A letter to myself.

20/6/2013

To my dear self,

I was asked to write this letter to myself which the letter will be posted back to me in 6 months. It's like a time capsule, only with a short period of time. Eh, kejap. Why should I explain this to you? You were here. Cet ptuih. I am so sorry my handwriting is as bad as Amirul's but as you know, I have no proper equipment and stationery here.

I think you have not been blogging for a period of time, so I guess you should put this letter on your blogs as one your post.

I am now in the middle of the jungle, camping here, alone for 1 night. This is part of the course that I am going through at the moment, which is at the Outward Bound School (OBS). I've spent 5 nights at OBS, and I will be going to the next course the day after tomorrow.

OBS is one in a lifetime experience which I will never forget. It was tough I must say, and you're pushed to your limit to complete the task that was given. The last 2 days, me and my teammates, Watch Ledang went for a hiking in Pangkor. I think that should not be a problem as I was quite used to it. But I was wrong! We were asked to carry a heavy bag, filled with our stuffs, food and belongings which be used later for camping.

On the 1st day, we spent about 6 hours, hiking. As that is a group task, we need to help each other, sharing all the weight and burden. The biggest challenge for us was not the distance, but it was the weight of the bag. We tried to exchange stuffs along the way though when some of us could not 'tahan' already.

As time goes by, when many of us were already exhausted, some of us were falling into the negative valley. But fortunately, the other half pulled them back on track and carry on. the next day was the same. Oh, it was worse! We got lost! :-( We spend about 6 hours when actually we were only suppose to spend about half of that time. We were going up and down the hill many times, and it was for sure tough especially to the ladies. But we managed to get ourselves out.

I was proud of myself for completing the task. Seriously, it was super duper tough when you're going in a group, but these people are the one who actually keep me going. And I am so proud too with my teammates who keep on going, even some of them think they could not go on, but they did. We did it guys!

As I said previously, OBS is one of the experience that I won't forget. Even some of us said that they won't ever repeat the OBS, but I am sure that each and everyone of us will remember this week as one of the most memorable ones that we will laugh together years upfront. No handphone, no connection with the outside world, television, family and friends, for 1 week. I don't know if I could do that I am forced to. However, being back to basic taught me more about the value of talking instead of typing or texting, and OBS definitely push my limit to a new upper level, my confidence and of course my patience. Thank you everyone!

p.s. Jaffrey, you are awesome. Keep it up! :-)

Jaffrey

Gift.

People always asked and complained that it is difficult to get someone a gift, especially when it comes to the opposite sex as we might not know what would actually they like. My friends, Calypsorous were discussing about it just now on WhatsApp. 

Well, as for guys, I think the most obvious and common gifts that someone could get are, tie, tie clip, grooming stuffs maybe, pemetik gitar if he plays guitar, books if he loves to read, pen if it is official, wallet if his was sad to watch, belts, t-shirts (but you have to the size and style), shaver, cufflinks, handkerchief.  If you have more budget, then a perfume, watch, gadgets like iphone, ipad or something, games would be cool.

But on the final day, I got something even more valuable than all the stuffs I mentioned above. It was not new, nor fancy... but it is genuinely valuable. It was a pen, the pen of a very very very good friend of mine, my bro. It's the pen which he used during his first lecture in service. So from here, I've learnt that, to me, it doesn't necessarily be expensive, useful, fancy or anything, instead, having something which is meaningful and valuable to you, is enough to make the gift as one of the best you ever gave. Giving something which is close to your heart, makes it even better for the person you are giving, to show them how much he or she is meaningful to you as well.

So, Aiman, thank you very much my bro.
I'll keep you close for the rest of my life.

Hey ya!

We are already in 2014, and it is Visit Malaysia Year 2014!

Yes people, we are the host this year to welcome our neighbors, guests from all over the world to our beloved Malaysia. The last time when we host Visit Malaysia Year was back in 2007 when we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the country.

So, as the host, we as Malaysians must do our part to make sure our guests have a great time coming here and make every single visit worth it, and of course, to make sure they come back again next time or recommend the visit to others would even be better.

1. First thing first, we must at least learn how to speak basic English. Yerp, English. I am so so so sure that most Malaysians understand and know how to speak English, it is just a matter of confidence to speak it out. But, how to improve your English is to start with a broken one. Come on, we are not British, nor Americans... we are Malaysians. We have our own way in speaking English. So guys, be confident, no matter how broken your English is, just be confident.

2. Smile. Many of us especially those in the service sector, shops, restaurant, are seems so reluctant to smile. What we must often do is to smile. Make it a sincere one. It shows warmth. Show our guest that they are welcomed and we are beyond happy to receive them. What is even better is to say Hi and make a simple conversation, "How are you, Sir?", "Have a great day, mam", would be nice.

3. Show you gratitude. Say "thank you". No matter if you're the one who is lending a hand, or showing direction, doing a favor, just say thank you, or terima kasih, and not to forget #2, with a smile. 

4. Stress on cleanliness. Everywhere, on the streets, in the toilets, shopping malls, everywhere. Do not litter. Flush the toilet after used. Cleanliness is one of the most important element in tourism, so do your part.

5. Your courtesy and morality. Show the world how good the Malaysians are. Be nice on the road, talk politely  

And lastly, 6. Be proud of who we are, our multiracial and diversity. Whoever we are, Malays, Chinese, Sabahans, Sarawakians, Indians, we are Malaysians, and we should be proud of each other. 

So guys, here we go. 

Be the best host.

It's Visit Malaysia Year 2014!

www.vmy2014.com

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.