2017 - Be Good To Me ...

Another year has passed. Full of joy and laughter, tears and fears ... strength and weaknesses, success and failures. Abundance in cash and kind. New experiences. New friends. Lots of patience. Resilience. Diplomacy and tact. Afterthoughts. Guilt. Regrets. Love. Farewells. In short, 2016 is the end of most things. May 2017 is the start of many new beginnings of things to come. With grace and guidance from Allah, everything is possible. Anything is possible.

Thus, I welcome 2017 ... be good to me. So many things will happen and I pray for the strength, patience, guidance and resilience to face them with much tolerance and diplomacy. Happy 2017 everybody ...  whether you are alone or with friends. Remember this song???

"Should all acquaintance be forgot
  And never brought to mind?
  Should all acquaintance be forgot
  And auld lang syne ... "

"The phrase "for auld lang syne" essentially boils down to "for (the sake of) old times". It's a work which essentially calls for the preservation of our oldest, dearest friendships; perhaps observed in the reflective quality of New Year's Eve itself. A time when people come together to recall past joys and sorrows, specifically those spent in each other's company."  -  excerpt taken from www.independent.co.uk

A Good Deed Day ... ;-))

Gooddeeds Malaysia. (check out their facebook page) A small volunteer group consists of seven ladies in their thirties. Some of them are working while others resigned due to family obligations. Our meeting was purely fated. I did not know any of them and got to know the main coordinator via mistaken identity. She sent me  a message via facebook. I replied asking who she was and whether I knew her. She thought I was someone else. Thus, I put her aside for quite some time. When I retired and I wanted to get involved with volunteer work, I remembered her and requested a meeting so she could brief me on her work. I was interested to be a "sleeping" volunteer and contributor. I was interested because it was a small active group and dealt directly with primary school students and their various aid projects were dealt directly with the recipients. Today, I came out of my "sleeping" status and met with some others in the group. I had a satisfying and happy time helping out making others happy.

It was supposed to be a giving out the school aid project (uniform, shoes, socks and whitener). We were supposed to present the chosen students (54 only) of this primary school with school bags too but since the contribution was late, thus, the order was late too. The bags would be given out when they arrived from our suppliers. Anyway, a last minute idea was discussed among them to hold a free market for the parents who came. A concept where they just picked up whatever they needed for free. We managed to get contributions of used clothes and food stuff. Alhamdulillah ... we also prepared refreshments of ice-cream and locally made yoghurt. At the end of the day, we gave out burger (made by one of the group members) and iced chocolate. Our gratitude and appreciation to the person who never failed to give us support and encouragement in our little projects, Dr. Zaki Yamani Abd. Rashid, a medical doctor and an ADDK (Anti-Drug Agency) volunteer who believed in reaching out to the under privileged youths. Let the photos speak for themselves.

The rows of boxes of "school aid" project

Each box contains a set of school uniform (blue for prefects), a pair of shoes and socks (black for prefects) and whitener or black polish. Sizes were taken before school ended last term.

What was offered for the freeMarket ....

Very simple and essential needs. We gave them an hour to browse and choose whatever they need. They were initially shy until we encouraged them to come forward and take them for free. Some even asked again if they could just take it ... we assured them it was free. Just gave us a smile as payment. They were courteous and did not rush or simply grab whatever was on offer. They chose and what they did not want they simply folded them and put them back on the table. After half an hour most the goods displayed were taken. The food stuff went off the table first. We saw happy faces. Our mission was accomplished i.e. to see smiling faces and made their while coming here today. Alhamdulillah.
Thus, what was left ....

It was like going to the market ...what they "bought" ... :-))

 It was tiring but a satisfied kind of tired. All of us was very happy and pleased with ourselves ... we managed to make others happy with our small, simple good deed of the day.

Don't Ever Go Back ...

Is it worth it - to return to a place that has made you so happy and contented? The place will remain as it is but it is we who have a different perspective. Our expectations too will have changed. We will have outgrown what we like about that place. Worse of all if that place has changed or no more. What we feel then will not be the same anymore. It will leave us feeling sad and a sense of loss of that moment of time.

It will be so sad to walk the trail alone. The happiness you once felt will only leave a sense of longing and emptiness. Sadness and desolation. Loneliness. I used to return to a place which held very special memories. I kept returning to that place a few times on my own over the years. It made me felt the feeling of acute sense of loss. A sense of regret. A sense of hopelessness. That it was not worth returning anymore. It was difficult to let go I suppose ..

Don't ever go back unless it is with the same person. It will never measure up to the first time. It is wiser to leave the past behind with that moment imbedded deep in your mind and heart. Thus, you carry that happiness and remember that place that you loved so much forever - intact and unchanged. Always the same in your mind and heart ....

The Train Ride

The last time I took the train, ETS (the electric train) had not started yet. It was during the boys' schooling days. Kuala Lumpur to Alor Setar took almost twelve hours. Over the years the journey was shortened to ten hours. Now with ETS it takes only four and a half hours. The guys have all tried the ETS. I decided to try the train and leave my car with Ikram in Shah Alam as I have to come down again to pick up Ikram who will have completed his internship in two weeks time. Thus, starts my train journey.

Ikram sent Syafiq and I to the Padang Jawa Komuter Station for the trip to Kuala Lumpur Sentral. The komuter is a public transport that links small towns. The station was quiet and there were a few people waiting around the station. As we did not know the train schedule, we were content with just sitting there and waited. When a train arrived about half an hour later, I asked one of the people boarding it if it was heading towards KL Sentral. When he answered in the affirmative, Syafiq and I boarded it. It was almost packed with people but there was space for standing. Since I did not have a seat, I could not take photos. It was a pleasant, uneventful thirty minutes trip to KL Sentral. What a crowd at KL Sentral, the centre hub for the LRT, Komuter and inter-city trains!! Its been years since I was here ... I just stood out of people's way and took some photos. It was so alive and people seemed to rush here, there and everywhere.

Entrance to the komuter station

Queueing for tickets - Syafiq went to get his ticket to Serdang first or you can just swipe your touch & go card

The crowd - maybe it is a Sunday and school holidays

My ETS was at 6:22pm. Syafiq's train to Serdang was at 5:45pm. So we hanged around reading newspapers and taking an early dinner at the many eatery outlets here. Syafiq sent me to the departure area and he went off. Thus, my solo journey by ETS ... ;-0))

Gate B - Departures only

The ETS was punctual. Service was well organised. As a first-timer I was afraid I would be in the wrong coach or seat. There were helpful KTM staff down at the track to show you where your coach was. As the ETS stopped for only a few minutes, there was a sense of urgency to board the train quickly. Yaaayy !!! I got into my coach as directed by the nice KTM staff and found my seat. I had a man slightly older than I was and nice-looking as my travelling companion. He started by asking where I was heading which I knew would lead to many other questions, thus, I just smiled and replied without being too friendly. I got the window seat so I just looked out the window and started to take photos and a video for memories. Later, my travelling companion moved to another empty seat at the back leaving me some space and privacy all the way .... Alhamdulillah.

Some of the views before it got dark. Some photos were not very clear as the lights in the train was on hence, the reflections on the photos. Yet, do enjoy it.

The ticket inspector ...

A passing cargo train

The speed of the train?? Here was the evidence ...

Even I do not drive at this speed

The train was clean. The only grouse here was too many stops. I thought it would only stop at main towns but the stops included - Tanjong Malim - Batu Gajah - Ipoh - Kuala Kangsar - Taiping - Kamunting - Parit Buntar - Sungai Petani - Alor Setar. I might have missed some stations. At least it by-passed Penang. Although the stops were brief for passengers to disembark and board the train, it still used up the time. Nevertheless, I arrived Alor Setar right on schedule. A solitary trip, wrapped in my own happy thoughts that I did not feel the journey was too long. 

My verdict? It is very fast but you do not feel the bumpy ride of the usual train. It is a smooth journey as fast as you drive from  Alor Setar - Kuala Lumpur without any stops. The coach is clean and reasonably spacious for legs. I did  not try out the cafe so I could say anything about it. If I had a companion, maybe I would try out the cafe. The passengers were noisy with happy, holiday noise. But I was in a world of my own - immersing myself with my own happy thoughts of another walk-on trip. Every stop, you will have passengers disembarking or boarding. So, it is non-stop movement of people. Thus, if you do not tolerate active mobility of people, the train ride is not for you. In a nutshell, yes, I will give the ETS another ride .... perhaps with a companion... ;-))