New Year Eve BBQ

First of all, I would like to thank Kak Nani for agreeing to be the host for Tok Nani's family BBQ. The initial plan was for me to throw the party at Astaka Heights, at the swimming pool area, on the eve of new year.

I totally forgot that JMB will be organising its second year of new year countdown. So I proposed Pak Nit's instead. However, logictically speaking, the new place seems not that conducive for a big family event.

NY Celebration @Astaka Heights

One of the good thing I like about the JMB of Astaka Heights is their effort to promote interaction amongst the residents of this 4 years plus neighbourhood.

This is their second time of new year countdown.

I was there the first time they organised it on 2011 new year eve. And it was really like a big family gathering. They held games, karaoke session, lucky draws, of course, makan-makan, and the lighthight of the night was the countdown itself with a brief fireworks display to mark the coming of 2011.

And this year, they add a theme, which is Hawaian Night and there will be best dressed awards to those who dress the best according to the theme.

Unfortunately, I won't be attending this because I've a family BBQ in Salak Tinggi.

My whole family members will be joining Mak Lang's family for a makan-makan project. If it turns out to be a success, insya Allah, we will have it as our annual affair with more participation from other family members.

Ulang Terbit: Anak Itik

Satu lagi karya yang cuba bermain dengan subjek yang baru. Anak Itik ini adalah sebuah karya satira tentang office politics.

Anak Itik

Anak itik itu hitam gelap
macam bontot kuali,
tak pun macam Muthusamy
yang menjual kacang di bawah pokok Melaka
sebelah Muzium Samudera.

Anak itik itu busuk
macam kentut budak bujang rumah depan,
tak pun macam air rendaman kain
yang terbiar seminggu tak berbasuh
tengik.

Dan anak itik itu pemalu.

Tapi anak itik itu
putih hatinya
wangi kelakunya
garang kejujurannya.

Dan anak itik itu
tidak menyalah sesiapa
kalau berlaku bencana
dan tidak tuding jari
bila ada kesalahan pada kertas kerja
yang ingin dibentangkan kepada Ibu bank.


Hasmi Haron
Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA
10 Januari 2002

Melalak, Melalak Lagi

This time around, the attendees were Geng KY members, minus Eijam who was busy preparing for his exams and Mitch who was out of town if I'm not mistaken.

We started the night with a dinner at our favourite hangout spot, no other than Kedai Kak Yah (I think we should renamed the group as Geng KKY). I, however, had to give it a pass due to some technicalities and traffic jam at the flyover of Jalan Pandan Indah and MMR2 interchange.

And I don't know why my mood wasn't there too, whereby I only song 3 songs - my compulsory opening number, J. Mizan's Hari Ini Dan Semalam, my second attempts of Afghan's Padamu Ku Bersujud and Kaer's Izin Ku Pergi.

Mus did complain about my anti-social behaviour on the night, whereby I was busy surfing on iPhoneKu than paying attention of my friends' colourful renditions of Malaysian as well as international hits. Sorry Mus and I'm really, really sorry guys. It won't happen happen. Insya Allah.

But the hightlight of the night is when Mus sang his first ever Malay song in any of the karaoke outings that I've joined him all this while.

Nak lagi, Mus!!!

After melalak, we stopped by at Q Bistro for a light supper before we call it a day. Once again, I'm really sorry guys for sleeping at the table while all of you were catching out with each other. I'm sure all of you saw fir yourselves how struggling I was to keep my eyes open. Once again, MAAF banyak-banyk.

Silence of The Lambs Added to Film Archive

This film is one of my all-time favourite films, which introduced me to great actors - (Sir) Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.

The thing I like about this movie is the characterisation of Hannibal Lecter which was never black (or white). That was the first time a film made me thinking that a human being is grey. And it's the first movie that I did not loath its antagonist. Normally, you're either dislike or feel indifferent towards the bad guys in a film. But not Dr. Lecter.

Nak tahu, pi cari DVDnya :)

Note: The article was first published on BBC News.

Silence of the Lambs added to US film archive

Hopkins won an Academy Award for playing Hannibal 'the Cannibal' in The Silence of the Lambs

Continue reading the main story

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Oscar-winning 1991 thriller The Silence of the Lambs is to be preserved by the US Library of Congress as part of its National Film Registry.

The film - in which Sir Anthony Hopkins made his first appearance as serial killer Hannibal Lecter - was one of 25 new additions announced.

Others include Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks, classic Disney animation Bambi and Charlie Chaplin's The Kid.

The titles were chosen from 2,228 films nominated by the public.

Every new addition must be considered "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant in order to be added to the registry.

Other additions include the 1979 Sally Field film Norma Rae, Robert Rodriguez's 1992 debut feature El Mariachi and the 1953 version of War of the Worlds.

They are joined by such lesser-known titles as A Computer Animated Hand - a one-minute film made in 1972 that is one of the earliest examples of 3D computer animation.

The oldest entries are silent films dating from 1912. One documents the pre-World War I child labour reform movement, while the other is a farce starring comic actor John Bunny.

Gump, which won Hanks his second Oscar for best actor in 1995, is the most recent of the new additions.

"These films are selected because of their enduring significance to American culture," said James H Billington, who has been the US Congress librarian since 1987.

"Our film heritage must be protected because these cinematic treasures document our history and culture and reflect our hopes and dreams."

The Return of Bird Flu Outbreak?

The wife of a colleague of mine has been admitted for H1N1 last weekend. He and his kids have been advised to self-quarantined at home. I heard it all re-started in Hong Kong. But I don't think the wife had been to Hong Kong, but she was in Kedah last one week or two.

I don't have the details but all of us have been told to stay alert with our temperature. This morning, we got our body temperature read by an administrative staff. Alhamdulillah, my reading was 36.4 Celsius.

My two cent is to drink plenty of plain water, take multivitamins continuously and limit outdoor activities. To those who coughs, please and please wear the face mask. Do your part, please...

Note: The article was first published on BBC News.

Hong Kong orders chicken cull as bird flu alert raised

Hong Kong is culling 17,000 chickens after three birds were confirmed to have died from the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain in the past week.

The government has banned imports and the sale of live chickens for three weeks after an infected chicken carcass was found at a wholesale market on Tuesday.

It has also raised the city's flu alert system to "serious".

Two wild birds were also found to have died of the the virus.

The government said it was tracing the source of the chicken carcass, but it was not clear whether the chicken came from a local farm or was imported.

"I understand that it will cause inconvenience to the public, and the poultry trade will also encounter losses," said Hong Kong's secretary for food and health, York Chow.

"However, to safeguard public health, we need to adopt decisive and effective measures to prevent and control the spread of the virus."

On Tuesday, a dead Oriental magpie found at a secondary school tested positive for bird flu.

Another secondary school closed for a day for disinfection last Friday after a dead black-headed gull was found with the virus.

Hong Kong is quick to take action against infectious diseases after an outbreak of the deadly respiratory disease SARS in 2003 killed 300 people in the city and a further 500 worldwide.

In 2009, 300 people were placed under quarantine at a Hong Kong hotel after a guest contracted swine flu.

Melalak Lagi

Puas dapat berkaraoke dengan Geng McDonalds. Hari ini adalah cuti ganti kerana Hari Natal jatuh pada hari ahad.

Lama betul tak jumpa Radzi. Sekarang ini dia adalah pengurus di outlet Kota Kemuning. Masa aku mula kenal dia dahulu, dia cuma 2nd Assistant Manager di outlet KL Sentral.

Encik OC seperti biasa mendendangkan lagu-lagu bernada tinggi. Cuma hari ini, semput sikit. Bak kata Shikin, penambahan saiz badan! Hehehe.

Gembira juga dapat berjumpa dengan Ziana Din, yang sempat hadir sesudah tamat waktu kerjanya. Esok adalah hari terakhir beliau di Parkson, sebelum kembali semula ke industri restoran makanan segera.

Jangan serik untuk ajak aku lagi. Memang best berkaraoke dengan kamu, kamu, kamu, kamu, kamu dan kamu :)

Si Genius Yang Suka Berjenaka

Majalah Maskulin menampilkan YB Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ) sebagai muka depan edisi pertama 2012.

Pada pandangan aku, KJ memang padan jadi cover boy majalah. Dan aku rasa dia adalah salah seorang yang berpotensi untuk menjadi PM satu hari nanti. Dia pandai dan dia berani. Ciri-ciri yang ada pada Dr Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim.

Cuma rezeki sahaja jadi pertaruhan.

Sent from my iPhone

Get Well Soon Kakak

Kita ada Allah taala. Syukur kepada-Nya, puji kepada-Nya, pinta pun kepada-Nya jua.

Semoga Allah meringankan beban sakit dan hilangkan derita dan sayu yang menyelimuti Kak Sharifah.

Dia duga kita sebab Dia sayang dan pilih kita.

Doa dan ingat sentiasa buatmu. Selalu.

My Heartfelt Condolence To Washi Storm Victims

It was reported that more than 1000 people have been killed after tropical storm Washi lashed the southen island of Mindanao and surrounding areas over the weekend.

Be strong. And He will show you the way as promised in His Book.

“And certainly, We shall test you with a bit of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits. But give glad tidings to the patient ones who, when afflicted with a calamity, say: “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.” They are those upon whom are the blessings, descend from their Lord, and they receive His Mercy, and it is they who are guided.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:155-157)

“Verily, We have created man from drops of mixed semen in order to test him, so We made him hearer, seer. Verily, We showed him the way, so he is either grateful or ungrateful.” (Surah al-Insan 76: 2-3)

Majlis Naik Buaian

Hari ini hari ke-48, Damia Batrisya dilahirkan. Empat yang lalu, adik perempuan aku (ibu Damia) genap 44 hari berpantang.

Hari ini Emak menganjurkan kenduri doa selamat, sempena Mira sempurna berpantang dengan selamat dan lancar. Dan hari ini juga sebagai tanda Damia naik buaian.

Emak menjemput kumpulan marhaban Pasir Puteh, Bachang untuk memeriahkan majlis.

Majlis ini dibuat secara kecil-kecilan tetapi cukup menyuburkan tradisi daripada mati ditelan zaman.

Puji dan syukur ke hadrat Allah atas rahmat dan nikmat yang berpanjangan. Terima kasih kepada kaum keluarga atas kehadiran yang besar ertinya ini.

Semoga Damia Batrisya akan membesar dengan limpah hidayah Allah taala dan menjadi kebanggaan keluarga.

Mahu Beli Duit?

Aku tak pasti ini Siri Duit ke berapa, tapi ia bertandatangankan Tun Ismail Ali, anak Malaysia pertama menjadi Gabenor BNM. Duit ini adalah koleksi adik bongsu aku, Lan. Dia memang suka simpan duit-duit lama dan mata wang negara-negara lain.

Ada sesiapa lagi yang mengumpul duit di luar sana?

Bila Kawan Lama Berjumpa

Lama tak jumpa Shahrul Azwan. Mus pun lama tak jumpa dia. Sekarang ini, isterinya sedang mengandungkan anak kedua.

Sihat betul kau sekarang ni, Shah :)

Ombak Rindu

Aku tak tahu kenapa mamat ni terkejut bila aku cakap nak beli tiket filem karya terbaru Osman Ali, Ombak Rindu.

Apakah filemnya tidak sesuai untuk ditontoni aku? Atau filem ini bukan untuk tonton golongan Adam? Ataupun memang riak mukanya sebegitu?

Apa-apa pun, akhirnya hajat aku untuk menonton filem yang berjaya mengutip RM4 juta dalam masa 4 hari tayangan, tercapai.

Terima kasih kepada sepupu aku, Nazrol dan dua orang kawan - Ed dan Fendy, kerana sudi temani aku.

Recycling Products

As part of the efforts to support the company's drive to promote recycling culture, my department has designated 4 November to 5 December 2011 as the Go Green Month.

One of the programmes for this campaign is to create the most creative recycling products out of office waste. The emphasis here are MOST CREATIVE and OFFICE WASTE.

And the following are the products of my team - Pasukan X-MEN:

1) Self-made paper bags (by Rina)

2) Bookmarks (by HH, Reena & Zaini)

3) Pens & pencils holder (by Zaini)

4) Family photo frame (by Zaini)

5) Gift box (by Zaini)

6) Picture frame (by Liza K)

7) Outstanding Work Compartment (by Rina)

8) Recycle greeting card (by Zaini)

Compartment for used envelopes to be reused

10) Compartment for recycle papers

And our team won the second place. We were second to Pasukan The Incredibles.

Departmental Recognition Programme 2011

Alhamdulillah, I won three awards at this year's Departmental Recognition Programme, and one of them is Best All-Rounder Staff. Thank you to those who have nominated me and thank you to the Management for selecting me as the winner.

This is the second year that we have this category. Last year, the award went to my supervisor.

And to make it even sweet, my section has been awarded with the Best Section award. Alhamdulillah. What a year for DFI Macro Surveillance Section. And congratulations to other winners, and of course the Organising Committee.

My-style Graduation

Yeahhh!!!

Scary Tak?

Cuba teka, siapakah dia di sebalik topeng yang ngeri ini?

Ini adalah sebahagian daripada aksesori untuk majlis makan malam sempena Treasure Hunt 2011. Tapi tahun ini, sekali lagi aku tidak dapat turut serta kerana akan menghadirkan diri ke majlis graduasi di Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia.

Aku memang suka majlis makan malam yang dianjurkan sempena pertandingan mencari harta karun. Memang happening and staff pun memang sporting. Setidak-tidaknya, separuh daripada hadirin akan hadir mengikut tema yang telah ditetapkan.

Kali ini, temanya ialah Ghost Night.

Anyhow, all the best to all participants! And also my officemates that have been made to perform on that night. Perform baik-baik tau!

Selamat Bersidang

UMNO sedang berhimpun, mengumpul kekuatan, semangat dan iltizam untuk persediaan masuk dalam ibu segala pilihanraya.

Seperti Dr Asri, aku pun rasa para pembahas gagal membaca mesej PM agar UMNO berubah untuk merobah.

Ramai yang berbaur perkauman.

Cuma PM yang masih setia dengan konsep 1Malaysia beliau. Tahniah DS Najib!

Cuma kenapalah The Sun guna gambar ini di muka depannya hari ini? Tak gah lah :(