The Passing...

...of the Storyteller.

I was together with Zaleha Khairene Ismail in my living room (she of course on the other side of the screen) when she conveyed the sad news to the rest of the nation that Yasmin Ahmad had passed away.

Of course I do not her personally but she had been tugging the hearts of many Malaysians through her memorable works which somehow had endeared her to me like I have known her for real. Then the words she wrote sharing her feelings with visitors that came to her pages enabled us to 'feel' with her the ups and downs of Yasmin Ahmad.

As it is in life, she was not everyone cup of tea, and I disagreed with a few things coming from her but it cannot be denied that her works really opened up many Malaysian minds, especially with the controversial 'SEPET' which I would say became the benchmark of how I would rate local films for the next few years.

Living in kT denied me of catching her theatre releases but I would try my best to get my hands on the original DVD of 'Mukhsin', 'Gubra' and hopefully 'Muallaf'.

Those who had the opportunity working with her must be a lucky group of people. For them her passing would be felt much more than by us whose interraction with her were limited to her work or appearance on the screen, but all the same it a sad day.

The grey sky over kT seems to be mourning the passing of The Storyteller.

And so are we... rest in peace; Yasmin Ahmad.


Al-Fatihah.


...

A Round Trip...

...on the Bas Bandar.

Since the 'Bas Bandar' service was launched more than a year ago mad redo1 and the AKSes have been planning to get a ride on it. Unfortunately there were always reasons for the plan not going accordingly.

But on Monday, we were determined to get ourselves on the ride, which is still FREE as the fleet of buses has not been approved by the Commercial Vehicle Licencing Board to be used as a commercial vehicle due to some features on the buses which do not meet the board's guidelines.

Since it was a holiday in kT we had ample time. First, we came quite early when the bus driver informed us that the next service would be at 1.30pm. Thus we went to the Delima Kuning restaurant at Giants first to fill our hungry stomachs.

Then there was the kT Autoshow at the Terengganu Trade Centre, showcasing a number of latest edition cars, SUVs, trucks and bikes from almost all car-makers. A cool RM88k would see mad redo1 travelling up and down the country on a HondaCBR1000, which is something that he really wants to do someday.

Berg on the other hand, wanted to buy a 4 ton truck manufactured by Inokom. Not that she is interested in trucks or vehicles of that kind, but because the purchaser of the truck will be given a free 32" LCD TV. For her, that was a good reason enough to buy the truck.

We knew that by hanging around the autoshow meant we missed the 1.30pm bus trip. Thus we settled for the 4.30pm which gave us abundance of time to hang around for quite a while more.

Finally, we got onto the bus. Of course this was quite different from the normal buses with all the decorations and pictures are meant to put Terengganu arts and culture to the forefront.

There were quite a number of people taking advantage of the free ride to go around and it would be much better for tourism if there is a schedule of the bus service and the route it takes, together with interesting places that it goes through.

Despite the 'park bench' like seats, it did not stop the 'pakcik' from enjoying immensely to the extent that it took him to dreamland. The AKSes could not help themselves from having a giggle after looking at the 'pakcik'.

The bus that we took went through the Waterfront that faces Pulau Duyong, Chabang Tiga and then straight to the Terengganu Muzeum and the Islamic Civilization Park (TTI) on Pulau Wan Man.

The bus stopped for a while at the TTI which gave some of the tourists there the opportunity to take their pictures with the unique bus much to the amusement of mad redo1. But on the other hand, mad redo1 would also photograph himself with the old double decker buses in London if he is given the opportunity.

Then it was time to go back. Berg enjoyed herself very much and certainly the recently added cushion on the bench gave the ride a bit more comfort than I imagined it would be when it first came into service.

The Bas Bandar service offers two routes: to the TTI via the places that I mentioned above and the other one is to Chendering where it will go through Batu Buruk Beach, the Terengganu Palace, Masjid Terapung and Noor Arfa Craft Complex (NACC).

Enjoy the ride!

...

Hunt for Sunglasses...

...and a Few Other Things.

If you had followed 'pekebende' over the last few years, perhaps you will be familiar with this friend of mine who currently earning his 'rezeki' in the middle east. Well, he is back in town for a few weeks together with his family. Last year he came back to look for a reliable pair of sunglasses.

Would you believe it that the first agenda after coming back to town is embarking on another hunt for another pair of sunglasses after losing the one bought last year at a mosque while doing the 'Umrah'.

That was what we did and again we went to Penney Pang located at Jalan Air Jernih. His experience in using Ray-Ban propelled him to the brand's showcase but after trying a number of models none managed to really tug his heart.

Then mad redo1 who was browsing through at another showcase suggested that he should give the 'Rudy's Project' collection a go, Hilmi did just that. Wallah! He found the sunglasses that fulfil his requirements. The price was nearly RM700 but a 30% discount brought it down to just under RM500.

During his browsing too mad redo1 found the one that really tugged his heart but with a price tag of well above RM700, despite the pretty persuasion by the girls at the counter mad redo1 decided to let the head ruled his heart this time around, though he made a silent pledge to have it one day... better yet, if anybody out there is generous enough to buy one for him, eh? (Dream on, mad redo1...)

However, after concluding the business at the optometrist, our sight was caught by the newly opened al-Ikhsan store, the second one in kT. Initially there was no intention to purchase anything but merely to feel the environment of a new store.

Unfortunately, mad redo1's attention was caught on the price tag of the Arsenal away jersey for 2008-09 season which had been marked down to just RM129. This was the result of The Gunners having released a new away jersey for the upcoming season. This time the heart ruled mad redo1's head.

Now, there will be a few photos in the future with mad redo1 wearing the above attire.

Then in the afternoon, mad redo1 together with Linda and the AKSes brought the youngest AKS to the clinic for another scheduled shot. She tipped the scale to a 6.4kg mark, which was still alright for mad redo1 to carry her around.

Then when it came to the shot, just a short cry and after a few moment of rubbing her tender and soft butts everything was okay again.

That was quite a day for mad redo1.

...

Kuala Abang...

...Waving!

On Friday mad redo1 had an assignment in Kemaman. Together with the AKSes and Linda we departed from kT around noon and after an hour on the road our stomachs began sounding their hunger bells. Of course mad redo1 already had a place to stop for a quick picnic on his mind.

It was a place in Kuala Abang, Dungun. For those who do not have the slightest idea of this place, it is just three km away from the famed Rantau Abang and around the same distance to Tanjung Jara. On a warm afternoon the place is just perfect to catch a nap or two (though there is the inherent danger of the nap becoming a long, long sleep).

Luckily the place was quite deserted when we arrived, perhaps due to the fact everybody was at home having meals or at the mosque performing the Friday Prayer (mad redo1 took the musafir option).

The planta rice with tandoori chicken prepared by Linda was heaven. Berg helped herself to at least three servings. It more or less confirmed both of us share that common strand of DNA. Even though he would like to have a bit more but a full stomach could be a hazard for drivers and mad redo1 was not willing to risk that.

So, if you are ever in that area, look out for the place and who knows, it might be the first of many visits there.

...

Hello...

...Everybody!

It seems just like yesterday that she joined us in this world, and right before our eyes she has grown quite substantially. Today she is 5 months old.

We pray for your health and happiness, and we will try our best to be there for you all the time.

...

The Year's...

...Lowest Posting!

The month of June saw the lowest number of posting this year. It was ironic since there were quite a few activities worth posting on these pages. Unfortunately, mad redo1 could not balance his life in order to write a few lines over here.

But, rejoice people!

mad redo1 is back, though not with a vengeance his spirit certainly in the up. Thus, it is my wish to see at least ten posts for this month on 'pekebende' and of course the more the better.

Where do I begin...

Why not with one of my pet peeves; inconsiderate road-users.

I was sitting in my parked Cik Mat along the Jalan Tok Lam Road waiting for my mother who went to a clinic there to get her medications. Suddenly a white four wheel drive came from the opposite direction, came into this side of the road and the driver parked his vehicle in the lane, making a double lane road a single lane.

The driver alighted from the vehicle and non-chalantly walked into the 7-11 store forcing other road-users to maneuver their vehicles around his. He came out nearly five minutes later having purchased the thing that he wanted at the 24 hours convenient store.

Once again, I was wishing to be driving a tank that I could just run over the vehicle while the driver was inside the store. When he came out only to find his vehicle was crushed flat .

Now, that would certainly made up my day!

...