Different Guests This Year

The office threw our doors open today - Raya open house that is. This year we decided that we should do something different and invited guests from a children's home. So apart from the usual guests we also have about 40 boys and girls, aged from 7 to 14, from a home in Sik. We aranged for a bus to bring them over to the jamuan and gave them food, had a bit of chit-chat and gave each one of them the mandatory small packet. Most of them were orphans and some were children from poor families and they all stayed in the same home (hostel). They were very well-behaved but one can never know - they were only with us for about an hour and a half, I wish them well and hope they do well in their studies. Very nice children, they add colour to our function and I was pleased everything went as planned.

A Scam

Today came a very young man, hardly 18 years old, purportedly wanting to do a survey on the possibility of opening a hypermarket in the area. I suspected a scam from the very beginning: he was too young to be doing this sort work, does not identify himself properly, don’t have a proper set of questionnaire and every time I gave answer he said oh!!, as if amazed by my responses. In the end he asked me to open a small envelope and see what present they have in store for me and surprise, surprise, I have won a brand new proton perdana car! He was acting excited and congratulated me for winning and wanted to come into the house to use the phone to call his boss so that I could claim the prize and according to him he was also to get his 10% share. Hardly believable stuff and told him to go claim the prize and get the car for himself. Poor young man what drove him be going round cheating people? Maybe he’s a thief or robber of some sort.

Watching Harry

Watched HP and the Goblet of Fire last night at City Plaza cineplex in Alor Star. That was the 5th day that they showed this movie and the theatre was only half-filled when it starts at 9.00pm. Not unexpected, that's the state of the matter for some time now, blame it on movie piracy or the ticket price (RM8), or the theatre itself: the seats are not comfortable at all and I may not go see a movie at this place again - my back ached after the movie ends.The movie itself was excellent viewing experience, better if you had read the book recently. A bit long I thought, and did fall asleep at the later stages of the movie.

Flea Market at Shah Alam

Every Sunday people are selling used items in Shah Alam Stadium car park. At 8.30am the crowd is building up and many in fact go to the Pasar Tani just beside. Good to waste away your Sunday morning and perhaps pick up a bargain or two.

Mali's Corner

Mali's corner is situated in Taman Bandaraya, just beside Kolej TAR in Ulu Klang. Went there for the first time last Friday 12th November at 9.30 pm. and the place was crowded and all tables were occupied. Ramainya orang! We had to wait a while for an empty table. People were queuing for nasi lemak and fried koay teow/noodles. Very simple foods and this is the formula it seems that never fail and of course a great location helps. Real hawker place and fare here though it would be very uncomfortable if it rains. Many young people who I thought were students from the college nearby and also families. The houses in this taman are single-storey link type, looks small the size of low-cost link-houses and the earliest being put up in the area. Many houses were let out to the students and looks unkempt. So that gives you the background of the place. Food tastes good, prices reasonable so no complaint even if its slightly congested and difficult to park the car.

Marriot Putrajaya

Excellent Hotel this Marriot in Putrajaya. Huge impressive building but not many guests.

Aidilfitri

Fasting month have come and gone like a dream and so was Hari Raya Aidilfitri. What makes aidilfitri memorable are parents and children. (Of course if you have that someone special you'd want to see and be with your love this day, until you get to meet that person, the day would be incomplete). Nice feeling and thankful to God to see our parents are still around, otherwise it is the sadness that they are no more with us that makes Aidilfitri memorable too. Children as always makes Aidilfitri a happy occasion, the more children the merrier. Minus the children Aidilfitri would be a quiet and dull affair. In this days of abundance, children are really spoilt - they get to eat anything they like and dressed in the nicest clothes. The older children naturally get their phones fully loaded and playing with their phones non-stop. During Aidilfitri children get away with anything. With so many people around Grandma's house, parents have stopped scolding or saying no to their children simply because the cautions are all ignored. They ran about, chase and bully their brothers, sisters and cousins, let off fireworks, 'forgot' their normal duties, went to the shops and buy whatever with their raya money and everything else. Thankfully nothing untoward happened to us as has happened elsewhere as reported such as road accidents and children hurting their fingers and eyes playing fireworks. Seems like there are incidents like this every Aidilfitri, parents just cannot let their children run loose not knowing what they are up to.