Saturday, July 31, 2004

Virus, oh virus (NOT the computer kind!)...

Aku pergi kerja pada hari Isnin dalam keadaan tekakku sedikit perit bersama batuk-batuk kecil. Mak turut mengadu masalah yang sama kepada aku pagi itu. Memandangkan aku bukan benar-benar sakit, aku meneruskan kerja seperti biasa. Lagipun, ketika sakit sikit-sikit ini lah kita perlu aktif agar dapat melawan penyakit (kononnya la, dari mana agaknya aku belajar benda ni?).

By noon, my little coughs have all grown up and have kids. I ache all over and it was all I could do to drag myself to the clinic. I left with a packet of medicines and 2 days of sick leave.

Sampai rumah, Pak bagitau yang Mak pergi jemput Udin dari sekolah sebab dia pun sakit. Oleh kerana Mak juga sakit, dia bercadang nak singgah di klinik dalam perjalanan membawa adik pulang.

The three of us were almost bedridden (read as 'melepek') most of Monday night, all of Tuesday, and part of Wednesday. I went back to work on Thursday though I was far from okay. It seems that my hacking and coughing on Monday has some effect on the rest of the crew as well: a little sniff here, a cough there.

Hari Jumaat, giliran penolong ketua kaunter pula untuk tumbang. Tapi dia masih boleh bekerja dengan bantuan sedas dua panadol. Aku rasa, setelah puas mengerjakan aku, virus tu hanya sekadar bertegur sapa dan menyepak-nyepak manja orang di sekeliling aku.

Today, Pak is officially sick. Yesterday, he was still gung ho enough to go to the surau. In fact, he even went to a neighbour’s kenduri after going the clinic this afternoon! Pak said,

Kalau dok diam je makin sakit le nanti. Kena lawan penyakit ni!”

Ler… Dari situ ke rupanya aku belajar pasal ‘lawan penyakit’ tu? Satu sikap yang bagus pada pendapat aku. Namun, sebagaimana aku sebelum ini, Pak juga telah kecundang dalam perjuangannya dan kini sedang melepek di bilik tidur…

Saturday, July 24, 2004

AF2- Mas sucks!!!

I never thought I'd be mentioning even anything that remotely hints at 'Akademi Fantasia 2' because Sultan Muzaffar is around giving a more profesional and competent critique than I will ever put out. However this time, I really, really need to get it out of my system!

Mas sucked big time on tonight's show, but it was Nurul who got the boot?

Come on Malaysia! What the heck is wrong with you? Pity is no replacement for talent! Yes, she is a poor single mom. BUT if she keeps on singing like THAT, her satay sales, metaphorically speaking, will top her album sales any bright old day!

Come on Mas! Wake up and smell the coffee! You must have had some vestige of talent if you managed to wiggle your way on to AF2! So show us talent! Buck up or back out!!!

Warkah untuk Pak Lang

Kehadapan Pak Lang yang dikasihi dan diingati selalu,

Assalam ‘alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh,

Apa khabar Pak Lang sekarang? Ri harap Pak Lang dan keluarga sentiasa berada dalam keadaan sihat sejahtera.

Bagi memulakan bicara, Ri terutama sekali ingin menyusun sepuluh jari memohon maaf sekiranya kehadiran warkah ini menganggu hidup Pak Lang. Ri sedar bahawa Pak Lang sekarang begitu sibuk dengan tugasan untuk mendidik anak bangsa. Tambahan pula dengan perhatian yang perlu ditumpukan kepada Mak Lang tercinta serta Marwan Si Comel. Itu semua adalah tanggungjawab yang perlu diutamakan dalam hidup seorang insan berkeluarga.

Ri faham itu semua. Namun kefahaman bukanlah ubat bagi kerinduan. Kefahaman tidak akan dapat menggantikan sokongan yang Pak Lang berikan selama ini. Kefahaman tidak mampu menemani Ri melalui hidup yang penuh dugaan dan cabaran. Walaubagaimanapun, Ri terima ketentuan Allah ini dan hormati kewajipan yang perlu Pak Lang tunaikan.

Oleh itu, Ri akan meneruskan perjalanan yang entahkan sampai ke mana tanpa Pak Lang di sisi. Juga terima kasih yang tidak terhingga Ri ucapkan di atas kesudian Pak Lang menemani Ri sebelum ini, sehingga Ri berjaya menjejaki tempat di mana Ri berada sekarang.

Semoga Allah akan turut merahmati Pak Lang serta memberkati hidup Pak Lang sekeluarga sepanjang perjalanan di dunia yang fana ini hinggalah ke akhirat yang kekal abadi.

Salam sayang daripada anakanda nan jauh,

 
Ri

Sunday, July 11, 2004

Spears me 'Every Time'

Britney Spears- what is it that keeps my ears pricked for one of her songs every time I turn on the radio?

Personally, I think her status as an artist/performer is only so much wishful thinking. Though many who have seen her not so recent tour would heartily disagree with me! Of course, people do tend to get enthusiastic for all that show of skin and exposed bedroom acts. However, my statement still stands. Additionally, she mimed at those concerts and that certainly put her performance (and stamina) level down many notches in my opinion.

Her vocals are nothing to wow about. She doesn’t effortlessly sing up and down the scale like her contemporary, Christina Aguilera. And what a mismatch she makes, teamed up with Beyonce and Pink in that Pepsi commercial! While the two singers’ styles and attitudes really shone through, Britney came across as wooden and projected the image of being the weakest among that group of Amazons.

But after all is said and done, I still stay in front of the tube when one of her music videos shows up. Why is that? Because whatever her failings are, that woman can sure pick a song! They could be catchy, they could be plaintive, but they strike a cord in me every time. The lyrics are simple and at times may sound as if they were simply shoved and squeezed in to fit the melody but the meaning of those words are profound.

My latest Britney craze is the song Every Time'. Do find time to listen to it. If you do have an ear for music, no matter what type of music you prefer or how much of teeny bopper music you hate, I guarantee that you will find this song beautiful. Try it!

Every time I try to fly I fall
Without my wings I feel so small
I guess I need you, baby


Every time I see you in my dreams
I see your face
It’s haunting me
I guess I need you, baby

Monday, July 05, 2004

Kemaafan Dendam Yang terindah

Di suatu malam yang sepi, berkumandang lagu tersebut di Radio Era lantas mengimbau kenangan silam.

Kekasihku,
Kurasakan perlu menitip surat buat tatapanmu
Sekali ini aku rela merendah diri melara
Agar perhubungan terjalin semula


Kekasihku,
Tak mungkin kutahu apa tersirat di hati kecilmu
Andainya aku yang bersalah maafkan saja
Kemaafan, kemaafan dendam yg terindah
...

Cinta itu tak mungkin bersatu melainkan dengan izin Allah. Dia telah memilih egonya dan bukan hubungan kami. Lalu aku maafkan Dia dan melepaskannya kerana sesuatu relationship itu tidak akan berjaya sekiranya hanya seorang sahaja yang berusaha menghidupkannya.

Bapak dan pouch aku

Bapak sound aku pasal pouch yang aku pakai. Banyak sangat kes ragut sekarang ni katanya.

Takde ke cara nak sorokkan pouch tu? Kalau pakai kat luar macam tu akan menarik minat peragut,”

Dah namanya pouch, aku sorok dalam baju camne pun masih terbonjol gak benda tu! Statement Bapak tu telah amat amat menakutkan aku, especially since daripada pengalaman aku, mulut Mak, Pak aku ni biasanyan tersangat le masinnya.

So tanpa sedar aku telah over react terhadap kenyataan Bapak tu. Kesian Bapak. Tapi orang yang ketakutan dah tak pandang kanan kiri dah. Orang yang ketakutan akan buat apa saja untuk mengelakkan diri daripada perkara yang menakutkannya, walaupun sekadar sebuah kenyataan.

Pak, minta maaf banyak-banyak. Ri sedar Bapak hanya mengingatkan kerana Bapak ambil berat kebajikan Ri. Ri akan sorokkan pouch tu sedaya-upaya, walaupun Ri takde idea dah nak sorok camne lagi pouch tu selain daripada tutup dengan baju je.

Hai… lepas ni perlu buat positive thinking banyak-banyak supaya dapat menjauhkan perkara yang tak diingini. Amin!

Sunday, July 04, 2004

Instant Conference!

How did a grand conference come into being one and a half months after its conception?

Easy! Those in administration please do ignore the years and years of feedback from staff and customers alike and soon you’ll find the need to address and remedy all the resulting complications. I guarantee you!

My company’s admin finally got a whiff of *morning coffee (*please read as ‘fire) when one fine day, they found that there will not be enough cash to purchase a considerable amount of the company’s most valuable commodities to last the year. They also discovered, to their consternation, that the pile of customer complaints and suggestions has finally reached ceiling level and then some.

The hose they’ll be using to fight this inferno is The Conference.

A Top Executive came up with the idea in mid May and decreed that it be executed in mid June, which had to be postponed to early July due to lack of venue. The two day conference aims to educate key staff and put up policies regarding the rational mobilisation and utilisation of company resources.

Personally, I’m not putting much stock into the educating bit (can you imagine trying to change 20 over years of practices and habits in 2 days?) but hopefully, the policies will be enough of a stopper in the hole of our, slowly but surely, sinking ship to keep us afloat until we reach the shipyard for much more permanent repairs.