Strategizing my strategies

We reached a nice milestone today. Exactly 3 months ago, 13 Saturdays, we started our post degree diploma course, Diploma in Syariah Legal Practice in the Islamic International University, Kuala Lumpur. All 21 of us registered ourselves on the 31^st March 2012 at the Ahmad Ibrahim Law Centre. Along the way, one drop out to pursue another course instead and we were left with 20 as at to date. We explore the campus compound by using human “GPS”. Pardon the pun girls, but what I meant is that we were being guided by our course mates who were former students of IIUM. On our first Saturday our “GPS” was H, who kept turning back to ensure that all her senior followers were right behind her when we went for lunch at the Human Science café near the mosque. 

However, into the third week, SA suggested we bring pot luck for breakfast. It was a good idea since we were provided with hot and cold water dispenser and 3 in 1 coffee and malt mixed. So every week we brought something to share, may it be nasi lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk with sambal, fried anchovies, peanuts, slices of cucumber and quartered boiled egg) curry puffs , fruit juices, cakes and so forth. This eliminates the need of us searching for breakfast. Over time however, the amount of food we brought could last us to lunch. Our lecturers warmed up to the idea and during our morning break we could interact more freely with them.

This arrangement works so well that it sort of back fires us today. As scheduled, this morning is Dr. A’s session until 12.30pm. And Dr. N session will be from 2.00pm to 5.30pm. However, Dr. A and Dr. N have an agreement to swap and consolidate their session. So not only did Dr. A will have her morning session, she will continue in the afternoon. Next two weeks, Dr. N will have us for the whole day too! We were not prepared mentally for this marathon.  Nevertheless the lecture went at a fantastic phase in the morning as usual. Dr. A course subject is very interesting and touches our very being. The subject in reality itself is full of challenges, manipulations, disputes and heartache due to human greed and ignorant. We had our morning break at 11am thereafter continued until 1.30pm before breaking for our zohor prayer and continued at 2pm right through until 4.30pm. I told Dr. A, according to our calculations we have met out 6 hours 30 minutes credit hours of the day. The afternoon session was as interesting though we were a bit out of focus. Dr. A reminded us to be alert or at least try to pretend to be alert. This caught our attention and we burst into a really loud laughter. And everyone is on red alert.  An interesting point that Dr. A made was that, since we were part time students with career commitments amongst others, we have to strategies in whatever we do, including to strategies to be absent without leave. I observed that it is applicable in our life too. We have to strategies in all our endeavors and life’s undertakings. Now I am strategizing how to strategies my strategies!

strategies kisses

~acepaizah~

Of Spain & Portugal EURO 2012 & Flying Frog

{cool it MF}

Today, I am writing my observations through hearsay. I am aware of the law on hearsay, being in the legal fraternity for more than two decades. This observation touches deep in my heart. As we all are aware, Spain won to Portugal in the semi final through penalty shoot out- 4-2, though Portugal played well, as ZMN commented.This is the story of my nephew MF who is a football enthusiastic and fanatic.

Notwithstanding it was a school night, he stayed up to watch Spain playing against Portugal in the EURO 2012 at the Arena Donbass Stadium, Donetsk, Ukraine. His little brother, MS had long been in his dreamland. Big sister NN playing the role of babysitter, driver and cook had turn in early since she wakes up at 6am every morning. Another sister, FA is away in college in Arau, Perlis, a state situated in the northern of Malaysia bordering Thailand. Oh, the parents? Well they are gallivanting in Austria and the Czech Republic! Ops, in reality, one of them, Dr. S is presenting an academic paper in the Czech Republic. Hence, NN check in, in the nick of time before their parents’ departure overseas.

Back to my observations, I called MF in the evening after the game. He told me, “I have a story to tell you.”  I said: “Oh, what’s up?”

MF: "I was watching the game, you know, Spain against Portugal last night and everyone is asleep. Then suddenly I saw this flying frog, you know, the one with a long slim legs, brownish in color. I was stunned. I cannot move and froze in front of the television. This is not an ordinary frog.”

Me: “Didn’t you guys close all doors and windows properly?”

MF: “We did. Actually, we already noticed this frog the day mum and dad flew off. We came home from the airport and we noticed two frogs and we chased it into the third bathroom and locked the door. We avoid using the bathroom at all time.”

Me: “Emmm…” I am trying not to break into string of laughter though MF is already laughing on the other end of the line.

MF: “Since I can’t move, I called out to NN but she cannot hear me, so I called her mobile phone.” I just could not control myself and broke into a long hilarious laughter.

Me: “You phoned her? ha … ha… ha…, there goes your game.”

MF: “Yes, I called her on her mobile. No, I still watched the game while nudging and shooing the frog with a broom at the same time. It is like I am standing and nudging the frog like a hockey’s ball!”

Me: “So you are dancing!”

MF: “Actually, yes I sort of dancing…, then NN called her friend N, you know, our next door neighbor, but she is not home, she is still in college. Somehow the frog escape and out of my sight. Later about 7am, my neighbor came and catch the second frog, it is so easy, no fuss.”

Me: “err how does your neighbor know about your predicament?”

MF: “Oh, I think N called her parent, that’s how they knew. But I think this tale hasn’t reached Czech yet. Let’s keep it between us, ok…”

Me: “ha… ha… dream on my dear nephew…”

Thereafter, MF fusses over why on earth these things happen when his parents is not around. I told him that the universe is testing him as he is now the man of the house. He burst into another episode of laughter. Oh yes, he may be hundreds of kilometers away in Terengganu, a state in the Eastern Coast of Malaysia, but boy, he could laugh out loud into your eardrums! By nature he is simply a happy go lucky person, name wise he is a happy individual and his favorite word, "Actually."

Dancing Black Belt

~acepaizah~

Foodie Adventure II @ Mawar Restaurant, Off Jalan Kuching, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

{my plate of rice}

{the enticing baby tomatoes & bamboo shoot}

It is an open secret that I am attracted to food. Somehow I like the song sung by one of the boys’ band, “Me minus you=blues”. However I am singing it as “me minus food=blues”. My close circle of friends knew this fact very well. Indeed, they will make all effort to entice and coax me to any new makan (eating) place. After my earlier post in Foodie adventure @ Tasik Raban, Ipoh (situated in the State of Perak, northern of Malaysia) on 30^th May 2012, RA enlighten me about a restaurant serving similar dishes to Tasik Raban’s restaurant, in the city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia itself.

After careful planning (like we need one), on a Tuesday afternoon we squeezed in NHA’s CR-V and adjourned to Mawar Restaurant. Mawar Restaurant is situated parallel to Kuching Road, about 1KM from the DUKE’s (Duta Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway) entry point along the Kuching Road. It is about 5KM from the city center of Kuala Lumpur. It is partly hidden by the angsana trees. The best “GPS” is that, it is at the tail end of a low rise army flats.

The restaurant is relatively smaller than Tasik Raban's. It operates from 12pm onwards serving the hungry population of Kuala Lumpur and closes on Fridays. We were amongst the early birds. As usual I made my rounds a couple of time. The local ulams (Malay salads) trays occupies nearly half of the long serving table! There were easily 20 or more different kinds of ulams and assorted accompanying sambal, paste and condiments. There were also grilled fish and other savory dishes of chicken, cockles and fish roe curry.

After circling a couple of times, I scooped some fish roe curry some petai (a local raw bean) in chilies and mixed veggies. NHA have grilled fish which she generously shared with us and I shamelessly helped myself to it. RA have a decent plate of rice and pumpkin with green veggies in coconut milk. We have a plate of mixed ulams. The fish roe in curry gravy was very fresh and tender. As usual I rolled up my sleeve and dug into my piping hot rice. The occasion called for me to eat with my bare fingers since the food is very inviting. I ordered some lai chee kang (a beverage with mixed jellies, peanuts, lychees, and other sweet condiments.) RA picks up the tab much to NHA and mine delight. The bill came to RM43-00 and since RA is a regular, the owner gave a discount of RM3-00.PR at its best.

Now, what’s my verdict? The place is clean though a bit crowded. The service is good; the food is value for money considering that this is the city of Kuala Lumpur with relatively decent choice of dishes. Although the ulams is very exhaustive, other dishes are lacking in choice and variety. I will give an “8” on Acepaizah scale.Till next foodie adventure.

butterflies kisses!!!
~acepaizah~

@19th June 2012

Upin & Ipin di Universiti!

Pagi sabtu bermula dengan pertemuan dengan seorang rakan SD pada pukul 7am. Saya ingin menemubual beliau berkaitan dengan satu tugasan bagi kuliah Dr A. Kami bertemu di Mc Donald Jalan Lingkaran Tengah Ulu Kelang di stesyen petrol Shell. Sayang sekali tiada minuman Nescafe disediakan, oleh itu saya terpaksa memesan Teh sahaja. Tak dapat kafein pagi ini. Kami berbincang dengan ringkas sahaja, kerana saya terpaksa bergegas ke universiti. Apapun, perjumpaan tersebut membawa faedah yang amat besar. Saya berpegang kepada kata orang tua, malu bertanya sesat jalan.

Saya tiba di parkir dan mendapat ruangan parkir yang agak dekat dengan pintu masuk bangunan. Saya merasa amat teruja, entah kenapa. Oh, memanglah teruja, saya sememangnya akan merasa teruja apabila dapat memakir sedekat mungkin dengan tempat yang ingin ditujui. Setiba ke bilik kuliah saya disapa dengan kegelapan dan teguran kawan-kawan sekuliah serta kedengaran suara Dr F. Oleh kerana hujan dan petir pada hari semalamnya, bilik kuliah kami menerima padahnya dan kami dipindahkan ke kelas yang agak kecil, berhadapan dengan tempat aku memakir kereta aku. Ha ! Ha! Alhamdulillah kuliah Dr F berjalan lancar seperti biasa. 

Kuliah petang bertempat di bilik kuliah biasa kami. Seperti biasa Dr H tiba 10 minit sebelum pukul 2 petang, terpaksalah Dr H menunggu sehingga pukul 2.10 sebelum kami semua tiba. Syarahan bermula seperti biasa dan Dr H kemudian berkata “ emm saya bercakap seorang diri…” Beberapa lontaran soalan dan jawapan berulang alik dan kemudian kami berbincang berkenaan dengan perkuburan Baqi di Madinah. Tiba-tiba Dr H bertanya… “ ha… pasangan Upin & Ipin, masa di Madinah, dapat masuk perkuburan Baqi?” secara spontan. Satu kelas ketawa besar. Dr H pun ketawa besar dan memohon maaf kepada pasangan adik beradik A dan A.  Meraka kata tak marah. Kami terkejut juga dengan gurauan Dr H, kerana beliau seorang yang agak serius.  Kuliah beliau sehingga pukul 4 petang dan kami berehat selama 10 minit sebelum rakan kami M, W dan R membentangkan kertas tugasan mereka. Apapun. Dr H mempunyai auranya yang tersendiri dan dapat mengikat perhatian kami sehingga pukul 5.30 petang! Dan saya belum menyiapkan tugasan saya lagi.. Pembentangan saya adalah pembentangan yang terakhir pada bulan Ramadhan kelak.

Oleh kerana keletihan yang amat sangat, setiba di rumah, saya tertidur sehingga pukul 3.05 pagi!

class kisses
~acepaizah~

@23/6/2012

Resolutions-revisited!

Greetings!

It is the time of the year. 2012 is fast coming to an end. So how is your 2012 New Year’s resolution thus far? Last year I resolved not to make any resolution. It was great. By year end there is nothing to ponder as to whether I achieve or fail miserably. Somehow I feel there is nothing I could be proud or otherwise about. So now I made a fresh list. It is fresh since there is none in Jan 2012. All the brought forward resolutions were left behind on 31^st December 2011. So here it goes.

One- I resolve to lose some weight this year. Maybe 18kg which translate to a mere 1.5kg per month or 0.375kg per week. Alternatively, it is 39.6828lb per year or 3.3069lb per month or 0.826lbs per week. How do I come to this figure, well the bank charges 18% finance charges per year for their credit card usage? I just pick it as it is doable and achievable. Napoleon Hill says “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” This is my most weighty resolution that I have had carry forward year after year.

Two- I resolve to learn something new. I’ve started to put aside books and stuffs to be sold as pre-loved. It is completed and going-on but still in its infancy. I resolve to improve it from time to time and to add another one or two more.

Three- I resolve to hone my cooking skills and complete my recipes collection. Ha ha… Not going anywhere thus far. Thereafter I may share them with you, especially if you fancy easy cooking for stress free kitchen time.

Four- I resolve to travel to an exotic destination this year (done) on a budget trip but not on budget though I flew budget airline. I will travel light, learn their cultures, savor their food, be overwhelmed by its captivating sceneries and still have spare change to buy one or two souvenirs.(may be next year)

Five- I resolve that all my resolutions will be fulfilled by 31^st December 2012 so that I could make another list come the following year.

I think five is suffice, since it is a new slate of mid year resolutions. So, anyone is interested to join in my 5 resolutions’ list. I think it is doable. Let’s do it and earned our bragging rights on 31^st December 2012.

Good bye old & stale resolutions

Welcome new refresh resolutions

Happy half 2012!!!

 fresh stroll steps waves...

~acepaizah~

SECOND HAND BOOKS FOR SALE

Books for sale: self pick up in KUALA LUMPUR area.

WITHOUT A DOUBT-502 pages - HARD COVER

IN CONTEMPT-387 pages - HARD COVER

OJ Simpson TRIAL

Both @ RM25.00

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Interested? Drop me a line... ops... through my comment space or PM me : click @ fb

bookish thoughts

~acepaizah~

My observations

My observations today. How do you know that a couple is courting, deeply in love or have said the dreaded "I do"? What I observed during breakfast today is quite fascinating. There was couple sitting in front of me. The girl is wearing a pink tee. The boy is wearing a pinkish color shirt. They were sitting side by side enjoying their breakfast and talking in a lovey dovey tone in a very odd position. It is nearly impossible for the boy to "spoon feed" her when she is sitting beside him. Definitely they are in the courting process.

On my left there was a couple sitting in front of each other. The talked softly and they seemed to be in their own little private world. They intently listen to each other and have their food shared together. However, each take their own bite while offering the other to have a taste at his/her food. They are definitely deeply in love and I believed have said the dreaded "I do" phrase! They have no worries of others. Further up, on my right, a couple with three young children. They were seated on a long table. The man seated at the end nearer to me, and the woman on the end of the table. The children seated in between them and were enjoying their grandparents' company! The man and woman were happily attending to all the children whims and fancy. This couple must have been together a long time and have survived life curve balls.

And me? Well, I am sitting in front of my BFF. Known my BFF since 1986. This friendship had survived the test of time. We have our ups and downs. We shared some tears and sweats, but as I recall, no blood was shed. Well, we sit in front of each other, observing other people while having her birthday's breakfast. Happy birthday BFF. May we observe many more birthdays ahead and dodge all life curve balls, insyaAllah.

birthday kisses

~acepaizah~

{@Ameen Bistro, A/U

4th June 2012}

Foodie adventure @ Tasik Raban Restoran Lauk Pauk, Ipoh, Perak

I have been having food related encounters these days. I went to Ipoh last Wednesday. As lunch time approaches, my BFF suggested we check out a restaurant near the Indera Putra Stadium. She has been to this place couple of times and said that I might like it because they have arrays of dishes which she believed is to my liking. Usually when I am in Ipoh, we will go to a restaurant called “Simpang Tiga”, but of late, though the food is reasonably acceptable the choice is very limited, more so because I have to forgo all the spicy dishes. This place is called Restaurant Tasik Raban. (Tasik is Lake). However, there is no lake in sight. It is situated opposite the Stadium. There is ample parking. The restaurant is an open air place with high ceiling and fully incorporated a self service concept. One even has to order one’s drinks from the beverage counter!

The food trays were lined on a long table in 4 rows! There are all kinds of savory dishes from curries to chilies and assorted form of chickens, fishes, prawns, beef and squids cooked in many varieties. Then there is the “ikan & ayam bakar” (fish & chicken grill) with assorted accompanying condiments.  I believe every kind of the local ulams (salad) were neatly place for our takings. Oh, and since Perak is famous for its local condiment paste “tempoyak” (paste made from durian), naturally it is a must have in the menu. Not only does this place have the raw "tempoyak", it also served a variety of sambal tempoyak and also the famed fish dish in tempoyak gravy! This is a finger licking Perak-ians delights! You simply must try this dish at least once if you are in Perak. Just for the record, I do not eat this Perak’s lovely tasty condiment! At another corner, there were another row of local delights such as bamboo shoots in coconut milk and all kinds of fried salted and dried fish. 

I circled the food rows couple of times, trying to figure out what I wanted to eat. It is almost impossible to make up my mind. At last, I took a bowl of cockles in clear broth with a generous sprinkle of diced turmeric leaves and some lemon grass. I had some raw and boiled petai over a plate of piping hot rice and some fish curry. The fish was fresh with its white succulent flesh which is moist and meaty and blends nicely with the curry gravy which was cooked Malay style, i.e. with loads of coconut milk and less spicy. Indeed, I rolled up my white sleeve and dug into my plate with much gusto much to my BFF’s astonishment.

I will find a reason to go to Ipoh again. The dishes are simply delicious. I give and over all “10”. Good food, good service (its self service, for heaven sake!), clean ambiance and value for money.

"tempoyak" kisses!!!

~acepaizah~
(@TR-ipoh=30/5/12)