27th Day - Aku tidak Berjaya, tetapi aku tidal gagal Jua.

Everything's ready. Bags packed. All parapernalias neatly stowed in Montrosity. Kids are all ever-ready. Ajim and Arif sport a new hair cut. I'm not spared either. Montrosity got a fresh paint on her butt, menacing left shoulder, and sexy chin. woo-hoo..BTW, in this case, I'm a chin-man.. I'll get excited just by looking at chins. Be careful Jo.

But there's one thing I still don't achieve during this ramadhan. Kgs. Planned to loose 10 bloody-hard-to-loose kg.

The plan was simple. Simply said laa. Break fast once. No meals at night. Just hose down pure plain water during sahor. 5 liters each day. 2.5 liters around 1 am. 2.5 around 5 am.

I call this kidney-scrubbing, the old fashion way.

By the end of the month, 10 kg would just melted away. First few days was hard, but as it goes along, it's peanut. Easy peasy.

Today's the last weekend. I weighed myself a moment ago. And lemme tell you this, the damn scale just indicated 5 kg lost. I didn't move any further. Grrr. Mebbe I should get another scale.

Anyway, if Loosing Weight is a paper during my-time in SPM. I'd get C6.

Aku Tidak Berjaya, tetapi aku tidak Gagal juaaa. (Puasa 'nam ada lagi maa..)

We'll see.

24th Day - 3R **

Dalam Bulan Mulia nii, aku ada jugak cuba sikit2 baca kitab, cerita2 nabi ker, hadis atau cerita berkisar Islam. Tapi, agak-nya-laa kan, memang otak aku nii wiringnya ada sikiiit problem. Apa orang dalam Industri aku ni cakap ?. Skim Kekunci Berpada Mencurigakan. Hmmm..

Bila aku mula baca buku2 tuu, aku rasa mengantok yaaa amatz. Yang salahnya, pada pendapat aku, aku sendiri. Buku2 tuu okay semuanya. Aku nii macam tak boleh nak connect. Tak boleh nak relate. Tolongi lah hamba Mu ini.

Tapi, kalau hadap Road and Track ker, Autoworld ker, atau Motortrend tak pulak mengantok. Lajuuuuu ajer. Manual Kamera pun aku boleh. Sekali lalu ajer. Siap sampai boleh khatam lagi 2 kali.

Anyway, sempena bulan Mulia ini, nii lah bahan bacaan aku sebelah pagi. Terasa betapa Maha Agongnya ciptaan Tuhan. Bertapa kecilnya kita manusia. Bertapa amat kecil dan sedikitnya Ilmu yang kita, berbanding dengan Nya. Malah, perkataan kecil dan sedikit itu sendiri tidak dapat menggambarkan ke-kecilan dan ke-sedikitan yang sebenarnya.

Serupa dengan perkataan Maha Agong. Ianya juga tidak dapat menggambarkan betapa hebatnya ciptaan Tuhan. Pada aku, buku ini, sebanyak sedikit, dapat memberikan gambaran dengan bahasa yang jelas dan terang.

Hidup Kita di dunia ini adalah amat singkat. Gunakanlah masa yang ter-amat singkat ini, sepenuhnya.

*****

One interesting fact though..

I'm a dam* slow reader. I could only manage roughly 2 0r 3 pages each day.

The number of lines that I can complete each day, is a directly proportional to the fibre intake one day earlier.

Geddit ?

2 hingget setengah pecal Kak Ani Murai Rantai-Emas, can make me complete 4 pages. Go figure.

*****

** Recommended Ramadhan Read

18th Day - ESP Part One

Ek eleeh. Laa...,

After I went thru series of physical and bodily tests before puasa dulu, I forgot the follow-up appointment with Dr. Nik Sohok. Hmm,. God Help me, I'm getting ancient..

Sometime last week, I re-set. Surprisingly, it's very easy to set appointment @ SJMC. Call the central no,. and mention which doctor one would like to set an appointment with, and voila!! you're set..

*****

"Jo, most of the things look fine. Bone marrow function is OK." Alhamdulillah..

"Liver function is good. Lung capacity is good. Heart is ok. Ujian darah is normal. Air kencing indicates good kidney function,. bla bla bla...."

Alhamdulillaaaaaah. Manalaa aku nak dapat tangkap semua informasi yang Nik Sohok bagi tuu.. Aku iyekan ajer.. Wa Manyaaaaak Mengantuk maa..

"The only thing is, Uric acid still relatively high. And Bad Cholestrol High." "Good Cholestrol is high though, which's good."

"BP's still on the high-er side Jo. Taking Any medications ?"

"Aaa, Aaaa, Ada Doc, tapi kwan dok beraper ingat sangat laa. Allupurinol 300 mg. Haperkernama,.Diovan ntah 20 mg. Zocor pun tak ingat, tapi amek sebijik laa doc.."

"Aaa Diovan?.. Nii kompeni bagus nii Jo kerja nii. Kalau kompeni kokak2, yang nak save duit nii. dia dok beghi ubat ma-hal nii Jo.."

(Aisey Doc, Bukan kompeni yang ok tuu doc, it's other doktor yang rekemeng tuu yang ok..Ehem, my Own Personal Physician tuu. He he..)

*****

Anyway, Nih Sohok recommended to double-up the current medication dosage and see him again in 6 months time.

Hmm, double-the-dosage, double-the-fun-laaaa.

15th Day

Biasalakan, bulan-bulan puasa nii aku balik cepat. Takdela sharp by 4:30 aku cabut, macam all those Young Engineers. But then, before 5, I am definitely gone. Me no Ceramics maa. Tunggu sampai memalam buta baru nak balik (hmmm,.haper diaorang nii takder rumahtangga ker?. ooops).

Malas nak hadap jam, satu. Tak koser nak melencong kemana pun, satu. Aku straight head home. Jumpa Ajim and Dilla lagi best.

Most of the time, aku sampai dulu, dari Maam yang menghangkot bbudak dari sekolah (Fiqa, Anne, Pipa, & Arip). Eager to know where's Maam and the kids, aku bagi hp aku ke Dilla..

"Dilla nak cakap dengan Mama ?" aku tanya Dilla.
"Aaaa, alla nak scakap dengan Mama". Dilla ni, bahsekan diri dia a(i)lla, dengan i tu mati, tak berbunyi.

Aku speed-dial, 2-hijau. Lepas ajer phone tuu ringing aku terus tekan punat loudspeaker.

"Hellooo mamaaaaa, alla mein &*()**^%$^$#%^#^7,. schanteeek." apa yang Dilla mumblingkan, aku tak paham. Maam, aku rasa, pun tak paham jugak.

"Hello Dilla, Dilla dah makan ? Maam tanya.
"Dah."
"Hello Dilla, dilla makan apa ?"
"Makan scuap."


Hah !!. Makan suap ?! Terkedu aku jap.

12th Day

Minggu Lepas, aku mimpi lagi. Mimpi kena patok ular. Ular tedong hitam, bersiong-dua, berlidah cabang yang banyak di pulau Salsette, berdekatan Telok Mahim. Dekat Mumbai laa tuu. Indian Continent.


Biasala, orang cakap, kalau mimpi kena patok nii, nak kena pinang. Betul dok ? Ntah, aku pun tak tahuuu. Aku memang lama dah kena risik2 nii. 2 minggu lepas kat BSC.


Semalam, diaorang ajak jumpa lagi. Merisik Khabar. Cuma, kali ni, the meeting point is buka puasa kat Paya Serai, PJ. Hmmm,.aku lemas betol tempat yang crowded tak tentu pasal nii. Lebih kurang Pasar Selayang ajer. Hingap. (haiyoo.. those mutton-like people,. jostling for food.)

Yang diaorang pegi book tengah2 alam tempat orang lalu lalang tuu, aku pun tak tau !.

Sampai ajer aku kat meja tuu, aku ambek tanda reservation yang clearly mark "Ular Tedong Hitam" aku terbalikkan. Manala tau,. ntah Ceramics ada ajak geng2 GLC2 bukak puasa kat situ kang, tengok aku tengah buka puasa dengan geng "Ular tedong Hitam". Hmmm Kantoi. Big time..


Anyway, Alhamdulillah, kambeeng bakar with Black Pepper tuu kira boleh tahan laa..Aromatically Crispy yet juicy inside.


Amender aku buat sekarang ? Aku tunggu ajer laa. Hmmm, amender la hantaran UTH dari Mumbai tuu nak kasi ?. 5 speed paddle-shifter Lambong-ghini fresh from the oven ? No ?. Black Mini Cooper with 18 inch wheel ? We'll see laaa.

Lepas tengok hantaran barula kita decide, dok ?

10th Day

This is Afifa Pipa. She's 9. She's still in standard 3. Sekolah Kebangsaan Saint Mary.

Physically, (very) active. Highly charged, energetic, and always seeking for attention. But, with temper like Category Five Hurricane Katrina. Woopss..

If she screams, the whole house shakes.
If she cries, the beams vibrate.
If she's excited, the whole neighbour trembles.
Dan Kalau bergaduh, habis semua keluar.

I know where she got the temper from. But I have no clue whatsoever, where she acquired the one like Hurricane...

Maam dok macam tuu pun. He he..

Yesterday, lepas buka puasa, she just meleser at me. Bergolek-golek. You-know-what-I- mean, menyondol-nyondol. And slowly she told me, with sparkles in her eyes.


Abah, Abaaaah Pipa ada Blog..
Hah !? Whoaaa. Yer ker..Pipa ada Blog ? Pipa buat sendiri ?
Apa url dia ?
Url tuu apa abah ? Pipa buat sendiri laa.
Apa address dia ?,. Dia punya dable yu dable yu dable yu.
Ooh tu,. dable yu, dable yu dable yu. dot tesstiara dot blogspot dot com.

Do drop by and tell me what you think. And she created it, all of by herself, while waiting at Maam's office. Hmmm, ok gak tuu..



I think too much Hannah Montana, but it's OK.

5th Day

I made a bit of noise to our Service Management the other day, informing them that my chair broke.

Bukannya aku ni ganeh macam orang kat block A tuu. Sampai kerusi Meja pun boleh punah. Boleh retak tiga, & terbelah dua..

Kerusi aku nii kira dah sampai umor. Dah sampai penghujung hayat.

*****
(music, music, bling, bling, bliinnnnng. Flashback 2-3 hari lepas)

In order to leave the office @ 430, we were granted only half hour break. For me, 15 minit untok tidor ayam, 15 minit for something else laa.

Aircond pun set kat kewl 25 degree. Rata2, semua orang keluar tengahhari nii. Aku pun dengan control macho, nak sandar-lepak-semi-baring 120 degree. Shhhohh shooh. Nak tidor ayam kejap. It'll definely increase my productivity for the seocnd half of the day. Ok what !

Tiba2,.tengah aku sedap aje nak sandar, Praakkkk, aku terus terbaring. Sandar belakang kerusi tuu terus terbaring 180 degree.. Patah. Nasib baik kat opis nii semua orang dah keluar (apa, tak puasa ker diaorang..)

*****
Dipendekkan kesah, maka dapatlaa aku semi-Brand-New-Euro-Design-Chair.

With ergonomic Lumbar support and Head rest lagi. Disaluti dengan bahan jaring-ikan supaya bahagian belakangnya sentiasa segar and sejok.

Yeehaa, lagi le senang-sedap aku nak tidor ayam, tengah-tengahhari bulan puasa nii.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz, good nite.

2nd Day

Hari Puasa Pertama was a non-event..

Sebagai laki-rumah mithali (he he) aku sempat tukar 3 lampu (flourescent) downlights.
Satu dalam bilik Fiqa, satu dalam tandas Guest Room, dan satu lagi di dapor.
Pasang 2 penyangkut baju.
Dan lekatkan cermin lama di bilik Arip / Ajim.

(Hmm,. bilalah bbudak nii nak dudok bilik sendiri? Puas dah aku kemas, cantikkan bilik diaorang. Installed new parapernalias and gadgets. Sempit katil aku bila tidor ramai2 nii.)

And not to forget, changed seat cover, and installed new, red, 3M carpet dalam kereta Maam. Barulah ceria balik kereta tuu. Hopefully it will lasts another couple of years.

Masuk ajer pukol 4 petang, aku tidor.

There you go.. it was really a non-event, first day.

*****

Hari kedua, I made a small mistake.

Instead of going straight to home after 4:30, aku detoured sikit ke Pasar Ramadhan TTDI. Terliorq, teruja, teringat kat Popiah basah Pak Ya "Powerr". Nyum-nyum. Maam pun ada call suwoh beli Laksa Asam.

Took the LDP. Jammed sikit. Hmm.
Cari parking @ TTDI. Jammed sikit. Hmmm..

Done with the shopping, I took back the LDP and going home via Mutiara Damansara's tunnels. Jammed Banyak. Chit.. (Sabor Jo.)

Reached home around 7:00.
No more for today.
I'm going straight home and mebbe check out the smaller, intimate Pasar Ramadhan at Section 7, KD..

And for the first time ever, Arip Puasa Penoh semalam !
Boleh tahan juga Maam psyched him up.
Bravo Aripin !
Bravo..

4th day - Kurang ler Puasa Hakuu..

"Aleh2 dah lebih 4:30 nii. Time to goooo.."

***

I practically did nothing on Saturday. Except hopping 'ere and there and Bawak Ajim dengan Arip jenjalan kat D' Curve sikit.. Tu pun nak amek angin aircond sejok kat situh..


Entah kenapa, hari Ahad barulah rasa bertenaga sikit. Outsourced basuh motor, tengah hari gat gat.


Dan petangnya, baru aku ajak Maam pegi Pasar Ramadhan. The targetted place was PR Taman Tun DI. Aku nak carik Popiah Pak Yaa, yang aku sokmo bedal tahun2 terdahulu. Popiah Pak Yaa nii, seingat aku, macam rugged, robust sikit. Slap a huge dollop of sweet sambal. Tabor liberal amount of crushed peanut. Sloppily wrapped and there you go.. Best tuu.


One of the best part of PR TTDI nii, you can see a lot of people. (Aper,. orang TTDI nii maleh nok masak ker ?). Variety of people. Yang hitam, yang hemsem, yang lawa, yang putih melepak, yang Bujor, Leper, selebriti .

Tak lupa, Yang pakai celana ketat. Yang pakai ketayap. Yang bertudung rapi. Yang terkoyak sepi. Yang Harum, Yang berkelaghah. Yang Berseri. Yang Berdaki. Yang bermekap tebal. Yang sembrono. Yang selamber. Yang buat derrk ajer. Yang Celupar. Yang stoned. Yang berkacamata hitam Gucci ala Dato' Z pun ada.


But everybody behaves well. Masa aku nak beli Popiah Pak Yaa tuu. Aku main redah ajer. Padan ler ahkak sebelah aku tuu tenong semacam ajer (Mana kampong balak nii datang..). Rupa2nya orang ramai line-up, dah 30 kaki panjangnya.


Bila sampai part2 yang bulat, yang bergetah, & yang menonjol nii. , adehh kurang laa puasa aku. Nak buat macamana nii. Aku nii manusia biasa. Aku manusia normal..

2nd day - Mengantok

Selalunya-lah-kan, sampai ajer kat opih aku put my jacket on (sejok babe), hop sini hop sana, warming up, sebelum bukak co's portal.

Tapi hari nii, urggh, ngantok sunggoh. It's already 8:43 and the warming-up session still does not produce the expected result. Aku maseh lagi mengantok. Big time !. Still cannot open my eyes properly. and Having problem concentrating.

Looking at my Calendar, takder mender sangat hari nii. Mebbe half day kang aku cabot.

***

Semalam aku nampak Liichet. Gaya tak bermaya ajer pakcik tuu. Yelah, semalam pun udah announced, our new Country Manager. A Swede from our China office.