Sunday, October 22, 2006

Interior Decoration

My aunt is a secondary school teacher and on top of that, she frequently chairs most activities at her school. She teaches kids in the morning and gets involved in activities in the afternoon. Who says being a teacher is an easy job? I wouldn't want to be one unless they pay RM5K a month. Hehe.

Anyway, that leaves her no time to decorate her home for Hari Raya and no puns intended, to even tidy up. But whenever she has the time, she dedicates full energy into tidying up. I think the tidying up & organizing things habit run in the family. While I am more into physically arranging stuffs in orderly manner, my sister has the ability to organize people and events.

So in the two days that I was at her house, I took the time to help in whatever ways I could. I did laundry, hang the clothes dry while watching hens sunbathing with spread wings (I didn't know chickens like sunbathing before or maybe they are just showing off in front of me), swept and vacuumed the house, and forced my obliging brother to help me. There is no way a guy who has superior strength than mine gets to lounge about in front of tv while I sweat off doing house chores. Nuh-uh. Orang lelaki pun mesti buat kerja rumah. Ingat kiteorang ni orang gaji atau pembantu rumah ke?

At first I wanted to do the 'before & after effect' but if my aunt ever stumbled here, I think she'll be mortified so I'll just post the after effect. My aunt's house is divided into three areas - the living room area which stretches long instead of wide, the tv area and the kitchen. She likes furniture made of wood / mahogany. Lastly, her floor is made of white, big tiles. The kind that I like. This is how her living room looks like after my brother and I finished rearranging the furniture:

Luxurious look

In warm effect

When I'm in the mood, even the carpets have to be perfectly aligned together #OCD

She said she bought this because she can't resist herself. Love at first sight punyer hal...

I'm not very good at taking photo yet but this is one of my favourite pix

A close-up

A view from top

There are a few more photos but I think these few already give you a good impression of how her living room looks like. Hehe.

We are going back to my kampung today and I will only update my blog after Hari Raya. So adios.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya and minta maaf zahir & batin! See you all after Hari Raya break.

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Saturday, October 21, 2006

Jalan-jalan di pasar Ramadhan Mukah

Memandangkan aku akan balik kampung hujung minggu ni, aku amik peluang ni untuk mengambil gambar pemandangan di Mukah. Mukah ialah sebuah bandar yang majoriti penduduknya berbangsa Melanau. Malah Ketua Menteri Sarawak berasal dari Mukah. Hampir setiap bangunan di sini i.e. bangunan pentadbiran (Menara Pehin), masjid baru, stesen bas, pasar tamu, etc. mempunyai rekabentuk seperti 'terandak' iaitu topi yang dipakai oleh orang Melanau suatu masa dulu. Topi ni berbentuk kon dan mempunyai corak yang menarik:

Sumber imej: http://anggunhandicraftnsouvenir.blogspot.com/

Bangunan pentadbiran bahagian Mukah dipanggil Menara Pehin Setia Raja (Kalau tak silap aku sbb orang kat sini panggil Menara Pehin je). Semua jabatan kerajaan ditempatkan di sini.

Petang hari kedua, aku mengikut mak saudara ke pasar Ramadhan di pasar tamu Mukah. Bermacam-macam jenis kuih yang menarik terdapat di sini .Tapi aku tak amik semua la sebab dieorang hairan tengok aku asyik snap gambar je, bukan beli pun!

Pemandangan di pasar tamu

ABC yang menarik

 

Kuih senyum. Aku pun tak tau naper dipanggil kuih senyum!

Kuih celorot, kuih tradisional di Sarawak. My faveret

Kek lapis yang menarik dijual RM30 untuk ukuran ni. Tak tau apa nama kek ni tapi tak silap aku ada nama 'Aiskrim..'

Kek lapis lagi - RM15. Kek lapis Sarawak berlainan sket sbb ianya dikukus dan ada corak yang menarik

Pasar tamu Mukah ni terletak bersebelahan dengan stesen bas Mukah. Aku tak sempat amik gambar stesen bas ni tapi aku amik gambar bas je. Korang kat sana asyik merungut pasal perkhidmatan bas tak de aircond la, buruk la dsb tapi orang kat sini rilek je naik bas apa saja pun asalkan selamat sampai. Kadar kemalangan di Sarawak melibatkan kenderaan awam pun amat sedikit. Yalah, nak pandu lelaju camane, bukan ada highway pun:

Pengangkutan antarabandar menggunakan bas ekspres, salah satunya ialah Trans Borneo (bukan Transnasional ye). Bas dalam bandar pulak ialah bas jalur biru yang takde aircond tu. Tapi kat Sarawak tak kisah la sebab udara kat luar bukan macam kat KL yg berbau asap

Next entry aku citer pulak pasal aktiviti aku mengemas & decorate rumah mak saudara aku sebab aku boring & tak tau nak buat apa. Hehe. Aku nak amik gambar sebelum dan selepas tapi terlupa nak amik gambar sebelum tu. So, tengok je la hasilnya lepas 2 hari menyapu, mengemop & mengalihkan perabot sesuka hati aku! 

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Friday, October 20, 2006

Balik Kampung 2006 - Pengalaman Naik Twin Otter ke Lapangan Terbang Mukah

Semalam, aku dah start cuti dan terbang ke Sarawak. Pukul 4.30 pagi, dia dah tunggu depan rumah sementara aku kelam-kabut buat sandwic ayam untuk kiteorang bersahur dalam kereta. Tak payah la dia mengada2 nak mintak suap. Muehehe..! Nasib baik hosmet dia pinjamkan kereta untuk dia hantarkan aku ke LCCT. Flight aku pukul 7.10 pagi. Kiteorang sampai pukul 6 pagi.

Keadaan di LCCT sesak dan penuh ngan bermacam2 ragam orang. Barisan di baggage screening memang panjang! Baru hari Rabu dah sesak macam ni. Lepas aku check in, kiteorang gi solat Subuh then dia pun balik. Aku sempat amik gambar kat LCCT:

Barisan yang panjang

Dalam kapal terbang (seperti biasa, delay lagi)

Pemandangan di luar

Sampai di LTA Kuching dalam pukul 10.30 pagi. Memandangkan flight seterusnya ke Mukah pada pukul 2.50 petang, aku pun merayau2 sambil amik gambar di airport Kuching yang baru diubahsuai ala-ala KLIA. Lawa giler airport yang baru ni:

Kedai bebas duti

Wajah moden LTA Kuching

Pukul 1.20 petang, baru la kaunter FAX (subsidiari AirAsia yang mengendalikan sebahagian penerbangan domestik dalam Sarawak) dibuka. Aku terperanjat bila dengan aku sekali kena naik atas penimbang bagasi tu! Hmm... Adakah aku akan dimasukkan di bahagian kargo?? Seingat aku naik Fokker tak penah pulak penumpang pun ditimbang.

Pukul 2.50 petang, terjawab la pertanyaan tu. Rupa2nya bukan naik Fokker, tapi twin otter iaitu kapal terbang yang lebih kecik dari Fokker. Inilah pertama kali aku naik twin otter. Macam nak rak amik gambar sampai penumpang lain pun pelik tengok aku:

Ni ler flight twin otter. Gambar ni masa dah sampai Mukah. Pecaya tak lelaki berseluar pendek tu ler staf ground handling kat airport ni. Hehe. Sempoi giler airport Mukah.

Aku sengaja duduk paling depan supaya boleh rakam gambar pilot in action.

Flight ni boleh bawak tak sampai 50 orang. Dier nyer take-off weight pun terhad. Patut ler penumpang pun kena timbang sekali!

Welcome to Mukah Airport

Balai pelepasan yang sempoi

Aku panik jap tengok kaunter check in dier macam kaunter bas - tak de PC dan mesin cetak boarding pass. Aku dah ler tak print tiket. Camane ni? Bila aku tanya staf kat situ (ground handling staff yang pakai shorts tadi tu rupa2nya merangkap check-in staff jugak) dia cakap kena datang awal. Erk. Nampaknya kena usahakan gak print tiket tu :p

Begitulah pengalaman aku balik kampung tahun ni yang agak berbeza dengan tahun2 sebelumnya. Next entry aku akan citer pulak tentang bandar Mukah ;)

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Friday, October 13, 2006

I'm tired of all this...

There are things you can stomach but there are also things that you just couldn't stand, no matter how you convince yourself that you can sit through this.

I guess I'm already at that point.

I've marked my last project and after that I will start to think of which direction I should go to.

After all, I've found the person I've looked for.

Someone to catch my fall, someone who's happy when I'm happy, & someone who'll wipe away my tears. Love me, someone.

Yup. I've met that someone.

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Thursday, October 12, 2006

This Time of The Year

I have many things I want to say, things that I am dying to type it down here, for ages in fact but I never got around to do that. Exhaustion is one thing. Utter disgust is another.

Somebody tell me, why do I still hang around in this African jungle. It's madness. A totally deflating experience, I need not point out more. Why are our energy, time & resources wasted on stupid things? Why??

Take for example when I proposed the e-card. It's about time we cut down cost of printing / buying stamps / cutting down trees to print cards only to be thrown away after the festive season ends. What do I get?

'E-cards are not professional & personalized! People will think we are stingy!'

Oh really? Then why do some big companies resort to e-cards and nobody thinks they are stingy? In fact they are called tech-savvy, duh. They are smart companies who know how to trim costs, and make use of technology.

Why 'Selamat Hari Raya' is not enough, but it has to be 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri'? Why do we need to reprint the cards again just because the word 'Aidilfitri' is missing?

'Because we have two hari rayas, just Selamat Hari Raya can mean either Aidilfitri or Aidiladha.'

'Err... And therefore?'

'Nobody sends card during Aidiladha.'

'Uhuh... so why the bother again?'

'Because we have two hari rayas!'

I give up. The whole contradictions are both hilarious and annoying. If nobody send a card during Aidiladha, isn't it clear that it therefore could be understood as 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri?' And if we had sent e-card instead of printed card, wouldn't it be easier to change it without wasting more money & time fixing things that are clearly meant for 'Hari Raya Aidilfitri'?

If we are so concerned about the fact that some poor sod will send the card during Aidiladha, what is exactly wrong about that, if you ask me? This practice of sending cards during Hari Raya Puasa is not a religious tradition and nobody would incur God's wrath for going against the tradition. Is the below conversation going to take place should it happen?

'Poor soul...'

'Why?'

'Kena panah petir.'

'Innalillah... apalah dosa dia...'

'Tulah aku cakap jangan hantar kad raya masa Raya Qurban, dia degil. Orang lain hantar kad raya masa Aidilfitri. Kan dah arwah.'

'Kesian...'

I know it's very important to uphold the corporate identity, but rational & logical thinking ought to be considered as well. If something does not pose great risks of tarnishing the company's image, it's ok to just let it go by instead of creating all these hassles and stirring ill feelings among teams. And since they want so much for us to cut down our costs and department spendings, why do they shoot down ideas that fit this bill just because they are worried about what other people think? Do they think it's a piece of cake trying to do something of high quality at just a fraction of the normal cost?

If this is the way things are done around here, it gives me absolutely good idea why moving forward is a tedious process because even small, harmless things get to be scrutinized, argued, and fussed over while more important issues are waiting and either growing larger every day or dwindling away into nothingness.

Welcome to hell.

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