Last blog for 2011

I am not a prolific blogger nor am I a prolific photographer. Tried as I might, I just could not sustain the momentum to continue blogging.  The result is some far-in-between postings.  


Today, being the last day of 2011, I felt compelled to blog about something. What shall I blog about?
My achievement for 2011? Nothing to shout about.
My disappointments? Much more than I care to remember.


My dreams for 2012?

1. To see the kids to continue achieving their dreams and be successful in their careers of choice.
2. To achieve the targets that I set forth when I joined the company. 
3. To acquire those material things that I have always wanted to own....new lenses, cars and new home perhaps.
4. To improve the spiritual side of my life. It's about time, I think.
5. Take the family to a 'real' holiday, where I do not have to worry about the bills, at the end of it...doable? I think so!

To all, Let us bade 2011 goodbye and welcome 2012 with open arms.

Outstation trips.

From Early February 2011, I have a few outstation trips planned and have undertaken one.  It is a life expected of a Salesperson like me. I have so far gone to Norway (Stavanger) for product training and agency appointment. Next trip planned are:

1. East Coast Peninsular Malaysia - from Feb 20th to Feb 22nd.

2. Miri, Sarawak - First week of March

3. Singapore - March 29th to March 31st.

These trips are only for this quarter, more is expected in Quarter 2 onwards.

It is tough leaving behind the kids (AD1, AD2 and AD3) and the wife for long period. The advent of Online chat and Mobile phone helps tremendously.

The older kids are used to my absence. They are after all much older and more exposed to my absence.

I hope these sacrifices made by my loved ones will be rewarded handsomely.

My resolutions for 2011

1. To spend more time with the family.
2. To work harder to achieve my sales target.
3. To look after my health (and my wealth, haha) so that it will last a wee bit longer.
1. Lose 12 kg
2. Exercise regularly
3. Manage stress better than ever before.
4. To work towards that VW Passat CC.
5. To look at possibly acquiring another bigger and better property than what I have now. In a better location as well.
6. To be added on.....

Saying goodbye to 2010 and welcoming the new year 2011

The year 2010 has been some eventful year. From personal point of view, as well as, from professional point of view. On professional front;

1. I started working full time at the beginning of the year. The effort start to bear fruit. No more 3 working days week. I am now doing 5-days week.
2. We added a new software into our stable of products and will only be actively pushing it, in complementary to the existing Business Intelligence and Analytic Solutions, in 2011.
3. We are now going ahead with the addition of new services to our Ministry of Finance (Malaysia) and Petronas Licenses. This will start in Q1 2011.
4. This year seen me doing a lot more in-country travelling than I did the the previous year.
5. Next year I may be travelling beyond Malaysian shores, for trainings and meetings.

On personal and family fronts:

1. Amir has graduated with a Bachelor of Legal Studies (UiTM) and will be pursuing his LLB in 2011.
2. Amin is now settled in at NST with a career in Advertising.
3. Azimah has sat for her SPM recently and while waiting for her exams result, will be starting as a volunteer (a part-time job) with PetroSains at SuriaKLCC.
4. Ariff Danial will start his Primary 1 on January 3rd.
5. Aidan Damian who will only be 4 in November will not be joining any Kindergarten.  He will be learning his 3Rs and his social skills at home from his mom and his other  siblings.

 My wish list for 2011: (Things I want to have)

1. Nikon 70-300mm F/2.8G ED-IF  AF-S VR 
2. Nikon SB-700
3. Nikon D300s
4. VW Passat CC
5. i-Pad 64G 
6. Macbook

My resolutions for 2011?  I am keeping it under wraps for now.....

Welcome Adi Darius

Adi Darius was delivered at Razif Maternity Hospital, Klang on May 3rd at 2.30 pm. It was a long wait for me and his two elder siblings. It must be even worse for his mother. He was put in oxygen tent as he looked blue as if he was suffocated due to the long labour time. Other than that he looked fine to me. 
I have earlier told my boss that I will take 1 week off when my wife delivers and I did just that. By next week, I have to go back to office.  This means, my wife will have to take care of the two boys (AD1 & AD2) as well as the new addition to the family, Adi Darius a.k.a. AD3. 
For the next one month or so, I will be kind of domesticated. I will only be out on the road again after my wife confinement period is over. With Festive seasons coming and my sales target date looming, I need to work a lot harder from now on.
Adi Darius is number seven, the number of children I have sired. One did not make it.  Siti Aishah passed away only after 19 hours of being borned. She was my third child and my first daughter. It was only later, did Siti Azimah came along, and up til today remained as my only surviving daughter.  This means Adi Darius is the sixth surviving child I have.  My wife has so far told me that, he is going to be the last one. I hope so!  I am getting to old for this expectant papa thingy.

What would you get if you have RM10 Million at your disposal.

I have always wondered about what I would be doing if I have RM10 Million to spend. After giving it some thoughts the followings are my list of things I would want to do with RM10 million:

1. Buy a bungalow house in a gated community, complete with furnishing and lawn make-over, circa RM2.5 million.
2. Buy 2 cars, one for me and one for my better half; each priced around 300K; circa 600K
   
3. Make the house a WiFi zone with super broadband connectivity. Circa 100K
4. All the kids, including the elder ones, will be given ASB account of 250K each;circa 2 Mil
   
5. The elder 2 will be given a Honda Civic 2.0 each; circa 300K
6. 2 sets of state of the art D-SLR cameras for me and my better half, complete with various types of lenses and accessories. Circa 150K
7. Set up education fund for the still studying children. Circa 1.5 Mil
8. Holiday trips; circa 300K
9. Set-up annuity account; 2 mil
10. Donation to charities and the local mosque at my kariah; 500K

After all these has been taken into account, I will still go to work, so that I can still be useful to the community and the people around me. Money, perhaps will not be the prime mover anymore!

New Year 2010 - New headaches?

It is that time of the year again. A new year with new challanges. These are some of them:
1. Amir is in his final year for his Law degree.
2. Azimah will be sitting for her SPM
3. Ariff is now in kindergarden.
4. My wife is now in her fifth month of pregnancy.
5. My job requires me to go back to full-time. No more long weekends everyweek.

The bad thing is I need more money to support my family, and the price of things has gone up. The good thing is that by going back to 5-days working week, I will be getting higher basic salary and I get to negotiate my package again.

Aidan is getting to be more active each passing day, and getting smarter too! My photo-taking hobby is getting more intense. I hope to be able to capture the moments of the kids lives, as often as I could. For now, I am contented with taking the photo-shots of Sunbirds and flowers near where I live.

My Family.

I am married with 5 children. Four males and a female. The elder two are boys and the middle is the only girl. The younger two are again boys. The elder 3 are the children from my first marriage. The other 2 are from the current wife. My wife is 13 years my junior and is from the Southern part of Peninsular Malaysia, Johore. She graduated from Aberdeen University in Scotland with an honours degree in Genetics (Immunology).

My children from my first marriage lives in KL, while the rest, live with me, in Klang. I love all my children and try to be with all of them as much as I can, without spoiling them, of course. My eldest son has just started work, after having graduated from a University with a degree in Mass Communications, majoring in Advertising. My second son is now in his final year, reading Law, at the same University as his elder brother; UiTM, Shah Alam. My Daughter is currently studying in MARA Junior Science College in Trendak, Malacca. She will be sitting for her SPM in 2010. They are in the lower photo, taken during the eldest boy convocation, recently.

The younger two boys are 5 and 2 years old respectively. In the top photo are the boys with my wife. Nothing much to say about them, apart from being very active and full of ideas (mischief?)all the time.

My latest wish list

My latest wish list as of today November 16, 2009.
1. Toyota Prius complete with V-kool and ICE system.
2. Zoom lens for my Nikon D90 - AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED
3. AN-E Speakers + Musical Fidelity A1 - Class A Amplifier + Cambridge 650C CD Player
4. Photo taking holidays in New Zealand and Tasmania.
5. A 7-seater car, either Honda Stream or Toyota Innova.

I am setting a lofty but doable target to motivate me in 2010 and beyond.

Fulfilling some dreams.

My earlier posting about my wishlist is slowly being realised. I have made the following purchases:

1. Nikon D90 Camera.
2. Panasonic LCD television.
3. Marble-topped round-shaped dining table.
4. hand-held blender (for the wife).

Still to come......

1. Sofa set.
2. External makeover of the house.
3. complete makeover of the existing car.
4. New computer table and matching chair.
5. Automated gate for the house.
6. new car (this can wait....)
7. Short holidays (this has to wait until after Fasting month and Raya)

I know I will need to add some more to this list......

Falling sick and the H1N1 Scare

I came home from work last Wednesday feeling lethargic and having a headache. I could not sleep well that night and has to take a couple of panadols as a precautionary measure. I went to work on Thursday and went to my usual clinic for doctor check-up.

Doctor: Good morning
Me: hummmmp morning....
Doctor: your heart ailment prescriptions is enough to make you 'kenyang'....
Me: yeah....
Doctor: who is your Cardiologist? Who is your Cardio-thoracic Surgeon? when did you do your By-pass surgery? blah blah blah

Doctor: Now let me see what's wrong with you!

he went on to check my BP, which was 110/70 and my temperature which was 37.5 degrees Celcius. I told him of my blood sugar which tested every other day, the latest being 5.2 (never exceeding 6.2)
He checked my throat and commented that my throat is a little red.....a sign of a beginning of viral infection. FYI I do not have coughing bout nor runny nose. The doctor told me that I may be getting the bugs but all indications do not show the classic H1N1 sympthoms.

So in the end, he prescribed me a course of antibiotic and painkiller ( I do not know what it is, looks like Ibuprofen to me). I was given an MC for the day and was asked to go home and rest and to take a lot of water. I had to miss my colleague's birthday lunch as I was not up to it and also to make the rest feel more comfortable. I had to tell her that I would not be joining them as I need to go back and rest.

Now....today is Friday, my fever is subsiding. At least that's how I felt. Just now my wife took my temperature and it is showing still 37.5. I am getting worried. Am I exposing my family to H1N1? Allah please help me.......

Turning 50

I will be 50 tomorrow, July 29th 2009. I have my own reasons to rejoice. I almost could not make it a few years back, when I had an Acute Heart Attack. A lot of things has happened ever since. It is not wrong to say that I am living the second lease of life now.

I have some wish list that probably will not get fulfilled. The short list is:

1. A brand new car. A BMW or Merc preferably. I would settle for a Honda Civic Hybrid.
2. A Nikon D90 D-SLR camera
3. A Digital video camera
4. A brand new sofa set; would love to have laZ boy set if possible.
5. A house makeover, consisting of interior paint job, minor extension to the kitchen and improve the front lawn.
6. An automated gate, so that I will not have to get wet when opening the gate when it rains.
7. Air-conditioning units to be serviced and the two other room need to be fix with air-condition units as well.
8. Do up the present car back to it's pristine best.
9. Go for a short holidays......

I hope these wishes can be achieved.....

Happy 50th Birthday to me.....

Wishlist for the first half of 2009.

1. Liverpool wins the BPL and Champions League.
2. A reasonably good Nikon D-SLR Camera
3. i-Phone 3G for the significant other
4. Hi-Fi set for my listening pleasure. AudioNote pre & power Amplifier, AN Speakers and Cyrus CD player with a separate D/A Converter.
5. A Plasma TV with full Home Theatre system
6. A BMW M5
7. A semi-D house in a gated community in PJ or Shah Alam
8. Holidays in the Scottish Highlands or in New Zealand.

Welcome 2009. Goodbye 2008.

As 2009 being ushered in, let us just look at what 2008 has brought us with it.

1. Unprecedented increased in gasoline price from RM1.90 to RM2.70.
2. Increase in food and other amenities, due to the rippling effects of the huge increase in gasoline pump price.
3. March 8th General Election surprises.
   
4. The frustrations of getting dumped during the some part of 2008. Personally and professionally.

The list can go on.....

I am hoping for a much better 2009 and willing to work for it. The current economic outlook maybe bleak but I am looking at things rather positively. It takes a lot of effort and needing some very real focus to get us out of the current quagmire, God willing, we'll get there.

Have avery Happy and Prosperous New Year of 2009.

Being brutally honest can be detrimental to one’s health.

I am in two minds about being open, i.e. brutally honest with a number of people. My business partners, my employer, my children and those who really matters. My policy has always been to speak out about my likes and dislikes! Sometimes I may sound like a goody-two shoes person, which I am not! God forbids! Do I have to keep my views to myself, when it is very obvious that I will regret it later for not voicing it out in the first place? It happened many times before.

Do I have to tell only what people want to hear? Do I have to keep the bad news all to myself? Must I lie just to be popular? Will I be shot for being the bearer of bad news? History has shown that being the messenger will get you rewarded, either with accolades or with sticks.

To my business partners, when I say my piece, it has to do with issues at hand. Nothing personal. Let's look at things objectively. If the earlier decision was made without any sound business rationale and now we are having problems, then let us work on finding the way around these problems. No point crying over spilt milk. Let us move on by finding the way around them.

To my employer, sometimes what we actually see and think we see, may be a mirage. We need to make sure that what we see is real, not a fantasy! We are not in the business of make-believe! Leave it to the film-makers. Let us deal with reality.

To my children, life is never a bed of roses. What you enjoy today is the result of labour that the earlier people has put in. It is never by chance! Even when you were conceived, was the result of hard work between your mum and me! The only one who defy that rationale is Prophet Isa PBUH (Jesus to the Christians). Therefore, when I tell you things, please take it as it is (on the face value). I do not want to have to clarify things all the time.

To my significant other, sometimes I find it hard to be open with you. Please try to read my body language. You would be the last person that I want to hurt. I'd rather endure the pain myself rather than seeing you suffer the indignity. Not to know things is actually a bliss. Enjoy it while you can.

This posting is not a confession, but my way of coming out clean with all the people I mentioned above. I have NOT touch on my siblings, my parents (actually just my father, since my mother has passed away) and some other people which I have conveniently left out.

Now I feel a lot easier with all that off my chest!

Going back to being employed.

I am going to go back to being an employee as of today, November 1st, 2008. I had 6 months hiatus and in spite of being broke most of the time, I enjoyed the freedom and the peace of mind. I have been given some kind of flexibility, i.e. working only 3 days out of the 5 days week. I will be working on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. These days may be changed in due time to suit any project needs. I shall be back in the Oil & Gas fraternity. My roles among others, will be developing new businesses, developing new accounts and influencing the direction of projects. A mouthful indeed.

Apart from this employment, I will also be involved in technical trainings, related to Oil & Gas industry. My involvement with Manpower Skill Development Department of Ministry of Manpower, will still be on. I have WIM project with CIAST and Idaman Jauhari, plus some involvement in NOSS and coordination work for both WIM and NOSS projects. All these will keep me busy until end of December 2008.

I hope to have the drive to do all these and be able to deliver all of them with the best of my ability.

National Day 2008 / Nature's Walk

I spend the morning at the Lake Gardens Park for for what supposed to be my Morning Walk. I ended up going about the Nature's walk and snapping some pics. I did go for the walk. The nature walk and the pictures taking was unplanned. I did that after I completed my walk. have always known that Lake Gardens park has a lot to offer. I have been there a few times before and it never cease to amaze me of the new discovery.

For now, just enjoy the pictures. I wish I have a more sophisticated camera though.

Here Comes Ramadhan

To all my friends ( and readers), Ramadhan will be here soon. On September 1st, to be exact.

To all muslim friends (and readers)

Happy Fasting.

Feeling the Blues

I am feeling the blues. The rising costs of living is making me worried like never before. I tried to see the rationale of the rise of the foodstuff and fuel, guess I cannot find the convergent point. Either the country has been mismanaged or someone has been syphoning the country's wealth. Sheeeh......

I thot I have seen the worst, obviously I am wrong! With mounting debts and spiralling costs, I fear the worst for the next generation!

New beginning

This is my first blog. I am trying my hand at blogging now. Something to do while I am thinking of what I can do to make the difference in this mundane Malaysian life. I am no politician although politics fascinate me. I am no 'apple-polisher' as I say what I feel, without fear or favour.

I am what I am. Take it or leave it!