Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Salam Aidil Adha


30th Ramadhan 1429H.

It has been a very beautiful month.
And a very successful one too.
It's been a very special Ramadhan, my best ever.
A Ramadhan that I will not forget.
I pray for many more to come.
And to be as beautiful as this one.

I am grateful that Syawal is here to be celebrated with all in the family.

I'll be driving back to KB in a short while.

Selamat Hari Raya kepada semua.
Ampun & maaf dari hujung rambut ke hujung kasut.

Semuga anda semua sentiasa diberkati & dirahmati olehNya.

Monday, September 29, 2008

M Nasir - Satu Hari Di Hari Raya

YESSSSS!!! I found one with lyrics!
Jommmm nyanyiiiii.... !

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Salam Dunia

My favourite lagu raya.

Suara tangis yang kau dengar
Memecah hari kudus ini
Adalah aku
Mengenang pemilikmu

Kita pohon kemenangan
Meroboh kota keakuan
Ini saatnya
Yang kunanti-nanti

Mereka yang dilanda derita
Redhalah harimu kan tiba
Cahaya kekasih yang benar
Menghapus segala api kemarahan

Salam dunia
Salam semua
Salam Hari Raya
Bersinar akhirnya
Salam dunia
Salam semua...
Salam Hari Raya
Bersinar akhirnya

Inilah hari kita
Tiada lagi rasa ketakutan

Mereka yang dilanda derita
Redhalah harimu kan tiba
Cahaya kekasih yang benar
Menghapus segala api kemarahan

Inilah hari kita
Tiada lagi rasa ketakutan

Inilah hari kita oh…

Salam dunia
Salam semua
Salam Hari Raya
Bersinar akhirnya
Salam dunia
Salam semua
Salam Hari Raya
Bersinar akhirnya

::

Quote of the Day : The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.
Woodrow Wilson

::

Monday, September 22, 2008

Ahmed Bukhatir's "Last Breath"

Ramadhan reminders.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Nuzul Quran

[Gambar : Masjid Besar Wangsa Maju yang dirasmikan pada 12hb Ogos 2008]
Ia adalah hari diturunkan Al-Quran oleh Allah SWT kepada Nabi Muhammad SAW ketika baginda sedang berkhalwat di Gua Hira' pada malam Jumaat bertepatan 17 Ramadan, tahun ke-41 kelahiran baginda.

Hari ini juga untuk kita menilai sejauh mana kita menghayati mukjizat Nabi Muhammad SAW ini dalam kehidupan seharian kita yang senantiasa penuh dengan tuntutan duniawi.


Ustaz saya berpesan, makanan roh ialah Al-Quran. Bahagian dalam roh ialah hati. Kekuatan akal itu datang dari hati.
Jika dalam hati tiada Al-Quran, ia ibarat rumah buruk yang tidak berpenghuni.

Jika kita mahu akal yang sentiasa segar, hidupkanlah Al-Quran kedalam hati kita. Membaca Quran berulang-ulang akan merangsang otak kiri (minda separa sedar) yang menjana ketenangan hati. Otak kiri ini akan merangsang otak kanan (minda kreatif).

Oleh sebab itu, maka orang yang selalu membaca Al-Quran akan lebih tenang jiwanya dan akan datang ilham kedalam hatinya dan menjadikan seseorang itu lebih kreatif.


Saya pernah mendengar jawapan seorang saudara baru, Professor dari Australia, apabila ditanya bagaiman dia boleh merasa tenang apabila mendengar bacaan Al-Quran sedangkan dia tidak mengetahui makna ayat2 yang dibaca ?

Katanya, "it's like a crying child upon hearing his mother's voice, he will immediately be pacified... and Quran is words from your Creator".
MasyaAllah...

Peringatan ini adalah terutama untuk diri saya sendiri dan juga sahabat2 saya sekalian. Jadikanlah pembacaan Al-Quran sebagai rutin harian kita terutama dibulan Ramadhan ya
ng mulia ini dimana Allah telah menjanjikan berbagai2 nikmat dihari akhirat nanti bagi mereka yang bertaqwa.

Hidupkanlah Al-Quran kedalam hati kita. Sesungguhnya ia mampu melapangkan hati dan meresapkan ketenangan kedalam jiwa kita.


Semuga Allah sentiasa memberi taufik dan hidayahNya kepada kita. Amin.

Wallahu a'lam.

NB:
Bagi mereka yang hanya mampu mendengar Al-quran kerana uzur atau tidak lancar membaca Al-Quran, saya galakkan anda mendengar bacaan yang sangat mendamaikan dari seorang Qari yang bernama Syeikh Mishary Rashid Al-Afasy.

Untuk melayari website Al-Afasy sila klik disini.

Beliau berasal dari Kuwait, seorang world-renowned Qari, Imam Masjid Al-Kabeer di Kuwait City dan juga penyanyi nasyid tanpa menggunakan alat muzik.

Syeikh Mishary Rashid Al-Afasy

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Weird


I still remember my teacher taught me the rule of thumb in English spelling " 'i' before 'e' except after 'c' ".
Then, they always have this 'exception to the rule' (eg. in spelling 'weird') which make all of us pening kepala
. Very weird language, they are.

Anyway... something weird happened this morning...
Went to bed at about 1.00am.

Woke up at 2.00am cos I heard something whispering on my left ear.

Woke up again at 2.45am cos got a missed call from a number I didn't recognised 019-963 xxxx.

Terjaga again at 4.00am cos again, I heard a voice called my name, this time on my right ear. Yeahh... right.

Look at the clock, 4.00am, and said, "God, please wake me up at 5.00am cos I am very sleepy today".


God granted my wish to continue sleeping and let me sleep even longer.


Woke up at 6.00am instead and ter-missed my sahur.

Moral of the story : Dibulan yang mulia ini... dah kena kejut pukul 4.00am tu rajin2lah bangun solat Tahajjud... kut2 rezeki terjumpa malam seribu bulan... iskk...kan dah rugi... :(


Friday, September 12, 2008

Advert Solat

This advert should make it to our national TV !

Thursday, September 11, 2008

I'm the slave by Sheikh Mishary Al-Afasy

Hope you enjoy this one !

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Soal & Jawab

KITA BERTANYA: KENAPA AKU DIUJI?

ALLAH MENJAWAB: "Apakah manusia itu mengira bahawa mereka dibiarkan saja mengatakan; "Kami telah beriman," sedangkan mereka tidak diuji? Dan sesungguhnya Kami telah menguji orang-orang yang sebelum mereka, maka sesungguhnya Allah mengetahui orang-orang yang benar dan sesungguhnya Dia mengetahui orang-orang yang dusta." Surah Al-Ankabut ayat 2-3

KITA BERTANYA: KENAPA AKU TIDAK DAPAT APA YANG AKU INGINKAN?

ALLAH MENJAWAB: "Boleh jadi kamu membenci sesuatu padahal ia amat baik bagimu, dan boleh jadi pula kamu menyukai sesuatu, padahal ia amat buruk bagimu,Allah mengetahui sedang kamu tidak mengetahui." Al-Baqarah ayat 216

KITA BERTANYA: KENAPA UJIAN SEBERAT INI?

ALLAH MENJAWAB: "Allah tidak membebani seseorang itu melainkan sesuai dengan kesanggupannya" Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 286

KITA BERTANYA: KENAPA MUDAH RASA SEDIH DAN KECEWA?

ALLAH MENJAWAB: "Janganlah kamu bersikap lemah, dan janganlah pula kamu bersedih hati, padahal kamulah orang-orang yang paling tinggi darjatnya, jika kamu orang-orang yang beriman" Surah Ali-Imran ayat 139

KITA BERTANYA: KENAPA MESTI BERSABAR?

ALLAH MENJAWAB: "Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Bersabarlah kamu (menghadapi segala kesukaran dalam mengerjakan perkara-perkara yang berkebajikan), dan kuatkanlah kesabaran kamu lebih daripada kesabaran musuh, di medan perjuangan), dan bersedialah (dengan kekuatan pertahanan di daerah-daerah sempadan) serta bertaqwalah kamu kepada Allah, supaya kamu berjaya (mencapai kemenangan)" Surah Ali-Imran ayat 200

KITA BERTANYA: BAGAIMANA HARUS AKU MENGHADAPINYA?

ALLAH MENJAWAB: "Dan mintalah pertolongan (kepada Allah) dengan jalan sabar dan mengerjakan sembahyang; dan sesungguhnya sembahyang itu amatlah berat kecuali kepada orang-orang yang khusyuk" Al-Baqarah ayat 45

KITA BERTANYA:APA YANG AKU DAPAT DARIPADA SEMUA INI?

ALLAH MENJAWAB: "Sesungguhnya Allah telah membeli dari orang-orang mukmin, diri, harta mereka dengan memberikan syurga untuk mereka..." Surah At-Taubah ayat 111

KITA BERTANYA: BAGAIMANA JIKA AKU TIDAK MAMPU BERTAHAN?

ALLAH MENJAWAB: "dan janganlah kamu berputus asa dari rahmat Allah. Sesungguhnya tiada berputus asa dari rahmat Allah melainkan kaum yang kafir" Surah Yusuf ayat 12

KITA BERTANYA: KEPADA SIAPA AKU MESTI BERHARAP?

ALLAH MENJAWAB: "Cukuplah Allah bagiku, tidak ada Tuhan selain dariNya. Hanya kepadaNya aku bertawakkal." Surah At-Taubah ayat 129

::

Wallahu a'lam.

::

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Tentang Doa

[Photo: I forgot where I xerox this one from...! ]
"Bila Allah cepat makbulkan doamu, maka DIA menyayangimu.

Bila DIA lambat makbulkan doamu, maka DIA ingin mengujimu.

Bila DIA tidak makbulkan doamu, maka Dia merancang sesuatu yang lebih baik untukmu.

Oleh itu, sentiasalah bersangka baik pada Allah dalam apa jua keadaan pun..."

::


Quote of the day: "The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire" (John N. Mitchell)

::

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Iklan

Semalam, hari pertama Ramadhan 1429. Tinggal 29hari lagi sebelum hari Raya.

Semasa didalam kereta, saya terdengar iklan ini di radio :

"23sen sehari... nikmatilah tawaran hebat ini menyambut Syawal... C0urt*s Mmmth.."

Soalan:
1. Saya ingat lagu raya hanya boleh dimainkan pada minggu ketiga puasa. Begitu juga iklan, bukan?
Ataupun iklan sahaja dibenarkan tayangan awal, asalkan mereka bayar stesen penyiaran.

2. Anda rasa budaya hutang patut di hapuskan sama sekali ?

::

Saya suka tengok program agro produk terutama pembelaan kambing.

Selamat meneruskan puasa.

::

Quote of the day : "Wisdom is knowing when you can't be wise" (Paul Engle)

::

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Bazaar Ramadhan


Last month we were searching for a spot at any bazar Ramadhan which of course, is an impossible mission to accomplish. The bazaar is either taken up or being sublet at an exorbitant price. I heard some lots at Jln TAR was sublet at RM5K for the whole Ramadhan !

It is an open secret where people, the powers that be, have 10 lots booked under their spouses', siblings' and makneneks' name and in return get thier respective cut.

And we ? We just have tons of doa as our weapon.

When Bro Chef went to inquire the lots at UIA, they had 100 lots on offer but only two left for grabs. The next day when we went again to submit the forms, certs etc & pay for the lot, there's only ONE lot left. Ahhh.... it is still our rezeki. Syukurrr.... we are the 100th applicant.

I told Bro Chef, the millionaire M@wi is the 100th contestant when he was auditioning for @stro's AF. Sooooo..... maybe we'll also end up being filthy rich just like him, minus all the gossips of course. He he heee...

Anyway... we'll be at UIA Gombak Bazaar Ramadhan Lot No.84 from 2nd till 25th September 2008 and will be selling Nasi Kerabu & Nasi Minyak !

So to all my beloved readers, may I wish you all ....

Selamat Menyambut Bulan Ramadhan Al-Mubarak !


Quote of the Day : "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" (Eleanor Roosevelt).

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Kawan

Hello everybody... please meet my guppies! Guppies are good companion. They will always be there for you... You just have to feed them everyday ;-)


When I hear a friend having problems with another friend, all I can say is... at this age, I no longer have friendship problems. Just ignore those who have wronged you and leave. There is no point arguing about nothing.

You can easily spot fair weather friends. They will only appear when you have made a name. They are never near when you need them the most.

Life is all about choices. Choose wisely.

Nabi SAW bersabda yang bermaksud:

“Kawan pendamping yang salih ibarat penjual minyak wangi. Apabila dia tidak memberi minyak wangi, kamu akan mencium keharumannya.

Sedangkan kawan pendamping yang buruk ibarat tukang besi. Apabila kamu tidak dijilat oleh apinya, kamu akan terkena asapnya.”

(Hadis riwayat al-Bukhari)
.

Friday, August 8, 2008

08.08.08

[Photo : Our 'Beeeeloved' next door neighbour at Tok Li]
I am sure all hours in today's diary for Tok Imams, Tok Sami, Tok Paderi etc are all fully booked up. Everybody wants to mark this special date for the most memorable event in their life. We also have a catering order for a wedding ceremony tonight.

I still remember in 1988, August the 8th, the first princess of the second prince of Queen EIIR was induced to see the world (I still don't think it's a natural birth) so that she can have a birth cert with 08.08.88 number on it.

I know a lot of people will pay a lot of dosh just to have a No.8 on their car plate number.One tycoon even left a blank cheque at JPJ to have that number booked!

Our beeeeloved neighbour at Tok Li , instead of naming his eatery something like "Yee Kum Kee Curry Mee", has a signboard that simply has number "88888888" on it (as per above photo). The numbers were supposed to be for prosperity but... 8 months down the road (starting last week), they're now cutting down operating hours, closing at 4.00pm instead of the usual 12midnight.
(nb. I will tell you later why I call them our 'beeeeeloved' neighbour).

I, my brother & my niece, the three of us share the same birth date on April 28th. There is NO way I can afford a No.28 number plate... emmm...speaking of which... I don't mind taking over this black beauty at a Perdana's price. Read the story here.

Errr...what more to have that number plate with MY initials ! TA is yours truly, M is my dad's. and 28?? Hehhhh!

Photo courtesy (hehehhh) of The Star.

Quote of the Day : Think wrongly, if you please, but in all cases think for yourself.
Doris Lessing

Monday, July 14, 2008

Cocktails & Dreams

Back in 1995 (if i'm not mistaken), I remember watching Tom Cruise's movie "Cocktails" and his bar was named "Cocktails & Dreams". At that time I was a very poor student struggling to make ends meet in The Land of Four Seasons.

I was waiting at the table of a restaurant somewhere (I forgot the name of the place) in the corner of London and just for the fun of it, was picturing myself running one of my own. Together with Bro Chef, dreams became reality.

The regular question I got from people is "tak nak buka branch lagi satu?"
The reply would be a simple ...InsyaAllah.

Actually the vision is a lot further than just a branch. It would be nice to set up a place at Damansara area, also a Minang set up. Then the third one will be a diverse into Chinese-Thai cuisine, a nice restaurant with wooden floors plus a complete stainless steel kitchen (hehehh).

Then... we can start franchising ...and then venture into the Middle East !

Dreams are freeeee... you can dream whatever you want. So just keep on dreaming!

Motivational guru will always repeat this line, "what the mind can conceive, the body can achieve".


Just remember that it all starts with just a dream !

Quote of the Day : Talent does what it can; genius does what it must. Robert Bulwer-Lytton

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Quick Updates

When I started Journey Continues, I plan to write a lot more stuff about food and daily running of the restaurant. But... well... I will just write anything that flash through the mind ok ?

(If you want to read about daily running of the country, go elsewhere ok ! I am feeling nausea even at the mention of it, what more to blog about it!)

Anyway, may I welcome the new readers, especially my two siblings who are silent readers.

If you must know, what I've been doing for the past two months, it's pretty routine but interesting. We've got an overwhelming response on our corporate catering and I've been emailing & faxing quotation, invoicing and all the admin stuff... Brother Chef took care of the operation. In short, we have a good team running the business and it's definitely booming.

I must thank you, my readers, for recommending us by just through words of mouth. We've positioned ourselves well and has been our clients' preferred private corporate caterers !

There's no shortcut to success. Never ever. It is all pure hard work. Sometimes you may get to the top through shortcuts, potong queue etc but believe me, it will NOT last long cos there is no barakah.

I've gotta go now. My favourite prog on AFC has started. If you're interested in food business, you should watch how they started it all at "Opening Soon" on 703 at 11.30pm!

Tara!

Friday, June 27, 2008

Men Are From Mars

[Gambar hiasan]
I sent a text message to Bro Chef who is at the restaurant:

"Paper cups kat atas side table, client punya menu kat kaunter bawah alas meja, cash with me jap lagi singgah kedai, now tgh bayar bills".

Later at home :

Bro : "takde pon kain alas meja. I cari semua cerok tak jumpa. Thot u said u left some table cloth at the restaurant before u pegi bayar bills".

Me : "helllloooo.... I didn't leave any table cloth lerr... I left the MENU underneath the table cloth!"

Now I know he only read this "Paper cups kat atas side table, client punya menu kat kaunter bawah alas meja, cash with me jap lagi singgah kedai, now tgh bayar bills".

Moral of the story : Tell your male counterparts ONE story ONLY at a time.
Do you agree with me ?


Quote of the Day : Discontent is the first necessity of progress. Thomas A. Edison

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Tok Li featured in NST Today !!!

Thank you for recommending us !

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/TravelTimes/article/ShoppingGourmetTrail/20080616094431/Article/index_html

[Picture courtesy of NST online]

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Taken

My 'twin' brother, who obviously shared the same birth date with me, has tied the knot over the weekend.

Congratulations my dear brother... all of us wish you all the happiness in your brand new life...


Quote of the Day : History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies.
Alexis de Tocqueville

Monday, June 9, 2008

Average Malaysian

They say the super rich normally makes up 5% of our population. The rest are just the average and those below poverty line. The 95% will be the hardest hit by inflation.

As I was browsing to see what the average Joe thinks of the current petrol price hike, one comment in Tun M's blog (http://www.chedet.com/2008/06/oil-price.html) caught my eyes:

Corpetro said...

saya yg paling terkena bila minyak naik ni....ini disebabkan saya berulang alik dari cyberjaya ke melaka. Skrang ni pun belanja minyak + tol saya pi keje rm 1000 sebulan....itu minyak harga rm1.92 je....aku rasa klu dengan rate skrang ni rm 2.70 mau dekat rm 1500 untuk minyak kereta je!!!! kerajaan bg subsidi rm625 setahun tu cuma belanja minyak saya setengah bulan.

isteri saya pun tak sanggup tgk saya sakit poket ujung bulan, malam tadi beliau buat keputusan untuk berenti belajar. dan kami akan pindah balik ke Seri Kembangan ujung bulan ni. Satu keputusan yg amat menyedihkan, tapi kami terpaksa menerimanya. Nak duduk asrama, anak saya nak letak mana pula...tak terjaga.

Satu keluarga menangis mlm tadi. isteri nangis sebab dia kena berenti belajar, saya nangis sebab terharu dengan keputusan isteri, anak aku nangis sebab tgk mak ayah dia nangis...terima kasih kerajaan malaysia....

Untuk keluarga yg One Man income mcm saya ni, sure banyak effek...

Tariff elekrik pun akan naik tidak lama lagi, berikutan diesel naik rm 1.....ahhh...malas nak pk apa lagi yg akan naik....


Life must go on...

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Hahney

Her name is Hahney and she is up for grabs !

She's extremely cute & very fluffy! Hahney is just a few weeks old...

Would you adopt her ???


Friday, May 30, 2008

Quran Flash

I must share this superb website with you readers.

http://www.quranflash.com/en/quranflash.html

Enjoy !

Friday, May 23, 2008

Road Map

When I am about to visit a new location, I must always refer to a road map. I like to see the exact position of the place (eg. in which part of KL). That’s how my brain works ie. to see the big picture first. Then only I zoom in that tiny intended location that is sometimes not even mentioned in the big map.

It is very important for me to see the big picture first because just in case I missed a turn, I still know my bearing and can easily manoeuvre the next turn because I’ve got the idea of how to get there.

Instead of a map, using GPS is fairly easy but it is equivalent to using a calculator to solve a math problem (you get answer in split seconds without having to compute the arithmetic itself). You get to that location but you’ll probably not bother to see the big picture. A location will just be a GPS number code. If your GPS suddenly decide to fall dead on you, you’ll also be dead if you're about to attend an important meeting.

Likewise, you can use the same concept of seeing the big picture to understand & memorise the Quran. Before you even start with learning the first alphabet “alif”, you must appreciate that there are 114 Chapters (Surah) altogether in the Quran. It starts with the first chapter (Surah Al-Fatiha) and ends with the 114th chapter (Surah An-Naas).

Each chapters (Surah) has different number of verses (ayat). The shortest chapters (ie. Surah An-Nasr, Al-Kauthar, Al-‘Asr) all have 3 verses. The longest chapter (Surah Al-Baqarah) has 286 verses.

All these 114 chapters are grouped into 30 Juzuk (no.1 – 30). Since Chapter 2 (Surah Al-Baqarah) has 286 verses (telling a very long story), the verses spanned into 3 different Juzuk (Juzuk 1, 2 & 3).

The 30th Juzuk consists of Chapter 78 (Surah An-Naba) to Chapter 114 (Surah An-Naas). The 30th Juzuk is also known as “Juzuk Amma” (a.k.a Muqaddam). Juzuk Amma starts with Chapter 78 (Surah An-Naba) with the verses “Amma yatasaa alun...”.

Btw Surah Ya-sin is at Chapter 36 and has 83 verses.

It is good if you can memorise the names of all the chapters in number order (1 to 114). Yes, MEMORISE them all. Later, it will be easier for you to memorise the verses from one chapter to another.

Better still if you can remember how many verses are there in each chapter. Then you can proceed to read the first verses over & over again and try to remember the verses page by page. Once you do that... you’re just a few steps away to become a Hafiz/ah (InsyaAllah).

All you need to do now is to appreciate the road map & see the big picture first. Then slowly zoom into the minute details. The best thing to do is to read the Arabic verses side by side with the language translation. By this way, you can learn Arabic at the same time.

For those who have been reading Quran every single day, congratulations to you!

For those who have not, happy ‘Quran-Revisited’ day!

Monday, May 19, 2008

Surah Al-A'laa

No.87 - SURAH AL- A'LAA (The Most High) (19 ayat)

MAKNA AYAT

1. Bertasbihlah mensucikan nama Tuhanmu Yang Maha Tinggi (dari segala sifat-sifat kekurangan),

2. Yang telah menciptakan (sekelian makhlukNya) serta menyempurnakan kejadiannya dengan kelengkapan yang sesuai dengan keadaannya;

3. Dan yang telah mengatur (keadaan makhluk-makhlukNya ) serta memberikan hidayah petunjuk (ke jalan keselamatannya dan kesempurnaannya);

4. Dan yang telah mengeluarkan tumbuh-tumbuhan untuk binatang-binatang ternakan,

5. kemudian ia menjadikan (tumbuhan yang menghijau) itu kering - (berubah warnanya) kehitam-hitaman.

6. Kami sentiasa menjadikan engkau (wahai Muhammad) dapat membaca (Al-Quran yang diturunkan kepadamu - dengan perantaraan Jibril), sehingga engkau menghafaznya dan tidak lupa,

7. Kecuali apa yang dikehendaki Allah engkau lupakan; sesungguhnya Ia mengetahui (segala keadaan yang patut berlaku), yang nyata dan yang tersembunyi.

8. Dan Kami tetap memberi kemudahan kepadamu untuk (melaksanakan segala perkara) Ugama yang mudah diterima oleh akal yang sihat.

9. Oleh itu berilah peringatan (kepada umat manusia dengan ajaran Al-Quran), kalau-kalau peringatan berguna (dan sudah tentu berguna);

10. Kerana orang yang takut (melanggar perintah Allah) akan menerima peringatan itu;

11. Dan (sebaliknya) yang sangat celaka akan menjauhinya,

12. Dialah orang yang akan menderita bakaran neraka yang amat besar (azab seksanya),

13. Selain dari itu, ia tidak mati di dalamnya dan dan tidak pula hidup senang.

14. Sesungguhnya berjayalah orang yang - setelah menerima peringatan itu - berusaha membersihkan dirinya (dengan taat dan amal yang salih),

15. Dan menyebut-yebut dengan lidah dan hatinya akan nama Tuhannya, serta mengerjakan sembahyang (dengan kyusuk)

16. (tetapi kebanyakan kamu tidak melakukan yang demikian), bahkan kamu utamakan kehidupan dunia;

17. Padahal kehidupan akhirat lebi baik dan lebih kekal.

18. Sesungguhnya (keterangan-keterangan yang dinyatakan) ini ada (disebutkan) di dalam Kitab-Kitab yang terdahulu,

19. iaitu Kitab-kitab Nabi Ibrahim dan nabi Musa.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Twitblog

I should'nt be treating my Twitter like a blog. I've been updating Twitter more often than my blog. If I can update Twitter a few times a day, why not this blog ? The answer is because of simplicity. Twitter is simple. The more complicated ones (blog) is conveniently ignored.

The mind always works in complication when it comes to blog. So many stories to share. So many sentences to construct. So many vocab to consider. At the end of the day, nothing is written. It stays there in my CPU, the thinking kind I mean.

Writing this blog at the moment is interrupted by Mr Bourdain's adventure on the telly plus a call from Brother Chef few minutes ago asking for another quotation to be faxed ASAP to a client who always love to do a last minute order and end up us, the catering end, having to juggle two catering events in a day.

It didn't help with this constant coughing and regular visits to the sink to clear the flu phlegm.

But again, the mind always work in simplicity & kept on thinking of ways to keep it simple. Business wise or personal. Business wise, eg, how to get the government get cracking & get on with their job so that they can help to stabilise the cost of inflation. Yes, I am thinking of harga beras that kept eating into our margin.

At the end of the day, what all of us rakyat want is....to be happy !


Friday, May 9, 2008

About Choices

"In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility."
- Eleanor Roosevelt


"It has been said that the gate of history turns on small hinges, and so do people's lives. The choices we make determine our destiny."
- Thomas S. Monson

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

MIHAS 2008

Monday, April 28, 2008

Cukup Umur

Another year has passed. A very personal day to reflect on one's life achievements. Assessing the good & the bad.

It is always a day reminding me on how long more I've got left.

A lot indeed that I've still got to do.

That many thousands seconds that passed do not matter anymore. My wish is that I do not waste that many thousands seconds to come.

Today Brother Chef said Siakap Tiga Rasa is on the menu for the birthday celebration.

Hoorayyyyy !!!

.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Nasi Kandar Pokok Ubi


Stories will follow in a bit...

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Corporate Selangor

Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim has sworn in as the new Menteri Besar of Selangor.

When his name cropped up, Guthrie immediately flash through my mind.

Selamat menjalankan tugas Tan Sri. Running Selangor like you run the corporate world would be a great idea.

Monday, March 10, 2008

The Aftermath


I voted for my birthday party and Uncle Vellu got his worst ever birthday celebration. :) Well, that's too bad Uncle Vellu. I am sure many people like me are still sore about the LDP toll rates at Sri Damansara. The 60% increase from RM1 to RM1.60 is too much for us to bear every single day. TWICE a day!

It's definitely going to be quite an interesting 5 years. I wanted to see how the new MBs are going to address common complaints especially that involves the rakyats pockets. Owhh.. I also wanted to see the bungalow with many rooms in Pandamaran, Klang being investigated and parties involved being charged. I hope no documents (hence the evidence) are being destroyed during the handover.

The minister who accused "bloggers syok sendiri" is also eating his heart out by now. That minister not only lost his seat, but probably lost his sleep too. Like it or not, bloggers DO have cyber powers that translated into votes.

Congratulations to bloggers who won. If you didn't deliver, we'll definitely vote you out in the next round just like the fate of few ministers. Fuhh... biggest casualties ever in history ! Owhh btw, I think the Shah Alam MP lost his because of many reasons especially flood in TTDI Jaya which has cost millions of Ringgit to the house owners (including my sister's!). Thank you for NOT listening to the rakyat!

Few years back I see blogger Nik Nazmi as one of our future leaders though I didn't fancy him working with his current boss. Having won the N32 Seri Setia state seat, I now see Nik Nazmi as the future Prime Minister. The young blood (he's only 26) who reads widely and certainly has great vision, also has photographic skill which I admire.

I've got only one thing to say about managing people. No doubt it is the most difficult task. Doesn't matter whether it's just a small establishment (managing 14 staff in a small restaurant) or dealing with thousands of rakyat, just remember that when you deal with the people, it's their pockets that you've got to think first. If you didn't care about mending the big hole in their pocket, you're not going to be their Wakil Rakyat in the next round.

Last but not least, Penang's Chief Minister stepped down voluntarily and taking the blame on his party's defeat. I sincerely hope our PM will do the same too. Don't be like the frog in a boiling pot tales.

Till then, happy Monday everybody!

Quote of the Day :
Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future. Niels Bohr

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Power To The People

YESSS !!! The people HAS SPOKEN !!!

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Pilihan Raya Umum ke 12

Selamat Mengundi Rakyat Malaysia !!!

Friday, March 7, 2008

Last Lap

[Photo: Boss2 pakai topi duduk dalam kedai under the shade, macchai2 kepanasan naikkan posters]They (emceeA) put this up last weekend in support for the P098 parliament candidate. The candidate is our regular customer at Tok Li since his office is just a few doors away from us.

Last year he helped us with some matters regarding the local authorities. We salute him for that because it's not we who went to him for favours but it's him who came to us and offer his help & that was way before he was elected.

P098 is one hot seat with 76% voters being Malays. Looking at the crowd coming for the opposition's rally last weekend, I doubt the ruling party can maintain the three state seats. The parliamentary seat probably have a 50% chance.

I saw on telly yesterday that the ruling party's rally in Shah Alam was not popular at all I can even count the turnout with my two hands! I think Gombak, Shah Alam & Klang will have a tough fight this time around... and Darul Naim will forever remain bercahaya dengan bulan... ;-)

I've casted my vote at the last two elections. Hmmm... I'm still thinking of which colour to pangkah now. Mine will be at the P117. I've got not much job to do. Only one box to pangkah. Only for the 'P'. No 'N'. And only two candidates to choose from. No bulan penuh & no bulan sabit. Just one rocket which is still on the ground and one dacing which really has tested our patience on the domestic front.

I think, I'll vote for my birthday party. This time, pangkah both box. ;-)

Quote of the Day : Be who you are and be that well. Saint Francis de Sales

Monday, March 3, 2008

Kalut

Gambar ini diambil semasa saya bersantai di Tok Li, menghadap ke Lebuhraya Karak. Kelihatan 6 orang pekerja sedang bertungkus lumus menyiapakan mercu tanda baru parti kerajaan BN di Sri Gombak. Sebilah keris stainless steel seberat 600kg akan menghunus ke bumi tidak lama lagi.

Sebenarnya projek ini sudah bermula beberapa bulan lalu tetapi terbengkalai separuh jalan. Ianya di sambung semula sehari selepas kerajaan mengumumkan tarikh pilihanraya umum. Satu contoh projek management yang tidak patut dicontohi oleh kontraktor2 kerajaan.

Kami berdoa agar kontraktor ini tidak buat2 lupa untuk membayar bil air dan elektrik yang digunapakai di kedai kami untuk menyiapkan projek ini.

Jika mereka buat2 lupa, kami akan pastikan yang keris itu menghunus ke dalam perut mereka pula. Ya, cucu2 Tok Li adalah pakar silat hasil ilmu turun temurun nenek moyang kami. (Heheheee... just kidding laaa...)

Quote of the Day
A single question can be more influential than a thousand statements.
Bo Bennett

Friday, February 29, 2008

Leap Day


Have you, ever, blogged on a leap day ?

Nope. I have not ! So this is some kind of motivation for me to scribble something to mark this day. :)

Today is the last day of February 2008. Looking back, I think I have fully utilised the first two months of 2008. A lot has happened at the restaurant and we are progressing really well at the catering front. The best part was, most of our catering clients confirmed their orders even without coming for food testing. Thanks to the power of a website and recommendation through words of mouth. So far only one client came for a jolly good time testing the food since the party is for a bigger pax.

Aha! It's pay day as well. I've never paid salary on a leap day either.

I didn't keep my promise to blog regularly here but I did update the photos at our cool oasis here. Please feel free to drool over the photos. ;-)

May I take this opportunity to congratulate my dear friend, SR, who tendered his resignation yesterday and joining the entrepreneur bandwagon soon ! You've finally crossed that bridge! Just remember that, if you want to get to the other side (be in own business), you must cross that bridge first otherwise... you will never ever get to the other side.

...and please also remember this... business is only 10% brain, the other 90% are guts. You must have a lot of guts to remain in business and to make a lot of business decisions.

Till then, may you have a very happy leaping day!

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Jejak Awang Goneng

Jejak Awang Goneng on Galeri Perdana at 8.45pm - 9.00pm on TV1 for 4 consecutive nights starting 28th January 2008.

If you've missed it, you can web crawl here on YouTube by Karim Omar of Keda Pok Loh Yunang.

1) 28th Jan'08 ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bApg0hZXmac

2) 29th Jan'08 ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5XDSlyA6dg
3) 30th Jan'08 ~
4) 31st Jan'08 ~

More here:

5) 29th Dec'07 AG @ Seksan's ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUDgFpf4mh0&feature=related
6) 20th Jan'08 AG @ MPH ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ2wg87FWB0&NR=1
7) 22nd Jan'08 AG @ UiTM ~ CD awaiting


Words of wisdom must always be shared. What more words of wisdom that came from an amazing person like Awang Goneng !
.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Awang Goneng @ INTEC, UiTM


Hello everybody!

Awang Goneng will give a talk at :

Venue : International Education Centre (INTEC),
UiTM Section 17 Campus,
40200 Shah Alam, Selangor

(Tel : 03-5522 7001 kalau sesat)

Date : Tuesday 22nd January 2008
Time : 9am - 12pm

All are welcome. You just need to leave your ID at the INTEC entrance.

See you there !

.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Book Signing by Awang Goneng


Book Title : Growing Up in Trengganu
Author : Wan Hulaimi aka Awang Goneng

Venue : MPH Midvalley, Kuala Lumpur
Date : Sunday 20th January 2008
Time : 3pm ~ 4pm

All are welcome!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Apdal


Bahasa Malaysia sebut "afdal", tapi makcik2 kat Kelantan sebut "apdal". Maka saya membesar di persekitaran yang menyebut "apdal". Saya selalu bayangkan perkataan "apdal" ini dengan perbuatan yang baik2.

Sejak akhir2 ini nama "Apdal" sering kedengaran di corong radio dan TV. Sekarang saya hanya dapat bayangkan nama Apdal ini dengan perkara yang tidak baik.

Yalah, sebagai pengusaha restoran, menteri yang ber-bin-kan Apdal inilah yang banyak mempengaruhi kelancaran perniagaan kami.

Sebenarnya, sejak lebih 6bulan dulu lagi, kami sudah dapat menghidu yang bencana akan menimpa keatas stok2 barangan kawalan dan barangan asas. The tell tale sign is... kalau pada kebiasaannya, stok susu pekat di pasaraya melepasi ketinggian kita sendiri, maka ianya di paras selamat. Jika tiba2 paras stok adalah setinggi dua kaki sahaja, maka ianya berada di paras bahaya! Maka beberapa hari kemudian, seperti yang diduga, harga susu pon tiba2 naik mendadak! Setahun lalu kalau susu pekat yang paling rendah di jual dengan harga RM1.55, sekarang yang paling rendah berharga RM1.95! Bayangkan kenaikan harga hampir 26% dalam masa setahun !

Perkara yang sama berlaku pada stok minyak masak. Dulu kalau stok setinggi enam kaki secara tiba2 jatuh ke paras betis, maka ia petanda yang sangat bahaya. Tiba2 juga harga minyak masak "cap pasaraya" sama harga dengan minyak masak "cap jenama terkenal". Bayangkan!

Kes gandum pula... menteri berkenaan dengan muka selamberland berkata "harga TETAP terkawal... ia masih RM1.35". Tapi bila pergi pada supplier... jawabnya "stok takde.... tapi aarrr... kalau lu mau yang RM1.65 ada larrr...".

So what choice do we have?? Takkan peniaga kecil macam kami nak beli gandum premium yang berharga RM2.80 sekampit, bukan?

Semasa kecoh kes harga ayam, menteri yang sama muncul dikaca TVtiga & TVsatu pada pagi yang sama. Beliau langsung TIDAK menjawab soalan live penonton tapi dengan muka sardin juga membuat kenyataan damage control beliau "harga masih tetap RM5.80... tiada kenaikan". Tapi kalau peniaga dapat harga RM5.80 dari pembekal, takkan peniaga nak jual pada harga RM5.80 juga bukan? Baik duduk saja rumah goyang kaki. Kerugian dalam berniaga adalah satu penganiayaan pada diri sendiri.

Kami keluar berbelanja setiap hari untuk replenish stok barangan kami, oleh itu kami tahu pergerakan barangan di pasaran. Begitu juga turun naik harga.

Semua perkara yang berlaku adalah adalah sebenarnya domino effect dari ineffective planning & control of KDNHEP. Sesungguhnya saya tidak tahu mengapalah perkara asas seperti ini pun tidak dapat dibendung oleh menteri ini.

Dari pemerhatian saya, pembekal memainkan peranan yang sangat penting dalam isu kekurangan barangan ini tapi menteri ini asyik menyalahkan peniaga..peniaga...peniaga (ie. the consumers)! Kalau ya pun ada panic buying sekalipun, banyak mana sangatlah peniaga2 kecil ini mampu untuk stock up barang? Kedai2 kami semua only have limited space & capital to stock up goods. I believe the supplier is the main culprit! So please chase them and don't make 'clever' remarks blaming us consumers!

Bukan saja harga barangan asas melambung naik tapi harga barangan lain dari syarikat2 gergasi juga sewenang2 dinaikkan. Contoh terdekat adalah barangan keluaran pembuat Milo! Seingat saya, setahun lalu 2kg Milo hanya RM22 tapi sekarang, harganya RM28 !!! Bayangkan % kenaikan sebanyak lebih 27% !

Jika peniaga di Terengganu dulu menaikkan harga Milo Ais sebanyak SEPULOH sen sahaja kepada RM1.80, peniaga tersebut dikenakan DENDA sebanyak RM25 RIBU.... Jadi, mengapa tidak dikenakan tindakan yang sama kepada pengeluar Milo itu yang menaikkan harga lebih 27% ??? So who's the culprit here? The consumer (the restaurant owner) or the big giant supplier ? Basically, in all cases, just check the supplier chain & pull the trigger! Yeah, shoot them on the head, or where it matters most.

These price hike saga is not going to end here. I'm sure more shocking news are on the way. Whatever it is, we'll just have to bear and grin since the menteri is yet to display his skills in managing and control the broo haa haa. :(

Quote of the Day :
"Never mistake motion for action" ~ Ernest Hemingway

Thursday, January 10, 2008

1429 Hijrah


Hijrah fizikal Hijrah lahiriah
Hijrah spiritual Hijrah batiniah
Harus memaksa & terpaksa
Mampu dijalani manusia biasa
Jika mengharap capai kejayaan
Segala dugaan mesti bertahan
Pada Allah curahkan harapan
Agar Hijrah bawa perubahan


Quote of the Day :
"Future success lies within those who have strong spiritual quality" ~ Honeytar ;-)

Thursday, January 3, 2008

2008


I had so many stories to write for 2007 but it just remained there at the back of my mind. ;-)

2007 was a very challenging year for me & brother chef running the restaurant but Alhamdulillah we survived our first year.

Yesterday morning we had catering at client's office, a buffet breakfast on the first day at work for 2008. Then at 1pm, a bus load of tourists came for lunch at the restaurant. At the same time another catering order came in confirming a two day Seminar Package for next week. We smiled all day feeling that it was a great start for a brand New Year! Alhamdulillah... :)

I was taking some photos of tourists enjoying the food yesterday when suddenly my beloved Casio Exilim blinked this message "lense error". The lense goes back & forth but refuse to go back to its original position and then whoooshhhhh... the button refuse to click. At that moment, I suddenly remember admiring Kak Teh's brand new Casio Exilim (a much better version) which she just bought at Heathrow. ;-)

Can't upload any new photos for now... :(

I renewed my resolution every Monday so no new year's resolution for me.

I wish all readers a much better year ahead and a great New Year!

Quote of the Day: Man is by nature a political animal ~ Aristotle