Sime Darby Teenage Girls' Camp

Hey there, it has been ages since i log onto my blog! Another new chapter in my life as a volunteer has begun. This time, it was a Girls' Camp for the Children of the Sime Darby Plantation Division. It was sure not a holiday, like most friends told me before I left "Enjoy your holiday in Janda Baik!", but a noble work to give back to the society. The "niat" has to be clear for whatever work you wish to undertake, then you will feel that you have accomplished your mission 120%, instead of just 100%.

I was late to meet up with Azdiana at Genting Sempah R&R coz I was so carried away with my Chiro session after work in the afternoon. So, the hike began on March 13th, 2012 at approximately 5.45 pm. It was starting to drizzle as I made my way up to Genting Sempah and thank God i reached the R&R at 6.15 pm, just as promised. Azdiana followed me from the back, very slowly I must say, I had to stop a few times when I did not see her car in my rear mirror.

So, we headed to Camp ABC, Janda Baik which is nestled next to Suria Hill Resort which was my accommodation during a holiday in December last year. There is sure a reason why the camp is called ABC, don't ask me why but obviously they don't sell Air Batu Kacang there =) Upon arrival, we were greeted by the CSR team from GHO and Plantation - Izlin whom I met at the Zoo, Soraya, Nisha, Qisha (so confusing when there are two "Ishas" in the house) and Kak Zura. We were later after Maghrib, treated to some barbequed meal by the host. I met Jasper (the photographer at Zoo) and Nadiah (whom was also at the Zoo) at the canteen. I must say that the sweet potato and ikan keli were my favourite, and it is such a kick when cicah with the air asam. Wala, mama mia!!! Later, after dinner, Nadiah briefed us on the details of the activities which will take place in the next two days.

My forehead was stamped with the word "FACILITATOR" on March 14th, 2012, a word which carries a huge responsibility. I was asking myself could I really facilitate the teenagers or will it be the other way round? This is the first time I am facilitating a group of teenagers, who are 20-25 years younger than me. The last time I was facilitating a group of youth at the age of 25, and that was a solid 13 years ago! God, how time flies :(

The group of girls arrived with excitement, leaving me with so much anxiety looking at their different shapes and sizes, most of them were bigger than me! We were all at the registration counter, checking their attendance and giving them their tees and "door gifts". After morning tea, we started the activities as planned. The first activity which I have to facilitate was the "BUILD YOUR OWN TALLEST AND SOLID STRUCTURE". I was squeezed between the girls from the first group called HAFSGAMS (I think this is how it should be spelt!). It was an advantage to have Goh being the tallest in the group, the girls won the game. Not bad for a first timer like me, so proud of the girls when chosen the winner by Jasper, who was somehow or rather admiring the name which sounded strange.

The two days were filled up with so many beneficial activities for all of us, not only the teenagers. I learnt a lot from the talks and the activities. It was interesting to observe how the girls think when given a task. My first reponse will be more of delegating the work to each team member, but these girls, they just belasah as they wish. Like Nadiah said, this is not a LEADERSHIP or MOTIVATIONAL camp, but I did tell my team to organise themselves when carrying out the tasks. As a facilitator, we were expected to guide the girls in accomplishing their tasks, but at the end of the day, the output is theirs. Originality was the key word in being an outstanding individual or group!

The various talks from the experts - Kak June, Aunty Noni, Chris and Captain Bala were so educational and mind opening to some of the participants, including myself, of course! In less than 48 hours, the girls were equipped with so many useful tips and information for their own survival in the challenging and unpredictable world. I hope that the girls will share all the information with their friends and family members when they return, and use them throughout their lives.

I must say that I am glad to be involved in the camp and the experience that I have gained is so valuable, it cannot be exchanged with any diamonds or pearls (I am not a fan of Gold) in the world. The camp to me, was not only about learning new things, but the bond knitted between all of us from the different divisions matters most and that was a Pow Wow factor that made the event happened! I am looking forward for more of these events to happen in the near future and hope I can do more to give back to the Society once again! Many thanks to Nadiah, Izlin, Kak Zura, K Shida, Nisha, Azdiana, Nabila, all the boys and the speakers who had made the voluntary work worth all the treasures in the world!

Whitney Houston - On My Own - HQ + lyrics

Such an inspirational and motivational song. Thanks Whitney for all the beautiful songs that you have shared with us. Every living soul will find its' way back to the Creator one day.

林俊傑 她說She Says MV(HD畫質)

Life now

I am here in Toyota Segambut waiting for the car alam to be fixed while at the same time watching Amazing Race on AXN channel. Just wanna thank God for giving me the chance to share the love, care and joy from my loved ones - my parents, sibblings and dear Nenek Yam. Both me and Nenek Yam will be heading to Singapore this afternoon, visiting Rohani's parents who have undergone operations recently. It has been ages since i last went to Singapore, i guess it was nearly 20 years ago or probably 30 then with my age crawling to 36 soon on 16th December 2010.

I had been down with flu and fever since Tuesday and still am recovering from it, hopefully soon. Being on the move non-stop, i have somehow or rather exhausted myself and gotten myself in trouble when all the anti-body in me has depleted. Talking about ageing, hah hah.

Still owing a hi-tea with friends who used to be in Sunrise Berhad and with some who are still there before Christmas but looks like it may not happen after all if i do not recover soon. Being with old friends do allow me to reminisce the good days we had together, very valuable memories. I spent almost 8 years in Sunrise and there were just too many sweet memories to be cherished than those which may crush your heart into pieces. So, i have to gear up myself and start looking around for a good spot to lepak with those people whom i have not met for quite a while now.

It is just amazing to see how i have matured from just being a person with zero knowledge in property management and now, with 13 years of experience. But when people belittled you, it is the most hurtful feeling you face and it could just demotivate you. I pray that God will give me the strength and courage to move on and face all the obstacles in life. Insyallah, as far as i have faith, i will not give up easily and will pace myself towards excellence.

Orphanage

Alhamdulillah, today is my third visit to the orphanage at Pertubuhan Kebajikan Anak Yatim Dan Miskin Baitu Saidati Khadijah at Batu 8 3/4, Gombak. Although it was only myself, Moira, Eliyati and Moira's son, we feel good about the whole arrangement as we had managed to ensure that the mattresses were delivered as promised. We only managed to get 8 out of the 15 required but hey, it is better than nothing.

We spent almost 1.5 hours with the children, only a handful of them as most of them are in lullaby land. Iwan, the lead singer sang us a few songs which we do not have any idea what songs were those but then we clapped and cheered along. Moira's son was playing bottle caps with the abang-abang and was interviewed inside. Eliyati seems to be a bit awkward when asked to sit on the floor with the children, she prefered standing all the while. She keeps on saying how sad to see the children being dumped at the centre, and what is worse is that they are mostly Malays. I told Eliyati that the children can be considered as lucky compared to those who live in a worst state.

I really feel at ease when i sit and talk to the children and could feel the love that they shared with us. The love is so genuine and you could feel it in the air. I hope that we can continue to spend our time at the Home again soon as i feel a sense of belonging althought we are not related in any way. May God bless our noble action. Amin.Looking forward for our next project in December 2010,insyallah.

Team Based Culture (TBC)

Hi guys! It has seriously been ages since i made my last entry into my blog. Well, to kill time, i just want to share my exciting days spent with friends from Sime Darby Property a few days ago.

It all started off with an e-mail from HR informing that i had been selected to join the TBC course in Genting View Resort and Kem Ampangan Pecah, Kuala Kubu Bahru for a solid 4 days. As it is my first ever training since i joined SDP on 5th August 2010, i thought that it will be great to be out there instead of just being in the office. Furthermore, when i look at the lists of participants, i have realised that they are all of interesting background being some cooks, banquet personnel, guest officers, and of course 3 other friends from the same department. So i thought that the class module will be kacang, as you cannot expect the cooks to be an expert in management plans etc coz i am not myself.

The days began with waking up at 5 am on 18th October 2010. After my Subuh prayers, i went to my parents' to pick up abah so that he can drive my car back to Gombak after dropping me off at SDCC. So, despite ending up on the wrong road (thanks to abah who had it all confused) but managed to U turn and get into Duke, we reached SDCC at 7.20 am. Almost everyone was there, waiting for registration etc. However, we ended up sitting at the steps, greeting the Management Trainees who were there to attend their classes instead of leaving at 7.30 am. At approximately 8.00 am, our breakfast arrived and we left the place at 8.30 am (one hour later than the scheduled time).

The journey to Genting View Resort started and we reached GVR safely in an hour's time. Stuffing all our luggage at the store room, we headed to our classroom, greeted by Encik Rusli Osman and assitant, Encik Suhaimi. We had our registration and were then handed over our course materials and class started with introduction of the team members. We sang "Wind of Change" when En Roslan came in to give us his words of wisdom, a song that urged us to change for a better future.

The Kawanku session was the first ice breaker where we were given task to get to know 2 other person in the group. So, i was paired up with Ali, the SDCC cook and Ja, the machine operator from IGCC. It was hard at first coz we have to draw caricature of the friend that you are interviewing, who in my case, Ja. Ja, or his real name is Mohd Ariza is 22 years old and was born in Tanah Merah, Kelantan. Being the third in the family of 6, Ja now works in IGCC and has worked there for almost 4 years. Ali, on the other hand, has been with SDCC for quite a while. He reminds me so much of the late Nizam, his hair and the way he talks, so real. And the best of all, the three of us are the middle child or third in the family. That makes us a big triple 3!!!

Days went by, i dreaded most of the classes coz there was too much of brain cracking and presentations. Furthermore, the subjects were not as easy as i thought, silly me!!! On 20th October 2010, after breakfast, we checked out of GVR and headed towards Kuala Kubu Bahru. It was a real hot afternoon, and we started off with our first project "Journey to the Unknown". Lucky us, we did not have to cross the river to point B as the water level was higher than expected confirmed by our trekkers. So, we were considered to have met our target for the said project.

Next was the Hamburger Hill (Heart & Head) project where i was involved with En Haniff, Raidah, Ja & Jee. It wasn't an easy climb though, with the gradient of the hill being at 80 degrees. I went up with the "macho" guys to carry out the site survey. Thank God, there were strong roots and trees for me to hold on to while climbing or else, i would have gone down the hill tumbling like Jack & Jill. I decided to just slide down coz it was much more easier to do that but was being watched by Ja, who was so concerned of his big sister. The climb went well for the other team members as En Hanif had done a great job tying the rope strong enough for everyone to hold on to. We made it before the stipulated time and was awarded bonus to boost our morale.

Next in line was the Survival Kit 1, where we have to locate our lunch. After much negotiation, we were finally given our packed lunch which consisted of : an apple, a packet of Twisties, Chikadees, some candies and asam boi plus egg sandwich. Apparently, i don't even know where is the rest of my food pack until now coz i only took the apple, sandwich and asam boi. We then had our solat break and headed for the next project which is the Journey Across River Kwai.

The journey was not an easy one, although i would say that it is much more kacang then the one that i had in Lumut with the Paskal boys but we all had made it through. Despite many negative comments from the non-management team, the group had managed to achieve the objective and we moved on to our Hoot Hoot Trail. This trail allowed us to go back to the campsite where we had our break and dinner. I helped Ali cook the sardine and vegetables (but it's actually mengacau), coz it is fun cooking with a professional chef.

We left the campsite at approximately past 12 midnight where we were splitted into 3 groups. The Moonlight Sonata project required us to walk alone in the woods to get from point A to point B. I was imagining more like the "Jirat Malam" that i went through with Paskal but then it was nothing like that at all. Alhamdulillah, i had managed to get to the group members in one piece despite the fear of getting lost at first, but i don't mind ending up in Taman Ibu Kota Gombak, my hometown :)

From Moonlight Sonata, we continued our journey to Mission Impossible where we, as a group were given a task to meet the Mayor of Hadyai, to tell him our experiences during the night trekking. All our night missions were successful and we had managed to get all the merits that were promised. Thank God, we had enough money to pay off all our debts to the bank amounting to RM 77 million despite losing out the indoor projects at GVR. Or else, we will end up in the lock-up when we return to KL.

We called off the night sleeping in the tents and for once i had a good night sleep unlike the previous nights at GVR. Woke up at 6 am and did my Subuh prayers, i did not actually had a decent bath. It feels yucky but then who cares? Ah Seng was already busy with his wok, frying his Chinese fried rice which tastes like Heaven. Can still taste the ikan bilis at the tip of my tounge and have to admit that i can't even cook that well. We had our morning briefing with Encik Burn where we shared our experiences on the outdoor activities that we had. I pointed out that we are all dependent on each other and that our weaknesses and strengths complement each other's. However, you should never let the weaknesses that you have to be with you forever but you should transform those into strengths. Unfortunately, there are people who finds that the whole exercise was just another vacation and it is really irritating.

Next on line was the Corporate Survival and the exercise valued at RM 300 million (wish i could have that much money in my bank account). In line with the amount, the project was not an easy one. We went through all the obstacles and stress, from K Ana to the Tok Batin and son. Time passed by and we had failed to meet the time frame given to us to get all information to the customer within an hour. Realising that we have passed that time frame, one of the team members had suggested that we should just return to the campsite and call it off. Me & Lyana were personally pissed off with such a call, as we were all out to take up the challenge and whatever risks to get back whatever money we have lost.

Since the Tok Batin wanted an ibu to help him make kopi & susu since his "wife" passed away in an accident involving our RM 300 million Ferrari car (which did not pass the QC and was stolen out of the show room), i suggested that Nonie should give a helping hand. Wala, must be the Tongkat Ali kopi, Tok Batin gladly passed us an information to find "One Tanah Merah" which is hidden on the ground near the walls. Nonie had suggested that we should be looking out for a watermelon as the subject was described as "Round, green, stripes and on the ground" and someone had also said that our watermelon at the campsite went missing. Hanif managed to locate the watermelon at the end and horah, we all had managed to clock out our last project.

What does the watermelon depicts? Encik Burn said that it depicts "rezeki yang halal". We sang to the tune of "That's What Friends Are For" at the end, shaking hands with each other, some even shed tears knowing that it will be the end soon for all of us. We walked back to the campsite, did our housekeeping and bid our last goodbye to the fishes in the river by feeding them Ah Seng's leftover nasi goreng. After a group photo, we walked back to the main camp and had our shower and got ready for our last class.

I was so down upon entering the class, with mental block that we were all required to summarise on certain areas for our last presentation. But, we had managed to pull our resources together and summarised all the points, although they do not make any sense due to lack of attention and focus. It was another round of "That's What Friends Are For" and "Wind of Change" and we hugged and embraced each other. With the graduation tokens and certificates from the CCT Management, we walked out of the room with a mixed feelings of proud, tired, sad and relieved that we are finally going back to our own homes.

Upon reaching SDCC, we were greeted by our own HOD, Puan Norlida who looked stunning in her black cocktail dress. We were glad that we were home, and so was she. We were welcomed back by Hajah Marini and Wafi and were then presented with TB caps as a symbol that we have completed the whole journey. After supper, we all headed home, hoping that the memories that we had during the TBC will be cherished forever.

To all those whom i have known during the 4-days course namely Joe, Ja, Jee, Ju, Dila, Hanif, Hamzah, Baha, Lyana, Oi Ying, Kevin, Raidah, Nornie, Hafiz, Sue-E, Syu, Khairul, Khairil, Ali, Ah Seng, Wan, Syed, Kamarul and Syukri, i just want to tell all of you that you guys are FABULOUS and i will always treasure every single second spent together. We made it through despite all the arguments and obstacles as we believe in ourselves that the ImPOSSIBLE, is POSSIBLE, after all. To all our facilitators namely En Roslan (sorry to say that you sounded more French than Italian), En Rusli & Roseffindi - thank you for being such a support. To all our trekkers; En Suhaimi, Hazri (i think so), Kak Ana, En Burn and Tok Mut - you guys are the best!!!

Every step that we take is a lesson for us. In life, you have to face the ugly side of it to be able to enjoy the beauty later. May what we have learnt during the course make us stronger and bolder in life and always remember that "A Hero Lies in You". God Bless everyone.

Missing all of you and lots of hugs and kisses, Baya.

Well you came and open me and now there's so much more i see
And so by the way I thank you


Oh and then for the times when we're apart
Well then close your eyes and know these words are coming from my heart
And then if you can remember


Keep smiling, keep shining
Knowing you can always count on me, for sure
That's what friends are for
For good times, and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/d/dionne_warwick/thats_what_friends_are_for.html

Marriage

The ups and downs of life around me always make me think what is going to happen to me - next? Will there be a rainbow or will there be dark clouds? Only God knows. Marriage is a sacred bond between two lives, a husband and a wife. It is not easy to maintain a relationship, what more a marriage? However, i believe that a marriage can be a wonderful experience throughout someone's life if respect and honesty are being practised all time.

When you are not with your partner after being together for years, it is not easy to face reality. True that reality BITES!! However, if it is fated that the paths that had crossed between you and your partner discontinue, then you will just have to swallow the bitterness and move on with life. Whatever happens, always remember that you are still fortunate to have gone through marriage life compared to those who are still single out there and that you are more matured and wiser in certain things. Let it be a lesson for you to move on because you do not know how long more you are going to be living on Earth.

As for me, i have to face whatever is the fate written for me and move on with life. Insyallah, there is a reason for everything that happens to you. May God give me the strength to go on. Amin

Jogjakarta Trip

Wow! It has really been a long time since I last wrote in. It's because I have forgotten my blog name. Silly me! Just want to share the experiences from my recent trip to Jogjakarta and Solo in March 2010 - almost 2 months ago :)

Thanks to Sheli for sponsoring my air ticket, accommodation etc, i get to learn the hardship of the others in that part of the world. I am glad that i had the chance to see with my own eyes on how lucky i am to be in my own country, whilst the others may wish that they could be where i am. There are a lot of things that we always take for granted when we are in our own birthplace and when we go elsewhere where life is not as luxurious back home, we feel totally helpless and hopeless.

Important is that for all of us to thank God for every single thing especially gifts that we have been granted as the gifts will one day be taken away from us. I would love to share the lovely pictures of our trip to Jogja and Solo with everyone. The mountains are one place you guys should not miss and of course one of the wonders of the world - Borobudur :)

Overall, the whole trip was a mesmerizing one - from hotel to the food (execpt when i have to force myself eating talapia - urgh) to the people to the shopping and all. Do pick Jogja & Solo as your next trip destinations. Enjoy the beauty of the untouched world while you can :>

What i am sure of is that my dad was very happy to be able to reminisce the life of his ancestors in Kebumen and he may want to make a trip there if he is able to find someone he knows there. I wish him all the best and at the same time, wish that i could make the trip there too.

The demise of Sumiah Bt Omar

Assalamualaikum to all. I have not been entering anything into my blog for ages now. But the demise of my grandmum, Hajah Sumiah Omar on 9/12/08 has urged me to write in my blog. My grandma passed away at the age of 87, her face was calm and glowing. Alhamdulillah, she passed away peacefully and easily although she had suffered from a mild stroke for the past year. My uncle, Paman Halim was the one looking after her since she had the stroke, with my dad and Pamandol, occassionally helping during their free time. I was glad that I made a visit to see her on Eid Ada recently, after much hesitation that I was lazy to go over to Bangi after visiting my grand aunt at Sungai Buloh. But Allah is Great, He made me fated to see nenek Miah for the last time, I even had the chance to compliment her on her hair which I think look kinda cute on her and then I massaged her hands, and gosh, I have never done any of those all this while. I wil always remember her as the strict nenek, she always emphasize on the importance of solat and always comparing me to my sister, Sheli. Nenek Miah also always call me at home, checking on me if I am okay when abah and ibu are away on long trips etc. And I alaways thought that it should be the other way round, I should be the one checking and not her. Nenek always scold me if I don't answer the phone at home coz she is afraid that anything happens to me and will get either Pamandol or Paman Halin to check on me. I will always remember that I should appreciate what is given to me by God at all times and never take things for granted.

I am happy to see abah calm upon receiving the news that his beloved mother had left all of us, although I know that he feels very sad coz nenek is supposed to stay over at our place in Gombak from 10/12/08 onwards coz Paman Halin is leaving for Jogjakarta on 11/12/08. Abah has equipped the toilet downstairs for nenek with hot water heater and railing to ease her movement and even cleaned up the study room to accommodate nenek, but Allah is Great. During our visit to Bangi on Hari Raya, I overheard abah asking Paman Halin a lot of questions - what time nenek goes to bed, what she drinks etc. Abah was anxious and excited to have nenek staying over at his house.

Alhamdulillah, I had the opportunity to mandikan nenek although I was shivering due to the fear that I might hurt the jenazah, my legs were really shaky when I lay down on the pangkin in the kitchen of nenek's house. The moment nenek's body was laid on our lap and feet, it feels so cold and I just could not think of what is to be done next. Then we had to remove every single cloth that are on her body, her baju kurung Kedah was cut opened with scissors and the kain removed from the bottom part of her body. She was totally naked and covered with kain batik. The makcik in-charge was telling me and Sue to help clean nenek's private parts later while bathing was done but then the other makcik said that it is okay and she will do it. Water was being poured over nenek's body over and over, from air sabun, air mixed kapur barus and clean water. We were wet but satisfied that we could do our last bit as cucu for arwah nenek. Tears raced down my cheeks, looking at nenek's face. I just wish that nenek will suddenly open up her eyes and tell us that she is still alive, tapi that will be out of the world. I gosok nenek's legs and upper thighs and hold her hands and betulkan her fingers, that will be my last touch.

Nenek, I will always remember you as my dad's mum who had given birth to a wonderful and respectable son. Thank you for raising up abah to be what he is right now. Semoga roh nenek di cucuhri Rahmat dan ditempatkan di dalam golongan orang2 yang beriman. Amin. Al Fathihah

2008 Chinese New Year

Hello there, I may be a bit outdated but thot it will be good to share our Chinese New Year pictures in my blog. As usual, I celebrate my Chinese New Year at my God Father's house in Jalan Damai, Ampang. Love the house, really huge, with pool and gym. Gosh, wonder when I can have such a house. Okay then, enjoy the pictures :)

Casualty on the road

Good morning everyone! It is another day of the week. Wow! Time really flies, unfortunately some people just did not make it until today. Just want to share with everyone on what had happened last evening on my way back home at Jln Genting Kelang near UTAR campus. It was a real long bumper to bumper crawl yesterday when I reached the traffic light going towards the Jalan Genting Klang army camp. First thought was that must be an accident as I have witnessed quite a number there, however, no casualties. Then from a far, I saw the police siren light on and thot probably there is a road block instead. Heart pounded, beating fast as I reached towards the accident spot, I saw a Rescue 999 vehicle in the middle of the road, diverting the vehicles towards the left lane. Then, I thot this does not look good. I then looked on the road, there was a body there, covered with the police black sheet with blood oozing from the body and a motorbike lying on the road. I then remembered God and thank Him for letting me through the day. At the same time, I was asking myself "Was it an UTAR student or another young life that has perished?", "Do they know whose son/daughter is that?" and I pray to God that my life would not end up that way. To all my friends who have friends or children who ride on motorbikes, please advise them to be careful at all times and do not speed on the road or use the anti-traffic flow. We may be able to save another life on the road. Warm regards