SeaDemon Says

January 14, 2010January 14, 2010

My Life’s Pictorial Journey

Thank you to Mrs Castillo, I now have been posting old pics of mine as profile pics on my Facebook account. Sadly, I do not have any photo of mine prior to when I was 13. I have lost all those albums, and have very little of what I have after I turned 13 right until I got married to Wifey. Now let’s see if I have enough to do a journey of a lifetime:

1979

The above was me, aged 13, back in 1979, when we were at the police’s bungalow called Greysands in Port Dickson. I was on an assault boat when this pic was taken.

1980

This was taken in 1980, when I was 14, and it was the third day of Hari Raya Aidil Fitri.

1981

This was in 1981, when I was 15. We were flying back to KL from London, via Singapore, when our plane was struck by lightning somewhere over Paris. So, we had to stop in Zurich, Switzerland, and had a 4-day paid holiday courtesy of Singapore Airlines. This was taken at the Hilton in Zurich while having lunch, before we were taken to the airport for our flight to Singapore.

1982

In July 1982, we sailed to Tioman on board the police fast patrol boat, the KPD Lang Kuik (PZ 4). As we passed Pulau Tulai en route to Tekek, the Commanding Officer, DSP Michael Lee, asked me if I was a good swimmer. I said yes. He gave me a crash course in scuba diving. It is still my hobby since then.

1983

In 1983, I turned 17. This was taken inside Hargreaves Hall, the main hall of my alma mater. We had tables and chairs in there because it was during the SPM trials period.

1984

In 1984, I was already in England. This pic was taken during summer of that year. I went to England 2 weeks after SPM (December 1983), and never got to enjoy the honeymoon like others did.

1985

This was Autumn of 1985 on the campus grounds.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve lost most of my albums. I only have 4 albums left. So, there are missing parts in my life. Anyway, let’s carry on.

1991

This picture was taken in 1991 on the Penang Bridge. My men and I (I’m the one left most, followed by LAC Faizal, AC Nizam and Cpl Hashim) were returning to base after an exercise. Note: we were using a civilian-registered vehicle for the exercise.

1992

And this was me back in 1992 somewhere along the Strait of Malacca.

1993

This was me in January 1993, 6000 feet above Gong Kedak Airbase, jumping off a C-130H.

1995

This was me receiving a medal from the 10th Yang DiPertuan Agong (the late Yam Tuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan) back in 1995.

1998

This was me in 1998. 21st April 1998, to be exact. I landed at the North Pole by parachute.

2000

This was my student, Bob, and I, after our jump at Ipoh airport in 2000.

2001

This picture was taken on 21 November 2001 after riding a jet-ski non-stop for 21 hours 11 minutes, completing 1000 kilometers in the process. This was to be my 3rd and final Malaysian record.

2003

This was by Lac Leman in Geneva in October 2003 during the ITU Telecom World 2003. I was 37 years old.

2005

In August 2005, I attended the 11th ASEAN Telecommunications Regulatory Committee. The farewell dinner’s theme was anything related to James Bond. So, I had a name tag made quickly.

2006

By 2006, I was actively diving – I was no longer going to any office 🙂

2007

I was still actively diving in 2007. Seen here with a Great Barracuda behind me at Terumbu Tiga, Perhentian.

2008

In 2008, diving took a slow pace because I met this wonderful woman. This was taken on 22nd March 2008.

2009

In 2009, I married her, after knowing her for 18 months (12 of which were being in a relationship).

So there have you…the pictorial journey of my life. I wish I could find my lost photos, or even the ones of me until the age of 12.

I’ll see what I can do…

January 4, 2010January 4, 2010

OMG

Chaos seems to rule these days.

School has just re-opened: chaos.

That adds up to the slightly more than normal volume of traffic that you and I have been enjoying for the past month and a half or so: chaos.

My office day now starts at 8am: chaos

The court allowing the Catholic magazine, Herald, to use the term Allah to represent God and the objection by Malaysian Muslims: chaos.

The term God has been defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as:

(in especially Christian, Jewish and Muslim belief) the being which made the universe, the Earth and its people and is believed to have an effect on all things

In short, God is THE supreme mono-entity. He is referred to differently in different languages: Tuhan, Dieu, Gott, Deus. They all refer to the same entity. They only differ in terms of language.

I read a column where a disgruntled Muslim wrote:

Pertama: kalimah Allah adalah nama khas, bukan kata terbitan daripada mana-mana perkataan Arab. Justeru, ia bukan boleh digunakan sebagai kata ganti bagi menterjemahkan sesuatu perkataan daripada bahasa lain. (Firstly, the term Allah is a special noun that does not derive from any Arabic word. Therefore, it cannot be used to replace the same term derived from another language).

Hmm. If it is not an Arabic word, I wonder where did that word derived from.

He went on to say:

Sebagai bandingan seorang yang bernama Mr. Black tidak boleh ditukarkan namanya kepada Encik Hitam kalau kita berbicara tentangnya dalam bahasa Melayu kerana nama itu adalah nama khas yang merujuk kepada orang yang tertentu. (As a comparison surely a person by the name of Mr Black cannot have his name referred to in Malay as Encik Hitam because a special noun only refers to a specific person)

I think this person needs to know the root from which the name Allah is derived. And he continued:

Kedua: memang benar kalimah itu telah sedia wujud dan digunakan oleh orang Arab semenjak sebelum Islam, akan tetapi itu tidak bermakna mereka memahami maknanya yang hakiki. (Secondly, it is true that the term has existed and used by the pre-Islam Arabs, but that does not mean they knew the actual meaning).

Again, this person needs to know the root from where Allah is derived.

As I have noted at the beginning of this post, the term God refers to a supreme mono-entity that made the universe, the Earth and its people and is believed to have an effect on all things. Therefore, we worship Him as our Maker. Now, why Him, and not Her?

Muslims, Jews and Christians, otherwise known of People of the Books, worship the same God – the God of Abraham. Arabs of all faiths, be they Muslims, Jews or Christians, refer to God as Allah. The word itself is derived from two Arabic words: AL (The), and ILAH (God). When these two words are joined together to form a noun, they are shortened to just ALLAH, which is a masculine form. This has been the name used to refer to THE ONE GOD (ho theos monos) that the “descendants” of the people of Abraham have been worshiping. This is evident in the Aramaic word for God: Elaha, and the Syriac Alaha.

Hundreds, if not thousands of years later, the Arabs were split into three – the Christians, the Jews, and the Pagans. They still worshiped Allah, The One God. The concept of worship differed. For the Christians, they embraced the concept of the Holy Trinity: God the Father (Allah al-Ab), God the Son (Allah al-Ibn) and God the Holy Spirit (Allah arRuhul Qudus).

The Pagan Arabs, believed that Allah, has three daughters: Manat, Al-Lat a.k.a Al-Lata (this is Allah in the feminine form – and many Malay women carry this name because they’re parents did not know the significance), and Al-‘Uzza. So these were the giant statues found inside the Kaabah and was destroyed by Muhammad when the Muslims finally went back to Mecca.

The Jews, like the Muslims later, hold on to the concept of mono-entity (Tauhid).

God, or Allah if you wish to call Him, is the God to ALL, not just Muslims, or Jews, or Christians; and Allah is not just the God to human beings! He is the God to ALL in this universe. This is given by the following ayyah:

“”We believe in the revelation that has come down to us and that which came down to you; our God and your God are One, and it is to Him that we bow” (29:46)”

Allah, is just an Arabic noun. The One God has 99 Beautiful Names. Before He created anything, before He was worshiped, He wasn’t Rabb (also another Arabic word for God). He wasn’t Allah. He was, and still is al-Awwal (The Beginning).

So, why get so uptight over a name? Only Muslims in Malaysia seem to think that the name Allah is specialised and sacred. To me, call Him Allah, Rabb, The One God, Tuhan Yang Esa or whatever, the most important thing is, you know in your heart that He is The Supreme Being, the One and Only. If you hold that to your heart, you won’t go wrong. No one can steer you away from your faith if you truly believe in that.

So, Muslims, don’t get uptight over one word. Allah is referred to as Allah because it was and still is the only Arabic word that describes The One God, but He is also referred to by many names in the Quran. We Malaysian Muslims always make a fuss over things, but always forget the basics and blaspheme in a very common way that we show our love to God and his prophet, Muhammad (pbuh).

I’ll give you an example: in our office, we have the pictures of the King and Queen, and the Prime Minister and his Deputy. How do we arrange these pictures on the wall? Do we put them side by side? Of course not! The pictures of the PM and his Deputy will have to be placed slightly lower because both the King and the Queen are of a different level and status.

How do we place the framed khats of Allah and Muhammad? Why is Muhammad the same level as Allah is? Isn’t that a deviation in our Aqidah?

December 30, 2009December 31, 2009

As 2010 Approaches – Part Two (First Half of 2009)

Writing my last post for 2008 on 31 December 2008

How has 2009 fared for me? It has been a good year for me, I would say. Wifey and I got married in March, then she became a diver in August. The same month I went through what was probably the most difficult short course I have ever attended – NEBOSH IGC, and passed despite the attrition rate being 80%. We got our new house in July but finally moved into it late November, and come New Year’s Eve (tomorrow night), we’ll be doing a ‘housewarming.’ Not a full one, but for the sake of ushering in the new year.

JANUARY

January 2009 came in with a bang

January 2009 came in with a bang. The first week, we went down to JB to hand over the house in Nong Chik to the house agent. Wifey, Dalie and Rina took the opportunity to visit their alma mater.

The setans at the Setan Training Facility

FEBRUARY

We also made a trip to Tioman at the end of the monsoon season. The sea was still rough and cold, so was the air, but there was a lot to see underwater.

Wifey and Dalie enjoying Tioman

Poo came down from Thailand for a short while and had dinner with us.

Poo came down from Thailand

And the girls had their Setan dinner at Impiana.

The setans

MARCH

In March, we went on an LOB trip aboard the Wavebreaker. It was just two weeks short of our wedding.

Surfacing off Soyak Island

On the 12th March, we celebrated our first year of going out together. A year and a half since we got to know each other. She didn’t make any burgers this time around, but we went for some cheapo burger at Kampung Baru.

Cheap Indian Buffalo Meat Burger
Burger Night – 2009 version

Zaza and Kazu came back to Malaysia for our wedding, and also for the trip to Perhentian.

Zaza and Kazu at Nasi Lemak Tanglin
“I want to show people in Okayama how to eat nasi lemak

We also went to watch live band at Bar Savanh.

The savants at Bar Savanh

We also went to Chakri Palace for dinner while shopping for wedding stuff.

Mieng Kham - Zaza and Kazu went nuts over this
Mieng Kham – Zaza and Kazu went nuts over this

A day before the wedding, we went to KL Tower for lunch.

Kazu's POV
Kazu’s POV

And Wifey and I got married at the al-Muadzin Mosque in Setiawangsa on Saturday, 21st March 2009.

Signing my life away as Eyda commented on this pic

Sign here, here and here, and your loan will be approved within the hour

Clinching the deal

Hubby and Wifey

One big family

My kids and I - they've been through the good and bad times with me
My kids and I – they’ve been through all the good and bad times with me

Our extended family – the people who helped make it happen

Post-wedding party at Las Carretas

The very next morning, Kazu, Zaza, Wifey and I left for Perhentian:

At the Kuala Besut jetty

Going for dinner at Abdul's
Going for dinner at Abdul’s

The next morning, we spent some time on the beach. Then Zaza and Kazu left Perhentian as the latter had a flight back to Japan to catch. That was also the day Wifey breathed underwater for the first time.

Kazu calling home to tell there’s no flight to Japan

Happy people

Saying goodbye to Zaza and Kazu

Off they went

Wifey's introduction to scuba diving
Wifey’s introduction to scuba diving

APRIL

I took my first train ride in 10 years, going down to JB to be with Wifey.

Walking towards the train

All comfy on my First-Class seat

My ticket

Gemas station

Kluang Station...no, not the Kopitiam
Kluang Station…no, not the Kopitiam

And of course, the occasional outing with the kids:

With Wifey and the kids

Then, Wifey, Dalie, Rina, Gemgem, Ida and Ita went off to Bandung to shop, while Spena, Kimi, Nanster, Renek and I went to Sipadan.

Enroute to Tawau

Kimi On The Surface

Frogfish

Horny Couple

Pygmy Seahorse

Flamboyant Cuttlefish

Mandarin Fish

On the third day, we dived at Seaventures again in the morning, then the Eel Garden in the afternoon. I was down with high fever that night.

My favourite morning activity

Blue-Ring Octopus – highly venomous

Turtle basking underwater at Paradise

One hot afternoon at Billabong

Off the Sipadan Wall

MAY

On May Day, Wifey and I checked into the Concorde and spent a night there, before taking a trip to Kuala Kangsar. En route, we stopped at Ipoh for some nasi ganja a.k.a nasi vanggey:

Nasi Kandar Ayam Merak a.k.a Nasi Ganja/Vanggey – 63 years and going strong

The following week, I witnessed the sailaway of the GOPB platform’s topside from our sister company’s yard in Lumut.

GOPB topside in the background

My colleague and I went for the OPITO-approved BOSIET (with additional OLF modules and transfer safely by boat).

Wearing a coverall for fire-fighting training

All set for FiFi

Inside the METS for HUET

JUNE

And in June, Wifey, Shah, Ali and I went to Tioman for the weekend. It was a good trip and spent a lot of time taking underwater pics. This would be Wifey’s last trip as a snorkeler.

Up close and personal

Jay the dive guide climbing onto the dive boat

Before leaving Tioman

Later that month, the company was involved in the Oil & Gas Asia 2009 exhibition.

The Duke of Pornwall, Peter and I at the booth

Attending a meeting at the Mandarin Oriental

Towards the end of June, I went on my last dive trip alone, with two guys whom I’ve not dived with for a long time: Zarir and Loy. It was another good trip with lots of nudibranch.

Chromodoris magnifica at Teluk Kador

Me at Labas Island

And lastly, I went to Miri to have a look at the company’s latest baby: the MV KPV Kapas.

KPV Kapas under construction

To be continued:-

December 29, 2009

What I Miss

Waking up late on weekend mornings, and hearing the laughter of my children

December 22, 2009

Takong

Previously, this floor had been a happy and clean floor. I had a good time dumping crap, as many as 3 times a day here. There was only one other company housed across the floor.

Then, sometime mid this year, another company moved to this floor, located, too, across the floor. That was when the toilet started getting dirty, and I had to scold some Kampung Punya Anak Haram at one point.

After Aidil Fitri, another two companies moved in across the floor, and I try not to go dump crap there anymore if I have to….like unless it would be detrimental to my image (and pants). I cannot believe the toilet manners and etiquette of the employees of these companies – several times I caught them not flushing after urinating (let alone wash hands after); there would be tissue paper strewn all over the toilet floor. Some would be at the base of the rubbish bin (not inside, for some weird reason). There would be fresh pee spattered on the floor beneath the urinal bowls. These people must have snail for dick or something.

Just today, one yuppie came into the toilet, stood at the urinal next to where I was, unzipped his fly, and all I saw was urine shooting out from don’t know what (cos I doubt he has a dick), and it hit the rim of the bowl, splashed on the floor. Then he zipped up his pants, and walked to the wash basins. No, he didn’t flush. Neither did he wash his hands. He proceeded to press the zits on his face.

After flushing, I walked over to the wash basin to wash my hands. There was zit juice and blood on the wall mirror where he stood, and also inside the wash basin. Then he combed his hair and proceeded to the door. I was pissed. I scolded him:

“Mak bapak engkau tak ajar ke lepas kencing flush?”

He just stared at me and said nothing. As he was halfway out, I screamed at him:

“Lain kali jilat la nanah jerawat engkau tu!”

I went after him and shouted:

“Bodoh! Dasar mak bapak main dengan babi!”

He ran away.

I can’t wait to move to my new office now.

December 21, 2009

The Thing That Still Bugs Me At 43

Just the other day I went out with Wifey and the kids, and I looked at them eating. I did the same when my stepchildren ate. I just looked at them. I am always reminded of my childhood.

I learnt table-manners the hard way. That included the use of hand while eating; the use of fork and spoon and fork and knife while eating – all the hard way.

I think I was eight or nine years old. I would assume children of that age would have problems eating at their own house. It’s not fun to eat unless it’s something that cannot be cooked at home ie. hot dogs, burgers etc. And it is always more fun eating when there are people of your age: friends, cousins etc., that even if the food’s not that good, you tend to eat more than you would at home.

So, there I was, at the house of a family friend, eating plate after plate of rice with their children, and my elder sister. It felt so good eating with people around your age, and my friend’s mother would pile scoops of rice onto my plate.

A week or two later, back at our Section 16 PJ home, I was having dinner, and ate very slowly. After a while, I turned to my mother and told her that I didn’t want to eat anymore. My father was furious. He got up, scooped some rice into his hand, and literally shoved the rice into my mouth. When I did not chew as fast as I could, he would either twist and pull my ear, or slap me. I ate as much and as fast as I could even though I could taste blood. But I guess that tasted better than the ear-ringing slaps that were offered as the alternative.

Another reason to get slapped is when you go for a dish with your rice-covered hand – in this case, it was a fried fish. The fish was good, and I went for it. As soon as my hand touched the fish, a slap landed on my face.

And I dreaded those trips to Fraser’s Hills. Those were when I learnt the hard way how to use the fork, spoon and knife. My dinner would end more than an hour later until I got the correct way of getting all those peas and corns onto my fork using the knife or spoon, depending on whether it was local or western food being served. Come to think of it, maybe that is why I have tinnitus. Just by having dinner.

Sometimes, you get punished for not even being there. There was once when my younger brother had his fingers trapped by my father’s car door. I was inside my room, upstairs, when that happened. Then I heard my father yelling my name out. I quickly rushed downstairs and when I got to him, a hard slap greeted me – the kind where your vision blacks out momentarily and your ears ring like mad, but by the time you regain your senses, you’re being dragged by your ear to his favourite place for you – where all his canes were stored, and he would whack me with only two – either the Officers’ Cane that would leave the back of your thighs promoting the Royal Malaysian Police force, or the Kayu Tas cane from Sarawak that was covered in beautiful beads.

I was so terrified of my father. And it was not just me. Even my mother’s friends would scamper into the kitchen whenever they hear the sound of my father’s car. But why me is the question that keeps bugging me, even until now. Is it because I was born exactly 40 days after my elder sister died? I don’t know. I don’t ever want to know, and I will never ask.

It is because of the past that I still have problems talking to my father (not that I have for the past 2 years and 5 months anyway). But it is also because of the past, that I would give my kids big hugs whenever I see them.

Although I have this rampart built around me because of my past, my kids are inside with me.

December 8, 2009

As 2010 Approaches – Part One

Now that we’ve finally moved to our own house, I can finally put more effort (funds) into getting and doing the things that I would like to get and do.

Fantasea FP-5000 Underwater Housing

The first thing that I would like to get before the month of February is a Fantasea FP-5000 to replace my current housing of the same model that is already leaking here and there. No, I am not going to upgrade my camera to a better one as this one is still good. I don’t need geo-tagging features etc. I just need something that I can take pics with; and whether the camera is of a superior model or not does not guarantee that the pic would turn out good.

And I shall be based at the drilling subsidiary after this. Although I will be slightly over a kilometer away from where my wife is currently based, I will be busy with clients on a daily basis too. And I know that at least once a month I will have to go offshore for audits and meetings. That, in turn, means I cannot really plan my holidays for the year 2010.

Notwithstanding, there are already plans in place for 2010. I’ll be going back to Tioman in February, Perhentian in March, and Sipadan in April (the Sipadan trip is an annual pilgrimage). The wife will be going to Bandung with her friends for their annual shopping pilgrimage, therefore I might just go to Perhentian again then, or maybe even Tioman, for a short dive trip. Then again, short dive trips would be a monthly feature. Maybe even twice monthly, since I will no longer be required to work on certain Saturdays in a month.

Comedy Club is also something I will need to attend on a monthly basis, since I need a change in the comedy routine…there is enough of slapstick comedy happening around me on a daily basis.

During one of the longer weekends, I plan to take Wifey to Bali and Bangkok. She’s never been to either, while I need to visit my home-country. And since Aidil Fitri will fall on a Friday, I doubt very much that I would be going on an extended leave. We will be celebrating in KL, in the comfort of our own home, as a family. Us, and 7 children.

Now, when should Wifey and I have a housewarming session?

December 2, 2009December 2, 2009

Eat, Drink, and be….MARY

Aku pergi pharmacy petang tadi. Masa nak bayar, aku pun beratur la kat belakang ada sorang mamat pelik ni. Dia pakai jacket macam saleswoman, seluar ala-ala palazzo. Rambut greasy macam Mat Rempit tapi curled kat bottom.

Bila tiba turn dia nak bayar, dia pun terus bersuara kepada cashier pompuan ni dalam nada yang paling feminine:

“I baru join member. Member card I tak bawak.”

Lalu cashier pun tanya:

“Nama?”

“Mary.”

“Mary Arokiasamy?” (itu surname aku main tibai je)

“Tak. Mary. M-A-R-Y.”

“Mary Lee Lan Chao?”

“Tak. Mary Mubin. M-U-B-I-N.”

Puas la budak cashier ni cari…tapi tak jumpa. So budak cashier ni pun tanya nama mengikut dalam IC. Terus dalam nada suara yang lagi dalam dan garau dari suara aku, persis Jamal Abdillah yang off-key, Mary menjawab:

“MO-HA-MAD-MU-BIN.”

Terus budak tu jumpa nama dan membership number dia. Mamat tu pun bayar dan terus keluar dari pharmacy tergesa-gesa.

Cashier tu pandang muka aku, tak tau dia nak gelak ke atau apa. Aku pun tak tau aku nak gelak ke atau apa. Tapi yang aku tau, ini kena cepat-cepat balik tulis blog.

Patut la ada satu joke yang berbunyi:

“Why do transvestite love to party?”

“Because they get to eat, drink, and be MARY.”

November 30, 2009

Our House, In The Middle Of Our Street

The title of this blog entry is taken from the chorus of a 1982 favourite of mine called “Our House” by Madness. And this blog serves as a reminder to me as well as to my darling wife, who’s been helping with the new house, arranging stuff and all. The reminder goes like this:

This is our house, our fortress, our sanctuary, where we make and share our love. It may not be perfect, but it’s our house. Good or bad, sink or swim, it’s our house and together we must continue to strive to make it the place where we make and share our love.

Posted on November 26, 2009
Selamat Hari Raya, Monkey! You Wanna Be A Korban?

One of the reasons the Glaucoma Monkey agreed to grant divorce to Wifey was Wifey’s reluctant agreement to let him have unlimited visitation rights to see the kids.

And Wifey has been fair towards him, letting him see the kids, and I have been playing along with this arrangement because I know how it feels as a father being away from the kids.

Ever since their divorce, the Monkey (as he will be referred to in this article) has only given Wifey RM150 early in January 2008 for the upkeep and nothing more since then. And even before marrying Wifey, I took over the role as the provider, and have been since.

And since it is going to be Hari Raya Korban, Wifey sent him a text to ask him if he would want to take the kids for Hari Raya and spend time with them. And sice Wifey and I would be away this weekend, she thought it’s best if he could inform earlier and arrangements can be made. His reply was:

“I will see them anytime. Anytime for me means anytime.”

And I thought to myself,

“What a rude bastard!”

Therefore, the best way is for this is for me to butt in. So, I sent him a text:

“From now on, if you want to see the kids, make plans earlier. This anytime is my time does not apply anymore since I am the head of this house. And I’m feeding them. Not you. Understand?”

His reply came:

“Understand head feeder.”

Bastard’s being rude again. So I just wanted to send him a subtle reminder of what could happen to him if he doesn’t toe the line:

“You better. Otherwise I’ll feed sense into your head.”

He replied:

“Already have. No tq.”

Dasar queer yang bacul. Tau pulak takut. One fine day, if he so much as breathes wrongly, I’ll whack that bastard Monkey again.

For past encounters with the Monkey, go to the following links:

Spank The Monkey

Penat-Penat Charles Darwin Mengeluarkan Teorinya: Beruk Punya Monyet

Spank The Glaucoma Monkey

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