Category: Daily Whatevers

It’s 32 days now since my last dive. And since then, I’ve been plagued by cold, flu, sore throat and mild fever, not necesarily in that order, but it’s been coming on and off. The funny thing is whenever I go diving, I feel fine. The moment I enter KL and its surrounding areas, I’d fall ill. Perhaps it is due to the fresh air at the islands versus polluted and dusty air here in the Klang valley.

If things go well, next week I’ll be playing golf with my usual kaki‘s again. We were playing almost every weekend in 2003. It’s usually the five of us: Shaking Lee, Daddy In The City, TNB CEO lookalike, Walking Vibrator, and I. TNB CEO lookalike would of course leave after the first three of nine holes (depending on where we were playing) as he would have to rush home to take the wife to buy flowers in Sungai Buloh. The usual gang would be the other four. The last real game we played together was at Monterez on December 31st, 2003. After that Walking Vibrator and I were most of the time stationed in Langkawi, while Shaking Lee and Daddy In The City would be hurrying to ship unfinished products to Langkawi for Walking Vibrator and I to pass to the client, Penjejak Awan, who was then working for another company. For the record, Penjejak Awan was offered VSS in the same year, joined us to market unfinished products, almost got Bangladeshi PR, then left to rejoin the company he originally worked for. I’m sure if there is another round of VSS, he will take up the offer, get the money, and rejoin the company a couple of years later. TNB CEO lookalike’s classmate’s wife did that too. Working for the same organisation Penjejak Awan did (albeit different subsidiaries), took up the VSS offer, stayed home for about a year, and now rejoins as a contract worker in the same company, earning slightly higher.

So the unfinished project took up most of our time and there was only once in between when we went to the driving range together to whack balls…not that we weren’t already doing the same then in the office: banging balls.

My last game of golf was with Chalky26, also in 2004…early April to be exact, at the Palm Springs in Port Dickson. We were at the 4th or 5th hole when I received an emergency call and had to forgo the game to attend to that emergency.

My golf balls, set and shoes have been picking up dust. The balls have been serious object of contentions between my younger son and daughter, and reason for the destruction of one of the coffee tables.

Time to hit the fairway again, and hopefully, a few other golfers each time I tee-off.

I went through my pilot logbook. The last flight I did was on the 26th August 2000. Over 6 years ago. It was from Sempang (Sungai besi airport) to R236 training area, in a Cessna 172.

I’ve flown the Bulldog B100, Pilatus PC-7, Cessna 172, Storch Experimental Aircraft, Zodiac Experimental Aircraft, RV-6 Experimental Aircraft, and the Buckeye (seen in James Bond’s “The World Is Not Enough”). I didn’t fly that much in 2000; I only clocked 17 hours and 36 minutes. The longest haul in 2000 was from Sempang-Ipoh-Sitiawan-Ipoh, second longest was Sempang-Ipoh and Sempang-Subang. Shortest flight with a destination was Sempang-Subang-Sempang to refuel the aircraft at Subang airport.

Record-wise, my longest haul flight was Alor Setar-Sempang. Second longest would be either Butterworth-Sempang, or Butterworth-Subang (vice versa), or Johor Bahru-Sempang. Those were done in the 1990s.

5 days after my last flight was my last skydive. That was done over Dataran Merdeka in conjunction with the Merdeka day parade.

2001 – I was busy windsurfing, fishing and jet-skiing, and did my third and last Malaysian record.

2002 – I was busy with the Indera Kayangan, Ketari and Anak Bukit by-elections.

2003 – I was back into golf after a 12-year sabbatical.

2004 – I was busy doing stupid things for the company, or was it doing things for the stupid company?

2005 – I was back scuba diving after a 10-year break.

Scuba is still the best and most relaxing thing to do.

I was watching Astro’s Channel 8 (Prima) and “Freshie’s High School”, a Thai series, had just finished being aired. Then they showed Mai Charoenpura’s music video, followed by Peacemaker’s “Ngao.” I sat up and sang the song softly. This is one song that has a story of its own.

It was late January of 2004. My colleague, Muaazam, and I, were in Krungthep (Bangkok to the rest) to see our partner, Pathiparn, there. As Pathiparn had to entertain clients from South Korea (golf and dinner), he promised to call us as soon as he’d finish. So Muaazam and I had dinner at this North Indian restaurant just off Sukhumvit soi 8, and before we could finish, Pathiparn called asking us to meet him at the car park adjacent to the Tesco’s at On-Nut sky train station. So we rushed to meet Pathiparn there. So we rushed to the Nana BTS station, passed Asoke, Phrom Pong, Ekkamai, and Phrakanong (where Nang Nak lived) stations before reaching the terminal at On-Nut. Pathiparn was there. We were supposed to have a discussion. So Pathiparn asked us to get into his car and off we went, towards Sukhumvit 24. A left turn there and a few minutes later, we were at Club Orbit. So I said to Pathiparn that we were supposed to have a discussion. He turned and said, “Khun Rahmat, everytime you are in Bangkok you are always working. Tonight is after office hours. Tomorrow we will discuss.”

Okay…fine. In we went. Apparently the bouncers and receptionists there know Pathiparn well. The live band was excellent and we sat at the bar. Club Orbit’s a bit like Coyote Ugly..but the gentlemen’s version. Beautiful girls, well-dressed albeit sexily, were dancing on the bar top. I glanced and saw Muaazam enjoying the view.

“You okay bro?” I asked. Muaazam just said, “I don’t know which one to take back to meet my mom!” Yup, the girls were real stunners. But you can see but no touch. The “butterflies” were equally good-looking. These are girls who hop from client to client. In the end Pathiparn told the girls that we are Malaysians…so they never left us. The girls who attended to me were Ice (on the bar top), and Jo (the butterfly).

In between the live band’s sets, they played some nice songs, one was by Ten Teerapak called “Nab Neung” or “Count One” in English, and then Peacemaker’s “Ngao” or “Loneliness.” So as I slow-danced with Jo, I asked her whose song it is, and she told me who the singers were. To cut a long story short, we left Club Orbit at 4am Malaysian time. I didn’t think we would have made it back to the hotel with Pathiparn, by then dubbed “Partyman” by Muaazam and I, being totally wasted and was at the wheel. We met Pathiparn later (around 11am), as promised, and settled our work, then headed out to Siam Square to buy Ten Teerapak’s and Peacemaker’s CD.

Two months later, I was back in Krungthep on business, and had dinner at Yok Yor across the Chao Phraya river from Saphan Thaksin…and the one-man show there sang “Ngao.” When Muaazam and I were stationed for four months in Langkawi, we’d listen to Peacemaker and “Ngao” again and again.

Even during business trips to Southern Thailand with Naddy Nad and Chalky26 later that year, I’d sing the song at karaoke lounges.

The group Peacemaker has since broken up, but Muaazam went back to Krungthep with his girlfriend (taking ice to the North Pole) to buy that particular CD.

And I still hum the song whenever I feel lonely…

It’s high time I go back to Meuang Thai.

Well, finally, after a C-section, Kimi is now father.

Welcome to the sleep less and spend more club

MEASAT-3 was launched early this morning. I missed the launch which was shown live on TV1. I didn’t miss the first two launches 10 years ago when they launched them from Arianspace’s launch site in French Guyana. This time it was from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

My daughter Fazira had wanted to meet up with Gee for so long. So one day I made that happen.

Thanks, sis. I know how busy you are with promoting your new album and so on. But you made it there for us.

It is 6.00pm on December 7th, 2006. Besut Stud has left the Tairoo Factory.

Finally.

So he is now out of the race to determine who will outlast and become the champion as The Last Local Male In The Tairoo Factory.

He will be commuting to a place much farther than he has to as at 5.59pm, but I guess it will give him the satisfaction where he will actually see that there is life outside the box. First, he will face the shock of having to put his brain into full utilisation, something Walking Vibrator, TNB CEO Lookalike and I had to go through 8 months ago…after years of compresing the brain into peanut size as had to deal with stupid people and incalcitrants.

Good luck bro. On the bright side, no more sharing polluted air emitted by morons.

65 years ago, the Pacific phase of World War 2 began. But contrary to popular beliefs, the first salvos of the pacific War was shot NOT at Pearl Harbour, but here in our own backyard – near Kelantan.

A RAF PBY Catalina was shot down by the Japanese as it monitored the Japanese invasion fleet that was closing in on Malaya. It was around 10am on December 7th, 1941 local time (or, 10.30am according to our time now, or, 4.30pm on December 6th in Honolulu, Hawaii). Shortly after midnight of 7th/8th December local time, fierce artillery salvos were let loose and the Japanese invasion of Malaya was underway. At this time, it was just after 6am on December 7th in Hawaii, and Admiral Nagumo’s planes were just on their way to Pearl Harbour.