Shameless promotion

Ermmm... this is not something that I'd do that often, but since not much publicity is given thus far, so I thought I'd just like to mention that my novel Ombak Senja written under the pseudonym Amir Husaini is already in bookshops. The novel can be found in most major bookshops such as MPH and Kinokuniya, or alternatively can be bought directly from the publisher, Tintarona Publications which is a subsidiary of Utusan Publications and Distributors. My heartfelt gratitude to those who have already bought and/or read the novel. And to those who haven't, please do get one. I also welcome views and feedbacks.

When the stork comes a-calling

First and foremost, my heartiest congratulations to my boss, partner and long-time friend, Dr. Khairul 'Azmi and his wife Kak Noor Aini on the birth of their seventh child on 27 June. As blogged earlier, the baby boy is prematuredly born but is now incubated in Tawakal Hospital. Nonetheless, he is doing well.

Congratulations is also in order to another old friend from my Glasgow years, Nazrul and his wife Nor Liana on the birth of their daughter yesterday. I am sure that this addition to the family will be a bundle of joy to Nazrul and Liana who tied the knot last year.

Next!

Hospital calls

When it rains, it pours - so they say.

I find myself visiting friends or their family members who hadn't been well this past few weeks. First, it was Aza who lost her two-year old about two weeks ago. Then, Fikri,who is a heart recipient, was warded in IJN last week.

On Tuesday, I visited one of my former co-workers at IKIM who underwent a knee surgery at Pusrawi. Kak Wan seems to be recovering well although she will have to use a crutch in the foreseeable future. Kak Wan by the way is the person who co-ordinated the translation of Ibn Battutah's magnum opus into Malay - Pengembaraan Ibn Battutah. I must recommend this book. It is a must read for everyone.

Yesterday evening, I received a text message from my boss informing me that his wife is warded since the night before because of some complications relating to her pregnancy. Update: She has given birth via C-section surgery around 9.30 p.m. to a baby boy. As the baby is prematuredly born, he is now in the ICU of Tawakal Hospital, but in stable condition.

I pray that everyone will be given the strength in view of these tests from Allah SWT. This is indeed a testing period for some of my friends, and I pray that things will improve for them.

One too many already

Reality programmes - yes, I'm commenting on them again - are ubiquitous these days, more so those with the entertainment flavour, especially the so-called talent search reality programmes that produce instant noodle singers. I have seen street entertainers with much greater talent than these instant noodles, errr..., singers.

I have a feeling that television stations are so into producing reality programmes not because they want to really unearth hidden talents. Instead they're into it for the lucrative returns in the form of advertising revenues derived from high viewership and the ever-so gullible text-voting public whose fingers work faster than the brain. These television stations are, after all, commercial entities. I have to admit that there are some good singers produced by these reality programmes. But the painful truth is these singers are few and far in between.

After five seasons of "Akademi Fantasia," perhaps aside from Mawi and probably a few others, I don't see the other "graduates" doing well in terms of their singing career. Most of them became one-album, or worst still, one-single wonder, and then disappeared into obscurity.

"Malaysian Idol" gave us Jaclyn Victor who I think has a great voice, but then again she is not exactly an amateur when she joined the show. The second season of this show is but a pale shadow compared to the first.

Don't get me started on "GangStarz." This is perhaps one of the worst reality programmes I have ever seen. Okay, perhaps not as bad as the now-defunct "Who Will Win" and "Audition," but still the singing on this show is horrendous. I wonder what Paul Moss would have said if he was the judge. It feels like watching a karaoke singing competition with the participants having the syok sendiri syndrome.

All this is becoming unreal actually. I personally think we have too many such programmes on air as it is. Why have more? We have one too many talent shows already.

On a different but related note, I hope the television stations producing these programmes would set a minimum age for participants. Don't allow those still in school to participate. Education comes first. Never mind the fact a singer can make more dough, but how long can a singer really sustain his or her popularity? It is good while it lasts, but when it ends, without education to fall back on, that'd be really be the end. I have seen a former teen heart-throb who was a lead singer in one of those 1990s boybands selling burgers at a pasar malam. Nothing wrong with that, but how I wish he had stayed focus in his studies. [I know he didn't because he was a student at the school my wife is teaching].

I think teenagers should know that a proper education would help in the long run. Those who aspire to become entertainers should take a cue from people like Dr. Fazley Yaakob and Allahyarham Sudirman Haji Arshad, just to name a few that come to mind. An educated entertainer makes a far better role model to our children, don't you think?

Changing times

Remember back in school when teachers ask you what your hobbies were? I guess most of us would answer things like stamp-collecting, reading, drawing, gardening, writing letters to pen pals, etc.

I wonder what kids these days would answer? My guess would be blogging, blogrolling, updating Friendster/MySpace, playing online games, online chatting, downloading music/films from the Internet, watching YouTube, listening to iPods, text messaging, etc.

How fast time changes. Feels like you're now living in a different age, doesn't it?

Bo-d'oh!

Talk about fanatical fans. Or perhaps just plain stupid. Homer Simpson was kidnapped from a cinema in Petaling Jaya. CCTV caught the culprits in action. Two college students who were found to have stolen the life-size figurine were forced to return it.

And this news garnered wide media attention overseas, covered in most entertainment sections of media agencies.

What a way to promote Visit Malaysia Year 2007.

D'oh! Or maybe it should be bo-d'oh!

Looking good

I was at IJN earlier visiting Fikri. While he has been having bouts of fever over the past few weeks, he has not had any since being admitted a couple of days ago. So chances are he will be discharged either today or tomorrow.

It was certainly good seeing him again, and to see him jovial was indeed heartwarming. I pray that his health will continue to improve, moreso since he'll be sitting for his SPM later this year. All the best, Fikri.

Also, as an added information that may be of interest, Izza Aripin and I are going to start work on writing Fikri's memoir. Our personal target is to have the book out by Fikri's heart transplant's second anniversary this coming December 16th.

Get well soon

I just got news that Fikri is warded since yesterday in IJN for his on again off again fever. I plan to visit him tomorrow to see how he's doing.

In the meantime, I pray that his condition will improve.

222nd post

This is TeropongSkop's 222nd post...

...and I don't really have much to blog about.

Unlike previous weeks, this week thus far has been uneventful, hence nothing worth blogging about. Having used the word "uneventful," it does not mean however that things are not hectic. There are plenty of things that need to be done, and truth be told, the "uneventful state of things" helps in getting these things done.

And this also helps me to catch up on some reading, both the academic stuff and the more leisurely stuff. I actually sat down and finished a 300 plus-page book in one night cover to cover - something I haven't done in ages. And it feels good, well... at least my brain felt good.

Signing off until the next entry. This is the 222nd post of TeropongSkop - the entry that is supposed to be "nothing much."

Sombre day

Alas, Allah SWT loves him more.

My friend's two-year old son who was hospitalised for the last few days has passed away this morning. Our sincerest and heartfelt condolences to Aza and her family. I pray that Aza and her family will remain strong and patient amidst this test from Allah SWT. And I am confident that the boy's soul is placed amongst the residents of al-Jannah.

Al-Fatihah!

Friday is here again

Some people may look forward to Friday being the last day of work for the week. Me? I don't know, the days are just the same to me.

Time sure flies when you have a lot to do. Taking stock at what I need to do, I feel overwhelmed, but strangely this is what keeps me going. I have an academic book to edit (all 23 chapters of them), a working paper to write, a PhD proposal to update, a novel to finish, a few books to read, a number of radio scripts to prepare and some office-related matters to take care off.

My problem is that I do my writing, reading and editing at night. This is my most productive time actually. The day at the office is usually spent by taking care of office matters which are administrative in nature. These things are usually simple but ironically, the time and energy needed to resolve these are just unbelievable. Talk about bureaucracy.

Oh, well. The weekend is here. Probably I'll catch up on my rest... though the chances of that happening is near to nil.

Have a nice weekend, anyway!

3G

I read yesterday's news rather later than usual. On a normal day, I'd read the news in the morning, but yesterday I only had the chance to catch up on the news much later in the evening.

In any case, this report on obesity caught my eyes. This problem, now dubbed 3G (Gebu, Gempal, Gemuk which can loosely be translated to Plump, Chubby, Fat), is getting serious in the country. According to the minister in charge of health, one million or 18.8% of women between 25 and 64, while 850,000 men (13.9%) come under this 3G category.

A number of factors can be attributed to this 3G problem. Our lifestyle, diet and habits are definitely the main contributors. Lack of exercise, high cholesterol intake and very little physical activities are certainly the major culprits. Interestingly, it was also reported yesterday that the minister in charge of sports highlighted that only 22% of Malaysians actually take up sporting activities.

And while we're on the topic of 3G, have you noticed that dramas these days tend to use oversized people as their main characters? I don't have a problem with that - after all, they're a part of our society. What I have a problem with is the stereotypical portrayal of oversized people. Notice how they are portrayed as clumsy and always being bullied around? This kind of portrayal is supposed to be funny, but seriously I find them rather insulting. Unfortunately, our view of oversized people are always negative, which can lead to discrimination.

For those who are in the 3G category, I believe the issue of being overweight can only be solved if one is adamant in bettering himself/herself. One may say that one wants to shed some weight, but words are just that - plain words. These words would only be effective if they are translated into actions.

So, if you want to lose the pounds, work on it. As for the rest of us, stop viewing oversized people with discrimination and negative perception.

Be strong

I received a rather upsetting news earlier today. A friend during my university days is going through some difficult times. She has twin boys, and one of her twins is in the ICU of the Damansara Specialist Hospital. The boy's condition, I am told, is critical. He was hospitalised because he was choked with the bread that he was eating.

All our prayers are with your son. We pray that he will recover soon. Be strong, Aza. This is another test from Allah SWT that comes in life.

On a different but related note, this is another reason as to why all of us should learn and know basic first aid. You never know when you'd need it.

The hammer hath fallen

The Prime Minister sure didn't look happy yesterday. He didn't even look like someone who just got married the day before. How could he? With the flash flood hitting KL, he couldn't be happy, could he? As a matter of fact, I think he was furious as evident in this report. For some of the officers in certain government departments, the hammer hath fallen when the PM fumed. To me though, this is another good example of the hammer-and-nail syndrome rampant in our country. The nail won't budge till the hammer hits its head.

Addendum: Apparently the flood has now been blamed on La Nina. As always, it's not our fault, right?

Close encounter

Last Saturday morning, I had a meeting with someone from GBSB at KLCC. We decided to have an informal discussion, so we headed to the food court at level 4. As we were discussing over a cup of milo and a cup of coffee, suddenly there was a huge crowd. I wondered whether there was an artiste around. Instead, we found out it was Tun Dr. Mahathir strolling at the food court. His presence surely caught the attention of everyone there. I was pleased to see passers-by coming up to him to shake his hands and wish him well.

This was my first encounter with the Tun up close and personal since he retired, and the first time I saw him in public since he was discharged from IJN recently. I have met him a number of times before when he was still Prime Minister. While it was good to see him out and about, I was surprised to see how thin he is now.

Whatever it is, I pray for his good health and well-being.

The little things in life

Sometimes, we tend to forget the little things we have in life. I was up north in my hometown for almost a week during the first week of the school holidays. It has been almost half a year since I was there, and I seem to have forgotten certain little pleasures that are there.

Just imagine, nasi lemak sold at RM0.60 and teh tarik at RM0.70 a glass. You know, I had to ask the mak cik selling the nasi lemak twice, just to be sure that I heard the price right. Tell me, where can you get that kind of pricing here in KL? It's not just the prices are low, they taste better too.

And the life there is so relaxed compared to the fast-paced hectic life in KL. I am not complaining about my life here in the city, but I do miss these little things from my hometown.

Courting problems

I like the following quote:

Justice must not only be done but seen to be done.

At last, now I have the answer as to why the prosecuting team in the Altantuya murder case was changed at the eleventh hour, resulting in the postponement of the trial. But after reading the Attorney-General's statement released yesterday, the removal makes sense.

And personally, I think the A-G made a correct call in this one. It's better to remove them when he did, rather than creating a negative perception to the already high profile case.

I wonder what they were actually thinking when they played badminton together? Anyone can tell you that such action would certainly court problems. It's embarassing to have a report like this in the international media. And The Star's title for this news report is just simply spot-on. All this just highlights our lackadaisal attitude and lack of professionalism.

Vanishing act

I had wanted to blog about this for quite some time. But before I go further, a disclaimer: Please note that I am not in any way putting down any brand or product. My comment here is just my personal observation on how this particular product is advertised on tv.

The product I refer to is Vanish. The commercial on Vanish has been on for quite a while, and is usually aired during prime time. What the commercial is trying to put across is that this detergent/softener called Vanish does not ruin your clothes like some other products. Okay, that's fine by me. I don't have any qualms about this.

However, what I find ridiculously absurd is that during the course of the commercial, the guy poured a lot - and I mean, a lot - of the liquid into the washing machine to prove his point. Personally, I will not buy this product if you have to use a lot of the liquid as portrayed in the commercial. What's the point if you need to pour half the liquid from its container into the washing machine each time you do your laundry? If this is so, then to me the product is not effective in getting out stains and cleaning your clothes. What's more, it wouldn't be economical to the consumers. After two or three washes, you'd have to get a new bottle.

I know I may just be nitpicking the commercial, but really, if I were the owner of the company producing the product, I would be more sensitive to the way my product is being portrayed in the commercial. And as a consumer, I would want value for money. Otherwise, my money will just vanish into thin air.

Congratulations, Mr Prime Minister

I spent part of the afternoon with Ned Akechi somewhere near his office in Taman Desa. The visit was unscheduled on my part, but it was good talking to him face-to-face rather than the usual YM messages. We talked about a lot of things, among other things, marriage and politics.

Therefore, it was a pleasant surprise to find out that these two topics that Ned and I talked about actually come together today. When I got back to the office, I read that the Prime Minister is going to remarry this Saturday. Personally, I think running a country as a widower is not healthy. Perhaps, with this turn of events, things will get a lot better, insya-Allah.

Congratulations, Dato' Seri.

Wasted reload

My one week away from KL was indeed refreshing. I felt like as if I was recharged, rejuvenated and raring to go. If I were a web browser, it's like someone had just hit the 'reload' or 'refresh' button on the screen.

I came back on Sunday, and traffic was smooth all the way - which made for a pleasant cruise along the E1 highway. [Note: I prefer the numbering system to our highways, as opposed to naming them after the toll concessionaires - PLUS, ELITE, LITRAK, GCE, etc.]. For those who may not be aware, E1 refers to the North-South Expressway.

Anyhow, I came back to KL welcomed by news of flash floods. Fortunately, the route that I took wasn't affected. But watching and reading news about the floods wasn't the kind of welcome I expected when returning to the city.

I came into the office yesterday, armed with renewed energy and vigour to get all my tasks done. But to my horror, more than half of my room at the office was drenched and soaked. Not because of the flash floods as my room is on the top floor. Rather, it was caused by the already leaking roof made worse by the heavy rain over the past few days. Suddenly this story is starting to sound like the leak at the Parliament.

As a result, instead of doing actual work yesterday, I had to spend my time moving my things to another room (a dry one, thank goodness).

What a waste to being recharged and reloaded over the last week.

Oh, and a note to the boss. It's time to look for a new office space.