A Busy Week

At Yayasan Pahang after the interview

It was quite a week despite I am still having limitations with my back. I accompanied a patient to Kuala Lumpur by ambulance, interviewed candidates for Anugerah Belia Negara Peringkat Negeri Pahang, visited families and testdrive a newly bought Honda Civic.

A view of Sungai Kuantan(Esplanade) from Floor 17 Yayasan Pahang

A day prior to traveling to Kuala Lumpur, I was a panel interviewing candidates for Anugerah Belia. Anugerah Belia Negara. This Anugerah is a yearly event where the Ministry of Youth and Sports will select individuals and society which they think performs well and can be an example to others. Pengarah Yayasan Pahang, Pengarah Penerangan Negeri, Timbalan Pengarah Biro Tata Negara, Pengarah Jabatan Belia dan Sukan Pahang and I (representing Presiden Majlis Belia Negeri Pahang) were the panels. We interviewed candidates in Youth Leader category. We spent 4 1/2 hours questioning and testing the abilities of the 10 selected candidates in various aspects including ability to speak fluently both in Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Inggeris, leadership, capabilities, performance, contributions, recognition obtained, his views on present scenarios including policies and politics. All the candidates are active in the governing political parties except for one who is not holding any political post but very charismatic with good potentials.

A boat moving towards Kuala Sungai Kuantan

One our favourite question, "Apa pendapat anda tentang kenaikan harga minyak 30 sen seliter. Apakah ia tidak menjejaskan kehidupan rakyat terutamanya orang kampong?"

Special sambal ikan bilis cili padi

Favourite answer, "Kenaikan ini tidak banyak dan tidak menjejaskan. 30 sen je, kalau beringgit-ringgit memang menyusahkan. Ada juga orang kampong yang komplen, tapi selepas mendengar penjelasan, ok je la."

Delicacies served after lunch. Prepared by students from IKIP Catering

A few who are in business will say, "Memang meningkatkan kos operasi tetapi kami akan cari jalan untuk mengatasinya agar tidak menjejaskan perniagaan kami."

Bunga Ros air mawar at my aunty's house

We further enquired, "Awak rasa wajar tak kenaikan ini. Kami dengar ada yang kata wajar, ada yang kata tidak wajar dan ada yang kata tidak wajar tetapi kerajaan tiada pilihan lain."

Kesidang; Strong and Very saeet smell

The answer, "Memang wajar sangat, ini pun kerajaan masih memberikan subsidi. Harga minyak kita masih murah berbanding dengan negara-negara lain. Kan harga minyak mentah meningkat tinggi dan kerajaan kena beli mahal."

Keladi Kemahang(not like ordinary keladi)

But the charismatic youth answered differently. Maybe he was not obliged to defence any policyor stand. To him the hike was expensive considering we are a country that produce oil and comparison should be among oil producing countries. He also added that the government might have no choice with the current situation and old debts.

Honda City belongs to Orang Kilang(just look at the plate number!)

On Saturday and Sunday we had our meals at my dad's place. Panglima was in Kuantan over the weekend helping to clear the undergrowth at our 'tanah pesaka'. We had supper with Mr OK and later drove his new Honda Civic. VROOOOM!

Opposite warong Pak Mat-drying the salted fish(on a good day)

This coming weekend will he more hectic since there is a wedding among the family and then I have to travel to Mentakab to meet my old friends from Abu Bakar School whom I last saw more than 30 years ago.

Warung Pak Mat Corner;
excellent Mee Calong, Mee Jawa and Mee Goreng Mamak

Make Way For The Ambulance Please

Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway. The road was no good for more than a year
and yet the users have to pay full toll(ambulance excluded).

I was at an interview meet yesterday noon when i received a call telling me that i had to accompany a patient to Institute Peadiatics, Kuala Lumpur the next morning.

We started off at 5.30 am so that our patient, *Aulia will arrive early and could be attended during the morning rounds. Aulia was born in Kuantan 1 1/2 years ago with intestinal atresia and corrective surgery was done. She later developed complications and was down with sepsis, unresolving streptococcus infection. She was admitted to our hospital 1 week ago for pyrexia of unknown origin presented with jaundice, hepato spleenomegaly, anaemia, thrombocytopenia, leucocytosis, multiple lymphadenopathy, and failure to thrive. She was stabilized and later to be sent for her further management at Institute Paediatric where she was regularly treated.

However, the story I want to tell is not about Aulia but the road ethics of our road users in response to emergency sirens. We entered Gombak at about 7.40 am in the morning and the traffic was heavy. I was almost to tears when i saw the drivers quickly make way to allow our ambulance to pass. If its a two-lane road, they will try their best, adjusting their crawling cars so that our ambulance can pass through. They will steer to the left or right which ever appropiate as a good responsible samaritan would be. I guessed that was the best they could do to a stranger in great need and may be dying in the ambulance. We arrived at Paediatric Institute around 8.00 am. Hats off to Kuala Lumpur drivers at Gombak-Setapak!

At Jalan Pahang, near Titiwangsa. The cars are moving away from the dotted line.

We sent Aulia to ward KK3, had our breakfast at Kampung Baru and started back home at around 9.00 am. At Bentong, we received a call from Kuantan to fetch an unconscious patient at Batu 10 Jalan Gambang. He is the father of one of our consultants.

We reached the house at 11.20 am. *Pakcik Hassan was unarousable and secreations were dripping from the corner of his mouth. He had history of hypertension, cardiovascular accident, ischaemic heat disease and on medications. He was unconcious for almost 6 hours. and we didnt have a glucometer with us to check his blood glucose level. Nevertheless, we set a 1/5 DS drip and gave a shot of 50% dextrose. it is best not to miss a hypoglycaemic coma which is easily treatable.

We were on the road again at moderately high speed with the sirens blaring. There were not many cars on the road and the mood was really relaxing. A few cars gave way but most drove as nothing was happening. Many drivers hesitated but eventually moved to the side. There was a car that decided to overtake another slower car first before getting back to the left lane. A few just ignored the siren and continue on the right lane. A vast difference between Kuala Luampur and Kuantan road users!

Approaching Kuantan at Jalan Gambang. A very relaxed driver. Sefish? Ignorant?

We arrived at the emergency unit 5 minutes to 12.00, get Pakcik Hassan inside, proped him up, did oral suction, oxygen 3L/m via nasal prong, ECG stat, RBS was 8.4 and get the doctor on duty to manage him.

Again, kudos to the KL drivers along Gombak-Setapak!

*Not their real names

The Jilbab

Case of Shabina Begum. how sensitive are we concerning this aurat issue.

1. I've written before about the case of Shabina Begum, the Muslim girl who wanted to wear a jilbab to school in contravention of her school's uniform policy.

2. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a request by Muslim women to cover their hair for passport photographs in what rights activists say is a sign of Moscow's growing anti-Islamic stance.

3. The French parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a ban on Islamic headscarves and all other overt religious symbols from state schools.


War against Islam is not just confined to invasions and political attacks but also everywhere including their home, a place they louded as champion for human rights. Their first step is to shame the sisters by taking away her jilbab, by force or propaganda. That was what they did when the Italians invaded Libya.

As a fellow muslim have we done our part?
Have we done enough as Ansarullah?
Our turn will come, its a matter of time.
We will be tested for our Iman.


Interesting sites:
http://www.kingshouse.org/headcovering.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabina_Begum

Maman's Fishing Galore

Preparing breakfast

It had been a boring week with backache, physiotherapy and limitation of activities. We missed the wedding kenduri at Raub and it seems that we are going to miss another wedding kenduri at Lanchang.

At the kolam waiting for ikan telapia and lampam

I got a call from my uncle on Saturday afternoon asking whether we wanted to join them for a picnic at his kolam in kampung Sungai Pandan. I was still worried of my back but he told me there is a pondok that I could lie down if needed.

Celebrating Maman's first catch in his life time

Maman's second catch helped by Emi our maid

So, on Sunday, again on our old Nissan Sentra, we travelled off road to kampung Sungai Pandan. We had a spread of mee goreng, tuna sandwich and karipap for breakfast, with a good brew of nescafe to wash down, courtesy of my good aunt (kenakelayan’s mom) . Then we went fishing at the pond. The first catch was by my uncle, a fairly small ikan talapia. The next and third catch, were by Maman, 2 big ikan talapia. They just use a hook and a string without a fishing rod.

A dead tree by the pond

As for me, as usual, I was taking photos. There were many things that could be captured from landscape, the living creatures, people and macro photography. It was an enjoyble outing and we are looking forward for an ikan bakar barbeque when the other kids are around as well.

Dragonfly taking a rest

A chameleon curious with the sudden activities and smell of delicious food

Getting To Know Kuantan

Tepi Sg. Kuantan

It had been a few months DITH and I had not gone for lunch outside together. Last Monday we had an oppotunity to have our lunch together and we decided to go to 'tepi sungai', a place known as Medan Pelancong.

On the left is 'telur ibu gelama' dish on display

Facing the main road we can see Kedai Amad Gundal known to make excellent songkok, a few kedai kitab, boutiques and kedai kasut. On the other side, facing the river are the kedai gunting rambut, kedai peluru and kedai makan. There are a number of kedai makan preparing masakan kampung such as sayur masak lemak, ikan patin asam tempoyak, ikan bakar, sambal tumis petai, udang besar, ketam goreng, sotong masak berlada, keli masak berlada, gulai rebung, gulai pucuk paku and all sorts of ulam including petai, jering and kerdas. However my favourite is telur ibu gelama masak lemak. Usually we makan 'beridang' (hidang) under the canopy facing the river watching the fishermen returning with their catch. This is not a place to be missed if one visits Kuantan.

FPG plant at Gebeng

For this weekend, the initial plan was to attend a wedding in Raub but since I was not well we decided to go to kenduri aqiqah at Kg. Sungai Karang. We then made a short detour to Pelabuhan Tanjung Gelang, Gebeng.

Silos (KFM) (using polar-c filter)

FPG Plant

In the 70's before the port was built, my family and I used to go to the beach wading through the shallow water (due to low gradient water-bed). We even had a class trip to pantai Tg. Gelang when I was at lower secondary in SEMSAS. Gebeng is totally different from what it used to be. It is now a port servicing the Gebeng Industrial zone, full of activities, polluted and has lost its beauty.

Pantai Gebeng- overseeing Tanjung Gelang

Weekend of Nostalgia and SOS

Some of us from Class of 74 posing(using a self timer)

ExSAS or Persatuan Bekas Pelajar SEMSAS had their homecoming with conjunction of it 7 th AGM at SEMSAS, Kuantan, Pahang last Saturday 4 March 2006. I am from the second batch, class of 74. SEMSAS or Sekolah Menengah Sains Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah started its first batch which had to 'squat' in Abu Bakar School Temerloh temporarily for a year in 1973. We started from form 1 until form 5 but some of us had to stay until form 6 'sementara' which was first introduced i 1979.

Our first classroom in SEMSAS(Form 1 sci. 1)

Our AGM ran smoothly and the incumbent president Ir. Mohd Imran Baharuddin was re elected for the second term. He was my classmate. My hearthiest congratulations to him.

This is the padang we used to train and play hockey.
We were the Kuantan District champion for 2 consecutive years.

Penyanyi jalanan (KLCC tunnel)

On Sunday, batch 74 had a class gathering at Nina's place. I was not able to attend after receiving an SOS call from Momad a day earlier. Roza and I rushed to Lembah Beringin on Saturday evening. We arrived at KYUEM Lembah Beringin around 10.15 pm and spent the night at Ampang. We had everything straightened up, gone to KLCC, then sent Momad back to KYUEM on the next day. We took Bukit Beruntung- Rasa-Batang Kali-Genting route to Kuantan. We arrived home at 8.00 pm.

A view along the road at Bukit Beruntung
(shooting against the sun with polar-c filter)



Class of 74 at home coming

Visiting Pakcik Sulong of Ganchong

Sungai Pahang-Ganchong

Last Sunday we decided to visit Pakcik Sulong of Ganchong, my distant relative. I remember Pakcik Sulong quite well, up to when I was about 4 years old. He would come all the way from Ganchong to our house in Kuantan. Ganchong was considered quite remote at that time. And this would mean a whole day visit for him. He never failed to bring along 'buah tangan' which was usually 'setandan pisang'. What made me remember him well is that he was an extremely nice person who was very generous with his smiles. Pakcik Sulong's left leg is swollen gigantically, a complication of filariasis/ elephantisis but this didn't hinder him from making those visits to see us.

Pakcik Sulong

Ganchong is in Pekan, a traditional Malay village by Sungai Pahang. Other kampungs adjacent to it are Kampung Batu, Kampung Telok and Kampung Pulau Rusa. It was said that the people from these kampungs originated from the same root, a wellknown figure who was supposed to be our great ancestor called Tok Ki Abbas.

Tok Ki Abbas of Ganchong was said to be very religious and a great warrior. Another known figure of Ganchong, a nephew to Tok Ki Abbas was Panglima Kakap Husin. Panglima Kakap Husin was with Sultan Ahmad I and later became Penghulu of Tembeling Tengah and Kuala Tembeling. He was one of the figure who was involved in Projek Taman Negara Kuala Tahan. Btw, Panglima Kakap Husin is my great grandfather.

Panglima kakap Husin

Pakcik Sulong is not well lately. He had some bowel problems, off and on and being weak and all,he would just stay at home. However his memory of the past is still strong. He can still tell us stories about our elders, the 'salasilah' or family tree. He was a bit quiet after the demise of Mak Dayang Saedah, his beloved wife, 2 years back. Our 'doa' to Pakcik Sulong :may Allah give him His Blessings.

Kerbau necking at Kuala Penor