Exclusive Toilet in Kuala Terengganu?

We are now in Terengganu. I had a one day facilitating job at the place of work where I retired from in Kuala Terengganu, held at a hotel close by and another day (Thursday) in Kerteh. Ram followed me as usual. We stayed two nights in the hotel, a cozy 300 rooms resort by the beach open to the South China Sea and overlooking Pulau Bidong, the island that used to accommodate boat refugees from Vietnam during the Vietnam war. Facilities available in the hotel were basic but yet comfortable and pleasant.

The facilitating stint is similar to the one I did a couple of weeks ago. There was no hassle and I enjoyed the activity, so also the participants I guess. I still have some difficulties standing too long and I am still using the walking stick but that was no hindrance. As had been commented earlier I looked dignified with walking stick ha ha ha!! Some of the young participants also said so, the ladies I mean…. heh heh! Maybe I should continue using the walking stick.

We checked out of the hotel at just before noon. My niece, a school teacher, and her family who was in Kuala Terengganu for holiday (the two weeks school holiday has just begun) picked us up and took us to lunch in town. After lunch we needed a rest room or toilet to ease ourselves. Furthermore we have a two hours travel to Kerteh by road and we can’t wait two hours. My niece mentioned that the Kuala Terengganu Municipality had built an exclusive toilet facilities in a public area meant for the use of the general public and tourists alike but we have to pay a fee to enter. That building, in a park, is really prominently named ‘Exclusive Toilet’ in large letterings. It is supposed to be a five star facility!! Yes, that’s what the locals call the facilities, Five Star Toilet. If the standard of public toilets in the local towns is anything to go by then an exclusive toilet should be a much desired outlet for our overfilled bowels or bladders. There were toilets that really put me off, that made me loose any desire to ease myself when entering them. Thus hearing that there is an exclusive toilet available we jumped at the prospect of easing ourselves ‘with’ pleasure…… hmmmmm. Never mind that we have to pay a fee, RM0.50 for toilet usage and RM2.00 for shower, it would be a pleasure to contribute for its maintenance. After all we pay similar amounts to use public toilets in the city like KL and PJ but the maintenance of these toilets are sometime much to be desired…… !!

So, into the Exclusive toilet we went. The entrance was lined with flower pots. There was a red floor mat along the path to the payment counter which was a glassed enclosure with two or three staff sitting inside. The signage was very clear, decorations appealing and atmosphere conducive for easinggggg…….. heh heh heh! We got receipts, without being asked, for our entrance payment, something not ordinarily practiced in most toilets in the cities even. There were two main doors, one for men and the other for ladies. We took our pick. On entering the main door of the men’s, I noticed clear division of areas for shower, toilets, urinals and wash basins. Surprise, surprise, the floors were clean and dry, I checked each open shower cubicle, and toilet cubicle and I could not find faults with them. They were clean and dry. The toilet cubicles were bigger than most public toilets I have seen. Each one of them consists of a toilet bowl, a side concrete table meant for storage of baggage or for changing of baby diapers or similar usage, and also washing facilities. A small drain covered by metal grids ran around the sides of the cubicle and designed such that any spillage of water goes directly into this drain. That was how they kept the cubicles dry…. It was a delightful experience. I did my small job and continued to marvel at the design of the facilities. I hope they continue to maintain the place as it is for a long time to come….

We took a cab from Kuala Terengganu to Kerteh, a journey that took us slightly more than two hours. One and a half hours into the journey I felt the urge for toilet again. I contemplated asking the cab driver to stop at a mosque along the way or to control myself until I reached Sita’s house. I decided to close my eyes and try to sleep hoping to forget that I needed a toilet. On reaching Sita’s house, I could not wait any more. I had to rush to the toilet…… hmmmmm. Then I remembered the saying of a fellow retiree, who is about the same age as I am, “At our age if you feel hungry …. eat only a little, thirsty …. drink only a little, sleepy …… sleep a little, and if you see a toilet anywhere you are ….. go in and do your job. You will never know when you will need it and usually you will need it fast. Heh heh, I should have asked the cab driver to stop somewhere for me to use a toilet……..

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya

A Meeting with the President of a Fortune 500 Company.

Sometime in early May I and a few colleagues, recently elected to sit as committee members of our retirees club, had the opportunity to pay a courtesy call to the President of the Company that I retired from. It is the national oil company which has gone global and is listed in Fortune 500. The president is a very busy man and being head of a global company he has to travel a lot. He had been away visiting customers around the world for three weeks and had just returned a couple of days prior to our meeting. It was pleasant for us to be recognized and accorded the appointment to call upon him so soon after his return knowing at the back of our minds that he would surely have other pressing issues to attend to in his office on his return.

On meeting us he immediately put us at ease by starting with small talks on the view from his office at the 82nd level of the building and other environmental issues seen from that level of the city and the surrounding hills. After the usual pleasantries he mentioned some areas of concerns, especially health of his staff, the state of affairs amongst the young and younger set of staff within the company and how he visualize areas of inputs that we the elderly generation can contribute to the company. We also discussed joint activities and areas of cooperation between the Retirees and the organization. All in all it had been a good meeting, indicative of his full support for our movement. We chatted on a lot of general issues, friendly banters even, and not necessarily related to activities of our club. We felt very comfortable with his acceptance and hope that this relationship flows down the corporate hierarchy, right down to those whom we interact directly for our activities. We left a good half hour beyond the time allocated to us and we noticed that he too was at ease with us, the reason for the extension of time I guess. He promised to find time to join us in one of our activities and I hope this will happen soon as it will boost participation of fellow retirees in the club’s activities…

MKI Ramblings Unlimited,
Petaling Jaya

Thanksgiving and Maulidul Rasul

May 1st every year is a public holiday in Malaysia and this year 1st and 2nd of May happened to be public holidays. Son Shaffik decided to take a break from work and brought his family back to PJ for the week. Sita too decided to do the same. Since all our children could come home at the same time Ram and I decided to hold a thanksgiving session; thanksgiving mainly for the Grace blessed by the Almighty for Ram to have the pleasure of regaining her sight in the right eye. The children agreed. However since it was close to the month when the Holy Prophet, pbuh., was born, all of us agreed to hold a Maulidul Rasul session as well to commemorate the birthday.

We started planning for the occasion and I checked with my ‘guru’ his availability and whether he could lead the Maulid prayers. His affirmative answer set our plans in motion. We scheduled it for 11.00am so that by the time prayers were over its lunchtime. I estimated that there would be at least two hundred guests, male and female, including some forty six orphans and young students coming from the ‘madrasah’, and add to that number about one hundred people from amongst my close relatives other friends and neighbours, a big crowd was expected to be in the house at one time. We had to erect tents in the compound of the house and to have tables and chairs to accommodate all of them for lunch. We also had to create space in the house for people to sit during the prayer session. Furniture from the hall and one bedroom had to be moved away somewhere to create the space. We were thankful that our immediate neighbour was kind enough to allow us to store the furniture in their house overnight. The logistics for all these were arranged by our children with Tessa taking the core lead.

A local caterer was arranged and menu selected for lunch to be served to the guests. We opted to serve local and traditional food. My sister volunteered to cook eggs ‘telur pindang’ which was eggs cooked traditionally and continuously for three days and nights, on low fire, and using herbs and spices, a specialty of people from my home state, Johore. These eggs, placed in colourful pouches, were distributed to the guests during the session when praises glorifying the deeds of the Prophet, pbuh., were chanted. Other door gifts were also arranged to be distributed to the guests. Special gifts of cash and kind were also arranged for the orphans and young students, mostly sponsored by our children and some of the guests and relatives. Distribution were carried out by our family’s young including grandsons Babang and Dedek. I am sure they had fun doing it.

Audio/video system was set up so that people sitting in the areas not visually apparent to the main hall could view and hear what went on there. Three TV screens and several speakers were set up for this purpose. All contributed by those who wanted to participate in the function.

Mum came all the way from Johore Bahru with my niece and her children to join us in the occasion. Ram’s sisters from Johore Bahru also came to help out, and so also our other kinfolks from around the Klang Valley.

1st of May came. Everything was in place. Preparation was made and ready. Audio visual system tested and working perfectly. Guests started trickling in from 10am. Our guru and his entourage, including the orphans and young students in a big bus, arrived at just after 11.00am. When everyone was comfortably seated I gave a short speech welcoming all the guests and then quickly passed the session to our ‘guru’ to lead. He started off by describing the various ways celebrating ‘maulid’ is traditionally held and mentioned which version that he will perform or the day. He also included a short ‘ tazkirah’ during the session. The prayer session ended at 12.40 pm when everyone adjourned, men to the garden under the tent, while the ladies stayed in the house for lunch.

The Main Table



Male Guests at Lunch




Ladies Having Lunch in the House














Students, Orphans and other guests at Lunch





Children Receiving Their Gifts










The last guest left at about 3.30pm. Clearing up, tearing down the tents and other paraphernalia commenced then. Furniture was brought back from the neighbour’s house and all rearrangement work was completed by 6.30 pm, thanks to the helpers that Tessa brought in.

So the day ended. We were pleased that all went well and as planned. We thanked the Almighty for making the occasion a pleasant success and we also thanked all those who had volunteered and/or contributed one way or another, to the occasion. May He be pleased with all our efforts.


MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya.

A Short Facilitating Stint

It was Sunday 15th April, the day after the grand finale of the Ijtimak Ulama at Madrasah Islamiah, AlJenderami, where I was directly involved in managing part of the activities for the function. I was booked on a 7.15 am. flight to Kuala Terengganu that Sunday morning. The function on the night before, at AlJenderami, ended just after midnight. It was 2.30 am by the time I reached home. I had barely two hours sleep before catching the flight.

Five days earlier I received a call from my former staff and colleague at my former place of work in Kuala Terengganu, the outfit where I retired from. He enquired whether I could assist them in facilitating a programme for new executives in the company and that the same programme will be run at regular intervals throughout the year. I was certainly delighted to assist. I have the time, the energy I think!! and the knowledge and experience to impart so, why not I thought, and there it was, due to the short notice, I had to juggle the times for this first facilitating stint against the voluntary work at the Madrasah.

I woke up at 4.30 am, a little groggy and de-energised? Perhaps that was what it was as I felt uncomfortable. But then I had promised to be in Kuala Terengganu and was not about to break my promise. I slept in the cab and also in the plane and arrived at the hotel where the programme was held in time to join the guys for breakfast.

Facilitating the programme was not much of a hassle but the two days of standing took its toll, ha ha!! I am not that young anymore. I need to sit more and I must remember to sit more during the future programme. I can still feel the strain on my right leg (the hamstring?) and have difficulties bending my right leg especially when sitting during prayers, and it is now almost two weeks since the programme!! A clear sign of age catching up with me heh heh!

It was fun facilitating the programme and interacting with the young executives. They were very active, energetic and participated with enthusiasm. Project work assigned to them were carried out with gusto and it was a pleasure to see them so interested. They are the future leaders of the company and they have a good start. Lets hope their enthusiasm last throughout their career.

I look forward to facilitating the next batch and hope my leg will be much better by then. I am walking around with a walking stick for the time being, for added support and walking in confidence!! ……. and I hope I will not need the walking stick for too long.

MKI Ramblings Unl;imited,
Petaling Jaya

Blog Update - long overdue

It has been too long……. I have had many things to do and have not been able to update the blog for a long while. Ram and I had also been a little under the weather such that we had to rest whenever we get the opportunity. I have had cough, dry and deep in the throat, for about ten weeks now and flu had come and go several times. So also Ram. Sometimes we cough in unison as though it’s orchestrated, ha ha! We are still coughing now, despite all the medicines taken, the antibiotics, expectorant and what have you. We even try traditional and herbal concoctions for cough to no avail. We are getting much better though and coughing less frequently and with less intensity. We are not sure which medicine did the work or whether it was just a natural cycle for the cough to come and go but we are thankful that it is getting much less a bother. We get good, stretched sleep, at night compared to the nights when we were up every now and then due to the coughs.

Starting from early March I had been involved in getting ready for a gathering of Ulama’s or religious leaders, at the Madrasah or religious school where I regularly attend religious classes. The function was held for three days and nights 12th to 15th April 2007. There were altogether more than 60 Ulama’s from the region, i.e. Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Kampuchea, and also from Egypt and Lebanon. It was quite a job getting the preparations in place, the transportation required, the accommodation, food, receptions and all things necessary to make our guests as comfortable as possible during their stay. We also had to accommodate the expected attendance of local visitors and guests during the three days. Various papers were presented during the day and at night paryers were held interspersed with maulid for the Prophet to celebrate his birth as this month of RabiulAwal is the month when the Prophet pbh was born (although, as I understand it, it is not necessary to wait for this month to hold maulid since it can be held any time during the year). Other than that various ratibs were also held where we glorify the Almighty.

Various committees were formed to look into the details of the preparations and I was in the guest reception committee and also the F&B committee. Four meals were to be served daily for the main guests, ie the Ulamas and the religious leaders. Meetings were held almost twice weekly and preparations became intense in the beginning of April. That was the time when my cough started to increase in intensity as well. Anyway I survived, after taking all sorts of medicines and concoctions!!, and by the time the event started I was much better and could performed what was required and necessary of me for the function. I got the opportunity to meet up with most of the Ulama’s and it was most satisfying.

The opening ceremony for the event was held in the morning of 12th April by the honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dato Sri Syed Hamid Albar. There were several thousand people attending the ceremony and there were more visitors daily culminating in the grand finale in the evening of the 14th. where there were more than five thousand people in attendance. Prayers, zikrullah, ratibs and maulid were held that evening. Several of the Ulama’s delivered religious talks and tazkirah as well. Mutton briani was served for everybody at the end of the evening function.

Once the function was over, some of us in the committee sat and reflected on what took place the past few days and were satisfied that things went well without much hiccups. Some of the guests commented that we did a good job and they were treated very well. That was most satisfying and although we were tired, to know that we had satisfied our guests was most gratifying indeed. This was one voluntary work that I will gladly participate in, coughs and flu aside!! All praise to the Almighty for making the event a success and allowing me to survive despite my medical setbacks.

Now I am preparing for a thanksgiving and maulid function in my house scheduled for May 1st. I hope and pray and seek the grace of the Almighty that this time the function will go on well too.

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya

An Outing - Away From Home

It is about five weeks since Ram had corrective surgery procedure done on her right eye. She has not gone out of the house all these while. I decided to take her away from home. As a priority member of a travel club I am entitled to complimentary stays and discounts in restaurants of a chain of hotels. I decided on one of the hotels in KL, not too far away for her to travel and yet she can be away from home for a couple of days. It was also her birthday. February is birthday month for Ram and our three grandchildren in Bintulu.

We could not be with our grandchildren for their respective birthdays because of her eye condition but talking to them on the phone regularly, the presence of son Shaffik who was in KL for work and who spent his evenings at home with Ram I guessed compensated for this inability. Ram’s sisters Siti and Shidah stayed with us for more than two weeks after Ram’s corrective surgery (and that was a greaaaat help for me, relieved me of my kitchen chores mostly!!). Tessa and Sita, despite their busy schedule and travels had also regularly spent time with her at home. Sita, Fahrul and little Najla had come home every weekend. The whole of the previous week Najla was with us. With Ram’s improved eye condition and being able to read again, she enjoyed playing and reading to (or was it with?) Najla. Najla recognizes written words with pictures like any two year olds and she likes books, hence it was fun to play ‘reading’ with her. Her antics never failed to keep Ram and I amused.

I think it was a good decision to take her away from home even if it was just 25 kilometers away. A change in environment, surroundings and atmosphere certainly relieved her stresses of being cooped up at home. Imagine the glow and excitement in her when checking into the hotel and the presence of Sita and family in an adjoining room in the hotel lifted her spirits even more. It was purely coincidence that Sita and Fahrul had work to do in KL and purposely chose to stay in the same hotel with us (certainly with some persuasion from me!!). They brought Najla along, which was what we had hoped for, when we heard of their work commitment in KL.


I cannot see the stars.....


I cannot see with this thing Tok Mi, is it working properly?


We had dinner in the hotel restaurant. Tessa was there too. It was Ram’s birthday and it was a nice ‘coincidence’ if that’s what we can call it. We could tell that she had a good time that night and she overate too. Najla kept us awake until beyond midnight with her playful antics. She kept running across from her parents’ room back and forth into our room. She was full of energy although it was way beyond her bed time then. Perhaps the ice cream and sweets she had at dinner gave her the energy. So Ram ended having a long day on her birthday!!

We had very heavy breakfast the next day at the restaurants buffet breakfast spread, had lunch at about 4.00pm and because we had so much food for the day we decided for snacks only at dinner (heavy snack ha ha! Sita bought roast chicken and all its accompaniments plus some pretzels!!). Najla continued with her playful antics. She slept very little during the day hence she slept early that night.


Late Night Snacks In The Hotel Room - not good for the waistline!!


Ram’s appointment with her eye specialist is scheduled for March 1st. I hope, by then, her condition improves further and that removal of the stitches on the cornea can begin. She did complain of sharp sensations in that eye now and then and I believe it’s the stitches causing it. However she has been taking it in her stride and we religiously kept to the schedule of cleaning the eye and applying the eye drops. There’s no pain in the eye, only uncomfortable sensations, that is compensated by her ability to see even minute details, including the age lines and streaks in my face ha ha!

Her left eye? Ohhhh, that’s another story. It is giving her problems somewhat. Apart from not being able to see with that eye, it is also beginning to hurt. She feels pain in the mornings, just like what it was with the right eye prior to the cornea transplant three years ago. There is eye drops for this eye and is religiously applied too but it appears as though other problems are beginning to creep in. We will just have to wait until the right eye is properly healed before deciding what to do. Meanwhile ……. we will just continue to pray to the Almighty for His grace and guidance.

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya

You Do Not Miss What You Do Not See!!!!

Oh my! So bright………………..

It is now two weeks since Ram had the corrective surgery on her right eye, which had undergone a cornea transplant three years ago. Vision in her left eye meanwhile is dimming and worsening. She has gotten used to adjusting her vision on her right eye only and disregarding the left eye. Vision on the right eye is improving and today she realized that she could see the wrinkles on my forehead and the lines on my face very clearly. Also, she was surprised that the back of her hands are showing prominent age-lines when the last she remembered was that the back of her hands were smooth. Well, it was many many years ago that she could see the details on the back of her hands clearly.

She sees colours brighter now and can differentiate different shades of the same colour. She sounds excited. Like they were all new discoveries. I guess she did not miss what she did not see and there were many she did not or could not see the past 25 years or so. It was about 25 years ago that the problems with vision on both her eyes started.

Reading has always been difficult for her. Whenever I read I have often had to read aloud for her benefit as well. Now she can even read the fine prints on labels, footnotes in the pages of books, tiny prints in newspapers and so on. I can see that she is enjoying these new discoveries!! Praise is to the Almighty for restoring her vision. I hope her distance vision will similarly improve soon.

On the plus side, Ram is more cheerful these days. She is laughing again. She still worries over the state of her left eye but she is not moody, nor negative and crappy. Yes, she was…., all these years, and picked on the slightest thing that was not right. I have been receiving the brunt of her mood swings and have tolerated it thus far. It pained me to see her all stressed up. I am now thankful to the Almighty that this negative phase shows signs of ending.

She saw her doctor a few days ago and was told that it may be a while yet before the stitching on the cornea can be removed, and removal will be in staggered stages, perhaps over about six months to one year. The problem of cataract will also be addressed later as it is now not hindering her sight and not critical. So also problems with the left eye. She has just to continue using eye drops for it.

The potential of Ram seeing very well with her right eye now is as bright as the vision she is seeing and she is prepared to concentrate on improving vision on this eye and not worry about the left eye. Only after full recovery of the right eye will we start thinking of doing something with the left eye and also the cataract problem. We pray and continue to seek guidance and blessing from the Almighty and may He be pleased. We seek His blessing always.....

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya