Sheer Waste...

...of Life.

Those who are closed to me probably know how much mad redo1 detests 'mat rempits' and how he wish to have a Humvee with a M2 Browning machine gun mounted on top in order to cut them down to pieces whenever that start 'rempit'-ing.

Last night he was in the vicinity of an accident area when a group of motorcyclists, who could be categorised as 'mat rempits' due to their action of running away from the a police check-up; crashed into one another resulting in one of them dying at the scene of the accident while two others suffered serious injuries.

Another one perhaps suffered just light injury, got up and fled the scene on his red Honda EX5 (according to a witness).

mad redo1 who was having a meeting with GSN forumers regarding Sunday's event: "Berbuka Puasa Bersama Anak-Anak Yatim Darul Falah" decided to check out the mishap which happened just about a kilometre from Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital.

Seeing the dead body of the young lad still on his scooter made him thinking that in this holy month of Ramadhan, a mother going to weep the death of a son, perhaps all this while thinking that her boy would not be involved in this 'rempit' activity.

A father could be blaming himself for not being closer with his son, a sister or a brother could be wishing she or he could be more attentive to him.

For mad redo1 it is high time for us who care about the safety of our loved ones on the road to try and be more sensible while we are on the road and hope that the act of sensibility will somehow rub off the others so our roads will become safer for everyone.

Deaths just does not affect only the dead but a whole lot of lives who have to continue living and for them life would never be the same again.

So please everybody, be sensible on the road and hopefully that we will always be in His care all the time.

Have a blessed Ramadhan everyone.

Note: For more photos please go here.


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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?


...

Reunion...

...Under a Cloud

Well, it was not literally under the cloud but it was a way of depicting how this reunion of mad redo1 and his ex-Semesdian friends happened. It was a Facebook message from Engku Azmi informing us of the condition of our former schoolmate Ridzuan Safuan or Doer who had to go under the knife in order to take out the tumor attaching itself to his brain.

After a few days the news came back from his family that the operation was largely a successful one but a minor setback for Doer was him losing his sight.

Thus Mohamad Hilmi took the initiative of arranging a visiting party to see Doer and his family at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian. So on the set day Hilmi and his wife, Masrina, Nizam, Abu Hasmadi and mad redo1 together with Suhainita sat our butts in Hilmi's Toyota Innova and set the GPS for HUSM.

The journey started a bit late. During this 3 hour drive everybody cast their memory back to events happening more than twenty years ago when we were less a person than ourselves today (body mass that is).

With a few unexpected departures already, with the latest being Irfan due to chronic diabetes we wondered whether the list will increase anytime soon. Of course we prayed it would not, at least not in the immediate future.

When we reached HUSM, Suhainita has been renamed Eskay for reasons known to many ex-Semesdians, a gentler version of her nickname from our schooldays. It was also past visiting hours.

We managed to meet Doer's wife who was returning to kL to commence her work after taking so many leaves in order to tend her beloved Doer. It was good to see her maintaining high spirits during this trying times.

Then we proceeded to the Intensive Care Unit where Doer was being observed after the operation. His mother was the one left taking care of him for a while. Fortunately we were given the permission to see Doer. 

I never like hospitals and prefer not to set foot in one especially under circumstances such as this. However it is not what we like or do not like when it comes to this kind of situation. So mad redo1 entered the room with Nizam and Doer was in his bed with an oxygen mask was put over his mouth and nose.

It was difficult to express one's feeling when facing such situations. We tried to communicate by talking softly but Doer was still under sedation and despite responding to some of our communication his attempt to talk ended in gibberish.

We departed for home shortly after leaving Doer with our prayers for his recovery.

On the way we made a stop at Kuala Besut for dinner and this time another reunion of sorts happened when another schoolmate of ours, Suharto popped up. He was still his usual self. Now a General Manager at Demong Beach Resort he offered a discounted rate should anyone of us decided to take some time off.

The conversation went on for quite some time and by the time mad redo1 reached home, it was already one in the morning.

...

A Half Year...

...Review

Six months have passed since AKS#1 left the nest for a hostel life at SMAAZA.


Yesterday mad redo1 and Linda went to the school for a review of Berg's performance during the recent examination. Suffice to say that she did not perform too bad and as a bonus Berg is in the top ten percent among her peers.

That is something to cheer about.

Unfortunately, all are not that rosy with Berg still insisting on a transfer to another school, which something mad redo1 is not really fond of doing as a mid year transfer means disruption to her studies and also the process of adaptation to a new environment.

For me, most of her problems stem from her relationship with her fellow students as they found her straight talking nature is quite insensitive. At the same time their nosy nature of poking their nose at personal matters is also the source of irritation for Berg, and to a certain extent for Linda and mad redo1 too.

For me it is up to the individual student on how to dress outside the school during their personal time as long they do not imitate the style of Lady Gaga or Beyonce. But no, some of the students have to bring this matter to the teacher.

The teacher should have put a stop to this gossiping nature at that time and not become a gossiper herself. That if we live in a perfect world. Unfortunately, we don't.

Thus Berg's future at SMAAZA is still remain unknown for the time being.


...

Appreciation...

...Just for a Day?

Everybody is wishing Happy Teacher's Day through all kinds of media.

So, is it okay if mad redo1 does not follow the trend?

Would that be considered as un-grateful?

Perhaps.

But the best appreciation a teacher can get from his/her students is when they turned out to be human beings with the mind of a human and not a being with human face but the heart of an animal.

Be it a millionaire or just a road-side sweeper, most teachers will always feel proud that their charges are living the lives as humans, and I believe many would feel pain in their hearts seeing any recognizable face being brought to court in handcuffs and charged with criminal wrongdoings.

I may not be a recognizable face in the media but as long as I am living as a decent human being, earning what is meant for me and try to impart the same principles to my off-springs, then I am appreciating the teachings of all my teachers right from the first knowledge that I gained till the day I breath my last breath.

...

Worthwhile...

...Wait

Remember when you were a child and walking in a shop, suddenly your eyes were attracted to a toy. With high hopes you ran to your mother and asked her to buy you the toy. But hopes turned into ashes when she told you that it would not be yours today. 

"Lain kali ya..." (Next time, alright?)

This is a trend that somehow continues to be with us even when we are adults. We see something that tickle our fancy but this time around we have to tell ourselves:

"One day..."

Well, that was the case for mad redo1 when he wished for either a Nikon D90 or a D300 (now D300s) a while back. Although he already has a D60 mad redo1 found there are a number of limitations with the most popular entry level DSLR from Nikon which limit the level of satisfaction from the output.

Well, yesterday my wish has came true with a D90 coming home with me after waiting for quite a while. The joy is the same as I felt when finally I got to have my favourite toys, although this time the toy is much more expensive and at the same time could be more than just a toy for me.

Hopefully, I will be able to come up with better shots, artistic or work wise with the additional gear to my arsenal.

...

Feeling Safe...

...No More

Taken from Today's News Straits Times. 

2 rob teacher at kindergarten

2010/04/14

By Jason Gerald John

ALOR GAJAH: Two men, one armed with a parang, stormed into the compound of a kindergarten in Taman Bukit Rembia and robbed a female teacher of cash and jewellery worth RM6,000 yesterday.

There were four children, aged 5 and 6, in Tabika Perpaduan during the 12.15pm incident, but none were harmed.

It is learnt that at the time of the incident, the 50-year-old teacher was alone with the four children as her colleagues and other children had gone home.

District police chief Superintendent Umar Ali Shaifuddin Shaharuddin said the teacher was with the preschoolers in the compound of the kindergarten, waiting for the arrival of their parents.

"Suddenly, a black Proton Wira stopped at the entrance of the kindergarten and two men, one armed with a parang, alighted from the car, rushed toward the teacher and instructed her and the children to go into the kindergarten.

"They then demanded that the teacher surrender all her valuables."

"Fearing for the lives of the children, the teacher handed over all her cash and jewellery," he said, adding that a third man was waiting in the car during the robbery.

Umar said the robbers were all in their 30s.

As a parent who sends his child to a nursery and kindergarten, mad redo1 wonders whether the same thing will happen here in Terengganu. These places are fast becoming targets for desperate robbers who see the women running the centres as easy prey, especially with the safety of the children under their care is at stake.

Many assume that the owners of the nurseries and kindergarten are usually women with lots of money, especially with the amount they charge to parents for sending their children under their care nowadays.They will attract even more attention if they have all kind of rings and bracelets dangling from their fingers and arms.

I hope the incident will not become a recurring theme in our daily dose of crime in the news to the extent the nurseries have to resort to employing security guards to ensure the premises' security. It will mean the nurseries will have an additional operating cost that will no doubt will be transferred to the parents.

To a safer Malaysia.

...