A Little Advice on Changing Flight.

So here is the thing.

I have a  return flight, instead, for some reasons I didn't take the flight going to Jakarta. Instead, I took another different flight. But when I wanted to use my return ticket back to Malaysia using the previous ticket, somehow my name was gone in the system. Luckily the Malaysia Airline counter there did managed to get my name back in the list, and here I am, back home.

So, next time, when any of you changed your flight, using a different airline, then I would strongly suggest you to check back with the airline whether your previous ticket is still valid or not, because system wise, your name will be removed from the list.

Let's travel!!!

Bangkok or Thailand?

To be honest, I don't know the tiny details of what is happening is Thailand. But what is within my knowledge is that the opposition, led by The Democrats is trying their best to oust the current Prime Minister, Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra. This happens when she and the government which everyone are well known of, is that they are pro Thaksin, former Prime Minister who is accused of wrongdoings during his premiership, is seems trying to bring back the former leader by pushing for an amnesty approval.

That gives a chance for the opposition to start their rally and demonstrations, which I believe they are very good at. Some protesters even commented that "Thailand has enough and they want a new leader".

Ok. So here comes the part where I do not understand about. So, if Thailand wants a new leader, why when Ms. Yingluck dissolved the parliament and called for a new election, the Democrats, which is the largest opposition backed down and boycotted the race? If some of you did not know, there are 2 times if I am not mistaken that a pro-Thaksin government was toppled, and took over by military. But every after election, let see who won... hermm, oh, it's them again! 

The Government has their stronghold outside Bangkok, they won not with small majority, they won big. So what may I ask now is that, is it really what the people of Thailand wanted, or is it only what the people on the street wanted? Why don't you just let the majority decide, not the people on the street. It is not helping the country at all.

Dear Jaffrey.

Do you still remember the actual reason you put this blog on?

Because you are forgetful.

You were afraid that someday you will forget everything.

The people, the feeling, the life, the memories.

So, thank you blog.

I can now recall and live that moments again.

Till We Meet Again...

On the first day, I wished so bad the 6 months course to be over quickly without me realizing it. I missed home. I missed working. I missed my colleagues. I missed everything that I'd left behind.As time goes by, relationships were built. The barrier and the wall, the mask were all gone. We faced many challenges, unkind forces that tried to put us down, but thanks to them, they unite us all. We pulled each other up. We held each other's hand, and just be one.

From strangers, we turned out to be good friends. Here, we are all family to each other. Brothers and sisters, some of us did called us that. Looking at them, I tried to be a better person as they are. With them, it's ok not to know, because they will taught me how and never in their intention to look down on me. I've never had such an enormous support from a group of friends. 

I will miss all the moments, every single one. I will miss all the 'anak ayam' or when people asked 'tak ada kawan lain ke?' moments. Despite whatever people said, they are friends I've chosen to spend this short period of time left before we separated. Every single thing we do, we do it together. Makan, solat, main, pergi kelas, lepak, main bowling, buat project or program, perform, futsal, konvoi balik kampung, sailang program orang lain... As the last days were reaching, I reminded myself to appreciate all the time that had left. And I hope I will never forget how happy I am whenever they were around. The laughter, the tears...

They are true inspiration to me. And I genuinely feel their care and love towards me throughout these past 6 months. I wish these great people happiness, good health and career. I am sure some of our life's path will crossed each other in the future. But for the meantime, I will cherish all the memories, and miss them greatly...

Till we meet again, my friends. Take care.

To Do List Before 35!

Life would be a little bit lame when there are no goals. Everyone should have a list of things to do or places to go before they die. Even every country has their own long term, mid term or short term plan. As for Malaysia, it's the Malaysia Plan which will be released every 5 years.

I have my own as well, but to make it easier and exciting, I here then will update the status of my challenges to reach the goals I've listed, a To Do List Before I reach 35, which is 8 years from now. So here it goes.

1. Owning a house is now crucial in Malaysia when price is hiking fast. Yet, I have not decided where to own one when I will be moving a lot later on. I would love to settle down somewhere in Perak of course, where my parents and in laws are. Choices I have now are either to buy a house in the city and turn it into a rental properties or get a land in Perak and wait till I get a little bit older to build one. Challenge #1 : Own a property
2. I love travelling. So this must be a part of my list. To travel far frequently would be financially difficult. So at the moment, before I reach 35, travelling to places nearby is good enough. Then after 35, the region to travel maybe could be extended further. At the moment, I've been to Singapore, Philippines (of course), Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, UK, Sweden and Norway. So... Challenge #2 : Travel to every South Korea, China, Turkey
3. Earning a Degree or a Bachelor is seems not enough. People are trying to go further with their studies to the level of Master or PhD. I don't know whether at the moment I am capable to include studies in my married schedule. Life seems hectic at the moment. But if not now, then when? Challenge #3 : Earn a Master
4. Last time when I was with my previous company, I went to Basic Japanese Language class as everyone thought that I was leaving to that country for a 2 years program, I did leave, but only to different employer. Hehe. I would love to continue such classes, but I don't know whether Nihon Go is helpful for me now. Arabic or Mandarin would be awesome though. Challenge #4 : Learn A Third Language

So guys, jom. Let's make some goals and starts planning!

Understanding Malaysians.

Obviously, many people in the world are already aware that we Malaysians are multiracial society, and we have accepted different cultures, beliefs and celebrations in our daily surroundings. But my question is now, yes we have accepted the differences, but do we really understand them?

Last week, my friends and I organized an event which involved many of us, and as always, Malays, Chinese and Indians were there of course. So while the ongoing program was moving on, we served breakfast, which we packed some local 'kuih' which on of them was Karipap. We never knew what was inside the karipap, until an Indian friend of mine said there was meat. She said that some Hindus are vegetarians on Fridays, and she had accidentally ate the meat, and she really felt so bad about it.

Oh man... I felt as bad as she was for not being considerate, a totally ignorance. I never knew there was time when Hindus and Buddhists are vegetarians, which I asked, Fridays for Hindus and during the early and middle of Lunar months for the Buddhists (correct me if I am wrong). I, as a Muslim myself would like my other Malaysians friends to know when we do we perform our fasting, what could be eaten and what not, or everything which involve them. 

So guys, let us be more considerate. We should not only ask people to understand us, we should understand them as well. After all we are all Malaysians.

A First Class Society.

I came across an article in a well known Malaysian blog, claiming that Malaysia is the world champion in corruption. Maybe some people would think that I'm being defensive as a government officer, but I'm so definitely sure that this article is not true and totally unreliable. If there are readers who believed that, then I guess they are like the dust under the bed where all the could judge is the darkness of the surroundings, full of ignorance and I felt sorry for them. If you ever been to the neighboring countries, then you'll know how much we are better in term corruption.

 I wonder how a 1,000 corespondents survey could conclude a whole report only with a percentage of perception? Have you never heard of Corruption Perception Index on which Malaysia is ranked #54 released by Transparency International. It is not established simply with 1,000 corespondents, but it came from 13 well known bodies including World Economic Forum and World Bank. The surveys do not cover only the public, but they include business people opinion and assessment of a group of analysts. I am not saying that we are good enough at #54, but the fact that we are the champion of corruption is not true at all.

The main issue here is not that the news written is a lie, but the way 'some people' think without any critical judgment. What makes it more pathetic is that these 'some people' really thought that this lie should be spread out just to give bad impressions on the government by sharing it online. To me, vision 2020 to reform Malaysia as a developed country is possible, but I doubt that we would have a first class mindset society if many of us would react and accept any negative news about the country without any research or investigation. What is the point of having all the 'world' on your finger when what you do is only sharing lies?

Oh, Malaysiaku.

Cakes : Strawberry Vanilla

Oh, I should have write posts about cakes, because I love them so much.

As I said previously, cakes represent happiness and celebration! Hehe. 

Last week, I had this cake, Strawberry Vanilla by Secret Recipe, and it was awesome. It was not too sweet, just nice. There were fresh strawberry toppings with layers of vanilla sponge, with vanilla cream and strawberry sandwiches in between.

A definitely 5 star cake.

*****

Thank you for the wonderful wishes and presents ;-)

Calypsorous.

100 days ago, I started my 6 months course somewhere in the north. With many unknown faces during the registration day, I doubt that the life here would be something that I like and I wished time would pass by so fast that I would not even realize it. After separated into 4 groups, with 52 of us, we named ourselves Calypso, or Calypsorous as the representatives of the members. We claimed that Calypso means, 'The Cool Leaders', and I guess it is totally true when after sometime, I realized that we never seems to get so eager to achieve anything, but the fact that, we did achieve a lot.

As time goes by, eventually we became so close and it felt like we are a big family. We spent nights and days together, completing assignments, program planning, showcase preparation, camping and of course, 'lepaking'. 3 month may sound so short, but it felt more. During this period of time, we accepted each other's flaws and together we improve for the better. It's ok if we failed or didn't know any particular task because at everytime, there will always be someone who will guide. 

We shared drinks and foods, we went hiking and got lost together, listening to ustaz's tazkirah while leaning on each other because of exhaustion, exercised, studied, having breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper, breakfasting, played bowling, went out to Pasar Ramadan, 'berjoget dan bergoyang', performing Veen's movement, laughing at each other's pose while sleeping in class, sharing photos and stories, playing games, gossiping, organizing events and tons more,

The bond was (and still) so strong that we got so upset when we were separated to different groups yesterday.  Everyone's character has blended so well it felt so right to be in the group. My heart literally stopped when someone else cheered for the group. It was the cheer that we created, it was the cheer that we bring to every tournaments and games, it was ours...

There's nothing much we can do about it, but to put this into a positive perspective. Maybe now we're no longer a group that were once put together, but from now on, it's a friendship, brotherhood that I've buried deep inside my heart. Only within this short period of time, I've met with many talented, inspiring, good and kind people and I love to have them as friends for the rest of my life.

Eventually, we became the person of whom we spend most of our time with. 
Someday, I may forget the good times we had together, and I hope this post will bring me back to the past and relive the moments.

Thank you Calypsorous.

Once a Calypsorous, always a Calypsorous.

A Good Advice On Marriage.

source:  Love Story From A Male Perspective

I read this article on a blog via Facebook. It is a good reminder for every husbands to cherish their wives for the rest of their lives. A good reminder for me as well as a new husband. ;)

Beautiful advice from a divorced man after 16 years of marriage

My advice after a divorce following 16 years of marriage, by Gerald Rogers.

Obviously, I’m not a relationship expert. But there’s something about my divorce being finalized this week that gives me perspective of things I wish I would have done different… After losing a woman that I loved, and a marriage of almost 16 years, here’s the advice I wish I would have had

1. Never stop courting. Never stop dating. NEVER EVER take that woman for granted. When you asked her to marry you, you promised to be that man that would OWN HER HEART and to fiercely protect it. This is the most important and sacred treasure you will ever be entrusted with. SHE CHOSE YOU. Never forget that, and NEVER GET LAZY in your love.

2. Protect your own heart. Just as you committed to being the protector of her heart, you must guard your own with the same vigilance. Love yourself fully, love the world openly, but there is a special place in your heart where no one must enter except for your wife. Keep that space always ready to receive her and invite her in, and refuse to let anyone or anything else enter there.

3. Fall in love over and over again.  You will constantly change. You’re not the same people you were when you got married, and in five years you will not be the same person you are today. Change will come, and in that you have to re-choose each other everyday. SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO STAY WITH YOU, and if you don’t take care of her heart, she may give that heart to someone else or seal you out completely, and you may never be able to get it back. Always fight to win her love just as you did when you were courting her.

4. Always see the best in her. Focus only on what you love. What you focus on will expand. If you focus on what bugs you, all you will see is reasons to be bugged. If you focus on what you love, you can’t help but be consumed by love. Focus to the point where you can no longer see anything but love, and you know without a doubt that you are the luckiest man on earth to be have this woman as your wife.

5. It’s not your job to change or fix her… your job is to love her as she is with no expectation of her ever changing. And if she changes, love what she becomes, whether it’s what you wanted or not.

6. Take full accountability for your own emotions: It’s not your wife’s job to make you happy, and she CAN’T make you sad. You are responsible for finding your own happiness, and through that your joy will spill over into your relationship and your love.

7. Never blame your wife if you get frustrated or angry at her, it is only because it is triggering something inside of YOU. They are YOUR emotions, and your responsibility. When you feel those feelings take time to get present and to look within and understand what it is inside of YOU that is asking to be healed. You were attracted to this woman because she was the person best suited to trigger all of your childhood wounds in the most painful way so that you could heal them… when you heal yourself, you will no longer be triggered by her, and you will wonder why you ever were.

8. Allow your woman to just be. When she’s sad or upset, it’s not your job to fix it, it’s your job to HOLD HER and let her know it’s ok. Let her know that you hear her, and that she’s important and that you are that pillar on which she can always lean. The feminine spirit is about change and emotion and like a storm her emotions will roll in and out, and as you remain strong and unjudging she will trust you and open her soul to you… DON’T RUN-AWAY WHEN SHE’S UPSET. Stand present and strong and let her know you aren’t going anywhere. Listen to what she is really saying behind the words and emotion.

9. Be silly… don’t take yourself so damn seriously. Laugh. And make her laugh. Laughter makes everything else easier.

10. Fill her soul everyday… learn her love languages and the specific ways that she feels important and validated and CHERISHED. Ask her to create a list of 10 THINGS that make her feel loved and memorize those things and make it a priority everyday to make her feel like a queen.

11. Be present. Give her not only your time, but your focus, your attention and your soul. Do whatever it takes to clear your head so that when you are with her you are fully WITH HER. Treat her as you would your most valuable client. She is.

12. Be willing to take her sexually, to carry her away in the power of your masculine presence, to consume her and devour her with your strength, and to penetrate her to the deepest levels of her soul. Let her melt into her feminine softness as she knows she can trust you fully.

13. Don’t be an idiot…. And don’t be afraid of being one either. You will make mistakes and so will she. Try not to make too big of mistakes, and learn from the ones you do make. You’re not supposed to be perfect, just try to not be too stupid.

14. Give her space… The woman is so good at giving and giving, and sometimes she will need to be reminded to take time to nurture herself. Sometimes she will need to fly from your branches to go and find what feeds her soul, and if you give her that space she will come back with new songs to sing…. (okay, getting a little too poetic here, but you get the point. Tell her to take time for herself, ESPECIALLY after you have kids. She needs that space to renew and get re-centered, and to find herself after she gets lost in serving you, the kids and the world.)

15. Be vulnerable… you don’t have to have it all together. Be willing to share your fears and feelings, and quick to acknowledge your mistakes.

16. Be fully transparent. If you want to have trust you must be willing to share EVERYTHING… Especially those things you don’t want to share. It takes courage to fully love, to fully open your heart and let her in when you don’t know i she will like what she finds… Part of that courage is allowing her to love you completely, your darkness as well as your light. DROP THE MASK… If you feel like you need to wear a mask around her, and show up perfect all the time, you will never experience the full dimension of what love can be.

17. Never stop growing together… The stagnant pond breeds malaria, the flowing stream is always fresh and cool. Atrophy is the natural process when you stop working a muscle, just as it is if you stop working on your relationship. Find common goals, dreams and visions to work towards.

18. Don’t worry about money. Money is a game, find ways to work together as a team to win it. It never helps when teammates fight. Figure out ways to leverage both persons strength to win.

19. Forgive immediately and focus on the future rather than carrying weight from the past. Don’t let your history hold you hostage. Holding onto past mistakes that either you or she makes, is like a heavy anchor to your marriage and will hold you back. FORGIVENESS IS FREEDOM. Cut the anchor loose and always choose love.

20. Always choose love. ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE. In the end, this is the only advice you need. If this is the guiding principle through which all your choices is governed, there is nothing that will threaten the happiness of your marriage. Love will always endure.

In the end marriage isn’t about happily ever after. It’s about work. And a commitment to grow together and a willingness to continually invest in creating something that can endure eternity. Through that work, the happiness will come. Marriage is life, and it will bring ups and downs. Embracing all of the cycles and learning to learn from and love each experience will bring the strength and perspective to keep building, one brick at a time.

These are lessons I learned the hard way. These are lessons I learned too late. But these are lessons I am learning and committed in carrying forward. Truth is, I loved being married, and in time, I will get married again, and when I do, I will build it with a foundation that will endure any storm and any amount of time.

If you are reading this and find wisdom in my pain, share it those those young husbands whose hearts are still full of hope, and with those couples you may know who may have forgotten how to love. One of those men may be like I was, and in these hard earned lessons perhaps something will awaken in him and he will learn to be the man his lady has been waiting for.

MEN- THIS IS YOUR CHARGE: Commit to being an EPIC LOVER. There is no greater challenge, and no greater prize. Your woman deserves that from. Be the type of husband your wife can’t help but brag about.

The Pity Face

I am currently at the Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri waiting for my Setem Hasil. I will be leaving for a 6 months course next week and I am now finalizing the agreement.

Sitting right in front of me is an old lady trying to fill up her form. I don't know why, but I do feel so sorry for her, without any logic reason. It's just her face that made me feel so. Everything she did make me even feel more sorry. I wish I could help her fill the form, send it to the counter and send her home. Haha. I know it sounded so wrong! She is not even handicapped, she can fill the form well.

Some people have this pity face. It is actually an advantage that people will be nice to you. My eldest sister also has this kind of face. But as I said, it is good for her.

But still, I really wish that makcik I met just now well.

Gwiyomi?

Apekebende semua orang cakap pasal gwiyomi nih?

Gwiyomi ni sebenarnye lagu, tapi dengan mimik-mimik muka yang comel. Then banyak laa orang dok tiru worldwide neh pasal gwiyomi nye gesture ni.

Tapi kalau tengok video-video gwiyomi ni kat youtube seriously addicted weh.

Mungkin owner lagu ni dah bomoh siap-siap lagi ni bagi addicted. Baru-baru ni Nora Danish pon buat Gwiyomi... Nora nora... dah comel buat lagi comel.

Wawa Zainal pun buat. Tapi tak kenal lah wawa zainal ni... orang kata pelakon..

me>

Dan ni yang comel jugak...

Macam Siti Sifir dok mengajar mengira pun ada bila pikir balik.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Reunion?

The past week, the photo above caught everyone's attention and has been an internet frenzy to many. The way I see it that there would be a reunion on next year's thanksgiving, as what they would always did in the show, the thanksgiving dinner. Arh, How I wish it was true.

Unfortunately, it is not. The creator of the show denied the rumor, as well as Chandler (Matthew Perry) and the beautiful Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). But I guess it is for the good. It is better to leave the show with many speculations what would happen next to the 6 awesome characters. Some might want what would be on the possible reunion, but some may be disappointed as it does not turn out to be their own expectation. 

Friends is ultimately the best comedy series so far. Friends may not be the funniest, but the value of family, friendship, love and togetherness make it one of its kind.

They stop the show when it was at its peak, and since then fans (including me) have been waiting for a reunion. But as much as I wanted it to happen, I guess it is for the best to let the series end as it was, and remain as one of the legendary show.

The return of BIG thing does not necessarily be the best option to regain fame or fortune. Michael Schumacher for example, he returned to the F1 circuit after years when he decided to retire. But his return was not a success, only a couple of podium without any win, he then decided to retire once again. At that moment, some people (not all) would have forgotten that he was actually a legend, with a whopping 7 times world champion.

I am hoping the return of Star Wars would be as good as the previous one, if not it will totally be a bummer.

A legend should stay a legend.

The Bro Code : Ted Mosby Theory.

Guys, this is Ted Mosby. Why I would like my guy friend to know him, especially those singles guy friends, no... it is not because that I thought you may like him and print a poster of him on the wall... but because of the principles that he hold to with friendship. Actually, he is only a character in How I Met Your Mother, if you know... 

Ted Mosby is the guy who tell the stories on how he met his wife to his kids. He has a gang of close friends, a couple of Marshall and Lily, then Barney and Robin, who both ended together and got married as well. So yeah, he is surrounded by couples, and yet, he is the only one who remain single till the end of the season of the series. But why do I make him an example in my version of Bro Code, he stick with his friends, even when they are all married. He try to tag himself along and be apart of the growing family when Marshall and Lily started having a child, even sometimes he feel alone. But he will always be in the loop and eventually, he became a family as well.

I know when someone got married, the single guy friends, especially the close one would keep a distance to give space as he might thought that he will be no longer needed as a wife is already there from his friend, but the fact is that a guy friend, will always be a guy friend. Some things could only be shared with a guy friend. So, just tag along. Well, to tag along 24-7 is not cool laa kan as the friend is married, but keep yourself in the loop always. I am sure, till the day when you find the right girl, you'll still have the friend. And the friend will still need you in his life.

"You can ask the universe for signs all you want, but ultimately we'll only see what we want to see... when we're ready to see it. - Ted Mosby

Clothes You Should NEVER Wear.

I was surfing on the web when I found this photo. 

I've seen Justin Bieber wore this before, then again, and again. Then I found this actress Halle Berry also wore it. And I just want to say that this pants, which is called the Harem Pants by the way, is completely, utterly ridiculous. At this moment, this is the number 1 thing on my list of clothes that you should never wear. Seriously Bieber boy, that is so so so so so so not cool. 

Nama pon harem, harem! Blergh. Macam ikan kembung pun ada tengok rupenye.

The Iron Lady.

Almost everyone in this world knows her.

She was the Prime Minister of Great Britain for more than a decade, re-transformed it to a powerful industrialized country. She remained close relationship with the United States that ended the cold war with the Soviets. She even brought the country into war with Argentina in 1982 if I'm not mistaken to regain Falkland.

She was a determined leader. She changed the atmosphere of the political world and also, the economy. Many might not agree with the decisions made during her era, but no one could ever deny her successful, iconic and impressive achievement that she had brought. She is truly a legend, a titan of the modern world, she is indeed, The Iron Lady.
She will be remembered. 

Margaret Thatcher, 1925 - 2013.

Talker or Typist?

Hellooooo people.

Did you know I was a winner of Speed Master competition by Maxis? But that was 10 years ago, and I know it is not valid to be proud of anymore, hehe. And that is not why I write this post even. Blergh.

If you ask me to choose a phone plan, I would go for plan that gives me more text messages and data plan for whatsapp, rather than phone calls. I never like talking on the phone. I would spend most of my time with "ermmm...", "eh.....", "ooooowh...", or worst, completely silent. With my wife even, I guess she spend the most time talking, while I rest my ear listening.

Texting is a better way of communicating. I can reply when I have the answer, I can reply when I am free to. Kan? Even when I am not around or asleep, the message will remain there for me to read. But I know it is not the absolute way, texting still has its own weaknesses, eg, timing of urgency and emotions. But still, texting is the best way kot, it's fun, it's reliable, save more time and cost effective. Right?

Hmmm, now I wonder, what makes me write this post? Sendiri pon tatau. 

Saja lama tak update kot.

Kbai.

Re-managing Life.

Some of you might not know that I've switched my job 3 years ago. The main reason was not the job itself, because, I truly do loved my previous job, but it was the life I was living. The life just could not lead me to the day a I wish I could be.

Years upfront... I would love to have kids, living a moderate family life. I want to send my kids to school every morning, fetch them in the afternoon, have dinner together with the whole family chatting on what was up on that day, doing some work on the laptop while accompanying the kids doing their homework, maybe went shopping with my wife at night or during weekend, going for a playground activities on Sunday morning, 'lepaking' at my parents' or in laws house on holidays. I know that might be a life that is no longer in existence in our galaxy, but that is my absolute aim. To be reliable, every time, everywhere, for family.

Today, I no longer work at night as much as I did, I no longer work during weekends. But sometimes, there are lots and lots to think about work that I forget often, especially anything that is related to family. Physically I am there, but my mind is not. Letting the job and task in the way also does not help so much. I could not assist help from family as time does not let me to.

I know, these are all excuses and It's time to make some changes in life. From this day forward, I will put my activities with family on my schedule, together with all the meeting I have, but family will comes first. Always. I will be home early and be more productive at work so I don't drag the time to complete any task. 

Yes Jaffrey, it's time to change! Don't take anyone for granted.

Tips-tips menjadi pengapit lelaki yang berjaya.

Tengok tak 27 dresses yang Katherine Heigl berlakon tu? Yang dia dok jadi pengapit sampai ke sudah... Tapi takde laa ke sudah, in the end dia kawen jugak. Saya takde laa sampai 27 kali jadi pengapit, tapi 6 kali pun dah cukup banyak ler. Kebanyakkan orang mesti pikir renyah gila nak kena jadi pengapit, kene pegang payung la, kene lap pengantin la, kene pakai baju melayu satu sut la, pastu orang pressure tanya bila ko pulak nak kawen kan... anyhow, semua tu betul jugak. But then, it is still a proud moment bila kawan ko pilih ko jadi bestman dia on his special day kan. Means, you're someone kan.

Walaupun 6 kali jadi pengapit takde la banyak, tapi saja la nak share kan tips-tips untuk jadi pengapits yang berjaya, profesional dan awesome:-

1. Hensem macam mana pun ko, masa kenduri, ko tak boleh lagi hensem dari pengantin. Kalau boleh masa ada bergambar tu ko pose la gaya tak hensem, terjelir lidah keluar ke, rambut serabaikan.. Hehe. Tak boleh blah letak ni sebagai tips nombor 1 kan...

2. Bawak tisu or handkerchief dalam baju melayu blah atas. Biasanya poket atas ni ko letak sekali henpon pengantin tu, pasal biasanya memang banyak orang call dia time tu.

3. Masa kenduri, make sure ko dah ada girlpren. Kalau ko takde girlpren, make sure pengapit pompuan tu single jugak. 

4. Oh ye, kalau kawan ko ambek pakej kat ko, maknanye ko jadi pengapit masa nikah ngan sanding skali... masa nikah make sure ko bawak sarung angpow extra mana tau pengantin lupa bawak untuk bagi tok kadi ngan saksi. Ni tanggungjawab wajib untuk pengapit ingatkan pengantin masa nikah.

5. Cakap pasal nikah, ko jangan lupa study soalan-soalan lazim tok kadi biasa tanya, mana tau pengantin tak dapat jawab, ko bleh jadi hero tolong jawabkan. Nanti mesti pengapit pompuan tgk ko dengan bangga, "wow, hebat pengapit laki ni, harap-harap dia single". 

6. Masa tengah sanding, laki biasanya dok sebelah kanan. Bila ko dah ada belah kanan, pegang kipas guna tangan kanan jugak. Kalau guna tangan kiri nampak macam terlalu bersahaja. Masa kipas tu jugak, make sure sync dengan pengapit pompuan kipas.

7. Masa lap pengantin, jangan lap macam guna tuala baru lepas mandi. Touch up touch up je jangan rosak mekap. Hehe.

8. Masa dok makan tu, potongkan laa ayam untuk pengantin, takut baju pengantin kotor lak kalau dia yang potong sendiri. Kalau pengantin ko tu makan udang, nasib ko laa nak kopek udang pulak kan. Kalau durian lak atas meja pengantin, hambek kau...

9. Bukan je ada tisu, barang-barang lain yang mungkin boleh ada dalam poket pengapit adalah  pin, moisturizer, perfume (yang takde alkohol pasal biasanya pengantin akan sembahyang sunat lepas nikah).

10. Kalau boleh, pengapit datang awal, pastu pengapit balik lambat. Nampak komitmen ko kat kenduri tu sebagai orang penting.Mana tau tiba-tiba mak pengantin nak kenalkan kat anak pompuan dia pulak kan...

11. Kalau ko dibayar lebih daripada biasa, ko tolong la plan kan bachelor party untuk pengantin. Hehe... Pergi laa genting ke, pantai ke... bukan strip club ye. bukan...

12. Kalau pengantin tu pagi-pagi dia kena pergi tempat mak andam untuk pakai baju ngan sampin, kalau sempat pegi ikut sekali pasal biasanya pengapit memang kena tolong pegang tempat-tempat yang sepatutnya mak andam tu pegang. Haha.

Huh. Kalau elaborate lagi ni boleh buat buku kot. 

Jadi sesapa yang berminat untuk ambik kursus pengapit, boleh laa contact kat email. kat blog ni pun boleh. Hehe.

Kepada semua pengantin yang dah ambik perkhidmatan saya, tengkiu laa ye. Hehe. Sorry kalau ada salah dan kurang.

Dah kepada pengapit-pengapit saya, tengkiu jugak sudi jadi pengapit dan melayan kerenah saya. :-)

I am a husband.

Exactly a month back, on the 1st of Februari 2013, I got married.

Now I am not only a son, but I'm a husband too. There are questions from friends on how does it feel being one, the best answer to it is none other than 'amanah', a responsibility of a promise that I've made to God that I will love, guide and cherish the beautiful lady I called wife for the rest of my life.

To my dear wife, thank you for letting me be the one.

I love you.

Bali, Indonesia.

It's been a while since I got married eh? Yes people! I'm a proud husband to my Cik Puan (from now on, the title of my wife in this blog would be Cik Puan, which means "Mrs", hokey). But this post is not about our wedding, not about the preparation, not about the excitement of marriage. This is about our first get away together, nak sedapnya, our honeymoon le.

We went to Bali, Indonesia. It was a last minute plan. I booked our hotel at the night of our kenduri, and our flight is the next day. Main redah kromo. Usually before going for a tour or visit ke hape, I would do my research on that place, where to stay, where to eat, how to travel. This time was totally out of plan. Being in a wedding restricted me from any planning other than the kenduri. So the planning only started the day before our flight. Searching through tripadvisor, I did manage to get a room at Rama Candidasa. 

Rama Candidasal Spa and Resort, located about 80km from the airport. It took us about 1-hour drive to get there. However, the time was totally worth it as Candidasa was  located at the rural side of Bali, and it is totally quite, peaceful with privacy. The hotel is absolutely beautiful, with amazing sunset view. The warm treatment and services made the stay even better. The room was spacious, comfortable, clean and awesome. However, as our trip was a short one (2 nights), we didn't stay much at the hotel. We went out at day time for tour, and got back by sunset. If we ever got there again, I'll make sure we'll spend at least a day at the hotel.

Our driver/tour guide/photographer (his facebook page... promote sikit) fetch us in the morning to go places where he finds interesting and the distance is within our 2 days trip. On the first day, we went to the rice terraces of Ubud (same concept as what I found in Philippines),  watching the Barong Dance in culture village of Ubud, visiting the Batik outlet and factory and silver wholesaler and manufacturer. Other than that, there are many other cultural villages that are focusing on wood carving, stone carving and craft making which every single villages has their own specialty. Sebijik macam satu daerah satu industri like we have in Malaysia, but this one is really implemented within the each villages. Bagus gila. Nak carik silver, dah tau mana nak pegi. Nak batik, dah tau kampung mana pulak pegi. Easy eh?

My favorite place of the day is our lunch stop at Kintamani. Kintamani is located on the hill side where the temperature is a bit cooler that other parts we've been in Bali. While having lunch, the  breathtaking scenery of Mount Batur and the Lake Batur made the lunch even tastier than it is. Haha, memang korang akan cakap overrated kan, tapi masa honeymoon mungkin semua benda pun best kan. LoL. And our last stop of the first day was the coffee farm. For Cik Puan whom her favorite is coffee, then this place excites her the most la kan. For me whom a guy yang tak minum kopi terpaksa laa try minum semua kopi yang ada untuk tunjuk laa appreciation kat orang yang dok tuang banyak-banyak untuk kita try. What I found Bali differs from other tourist places I've been like Vietnam or Thailand, the people here would assist and explain to you on their products, they let you try without any hope that you would buy them. They even accompany you back to your transport and leave you with a friendly wave of goodbye even if you leave empty handed. Cool kan.

The next day, the final day, we went to Pura Tirta Empul, the temple with holy water, Pura Tanah Lot and Kuta, where the happening places are located at. The beach in Kuta is just superb, but a little bit hot. Cik Puan tak larat cuma duduk bawah pokok je pasal dia kata panas sampai mencucuk-cucuk. Hehe. 

Anyhow, what I can define about Bali is, it might not be a shopping heaven, but the scenery and the experience is very much worth it. The people are very warm, super friendly and very proud of their culture and heritage. A well remembered trip. For those of you who are planning to go there, then I suggest you get your tour guide first, get their advice, and I'm sure they will let you know the best place to stay, the best place to visit within your budget.

I'll definitely come again someday...

Counting Days : 14.

Tik tok tik tok.

14 hari je lagi, tapi belum rasa apa-apa lagi. Mungkin hati numb sangat, tapi  bila orang dah asyik remind, makin cuak jadinya. Lagi-lagi dengan kad yang dah dihantar. Bila korang tengok kad, rajin kan aku dok tampal-tampal semua nama ngan alamat. Tapi... idea ni sebenarnya tak bernas ye. Saya ulang, tak bernas. Penat kot wei. Buruk mana pun tulisan, next time korang kawen, tulis sudah ler...

Memandangkan banyak my parents dah settlekan pasal hal kenduri, my part jadi kecik-kecik punya je. Bab-bab hantaran, dulang-dulang, kad kahwin, photographer, videographer, baju-baju, pelamin etc. Tapi even tak terlibat sangat hal kenduri, bab-bab makan, khemah, teknikal semua tu, still ambek tau jugak. Tanak laa tiba2 kita pakai putih, khemah merah, pelamin hijau. Jadi sarkas pulak kang.  (terbayang jap... geleng-geleng kepala)...

Plan kahwin ni kan kekadang buat terpikir gak pasal orang-orang bisnes ni. Industri kawen ni besar gak kot, catering, photographer, khemah. Cash flow dia besar kot. Ni la kan peluang usahawan-usahawan melayu nak carik makan kan. Tapi kan, bila tengok attitude kebanyakan usahawan ni memang banyak kena improve, dari segi masa (kekadang janji pukul 1, datang pukul 5) and documentation, macam nak mintak quotation pun seminggu tak dapat-dapat lagi, tapi tiap2 hari sms kata nak email (blurgh).

Kalau barang ko cantik, tapi timing ko fail, aku lebih prefer barang yang kurang sikit dari ko, tapi timing dia bagus. Tu lebih reliable, and boleh dipercayai. Kan?

Hari ni sms satu videographer, senang je, satu malam dah settle, dapat quotation and confirmation. Senang keje kan.

Sap sap soi.

Okeh, mari sambung countdown. Dub Dab.

Eh jap. Ada tak aku cite aku dah nak kawen?

Aku dah nak kawen weiiii... :-)

UTC Perak.

For those of you who didn't know, UTC stands for Urban Transformation Centre. At the moment there are 3 of this kind of centers, Pudu, Malacca and Ipoh, Perak. At the moment, I'm in UTC Perak, and it is 9.00 o'clock at night, and these offices are still open for public. UTC opens at 8.30 am till 10.00 at night. There are Registration Department for Identification Card, the Immigration Department for passports, JPJ for licenses, Local Authority for summons and taxes, everything under one roof. And they are open even after office hour. Now we don't have to sneak out of the office to pay bills, cos we can go straight here after work, of maybe after dinner to do all those things. It is very convenient at a high class facility. It is located at the Ipoh market, former building of Super Kinta.

Not only that, there are also utilities company like Telekom Malaysia, Lembaga Air Perak, Tenaga Nasional Berhad. Everything, all in. Post Office, Gymnasium, Library are all here as well! Hebat kan. Hehe. Macam kena bayar je buat promosi ni. Anyhow, there are improvements that could be done, such as the parking space and food stalls. It takes time, but I'm quite optimistic on the function of UTC.  Totally convenient. Come and have a visit. Maybe boleh exercise sikit kat gym, it cost you only RM5 for the 1st hour and RM1 for the next hours. Klinik 1Malaysia is also here, RM1 je sekali dengan ubat.

Other departments in UTC are PDRM, Jabatan Perancang Bandar dan Desa, Bahagian Perumahan Awam, PERDASAMA, Lembaga Tabung Haji, Indah Water, Yayasan Pencegahan Jenayah, Pejabat Daerah dan Tanah Ipoh, Pusat Kerjaya Amanjaya, K-Perak, PEMUDAH, Jabatan Agama Islam Perak, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, SME Bank, Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita Keluarga dan Masyarakat, Klinik 1 Malaysia, Klinik Pergigian Malaysia, Kedai Buku 1 Malaysia

Pre-Husband's Re-Financing.

Being a husband is a big responsibility. Finance is one part that I find crucial to be looked at before I got myself into marriage, and I believe all men are the same. So today, I downloaded MoBill Reminder app on my tab to get everything organized. Yes people, I am so Monica! Hehe. Tapi kalau tak tengok citer Friends sila abaikan ayat tu.

Now the money flow needs to be observed,addition of expenses like nafkah, households, home etc are the responsibilities of a husband. With this, terpaksa la cut cost sana dan sini. First and foremost, I changed my phone plan, again. I stopped my broadband and get a plan with bigger data plan. Previously I was in the red zone, then I moved to the blue territory, but now I'm the yellow man. If you get what I mean. Maybe the coverage not as good as in the blue territory, but still, I could save more. I strongly suggest abg-abg and kakak-kakak kat luar sana to revise your mobile plan the latest every 2 years as the plan gets cheaper and more convenient.

Next is to check other expenses like insurance scheme that I've been with for the last five years and my investments for me to roll. Now with this app, I could check all the finance flow, for me, and the future family :)

The End of Merlin

For those of you who didn't not know, season 5 will be the final one for Merlin the series. Damn you Merlin!

I'd started watching during the third season, and I've just downloaded the first and second season for me to catch up. Now, they have announced that this will be the final season. Thank you so much to the producers for stealing my excitement!

Anyhow, I watched the finale last night. It was heartbreaking, sad, but an expected one as what happened was already written in the history. I know the show will never differ from its actual as the characters are all the same as what was written, Modred, Arthur and Merlin. I never know why, but I found the history of Britain is somehow fascinating. I wish I could find a book where explains everything, because Arthur and Merlin is  written in some literature but the are no physical evidence of their existence. 

Ok. For those who are not patient enough to wait for the season finale of Merlin which will air in Malaysia somewhere in February I guess, here's some spoilers of the ending. Tadaaa~