Redemption

Today comes the day
I can finally say

Looking back to those hopeful times
To crawl, scathe & climb

The thoughts, the glimpse, and the fall
Would it all be worth at all?

Not to mention the people, who delight watching failure
Till your body & mind are feeble, and the heart starts to quiver

But we stand because we believe, no freedom comes without battle
No dream comes without hope, and no liberty lives in shackle

So today comes the day
I can finally say

There was really no beginning, and there’ll probably be no end
It’s all just a journey, to fall and to learn

Janjiku Pada Dia

Sempena ulangtahun perkahwinan ke-10 saya & isteri.

Janjiku pada dia

Aku tak berani janji..

Seperti org2 yg yakin
Akan kubinakan bahtera tersergam
Yg kan berlabuh menyambutmu
Berlayar penuh ketenangan
Gagah menongkah arus
Dengan aku sebagai jaminan
Menuju destinasi impian

7 Essences of Travelling

I always enjoy traveling. I was a traveller practically from birth. When I was 4 month old, my parents took me on my first flight off to the USA, and my life is full of journeys & wonderful experiences since. I always kept track on the countries & Malaysian states I visited. I studied abroad, work overseas & I’m always excited about outstations, better yet international postings ; which make me feel like a global citizen. Til this day, I still travel a lot, often along with my family. My journeys are what define me & make me grateful of my life.

While it is common to say that people travel to gain new experience, meet new people, & try new things, here I jot down some 7 essences & lessons in traveling that you can realize in every journey you make:

Have you seen me?

Pengembaraan Ke Sempadan Vietnam-China

April 2015 – Sebahagian daripada kerja kejuruteraan subsurface & geologi adalah mengkaji pembentukan muka bumi, sistem pemendapan sedimen, peristiwa tektonik, dan mengkaji singkapan batu.

Saya bersama rakan-rakan sepasukan berkesempatan mengembara selama 6 hari ke utara Vietnam sehingga ke sempadan China untuk mengkaji formasi-formasi batu pergunungan dan pemendapan di sana. Kami mengembara merentas 2 provinsi: Ha Giang & Cao Bang, untuk mengkaji bumi Allah demi menyingkap secebis dari rahsia-rahsianya buat manfaat sejagat. Kawasan melintas 2 provinsi ini diiktiraf sebagai taman geologi negara & kesemulajadiannya dipelihara dengan baik & juga menjadi tarikan buat pencinta keindahan alam.

 

Saya tak pasti sama ada sudah pernah ada orang Malaysia menjejaki pergunungan ini. Namun, dalam catatan ini, saya akan bercerita dari sudut pengembaraan, dan tempat-tempat menarik untuk dilawati biarpun bukan dari ahli kaji bumi. Mungkin akan ada lagi orang Malaysia yang tertarik untuk datang menikmati keunikan utara Vietnam ini.

On The Banks of Chao Phraya (Bangkok)

23-27 Feb 2015 – Alhamdulillah, we’ve finally arrived in Bangkok. We’ve been thinking about this trip for quite awhile & we’re so glad it has come to real. After googling around & asking friends with experience about Bangkok, we put together a family friendly trip suitable for ourselves with children & babies.

We spent some 5 days in Bangkok, with 3 full days getting around the city. We stayed at Waterford Diamond serviced apartments near the Philippines embassy in Sukhumvit.

We spent the first whole day resting at our hotel after long consecutive journeys the past few days. By sunset, we walked the streets around our hotel, just to experience a stroll in Bangkok. We initially planned to walk around Siam Square, but found that it was difficult to bring a baby stroller up the BTS Skytrain, so we continued walking within a 1 km radius from our hotel. We eventually stopped at Thong Lor night market to try out some local food. New favourites discovered were mango sticky rice & fried squid roe. We then walked back to our hotel, preparing for tomorrow’s rounds.

Asal Usul Bangi: Arwah Atok Hjh Yang bt Jamil Jadi Rujukan

http://www.bharian.com.my/node/39267?m=1

Bangi tempat putera terbuang

AHAD, 8 MAC 2015 – 12:04AM
OLEH BENNIE ZIE FAUZI

bennie@bh.com.my

BANGI terletak kira-kira 40 kilometer (km) ke selatan Kuala Lumpur semakin pesat membangun.

Lokasinya semakin strategik kerana berhampiran Kajang dan Bandar Baru Bangi serta tidak jauh daripada Putrajaya, Cyberjaya dan Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) serta banyak pusat pengajian tinggi dan swasta yang berpusat di sini.

Banyak versi menceritakan pemilihan nama Bangi, namun bukan semua direkodkan kerana gagal mengemukakan sumber sahih selain bukti meragukan.

Ditambah pula, Bangi kini semakin berkembang pesat sekali gus menggamit orang luar memilihnya bukan sahaja sebagai tempat untuk menetap malah membina perniagaan.

Salah seorang penduduk asal, Zainal Harun, 76, mengaku sukar mencari sumber tepat yang boleh dijadikan rujukan kukuh bagi mengenal pasti asal usul Bangi, namun seingatnya, sebelum pembukaan ladang getah Broome milik seorang Inggeris sekitar 1905, nama itu terlebih dulu meniti dari bibir ke bibir.

“Nama Bangi itu sudah wujud sebelum zaman penjajahan Inggeris lagi dan kawasannya sangat luas meliputi Kampung Buah, Kampung Sungai Kembung, Kampung Rinching Hilir hingga membawa ke Batu Lima, ” katanya yang juga keturunan ketiga Melayu Deli iaitu antara penduduk awal bandar Bangi.

Menurutnya, satu cerita turun temurun yang hingga kini melekat di hatinya adalah Bangi dipercayai berasal dari perkataan `bangai’ yang membawa maksud terbuang atau disingkirkan sebagaimana pernah diceritakan oleh Allahyarhamah Yang Jamil (1928 – 2008) iaitu anak kepada Daeng Jamil yang cucu kepada Daeng Abdul Ghani, anakanda Sultan Abdul Samad.

Mapping Your Own (Life’s) Journey

Our recent journeys this Tet/CNY season re-taught us a lesson; to be more creative than establishments to realize the best you can achieve & the things you can discover beyond common limits.

Systems, machines & technology are meant to assist, but often are dry, lack intelligence & disconnected from human realities. They would just provide the easiest way calculatable & never put a thought on human factors such as feelings, emotions, comfort, strength, endurance & experience. Even if it provide options, it would not be smart enough to give the best recommendation or even perfect combination.

JB Kids Riot

This past Tet/CNY break, we had a lil family trip to Johor Bahru.

Our main activity during the trip was visiting Little Big Club & Hello Kitty Town in Nusajaya. The kids really enjoyed the day.

The star of the trip was none other than my young toddler Aflah Muhajir, who is just 2 1/2 years old. He was the first to pick a Barney doll when we just stepped foot into the place; and he was the most excited to see Barney & other characters in person.

Those who wish to visit this place should come in the morning. You will definitely spend the whole day here. There are many shows, games, & rides scheduled throughout the day that you don’t wanna miss.

Sapa: Sing With All The Voices of The Mountain

Winter, Feb 2015 – Travelling to north of Vietnam, our exploring intuitions brought my friends & I to the beautiful mountain city of Sapa. Sapa is located some 300 km north of Hanoi, near the Vietnam-Yunnan (China) border. The city is well known for its cool climate, beautiful sceneries and unique local ethnics. Traveling in February, we already expected the very cold winter, mountain climate that awaited us.

From Hanoi capital, travellers normally get to Sapa via train or by bus. We instead rented a car with a driver from Hanoi to be more flexible. It took 6 hours from Hanoi to Sapa, via the new Noi Bai – Loi Cai highway, including a rest break. The scenery along the way is beautiful, with rice fields, rivers, mountains and scenes of farmers plowing with buffalos & planting rice. On the way back, it took us 4 hrs 45 mins, non stop from Sapa town to Noi Bai airport.