Thursday, August 26, 2010

Wahai Saudaraku di Seberang...

Wahai sahabatku dari Indonesia. Beritahulah saudara-saudara disana bahawasanya ada perkara lebih besar daripada berperang angkara Tarian Pendet, Rendang, dan Isu nelayan. Bodoh benar jika diceritakan kepada anak cucu bahawa terjadinya perang saudara antara kita akibat Tarian Pendet, Rendang, dan Isu nelayan. Israel kini berada di Singapura. Kita berkelahi, lebih lebar jalan buat mereka.

Tidak ingin kami ungkit tentang jasa dan pengorbanan yang pernah kami hulurkan kepada kalian kerana itu perkara kecil bagi kami kerana kami juga berharap jika kami ditimpa malapetaka, kalian juga sudi berbuat perkara yang sama. Tetapi amat kami amat sedih dengan kebiadaban sesetengah dari kalian itu.

Kami bukan pengecut seperti yang kalian fikir. Kami rela mati ke jalan Allah daripada mati berebutkan rendang dan tarian pendet kalian.

Monday, August 09, 2010

Pak Hamid Karaoke

Pagi-pagi lagi Keli dah terpacak depan rumah gua. Keli adalah pemain bass gua, walaupun namanya macam nama pemain bass Kelly yang main dengan Edry Hashim, Keli kampung ini pun tidak kurang hebatnya. Umur baru nak masuk 22, tapi Keli dah main bass sejak darjah tiga. Gua dah main dengan Keli sejak dia habis SPM.

Gua selalu jamming Scorpion, Iron Maiden dan Deep Purple dengan Keli. Tapi bila ada jemputan main dekat kenduri kawin, kami main lagu Sweet Charity, Rafeah Buang, Dayngku Intan dan ramai lagi.

Sedang gua mengutuk Keli kerana gaya rambutnya ala penyanyi kumpulan Hujan, Fuad dan Fendi pun datang dengan gaya yang sungguh stailo. Fuad adalah seorang penyanyi yang sungguh versatile. Baru habis pengajian Ijazahnya di UiTM. Fendi pula pemain drums yang memiliki kaki yang sangat laju. Yang gua hairan masa main bola, tak laju pun dia lari.

Tujuan kami berhimpun pagi-pagi buta depan rumah gua adalah kerana kami ada sayembara kugiran di padang sekolah rendah kampung gua sempena Pesta Rakyat daerah ini. Dengar cerita Y.B pun datang nak menonton sayembara tersebut, dan ada lebih 15 band turut serta. Nescayalah penuh padang dengan orang kampung gua dan awek-awek yang baru nak naik nak menikmati hiburan yang jarang-jarang sekali sampai kat sini. Artis pon ada malam nanti katanya.

"Oi artis", sampuk Pak Hamid dari belakang gua. Ntah bila dia sampai pon tak tahu.

"Korang masuk pertandingan kugiran tu ye? Tak bagi tau koi pon? Koi kenal juri sorang tu, budak sekoloh koi. Eh, main lagu Ahmad Jais la, sedap lagu tu". Kata Pak Hamid

Bunyi macam tipu je gua dengar, tapi sepanjang gua kenal dengan Pak Hamid, dia jarang nak tipu orang. Gurau-gurau melampau tu kadang-kadang ada la. Pak Hamid ni sebenarnya tua 2 tahun je dari gua, tapi kenapa gua panggil dia Pak Hamid pun gua tak tahu.

"Mana boleh Pak Hamid, lagu Ahmad Jais kena pakai trompet, siapa nak main?" Balas gua.

"Habis nak main lagu omputih?"

"Takde lah, main lagu rock melayu je, lagu senang-senang". Balas gua selamba.

Pertandingan mula jam 11. Gua dah sampai jam 10 lagi. Bukan sebab excited nak main sangat, sebab gua nak usha awek, band-band lain dan nak ambil feel penonton dulu. Ramai jugak yang datang.

Mata gua tetumpu pada kelengkapan muzik yang disediakan oleh pihak penganjur yang datang dari KL. Speaker tergantung dengan Sub speaker kat bawah. Wah mesti sedap bunyi dia nih, mesti penuh satu padang. Walaupun jenamanya speaker tersebut macam jenama USA, tapi gua tau itu speaker China je.

Gua sebenarnya tak lah pelik sangat dengan kelengkapan sebegitu. Sebelum gua pindah semula ke kampung 5 tahun lepas, gua adalah pemain gitar pencaragam kombo negeri selama 8 tahun. Gua kena balik kampung sebab kena jaga mak gua, sebab ayah gua dah meninggal. Abang gua pulak ikut bini dia ke Miri, Sarawak.

Rindu jugak kadang-kadang gua nak main dekat stage besar, tapi apakan daya. Namun, demi minat, dekat rumah gua iaitu tempat kami praktis penuh juga dengan kelengkapan-kelengkapan muzik. Walaupun sederhana, tapi gua pilih jugak nak beli. Kadang-kadang duit gaji sebulan gua simpan nak beli amp gitar yang elok. Gua pakai Spider Valve markII amp. Keli gua kasi pakai Hartke Hydrive dan Fendi gua kasi pakai Tama Drums je dengan cymbal cap Stagg. Jenama yang tak berapa mahal, tapi boleh pakai la. Dengan kelengkapan-kelengkapan itulah kami mengadakan 'tour' ke kenduri-kenduri kahwin daerah ini. Selalunya gua mintak khidmat Pak Hamid karaoke untuk PA system.

"Band seterusnya... The Senduduk!" nama band gua di panggil, kami pon melangkah laju ke atas pentas untuk persediaan yang hanya diberi masa dua tiga minit. Masing-masing mengambil tempat masing-masing. Gua pon mencucuk jack output dari efek gitar jenama jepun ke dalam lubang input pada gitar tersebut, namun amp gitar jenama Taiwan yang disediakan oleh pihak penganjur tersebut amat mengecewakan. Rakan-rakan band gua yang lain pon nampak muka tak puas hati dengan kelengkapan ala kadar tersebut.

"Dia bagi kita amp cap ayam?, baik aku bawak amp dari rumah". Keli yang jarang berbunyi pon kompelin.

Maka, kami main je la lagu Semangat Lamina dari Lefthanded dan Musibah dari Sweet Charity, walaupun sound gitar bunyi macam radio buruk. Monitor speaker depan gua pon macam jadi tempat letak kaki untuk bergaya ala-ala pemain gitar rock je. Drum pon mikrofon tak cukup. Bass speaker pon kecik dari mesin kukur kelapa mak gua. Terus gua hilang feel. Ingat nak jugak solo panjang-panjang ala John Petrucci.

Selesai dua lagu, gua pun turun cepat-cepat, nak blah dari situ sebab frust. Tapi gua nampak kelibat Pak Hamid dekat bawah khemah letaknya 'sound engineer' sistem bunyi event tersebut. Gua pon datang la nak menyibuk.

"Apa pasal korang pakai array speaker tak pakai crossover?" tanya Pak Hamid kepada 'sound engineer' tersebut.

"Aa, crossover tu apa?" Jawab 'sound engineer' tersebut.

"Habis korang datang dari KL bawak speaker besar-besar ni buat apa? Sistem yang macam ni, mesti la kena ada crossover, baru jadik. Dah la korang pakai microfon cap ayam. Bunyi lagu henpon China aku ni pon lagi sedap dari lagu korang main dari CD."

'Sound engineer' tersebut hanya tertunduk sambil mengisi bateri mikrofon tanpa wayarnya.

"Korang ingat kami orang kampung tak tahu apa-apa ke?" herdik Pak Hamid tak puas hati.

Pak Hamid terus menyekolahkan 'sound engineer' tersebut.

Gua kenal Pak Hamid. Beliau dulu pemain kibod untuk Angkatan Tentera Darat, Malaysia. Banyak kali jugak dia dijemput untuk menjaga sistem bunyi di konsert-konsert besar. Tapi kat kampung gua ni dia buat bisnes karaoke je la, tapi barang yang dia guna semua beli kat KL dan cukup kalau nak buat konsert kat dewan orang ramai.

Gua pon menggeleng dan tersenyum. Gua blah dari situ, tapi sempat jugak gua usha awek yang sedang minum air kelapa dekat bawah khemah pameran barang-barang mekap.

Friday, August 06, 2010

Penunggu

Bangun-bangun tido aku dah mengadap laptop, bukak fesbuk, carik idea dan kot-kot ada peluang bisnes dalam fesbuk ni. Sambil-sambil tu layan jugak lagu-lagu rock kapak yang memang aku tak pernah jemu walau dengar seribu kali pon. Ahhh.. lantak la orang nak kata apa pon. Biarlah diaorang nak layan indie, aku tetap dengan rock kapak. Lagu yang takkan layu di hati aku.

Ah, bahagianya kehidupan, jalur lebar ni laju jugak, kadang-kadang je buat hal, tapi aku tak kisah la, bukan aku yang kena bayar.

Kat hujung bilik sana Kasim sedang asyik melayan klarinetnya. Entah apa yang tak kena dengan orang tua tu, dua tiga hari ni tak boring-boring dengan alat muziknya itu. Sekejap sumbang, kadang-kadang sedap jugak dengar. Mencari inspirasi untuk single terbaru gamaknya. Muka masam mencuka, aku malas nak tanya, kang kena sound pulak. Tapi kalau Hamid datang, ceria je aku tengok muka dia.

Penat mengadap fesbuk, dan baring-baring atas sofa lembut, aku ke jamban pulak mencari inspirasi. Disini idea aku bersemi, disini juga inspirasi aku bercambah dan yang paling best suara aku yang sumbang pon kedengaran sangat sedap bila menyanyi kat sini. Disini dunia umpama terhenti bagiku. Dua belas jam duduk dalam ni pon takpe. Kepala paip aku biarkan terbuka, biar menderu-deru air keluar kedalam baldi... biar penuh melimpah-limpah... suara deruan air itu jika dihayati betul-betul, ibarat terapi minda. Tenang je aku rasa, idea dan daya imaginasi aku terus bercambah, mekar mengisi jiwa.

Selesai urusan di jamban, aku kembali ke sofa lembut di ruang tamu dan menyambung urusan fesbuk aku yang tergendala.

Kasim datang duduk disebelah, 'On' tv dan mengadap channel HBO kat Astro... entah apa yang tak kena pon aku tak tahu. Kenapa la muka orang tua ni masam je seminggu dua ni. Rilek, la takde masalah yang tak boleh selesai, jangan la tensyen-tensyen, aku pon ada masalah jugak, rilek je, boleh baring-baring kat sofa-mengadap internet-dan menonton Astro lagik. Nak je aku sound, tapi malas la nak campur hal dia. Paling-paling kejap lagi masuk la dalam bilik dia tu. Tak pon keluar pergi kemana-mana ntah. Huh, sosial... tu la kalau jauh dari kampung.

Lepas tu Hamid datang join. bergelak ketawa dua orang tu... apa yang lawak sangat pon aku tak tau. Tapi aku hairan kenapa la diorang dingin sangat dengan aku? sombong la diaorang nih. Kadang-kadang buat macam aku takde je kat sini. Ahhh, biarla diaorang, janji aku ada fesbuk, lagipun aku banyak lagi pelan bisnes dan perangcangan teliti yang perlu aku fikir ni.

Tiba-tiba Kasim menyapa aku dengan nada yang adak serius,

"....Lan, sampai bile ko nak duduk rumah aku nih?, kata dua-tiga hari je? ni dah lapan minggu dah. Dah la guna internet free, air-api free. Ko ingat aku beli sofa ni nak jadi tilam kau ke? banyak cantik muka kau. Aku nk lepak kat sofa aku sendiri pon susah. Tak sensitif langsung...."

...Aku kaget

Friday, February 06, 2009

The Art of the Impossible


MAS around in 2005. He got right down to business. On the first day itself at 8.30am, Idris presented his turnaround blueprint to the board of directors. Idris went so far as to make the business turnaround plan totally public – something never been done before by a listed company in Malaysia. And everybody felt Idris’ targets were crazy. They were wrong, of course. He breaks down the turnaround process into four crucial parts:


Build the case for change and get the buy-in from stakeholders such as the board, employees, shareholders and the Government.

Lay the facts on the table and explain their consequences. “I told them, if we don’t change, we will run out of money in three months,” he explains.

Unleash talents, much of which was done through running laboratories, where people were put together in rooms to come up with solutions to problems. Focus on the profit and loss (P&L) accounts. “If an activity did not generate profit or reduce losses, I was not interested.”

“Today, all MAS staff are very aware of having to anchor everything to the P&L statements. We have created leaders and seen so much potential from our staff through our strategy of running laboratories,” he says.

Divine Intervention
Despite Idris pinning everything down to numbers and getting to the root of problems, he is a strong believer in divine intervention – God or fengshui, or something else if you prefer. Idris believes the majority of things that happen in our lifes are beyond our control. “We cannot control 60% of the things in our lives. With the 40% that we have, we can try our best.

It does not matter if we fail. We need to recognise that we are vulnerable. That gives us the peace of mind. “We need to bring in the element of humility. The day you think the world is at your feet, that is when pride sets in, and it is over,” he says. He thinks divine intervention works to one’s favour, when you do some things. First, be a good human being, for instance, helping the poor.

“Recently, we increased the salaries of all MAS staff earning below RM1,000 (per month). Now, there is no MAS staff who earns below RM1,000. This may increase cost but we need to do the right thing, which is to help our staff make a decent living and support their families,” says Idris.

Second, Idris believes in having the right values, in terms of being ethically correct. For instance, in business dealings, there are always the white, grey and black areas. Many times, people are forced to step into grey areas when making decisions. “My belief is that we should always stand firm on the white area even when we are forced to step into the grey area. We need to document and clarify our reasons for stepping into the grey area, then quickly return to the white area. “If we do not document it, eventually our conscience will be modified. Hence the next time we step into the grey area, we will think we are in the white area. And when we are in the black area, we think we are in the grey area!” says Idris.

Third and very importantly, Idris believes in self-renewal and time for solitude and reflection. It is during these period that one should take the time to count one’s blessings. “Most people are not happy because they are living for another day. That is why they are jealous of their neighbour’s new car or new house. What is enough for a person? For me, what I need is a house, a car, insurance and education for my family and money to buy my blues CDs. Everything on top of that is luxury.”

Adds Idris: “Don’t take things for granted. I believe that when somebody dies, suddenly life is different. You realise that very few things are important. That we should just be happy to be alive.”

Nonetheless, Idris also believes that if you want something bad enough, somehow you will get it.
He cites Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist and quotes one of the phrases in the book: “If you want something desperately, the whole of the universe will conspire to give it to you.”

Spirituality and Love
A spiritual person, Idris is a practising Christian who prays diligently. If there is a Sunday where he does not attend church, he will hold mass at home where he leads by conducting readings for his family. He even prays with his 19-year-old son Leon (who is studying in Britain) via Skype.
Idris’ life principles are based on love, enabling others, God and passion. Passion, for him, is a convergence of heart, soul and mind.

He believes in the importance of getting married and having children. After 26 years of marriage, Idris keeps his marriage alive by having love, commitment and respect for his wife, Datin Sri Pang Ngan Yue.

“Marriage is about give and take. I believe that when you first decide to get married, you need to be deeply in love. You need to be sure that you have found the one. It is about two people becoming one. You can never be right all the time,” he says.

As for enabling others, it is about taking a back seat, or sacrificing oneself for the betterment of another. Idris says he feels great when he enables someone else to feel good about themselves.
Last Friday, Idris performed in a concert for the first time at the Groove Junction pub in Sri Hartamas. While he demonstrates much adroitness with the guitar, his main motivation for playing was to get his son Leon to perform in public.

“Leon plays a mean guitar. I have asked him before to play but he refuses. So the only way to get him to perform is if I also perform. That is why I put my name down that night,” he says.
On this note, Idris’ first guitar was made of two pieces of plywood, which he strummed at the age of 13. His favourite blues musicians include Kelly Joe Phelps, Eric Clapton, BB King, Buddy Guy and Jackson Brown, among others.

Idris’ other great passion is deep-sea fishing, a passion which has brought him to the Maldives, Vancouver Island and Perth, Australia.

“Once I went fishing in Vancouver Island. The skyline was beautiful and we caught fish and ate it with wine. That was such a perfect moment. And I thought, that would be such a perfect way to die! “If you catch a perfect fish and then have a heart attack, I think that is a nice way to go,” laughs Idris. And what’s next for MAS? As announced, it is talking about transforming into a five-star value carrier, earning RM1.5 to RM3bil – yes you read right, as much as RM3bil – a year by 2012. Impossible? Don’t bet on it.

WHAT made you agree to take up the job in MAS?
I came because I was very passionate about turnarounds. The Government came to me via Khazanah. I never applied for it. The person who was really chasing me (for the job) was Khazanah MD, Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar.

In transforming MAS, what was key in enabling you to succeed?
Transformational leaders must pursue the game of the impossible. That means you must put targets that are seemingly impossible for everyone

The Star, Saturday January 10, 2009

Friday, January 30, 2009

How to be positive ?

Thought is creative. All thought, good and bad, is creative and tends to become a material thing. That is why we must learn to be more positive. Our environment and all the experiences in our life are the result of our habitual and predominant thoughts.

Negative thoughts can tell us about something that needs our attention. Our job is to discover what needs to be done and take care of it. Many people fail to see a negative occurrence as a learning experience and continue to feel victimized and helpless, ultimately blaming others for what they drew to themselves.

You are not alone. You are not Hopeless. You are alive, and you are your own person.

Steps

  1. Admit that you have a problem. You can't change if you don't admit your faults. Accept the fact that you are being negative. This will just make it easier for you to become positive!
  2. Have goals. Goals give you a more positive outlook on life. Those who are bored with their lives and feel stuck usually feel depressed.
  3. Surround yourself with positive people! Our lives are shaped by the company we keep. This step is very important. Negative people will just weigh you down and ruin your goal. Let go of any friend whose behavior is holding you back from achieving your goal. It could simply be time to make new friends.
  4. Realize that it is really all in our mind! What goes on in your mind can really determine your actions and decides whether you're positive or negative. If you always think negative thoughts, you're always going to turn out to be a negative person. It is better to think about positive thoughts.
  5. Avoid negative influences. Even if it's a family member or close friend, do not tolerate their bad behavior. Steer clear from it so that it will not rub off on you.
  6. Find an optimistic quote or saying and keep it in your wallet or pocket at all times for a quick reference.
  7. Focus your imagination and efforts on becoming that new positive person. It is much easier to effect change if you just put your mind to it and change your thoughts. We can't always control things that happen in your life, but we can, with some effort, control what we think in our minds.
  8. Create your life from within. If you want more success, focus on all the ways that you are already successful. If you want more love, focus on all the people that already care about you and the abundance of love you have to give to others. If you want to create greater health, focus on all the ways that you are healthy, and so on and so forth.
  9. Imagine that you're already a positive person and you love your life. The only thing between you and your desire to be happy is one single fact: You are not happy because of how you think. This little known fact keeps many from reaching their goal of happiness. If you keep thinking things like "My life sucks!" than your life will seem like it really is that bad.
  10. Smile at strangers. Although this may seem a little weird, it actually makes you feel more positive and happy. You may even brighten that other person's day with just a smile.
  11. Listen to positive music. It's a great way to remain positive.
  12. Volunteer or help others. Helping others leads to a happier outlook on your own life. You'll feel great at the end and make you feel like a good person.
  13. Replace negative thoughts with something positive. Look for the good in every situation. There are pros and cons to most situations and you get to choose which you will focus on. If you're thinking something that isn't pleasant, think the opposite. If you do this long enough, it will make a huge difference. Say "I can!" more than "I can't!".

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Pencarian Gadis Melayu TV9

Hmmm, walau dah berapa hari dah aku shoot gambar nih, ini baru aku berpeluang untuk 'upload'kan gambar ni. Sebenarnya aku tak amik port sangat dengan program ni, tp since Abang Tom pelawa ke program ni aku on je la. Program ni di buat di Kompleks PKNS, Shah Alam pada 16 Januari 2009 hari tu.

Finalist dia mak aihh santek2 sume, tapi yang menang tu la aku rasa yang paling ok, bukan rupe je ok, cara dia jawab pon ok jugak...hmmm i like..

Ok anyway, enjoy the pic;
Pencarian Gadis Melayu TV9

Gerhana Matahari 2009

Gerhana matahari berlaku apabila kedudukan bulan terletak di antara bumi dan matahari oleh itu menutup cahaya matahari. Walaupun bulan lebih kecil, bayangan bulan mampu melindungi cahaya matahari sepenuhnya kerana bulan dengan purata jarak 384,400 kilometer adalah lebih dekat kepada bumi berbanding matahari yang mempunyai jarak purata 149,680,000 kilometer.

Gerhana matahari boleh dibahagi kepada 3 iaitu gerhana penuh, gerhana separuh, dan gerhana analus. Gerhana penuh apabila matahari ditutup sepenuhnya oleh bulan disebabkan bulan berada dekat ke bumi dalam orbit bujurnya, gerhana separuh apabila bulan hanya menutup sebahagian daripada matahari, dan gerhana analus yang terjadi apabila bulan hanya menutup sebahagian daripada matahari dan cahaya matahari selebihnya membentuk cincin bercahaya sekeliling bayangan bulan yang dikenali sebagai 'corona'.

Gerhana matahari berlaku selama 7 minit 30 saat pada tempat yang paling lama. Ketika gerhana matahari, orang ramai dilarang melihat ke arah matahari secara langsung kerana ini boleh merosakkan mata dan mengakibatkan buta.

Bagi mereka yang beragama Islam, mereka digalakkan untuk melakukan Solat Sunat Gerhana ketika berlakunya gerhana.

Pada 26 Januari 2009 berlaku lagi kekuasaan Allah pada alam ini iaitu fenomena Gerhana Matahari. Waktu berlaku pada waktu 16:20 waktu Malaysia dan berakhir dijangka 19:00. Adalah sebaik-baiknya memulakan solat gerhana matahari berjemaah di surau atau masjid di tempat anda kerana dapat mendengar khutbah yang bakal dibacakan oleh khatib. Hukum khutbah dan solat gerhana adalah sunat muakad(yang dituntut) , jadi meninggalkannya hukumnya makruh(dibenci) tanpa uzur syari'e.

Gerhana Matahari captured by me