Garden Up In The Sky

Recently I went to Taiwan for a much needed tour as in preparation for my retirement which is approaching very soon. I still have to work two days although I thought I was resting already. (See related posting).

It was just a short holiday and was organized through a tour Agency and it was already arranged of which places were visited and it was quite interesting. I don’t want to write about the places that we visited but just to share my experienced with you a very interesting garden up on top of a building in Taipei.

I was in my hotel room after packing and waiting for my relatives to come back from a last minute shopping that I saw a garden at the rooftop of a building. I saw a lady watering the plants so I took my camera and took pictures. I then looked for my Samsung Tab for another pictures but the lady saw me and quickly entered her house. I was wondering why the lady ran away when she saw me taking pictures. Is she afraid that I may pass the pictures to the local authority? Whatever it was a very interesting and cool to see garden on top of a building away from the eyes of the local authority.

I wondered if it is an offence making a garden at the roof of every building in the city.

RECALLED TO WORK 2 MORE DAYS

I was at home supervising some work to be done at my house by a contractor when I received a call from my Human Resource Dept Kuala Lumpur. She introduced herself and informed me that there was a mistake in my leave application. I told her that what was stated in the system, I followed correctly and I was not on the wrong side. She told me that she had checked and the system is wrong. I tried to argue with her but she stick to the decision that I should return to work for two more days otherwise they will cut my two days pay. As a good gesture and what the heck, it is only two days without table and a chair; I told her that I will come for work regardless. In the system I should get 18 days paid leave but the actual entitlement should be 16 days paid leave as told by my Human Resource Kuala Lumpur.

It is really embarrassing as my colleagues had sent warm goodbyes and given me a farewell souvenir as well as a lunch treat. It was a sad moment during my ‘last day’ (not to be … sigh) and they sent me off emotionally on my part.

So here I come again TM, maybe you wanted me more but I only can give you two more days. I hope my friends will give me some space and don’t bully me. I am not in the wrong but the system suck but I still love you TM.

My Last Clock Out - 19 June 2012

Thank you Winnie for your SMS.

It is true that I am really relieved and happy after working 32 years of my life with Telekom (officially retired on the 19^th July 2012) but yesterday was also the saddest day of my life apart from the demised of loved ones.

I was preparing it for few days telling my friends in BSQM a day before that I will not bid them farewell and not to be emotional or say sad parting words. Even I told my boss Pn Sugiwati the same thing When I met her. I was trying to composed myself but seeing all the staff from the 5^th floor as well as the AGM, my Manager & present and former executives taking a group photo at the 5^th floor lobby. I felt nervous because I don’t want myself embarrassed with my emotional situation. I have seen many ex staff getting emotional but I didn’t realize the effect of leaving the company and friends that was very great. You got to be retired to feel it and I’m sure of that but you need to have very great friends too.

You know, even the date for my leave I tried to keep secret but somehow they knew it. If they (Nelson, Zaza & Siswanto) didn’t come down with me for the last clock out, you and John would not have seen me. I was embarrassed to see you two but glad that my two great friends had seen me clocking for the last time. There are great friends in BSQM and before or after my official retirement it is good to send them parting words through their emails.

It was bad when I was driving home as I’ve got misty eyes but life has to go on with different environment and the only thing to do is to get used to the new environment.

Regards

SEMUA LAH BAH

It has been awhile that I didn’t post any articles in my blog and I will drag myself to update it as I am free now. I mean I am free from working. Anyway I will start with a very interesting occurrence that might be somewhat humorous to you but it is in Bahasa Malaysia. Sorry for the non speaking Malay.

 “Beberapa org PTI telah merompak sebuah bas yang penuh dengan penumpang perempuan dan mahu merogol mereka semua. Lalu seorang gadis berkata KAMU BULI ROGOL KAMI SEMUA, TAPI TOLONG JANGAN ROGOL NENEK SAYA..Dan nenek itu menjawab PANNDAII-PANNDAII, kalo dia cakap SEMUA, SEMUA LAH BAH...ini kali lah!!!!!

SPOON

I share with you the sermon during a sunset Mass I attended recently.

There was an old lady who met a pastor and asks him to do when her time will come.

“Father, when I die I don’t want a rosary or a crucifix placed on my folded palm but put a spoon instead”.

She told the pastor that they were a very poor family and on every weekend her grandmother will cook a very special and tasty food for her grandchildren. That was the only day that they were able to eat a proper food prepared by their grandmother.

After their special food their grandmother will prepare a dessert for them.

“Grandchildren, take a spoon and wait for the dessert that I am going to prepare it for you”.

Every weekend the grandchildren were treated with special dessert and they waited their grandmother with a spoon in hand. They were wondering what was the special dessert that their grandma preparing for them that day.

When she died the Pastor make sure that the wishes the old woman wanted was followed by her family. Everyone was wondering and surprised that a silver spoon was placed between the palm of the old lady instead of a rosary or crucifix.

Let’s reflect and wonder the meaning of the action of the old lady wanting a spoon between her palms after she died.

SOMETIMES LIFE IS NOT FAIR

“Uncle, Mummy getting serious”. My nephew called me from the hospital on my mobile phone as I was watching a movie in a cinema in town.

“I will be there”. I told him and told my friend that there was an emergency at the hospital and was it alright to leave. I left the cinema half through the movie.

My sister in-law was seriously ill for the past months and she was in and out of hospital and only survive with oxygen twenty four hours for the past two weeks even at home. Almost every day I tried to visit her and when something serious happen, I was the first to be called by my brother for help.

She was a strong willed mother to her six children, one waiting for her convocation to get her degree and another in his second year in a local university. The other four boys needed extra attention as they are still young and all are special children.

Even she was sick but yet she visited my old aged mother as to show my mother that she was healthy. I must say that she was the only one that could get my mother to take her medicine. My mother didn’t performed her last respect to her telling us that she might go with her if she forced herself to see her dead body.

I hugged my nephew and niece tightly during the last respect at the Church where their mother was laid for friends and families for their respect and I did told them to be strong for the sake of their siblings. Help their father to look after their needs and the life after the demised of their beloved mother.

She had suffered some much of her sickness and I know that it is best for her with the lord and pray that her children will be able to succeed and proud to their mother of her love to her children until her last breath. May her soul rest in peace.

WHAT IS YOUR SECRET?

I had posted an article regarding a lady colleague who I thought was ‘CONFUSE’ in some extend that she will sometimes shouted without regards to her colleague. Lately I teamed up with a friend to get back to her with what her own words she uttered.

She once spoke about a new system in collecting data and she mentioned that sometimes she collect the data at home through her laptop leisurely on her bed. We created a phrase that sounded like this in Malay; Dia dapat barang baru, buat kerja atas katil sambil sikat itu lumun. (Lumun in Kadazan is a nest ..lol). We will repeat those words always and it seems that she soften a bit in her mood.

** Another friend that we used to tease with the ‘LUMUN’ inadvertently admitted that they never in a nude in front of their husband except in the dark. I wasn’t surprise as it was the second person that admitted the same thing.

SHE BROKE THE AGREEMENT – Chapter 2

Here is the continuation of the story I wrote titled “You would Do Anything for your loved one”, where it ended with the young lady was asked to be the surrogate for a child to a childless couple.

As there was no other alternative to help her father, she has to accept the offer to be a surrogate mother for. She made an agreement through a middleman and signs an agreement whereby when she delivered, the baby will be taken immediately and she will not see it again as she does not even know the identity of the childless couple.

She was given a place to stay by the family of the childless couple until she deliver the baby. She has to lie to her father and step-mother that a friend has a job for her in China and the offer is hard to reject as the salary is high. As her stomach became bigger she became confuse of her feeling toward the unborn child and she seldom talk to the child in her womb. By the time she was nine month pregnant, she was really attached to the unborn child and decided to run away from the house. She did not know where to go after leaving the house and decided to go to her grandmother for her help.

The grandmother was surprised to see her granddaughter pregnant and after persuasion, she relented to her and let her stay with her after reasoning her action she took.

Unaware of the step taken by the ‘middleman’ to find her she was found at her grandmother’s house in labour and subsequently sent to the hospital with the ‘middleman’ securing her until her delivery. She delivered a healthy baby boy and was breastfeed by her against the agreement made but the baby was taken away when she was asleep. She was frantically looking for her baby when she woke up and run away from the maternity hospital to look for her but all was lost as all her contact with the ‘middleman’ was disconnected.

It was three years later that her life was back to normal but every time she saw a small boy, she remembers the baby she delivered. Did she meet a boy that she thought was her baby?

To be continued .....

WHO WOULD HELP THEM IF WE DO NOT HELP THEM

A very rich man was sad that the local youth especially those living in the remote villages were unable to get a job although they have the same qualification as the others. Most of the time they applied for any vacancy in the public sector especially in the government department but they always received unfavourable results. I hope the government department are not biased to any particular group of people and only cater for a particular group.

These youth applied to the private sector but you must know that the Chinese will only recruit workers either they are good in Mandarin and can speak English very well. So the youth from the remote villagers have no way to go and unable to lift the standard of living of them and their family.

One day this very rich guy opens up an office and tried to help some of the youth by giving them job and see how far they can do on the task given to them. They not only perform extremely well in standard but some of them further their studies with the help from the company owner until they succeeded in their studies.

If all the well to do people in our society do their bit in helping the poor or the youth from the remote villages to recruit them and gives them job and not depending too much from the government we will eradicate poverty amongst the society of our nation. This is really true as it happen and shared by people who knew the rich man.

YOU WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR YOUR LOVED ONE

Her mother passed away when he was a small girl and the only remembrance she had with her mother was a black and white picture of her which was the only one available. All her mother’s photos perished after the family house was gutted by fire. The only photo of her mother was given to her by her grandmother.

Her father remarried and they have two daughters, the oldest of the two step- sisters is one of a spoilt lady who always the favourite of their mother. How wrong was she all the time but she will not get scolded or apprehended and always shielded by her mother whenever her oldest sister scolded her. The youngest seem to be getting on well with her oldest step-sister.

They were the perfect family, except for the ever spoil step-sister until their father fell down one day and was rushed to the hospital. He was diagnosed with having liver problem and needed transplant urgently. All the children were tested for possible donor to their father. The spoilt daughter was the perfect match to donate part of her liver but it did not materialise due her being afraid as her reason. The mother was not too eager and forceful to make her spoil daughter to change her mind to donate her liver.

With the father being sick and without anyone of the children working and the extravagance of the spoilt daughter, the oldest daughter tried to look for money for the possible surgery for transplant. She successfully found a donor but without money to pay for the surgery and to pay for the donor it will not happen.

During one of her visit to the hospital a middle aged woman was observing her and more or less knew that she needed money. She decided that it is the right time to talk to her and offered her of any help. She didn’t pressure her anything at that time but if she needed help she could think about it and called her later. She was asked to be a surrogate mother of a childless couple.

Did she as a virgin and a young lady still in college took the offer? Wait for the next post....

READING 3 STORIES AT THE SAME TIME

If you would like to know what I do during my free time, I really like to read and watch serial drama but I read a lot.

Most of the time I am trying to find good free stories and it happened that I found one which is quite interesting. When I look for stories I would look for stories that have a lot of chapter and each chapter has a big file.

I’ve been reading this stories which have seventy chapters and by the look of it, the story is not yet completed and I think few chapter would be coming up. Usually when I read a story I will not read its synopsis of each chapter but decide to read on one of the chapter and read that another story was written related to the story but the main character portrayed was with the other individuals mention in the stories. Actually there were four different stories but all are related to the other stories and if you haven’t read the other stories then you will be lost of what the stories is all about.

Presently I am reading three of the stories and every now and then I will move to the other stories randomly depending on how the stories go. The stories main character as from the stories I read was concentrated on four characters that are the Governor (Daniel Sr) his son Josh, Jacob who was shot but later diagnose with having cancer and Eric who shot Jacob but given pardon by the governor and he later donated his kidney to Jacob. I haven’t started reading the other stories as I cannot have time for everything as I have to work.

At the same time I am watching serial drama (6 Disks) but I was contemplating of returning it back and get another but decided to watch it last Sunday. I was trying to absorb myself to the story line before and still I don’t like it very much but I don’t know what happen as when watching another chapter found it interesting. I decided to watch it again and probably will not return it. (I did posted here about the agreement I made with the shop selling the Disk)

I will give reviews of the drama I am watching now in my next posting.

ANOTHER RIDDLE

For some I go too fast, for others I am too slow, to most people I am an obsession, but relying on me is a well practical lesson.

What am I?

BERSIH - CLEANSING

Early morning of Saturday as usual I wake up and decided to have my breakfast at ‘WAN WAN RESTAURANT’ with sea food noodle, fish slice plus fish stomach. After I bought a newspaper and drove to the restaurant about three KM from Donggongon town but was stuck in a traffic jam. I saw there was a road block before the Pineapple roundabout less than a KM from the town centre by the traffic police.

I was wondering why there was a road block and remembered that there was a news report regarding a woman who jumps to her death at the new shopping complex (Donggongon town) after some misunderstanding with her friend. I thought there was some lead to the investigation and the police was blocking the road for that case. She was the second victim who jump from the complex after it was open to the public.

After passing the first road block, there was another road block near the Hongkod Koisaan building but at the other side of the road leading to Donggongon town. I saw there was many police personnel at the KDCA building which I think were their operation centre.

I was seated at the restaurant and after ordering my breakfast; I opened the newspaper and read about the advised by the police to the public not to get involved in the BERSIH RALLY 2.0. That was why the entire road blocks by the police force were enforced.

There were some who commented on the Facebook that they felt safe with all the road block which will deter bad people to do bad things and at least control the flow of illegal immigrant whereabouts.

It was reported in the newspaper that there was no illegal assembly that was held in Sabah according to the Sabah commissioner of police. In the national capital at least more than a thousand were roped in the illegal BERSIH rally.

THE REASON WHY HE CANNOT EAT SALTED FISH EVER

Yesterday my cousin text me that our salted Ikan Terubuk fish which we ordered arrived from Kuching and ask me to get it. We asked a line dance friend who went to visit her daughter to look for the popular salted fish from Sarawak. I was introduced to this dried fish from a friend from Sarawak. I wrote an article about this salted fish in this blog. If you want to read it just google ‘ikan Terubuk’ and look for the title ‘Precious butiza-ikan Terubuk’ for faster search.

What I want to share with you guys is about what a friend told me about his visit to a factory dealing with the preparation of the salted fish. I was surprise with this friend not taking a piece of the salted fish served to us. He explained to us of what he saw during his visit to the factory.

According to this friend he saw the raw fish was put inside a big jar for processing or salted for certain duration of time and noticed that it was not properly covered. There he saw dead rats inside the jar which was trapped inside the half full jar and maggots crawling on the fish and dead rats. He cannot describe the smell and the cleanliness of the place. There and then that he decided not to eat salted fish ever.

So people out there if you are one that is crazy about salted fish, make sure you do not visit any salted fish factory in the future. Proceed eating salted fish but make sure to cook it well.

RIDDLE 2 & 3

A man was driving a black truck. He didn’t have his lights on and a lady was crossing the street.

How was he able to see the Lady?

The man invented it doesn’t want it. The man who bought it doesn’t need it. The man who needs it doesn’t know it.

What is it?

KADAZAN RITUAL - MOMODUNSAI

A neighbour passed away few days ago at around 6.00 o’ clock in the morning but only the sound of beaten gong was heard around 9.00 o’clock. That was a normal as a time to inform relatives to help with the family who just lost a dear family member would take time. In a Kadazan custom especially in Penampang, it is a must to beat the gong if someone passed away.

The ritual of beating the gong if someone passed away amongst the Kadazan Penampang is a must when someone passed away. It is taboo and no no to beat the ‘DUNSAI’ as you like. It is an eerie sound when you heard it whenever the gong is beaten to the sound of ‘DUNSAI'.

It was the first morning of the death of the person and before the sun rises and still dark say around 5.00 am, the ‘Dunsai’ or gong must be beaten. I was awakened by the unfamiliar sound of the gong beaten as some of the sound mixed with the sound of a normal gong beating as the ‘Sumazau’ beaten during a happy occasion. I realised that the gong beaters were not familiar with the ‘Dunsai’ beat, of which you have no time to learn the beating. The beating of the ‘Dunsai’ is not a hard to learn but depended on the individual to follow the tempo and one has the ability and passion to try it. If you can beat the normal beating of the gong then you have no problem beating of the ‘Dunsai’ sound. Dunsai cannot be learn by beating any time you like but learned it on the actual time when the deceased inside the coffin. It is more worst if the number of gong beaters is less than six persons and whoever is available have to beat it.

With the passing of time and the conversion to Christianity by the Kadazan people this ritual will no longer be practiced in time to come much earlier. People will not wake up early in the morning just to beat the gong as some of us are getting ready for work and to manage the children for the school.

The reason of why the beating of the ‘Dunsai’ in the Penampang district is not clear as other Kadazan people in other district does not practice it. What I believed and conclude about it is their way to inform the people nearby of the death of someone during the time of which no communication was available to inform relatives and friends about the death.

As there are available caretaker for the dead, I believed when we are short of people to help there is always the caretaker to help whatever we need them to take care. They can do anything even to cry for the deceased.

RIDDLE

Let's say I have two coins in my hand. You add two coins together and it total out to fifty five cents. But one of the two coins isn't a nickle. So what are my two coins?

TANAK KAMPUNG LYRICS PORTRAYS KADAZANDUSUN PEOPLE DEFEATIST

I was curious of what the main menu of today’s newspaper portrays when I bought it this morning. It has to wait as I read through the front page of the newspaper of where ex minister break his fast from food with bread and honey. He was fasting for the past week or so to dispute the government to reinstate his pension and the biased towards his race for employment, scholarship and many other issues.

The article quoted a public figure commenting a very popular song entitled Tanak Kampung (Village Boy) penned and sung by Jimmy Palikat. He commented that the wordings are a bit worrying since the ‘individual’ referred to in the song is portrayed as a defeatists and has resigned to the fact that he was poor.

I defer to the views made as it is only a song and any wording or lyrics penned was just a way to attract the attention of listeners to the song. If we listen and understand the wording carefully we will find the ‘individual’ mentioned in the song does not want his girlfriend to marry him and suffer later with his village life.

Though his view regarding the song without motivational elements it doesn’t reflect the character of its people or a step backward for the promotion of the local music industry especially Kadazandusun songs. The singer should be commended as he become popular through his entertaining songs through hard work compared to reality singers who instantly become popular after the reality show ended.

Disregard all negative comments for what is most important thing to survive in this industry (local music) is to look for the type of music gentre most like by the peolple. It is alright to maintain your style of music or lyrics as long as the majority of the people appreciate your songs.

WEDDING RECEPTION – My Thought to share

Almost every weekend the community halls in Penampang district are booked six months in advance for a wedding reception. The most popular community hall is the KDCA hall and Tun Fuad community centre and followed by the Cultural centre hall. If they cannot book it on weekends then they will try to get their reception on Friday evening. That is how popular community hall in Penampang for wedding reception.

After attending so many wedding receptions at these venues, I would like to share of what I’ve seen or experience when attending these reception. It’s more of the characters of the guests, how the reception was organised and whatever was captured by my eyes.

Gone are the time of waiting your guests to leave your house (if reception held at the house) as when the time of the reception ended, let say 5.00 pm you can leave the reception hall as the guests knew the time was up. It is up to the host of the reception to proceed with the partying with family members and close relatives at their house.

If you had attended any wedding functions at these places, you will know the programmes by heart by now as there will be entrance of the married couple, cutting of the cake, tossing and short speech by the host and a song by the married couple. (Most Sabahan can sing during wedding reception. Worst after consuming local brew lol).

BRINGING YOUR OWN FOOD & COWBOY ATTIRE

Have you thought of bringing your own food to a wedding reception? You won’t believe it but it does happen and I myself had the opportunity to share with them the food but it happen in another function not related to a wedding reception. I really respected this group of friends and people who know them in no way surprised of their way of bringing own food. They will bring healthy traditional food put in a containers put inside an oversize handbags. No wonder they look younger as they are selective of the food they’re eating.

It was mid-way of the reception when a group of ladies entered the hall dressed in a cowboy outfit and they really looked like what we saw on the film but smaller version (Asian size ...lol). It reminds me of my company’s Award night a fortnight ago which everybody donning F1 attire or colours. It may be good to ask your family members of the married couple to don cowboy outfit for any intending couple for their coming wedding reception.

FOREIGN GUESTS

Last weekend I attended a wedding reception and saw two European amongst the crowd and they seem lost especially the woman. I saw the woman not really comfortable because of the loud music and foreign songs to her. The young teenage boy of below twenty seems enjoying himself with free flowing of beer in his grips and in no time doing the Sumazau dance with his modified dance. He really enjoying himself but I was to understand that he fall inside a drain afterwards. If that was true than he really enjoyed himself or rather experienced culture shock.

BAD HABIT

Ever noticed individuals wearing short trouser and wearing slippers to a wedding reception and usually these types of people will sit near the bar. I don’t know whether this people were invited to the reception but what I gather is that they are not invited. Those are the group of people without principle and shame. They are disgraceful to the society and not respectful to the host and their family. The disadvantages of hosting your reception in an open public hall are that you cannot control people from coming in especially from people who disgrace themselves.

NO .. NO

Make sure your food enough for your invited guests and seldom as I experienced that the food was not enough to the guests. It is alright that your alcoholic drink is not enough rather than your food.

RACE TO THE TOP VS RACE FROM KKIA (KK AIRPORT) TARMAC

I was selected to attend my company’s award night at the national capital last weekend with a theme Formula 1 ‘Race to the top’ and the attire of the night was F1 team Attire or F1 team colours. To be on the safe side, I decided only to wear white shirt. I was overwhelmed by the response of the attire worn as almost everyone was wearing F1 team attire and colours. There were few states groups donning the same attire. Unfortunately our group from Sabah was not well organised and worst off as we were scattered all over the hall.

It was indeed like I was at the Formula 1 racing circuit as 5 replicas of the F1 cars was displayed at the entrance of the hall. The music, the backdrop and everything else was about formula 1 and indeed it open my eyes to attend the formula 1 race at the Sepang international circuit one day.

It was indeed a well done job by the organising committee who look after the transportation and accommodation. We were like a VVIP when we step out of the plane and were ushered to the hotel before sending us to the ‘hall of fame’ where all the events were held. It was the same when the event was completed.

FLIGHT DELAYED

My flight to the national capital was delayed for 3 hours but the worst thing was that we were called for boarding after an hour wait at the terminal. We were on board the plane for 2 hours to wait for the connecting passengers from China. Imagine how uncomfortable it was without the air conditioner on full blast. It was really hot inside and the worst was that I was seated near the end of the plane where the toilet was situated. I think we were the coolest passengers because nobody complains vocally but remain seated just complaining to your friends and telling jokes that we were in a low budget aeroplane company. Actually we were not at the terminal 2 of the Kota Kinabalu international airport.

It was merely two hours inside that humid plane and I was assessing the situation and a thought came up about the feeling and condition of the people who had experienced a situation of where the plane was hijacked.


It was at 3.30pm that the plane moved and it was a relieved as any more delay will make us missed or late for the event. The captain voice came up again for another announcement informing passengers about another delay;

Captain : Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and girls, Due to the heavy traffic we are in the sequence 5 for the take off and it will take from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. Please bear with us and we are sorry for the inconvenience.

Thank you.

It was almost 8.00pm that we reached the event being held and we didn’t missed anything but felt tired due to the unforeseen circumstances.