-Qur'an began on 1 June 2018.

Rumah Ngaji Ukhwah Safi Al-Amin (or Rumah Ngaji USA, for short), takes its name from the combination of my parents-in-law's names, Sapiah Bt Mohamad and Mohd Amin B Abdul Karim.

Quranic reading lessons are held for children and female adults and are taught by qualified teachers. All lessons are free.

As with everything else, the classes were suspended during the initial Covid-19 outbreak, in line with MCO regulations. Classes have resumed on 14 August 2020. The first picture below was taken a few days ago after I helped tie up the Malaysian flag in conjunction Hari Merdeka.

Wishing all readers a happy national day in this new normal era.

Malaysia Prihatin. Kita Jaga Kita.

Selamat Hari Merdeka Ke 63

Opening remarks from Hjh Azizah on the 1st day

The first group of young students in June 2018.
Desks were later provided for better comfort

New venture in the new Hijri year

Two days ago, Muslims in Malaysia celebrated the arrival of the new Hijri year 1442. The first day in the month of Muharram is considered significant in Malaysia and is given a special name called Ma'al Hijrah. There is however, a common misconception that this date commemorate the occasion of Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.w) migration (hijrah) from Makkah to Madinah.

The Hijri Muslim calendar was established during the time of Caliph Umar Al-Khattab (r.a). During his reign, one of the caliph's governors remarked that letters from the caliph had no indication of the year it was written, making it difficult for the governor to determine which instructions were more recent. This prompted Umar to discuss with his colleagues and they later decide to use the year of the Prophet's migration as the start of the Islamic calendar.

According to historians, Prophet Muhammad is believed to have left his hometown of Makkah in the month of Rabiul Awwal, the third month of the Arabian year. It took one week for the Prophet to reach Yathrib, the original name of the Madinah.

In our family, the first day of every new Islamic year has even more special significance.

It is the day our first son, Arshad Khalid was born - 1 Muharram 1410 (3rd August 1989). That makes him 32 years-old by the Muslim calendar but still 30 years-old in CE terms.

It is also the day our first granddaughter, Maisarah Bt Arshad Khalid was born - 1 Muharram 1440 (10th September 2018). That means Maisarah is already 2 years-old in Muslim calendar terms.

Okay then, what's this new venture that is being hinted in the title of this post?

A friend of mine has invited me to join his existing F&B business to run a food stall within a food court in Johor Bahru. The outlet has been in operation for over a year and has reasonable sales. I've decided to accept his offer because the venture is an opportunity for my third son to run a food business as a partner while at the same time, employ his culinary skills to cook tasty food and later introduce new menu items. The overall objective being to increase sales and bring the business to another level.

I have been assisting the operations by helping to put together a new menu list which includes photographs of every menu item on offer. Food photography has been a long time hobby of mine. The following are some shots that have already been taken. I still have a few more items to shoot before the full menu card can be published.

We have already decided on the new name that the venture will be known by. I'll reveal that in another post once the full setup has been launched.

An existing menu that is a customer favourite

New menu item we hope would be a top-seller

Existing item but presented in a fresh setup

Another existing item that is quite popular