Weather With You

Sekali sekala aku suka jugak memantau perubahan cuaca, especially the obvious changes. It has been a bit windy for the past few days. Wind means nyaman when you are at this altitude, but not when you are at higher ground. It can be painful.

I woke up this morning to a gusting sound through the holes at our car porch. It made the howling sound. This phenomena normally happen when there are storms coming. But, as I left the home for Fajr prayer, I said to my son, the sky is bright and no storm is coming. However, the wind was definitely pleasant. It lasted for a few hours until 8.00 a.m. and the sun started to shine.

The same goes for a few days. But, it was surely hot days.

However, I can remember that friends way up in the north used to celebrate this phenomena which actually happened at this time of the year. They call it Angin Timur. Sounds like a song title from a local rock band. And yes, the wind is so strong for a few days/weeks. They will organise a group ride and they rode the flat roads of Perlis through sugarcane plantations, which most of them will curse and...come back again the following years.

I have suffered enough from other rides with similar conditions. Not in my future list.

Nilai Murni dan Ilmu

Hari silih berganti. Minggu datang dan pergi. Aku kembali menghadiri kelas pengajian hujung minggu setelah beberapa kelas ditangguh akibat cuti umum. Mungkin bagiku topik pengajian pada minggu ini banyak kepada ulangan yang lepas, akan tetapi pengalaman tenaga pengajar yang dikongsikan sungguh luarbiasa. 

Pengalaman beliau hampir 50 tahun sangat berharga dan patut aku rakamkan demi penambahbaikan budaya dan bangsa kita.

Segalanya berhubung kait dengan nilai sejarah bangsa kita. Sudah tentu, topik sejarah merupakan salah satu bidang yang semakin menjadi 'sejarah'. Kita yang berada dalam jajaran 'main stream' sudah tentu lebih alpa dan terdorong dengan budaya moden dan siber, yang lebih laju membebaskan maklumat di seluruh jaringan (network) sesama sahabat handai dan kenalan. Dalam masa yang sama, kita semakin meninggalkan langkah-langkah lesu dan 'serene' yang membawa kita kembali ke susur galur kita.

Disebabkan arus kemodenan yang terlalu drastik yang sudah menjangkau hampir 15 tahun, kita hanyut dalam pembangunan itu sendiri. Tema 'pembangunan insan' yang seringkali kita dengar, ternyata hanyalah 'proxy' tanpa hujung dan matlamat. Tema mendaulatkan bangsa dan agama hanyalah mainan di bibir setiap di antara kita, dan lebih teruk lagi digadaikan demi wang ringgit dan kuasa. 

Begitulah senario yang berlaku di tanah kelahiran kita. Itu lah perjuangan yang disandarkan selama ini dan yang pastinya, perjuangan tersebut jika tidak kembali ke jalan yang benar, ia hanya akan membawa kerugian kepada kita dan kebinasaan kepada zuriat kita.

Kita tidak perlu menjelajah ke setiap pelusuk dunia hanya untuk menuntut nilai-nilai ilmu. Perkongsian kenalan dan tatapan melalui media juga bernilai jika kita bijak memilih. Berikut adalah beberapa senario yang boleh kita dalami dan timbalbalas:

1. Nilai ilmu di Jepun sangat didaulatkan sehingga perkembangan dan pembangunan ilmu begitu pesat. Bayangkan saiz RAM komputer kita yang bersaiz sebuah negara seperti Jepun. Selain ilmu dan teknologi mereka yang sudah sememangnya terkenal serata dunia, mereka sentiasa mendukung daulat ilmu itu sendiri. 
2. Dasar Pandang ke Timur. Masih ingat lagi tentang kempen tersebut? Mu'alim kami sempat berkongsi cerita. Di Jepun, buku tersangat banyak sehinggakan bahan bacaan terdapat secara percuma hampir di semua kawasan awam seperti kedai kopi dan di dalam kereta api laju. Buku tersusun kemas di rak-rak atas. Sangat luarbiasa. Yang lebih luarbiasa ialah ketulusan warga mereka. Lepas baca, letak balik. Jadi, seminggu pergi dan balik kerja naik 'train', dah boleh khatam satu novel.
3. Oleh kerana terlalu laju perkembangan ilmu dan berita di sana, akhbar harian diterbitkan setiap 2 jam. Jika kita bermusafir di dalam kereta api laju dari Johor Bahru ke Perlis, mungkin kita boleh khatam 3 edisi akhbar pada hari tersebut, pembelian setiap 2 jam di stesen berikutnya.
4. Oleh kerana terlalu hebatnya sikap dan mentaliti mereka, mu'alim kami terlupa dan meninggalkan kunci rumahnya di lubang kunci pintu selama seminggu bertugas luar kawasan, rumahnya selamat tidak disamun.
5. Oleh kerana begitu serius mereka mengambil isu amanah diri, mu'alim kami dimarahi oleh touke kedai kerana cuai tertinggal 'handphone' di atas meja makan. Atas alasan, sikap cuai beliau akan hanya menanam sikap jahat ke atas sesiapa yang menjumpai 'handphone' tersebut untuk tidak memulangkannya.
6. Mereka memartabatkan diri dengan kekuasaan ilmu di dalam diri. Lebih banyak ilmu mereka, lebih bernilai diri mereka. Kita...memartabatkan material seperti kereta, rumah dan pangkat untuk mengekalkan ego kita. 

Itu antara yang aku mampu rakam dalam 'hard disc' aku yang semakin 'outdated' dimakan usia, walaupun hampir setiap hari aku 'clear cache'. Mungkin senario yang berlainan dari perspektif berlainan di kalangan kita. Mungkin juga ada unsur kurang elok di sana, tetapi adalah lebih baik kita memandang yang elok sahaja untuk dijadikan tauladan. 

Aku yakin, dengan bimbingan dan cara aku dibesarkan di sini sejak 40 tahun yang lalu sudah cukup kuat akarnya seperti yang sedang berlaku di Jepun dan negara-negara serumpun dengannya. Semua nilai-nilai murni juga menjadi silibus pendidikan sekolah anak-anak aku. Pendidikan sivik, tatarakyat dan sebagainya. Tapi kenapa masih lagi yang nyata di pandangan kita, nilai-nilai murni tersebut hanya seperti dedaunan kering ditiup di kaki lama? Dan masyarakat semakin jahil dan terus dijahilkan, menghasilkan keruntuhan akhlak saban hari.

Aku yakin, nilai-nilai murni jika digandingkan dengan ketauhidan dan keimanan yang tekad, kita mampu menjadi lebih baik dari Jepun. Sama-samalah kita berdoa dan terus berusaha.

Geng baru

Baru-baru ni aku ter-join satu local geng kayuh area rumah aku. Actually taman/kampung sebelah. Mostly newbies. Most of them juga geng madrasah taman tu, hence the syariah compliance attire. Julat umur dari awal 20-an sampai ke 50. As usual any new comers will start off this hobby dengan mountain bike. Faktor tayar yang lebih besar dan posisi menunggang lebih stabil seperti basikal-basikal zaman kanak-kanak. Dan seperti biasa, orang baru akan gasak mountain bike atas jalan raya. Dan seperti biasa juga, semangat orang baru ini amat luar biasa (mesej group whatsapp masuk dalam kadar 20 mesej seminit). Rancak kan? Itu baru sembang plan nak kayuh hujung minggu. Tabik beb.

Aku layan kan aje. Ada jugak teman untuk aku kayuh pusing taman petang-petang. Teknot, ini bukan secret training ye. Hasrat nak bertenggek atas trainer/roller asyik terkubur.

Ada lah 3-4 kali aku join depa kayuh petang. Boleh la isi masa yang terluang selepas balik kerja dan sementara tunggu Maghrib. Yang penting, dapat dipanjangkan silaturrahim.

Ada jugak aku lambung untuk weekend ride plans. Sama ada pi off-road atau on-road. Antaranya ke Hulu Langat atau off-road di Kemensah. Agak mendapat kurang sambutan dan banyak sebab musabab. Maybe sebab depa masih baru dan belum dapat stim.

Oh! Lupa aku nak bagitau nama geng depa ni. Panjang sikit dari biasa. Geng Kayuh Madrasah Cheras Perdana (GeKaMaChePe). Tu dia. Memang penuh nak sebut. 

Posa Nam

Hat kita yang dah tua-tua ni posa bulan Ramadhan dah jatuh kategori biasa. Sama ada kita kecapi ketaqwaan atau tidak adalah semata-mata bergantung kepada perjuangan kita melawan nafsu. Orang lain tak tau. Lagi pun, kalau berposa pun maybe sebab dah sampai bulan posa, maka kita pun berposa serupa dengan orang-orang Islam yang lain. Hanya dapat lapar dan dahaga. Yang disebaliknya belum tentu semua orang dapat.

Paling koman pun, nafsu makan menjelang apabila berkumandangnya bau-bau makanan dari dapur sendiri atau dari dapur PaRam. Tapi bermula dari waktu Subuh sehingga petang, memang kita langsung tak fikir pasal makan.

Berlainan dengan posa enam hari di bulan Syawal. Suasana agak lebih mencabar. Orang yang makam tinggi imannya mungkin tak kisah. Tapi keimanan aku yang senipis roti tisu Restoran Maulana ini memang tercabar. Selain cabaran nafsu diri sendiri dalam menafikan keinginan nak bukak posa tatkala handai taulan opis keluar lunch, bisikan syaitan juga aku tak nafikan (dah memang itu kerja dia). Masa tu jugak lah ada kiriman gambar nasi kandar Cafe Cargas, Bayan Lepas melalui whatsapp muncul dari kawan yang outstation. Boleh ke gitew?

Mata yang mengantuk memang normal la agaknya bila berposa ni. Especially menjelang tengahari, duduk mengadap PC pun dah boleh terlentuk.

In fact, cabaran nak mula berposa itu sendiri pun dah jatuh kategori heavy weight. Betul kata proverb omputih, 'nak mula memang susah, tapi once dah bermula kira OK dah'. Dengan demand musim ziarah menziarah, tekanan open house hujung minggu, kesesakan luarbiasa fenomena raya dah sebagainya. Semua tersebut boleh menjadi alasan untuk tidak start posa.

Aku ambil puasa sunat bulan Syawal ni sebagai satu yang sedikit santai. Aku buat selagi dan sekadar yang termampu. Mungkin aku tak sehebat golongan wali-wali boleh posa straight 6 hari. Aku target dapat seminggu 2 hari pun Alhamdulillah. Itu pun takde lah beriya nak bangun sahur bersantapan penuh meja atau ber-iftar bagai raja. Apa yang ada, aku bedal. Like I said before, dah tua-tua ni, lapar dan dahaga tu bukan satu isu besar. In fact, dah sampai hayat kita pun untuk mengurangkan kapasiti perut kita bekerja selama 40 tahun lebih.

Angan-angan Fakir Kota

Angan-angan 1

Lately sejak habis season kayuh selepas KCR, hampir mencecah sebulan lebih aku tak beriadah. 3 minggu selepas KCR aku cuba kembali masuk hutan dengan Niner. Kembali melawat trail Kemensah dengan sahabat-sabahat off-road yang lama tak jumpa. Trail masih kekal kemas dan cantek tapi kaki dan jantung aku tak dapat nak adapt pada style kayuh off-road yang lama aku tinggalkan sejak training untuk KCR....blergh!

29 X 2.1 should be lighter

Apa-apa pun aku cuba merangkai teori kenapa aku jadi penat sangat? Selain kekurangan stamina, aku mencari 1001 alasan untuk menyolek Niner untuk tambah UMPH! Puas juga aku kaji beberapa hari apa yang perlu aku susun untuk mengemaskan lagi spesifikasi Niner. Dengan beberapa nasihat dari sahabat, upgrade paling ekonomik ialah mengecilkan saiz tayar dari yang sedia ada Onza Carnis 29X2.25 kepada Schwalbe Rocket Ron 29X2.1. Pengurangan sebanyak 200 gram setiap tayar (total 400 gram depan dan belakang), amat difikirkan efektif. Kena pulak ianya adalah "rolling weight". Harga seketul tayar RM139 paling murah pernah aku jumpa. Average market price RM170.

Ini ialah Masterpiece

Teori kedua upgrade ialah kepada groupset. Sekarang cuma 9 speed kombinasi Shimano XT di depan dan SLX di belakang. Agak kurang upaya untuk kaki dan badan tua ini menjinakkan trail dengan kombinasi gear ratio sedia ada. Sekarang riders dah pakai 10 speed, even racers dah mula pakai 11 speed! Pergh! Tapi aku bukan racer, sekadar ingin melayan trail dengan senyuman tanpa bisikan-bisikan kesal. Advise terbaik ialah upgrade ke SRAM X1 10 Speed yang walaupun akan berada di pasaran tak lama lagi, harga maybe pada aku agak mampu di miliki dengan penabungan berhemah beberapa bulan. Harga yang di jangka ialah RM2000.

OK la. Hutang motor LC135 pun baru aje habih langsai. Boleh lah di salurkan dana tu ke tabungan Rocket Ron dan X1 kot. 

Angan-angan 2

Impian yang ini memang dah lama berputik. Since aku ni memang rider cari makan yang tegar (read rider motor ye bukan rider basikal), menunggang motor ni dah kira hampir 80% dalam konteks pemikiran logistik dan logik akal aku. Especially lifestyle zaman la ni selain faktor ekonomi yang terus mendorong untuk aku menunggang motor ke kerja. Nombor keramat tu ialah 18 tahun! Pergh! Hampir 20 tahun aku menjadi rider tegar. Walaupun sekali sekala badan season ni manja jugak nak drive aje kereta ke pejabat, tapi akal yang lebih bersifat praktikal ni menolak bida'ah kelesaan aircond dan kerusi empuk kereta.

OK memang selesai installment LC tu aku bercadang nak betulkan apa yang patut. Al-maklum motor second hand tapi aku tetap kagum dengan prestasi dan kehenseman motor cari makan aku ni. Dana juga diperlukan untuk tukar "clutch plate" dan "clutch housing" serta "meter panel" yang jarumnya dah tunduk ke bumi sejak 4 bulan yang lalu.

Tabungan kasar yang diperlukan boleh mencecah angka RM500. Tidak setinggi dana yang diperlukan untuk Niner kan? Tapi kalau dah hobi berbasikal, stokin kerja yang koyak di ibu jari pun sanggup tangguh sampai 5 jari.

Clutch Plates

Angan-angan 3

Impian yang ini paling lama di antara angan-angan yang di atas. Yang ini dia sekadar touch n' go aje. Bila nampak, dia mula berangan. Bila takde, kita duk diam aje. Faktor impian masih di awangan ni ialah sebab ia menelan kos yang paling tinggi. Angan-angan menjadi rider superbike. Pergh! Tu dia!

Nope, bukan superbike yang macam kelajuan peluru tu. Itu hobby tahap bangsawan langit ke-7.

Trend sekarang orang refer superbike kepada semua jenis motorsikal berkuasa tinggi. Betul ke macam tu? Pada aku superbike ni yang 1000 c.c. ke atas tu ye la. Tapi since market sekarang dah mula banyak dengan variant c.c. dari pengeluar, maka range 600-800 c.c. tu lebih banyak pilihan dari 1000cc. Oleh yang demikian, penggunaan superbike dah jadi kurang eksklusif. Tambah pulak lagi trend naked bike yang berkuasa tinggi jugak, padahal sekadar untuk town use. So, aku pun agak pening jugak memikirkan praktikal atau tidak guna naked bike dengan 600-750cc di KL ni? Unless kita commute pada jarak yang lebih 40km sehari, laluan lebuhraya maka mungkin idea itu sesuatu yang di terima akal aku. Tapi kalau setakat nak pusing KL ni tambah lagi dengan sesak jalan hasil projek MRT sana sini, motor kapcai aje la solution yang paling tak "poser" untuk aku.

Sorry, berbalik kepada impian so called superbike aku tu ialah motor yang kuasa yang tidak terlalu tinggi tapi cukup untuk aku pi travel hujung minggu sama ada sekadar amik angin atau pulang ke kampung halaman secara solo tanpa family untuk cost and time effective travelling. Konsep touring bike or dual purpose menjadi pilihan selera.

A few years down the road, aku anticipate routine aku mungkin akan mengalami sedikit perubahan yang memerlukan kepada adanya sebijik motorsikal berkuasa sederhana yang mampu di miliki...dan of course hensem. 

Antara design yang menepati citarasa ialah Kawasaki Versys 650. Cukup la. Versys 1000 tak terdaya badan ni nak handle, apatah lagi poket nak menampung kos. Berat oooo motor besar-besar ni. Harga pasaran RM38k. Harga terpakai RM20-25k bergantung pada aksesori yang diberi. Tapi secara honest, jumlah dana ini masih terlalu tinggi untuk aku komit, maka sebab itu impian itu datang dan pergi tanpa berfikir secara serious. Hah?! Installment? Hmmm...sistem kehidupan kita zaman ini tidak aku fikir bijak untuk menambah hutang.

Balik kampung, pisang 3 tandan boleh settle

Tapi 1-2 hari yang lepas gigil tu mai semula. Anak buah mai iftar di rumah dengan motor baru. Aku perhati aje dari jauh. Sementara tunggu azan, aku merayau ke depan rumah membelek motor apa dia beli ni. Yang pasti jenama Kawasaki tapi kelihatan saiz yang tidak begitu besar, aku memberanikan diri untuk duduk di atas seat. Macam best je. Bila aku cuba untuk menegakkan motor dari stand nya, kagum aku dengan weight dia. Ringan! Tak seberat moto anak buah aku yang lagi sorang yang 850 tu. Risik punya risik, rupanya ni keluaran terbaru Kawasaki untuk mid range capacity. Z250 yang memakai design Z800 sebijik tapi lebih kecil dan comel. Depa panggil baby Z.

Baby Z

Lepas iftar, anak buah aku offer test ride tapi alangkah terkedunya aku sebab aku dah siap berkain pelekat untuk ke surau. Tak berani aku tanggung risiko kain pelekat terbang tengah aku memecut dengan kelajuan bunyi. Harga pasaran RM21k. Hensem. Kita perhatikan Baby Z di jalanraya dulu.

Tiba-tiba aku tersentak bila lirik lagu Hattan "terhenti lamunan, bila ku dikejutkan..."

Kesemua angan-angan yang tersebut di atas hanyalah sekadar syair dan gurindam tatkala melayan mata yang mengantuk di bulan Ramadhan. Angan-angan ini ada mungkin akan di realisasikan mengikut priority dan kemampuan semasa. Oleh kerana Syawal bakal menjelang dan tabungan sedekah jariah lebih mengambil tempat utama, maka aku berdoa semoga Barkallah sentiasa bersama ku.

Tour Perspective

Every trip comes with perspectives, especially for new places with new people. I can't help to ponder that there are too many differences between us and them. And they have more good things than us. These are perhaps my surface observation of things that may seemed premature considering the short time spent, but nice places with good scenes bring good hear within.

Some points from my perspective:

1.     Thailand is a country of Boleh! There's so many things can be done in Thailand. No, not Malaysia. Definitely not. In Malaysia, there are too many things “Tak Boleh!”.

2.    I think Thai people grow together with the pace of their country’s growth. That’s why we can see people in their most coolness behaviour. At least in the areas that I toured. Unlike Malaysia, our country’s evolution is too drastic for the people to catch up. We had to compete, producing competitive society. Hence we produce failures and loads more cheaters. Creating abundance of offensive minded population. And one of the common species are the 'kiasu's'.

We are being spoon fed instead of educated. We cry out loud when the feeding portion became less or the spoons taken away. We become panic and angry when we lost our comfort zone. We cannot accept losing and losers. Instead of finding alternatives to survive, we chose to demonstrate our dislikes.

3.   Why there’s no toll collection throughout the road that I travelled in Thailand? Why Malaysia need highways and collect tolls (like forever) from end to end? Why Thailand can build good wide roads without needing to privatize it? Why?

What makes Malaysia and Thailand different in this manner? Road building have the same engineering standard all over the world. Malaysia adopts the Malaysian Highway Standard Guideline.

4.    The streets of Thailand are clean, though it is not newly constructed. Not a single cigarette bud, candy wrap nor accumulation of street debris and sands clogging drain inlets. Is it because their street design is perfected with self-cleaning mechanism? These are non-tourist spots like here in KLCC or Bukit Bintang. We are referring to old streets like Chow Kit and Ampang. 

5.    The petrol and diesel price is so high due to non-subsidy by the government, but the food is cheap and tasty. I take it that they prepare the food with passion. It is not over commercialized or over rated like here in Kuala Lumpur. Especially during the soon to be Ramadhan. It is just so insincere.

6.    South Thailand have an abundance of rubber plantations. So I heard that rubber yields more than oil palm in south Thailand. Malaysia used to have rubber as commodity but we were too arrogant to keep it as our honoured product though we have been given with good soil for rubber. We were driven by greed to chase the oil palm market demand, converting all rubber estates to oil palm.

As a result, we lost our natural environment. Pristine forest were raped for the more so called yielding oil palm. Leaving behind polluted water catchment and rivers from over fertilized crops due to impatient estates owners. Lesser green leaves from oil palm trees raise surface temperature and denying wind flow compared to cooler rubber plantations. The more compact soil in an oil palm estates permits faster surface run-off, accumulating sediments in water ways creating flash floods downstream.

Now I may sound more like writing an environmental engineering report!

Though I might point out all the above that in physical scene, our country may seemed like moving fast ahead through rapid modernization, but the calmer and progress growth of the people is something more we need to look at. A healthy population in mind, heart and soul should be the key to a healthier development of the country. We need to be listened at heart instead of over giving the necessary.

We need to be thought the intermediate approach, about living in a mediocre life but pushing for the afterlife, not the other way round. The soul require more feeds for this. Insyaa Allah.

p/s. One other thing! Did I mention that all hotels that we stayed have high speed wi-fi? They really do. From chalet style to multi storey kind of hotels, the wi-fi coverage was simply amazing. Can we have those in Malaysia's public area for free?

World Disorder

There's too much going on around right now. Ever since those windy days, hot and dry spell followed for almost 2 months now. Until the breaking news of water supply disruption which first hit Klang Valley. And now spreads over the entire country. And it hasn't been raining, promisingly and naturally. Unless they do those artificial rain or so called cloud seeding. 

Just as we were about to embark into the rhythm of the 'un-falling' rain together with the hunt for price-hiked water-container fever, out of nowhere we were blanketed with haze. It is no intermittent but such a pretty bad one. The API reading gets hazardous approaching every evening. Alhamdulillah we have some winds blown around during the morning and night time, but the heat wave keeps getting stronger. 

Then there was a tiny advert called by the governing body...."please announce in discreet, price hike 5 sen for Ron97 ya...". Read it like you never notice it. Naaa...it won't have any impact on me, since I don't own an Alphard. But, I did accidentally fill up my motorbike with Ron97 with my normal RM5.00 rate. It only filled half my tank and only lasted 5 seconds after squeezing the nozzle. It may seemed just like a cup of Ron97. So clever la them, announcement made in hazy weather.

Just as we were about, again, to drench our lungs with more unhealthy particles from forest fire and open burning, we were shaken by the biggest news. A missing Malaysia Airline jetliner. A Boeing 777. The news spreads like the east wind blowing chilled news all over the country. We were the centre stage of the world since the international flight was bound for Beijing, and it appeared to lost comm in the middle of the South China Sea south of Vietnam coast.

Like other happenings, these things are always prone to tonnes of speculations. It gets even worse with the help of social medias and unofficial newsmen. It has been almost two weeks now since the tragedy, March 8, 2014. Still, the plane and it's passengers and crew are missing.

Ma'a As-Salaama 2013

Tu dia...it means goodbye in Arabic.

By this time, everyone will endure the year-end-fever of recapping what they went through for 365 days. Facebook will be flooded with them. Blogs? Not quite as popular as Facebook. Perhaps lesser crowd & publicity, hence less glamorous. I would just stay in this sleepy hollow talking to myself & whoever remains idolising the blog world. 

Praise to Allah s.w.t., the year passed by in a jiff. Not Ziff. Where is he anyway? I missed his Snail Pace writings. Time has taken the acceleration lane year by year. We grow older faster. Our kids also. By the time we have a sip of coffee on that fine evening, only we realised that we have yet to do a lot of things.

2013 was earlier planned as a year for casual. No major exams for the kids, so it was supposed to be a less stress year. It was indeed, in the house I meant. Alhamdulillah. But the world out there is not. Politics and war and killings are just getting dirtier and inhumanly. Na'uzubillah. May we have His forgiveness & love & protection.

That was global.

My path as a so-called weekend warrior didn't escape the chance of doing the weekend-warrior-stunts. No, I didn't climb any super elevation mountain, nor did I run an ultra distance event. I did not even cycle to the end of the world clocking super human miles. 

I just did the normal routine of cycling on weekends and signing up for some. I pursued the routine of yester-years as part of my istiqomah program. At this age, I don't see any extreme new-things-to-do is feasible. I don't see it can groom my resume, nor can it help me gain...weight? I don't know what to continue...

What I did was gathering some cycling friends with the same broad perspective about "Cycle & Food" and we planned for some cycle trips. That was when we had the chance to cycle to neighbouring Hatyai, the Sumpitan climb and a few other epics while indulging into local food. Most were done on weekends without jeopardising other family commitments. 

My second half of 2013 was a bit dirty. I welcomed the monsoon with my cream-pie Niner by signing up for the PCC Presidential Ride & a few other mountain bike jamborees.

My running went haywire. I took a few steps earlier of the year but it didn't catch any momentum. Now the image of running haunts me, though the itch still remains. Perhaps next year lah.

Aah! Was that a waste of 365 days? Not achieving any personal goals? Boring stuff. Every year doing same thing only.  

...Alhamdulillah. 

Next year? I do have some new ideas besides repeating what is on schedule. One of it is taking up bike touring. The activity is picking up with the growing numbers of bike lovers in the country. Also my growing age tends to see into a more quiet kind of cycling that would perhaps suits my slower pace & peaceful mind. I might write a book for that. Chewah.

Best of both worlds. Touring bike, but too expensive

I should start from the 'beginning'

That should include my attire

And plan my tour...simpang Kodiang ada 3 marhalah lagi der

That's a wrap. Have a blessed 2014!

Ramadhan-Syawal Escape

Sebulan la kot genap update blog. Takde aktiviti selain 'interval training' kem Ramadhan yang mana aku rasa KPI kali ni tak sebagus tahun lepas. Setakat attempt untuk maintain aje, nak score ada liat sikit. Mungkin faktor usia...boleh?

Tahun ni juga aku langsung tak campur aduk kan Ramadhan dengan sebarang aktiviti riadah, walaupun pada awalnya aku bercadang begitu. Adalah lebih rasional nya aku concentrate aje kat Ramadhan tu sendiri rather than aku terkejor dan berlari dan kayuh macam 11 bulan yang lain dalam setahun. Walaupun beberapa event ada dalam list untuk di 'sign' kan tapi masih sempat untuk aku prepare selepas Ramadhan. Lagi pun, macam biasa, tiada target pun. Bukan pro athlete atau ada penaja yang menaruh harapan setinggi langit. In fact, 'interval' Ramadhan yang memang sepatutnya aku fikir secara serious dan balun macam lepas sebulan tu ada event marathon. Betul tak?

Hidup ini hanya sekali. Semoga ada rezki untuk berjumpa Ramadhan Sale lagi tahun depan.

Gambar takbir tak dak. Ni selepas takbir dah balun lemang siap-siap...
...bersama jiran tetangga dari perantauan :P

Menjelang Syawal, travel plan tahun ni di adjust sikit. Kami solat di 'kampung halaman' kami sendiri, no other than Surau Al-Ansar, BTHO itself. Sejak dari raya eve, aku dan Amir dah follow program takbir. Sambung lagi pagi. Sempat jugak test suara tarik macam Hattan. Hahaha.

Sejak pemergian arwah ayah 3 tahun lepas, aku make sure pagi raya bersama mak. Tapi tahun ni, aku mintak izin mak untuk adjah. So pagi raya tahun di in-laws pulak. Lepas soru & isi tangki baru kami bergerak ke Selatan.

Suasana raya di Johor memang tak pernah gagal dengan kemeriahan. Berlanjutan sampai raya ke-5. Memang ziarah tak habis-habis. Alhamdullillah suasana gembira di kalangan saudara mara dipelihara. Aku pulang ke KL dengan rasa puas hati. Masuk kerja raya ke-7 pun takde malas-malas, itu pun sebab 'tray-in' backlog sebelum raya kena kasi settle. Sampai la ke hari ni, aku masih mencungap dengan tugasan mencari rezki halal.

Ni Geng Orang Kampung Junior Chapter mai beraya kat Diket's Joints :]

Cungap atas saddle jangan lupa. Ahad lepas jugak sebelum pergi perang dengan kambing open house, aku tunggang balik basikal. Nasib baik jumpa di bawah timbunan habuk. Tapi kaki dan jantung sungguh payah nak synchronize. In fact dua-dua main lagu sendiri-sendiri dan yang menanggung seksanya ialah conductor, aku ler tu. Konon ada cubaan nak test threshold kat last 2KM sebelum exit Lenggeng/Mantin tapi ternyata sekali irama dan lagu hanya mampu bertahan sejauh 200m. Adeh...pedih.

Balik lagi seksa. Penghargaan untuk Ziff dan Junior di atas perkhidmatan 'bike towing' all the way back to BTHO. Memang supa-domestica la syarikat anak beranak ni.

Setelah sebulan tak beriadah, bukan aje rider yang 'pancit'... hik hik uhuk..

Setelah beberapa hari dan ketika aku bermuhasobah sambil termenung lepas ride tu, nampak gaya aku dah patut start tukar objektif aku beriadah. Kita nantikan timbal balas selanjutnya dalam episod yang akan datang...entah bila.

Setahun sekali layan hat yang ni...

Hi! Haze...

Hi Haze! When can I say 'bye! bye! Haze?!'.

I think this is the worse coverage, and yes, the most dense ever. I think the last one, many years ago was something like this. I remember riding to work with a face mask. Then, the el nino thing also came together creating the best heat wave strike. But, we've been through these year after year. Then SYABAS also wanted to join in the party, throwing in water shortage package over Klang Valley.

I was in my college life. Thinks were a bit more simple, when I only have to manage...my own self. The  only scariest thing was to manage bowel movement, which created a climate of panic and trauma in the nerve system. We would normally skipped our morning shower and save the water for the evening, after our soccer session. Yes, despite the limited visual, we still graze the football field. And our special shower was from the fire hydrant. Lovely. Life was simple.

This week, things are a bit more complicated. Only two weeks ago we were enjoying the tropical thunderstorm, providing post storm cooling layer over the night. Despite complaints from traffic chaos due to flash floods and such, we the motorcyclists just pull up our rain jackets and let the raindrops pecked our exposed skin.

It is a yearly event when they, the people who's responsible for these phenomena, happily burn their farms as it is the cheapest way to do so to clear for new crops. I came across these from here. However, things went gigantic when bigger farms adopted the same method. These plantations are giants themselves in South East Asia, however the mentality are puny. 600 hectares of flames. That is almost an equivalent size of 600 football fields! Scary.

NASA satellite image (canggih boh...)

Adding salt to the wound, we have wind blowing from north-eastward from across the Indian Ocean developing an envelope of smog over south Peninsular. Things got worse when there's no rain, read hot season. Lucky water didn't run short.

Hopefully the trailing will last soon

We stayed indoor most of the time. It can be suffocating at times, but outside is even worse. A short trip to the sundry have already made me feeling a bit nausea and headache. That shows how serious it is, or I'm too old for all kind of these :]

And this stubborn old goat, still went out cycling on Sunday. Having the strategy to cycle up Genting Sempah, thinking those thick foliage should provide a good buffer from the haze. However, we lost. Haze was still treacherous especially reaching noon time, when the blowing wind brought thick particles into our respiratory system. Too scary to imagine. I gushed 2 bottles straight away upon reaching Gombak again, hoping that it would flush away those scary things.

Fixed

A week of super fast pace went by when work loads piled up like there's no tomorrow. These are the backlogs from the previous week after KCR and I sometime felt confused whether I am still recovering from KCR or the work load itself.

Fixed. Love is in the air

When time passed by like a jet stream and the weekend is not going to be a colourful one, sometimes we just have to be thankful that we don't have the worse from it. OK, this is me babbling at 10.00 a.m. on Sunday morning. Literally it isn't me, when I am supposed to be out there breathing the morning air while perhaps getting a caffeine fixed with friends, somewhere in the state line between Selangor and Pahang. Or maybe, thumping the pavement while listening to the synced heart beat and the melody from the ear-pod.  

But that didn't materialised. The best that I can boast is a 5K run in  between my chauffeuring shift. Like I said, perhaps that was the best 5K for a justified good life.

After sending over the heroes for their weekly tae kwan do class, I squeezed in a run at our local Lake District. Due to my careless mind after KCR and of course old age, I misplaced my heart rate sensor. The only thing I found was the chest strap, hung over the kitchen window for a week. 

So I left the strap and grab the shoes, plunged into the driver's seat and drove to school. Wait! The MP3 is more important since I've downloaded a few new tunes for the run. Arrived at the lake slightly late (time based on supposed normal running time start). Can't help it, anyway it will just be a short one. Put on the right shoe and ... voila! The sensor is inside. So, the run will be based on a more conventional method of air-gasping rate instead. 

First lap of 1.7 km was basically conforming with generally accepted standards of respectable or moral behaviour. Mostly enjoying the fresh smell of lavender from the runners, which mostly ladies...ni bau bedak la tuan direktor :]

Second lap was slightly insane. Slightly. Basically conforming to the beat of the playlist, maintaining steady form while the heart began beating like a drum.

Third lap was the climax when Pearl Jam was on the track. Unfortunately it lasted 80% of the loop when gasp became GRASP!

That was about it for the weekend, before the next shift move in. Time for a coffee break in between shifts a bit later. Nothing beats a nice chillax treat.

Hold on a sec. Is this supposed to be a Father's Day kind of treat?

Blitz Coverage

Waited patiently for the light to turn green in mid-day, exposed to the ultra-V and fume. Clock ticking and sweat started responding to the humidity. A black seven series Bimmer turned into a junction. Big car. Small driver. A mid-age guy in an executive suit, tucked lazily behind the wheel enjoying the smell from his burning European dashboard. I think he'll freeze to death if he don't share the car aircon with somebody soon. 

Another car tried squeezing from the far left lane. Taking advantage of it's miniature sleek design, it swerves, making a screeching sound from the friction between the tyres and it's mudflaps. My eyebrows raised seeing the full laden Viva. A huge lady driver with four kids and another lady passenger seated at the back, huge too. So, that's where the scientific friction formula came from. And of course the aircon was full blast. Noticeable from the flying compact disc hanging from the rear view mirror.

Blitz

Blitz Coverage

She sits by the table almost every evening. So focused. So delicate. So fragile. Yet she holds the bold and mature look. Without a second of regret. Upon reaching home from religious class, that is her routine. She sacrifice her evening play with friends. The carnage of cry and laughter beyond the door are now handled with wisdom. With only a laptop as company and loads of Youtube music videos, that's the way she stays concentrated. The challenge is big. At least for her. Her first one. The task is no where easy, nothing compares to the last five years. The anticipation is high. 

Blitz

It's always cooling on this side of The Valley in the evening. Klang Valley, famous for its tropical thunderstorm and flash floods, always entertains fellow motorists on their peak hour rushing for home. Here, the season is always felt like autumn. OK. I lied. I never had any chance to feel autumn breeze. The cool breeze blown from the hectic city cools off our night, simply refreshing, catering our night chauffeuring to classes and a simple glass of 'teh tarik' with fellow knights of the square table.

Bzzzt...

The age seems taxing. Those yesterdays of weekdays' workouts weigh a tonne to do it, left alone to complete a simple playlist on the trainer. Run? None in the playbook so far. By the time reaching home, it was just enough fuel to freshen up for the duty at hand in the coming hours. The remaining energy are kept aside, just enough to accumulate to invest for the weekend workout.

Between KakLong & me, it's our tune of the week frequenting extra classes every night