MCOBA Annual Dinner - 2009

Hmmm..kat luar masih hujan. Kusangka panas hingga ke petang, rupanya hujan di tengahari..Very familar, huh? Macam dialog dalam filem Melayu...Well, dah sampai penghujung tahun. Every year, around this time, every MCOBs (at least most that i know) tengah excited menunggu Annual Dinner. Ya!! MCOBA Annual Dinner. This year, our Annual Dinner will be held at Istana Hotel (mana lagi??) on December 12..

That is the time, when the Old Boys gathered (besides Old Boys Weekend) and show their new 'Aquisitions' (if any) off...(read:Wives, Girlfriends, Suits...etc.)...Lols!!

For me, Annual Dinner means BUSY..i will be busy with the preparation for the concert for the nite. For the past 17 years, i have been a part of the Concert Committee, so to speak. I have been on and off the stage ever since...Tiring....but FUN!

It all started in 1992.....first time nak join Annual Dinner..One nite, I was asked by Latt (Dato' Latt Shariman) to join him at MCOBA Penthouse. Little that i know, it was the first meeting of the Concert Committee..From there on, i have become a 'Ballerz'

In 1992, i played the role of a Cabaret Dancer..it was fun...i guess that was when 'A Star was born'..i didnt know that i could act...and i never looked back again

I have been a 'Sultan', 'Arab King','Newscaster','Minister','Malay Gheisa', and many other roles over the years..And the best of all, we were flown to Phuket for the weekend as a token of appreciation for our performance in 1995.

Names like Sallehudin Hashim, Hishamudin Rais, Rehman Rashid, Raja Petra, Tunku Ahmad Burhanuddin, Dr Ramlan Aziz, Ahamad Fauzi, Latt Shahriman and many others were part of the concert boys. Working with them had given me the utmost satisfaction. They are 'pros' in their own fields....

Salam Aidil Fitri 2009

Aidil Fitri menjelang lagi. Seperti tahun-tahun terdahulu, aidil fitri tahun ini memang dinantikan dengan penuh kesyahduan. Apatah lagi, pada tahun ini, aku menyambut kehadiran Aidil Fitri di kampung halaman ku. Sudah 9 tahun aku aku tidak pulang menyambutnya di kampung. Terlalu banyak kenangan yang cuba aku lupakan, lantaran pemergian kedua-dua orang tua ku membuatkan aku terlalu lemah..terlalu lemah untuk menempuh pagi 1 Syawal di kampung halamanku..

Namun, pada tahun ini, kugagahi jua..Kepulangan Adik Hazree dan Intan beraya di Kodiang memberi aku kekuatan untuk sekali lagi bersama-sama menyambut hari lebaran bersama keluarga di sana.

Masih teringat lagi, suasana malam Raya semasa kedua-dua orang tua ku masih ada..Masing-masing akan sibuk menyiapkan tugasan yang telah diagihkan..Arwah abah dan DikNa akan menganyam daun ketupat. Mak akan menyiapkan persediaan untuk masakan lontong dan soto bersama-sama dengan Kak Norma..Aku dan Adik akan memastikan daging dan kentang dikisar untuk dijadikan 'pegedel'...dan Ju'a akan membantu seadanya...

Itu dulu.....23 yang lalu...itulah kali terakhir kami menyambut Aidil Fitri bersama-sama....

Pada tahun ini, dapat kurasakan semula suasana yang telah lama aku rindui...bergenang airmataku bila melihat Kak Norma, Mas, Intan dan Ju'a bersama-sama menyediakan juadah untuk Hari Raya, namun kusembunyikan perasaanku itu. Arwah Abah dan Mak tentunya berbangga dengan anak-anak dan menantu mereka..memandang dari kejauhan...

Syawal disambut dengan penuh kemeriahan dan keinsafan..Untuk arwah Abah dan Mak, sekalung doa kukirimkan..semoga sejahtera di 'sana'..Kupanjatkan kesyukuran kepada Ilahi, kerana dengan berkatNya, dapat sekali lagi kami bersama-sama sebagai sebuah keluarga menyambut Aidil Fitri dengan penuh seribu makna....

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri untuk semua.....Maaf Zahir Batin..

Demam...

Dah 2 hari Nina demam....get well soon my lil princess...

Paris oh Paris

Hmmm...pagi tadi terpaksa la bangun awal...seawal 5.30 am. Nak kena gi airport menjemput Mama balik dari Paris..Nina dari semalam sibuk dok tanya pukul berapa nak pergi airport..Tak sabar kot nak jumpa Mama..rindu agaknya. Yer lah, 8 hari dia terpaksa tinggal dengan aku.



"Ingatkan duduk dengan Daddy boleh rileks, ni tidak...kena buat homework la, kena baca sifir la, kena baca buku la, kena ambilkan air la..." Itu rungutan yang aku dengar..

From Kuala Kangsar With Love...OBW 2009

Well, Old Boys Weekend is here again..it has been 4 years since i last went back to KK to be with my brothers for our annual Pilgrimage...walking thru the Big School and being boys again.

The journey started on Friday the 17th from my office in Kelana Jaya..i drove with Akai (class of 82) in one car and Amir & Kondai in another..

We stopped for lunch in Ipoh..Nice nasi Beriani at Saleem Restaurant..the taste is still the same..

We reached KK at about 4.30 pm..went straight to Sudut Maut and greeted by TS Mac, Zain yusoff, Jeet, and other old boys. after a few cigs, we adjourned to KK safari resort to check in.

Shah was already at the resort when we arrived. So did Kayob. We check in to Melor Suite...hmmm...nice room..spacious...sure can accomodate 10 of us..

At bout 8 pm, I received a phone call from Botol & Anjang. It seemed that they are already at Tambun Inn..getting ready for the entertainment part for the nite..hehehe...those guys really did their part well..So, i had to rush to Ipoh....30 minutes drive to Ipoh..

Arrived in Ipoh at 8.30 pm and Anjang was already at the main entrance, waiting for me...macam VIP...siap ada orang tunggu kat entrance..And the rest of the nite is left for your imagination...hehehe...all in all it was a lucrative nite for me...The victims are the like of Leenyok, Kamal, Shah, Penyu, Kubad, Rik and Joel..sorry guys...better luck Next Year..

the nite ended at 3.30 am...thank to Kamal & Miang for persuading amir to stop whatever he was doing...

The next day in KK was as asual as any other OBW..had breakfast at The Wall of Tsung Wah...Nasi Lemak anak Makcik Capet (a.k.a Makcik Kemut)..the taste of the Nasi Lemak was still the same as 25 years ago...i had Nasi Lemak Jantan (with half telur) and Teh Ais..Noltalgic.. cuma the price had gone up ...dulu just 45 sen (Nasi 30 sen + Telur 15 sen)...Now, nasi RM 1, telur 50 sen..Rik had 3 nasi lemak & 3 teh ais....never mind...i paid with his money..


At 10, i rushed to Parit Buntar..had to meet somebody..after lunch i got back to KK, having to meet Mokhris who had been calling me since the day before...i was really touched to see almost everybody from my batch who came back to KK was in my room...the laughter , the jokes, really brought back the memories..it has been almost 25 years since we left Koleq..i have been longing for quality times like these..how wished we could do it more often..


we stayed in the room until almost 4.30 pm as PokYa, Kubad & Isey had to play soccer against the present boys...

That nite, we had dinner at the KK Steak House...food was not bad by the local standard..


Thank you Brothers for being there...OBW 2009

Friends....

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 70 &80's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.They, too, will get old.I know I am sometimes forgetful.But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers,or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.So many have never laughed, and so many have died before theirhair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore.I've even earned the right to be wrong.So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever,but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day(if I feel like it).

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER! FRIENDS FOREVER!

--

Happy Birthday To me....

well...a week has passed. I'm 41 years and 1 week old. Or should i take it as 1 year and 1 week old. Some people say, 'life starts at forty'.True, i guess. It depends on how you look at things. Furthermore, what i experienced on my birthday this year was beyond my normal expectation..I received more 'Birthday Wishes' on my 41st birthday than the past 10 birthdays combined together...from FB friends, Schoolmates, Batchmates, Collegemates, Relatives, Staff & the last but not least my beloved friends..

i felt like celebrating my first birthday, like a 1 year old baby showered with all the wishes and presents..the feeling was good..

Happy Birthday To Me....

Hujan oh Hujan....

Hmmm...hari ni , i was stucked at Sg Besi Toll Plaza for 45 min...just to pass the Toll..ingatkan ada Smart tag, ok la...hampeh!! Smart Tag lanes yang tak bergerak...terpaksa gunakan skill 'malaysian drivers', mencilok ke kiri sekali & using the emergency lane..sampai ofis pukul 10.45 pagi..
ni semua disebabkan Smart Tunnel ditutup....pasal hujan lebat awal pagi. it seems semua jalan masuk Kl jammed teruk pagi tadi. alahai..nasib badan

Here at last...

Hmm...Akhirnya, berjaya jugak aku memulakan baris pertama di dalam blog ni. Thanks to Kak Miza, KaK Hanim and the latest addition...Adik kerana telah memberi semangat untuk aku kembali menulis...Been following Kak Miza's and Kak Hanim's Blogs for quite sometimes. Itu Blog-blog from family & relatives..Blog-blog politik tak yah cerita laa.....everyday without fail..

To start with....'Ville de Astakali ni' adalah sempena nama rumah orang tua ku di Kodiang, Kedah...'Astakali Villa'...sengaja aku 'Perancis'kan nama tersebut...glamer sikit...Nama tersebut bermaksud 'Bangunan di tepi Sungai',(At least that was what Arwah my father told me)..It started when arwah Abah wrote 'Astakali Muda' , Kampung Tengah, Kodiang, Kedah, as his address on his luggage...i suggested it should be changed to 'Astakali Villa' after watching 'Antara Dua Darjat'.....remember ' Anggerik Villa'?..Sampai sekarang, that house is known as 'Astakali Villa'.

Not bad for a start, huh? I'll write again soon...