2017G |
Jan-Mar |
Sekelip Mata |
The Year 2017 | Dated 2017G Jan 8 Sun 9 R-Akhir 1438H |
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The New Year was on Sun, 2 R-Akhir 1438H, with another dose of fuel hike from 190 to 210 sen/lit, and non-stop howling that we are doing very well, and we are the best around. In TRG et al the school re-opened for 2017 on the new year, but in SEL et al, it's Jan 3 Tue. ASRI in F5, a crucial year for him. Many more to come in 2017. 
The initial days of Jan was used to align and fix the matters of Jan 29 Sun event. Jan 4 Wed, met Pok Man to liaise the detail of the catering. NA returned home Jan 6-8 to steer the home-front preparation, during which ALYA also returned, and liaised with NA. Jan 7 Sat, met UTZ NASRIN, apparently in the neighbouring LOT 3083 referred to by HJ HUSSIN who JABAT AGAMA SEPANG asked to liaise for the MAJLIS. With that all the lights were set on. Two things remaining for the focus. The home preparation, and the cards distribution. This time I could not accomplish them alone, unlike last times. |
I was in SG MERAB since Dec 27 Tue, but NA was in TGG since new year is not a holiday in TGG et al. She returned on Jan 6 Fri for the brief weekend. And this welcome from the supermarket for the very first day of 2017. And string of others with their own 'creativities', all to result in additional RM in 2017. 
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Gearing Up | Dated 2016G Jan 16 Mon 17 R-Akhir 1438H |
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The task of distributing/delivering the invitation cards was not a simple task like I used to for the last three times. Even with the latest technology of IT-assistance. It wasn't the 'doing' it. It was the accompanying wall of 'why' of doing it. 
NA returned briefly Jan 13-15 Fri-Sun. On the Sat, we attended the walimah of Dr Razak Ali, ex-UTM, a 1-y junior SAS-ian in a Cyberjaya hall during which I met some of my UKM ex-colleagues, notably Dr Ishak. 
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The Bell is Ringing | Dated 2017G Jan 23 Mon 24 R-Akhir 1438H |
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And the 'routine' commenced. It's been three times, the first 2002, the second 2008, and the third 2009, so the materials are abundant. However the search for the materials was carried out many week ago. All were every where, no one particularly knew what is where they are kept. This is the fourth time, and with two separate commitments of equal weight, Jan-29, the most since it's at home, and the joint Feb-19 in a hall. NA in particular was so excited. Her first time. She was in TRG since Jan 15, and would be home only in ten days time. 
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I spent most of the time w-msg-ing the invitation. Mostly those I have contacted for the first event in 2002. The old constant friends, the wasap group of ASAS6770, ALUMNI PADANG MIDIN, and SALFORD MID70, and friends I made while in UNISZA, and mostly teachers CheGu Ghazali (via his son Nazrin), CheGu Ramli, Chegu Hussein, Adri CheGu Ahmad Yahya-Saadiah, Sheerin CheGu Mahpor. In the while RUBY distributed to neighbours both in SG MERAB and in BANGI. Perhaps the weekend Jan 20-22 was the most intense home-prep. 
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Dated 2017G Jan 28 Sat 29 R-Akhir 1438H |
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The posting in FB was restrained for the moment to save the space in fototeks, for the info related to the prep of Jan-29, and Feb 19 events. Constantly it was getting in touch with old friends, the friends I have not heard of for quite some times already. Current IT, WASAP, was very helpful indeed. Obviously there were two others, one was getting the house decorated and getting the house peripheries mowed and pruned. While NA was in TGG since Jan 15, RUBY and others were of help for the former, and MUZANI the latter. At home, CB and ASRI were handy. NA returned home Jan 26 Thu, and furnished the prep through to the date of Jan event. 
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Dated 2017G Feb 3 Fri 6 J-Awal 1438H |
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The much awaited wedding eventually took place, Jan 29 Sun, at home in SG MERAB, just like it would have. It was a fine day even though days before that it was torrentially rainy in the evening. I was so much blessed, plenty of food for the guests catered as always been by Pok-Man. And plenty of helps from elder children, siblings, and constant acquaintances. Close relatives started the gathering since Jan 18 Sat especially Azizah's sisters, and NA took over Azizah's function with a great concsience since as early as 2016 Jul. The occasion was to be followed by a reception on Feb 19 Sun in Veillaris Sg Ramal. 
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Jan 29 Sun passed by very fast indeed. The people-noise of gatherers was like a taking-off aeroplane. It built up slowly from the morning, peaking in the noon with a lot of laughters, and slowly fading away with their leaving like a sun-set in the evening. The tents were taken down the very night, thus restoring the glittering pink, white, purple, yellow colours into the natural pale-green background, ending the day asymptotically. ALYA-FARHAN left the house Jan-30. I felt it like how Azizah left us in 2010 Jun, leaving every thing to us to go on without her. NA left for her work on the same day, a bit later, and by the evening of Jan 30, I felt like every one walked away from us. I could feel how Asri felt, and that made me worried a lot. He has his SPM to sit in Oct-Nov this year. |
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A Deja Vu | Dated 2017G Feb 15 Wed 18 J-Awal 1438H |
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SB could not be made not to miss the event of Jan 29 Sun. He was in the middle of his semester exam in Usnabruck. Thus to be sure the consequence event not to be missed, we made it Feb 19 Sun. SB returned home on Feb 7 Tue for a month (to Mar 5 Sun). The event is the reminder to an almost a deja vu of last year 2016 Feb 20 Sat, which followed the 2015 Sep 26 Sat event, in which SB similarly missed, the difference being just the venue and the contents, which admittedly were pre-divined. Many days of my 2017 Feb-Mar diary are dimensional projections of 2016. 
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Feb 10 Fri, DRVTGG, in Merc, just for the weekend. The car had not been to TGG for a long time already. My last frolic in TGG was last year Dec 27. The house in W-Tengah was untouched since then. SB, and ASRI were accompany-ing. NA was in TGG already since Jan 30 Mon. TGG apparently was cold. Windy, but sans rain, thus very dry. I visited the beach from Kalang Maras to Tanjung Gelam. The waves were pounding hard, closer and closer to the road, but the waves did not carry any more the usual rich life to be left for the calm days. 
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Dated 2017G Feb 23 Thu 26 J-Awal 1438H |
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The momentum started with a DRVTGG Feb 14 Tue, alone, in WFV which apparently had recovered since a similar DRVTGG to and fro last Fri. A rest the following day, and with NA Feb 16 Thu a DRVKUL with a short stop in Kuantan CT for NA's matter, and a PATIN STROLL in Temerloh river front. 
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Feb 18 Sat, I attended the walimah of KAMARUDDIN YUSOF in BANGI GOLF RESORT as a kind of a search and a rapport for ASAS 6770 members. 
And the great event took place, Feb 19 Sun in Veillaris, Sg Ramal. It was an event equally blessed as in Jan 29 Sun. As in many occasions, En Bon, an ex-Unisza staff when I was the Dean, broke the wall of silence. 
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Back To Default | Dated 2017G Mar 4 Sat 5 J-Akir 1438H |
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The anti-climax was that returning of one after another to their own track, right from the following day Feb 20 Mon, with my focus then shifted to SB's returning to Germany Mar 5 Sun the first hr. Destinies in the making. I still have the UKM Dewan Salleh to cancel the Sep 9 booking. And the house to re-pack to the default state. Jan and Feb were rather phenomenal. Perhaps equivalent to Feb and Mar last year, 2016, or Sep the year before, 2015. 
Final leg in prep for SB to return to Germany includes, of all, the pen refill, which invoke my own Parker ball-point pen which is forty years old ex-MCR when I was doing my doctorate. All were accomplished, including the seeds of ulam-raja for SB's acquaintance in Osna to grow. NA returned home Mar 3 Fri for the sending off which would conclude and close the chapter. RUBY et al were in through out the weekend. |
It was a haunt of plastic bag in Selangor since Feb 1. Shoppers were forced to pay 20 sen per sheet of the carrying bags. The corporates, especially the s-markets where mass amount of it is used, were in frenzy in charging the shoppers. Fast food outlets were very happy in joining in when pax is opted. 
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Closing the Chapter | Dated 2017G Mar 8 Wed 9 J-Akhir 1438H |
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SB flew off to Germany on an EK Mar 5 Sun on the first hr, thus closing the chapter that was 'written' since ca six months ago. As always, every one, big and small, was at the airport, this time but one (two). Alya-Farhan, who commenced their residency in JB, thus a detour from her four elder siblings. The home of Sg Merab is deswelling. 
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Stumbled again at the airport. Chit. Chat. Chit. Chat. Yes. No. Yes. No. When told, he said he knew one in Kalang Arang who I told him that he's a relative of mine. Alas! I'm unknown, only known to almost every one who are known to him. Destiny perhaps has another rendz in the store. 
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Making Up | Dated 2017G Mar 17 Fri 18 J-Akhir 1438H |
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Mar 10 Fri, a solo DRVTGG after about a month not been there. And managed to inch up the house in W-Tengah. The wardrobe in Room-1, and partly the cabinet in the kitchen. Some of the cupboards in Tok Jembal were also transferred to W-Tengah. Three of the eight in Tok Jembal, and the sattee that NA bought. A bed washing machine, a stove, and a fridge would furnish for the commencement of the moving in. At the moment a bed is just an optional. I returned to KUL Mar 14 Tue leaving the house to the carpenter BUKHARI to finish his cabinet installation. 
Mar 17 Fri, another solo DRVTGG with a stop in KEMAMAN seeing ABDULLAH CHE DIN to liaise the event of KIJAL APR 15 with regard to his offer of Homestay which finally ended up just out of excitement. It's a commencement of a week school break, but ASRI could not join as yet, he had extra class on Sat, Mon and Tue, during which CB and MALINI helped to manage. |
FB posting was rather slow, and 'fren' seemed to have lost interest. Perhaps the season is about to be over, just like its predecessor BLOGSPOT. Many resorted to sharing, sans original idea. 
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A Short School Break | Dated 2017G Mar 26 Sun 27 J-Akhir 1438H |
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Nasi dagang was a delicatessen of TRG, but not now anyway, even though the 'story' still is. Spotted anecdotes sometimes appeared, but the veterans knew they are not. Many thus reverted to the default. Nasi lemak, but still the TRG edition, i.e., with simple ikan-aye, unlike in KL with full of lauk. Relatively food in TRG is more expensive than in Bangi. 
ASRI joined the school break in Tok Jembal from Mar 22 Wed, taking the noon MH flight from KUL, taken to KLIA by Ruby. Alone, perhaps for the first time to TGG. He had once alone returning to KUL from TGG on an AK. Every one pray that he would grow up just like others, the way his mother would always wished. 
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The week from Mar 18 Sat was SCHOOL BREAK for a week. And it was wedding season. K TRG was swarmed with 'visitors'. And as always, the roads were congested with cars. Walimah tents in almost every street. And one was of ZALI MOKTEHPAH in Padang Nenas, and POK NOR depan rumah in W-Tengah. Both were in glaring contrast, but NA said being in the latter, although very simple, was more delightful. 
In the mean time, W-Tengah was getting more furnished. For the first time the BED, a king from a bundle in Kubang Jela, went into the ROOM-1, Mar 21 Tue, making the room overnight-habitable. Basically addition of a fridge, and a washing machine, would make the house ready to take full time occupants. A mini-stove had been there for a long time already. ASRI's presence had made possible the completion of u-store to usable structure. What left was just painting. By now, coming to W-Tengah could be regarded as returning home. All washrooms were useable, and light meals could be prepared in the kitchen. Tablewares were already in since sometimes ago. 
Mar 25 Sat 26 J-Akhir 1438H, after eight days in Tok Jembal since Mar 17 Fri, made the eventual DRVKUL, with ASRI, for him to catch the school, to re-start Mar 27 Mon 28 J-Akhir 1438H, taking the Jerangau-Jabor old toll-free route from Ajil to save some 20rm toll for the refreshment in Temerloh. Unanticipated, the KARAK-GOMBAK stretch was clear when we joined, just after sun-set. And MRR2 too even though KL was rather wet in the evening. Arrived home in Sg Merab in the middle of cold night, with signs of post-torrential rain, and self-composed CB was alone at home. It was traumatically quiet, especially to ASRI, with every one appeared receding from him. ALYA had not been home since leaving after her concluding occasion last Feb 19 Sun, even a three-day break wasn't sufficient for her to return home. She had taken together with her all what was due since taking over her mother's duty, that it's not much left at home now to return to, apart from my non-stop prayer, to as much as she deserved, for her future undertakings. And naturally, the house which used to be a home, is getting slowly neglected. 
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The Green Grass of Home | Dated 2017G Mar 31 Fri 3 Rejab 1438H |
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Mar ended with daily torrent of rain, almost every evening, keeping the lawn mowing in SG MERAB home deferred day after day, but nonetheless giving the grasses the chance to grow and to prosper. The green of grass was really pleasing, the scene was weaved with splashes of flying small birds snatching the insects on the grasses. 
FB kept on flashing last year 2016 Mar postings during which I made a solace visit to Makkah, after equally celebrative Feb, which was the concluding event of the previous year 2015 Sep event. April is more about bracing for Ramadan 1438H which will begin in late May. |
NA was excited with the post from the archive, and thus posted hers too. Note that, 19 years later, KPM still didn't change PERSEKUTUAN TANAH MELAYU. I was then in England for the second time, in the middle of my doctorate, and had already have two children. Amazing to note how destiny webs itself. I intended to dig the archive more. 
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2017G |
Jan-Mar |
Sekelip Mata |