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Perhentian 2007 – Part 6

Thanks to satellite broadband and not some black box conjured up by some cheats and liars in some company in PJ, I am able to log on to my blog from this magnificent island.

I drove up with my sis, Gee, and friend Sam Soul, arriving in Kuala Terengganu around 5am to pick up three others: Ina, Nafi and Shah.

We arrived at Kuala Besut at 7am and had a good nasi dagang breakfast before boarding the 8am boat to Perhentian. We missed the first dive at 9am with Nazir who had been here since Saturday, but got our own boat to dive Tokong Laut. Viz was around 5m, which is still good for me, and I enjoyed that dive, although I was always on alert for Titan Triggerfishes (yes, it’s their nesting season).

Second dive was at Batu Layar, which was an okay site, but was too tired to do a third dive. I fell asleep at the dinner table.

Today, the viz was a lot better. Took lots of photos (yes, I did not do video this trip) of nudibranches at Terumbu Tiga. We did another dive after that at the Sugar Wreck. Lots of penetration. Huge Chevron Barracudas, Pipefish, Leatherjackets, Yellow-Margined Triggerfish and so on.

Sam Soul, Shah and Nazir have gone back to KL. So only the four of us left.

I’ll be going back to KL on Friday afternoon, but have to leave for an underwater job near Tenggol on Saturday evening.

What a hectic life…ahaks!

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A Great Season Ahead

Race day

It’s Race Day today in Australia and the beginning of the first Formula One season without Michael Schumacher. Not that I’m a fan of Schumacher because he reminds me of Tyra Banks…self-righteous and all.

Anyway, as it is, Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari is leading with one more lap to go, but with Fernando Alonso and Louis Hamilton in the McLaren Mercedes following very, very closely; which goes to show that the Ferrari is a superbly powerful car, but good driving also matters. Louis Hamilton is in his Grand Prix debut and has yet managed to secure a podium finish.

Another driver to watch is Robert Kubica from Poland who is with the BMW Sauber team, who managed to tail the leaders in fourth place before he was forced to retire from the race. He is in that team replacing Jacques Villeneuve.

This is going to be a great season with no clear winner in sight.

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AFUNDI Taik

Akademi Vomit

I was reading the newspapers after dinner tonight when I heard some singing on the television set. I honestly thought my children were watching some school karaoke contest.

I have never heard anything worse than this in the past AF series…from AF2 through AF4. None of the worst singers of the past series sounded as bad as the best singer of this series.

Holy sh**!

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Shut Up, People!

Gerakan President Lim Keng YaikPPP President, M KayveasDeputy Home Affairs Minister, Johari Baharom

It all started with Gerakan’s refusal to even consider merging with PPP to form a bigger party. Now, M Kayveas is on the warfront attacking Gerakan and its President, Lim Keng Yaik. Before this, PPP demanded the Parliamentary seat for Taiping. He was probably snubbed. Then his attacks became personal in nature, digging up Lim Keng Yaik’s past.

For these two, especially Kayveas, shut the f*** up. You are both the rakyat’s coolie, so do your job for the rakyat. Not bicker about who’s right or wrong. Imagine the number of manhours spent on researching someone’s background, and the energy spent on penting up hate. All this could have been put to better use for the rakyat.

Johari Baharom’s under investigation by the ACA after a website alledged the former’s receipt of some RM5.5 million for the release of three detainees. Johari’s been on the defensive, and is now dragging the Royal Malaysian Police along, and has begun to finger-point at others as well. The Prime Minister has rightly told him to answer to all the allegations first before finger-pointing others.

Pak Jo, shut the f*** up. If it was someone else questioning the police, you would have been among the first to jump in and tell them off for not allowing the authorities to conduct the investigation without fear nor favour.

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Dosa King in Bangkok

Dosa King's Logo

I know what you were thinking. You were thinking of someone who’s done a great sin in Bangkok (Dosa is Malay for sin), but this is not so. Dosa is what in Malaysia we call Tosai.

It’s a nice cosy little restaurant near the corner of Sukhumvit soi 19 in Krungthep (Bangkok)…or shall I say, was. Dosa King is now being relocated elsewhere as its lease of the current premise has run out. That is sad though. I quite like that little corner, not too far away from Robinson’s.

Whether I was staying at the Emporium Suites at soi 24, or somewhere closer to Nana, Dosa King would be my favourite eatery when I’m alone. Yes, it sounds absurd that I would go for Thai food when I’m in Malaysia, but have North/South Indian vegetarian food when I’m in Krungthep. But that was the routine. I first came across this restaurant some 4 years ago during a deployment exercise, and it immediately became my “must visit” place everytime I was in Krungthep.

I’d start off with Papad Masala or Masala Papad…a very spicy papadum and usually with some Vegetable Samosas. Absolutely love them. These would be followed by Rava Dosa Masala (mixture of semolina and rice flour with onion & potato filling, sambar and chutney), Saffron rice, Alloo Mattar (potatoes cooked with green peas in hot curry) and the Malai Kofta (vegetable dumplings cooked in onion and tomato gravy with spices & cream), and of course, Sweet or Salty Lassi to complement the food.

It was a nice experience sitting in that place…that at times you forget you are just some 10 meters away from the hustle and bustle of Thanon Sukhumvit. A newspaper in hand would make you disappear totally while you enjoy the delicious food. I just hope they don’t relocate too far away. It should still be a short hop away from a BTS station. And if I ever get the chance to go back to Krungthep, I’d go back to Dosa King.

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When The Matters Of The Heart Matters

I went for my follow-up check up yesterday morning, so more blood test; after 45 days on Vytorin 10/40, Niacin and Pristin Fish Oil. My younger brother had had his angiogram done. The cardiologist is not too happy with what he saw as my brother’s Left Descending Anterior Artery is 20% blocked/damaged at its stem as opposed to being further downstream where it would be somewhat easier to remedy.

This is the typical young smokers’ disease. My brother smokes around 26 sticks a day. He exercises regularly, even more than I do, but eats very little of fish and other white meat. What he had forgotten is that my paternal grandfather died of a heart attack at the age of 41 (when my father was 13 years old), why my father had his first attack at the age of 37. My father was a chain smoker too, then, and gave it up immediately; went for his first coronary bypass at the age of 42, an angioplasty at the age of 57, then his second coronary bypass at the age of 61.

Me..everyone expected me to have a bad medical test result. Very little exercise and so on. My first lipid profile back on January 15th is as follows:

Total Cholesterol: 6.4mmol/L (desirable <5.2)
Triglycerides: 1.97mmol/L (desirable <2.28)
HDL Cholesterol: 0.96mmol/L (desirable >1.42)
LDL Cholesterol: 4.6mmol/L (desirable <3.4)
% HDL-Cholesterol Ratio: 15% (desirable >25)

Everything was undesirable except for my Triglycerides’ level.

With Vytorin 10/40 and the increase in my number of dives, the new results are as follows:

Total Cholesterol: 4.1mmol/L (desirable <5.2)
Triglycerides: 1.17mmol/L (desirable <2.28)
HDL Cholesterol: 1.36mmol/L (desirable >1.42)
LDL Cholesterol: 2.2mmol/L (desirable <3.4)
% HDL-Cholesterol Ratio: 33% (desirable >25)

No wonder they call Vytorin the miracle drug. It’s not cheap too. A box of Vytorin 10/40 for 30 days costs more than RM300.

My dosage’s gone down to 10/20 now.

It’s also time for me to watch what I eat. My kids still need me.

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I Am Somebody’s Wife

Disclaimer: The government has warned people not to believe bloggers and what they read on the Net. This story may be based on a true event…maybe!

I am somebody’s wife.

My husband is well-known and is somewhat powerful.

Therefore, as the wife, I am more powerful than he is.

If you want projects, you don’t have to see my husband. He will tell you to see me, as I am more powerful than he is. Just give me RM5 million for me to start doing things…maybe.

If I want donations for charity organisations, I’ll lift the phone and make a few calls stating how much I want them to contribute. Once my husband is in a better position, I don’t have to call anymore as these people will give me money without my having to ask.

I am somebody’s wife.

My husband is well-known and is somewhat powerful.

Therefore, as the wife, I am more powerful than he is.

Oh, and you did not get that project after giving me the RM5 million?

Did you hear me promise you anything? I only said it’s for me to start doing things…my own things.

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Condolences to Icecool

Tony (Icecool)‘s father passed away this morning. Tony’s father served in the Royal Communications Regiment before switching service to the Royal Malaysian Air Force, and retired a Warrant Officer.

My prayers are with Tony’s father as well as Tony and family and may God grant them the strength to overcome this darkest hour.

In the words of General Douglas MacArthur: “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”

Sound the Last Post.

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What’s In A Name?

Nine years ago a chinese friend of mine sought to embrace Islam when she was in the United States. Among the questions she asked the scholar was the need for her to rename her father as Abdullah (Subject of God) as being practised in Malaysia. The scholar said no where does it say that she needs to change her father’s name.

This topic is in response to the current dilemma that came about after the Mufti of Perlis, in the state of Perlis’s Fatwa Meeting, deemed the act of renaming one’s father upon embracing Islam as “sinful”.

Yes, sinful.

Those opposed are crying foul citing examples like: Ahmad bin Pope, or Ali bin Subramaniam and so on, saying those names are unIslamic.

I am a proponent of the call by the Mufti of Perlis. The opponents should realise that one of the reasons non-Muslim families shudder at the thought of any of their members embracing Islam is the need to change the father’s name to Abdullah: psychologically side-lining the father and the family. What they should also realise is that it is the embracee’s name that needs to be changed to something nicer should his non-Muslim name sound or mean bad things: ie. KULOP, BATANG, TOILET and so on. The embracee is still his/her father’s child. Therefore it would be very unjust to deny the father of the embracee his claim over his own child. I believe the changing of the father’s name to Abdullah psychologically severes the tie that binds them as father and child.

May I quote from my source, the Holy Quran, which is my A1 source of information on Islam, as I do not hold the words of scholars to be true and just, from Surah al-Azhab (The Confederates) 33:5:

Call them (adopted sons) by (the names of) their fathers, that is more just with Allâh. But if you know not their father’s (names, call them) your brothers in faith and Mawâlîkum (your freed slaves). And there is no sin on you if you make a mistake therein, except in regard to what your hearts deliberately intend. And Allâh is Ever Oft­Forgiving, Most Merciful.