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

A new mobile in hand

Since early this year, I had been eyeing for a new mobile phone to replace the Huawei Nova 2i unit which I've been using for two years. Nothing wrong with the Nova 2i except that I felt its camera capabilities are somewhat lacking. Prior to owning the Huawei, I was using Sony Xperia phones of various models for quite a long time. The photo quality of the Xperia phones (even the lower end models) was very good. Close-up shots of subjects, especially food, were sharp and had vibrant colours. I used them extensively to post on Facebook and Whatsapp.

When I switched to using the Huawei, the photo quality does not seem to match that of the Sony. With the introduction of so many new models from a host of mobile phone manufacturers, I took to viewing Youtube review channels to search for my new gadget. The huge range of phones with seemingly endless features and at all imaginable price points is mind-boggling. It took me a while to digest the available information and narrow down the choice.

I finally took the plunge and opted for a mid-range phone that has a good camera setup. I bought the Vivo V20 last month, my first purchase of this particular brand. It has been a month of use now and so far I am quite pleased with its photo-taking capability, both the main (back) and selfie (front) cameras. I am yet to fully explore the phone's camera strengths.

The photo below is a sample of pics taken using the night mode setting. Not too bad, I think. 

Night view of Masjid Sultan Iskandar in Bandar Dato Onn, JB

Setahun telah berlalu...

Pada tarikh 30 November tahun lepas telah selamat berlangsung majlis kenduri kahwin anak kedua kami, Harith Shahiran dan isterinya Aisyah, di Menara Tabung Haji, Johor Bahru. Saya tidak berkesempatan untuk menceritakan tentang acara tersebut dalam blog ini pada tahun lalu. Alhamdulillah, semuanya berjalan lancar dan majlis dihadiri oleh ramai sahabat-sahabat dan kenalan dari zaman persekolahan hingga zaman bekerja. Terima kasih kepada semua yang meraikan acara tersebut bersama kami.

Pada tahun ini, beberapa sahabat dan saudara-mara kami yang terpaksa menunda atau meringkaskan majlis perkahwinan anak-anak mereka akibat arahan PKP. Mudah-mudahan Allah swt permudahkan urusan untuk meraka yang terkesan dengan peraturan norma baru.

Gambar di bawah ini ialah bersama besan kami iaitu En Abdullah dan Pn Saadiah yang datang dari Kota Damansara, Selangor.

Majlis terima menantu di JB. Majlis nikah disempurnakan beberapa minggu sebelum itu.

Bonsai gardening... an update (3)

I have a pair of ficus religiosa plants that I'm training into bonsai. These plants were scavenged from tiny shoots growing out from cracks in a drain and a wall. They are around two years old and have reached a semi-matured state where we can see reasonably tapered trunks and some branching up top. I'm training them in the formal upright style because I've seen pictures of mature ficus religiosa from other bonsai enthusiasts that show a lovely tree with dome-shaped canopy.

Of course, my plants have a very long way to go to reach such heights of creativity. But if you ask any true bonsai hobbyist, the enjoyment comes from the journey as much as the destination.

A few days ago, I took the opportunity to carry out some root pruning and re-potting of the plants because the roots have out-grown the pots to the extent of showing on the surface and escaping through the drainage holes at the bottom. It is actually a good indication that the plant is healthy, which I have found, to be one of the most difficult skills to acquire in bonsai gardening.

Pruning of the roots and re-potting is a recommended method to allow the plant to further mature while remaining small. The pruning would allow new fine roots to grow and establish a strong foundation. This, in turn, would help in promoting good growth for the branches and leaves.

After re-potting, I also did some branch pruning and defoliation. Removing all the leaves would help the plant cope with the stress of root pruning and re-potting. New and healthy leaves would then grow, hopefully at a reduced size.

Ficus religiosa is also known by other names such as ficus bodhi or peepal tree in India. Locally, it is part of the pokok ara family. A fully grown tree can reach up to 20m in height. It is also common to see this plant (as with most other ficus species) growing on the sides of abandoned buildings or even on other trees. Many of the very old and huge ficus trees are somewhat spooky and have urban legends associated with them.

I do not plan to have my trees carry any mysterious vibes. I just want them to be good-looking bonsai :-)

Two plants before root pruning and re-pot

Exposed surface roots indicating time for re-pot

Rootball after soil removal and before pruning

The plants after re-potting and defoliating

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.