...Through
mad redo1 had planned to attend this evening Terengganu FA Cup First Round match against Premier League USM FC at the university's athletic stadium. It was a repeat of the first round match last season in the same competition but a change of format saw the first two rounds being played over a single match.
Unfortunately, the day being a special day for someone, the plan was shelved as he spent the time munching away at the seafood served at the No.4 Stall at the Kuala Perlis Jetty.
Thus he did not know much about the match played at the same time, approximately three hours drive from where he was. From what he gathered it was a stroll for The Turtles in the first half but could not make the most of the chances that came their way.
Penang born, Mohamad Zharif Hasna who was in his second season with Terengganu opened the scoring after twenty minutes before striker Abdul Hadi Yahya scored for the third consecutive match just before the interval.
The second half saw the home side put up a more determined fight and managed to reduce the deficit after an hour of play. Perhaps influenced by last season's result when Terengganu won 4-1 here before winning 3-0 in Kuala Terengganu, The Turtles slowed down the tempo and this invited the home side to come at them.
Sharbinee Allawee was certainly the busier goalkeeper in the second half and made at least a couple of crucial saves to ensure the tie was in his team favour. In the end, the 2-1 scoreline was enough for Terengganu to proceed to the next round.
As for mad redo1 it was a topping to a good evening spent in the northern part of Malaysia.
If she is a keen football fan then it would have been a good evening for her, but she is not. But My Dearest Linda, I love you for what you are. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY and may God bless you always.
...
Showing posts with label from the heart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label from the heart. Show all posts
19 Feb 2011
8 Feb 2011
Passing...
...of a Friend.
The Birch a.k.a. mad redo1 spent the morning of Friday, February 4 with two of his ex-Semesdians friends, Achey and Mat Ming. At first, the intention was to have 'Ketupat Sotong' (Squid stuffed with glutton rice served in coconut milk plus a few other items) for breakfast, a craving of the former who had the dish the last time he was back in Kuala Terengganu.
Unfortunately, it was not the season of the squids and the scarcity of the calamari perhaps influenced by the monsoon which is yet to cease. So we settled for another local dish, the famous 'Nasi Dagang' (another glutton rice base dish) which much to our amazement came with fried chicken and hard boiled egg.
To the uninitiated, nasi dagang are usually served with 'Ikan Aya' (Tongkol for non-Ganuan, Tuna for English speakers) and pickles. Mat Ming who joined us a bit later helped himself to a plate of 'Nasi Minyak'.
After all the dishes were safely tucked inside our stomach and paid for, we went our seperate ways. Then just as I was getting ready for Friday Prayer the phone rang with the familiar tone of a message was received.
After all the laughter this morning, it was a shock to read the message which came from another ex-Semesdian friend, Ku Jimmy. A friend of ours, Ridzuan Safuan or more affectionally known as Doer has passed away in the morning.
'Arwah' suffered from brain cancer and had undergone surgical oncology a few months back. It was the second time he had gone through the procedure but this time time around it resulted in him losing his eyesight.
mad redo1 and a few other friends paid him a visit while he was still in the Intensive Care Unit at the USM Hospital in Kubang Kerian. That was the first time I saw him since our last meeting, way back in 1991 during a reunion of ex-Semesdians at the Motel Desa.
He looked frail and weak (who wouldn't be after having your head cut open?) but responded to the sound of our voice. It was a sad moment but at the same time gave us a bit of a lift with his reaction. It was a fifty-fifty situation but subsequent news from his family were positive despite him did not regain his eye-sight.
Thus the news of him passing away on Friday came a bit as a surprise. Unfortunately, prior commitments prevented me from attending his funeral, so were a few other friends.
Admittedly, he was not one of my closest friends and the amount of conversation we had during our five years stay at SMSD were minimal to say the least. Perhaps it was more due to the fact we were placed at the opposite ends of our hostel, I was in the A Block while he was in the D Block.
But as we grew into adults the difference during our adolescence years just went away and despite not keeping in touch for a number of years, the news of Doer suffering from cancer and his subsequent demise tugged at my heart and it felt like I am losing a friend.
So Doer, may you rest in peace.
Al-Fatihah.
...
The Birch a.k.a. mad redo1 spent the morning of Friday, February 4 with two of his ex-Semesdians friends, Achey and Mat Ming. At first, the intention was to have 'Ketupat Sotong' (Squid stuffed with glutton rice served in coconut milk plus a few other items) for breakfast, a craving of the former who had the dish the last time he was back in Kuala Terengganu.
Unfortunately, it was not the season of the squids and the scarcity of the calamari perhaps influenced by the monsoon which is yet to cease. So we settled for another local dish, the famous 'Nasi Dagang' (another glutton rice base dish) which much to our amazement came with fried chicken and hard boiled egg.
To the uninitiated, nasi dagang are usually served with 'Ikan Aya' (Tongkol for non-Ganuan, Tuna for English speakers) and pickles. Mat Ming who joined us a bit later helped himself to a plate of 'Nasi Minyak'.
After all the dishes were safely tucked inside our stomach and paid for, we went our seperate ways. Then just as I was getting ready for Friday Prayer the phone rang with the familiar tone of a message was received.
After all the laughter this morning, it was a shock to read the message which came from another ex-Semesdian friend, Ku Jimmy. A friend of ours, Ridzuan Safuan or more affectionally known as Doer has passed away in the morning.
'Arwah' suffered from brain cancer and had undergone surgical oncology a few months back. It was the second time he had gone through the procedure but this time time around it resulted in him losing his eyesight.
mad redo1 and a few other friends paid him a visit while he was still in the Intensive Care Unit at the USM Hospital in Kubang Kerian. That was the first time I saw him since our last meeting, way back in 1991 during a reunion of ex-Semesdians at the Motel Desa.
He looked frail and weak (who wouldn't be after having your head cut open?) but responded to the sound of our voice. It was a sad moment but at the same time gave us a bit of a lift with his reaction. It was a fifty-fifty situation but subsequent news from his family were positive despite him did not regain his eye-sight.
Thus the news of him passing away on Friday came a bit as a surprise. Unfortunately, prior commitments prevented me from attending his funeral, so were a few other friends.
Admittedly, he was not one of my closest friends and the amount of conversation we had during our five years stay at SMSD were minimal to say the least. Perhaps it was more due to the fact we were placed at the opposite ends of our hostel, I was in the A Block while he was in the D Block.
But as we grew into adults the difference during our adolescence years just went away and despite not keeping in touch for a number of years, the news of Doer suffering from cancer and his subsequent demise tugged at my heart and it felt like I am losing a friend.
So Doer, may you rest in peace.
Al-Fatihah.
...
11 Aug 2010
Blessed Month...
...Returns.
For many Muslims, the departure of Ramadhan entails great sorrow in their heart as they do not know whether they will be alive when the next one comes. Thus for mad redo1, he must be very grateful that Ramadhan has arrived again in his life.
The completion of the Tarawikh prayers at the Al-Taqwa Mosque in Durian Burung should see him cleansed of all sins as one of the benefits to perform the prayers. However, as much as he likes to think that he is sinless, much of it will be in the hand of Allah as He is the one who will determine the quality of 'ibadah' each Muslim performs during the Holy Month.
Then just after midnight the sky opens up and it is really cats and dogs for a while. For many that will be regarded as a sign that the fasting month will be a great month with rewards in abundance for those who care to seek for it.
Perhaps the month should be seen as a springboard for those who care to change their life.
It is not easy for one who rarely goes to the mosque for prayers to maintain their commitment for the whole of Ramadhan. But having done that many would return to their old ways when they just could continue for the coming months.
The same applies to mad redo1. As much as he tries to maintain the momentum from Ramadhan, he will be back to his old ways.
But this time, could it be any different?
...
For many Muslims, the departure of Ramadhan entails great sorrow in their heart as they do not know whether they will be alive when the next one comes. Thus for mad redo1, he must be very grateful that Ramadhan has arrived again in his life.
The completion of the Tarawikh prayers at the Al-Taqwa Mosque in Durian Burung should see him cleansed of all sins as one of the benefits to perform the prayers. However, as much as he likes to think that he is sinless, much of it will be in the hand of Allah as He is the one who will determine the quality of 'ibadah' each Muslim performs during the Holy Month.
Then just after midnight the sky opens up and it is really cats and dogs for a while. For many that will be regarded as a sign that the fasting month will be a great month with rewards in abundance for those who care to seek for it.
Perhaps the month should be seen as a springboard for those who care to change their life.
It is not easy for one who rarely goes to the mosque for prayers to maintain their commitment for the whole of Ramadhan. But having done that many would return to their old ways when they just could continue for the coming months.
The same applies to mad redo1. As much as he tries to maintain the momentum from Ramadhan, he will be back to his old ways.
But this time, could it be any different?
...
14 Feb 2010
A Year...
...Passes.
From the moment she cried her first wail after the Maghrib adzan a year ago, Ainnur Khalisa Shukriah has been a source of joy to all of us in the household. It is good to have a baby again, it gives you the sense of being needed by someone. But a baby is a work in progress, and the rate of its growth is something that you wish can be slowed down a bit. Just so that it will remain... well, as a baby.
Sounds a bit selfish isn't it but I believe many parents are wishing the same thing, to see their off-springs remain as they are the day they were born. Children grow up at a really fast rate. For mad redo1 it still feel like yesterday he received his first bundle of joy way back in 1997, now AKS#1 has entered secondary school phase and AKS#2 is in Year 3.
But for the third AKS, she is still a baby in mad redo1's eyes. And today it has been a year since she joined us in the family.
Her birthday is not a spectacular event but mad redo1 hopes it will be enough to be remembered for the whole life-time.
Ainnur Khalisa Shukriah, HAPPY BIRTHDAY my baby, may be this is the first of many more to come.
...
13 Jan 2010
Berg...
...is Leaving.
In a few hours time mad redo1 will bid adieu to Khadijah a.k.a AKS#1.
Why?
Because she is going to begin living in a hostel as she begins her life in secondary school.
As parents you dread the day when your offsprings find their wings and leave the nest. Though where Berg is continuing her studies is not that far, in fact just ten to fifteen minutes drive from our home but it is not having her around is going to be a bit strange.
Nonetheless we must accept this as part of life which always see your loved ones leaving home as a way to go on with their life, be it in order to pursuit higher education or higher pay.
Whatever it is, mad redo1 will certainly miss his AKS#1.
Good luck Berg!
...
23 Dec 2009
Early...
...Departure.
It was just about a month a part but mad redo1 was shocked when he was notified about the death of two persons that he knew from childhood.
Just a day after celebrating his 39th year in existence, mad redo1 read on his Facebook notification that a friend from his SMSD days had passed away suddenly. Hasmadi Sulong complained about having chest pain to his wife and then slipped into un-counciousness.
He was brought to the emergency room of the Darul Ehsan Medical Centre but was pronounced dead-on arrival. Hasmadi was just 39 years old. Later mad redo1 was informed it was something related to the heart.
Then just over a month later another death.
This time it was someone in the family and it was quite surprising especially with the one who was called to meet Him was a nephew. A young man who I believe was in his early thirties. Leaving behind a young wife and a young baby.
The cause of death was told as choking.
Death always make you feel vulnerable about your mortality especially now there are more people dying young. It is quite rare to find anybody who is really ready to face their own death but as muslims we should accept they will happen when it should happen, not a moment later, not a few seconds too soon.
...
20 Dec 2009
Unlucky...
...Thirteen? Lets Hope Not!
mad redo1 and Linda celebrated their thirteenth anniversary on Saturday. The cliche phrase of 'how time flies' will be used here. It is the truth on how we feel since the moment when we were declared officially as husband and wife. Of course we have been blessed with three wonderful offsprings who we hope will grow up to be wonderful human beings.
It was quite a surprise for mad redo1 when Linda brought him to do some shopping and instead of for her, it was for him! A wonderful gift that mad redo1 hopes to use as frequently as possible on the futsal courts.
Thank you bebey!
In the evening we went for our Anniversary dinner at the Permai Inn Hotel, where they have relocated their restaurant to the newly built wing.
The spacious restaurant certainly made a good impression to Che' and Berg who seemed to enjoy the ambiance. Unfortunately it was not to last when the resident band who goes by the name 'Fast' began playing.
They played the usual stuff, a repertoire of evergreen and latest hits. Unfortunately the sound system was poorly set resulting the noise level being too high to the extent that we had to raise our voice when talking to one another, and we were seating at the far end of the restaurant.
We ordered the western side of the menu with mad redo1 having the sirloin steak while his room-mate ordered the tenderloin. Both were served in black pepper sauce.
The rest of the 'entourage' ordered fish and chips while Berg maintained her Asian roots by ordering the 'char kuey teow'. For dessert we shared the traditionally popular banana split. Nina was more excited in getting the miniature umbrella rather than the ice-cream itself.
Overall the evening was a good one for mad redo1 and the rest of the family. Hopefully the celebration will be bigger in number and the love will just keep going on till the end.
...
19 Nov 2009
The First...
...of Many.
Today is mad redo1's birthday. As usual for birthdays people will associate the special day with receiving gifts from people who care. However, for this birthday mad redo1 wishes for something special, something that is totally out of his hands.
Today happens to be the day the result for the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) is announced. Khadijah a.k.a. AKS#1 sat for the test over a month ago. Perhaps it is true that Malaysia is a country with many tests for the youngsters to go through before reaching adulthood. Even now when you are an adult there are quite a substantial number of tests and examinations that you have to go through, especially in the government sector.
Thus the UPSR is the first of many for Khadijah to sit during the course of her life and as a parent mad redo1 wishes to see his first child to pass it with flying colours. If she does then it will be the perfect birthday gift for mad redo1 (for this year).
It has been raining since the last few days to the extent that the Meteorological Department has issued the 'Orange' alert for Terengganu and Kelantan. When mad redo1, Linda and the younger AKSes reach the school they are greeted with light drizzle. The head-master of the school has already started calling the students and announcing their results.
It is not a long wait for mad redo1 and Linda.
The heart begins to beat a little faster when Khadijah's name is called. Then the head-master announces "5A!" and the same heart jumps with joy. At the end of the announcement, there are 45 pupils on stage who have achieved 5As.
mad redo1 remembers when the result was announced for the 'Penilaian Darjah 5' test which he sat, there were just 11 who managed to obtain 5As. It was a shock to the system for him as he was predicting a 4As and a B but it was a good shock nonetheless.
As it turns out, Khadijah is part of bunch that put Terengganu at the top of the pile again in term of success in the UPSR.
The good news travels fast and Linda's brother Poppy announces that lunch is on him as the way to celebrate. Furthermore it is also mad redo1's birthday. To add another joy to the day, Linda's mother receives the 'Ibu Mithali' award in the morning during a ceremony.
In a way it is a 'three in one' celebration for everybody.
The place to celebrate? The newly opened McDonald's 'Drive-Thru' Restaurant near Giant. Today is indeed a good day and mad redo1 hopes there will be more days like this in the future.
Of course this success is not possible without the hard work from all concerned, especially the teachers at SKPCT who poured everything in their efforts to ensure their charges would be able to do their best during their first major test. Thank you very much.
Heartiest congratulations Berg! May there will be more success for you in the future.
...
12 Nov 2009
Au Revoir...
...Ma Tortue Aimée.
The departure of Ken Worden from Terengganu as the Turtles Head Coach also meant the end of mad redo1's tenure at PBSNT. His hope of bringing some improvements to the association did not materialise despite giving 100% effort in almost every task.
However, it was clear from the beginning the relationship was not going to work out as mad redo1 was not given the level of trust by the President to carry out his duties as efficiently as possible. To be treated like a fool in front of the whole council was not the best way to say "Welcome" to someone who is willing to work his butts off for the sake of football in the state.
Perhaps it was a "Get lost!" message that I failed to get.
Nevertheless it has been a great ride, especially the opportunity to get a first hand experience on how NOT to run a football team. The near success of the Terengganu team in recent years were just mere facade to what really brewing on the inside.
For an association that seemingly has a good relationship with the government, PBSNT should have a good set-up as a football team playing in the top tier of Malaysian football. They should at least have their own training field that is not a subject to somebody else's prerogative to let them use it.
The arrival of T-Team on the scene certainly put certain people on the defensive. Now having won promotion to the Super League, it will be interesting to see how the first 'derby' match between these two sides will turn out.
Winning the Malaysia Cup in 2001 should have been a catalyst for football in Terengganu to enter a modern era, unfortunately it seemed to be heading to the opposite direction. Those who are in power could say that we have been consistently among the top of pile every season with the facilities that we got.
But, what if we have better facilities?
What if we have better planning?
Instead of finishing among the top, we could be the TOP team in the country.
Unfortunately this will reflect badly for the state of football in Malaysia. For a team like Terengganu to be consistently finishing among the top teams in the country with the kind of management and facilities they have, then many Malaysian football teams are also being badly managed by the so called 'football people'.
For mad redo1, his long term dream is to see Terengganu being the dominant team in Malaysian football but with a good management that will look at having their own training complex is the way to go instead of being a burden to the association.
In other words, people who really care about football instead of those who see football as a mere stepping stone to bigger things or just the only avenue left to be in an authoritive position.
...
The departure of Ken Worden from Terengganu as the Turtles Head Coach also meant the end of mad redo1's tenure at PBSNT. His hope of bringing some improvements to the association did not materialise despite giving 100% effort in almost every task.
However, it was clear from the beginning the relationship was not going to work out as mad redo1 was not given the level of trust by the President to carry out his duties as efficiently as possible. To be treated like a fool in front of the whole council was not the best way to say "Welcome" to someone who is willing to work his butts off for the sake of football in the state.
Perhaps it was a "Get lost!" message that I failed to get.
Nevertheless it has been a great ride, especially the opportunity to get a first hand experience on how NOT to run a football team. The near success of the Terengganu team in recent years were just mere facade to what really brewing on the inside.
For an association that seemingly has a good relationship with the government, PBSNT should have a good set-up as a football team playing in the top tier of Malaysian football. They should at least have their own training field that is not a subject to somebody else's prerogative to let them use it.
The arrival of T-Team on the scene certainly put certain people on the defensive. Now having won promotion to the Super League, it will be interesting to see how the first 'derby' match between these two sides will turn out.
Winning the Malaysia Cup in 2001 should have been a catalyst for football in Terengganu to enter a modern era, unfortunately it seemed to be heading to the opposite direction. Those who are in power could say that we have been consistently among the top of pile every season with the facilities that we got.
But, what if we have better facilities?
What if we have better planning?
Instead of finishing among the top, we could be the TOP team in the country.
Unfortunately this will reflect badly for the state of football in Malaysia. For a team like Terengganu to be consistently finishing among the top teams in the country with the kind of management and facilities they have, then many Malaysian football teams are also being badly managed by the so called 'football people'.
For mad redo1, his long term dream is to see Terengganu being the dominant team in Malaysian football but with a good management that will look at having their own training complex is the way to go instead of being a burden to the association.
In other words, people who really care about football instead of those who see football as a mere stepping stone to bigger things or just the only avenue left to be in an authoritive position.
...
20 Oct 2009
Children, Children Go Away...
...or I Will Take You Away!
There are many types of people in this world. To list all of them is a task only a physcologist would love to carry out.
How do we know everything about ourselves?
Since we are the owner of the body that define us, then of course we should know everything about us. But once in a while there are going to be events or incidents that will reveal another side of us. Or it would remind us about something that we have long forgotten.
As an example, mad redo1.
Since becoming the daddy to the AKSes he has been good with children. You see, he does not like children. Ever since he was a child he would ran away whenever there was a toddler around.
This carried on and even when he became a young adult. Of course being a young adult he would have girlfriends who most of them had this vision of building a family with him. This led to the girlfriends admiring infants in a stroller or playing with toddlers who for them is the definition of cuteness.
mad redo1 would kept his distance away.
Why? I do not have the answer.
There were times when the girlfriends wondered how mad redo1 would turn out to be as a father?
The arrival of the AKSes was a life changing experience. It turned out, babies are not so bad after all. Of course, babies would grow and before you know it, they became toddlers who later turned into children.
Now AKS#1 is turning into a teenager with a bit of rebellious streak, AKS#2 is a child who is curious about everything around her and AKS#3 is an infant who would put everything into her mouth.
So, mad redo1 should be alright with children now.
Wrong. He still does not like children. Not in a way that he would cook and gobble them up for dinner but more like he just does not know how to play with them and his tolerance for them is very low.
mad redo1 just realised that all this time he would just play with the AKSes and not with other children. A sort of nepotism when it comes to playing time.
So, to all children out there and their parents, I apologise for any behaviour that mad redo1 has shown over the years that could have hurt you in one way or another.
It's not you, its me.
...
There are many types of people in this world. To list all of them is a task only a physcologist would love to carry out.
How do we know everything about ourselves?
Since we are the owner of the body that define us, then of course we should know everything about us. But once in a while there are going to be events or incidents that will reveal another side of us. Or it would remind us about something that we have long forgotten.
As an example, mad redo1.
Since becoming the daddy to the AKSes he has been good with children. You see, he does not like children. Ever since he was a child he would ran away whenever there was a toddler around.
This carried on and even when he became a young adult. Of course being a young adult he would have girlfriends who most of them had this vision of building a family with him. This led to the girlfriends admiring infants in a stroller or playing with toddlers who for them is the definition of cuteness.
mad redo1 would kept his distance away.
Why? I do not have the answer.
There were times when the girlfriends wondered how mad redo1 would turn out to be as a father?
The arrival of the AKSes was a life changing experience. It turned out, babies are not so bad after all. Of course, babies would grow and before you know it, they became toddlers who later turned into children.
Now AKS#1 is turning into a teenager with a bit of rebellious streak, AKS#2 is a child who is curious about everything around her and AKS#3 is an infant who would put everything into her mouth.
So, mad redo1 should be alright with children now.
TOOOOT!
Wrong. He still does not like children. Not in a way that he would cook and gobble them up for dinner but more like he just does not know how to play with them and his tolerance for them is very low.
mad redo1 just realised that all this time he would just play with the AKSes and not with other children. A sort of nepotism when it comes to playing time.
So, to all children out there and their parents, I apologise for any behaviour that mad redo1 has shown over the years that could have hurt you in one way or another.
It's not you, its me.
...
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