s u n n y s i d e u p.

.
I'm sure you are familiar with that sms message.  Well--in a way the message will make somebody rich ---but unfortunately , ITS NOT YOU !

Let me relate to you what happened to somebody I know.

She received the message that she has won RM ????? from the national petroleum company and that she should call a particular number for confirmation and claims.

And she did something she has regretted very much. I asked her to relate to me what exactly happened but she could only remembered vaguely. Anway, the outline of events is like this :

- she was asked to call a number
- she was asked to go to an ATM machine
- (this parts she could not remember or understandhow it happened) she gave her PIN number.
- I know her - and she is not the type to do such a silly thing, I mean nobody would !
- she forgot where she was but when  she checked her account and..
- RM2000 WAS WITHDRAWN -- BUT NOT BY HER.
- now just think about that !

Anyway next day she went to the Bank to change her pin number and this was what she was told.

- the phone number is an Indonesian number
- the withdrawal was done by phone-banking
 
Well, there you are. She may be poorer by RM2000, but she's definitely wiser !

I leave it to you to identify the lesson to be remembered here!!!

.
I have nothing against motorcycles. It’s the antics and attitude of some motor-cyclists that really really got me mad. I am sure I’m not the only one who feels that way!

Before any student who are motorcyclists protest with my statement---do note that I use the term ‘some’ and I do hope you are not in this category.

My skirmishes with these mad monsters have been uncountable. Swerving in and out between cars is quite common.. The darndest thing is that we are the ones who have to avoid them so as not to hurt them. It is most ironical that we saved them from being admitted into the hospital just so they can go round terrifying others the next day !
Sometimes I wonder if……….mmmm, I’d better left that unsaid!

In just 6 months, this is what my son, daughter and I have to put with these menace.

1) My Waja’s right wing mirror was hit by a speeding motorcyclist’s wing mirror. I was lucky mine wasn’t damaged other than badly scratched.----and I wasn’t even moving as I was waiting for the traffic lights to turn green.



2) The sill below the driver’s door of my Waja was badly struck by a motorcyclist starters pedal – leaving a bad gash . Again , I was stationary at a pedestrian’s crossing waiting for the lights to turn green when this idiot came speeding , realized some children crossing and skidded when he applied the emergency brakes.



3) And of course the incident that I wrote about in one of my postings.


4) Yesterday, my daughter’s Persona left rear lights was broken when a stupid motorcyclist hit the back while speeding and swerving between cars.

5) My son’s BMW front right fender was badly hit by an idiotic motorcyclist who swerved in front of his car after attempting to OVERTAKE ! The worst part is that when my son went to check whether he was injured, the idiot was shouting for “Keadilan “ ??????? wtf (I just had to use that –1000 apologies. )


ALL  THESE IN 6 MONTHS!!!!!. I AM TEMPTED TO GET AN OLD TANKER LIKE AN OLD VOLVO AND STOP TRYING TO AVOID THEM IN FUTURE.

THERE –I HAVE SAID IT!

Ps. I hasten to remind readers that I am talking about SOME motorcyclists –which is also many.

.

I forgot to mention this..

Whilst in the hospital, I remember one night when all of a sudden there was a smell of someone smoking. Now, this ward was specially for heart cases--and all of us were ex-smokers (not by choice at that time ).

Then we saw someone whose bed was by the windows. We could see him puffing and blowing the smoke out of the windows. That was a ridiculous scene.

Somebody yelled for the nurse and doctor to complain about him. Soon a doctor came. He came to the patient next to my bed , looked at the guilty smoker, shook his head and told us. "Let him smoke--its probably his last because there is nothing we can do for him. He has been smoking .............(a certain Indonesian cigarette) for many many years and all his arteries have gone brittle. "

Next morning the nurse found him ---dead.

ps. (brittle---easily broken like a twig or stick )

If, with these postings  some people have decided to really give up smoking seriously---then I may have saved that person from a possible heart attack in the NEAR future.  (This tragedy has NO AGE LIMIT !!!)

THE ATTACK !
May 1995. It was about two weeks after my son had left for UK. It was a Sunday. Had lunch of ‘real rich masak lemak cilli padi’.

Immediately after lunch, I started to feel very uneasy. Thought it was the ‘cilli padi’ , so went to the toilet. Nothing changed. Then I started to sweat – I mean really sweat, like I had just ran a marathon or something.

My shirt was all wet. Then I started to feel a general pain at my chest. I could not pin-point the exact spot. I felt very uneasy. I called my neighbour to take me to a clinic.

As soon as the doctor saw me, he gave me a pill to be put under my tongue and told me to go to the hospital immediately. I, in fact owed my life to him. By then the pain was getting unbearable but for once I could breath in a full lungful instead of just 25% of breathing in.

At the hospital I was put in the emergency list. All I could remember was asking the doctor to give me something to ease the pain. Next I lost consciousness. That was about 5.00 pm.

When I regain conscious, it was. about 9.00 pm. I was already warded in the Intensive Care Unit. Family and friends were by my bedside.. I felt normal as if nothing had happened. But I could see all the monitoring devices around me.

Later a doctor came to explain about my medical condition, and that was the beginning of my battle to accept reality. I just would not accept the fact that I had a heart-attack. Later, I read in a book – and I read a lot of books, pamphlets, and anything that I could grab hold of, that this is the denial stage – where you deny or refused to believe what had happened to you.. I spent two weeks in hospital.

The Treatment
Anyway, after less than 2 months, I went through a non-invasive operation called angioplasty. I’m not sure about the technical detail, but my blockage was cleared by ballooning whereby they expanded the part of my artery which suffered the block.

I couldn’t believe the effect of the operation. I could talk normally without panting,. I could walk my normal pace though not exactly my previous distance.

The New Life.
I felt as if I had been given a second lease of life. That was when I told myself that I must change my life-style. Changes ?
- First and foremost, I gave up smoking and threw away all the ash-trays in my house
- Next to be thrown out were my millions of lighters found nearly everywhere in my house
- I stopped taking condensed milk
- I had to give up my coffee—which was far more difficult than giving up smoking. I tried switching to decaf—but it was never the same
- I stopped taking fatty food
- I learned to control my stress-level
- More conscious of my diet – though not of my eating.

On a lighter side, I enforced a strict ‘No Smoking’ rule in the office --- much to the annoyance of the smokers who branded me as a ‘traitor’ ---heheheh !!!

And with all these, Alhamdulillah – I am a far healthier person than I was.

So to my friends and to those who know me and still smoke – cigarette anyone ?

This post has been taken off so as to avoid any misunderstanding and misinterpretation. However I have reproduced my reply to the comments.

(the first comment)
Thanks for the comments.Well the 'all this'  (your word) wasn't mentioned at all in my posting. If you refer to my first posting, on this subject your answer is there. There's really nothing new in today's posting .Its more a consolidation after 2 months.

The message is still the same.

I think giving ideas and 'influences' (your word) are two different things altogether.

As to 'how', I guess if you think and contribute positively it is easy to come up with ideas (not 'influence' ya, )---and pass it on to me ya--heheh

As to getting ideas for your blog, I am sure you ARE in a position to get that , right !

So , will I expect to see more postings in your blog -hihihi

Oh by the way---i hope you have read the one today where I started with "... inspired by su3zy'

(the second comment)
To me it is a compliment and i still thank you .

.

Inspired by su3zy’s posting, this is my ordeal.

THE BACKGROUND
They say heart-attacks happen suddenly !! They are wrong !

They say exercise can stop you from having heart attacks.!! Again they are wrong. Exercise may only strengthen you to fight it to survive.

They say it is heriditary . They are right.

They say stress can lead to heart-attacks. This could be. It depends on the types of stress, the degree and so on.

They say smoking can lead to heart attacks . THIS, THEY ARE RIGHT !!

I HAD ALL OF THE ABOVE BEFORE MY ATTACK !

EXERCISE ?
I was a gymnastics trainer when I was in the Teachers’ College. Extremely involved in athletics as an athlete and coach. Played volley-ball , tennis, squash, table-tennis, badminton, a regular jogger . did lots of exercises ( and still do , in some way ). In short, I was just a jack of all sports though master of none.

But as a health freak I failed miserably because I WAS ALSO A SMOKER !

STRESS ?
In the mid-90s , I was holding one of the top positions in a company caught in the growth of a new industry. The pressure was there . Without going into too much detail, suffice to say that I was ‘caught and deeply involved’ in the job.
‘Time’ has no meaning to me. As long as I could keep myself awake—I will be doing some work

THE EARLY SIGNS !
Looking back, 4 years before my heart-attack, my body had given me the warnings of what was to come. But I never took them seriously. I kept telling myself –“ Naw—it couldn’t happen to me. I’m still young and I'm totally fit. “.
Fact is, I was only fooling myself because I knew that I was a high risk in this game . The cards was stacked against me.

---- I had family history of heart disease
---- I was a smoker
---- I was eating food which could only be considered as suicidal—fatty and oily
----I was a fool to think that my active sports life would prevent me from a heart-attack..

Sign 1 –
whilst having lunch, I had a shortness of breath. I could only manage short quick breathing. It was scary and I was panicking. But I thought it could be because the restaurant was stuffy. So I went out for fresh air and it slowly got better. So I just shrugged it off and ignored it. After a few months, it happened again. This time I went to a doctor. Had my ECG test done and was told by my doctor that it could be “msg syndrome” caused by too much consumption of restaurant food with high content of msg. Well , ok, that’s not bad at all. Boy! Was I fooling myself !

Sign 2 - .
A pain on my left shoulder blade that wouldn’t go away. Numerous visits to types of clinics , countless visits to massauers. Bottles and bottles of oil and piain-killing pills. The pain was a mixture of tiredness and extreme pain . And it would so bad that I used a table-tennis bat to whack my shoulder blades. Then it became occasional and once again I was lulled into that false security again.

Sign 3 –
Difficulty to sleep because of breathing problems.


The trouble is I always thought that each sign is a different and separate problem in my body. I never thought that all these were actually caused by ONE factor – the heart. ( That idiom ‘heart of the matter’ really hits it right on !)



So that is the background to my real ordeal which will be in my next posting - the heart-attack. How does it feel ! What do you feel – physically and psychologically! Your battle to accept the truth ! and so on…

This was held on Thursday 24th. July 2008. Again, another productive session, thrashing out the programme and other nitty-gritty stuff. And again, committee members have been excellent in contributing ideas and suggestions.

The Committee has also listed down things that participants would have to bring. We also agree that we should have a pre-camp briefing.

The main idea is to make full use of the little time that we have at Rock Era Resort. So we have scrapped the two-hour or so of briefing and allocation on groups on the first morning and instead have it during the pre-briefing.

Anyway, to the Committee, the biggest test would be on 28th. July (Monday) which is the closing date of the submission of the forms. The signs are that there'll may well be more than the 50 planned places. So we are actually playing it by ear and see the development.

Then only could we finalize other arrangements like the allocation of tents and so on.

Okay. TAFN. Look for more updates

August Coming..

Thankfully we had the first meeting of the above Committee last night. It was a productive meeting. The Committee has come up with some good ideas in making this camp a reality for all of us. (We really should have done this before – but never mind, at least its better now than never!)

I’m also glad to say that our sense of humour prevailed throughout the meeting and makes it more pleasant and even enjoyable !

Anyway we have come out with the registration form and the committee will be meeting every other day to thrash out all the cob-webs just so things will run smoothly.

I have reproduced the 'Notes' from the registration form and hopefully the info would help.The registration form is available from this blogger. You know where to get him.


Notes

1. Selection for the camp will be on first come first serve basis, and places are limited to 50 participants.

2. This form is to be submitted to Mr. Mus by 28th. July together with the full fees (Camping) or the deposit of RM10/-.

3. Deposits are non-refundable.

4. The balance of RM 40/_ (Camping fees) is to be paid by 4th. August 2008.

5. Transport will be decided later and you will be duly informed.

6. Departure will be on Saturday 23rd. August 2008 at 8.00am from the Hostel Main Gate.

7. We will leave for home after lunch on 24th. August 2008.

8. You are advised to bring light snacks.

9. For the Camp, you will be provided with tents, 5 meals ( lunch, dinner, night drink, breakfast, lunch )

10. Please give your full cooperation to the Organizing Committee so that we can all have a memorable time.

11. The Organizers would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation.

I really don’t know where to begin ….honestly.

So now I hear someone is spreading the rumour that Ulu Yam is ‘keras’ –by Malay traditional beliefs.

Lets be objective, sensible  and logical about this

First and foremost, lets suppose  that there is such a thing as ‘keras’ as an adjective of a place.—

1) There are many places in Malaysia considered as ‘keras’. So whats the difference between Ulu Yam and perhaps Cosmopoint ? Or for that matter KLCC ? Or the hospitals ? Or even the house of this person who started this rumour ?

2) The camp-site is fully utilized fully every week-end by students from primary achools to students of IPTAs.. How many cases of victims do we read or hear of as the effect of this ‘keras’ness, that this person speaks about ?

3) To me the main point is your intention or ‘niat’ of going to this place. Ask yourself this?

4) Even if whatever happens , it happens  and it can happen anywhere in the world , not just Ulu Yam (whatever it maybe –and perhaps this person could be more specific and say exactly what will happen )


OK—and now my point of view.

1) All this reminds me of one of the stories that I made you all tell when you were in Semester 1. It is called The Fox And The Grapes. And the the message of the story is –do not be a sour grape.

2) If you are not interested in going , fine nobody’s forcing you., so like I said in my earlier posting –LIVE AND LET LIVE.


3) If you are not happy in case your friend/s are going , and you didn’t like the idea then, that’s your problem !

4) TO WHOEVER YOU ARE - THANKS –BUT NO THANKS FOR YOUR ‘CONCERN’ FOR US – BECAUSE I DO NOT SEE ANY SINCERITY IN YOUR ACTION!


FOR YOUR INFORMATION---WE ARE GOING. SO – EAT YOUR HEART OUT FRIEND !

Thanks kumicha.


 I would like to post this comment from kumicha which is my exact sentiment as well. I could not put it any better. Thanks again k.


" Since we hv visited kemensah, i think it wld b useful to try n look at some more other place.

For those who r familiar with d area of KL n Slngor..pls3x..try to reach us or directly to mr mus.coz we r are desperately running out of idea + time thinking about the best place to go.

Come on guys!! its ur money, so u deserve the better 1, a place tht meets ur satisfaction.

The trip is prepared specially 4 u.so pls3x.. cooperate & show some contribution. "


.

I have had some initial discussion and there are quite a few hiccups we have to face. The priority issues of this function are :



1) Budget

2)Location

3)Must be done in August as the Fasting month starts in September

It is possible that the number of participants have to be be limited to 50 . The payment depends on the place and the number of people.



As starters, a visit was made to Kemansah, a place situated behind Zoo Negara. Theres a stream and waterfalls although the access is quite a walk. There are two possible sites. The attraction of this place is that it is near and we could save on transportation expenses. But of course there are other disadvantages which will be revealed later.

Places suggested are being considered and look out for more updates



Anway kumica, otaku, I-me-myself and ...me...!!!? and this blogger went to have a look at Kemensah.

  

Today is a sad day for me. I have lost another friend - Tiger. Just when you thought you have recovered from the shock of losing your pet-cat --- WHAM !--you lose another one. 

He was a gentle cat. After losing three of his siblings, he was all alone . Then his mother gave birth to another 4 kittens. Tiger, was then looking after the four siblings. He would lick them, kept them clean and would not eat after all his siblings had eaten.

In short, I feel that had Tiger been a human , he would have been one of the most loving and lovable person to all those around him. But then, he was already that as a cat.

What saddens me most is that when I visited my sister yesterday evening, he was waiting for me on the concrete gate post---something he had not done for almost two months since my sister's return from UK.

You see I fed and looked after Tiger and siblings whenever my sister was in UK. And the gate post was  his favourite waiting spot, waiting for me to visit them after office hour .

So anyway yesterday he was waiting for me . Took him in the house and he was in a playful mood. Took photos of him and I was just enjoying his company.

This morning , I received a call from my sister informing me of Tiger's death. Apparently he was attacked by about 4 wild dogs at about 4.00 am in the morning.  Its deja vu all over.

Anyway , Tiger is buried now and to me, he would join Mana in my mind to be part of my fondest memories .

Tiger --good-bye my dear friend I will miss you as much as I'm missing Mana.

. By the way, I'm much obliged to the kind soul who had  sent me words of comfort, consolation and courage while I was driving home to Tiger. Thanks.

However , it is quite impossible to arrange a general meeting to discuss this. So I would like to use this blog to find out about your feeling on this and also to get your suggestions and ideas.

Then I will get a few representatives to form a committee to organize this. ( sounds like ENG 401 practical ya, but this is the REAL thing. )

The song is only too familiar, but when you found out that these two guys come from different continents, (North America and Europe), have never met each other, ..
and still come out with this performance of this song !

---You can only watch them in awe ! Read on and listen to them here.

A group of words whose meaning is often different from the normal meaning is called an idiom.

Let us look at the word “heart” and how, when used differently in idioms, will give different meanings.

We know that the word ‘heart’ means an organ in our body which pumps and circulates blood in our body.

However lets look at this:

• to set your heart at rest - stop worrying about something
• to be soft hearted - to be sympathetic
• to have a heart of gold - to care about other people
• to have a big heart - to be giving, caring
• to be cold-hearted -lacking in sympathy , uncaring
• to cry your heart out - to cry a lot and feel really badly about something
• to eat your heart out - to be jealous of someone
• from the bottom of your heart - to really mean something
• to have a change of heart -to change your mind
• to have a heart - to be compassionate, to care about other people
• to have your heart in your mouth- to be scared or nervous
• to have your heart set on something - to really want something
• to be broken-hearted – to be sad over an ended relationship
• to have a heart-to-heart talk – to have a serious and sincere discussion
• to get to the heart of the matter – to get to the main point
• to take heart – to be confident or courageous

Now try to figure out what the following sentences mean !:

• I didn't have the heart to tell him he'd failed.
• My grandmother has a heart of gold and is always willing to help a stranger.
• Take heart, your father will get over his illness shortly!

...or you even might say to me :

"Sir - have a heart ! You're so good at bowling and I'm alway throwing balls into the gutter ("longkang" -as popularly used), so give us a handicap of 40 points. "

...and I might reply..

"Ok..you can set your heart at rest. I'll give you 50 points handicap ! "

...and you might reply..

" Oh thank you Sir -- you have a heart of gold ."


heheheheh! (See you all at the bowling tournament !!)

.

Just have to share one of my favourite melodies with you. Won't tell you what it is. Just hope to share it and hope you like it as well. Find it here.

          


I just found out that a bowling tournament is being organised. So when you all come back next week--why not join the tournament. It will be held on 2nd. August and I am sure it would be good fun.
See me if you want more details !! Of course I'm taking part as well. Which team ? I don't know myself although my regulars have told me that I am with them but we'll see if there are changes as I have not been to College the whole week (having my sem-break as well).

.

OK-after that horrendous mood, I'm much better. To those who cheered me up --thanks. 

I do not know why I am writing about car-sickness but to those who are affected by this here's something which I found . Anyway I have simplified it :

Motion sickness (car-sickness)

The symptoms : nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating, and a sense of feeling unwell).
• sometimes referred to as sea sickness or car sickness, is a very common disturbance of the inner ear that is caused by repeated motion. 
• motion sickness can develop from the movement of a car or from turbulence in an airplane. 
• The symptoms of motion sickness are nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating, and a sense of feeling unwell. 
• These symptoms arise from the inner ear (labyrinth) due to changes in one's sense of balance and equilibrium. 


The following tips can help you prevent or lessen the sickness: 
• Watch your consumption of foods, drinks. Avoid excessive foods or liquids that “do not agree with you” or make you feel unusually full.  
• Avoiding strong food odors may also help prevent nausea. 
• Try to choose a seat where you will experience the least motion. The middle of an airplane over the wing is the calmest area of an airplane. 
• Do not sit facing backwards from your direction of travel. 
• Sit in the front seat of a car. 
• Do not read while traveling if you are prone to motion sickness. 
• When traveling by car , it can sometimes help to keep your gaze fixed on the horizon or on a fixed point. 
• Open a vent or source of fresh air if possible. 
• There are over-the-counter medication available which can be a very effective preventive measure for short trips or for mild cases of motion sickness.

So-to those affected by this--I hope you'll never let it stop you from doing what you want to do--and -- your friends should , at least have a bottle of mineral water, box of tissues and some kind of medication to relieve the nauseating feeling ----oh, and a plastic bag would be helpful..

OK ! We all have our bad days ! Today is definitely mine !

I'm in a foul mood, p****d off and just ... !  Always played this whenever i'm in this mood. Just feel like running to the hills.

Ok--i've picked two of the best cover versions of the song  just for a change. Hope you like them.

Ok--I owe some peope an apology. I won't say why but enough to say that I will make it up to you ...

And to finsh off the sem and really really short break, heres something from one of my favourites.

I wont say what song and by whom---but this is from me for all those that i really know, just got to know, just know  and 'not-so-know'...g0 here  ...or to this version and  also here for the lyrics.

Found these photos which were taken on my birthday last year. They surprised me with a cake, card and candle -- after a class !

Ok--why pick this topic ! Well-why NOT this topic?  After all the semester is over.

Then you may well ask --"So what !!" There has been many "last Semester" before.

Haa--the difference with is this class (formerly Class 14 and 15), I have taught them from Semester 1 to this Semester 5 which is the last for their English programme.  Allow me to recall.

When these two classes first joined the programme, there was an acute shortage of English Lecturers. So I suggested that there should be combined classes. Thus ---Class 14 & Class 15 - just for English lectures.

Even then I forgot all about the first session with them as I had so many other classes to take care of and it slipped my mind. When Azura reminded me about it, I dragged my feet (only human --and a tired one too) to walk over to CIUC to have the first class in room 306.

Anyway when I met them for the first time on the third floor of Wisma Sachdev -- I see new faces. All looking lost but still eager. A girl came in late and sheepishly apologised and took her seat. 

Oh you people looked so lost . Some of you looked like little babies, well, that is an exageration, not babies, but todlers ---on the first day of kindergarten.heheheh. I was so afraid that if I shout suddenly, some of you might burst in tears.

Some of you looked at me suspiciously. Really. You'd probably were saying in your head, 'alah boring nya dia ni....' Come on--thats true right ?  Some of  you seems so far away---probably thinking of your family back in Sabah --or boyfriend or girlfriend or your cats, your pet fish...

At that moment--I told myself that I'm going to change this quiet lot to a noisy , vociferous and talkative one. I want to see that most , if not all of you to be better speakers of English

I got everyone to introduce themselves and that was the beginning of a 5-semester sessions with you lot. But to you residents of Class 14  and 15 --- i enjoyed every session that I had  had with you. And I mean it.

General English lessons can be interesting. The role play, the public speaking session, the practical session --and you people can be a funny lot and makes teaching enjoyable. Everyone of you are different , and an individual in your own way.

I can't remember if I have ever lost my cool with you lot in class. Have I ?

 I could list the highlights of the last five semesters. In fact I did just now but decided to delete them.

Through this time , I did get to know better some of you. Some may decide to keep the distance --but I have no hard feeling about that. Some are too shy which is regretable. There are some that find it hard to break the ice. But I'm glad that there are those who are only beginning to open up. And I am glad about it. Its better late than never.

What ever it is, when our paths cross again in future, this is all i ask of you ---don't be a stranger and good luck in everything you do.

As for the other classes--a posting on you is next! Look out for it !

Listened to some cds last night and I took a liking for this particular song - especially its lyrics. Here it is.