The Touchdown

June 7, 2015. After an hour of flight, the Malindo plane bound for Penang touched down safely around 6 p.m. at the Penang International Airport.

It was my second time flying across the hilly and lush jungle of the Perak-Kelantan border. My first was only three days before. From atop, I could see the terrain of the highway connecting both states, famously known as the "jungle highway".

A normal journey by land would take about seven hours. That was why flight offers so much convenience nowadays. It cuts travel time by more than one-half.

Syuha and Diyana were waiting for us. They were in jovial mood, particularly Syuha. She even accepted my joked request to carry my newly bought sleeping bag. I never intended for her to carry that heavily-wrapped sleeping bag on her own. But she did nonetheless.

How was your honeymoon?

She asked, in jest.

And I just laughed.

This was no honeymoon. It was more a journey of a lifetime.

After that short visit to UMT barely weeks before, I never thought I would find myself in a very happy mood again. I was like a reborn phoenix that rises from the ashes with renewed vigour.

These two events will leave a lasting mark on my memory.

"Saya Tak Pernah Naik Keta Dengan Famili Dari Kecik Sampai Skang"

"Saya tak pernah naik keta dengan famili dari kecik sampai skang"

"Sebab apa?"

"Sebab family takda keta. Kalau nak keluar pergi mana2 semua naik motor"

That was a rather blunt respond from Ogy when asked about his family's background in the freshly released Era fm official youtube video (June 16 2015).

That was to be expected from him. Ogy is very candid when it comes to speaking out his mind. In the past, I used to be very nervous whenever Ogy was around people, especially our relatives, because he would just blurt everything out. If you are shit, he would say exactly just that right in your face.

He seems to have toned down a bit these days, thanks largely to his overbearing maturity. In fact, he is now very composed and cultured that I barely recognized him. That young, outspoken Ogy that grew up with me is fast turning into a matured man, far outpacing even his oldest brother.

Hyper Act, you have chosen the right man. And I said this not because Ogy is related to me. I said this because I am a big fan of yours. Pin your hopes on him, he would not disappoint you.

Preservara

I finished my latest badminton outings on a high note yesterday night. 

Played an overall eight games (one game comprises of at least two sets, rubber set would be played if the first two sets were tied), I won six games and lost two. 

All in all, we played for three hours straight without stopping, starting at nine until a little over midnight. We only took short break to replenish ourselves with drinking water during the middle of the play.

As we sat there totally worn out after the game, I pondered upon my life so far. They were all my friends from my difficult past, yet they were still here alongside me. Playing badminton with me, laughing beside me. I don't know for how long, but I hope they will stay with me till the very end.

Most of them are married, and I knew some of their wives as well because they were from the same workplace of mine before. One of them even brought their two lovely kids to play badminton. The kid went to each one of us to shake and kiss our hands before departing home. It was a sight to behold.

It was this kind of moment that I need to preserve. People nowadays preserve memories in pictures. But I'd rather preserve it in writing. I remember things in words, not in pictures. There is not that much that we could capture inside a picture. But a line of words could give an eternal meaning...especially to those who know how to appreciate it. 

Picture is temporary, words are permanent.

Ogy & Orkes Pondok Ilham - Dan Bila

Out of My Head

ℱαѕтвαℓℓ ~ Ớυт Ớғ ♏y ℋєα∂ Ֆσмєтιмєѕ ι ғєєℓ ℓιкє ι αм ∂яυηк вєнιη∂ тнє ωнєєℓ Ƭнє ωнєєℓ σғ ρσѕѕιвιℓιтy, нσωєνєя ιт мαy яσℓℓ Ḡινє ιт α ѕριη, ѕєє ιғ yσυ cαη ѕσмєнσω ғαcтσя ιη Ƴσυ кησω тнєяє'ѕ αℓωαyѕ мσяє тнαη σηє ωαy Ƭσ ѕαy єxαcтℓy ωнαт yσυ мєαη тσ ѕαy           Шαѕ ι συт мy нєα∂ ‽ Шαѕ ι συт σғ мy мιη∂ ‽           ℋσω cσυℓ∂ ι єνєя вєєη ѕσ вℓιη∂ ‽           ℐ ωαѕ ωαιтιηg ғσя αη ιη∂ιcαтιση, ιт ωαѕ нαя∂ тσ ғιη∂ Ðση'т мαттєя ωнαt ι ѕαy σηℓy ωнαт ι ∂σ ℐ ηєνєя мєαη тσ ∂σ вα∂ тнιηgѕ тσ yσυ Ֆσ qυιєт вυт ι ғιηαℓℓy ωσкє υρ ℐғ yσυ'яє ѕα∂ тнєη ιт'ѕ тιмє yσυ ѕρσкє up тσσ           Шαѕ ι συт мy нєα∂ ‽ Шαѕ ι συт σғ мy мιη∂ ‽           ℋσω cσυℓ∂ ι єνєя вєєη ѕσ вℓιη∂ ‽           ℐ ωαѕ ωαιтιηg ғσя αη ιη∂ιcαтιση, ιт ωαѕ нαя∂ тσ ғιη∂ Ðση'т мαттєя ωнαт ι ѕαy σηℓy ωнαт ι ∂σ ℐ ηєνєя мєαη тσ ∂σ вα∂ тнιηgѕ тσ yσυ Ֆσ qυιєт вυт ι ғιηαℓℓy ωσкє υρ ℐғ yσυ'яє ѕα∂ тнєη ιт'ѕ тιмє yσυ ѕρσкє up тσσ                  Шαѕ ℐ συт σғ мy нєα∂‽ Шαѕ ℐ συт σғ мy мιη∂‽          ℋσω cσυℓ∂ ℐ нανє єνєя вєєη ѕσ вℓιη∂‽          ℐ ωαѕ ωαιтιηg ғσя αη ιη∂ιcαтιση, ιт ωαѕ нαя∂ тσ ғιη∂ Ðση'т мαттєя ωнαт ℐ ѕαy σηℓy ωнαт ℐ ∂σ ℐ ηєνєя мєαη тσ ∂σ вα∂ тнιηgѕ тσ yσυ Ֆσ qυιєт вυт ℐ ғιηαℓℓy ωσкє υρ ℐғ yσυ'яє ѕα∂ тнєη ιт'ѕ тιмє yσυ ѕρσкє υρ тσσ

It's ok NOT to be happy...

"If someone you know in depression suddenly becomes happy, do not be fooled to believe that he has recovered. 

Happiness is a big sign very likely that he has made the decision to commit suicide."

Found this quote hovering over the internet about a week ago.

There is a shred of truth about this quote.

Sometimes, a very depressed person who is known to be really quiet could suddenly become very happy.

Or he could abruptly be funny...or at least tried to be so. He could end up throwing up jokes here and there.

That is a cause for concern.

I already had stayed away from all kind of social media. My last one is WhatsApp. And my last status read like this :

"Time flies like an arrow...there may be no tomorrow..."  

If, somewhere or somehow, that status turns to read like this :

"Time flies like an arrow...fruit flies like a banana..."

Then, something is going terribly wrong. Wake me up if that ever happens.

Never mind. I already quit WhatsApp anyway.

Looking For The Silver Lining...

*Edited & Updated

Just received this very recently in my official mailbox.
This is the most heart-wrenching mail I've ever received in my recent memory.

Assalammualaikum dan Salam Sejahtera,

Dear all beloved ‎ETC family members, 

Thank you so much for the lovely giant card and thank you for the beautiful gift. Thank you for the prayers and thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for making me happy and thank you for being such a good friend. God has been very kind to me and I shall not give up on Him upon this small test. 

I'm diagnose with a brain tumour, but alhamdulillah it is just a benign tumour. There are thousands of people out there suffering a ‎malignant type of tumour and mine is not as bad. Life must go on. Happiness will come when we stop complaining about the trouble we have and say thanks to God for the trouble we don't have. 

Setiap yang bernyawa pasti akan merasa mati, no one can escape that. But how, when and why, only God knows. Life is such an amazing journey and knowing all of you is such a blessing. Thank you so much for being such a wonderful friend, lovely sisters, brothers and great colleagues. I'm really sorry if I have not done much but I'll keep on doing the very best that I know how and the very best that I can till the last breathe of mine....

Lots of Love,

Zafarina

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

Dr Zaf is currently head of ETC (Experimental Therapeutic Centre) of Ipharm. An excellent researcher with eyes for intricate details, she commands her subordinates not through forceful act, but through intrinsic love and care.

She survived a heart attack not long ago. I was told she is still nursing the aftermath of the attack. As far as I know, when a person was struck with a heart attack, a portion of the heart was lost or died forever. It cannot be resurrected.  

A day after sending out this mail, Dr Zaf joined us for a potluck, held to celebrate the birthday of one of the staffs. She casually joked that her birthday should be brought forward early as she didn't know where she will be afterwards...whether "heaven or earth". 

Later, I was made to understand that she will go under the knife to remove the tumor. That was what she meant by "heaven or earth". By heaven she meant the after-world. This revelation truly sent uncomfortable shiver down my spine.

Though I rarely talked to her, I really hope that she fully recovers from her current condition. All my thoughts and prayers are always with her.