My Confession...

I’ve been tagged by Ibdil. Ok, do I really need to do this? I thought you’ve known me well enough? Ok lah…for blogging sake. Here you are, six weird things you might not or already know about me:

1. I’m a rule abiding driver. I don’t make illegal u-turns, I don’t park my car indiscriminately, I don’t jump the queue, I don't mind driving in circles to find the perfect parking space…As a Malaysian driver, I think this is weird....
2. I love making sound effects…especially when I play with my toys..(not adult toys ok??)..I think my kids are lucky…
3. I like to do house chores very much…I think this is weird and my wife is lucky.
4. I sometimes talk to myself… there were instances when Raidi asked me “Abah cakap apa tadi bah?” hahahaha
5. I buy perfumes but I never wear them.
6. I like to complicate things and I don’t like to give simple answers. To me, life should not be simple…it should be errmmm..weird??..hahaha

There you go..actually I have more, but 6 is enough la. Hmm…maybe we can start writing about someone else instead. Yang pelik dah jelik about Ibdillilah for example…that would be fun! Hehehe. To be honest, if I have the time, I would love to write about other people in my blog. While we still have the time and the place to do this, before it is too late, I think we should somehow let the other person know what we think about them. Hmm…good idea Mafiz, now whom should I write about first…

My Sister Is Engaged…

Last Sunday my sister Natasha got engaged. Her future husband’s name is Iyadzlee and his family lives in Bangi. If everything goes as planned, the wedding is set in August this year. Most of our closed relatives were present to witness this engagement ceremony. Congratulation to Natasha and her fiancé on their engagement. Now everybody can’t wait for the big day to come in August. Come to think of it, it’s like 6 months to go and I think preparations should be done from now. Tasha is my only sister so it would be the first and the last time for us to welcome and witness the entourage from the groom side. So I hope everything will go well. I didn’t get to take many pictures though as I was busy taking care of Zidani. Besides, we depended on Tasha’s fiancé to take all the pictures. He’s a part time wedding photographer!

Officially engaged.....btw, the photographer on the right is Tasha's fiance

The only way to witness your own engagement ceremony, is to become a photographer! haha

Ayu can't wait for the wedding day...can't wait to 'tempah' her new baju...

Barang-barang hantaran.....tak tahan tengok strawberry tu!!

Let's Talk.....

If you have seen this Let’s Talk advertisement from TM for the past weeks, you should consider subscribing to it. I signed up yesterday during the launching ceremony at Bangsar TMPoint. This is the call plan that we have been working on for the past couple of months. To me it is not that I’m obligated to subscribe to it, but if I’m a ‘normal’ customer, I would surely take it. If you have not seen this call plan, you can visit http://www.lets-talk.com.my/package.html for details.

I signed up the Let’s Talk 108 package. With this plan, I get unlimited local calls. In other words, I can call another fixed line number within the local call boundary and talk non-stop. Apart from that, I can make unlimited calls to other part of the country during the weekends and they charge lower call rates to mobile numbers. All this at a fix monthly cost of RM108 inclusive of rental. Depending on your monthly bill pattern, you can choose the right package that suits your requirement. This plan provides some level of certainty to my monthly phone expenses. On average, I’ve been spending about RM100 on the house phone bill but with this package, I get more value! I’m will still pay the same amount money like before but this plan actually gives me more calling capacities! Perhaps more than twice the talking time. The good thing is, I get to upgrade my Streamyx bandwith to 1Mb as well, just by signing up to this package!

Now whenever we’re at home, we will use the fixed line. I’ve already paid for it so we should use this. It’s cheaper than mobile phone rates and we can save on our mobile phone charges. You see, mobile phone should be use when you’re in ‘mobile’ mode. But when you’re in a fixed location, especially at home, just pick up the fixed line and talk for hours at a fixed cost.

This new pricing scheme is a glimpse of what the future of telecommunication service pricing will be. They are preparing the customers towards the Next Generation Network (NGN) environment. In the future, communication charges are going to be set on session basis, no longer the usage minutes. This call plan is just the beginning from TM to encourage their customers to use the fixed line. Later, product bundling i.e packaging Fixed Line, Broadband and Mobile services at a fixed monthly costs could be TM’s next strategy of pricing. I hope they can consolidate our bills as well. All our communication and multimedia needs charged in a single bill at a fixed monthly rate with unlimited call time. That would be fantastic wouldn’t it?

Hmmmm…this sort of thing is long overdue in this country. The industry is just so saturated with minutes based charging. I’m glad that TM is spearheading this flat based call plan charges. Now I just hope that it can be accepted by the consumers. Our next task is to monitor the take up of this offering on a daily basis. Feel free to comment and provide your views on this latest offer from TM.

Goooooaaaallllll!!!!!

I’ve registered Raidi to the Subang Jaya Community Youth Football League (SJCYFL). So last Sunday, I took Raidi to Subang Jaya and he played his first ever league game! Hahaha….imagine this, when we first arrived, Raidi has zero knowledge about the football game. All this while he only knows how to kick a ball. So the first rule that I thought him that Sunday was you should not handle the ball. Goosshhhh…

With no knowledge of football, it was like throwing him into the rough sea and just let him learned to swim by himself! He didn’t know who his team mate was or which one is his opponent. At first I wanted to expose and slowly introduce him to the game. But the opposite happened. The coach decided to bring him on and I saw Raidi running up and down the field trying to kick the ball in what ever direction. And when he didn’t get the ball, he just grabbed the player’s shirt in anger. A couple of times Raidi just shouted at me that he didn’t understand the game at all. I understand Raidi’s feeling and I felt sorry for him. It was obvious that he didn’t enjoy the game. He was completely confused by everything and it was a tough introduction for him. His team didn’t win the game but it was not about winning or loosing. I just wanted him to enjoy the game.

After our first league game, I know what to expect already. Raidi must first know the rules of the game. I was surprised to see the level of understanding from other kids about the game. Raidi was in the 7-8 years old league. They not only play within the stipulated rules, but they play with passion! And not to mentioned the parents! Everybody was screaming from the top of their lungs, cheering away and giving out instructions to the kids! It was fun for everybody! Not to worry Raidi, I will help you play football and we’ll start from the drawing board.

Raidi is part of the Ranger’s team. So the Ranger’s lost their first game against the Hobbit’s. But we will meet them again in the return leg. The league will run until May. I hope by then, Raidi will develop some basic football skills. More importantly, I want to instill positive values from all this. The Youth League has its own broad objectives. But my objective is simple, to fill up our weekends with valuable quality time. But who knows, maybe this could lead to something else. Please visit http://www.sjcyfl.com/ to know more about this community league.

Malaysia Boleh!

The stadium was packed to the brim..

Syabas to the Malaysian pair who just won the men’s double Malaysian Open Title. It was amazing to see how this pair, ranked 119th in the world going against all odds to emerge as champions. Let’s just hope that they could win more titles for Malaysia in the future. This year, it was my first time ever watching the tournament at the stadium. I and Zaini joined thousands of other fellow Malaysian’s cheering the players at the Cheras Badminton Stadium and I must say, it was quite an experience. We just saw the quarter finals when Wong Choon Han lost to Boon Lai from China. It was a lethargic display from the world no. 2. Disappointment for many fans that came to watch him play. Nevertheless, we did saw and ‘learned’ a lot of trick shots and both of us can’t wait to try it this coming Tuesday! Hehehe. I’m definitely going again next year. It would be fun to have many other badminton friends joining us. Besides we want others to develop their game as well. Bukan apa, takut nanti aku dengan Zaini je makin terror! For full report refer to http://www.thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2007/1/22/sports/16642256&sec=sports

The calm before the storm... nasib tak bawak raket.. kalau tak dah masuk court dah,..

I’m 31….He’s 5…

One for him and one for me...

Zidani’s birthday is on the 10th and mine is 13th. So I guess every year we would have this combo birthday celebration. This year was no different. Bought some lovely cakes from Secret Recipe, light up the candles and let the kids do the rest. We finished the cakes in minutes. Oh yes, they bought me a present. Raidi personally choose the present and needless to say, it has to be some Star Wars toys. Thank you all for the birthday wishes. I hope there will be many-many more cakes for me and Zidani to belasah in the future!

Raidi’s 1st Day At School…

On the 3rd of January, Raidi started to go to school. He is now in standard one. On that day, he woke up really early and prepared himself. I myself was very excited. It was a jittery moment that I had been waiting for a long time. This is the year where all the Y2K babies start their first year of formal schooling.

Many parents were there to accompany their kids. All primary 1 students had to sit at the hall as the teacher’s briefed the kids about school rules and procedures. Raidi had to take this little test to determine which class he is supposed to be in. Parents were not supposed to be with the kids during this test. But heck…parents don’t care do they? Especially Kiasu parents. Everyone was standing outside of the class and tried o guide their kids to do this test. Ayu couldn’t take the pressure so she stood far away from the class where Raidi is sitting in.

Raidi in School Uniform....

When the teacher handed the test paper to Raidi I saw him just starring away. Obviously he didn’t’ know what to do with it! It was a half and hour’s test and Raidi did nothing for 10 minutes! It was funny looking at other parents trying to coach their kids and I didn’t know who was more pressured, the kids or their parents. I told Raidi to read the instructions which he did and suddenly he turned to ‘auto pilot’ mode. He finished the test himself in less than 10 minutes. Raidi, in that class you were in, you were the first kid to hand over the test paper to your teacher. I asked you to triple check your answer but you had the nerve to tell me that the test was too easy.

Today Raidi is in 1 Berlian. I told Raidi that I was in 6 Berlian before I left this primary school. Raidi didn’t know what Berlian means so he pronounced it as 1 Brilliant. Hahahahaha. What ever la Raidi, 1 Brilliant is also good. But at first he wanted to be in 1 Jed. Not because he has friends in that class, but it’s because it is close to 1 JEDI..hahahaha. You’re just full of it boy!

For the next 6 years, Raidi will be schooling in SKTTDI. I hope he will have great experiences here, greater than what I’ve experienced before. I will do my best to assist and guide him in what ever way that I can. I can help you to memorise the school song Raidi because I still know how to sing them! Raidi might have good friends at school, but I hope I will be his best friend through out his schooling days. I personally think that this is an effective way of parenting considering all the challenges that the society faces today. Stay close enough to the kids like a friend and at the same time make them respect you as parents. Good what...we can share hobbies and toys too!!

Ok Raidi, Happy Schooling!

Goodbye 2006...Welcome 2007

Happy new year everyone! I hope everybody had a wonderful and a safe new year’s celebration. Me together with rest of my family celebrated our combo new year’s and Hari Raya in Kluang, Johor. Guess how we ushered in the new year? No fireworks, or concerts or karaoke. Instead we played badminton in Kluang Johor. We booked two badminton courts for 3 hours and played until the year 2007! We even had our own mini countdown to the new year! Hahaha… I had my badminton racquet in the car but didn’t bring proper attire with me. So I had to play with my Docker’s pants on and I took Docker’s durability to the next level..hehehe. Uncle Hamid and Uncle Taufik beat me in the double’s game when I partnered my cousin Haziq who was in jeans! In addition, I was bare footed! Melecet kaki aku! We’ll play again next year!

Tthe kids really love the Eco Park and they had a splashing time at the swimming pool. Sejuk gila air dia because they source the water from the mountain. The park is actually at the foot of a mountain. We usually stay at this Eco Park whenever we visit Atuk in Kluang.

I expect many things to happen this year. My main target would be Zidani’s development, Raidi is going to start schooling, Tuesday’s night badminton game is going to get more interesting and intense, another Manchester’s United treble?, more work to be done with Telsoft, enroll in a post graduate course, invest in properties…just to note down some of the expectations. I hope it will be a prosperous year for everyone. Looking at how time flies, we just have to double our effort to meet these targets. But when there’s opportunity, just lay back and have a good cup of tea and enjoy the little moments in your life. It’s sometimes more satisfying to be ‘distracted’ with these little thing in life. It could put your thoughts into good perspectives. One thing is for sure…I’m getting older! And the signs of ageing are more profound!

Holiday At Colmar Tropicale Resort

For this holiday, together with Ayu’s mother and sister, we took Raidi and Zidani to the Bukit Tinggi Colmar Tropicale Resort. Although it was just for a one night stay but it was filled with plenty of activities. The kids certainly enjoyed the trip and they really love the shuttle bus ride when we visited all the tourist spots. It was an adventurous holiday for them and obviously it was a handful getaway for the parents. A little advice to those who wishes to go for an overnight stay or two. Book your hotel room via the internet. It’s much cheaper. Double check your bookings with the reception. This will save you the waiting time (about 45 minutes) for them to validate the booking when you first check-in into the hotel. Please, there’s no need to bring along your winter clothing. Seriously, I saw some people wearing thick clothing as if it was snowing! Nak amek gambar kut…to add more realism into the holiday pictures!

House Warming In Putrajaya

Me and my cousin Syukor. We watched MU played against Shefield when we were studying in the UK.

On Saturday, we went to Putrajaya to attend Mak Midah's house warming party. Mak Midah is my mom's elder sister. They shifted to their new house in Precinct 14 Putrajaya recently and when we arrived at their place, the kids got really excited! This is because the playground is just steps away from the house's doorway. Literally!! Everyone was there that day and even my uncles and aunties from Muar came to this function. Zidani like always enjoyed the food very much and he actually helped himself with the buffet while Raidi was busy making new friends. The hosts actually wore baju melayu so it really felt like a hari raya open house.

Jua's place...Raidi is disturbing the baby!

While we were enjoying the food, we noticed somebody familiar. It was Jua's husband! We figured that they live in Putrajaya so it must be him. But we never thought that their house would be in the same neighborhood! So it was like celebrating two occasions in a day. Coincidently Jua just came back from the Hospital after delivering her second child. So we visited Jua and her newborn baby at their place located couple of houses away from Mak Midah's house. I think the last time I saw Jua and her husband was 2-3 years ago. It's good to catch up with old friends. If one day I have to the go the UAE, I now know with whom I can lepak with. Riza works as a Gas Engineer in the UAE and I'm sure he would not mind entertaining guest from Malaysia.

Zidani being entertained by Uncle Harris

WPR 5921

Akhirnya….Setelah hampir 4 bulan setengah ku menanti, akhirnya, kau datang jua pada ku!!! Suatu penantian yang amat menyiksakan!! At first I wanted the silver colour, then for awhile, I thought bronze is good. At one time blue looks nice also. My favorite colour includes black. Very hard to decide I tell you. All the colours look good under different weather and lighting conditions. So I told the fellow, just give me any colour as long as it is not red. Last Monday, after 4 months of waiting, I got to know the colour. It’s black.

The key to my 'Civic' consciousness... Vvrooomm

Today after work, I drove straight to the Honda 3S center in Sg Penchala and took delivery of the new Civic 1.8L. I called up Dil earlier, wanted his help to fetch me at home and drive to the showroom. But he was busy. So I had to drive there alone and leave the Inspire at the center only to be driven back home later during the night. Btw, I didn’t have the heart to trade in the Inspire for the new Civic. Couple of reasons:

1. The trade in value is nearly half the market value (sakit hati aku)
2. I’ve spent thousands on the car already…rasa rugi kalau jual.
3. The Inspire has most of the features that I want in a car. From sunroof to electric seat to traction control..and the list goes on. Even the new civic cannot match many of the Inspire features. I feel there’s more value/functions in the Inspire compared to the Civic.

Most probably I will keep the Inspire for as long as the car is in working condition. But when the time comes, when I can find a serious buyer, I will let the car go. To trade in the Inspire at half the market price would be ridiculous. I’ll try to sell it myself instead.

It was love at first sight. When I first laid my eyes on the Civic back in July, I’ve fallen in love with the car. Sat at the driver’s seat for a couple of minutes, I knew straight away this is the car that I want. So today, I’ve fulfilled one of my wishes and I’m really grateful for this ‘rezeki’. Raidi is particularly happy with the car. The fact that it is a Honda makes him even happier. Not surprising tough as he grew up in a family that drives Honda cars. What we need now is the CRV or the MPV and this should somehow complete the Honda fleet in the family. Hhmm…I wonder..

I don’t know, my next target would be the Accord. In 3 to 5 years time, Honda might come out with many new models and I’m sure the Accord would be far more advance packed with innovative features. But for now, I just want to be ‘civic’ minded and experience the pleasures in my daily drives.

Love At The First Sight...

It’s been a busy week for me. We just finished conducting a seminar for TM at a hotel in PJ. I was satisfied with the outcome from this event. So satisfied I even agreed to play badminton after some persuasion from Ibdil. Ayat power mamat ni…. I didn’t believe that I actually survived this week’s badminton game despite having so little sleep the night before! I guess when we’re passionate about something; we tend to push ourselves a little bit more. It was mind over body.

I conducted my first presentation as a Telsoft employee last Tuesday and if my memory serves me well, the last time I did this was more than a year ago while I was in TM. And I think I’ve forgotten how much fun one can have being a presenter especially when you’re speaking about subject that you are passionate about. I’m sure there will be more opportunities for me to do this again in the future. The bigger the ‘stage’, the higher the ‘stake’, I just love the adrenalin rush and you feel satisfied knowing that you’ve ‘performed’ well. Proper preparation and good presentation skills helps. But if you're 'armed' with deep industry knowledge, that separates the men from the boys if you know what I mean. It’s substance over form.

We’re currently working on some projects with TM and what I can say is, it is expected to have a major impact on the co’s bottom line. Just watch out for TM’s offering next year. It’s going to rock your world! Hehehe..I really hope so!! Buy up TM’s share before it’s too late!

p/s: the title of this entry does not fit does it? hehehee..it's actually the title for my next entry!!! tungguuuuuuuuu

Syifa Al-Hidayah...

Tonight I didn’t get to play my weekly badminton game. Instead, I took Zidani to Sg Pusu, Gombak for his follow-up check up. This is his second ‘treatment’ and I made a point to follow Abah for this visit. Ayu is working late tonight so she didn’t come with us. She went to the ‘clinic’ for Zidani’s first appointment to do his scanning. Well, his ‘scan’ result shows that in total, there are 51 Jins disturbing him. So the ‘doctor’ prescribed Zidani with a number of Quranic verses to be read out by the parents after prayers. I just have to believe and strengthen my faith to Allah and hope for any positive results from this treatment. It is important for us to put good effort and initiatives to help Zidani with his delayed development.

I can see positive improvements in Zidani today. His temperament is still there but it’s not that frequent. Hyperactivity is common in this family and with Zidani’s condition, he’s really on the high side. I know Zidani is one strong kid and he is very smart too. Refer to this website http://www.syifa-alhidayah.com/index_live.asp to know more about this alternative medicine.

Hingga Ke Menara Gading....

I’m planning to pursue my post-graduate study. Ayu is about to finish her MBA. She is now struggling to start her thesis and I hope she can complete it on time. I envy her because every time she gets her results, it has been nothing short of straight A’s. My ego ‘terganggu’ further when her accumulated CGPA is just 0.03 point from the full mark. I think I will sabotage her thesis to bring down some points. This would be much easier than trying to beat her current result! Hehehe. What ever it is, I’m glad that she’s been scoring. We finance the tuition fees ourselves and so far, I feel very satisfied with the return. I would encourage her to continue with her PhD. She’s got the potential.

Would I like to be left behind? I don’t think so. I told Ayu that I’m currently doing my Master’s and it is a lifelong course. This Master’s program costs me only about RM5 a year and I can choose to major in any subject. Just go to the National Library and you have access to thousands of books. There’s so much information that you can absorb under one roof. All you need to do is read. Don’t just read romance novels. This is how I usually pacify my ego whenever Ayu come’s back home with her examination transcript. But no matter how much information or knowledge I can gain from reading, I can never substantiate it with a certificate.

What to do? People don’t really judge your qualification by the number of times you visited the library. Recognition must be earned by means of a piece of paper which I think in today’s standard, valid only for a couple of years. What we learn today in class can be obsolete in matter of years. Furthermore, certificates or transcripts today can be forged! Hmmm..

So I’m contemplating to register myself for an MBA course. Which university I want to go to is not an issue. My biggest concern has got to be with time. Doing the course on a part time basis requires me to sacrifice my weekends. Attending seminars, sitting for exams and completing assignments would be very time consuming. Even today I’m complaining to myself for being too busy and not spending enough time with the kids. What else if I start my post-graduate studies? Raidi is going to be in standard one soon and Zidani will have two more years before he starts schooling. In Zidani’s case, I’ve got only 2 years to prepare him. Much attention is needed to help him catch up with his development which is delayed. If I start my MBA, I don’t think I can give him the amount of attention that should be given.

Still, I have set a target for my self. I’m determined to complete my MBA before the age of 35 and if all go well, get a PhD by 40. This one incident occurred at the HUKM cafeteria inspired me to do my PhD. While I was paying for the food, the cashier actually charged me with the staff rate. She really thought that I was working in that hospital. I felt guilty so I told to her that I don’t work in that hospital. "Takpelah Doctor, saya dah punch ni” she said. My colleagues who were queuing behind me heard the whole conversation. The look on their faces was priceless!! Hahaha. What a feeling! Since that day, I always thought I should continue my studies and get my PhD..hehehe

Knowledge is not only power. To me, more importantly, knowledge enriches the soul, broaden your perspectives and act as a mental protein that will help you to develop into a more cultured and respectable person. The Jews are known to be the smartest people. Their race constitutes less than 0.5% of world’s population and yet, they have world geo-political and economic control. We Muslims represent a quarter of the world’s population and thank Allah that many Muslim countries have access over the world’s major oil reserves. But what happen then if the oil wells dry up?? Even today, when Muslims have control over these energy sources, we are being subject to continuous oppression. Without the black money (oil), can you imagine the fate of our future Muslims generations?

I choose to continue my studies not only because I want to be recognized professionally, but basically, I just want to be knowledgeable. If I don’t get to pursue my studies, I hope my kids will strive hard to achieve this. But remember kids, be sincere to yourself and to Allah in your quest to gain knowledge. You study because you want to develop yourself into a better person. If you have a brain of a genius, remember to be humble because Allah can anytime take that away from you. Remember your roots. It doesn’t matter what paper qualification you have, as long as you live as a good human being, people will remember you for a long time. I cannot stress more on the importance of knowledge so please continuously feed your mind with them ok? Don't stop until you reach the 'Menara Gading'. Go beyond it!

"The Fortune At The Bottom Of The Pyramid"

I just finished reading this book written by C.K Prahalad. It’s about how Governments, NGOs and the corporate sector can work together to eradicate poverty. We think that serving the low segment of the markets brings little or no profits. The poor are always not the targeted customers; our usual assumption is that they can’t afford our products or services. On the contrary, with innovation, companies can make lots of money from selling their products and services to the so called Bottom Of The Pyramid ‘BOP’ customers.

The fact is there are 4 billion people in the world who live on far less than $2 a day. And this 4 billion people actually represents 80% of humanity! We always see call for money to help the 4 billion poor and the cry is so constant. Most of the time we think that various aid agencies and governments should tackle this issue. However as we enter the 21st century, poverty remains one of the world’s most daunting problem.

The book changed my perceptions that the very poor actually represent resilient entrepreneurs and value-conscious consumers. The key towards eradicating poverty is to achieve a sustainable win-win scenario where the poor are actively engaged and, at the same time, companies providing products and services to them are profitable. This collaboration between the poor, NGO’s, governments and large firms can create the largest and fastest growing markets in the world.

I read today in bernama quoting Prof Ungku Aziz how he considers the current PM different from his predecessors due to his ambiguous priority for the dejected rural people. "Abdullah has also come out with a noble aim with the help of his Cabinet members in redressing the imbalance of rural poverty," said Prof Ungku Aziz. In a way, this is an example of how we put the whole burden of alleviating poverty in this country on the Governments shoulder. Governments can provide various grants, training opportunities, conduct business programs and other noble ways to bring them out of the poverty cycle. But what about the role of the corporate sector? Surely they have a part to play in the fight against poverty? I don’t think the corporate sectors contributions to the poor should only be reported as part of their CSR initiatives. In fact, with the right business models and processes, the BOP could be a major contributor to the company’s bottom line.

The truth is, at the ‘BOP’ the so called demand and supply economic curve haven’t really intersected. The corporate world never treated this segment as profitable and the customers in the segment never really trusted companies as they think that the companies are only interested to make profit out of their subsistence income. Furthermore, they always feel that companies are only interested to serve customers at the top of the pyramid where the profit margin is. They feel that they haven’t got any opportunity to access the products and services consumed by the middle class with better purchasing power. Now if they have access to products and services equal to the developed world, we are not only enabling dignity and choice through markets, but we are opening up opportunities for this segment to evolve and climb up the pyramid.

The book tells readers how we can equate the demand from the BOP markets and the supply coming mostly from the 1st world markets. The organization structure, business model and processes today are developed to serve the segments with better purchasing power. So the trick in doing business in the BOP market is to innovate. It is interesting to read how a private eye hospital in India had made tremendous profits from providing eye care services. A cataract operation may cost $3500 per operation in the US, but in India, it only costs the patient a mere $50. The Aravind Eye Hospital uses the most modern equipment available in any facility in the world and still with only 40% paying customers, the hospital remained profitable and debt free. They managed to cut down their costs by its ability to use the equipment effectively, as it specializes only in eye care and every doctor and nurse team performs an average of 50 surgeries per day. Other success stories ranging from micro-financing facilities, energy resources, agricultural services, information technology, health care, retailing are well illustrated. Now I know how we can bring these services to people who earn less than $2 a day and the company can still make a hefty profit.

The underlying impact is great. With collaboration from all sectors, the market oriented system can be used to develop wealth in the BOP market. Alleviating poverty doesn’t rest on the governments shoulders alone. Social transformation of the very poor is about the number of people who believe that they can aspire to a middle-class lifestyle. The question is how we can bring this middle-class lifestyle to the poor. C.K Prahalad wrote that our best allies in fighting poverty are the poor themselves. Their resilience and perseverance must give us courage to move forward with entrepreneurial solutions to the problem. He believes that with bold and responsible leadership from the private sector and civil society, world poverty and deprivation elimination is possible by the year 2020.

Very interesting book I must say. It gives fresh thinking about emerging markets. The private sector can be put at the center of development, as a real engine of services for the poor. It all boils down to innovation. Read this book if you want to know more about fighting poverty with profitability.

Raidi's Graduation Ceremony

Dear Raidi,

Today Abah and Mama would like to congratulate you. Last Sunday, both Abah and Mama attended your graduation ceremony held at the Damansara Utama Multipurpose Hall. That day, you woke up very early in the morning and made sure that Abah and Mama got prepared early as well. You did not want to be late for this important event. I saw how happy you were and you just can’t wait to go to the hall and meet up with all your friends. You looked very handsome in your purple baju melayu suit.

Abah and Mama got to see you perform on stage with your friends singing a Nasyid song about Nabi Noh. You kept on looking towards Abah (I was standing by the side of the stage, busy taking photos) when you are supposed to look towards the audience! But it was really fun watching you performing on stage though.

The best part was when I had the opportunity to talk to your friends Raidi. I would like to put on record that a girl by the name of Shafiqah turns out to be your first crush! All your friends that I met talked to me about this girl that you admire (all caught on video, see them below). You even asked me at home whether I managed to take a picture of Shafiqah that day!! Hmm.. to tell you the truth, it reminded me of my crush that I had when I attended my pre-school in Bangsar! I wonder what happened to that girl..emmm. Anyway, I can see how close you are with your friends Raidi. I understand now why you even want to go to school on Sundays! I’m really glad that you are enjoying your pre-schooling days. You would certainly miss your friends nanti but not to worry, Abah will keep their contact details. Maybe we can invite some of your friends to come over to your future birthday parties.

In January you will be attending your primary school at SKTTDI(1), the school behind our house. For your information, I attended this school too! It’s common when parents and the kids go to the same boarding school, but what about primary school?? I think it’s seldom. Aunty Tasha, uncle Harris and uncle Helmi studied at the same school! Only Uncle Husni went to SKTTDI(2). I hope your brother Zidani will join you in 2 years time, when you are in Standard 3.

One thing for sure, I want to be active in PIBG and contribute in anyway that could bring good education to my kids. It’s a way for me to give back to society. Not only Raidi is going to study there, the father is also an ex-student. So I think I’m more than compelled to contribute something right? Anyway, you going to SKTTDI(1) would certainly bring back old memories of my own schooling days. One day I would give you a tour in that school and tell you about my own experiences. Hehehe, I can’t wait to have lunch with you at the school canteen!

Pictures of graduation: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mafiz/sets/72157594365698367/

Interview 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sit2b6hZRp4

Interview 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c4A89P4rxQ

Interview 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mQOnE3qJkg

More Raya Pictures....

More group photos taken during Hari Raya. People in these photos are my relatives from my father's side. During the first week of Raya we have visited most of them already. The 2nd week, we should be covering Mak's side relatives plak. Till today, I've uploaded close to 100 Raya pictures and there will be plenty more to come. Luckily I've upgraded my flickr account and now I've got the motivation to take more pictures. Todate, I had only used 10% of my monthly uploading quota!! So by month end, kira wasted the other 90%. Perhaps I should start sharing some of the uploading capacities that I've bought. Anybody interested?? Boleh kongsi kalau nak...

All my cousins with Atuk excluding my borther Harris and Mak Long's 4 kids

Hari Raya 2006 Part..III

Perghh... last night we brought KLCC new year's eve celebration to Jalan Athinahapan 1!!..check out the video clips below... Uncle Taufik sponsored the firecrackers and my brothers and cousins took charge of the 'show'. Raidi was the only kid who was playing with the safer little bunga api. Next year we're planning to put up a much better and bigger show!!

Highlight for the night : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RtSkXfhVvw
Some other clips : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQa-85HspB0

Hari Raya 2006..Part II

Today marked the 4th day of Syawal and so far, the celebration had been great and very tiring as well. Day before yesterday, Fiqar and family, Nurleena, Frieda and hubby, Pak Usop came by our house for Raya. In the evening, we went to Azad’s place in Shah Alam and Zidani really enjoyed that ketupat with kari kambing. I went back home that night, feeling a bit dizzy. I don’t know, maybe this kambing is a bit too much for me. Better do my medic check up soon and check my cholestoral level. Manyak takut wooooo..

Beraya dekat KLIA....

We picked up Abah, Mak and Atuk today at KLIA and everybody converged at Abah’s place in TTDI including relatives from JB. We are glad that they’ve managed to come back home safely from their Umrah and get to celebrate Hari Raya with the rest of the family. While having lunch together, everybody listened to their interesting experiences in Makah. Abah and mak told us about how everybody in Masjidil Haram, just before the Friday prayer’s, heard loud noises coming from the top of Kaabah. It sounded like a carriage of horses running across the grand mosque and many thought that it was actually the Angel. Abah also told us a story when he had this conversation with a male Caucasian. Judging from his British accent, he really thought that this guy originates from the UK. Apparently he's actually a Malaysian and lives in Mutiara Damansara! Haha..what a small world.

Makan time...

Tonight Raidi and Zidani had a great time playing with firecrackers with their uncles and aunties. Even I enjoyed the fireworks display. My brothers and my cousins bought them in Taman Datuk Keramat so it really was like a mini new year’s celebration right here in Jalan Athinahapan 1. I was a bit worried if the neighbors complained and called up the police. But I guess it's part of the thrill isn't it?. Now this is what I call Hari Raya. Although we were not in Muar or Kluang, but it felt like an exciting family gathering. Everybody enjoyed themselves. Mafeitz and Fiqar dropped by my parent’s place and Raidi made sure that their kid didn’t miss the fun.

Dam dam dum..bunyi mercun!

Tomorrow, I think I will take the kids to Raya at Mak Long’s house in Seksyen 6 Shah Alam. Ayu will be working so it will just be me and the kids. It’s going to be tiring I’m sure tapi setahun sekali kan? But to tell you the truth, tekak ni gatal nak berkaraoke sebenarnya…nak je esok gi BSC and melalak! heheheeh

More gambar at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mafiz/sets/72157594343989165/

Hari Raya 2006

At first I thought I want to write another episode of the ‘Voyage Of The Super Hero Robot’. However, Raidi has lots of Robot in his collection today, writing a story about each one of them would be too daunting for me! Besides, this Raya’s edition, Abah, Mak, Atuk and Raidi himself is not with us to celebrate in KL. My parent’s will only be back from Umrah this coming Friday afternoon, while Raidi is having a good time in Penang with Ayu’s mom. Yup, he followed his grandmother up north to celebrate Hari Raya. So here we are today, just me, Ayu and Zidani together with my brothers and sister celebrating Hari Raya. This is the first raya that we celebrate without Abah, Mak and Raidi around and it surely feels different. Nevertheless, we did have a joyous celebration visiting uncles, aunties and friends around KL.

At Uncle Yoh's place in TTDI
Zidani certainly had a great time. He gets full attention from the parents and the others. I was amazed looking at the amount of food that Zidani eats. Semua dia pulun!! We went to Uncle Yoh’s place after prayers, visited Ibdil and his family the same morning, had lunch at Auntie Huda’s place in Subang Jaya, Uncle Azmi and Untie Oyah’s residence in Kota Damansara in the afternoon and singgah at my borther’s apartment after that. We ended the 1st raya rounds at Nurleena’s place in TTDI. We overdosed the ketupat, rendang and kuih, we woke up really late today feeling the effects from our mentekedarah. Now, it’s nearly 3pm and Ayu’s watching Castello on Astro, Zidani is having is nap and I really really feel like sleeping again! Hahaha..baru lepas makan ketupat palas lagi!

To be continued

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Dan Batin….