He answered the call.

My ESSO mate, 1966 to 1974, BAHARUDDIN BABA passed away peacefully at HUKM Kuala Lumpur on 30 October 2011 at about 2230 hours.

Innalillah hi ro jiun and ALFATHIHAH……………………………

The short message transmitted by Sabuddin Bidol immediate after the demise and yours truly redirected to some of the colleagues.

Regret that I was unable to attend the funeral as it was programmed at 1100 hours on 31 October 2011 at Port Dickson. However I had travelled all the way to his residence at Kampong Paya Port Dickson on 25 October 2011, just a couple of days back to visit and be updated of his well being. At that time he was already in bad state and doubtful he was conscious of my presence.

Early morning of 31 October 2011, I contacted Shariff at Port Dickson to be updated and requested him to convey my condolence and salam to the bereaved family.

BAHARUDDIN BABA is now joining several of my ESSO working mates who had answered the call of the Almighty before him: Bernard Lim, Mah Ah Choong, Zakaria Botak, Hassan Amin, Angamuthu, Sree Jaya, Bakar Aman, Ishak Ibrahim and Mazlan Baba.

It is a matter of time that I will do the same and only Allah knows when to summon this humble soul. No one in this world can escape.

Simple wedding.

I thought the evening of 29 October 2011 was going to be wet and we moved to Jalan Maktab off Jalan Semarak Kuala Lumpur early. It didn’t rained; maybe some Bomoh had chased the dark cloud away to make way for the Malaysia Cup Final at Shah Alam. We were only held back a couple of minutes due to some stupid road work at that hour in front of the Indian High Commission at Jalan Duta. The rest was plain sailing.

Zazili Jaafar and Nor Azah Mohd Said held a wedding reception for their son, Huraizi married to Nurul Huda Mohammad at Dewan Perdana FELDA. Nor Azah Mohd Said is a family friend, knowing her since she was a kid and we attended both their wedding receptions at Port Dickson and Benta Pahang. Now we are attending her son’s wedding. Time really flies.

Well wishers for the Bride & Groom with Puan Nor Azah (in white) thanking the guests.

One for the album with the Bride & Groom. (God knows who?).

The reception was elegant and simple. Only the groom and bride parents went up to the dais stage to perform the “adat merinjis” and photography session. Unlike some posh weddings, the Tan Sri, Puan Sri, Dato and Datin would make their presence known. I smiled and rather shocked knowing Zazili, quiet and no nonsense gentleman had a good sense of humor during his speech.

Wedding is when we get to meet old friends and missing familiar faces. I bumped into several - Rashid, Dato Salim, Dato Khalid, Mohd Thabit, Azam, Suhaimi, Hanapiah, Rano, Mohamed Othman and Nor Azah’s siblings. I had not met Khalid and Rashid since I left Port Dickson in 1974. Khalid joined the Malaysian army and retired as General and Rashid is now managing a commercial orchard somewhere in the jungle of Bentong. He promised to call during the next durian season. Salim once accommodated my family at his residence in Las Angeles when he was the Malaysian Consulate General. Azam was my working mate in ESSO and Mohd Thabit was together with me at GUTHRIE.

Flanked by Dato Khalid (right) and Dato Salim (left). Nice to meet you guys again. we have something in common, the hair are all colored white.

My wife and I were specially treated as special guests, seated together with the two Dato and my daughter with Nor Azah’s siblings.

After the reception we stayed a little while commingling among the family members of whom we are really familiar and close. We caught up with Halimatus, Prof Dato Dr Ikram, Iqbal, Izman, Dr Ikmal, Nor Saadah, Izmi, and Nor Lina. They asked for my missing Boy, well……probably busy with some production at TV3. Going down memory lane, Nor Azah in her teen then, was busy helping during my wedding reception in Port Dickson in 1973 where her parents played the major role. How not to be absent during her son’s wedding?

With the Groom Uncle, Prof Dato Dr Ikram Mohd Said (Mike) and Datin Azizar Othman.

On the very same night, Negeri Sembilan won the Malaysia Cup 2 – 1 against Trengganu and Arsenal trashed Chelsea at Stanford Bridge 5 – 3. Manchester escaped with a narrow win away, 1 – 0 with Everton.

To Huraizi and Huda, "A wedding is only one night but a Marriage would last forever". Wishing you both well in life.

Deepavali 2011.

Yesterday my blood pressure shot up to 170/90 and the Doctor had to recheck thrice to ensure it really 170/90. I think I had salted fish with iced tea O during lunch. She advised me to take my medication immediately as I had been neglecting it for couple of days.

I had to go out and relax mentally today, on Deepavali public holiday. Morning breakfast was very light, just a piece of bread. I dare not even touch the fried noodle (mee goring), fearing it might be salty.

Let’s go out for a drive, anywhere I suggested to my wife and daughter. I had to see some green to sooth of my mind. We decided to go to Port Dickson by the back way. Coincidentally I could visit my bed ridden friend, Haji Baharuddin Baba. Haji Sabuddin Bidol had taken the trouble to transmit a short message about our friend.

Before noon we took the Elite highway heading for the F1 circuit, Sepang, Tanah Merah Estate, Lukut and Kampong Paya before Port Dickson. My daughter took the wheel as I was also worried about my crazy blood pressure. By Lukut I called Haji Musa at Kampong Paya that I would be at his house within 30 minutes and I called Haji Sabuddin Bidol to meet me there.

We sat down for tea at Haji Musa’s residence and I was sad to note that my former neighbor in Port Dickson, Hajjah Salbiah had passed away about three (3) weeks ago. After tea we adjourned to Haji Baharuddin Baba residence about a kilometer away. It broke my heart to see him lying motionless, eyes closed, even unable to respond to my call. Baharuddin is suffering stage 4 prostate cancer and he only came to know of his ailment only on the second day of Aidilfitri 2011. Couple of day back he was critically in bad state and was on morphine prescription. Baharuddin Baba, BB as we call him was my working colleague in ESSO from 1966 to 1974. We became quite close as his uncle and aunty in law was renting a room at my parent’s house in Ipoh. We were young bachelors then and at time we used to spend our off days in KL. In the late 60s, having a Volkswagen was already vogue.

The best thing I could do at his bedside was to tell him to hang on, patience and always remember Allah the Almighty, our Creator. Whether he heard me or otherwise was a second matter. I hold his right hand and in silence I said my prayer asking Allah to take care of him. The son was telling me that an Ambulance is on the way from Seremban to pick up his father to be transferred to Hospital University Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) Kuala Lumpur. I think it was a good idea as in the Hospital he can get professional care and treatment.

We then adjourned and paid courtesy call to Haji Mohd Shah Hamzah whose house is just nearby. This old man was one of my Superintendant in ESSO Refinery. He looked healthy all right and skinny as before. Operating several petrol stations in KL but prefer to hibernate in the kampong, away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

On the way back to Haji Musa residence we noticed that the Ambulance had already arrived to pick up Haji Baharuddin to HUKM KL.

By 1700 hours we left Kampong Paya and stopped at Restoran Cahaya Musthafa at Lukut. This Restaurant belong to Haji Tamlees, my colleague during 2011 Ramadan umrah. He wasn’t at the Restaurant but he phoned his Helper not to take any money from me. We just had tea and simple “roti canai” but his Helper dished out some mutton and fried chicken. I took some mutton and when I realized my blood pressure is on the high side, I quickly abandoned the dish.

The next stop was at Sepang Mosque to perform the jamak prayer of zohor and asar. As I was praying inside, outside was pouring and the heavy downpour followed us all the way to Port Klang.

We touched base at 2000 hours.

Deepavali is not like the old days when I was working. I used to have several Hindu acquaintances from the Office, Golf Course and business colleagues.

Anyway, HAPPAY DEEPAVALI to whom it may concern.

My Darling Muslimah.

22.10.2011.

After the farewell "khenduri" and safe journey prayer of Tok Yunus & Nenek Zah leaving for Mekah on their Haj pilgrimage.

"Labaikallah hu malai bait. Innalhamda, lakawalmulk. La syarikalah...................

Success and the reasons behind.

Chuckling Hillary Mocks Slain Dictator

by Jason Ditz,

In the ultimate reflection of the Obama Administration’s carefree attitude toward entering wars, a chuckling Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared on television today mocking the death of long-time Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi, barely restraining her delight while declaring “we came, we saw, he died.”

The remark was a modern take on the Julius Caesar hendiatris “Veni, Vidi, Vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered), though in Secretary Clinton’s case it would be “Veniimus, Vidimus, Morit.” Since she uses the plural “we came” she could also be referencing the first Ghostbuster movie, however.

President Obama himself termed the slaying of Gadhafi, under what remains mysterious circumstances, a “momentous day,” though he managed to see this without giggling like a gleeful schoolgirl.

The focus on the nature of Gadhafi’s death continues to center on various conflicting stories of his death, including how he managed to get shot in the head after his capture and before his arrival at the hospital.

But the story in the US is mostly in spinning the administration’s decision to start a war without Congressional approval and continue to resist Congressional calls for explanations as a policy vindicated by the death.

Behind the scenes, however, the joy is not so much about President Obama’s potential poll boost, which is sure to be squandered on some other ill-advised war he’ll start or escalate, but in the fact that Gadhafi’s death spares the administration the embarrassment a trial would have produced.

In particular, it means the secrets related to US rendition of dissidents to the Gadhafi regime won’t be coming to light any time soon, though since some of the rendees are now high profile figures in the National Transitional Council (NTC) that issue is unlikely to die completely.

Laughing Senator Graham.

Lets get in on the ground.There's a lot of money to be made in the future of Libya.

By Eli Clifton

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has had no shortage of criticisms for Obama administration’s handling of NATO air support for Libyan rebels. But with news this morning of Muammar Qaddafi’s death, Graham offered a new set of criticisms for the administration’s policy of working with a NATO coalition in Libya. Graham, appearing on Fox News, said:

One of the problems I have with “leading from behind” is that when a day like this comes, we don’t have the infrastructure in place that we could have. I’m glad it ended the way it did. It took longer than it should have. If we could have kept American air power in the fight it would have been over quicker. Sixty-thousand Libyans have been wounded, 3,000 maimed, 25,000 killed. Let’s get in on the ground. There is a lot of money to be made in the future in Libya. Lot of oil to be produced. Let’s get on the ground and help the Libyan people establish a democracy and a functioning economy based on free market principles.

Graham is accurate in his assessment that Libya has a lot of oil and potentially could make a lot of money for U.S. and other western oil companies. But the crudeness of observation and the clear ties between “get[ting] in on the ground,” “lot of oil to be produced,” and helping Libya establish “a functioning economy based on free market principles” make it sound like Graham’s eagerness for U.S. boots on the ground has more to do with economic interests than with securing a democratic and stable country for Libya’s citizens.

Down and Out.

Iraq - Hanged.

Tunisia - Dethroned.

Egypt - Dethroned.

Libya - Killed.










Next - ?????

Happy? Bet you, it will not stop there. They want to impose democracy, fine. Will it work? Who will be the end looser? The people themselves. Who actually gain? The weapon factories and the suppliers, because people keep on fighting and using guns, bombs, mortars and rockets.

They are now eying for Yemen, Syria and Iran. Somalia already wrecked by itself. They are not interested anyway because there is no black gold.

KRU New Mosque as at 17 October 2011.

The Mimbar and the Mehrab as it is.

Some modification on the door.

The switch box.

Tiles and glaze glasses ready to be laid/install.

Working on frontage wall fencing.

Installing the rear wall fencing.

The Dome and the minaret waiting for the first congregation.

Multi purpose hall seen from the rear portion of the Mosque.

Rear view of the Mosque.

Progress was slow but moving. Handful of workers was seen attending to their work assignment here and there. Reason: Honestly I do not know and I simply do not want to know. My every fortnight presence on site is simply to record history and development. Down the road, ten (10) years from now somebody can look back and browse the development through this blogspot.

Outstanding work as I see:

1) Completion of the mimbar and mehrab.

2) Main electrical supplies.

3) Tiling.

4) Completion of washroom & wuduk area for Men, Women and VIP.

5) Brick wall fencing rear & front.

6) Final touch up painting.

7) Installation of stand fans in the Main Prayer Hall.

8) Tarmac and landscaping.

Teething problem during handing over is normal to all commissioning.

I was glad to know that the water intake tank is located on the Mosque roof, hidden from sight. The only worry is whether there will be enough pressure to the entire taps outlet especially when the congregation presence is large, like Friday prayers. That would be part of teething problem to be solved.

The New Mosque complex:

Expected date of completion as per JAIS as on 30 September 2011 was three (3) months from date thereof. At the current rate, my best bet would be March 2012 when a complete official handover to the Mosque Committee can be done. Earlier would be a bonus. What come after that only time will tell and yet to be seen.

Just my opinion:

As observed, there is too much wall fans installed in total, particularly two (2) at every pillar. On the security aspect, the New Mosque Committee had to employ Security Guard to ensure those fans do not go missing. Electricity consumption would surely be high if the Siak fail to make his regular round and switch them off.

Equipping a brand New Mosque and establishing new inventories is no child play. Somebody by now should sit down seriously charting the several necessities. Surely the kampong residents would not want to carry over second hand items from the present Mosque to the Masterpiece. My frank opinion is personal to holder.

“Allah would bless those who are patience”.