Embak akan cuba kongsi satu dua point yang Embak dapat dari kuliah Ustaz Kariman yang Embak tanda dengan tajuk DKUK - "Dari Kuliah Ustaz Kariman".
Kami baru sahaja nak masuk surah Al An'Aam Ayat 1 yang dimulai dengan ungkapan Alhamdulillah....yang bermaksud segala puji-pujian bagi Allah. Di dalam al Quran ada 5 surah yang dimulai dengan ungkapan ini iaitu Al Fatihah (S1), Al An'Aam (S6), Kahfi (S18), Saba' (S34) dan Al Fathir (S35).
Kita manusia tidak digalakkan memuji selain siapa/apa yang Allah puji contohnya Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. Kerana puji-pujian boleh menaikkan riak atau rasa ajub -- penyakit-penyakit hati yang amat halus.
Bagaimana jika kita dipuji? Umpamanya "Cantiknya awak! Putihnya awak!". Kita jawab "MashaAllah- quwwataillabillah". Itu adalah ketentuannya dan tiada kekuatan/kelebihan melainkan dari Allah. Tanamkan syukur di atas anugerah Allah dan tambahkan tawadduk.
Bagaimana nak memotivasikan anak kalau tak memuji? Contohnya sekiranya anak itu cemerlang dalam peperiksaan; katakan itu adalah ganjaran yang Allah berikan di atas usaha gigih. Jangan dipuji, awak pandai, cerdas etc. Semuanya itu atas kehendak Allah.
Allah giveth and Allah taketh. Jangan hanyut atau leka dalam kejayaan, dan jangan berputus asa jika ditimpa musibah.
Kalau otrang memuji, cantiknya baju awak! Tak payahlah kata MasyaAllah, sebab yang dipuji baju, bukan tuannya :D
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Dari Dapur Embak - Asam Tumis Taugeh
Bila kawan Embak beritahu masak asam tumis taugeh besar sedap, Embak terasa pelik. Biasanya Embak goreng dengan tauhu je.
So Embak try le. Masak macam asam tumis biasa, cuma tambah ikan bilis, tumbuk kasar-kasar sikit. Embak suka buang ekor taugeh besar ni. Jangan taugeh biasa; memang Embak surrender.Teringat masa kecik-kecik dulu. Emak Embak selalu bagi Embak sebesen taugeh. Duduklah Embak menyiang ekor taugeh sampai kecut-kecut tangan dibuatnya.
Flavour taugeh besar tu yang buat masakan ni lain dari yang lain. Cubalah. Sedap! Sebagai variasi, cuba juga masak asam pedas sawi asin. Yang ni memang dah tradisi di rumah kami.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Semangat Baru
Embak dah beli kamera baru. Jadi Embak bolehlah start blogging balik. Kamera lama tu masih baik lagi tapi chargernya hilang. Nak beli charger baru, mahal harganya. Yang "3rd party" punya pun sudah berharga RM100. Jadi Embak beli kamera baru yang pakai charger/bateri yang sama; jadi kamera Embak yang lama masih boleh digunakan lagi. Solution yang mahal tetapi Embak rasa berbaloi. Hmm, kamera yang lama tu Embak nak bagi kat siapa ya? Kena yang dekat dengan Embak, supaya kalau dia nak caj bateri, boleh pakai charger Embak yang baru.
Embak sebenarnya nak post resipi masakan, Jadi, kalau tak ada gambar, manalah menarik artikel Embak kan?
Embak sebenarnya nak post resipi masakan, Jadi, kalau tak ada gambar, manalah menarik artikel Embak kan?
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Terkini
Alahai, maaf le lama tak cerita-ceriti. Siang tadi Embak jumpa kawan Embak, Liza yang baru balik makan angin di Frisco. Dia beli kiriman Embak i.e Fritos chips. Terimakasih buat Liza; moga Allah murahkan rezeki awak. Embak gumbira kunyah Fritos chips yang rangup, tapi kena hati-hati sebab simen gigi geraham Embak sudah rapuh. Moga tak pecah menanti temujanji dengan dentist Khamis ni.
Kerana Embak masih demam Mad Men dan kemaruk menunggu Season 4, Embak merayau-rayau di cyberspace, terjumpa laman "MadMen Yourself" dan hasilnya ialah karikatur di atas. Konon-kononnya Embak berada di pejabat Sterling Cooper di tahun 60-an.
(Interlude: Ada satu hari tu, Embak dengar drama radio di Bernama Radio, pelakon tu sebut 60-an bukan enampuluhan tapi enampuluh-an. Ini mesti produk zaman Bahasa Baku!)
Apa lagi ye? O tadi Embak mengalami pengalaman pertama di Puspakom. Efisyen betul mereka. Lorong ekspresnya mengambil masa lebih kurang sejam sahaja. Mungkin hari ni kurang kereta yang diperiksa. Embak takjub tengok gambar kereta-kereta yang gagal pemeriksaan. Ada ke patut badan kereta dua potong dipateri sahaja! Sesangat bahaya!
Ehem, nampak sangat hari ni Embak kurang kerja rasmi. Selain daripada 3 panggilan telefon nak set appointment, Embak buat "errands" peribadi. Awas Embak! Awak bukan makan gaji -- pikir-pikirlah sendiri.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sambal Tahi Minyak
Bahan-bahannya
Tahi minyak (dari sekilo santan)
4 sudu cili kering dikisar
5 biji bawang merah dikisar
1 inci kunyit hidup dikisar
20 biji belimbing buluh dihiris
5 helai daun kunyit dihiris
segenggam ikan bilis
2 keping asam gelugor
garam dan gula secukup rasa
Gaulkan semua bahan dan jerang di atas api sederhana sehingga masak. Sedap dimakan dengan nasi panas dan ikan kering goreng. Em emm.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Mad about Mad Men
Between my last post and now, I have watched and rewatched all 3 seasons of Mad Men, a series that have won 3 consecutive Globe awards and an Emmy but are yet to be shown on any channel in our country. In the centre of the drama is this character Don Draper, a top executive in an Ad agency in Madison Avenue (the term Mad Men was coined by the admen on Madison Avenue). Here's an excerpt from an article that appeared in Vanity Fair about this character and the actor, Jon Hamm.
Jon Hamm and January Jones in a fashion photo shoot.
Excerpt begins:
Don Draper was the trickiest role to cast, since the actor would have to not only be credible as a man who essentially lies for a living—and doubles down on those lies at home—but also, as the lead, command sympathy. With extensive television experience on shows such as Providence, The Division, and CSI: Miami but no lead credits, Hamm read for the part early on and survived several further auditions.
But according to Alan Taylor, a Sopranos director who directed the Mad Men pilot and was involved in the casting, Weiner and he held off committing to Hamm because of a “reverse prejudice” about the actor’s good looks. “I think Matt and I, coming off Sopranos, both had a kind of bias because we had a wonderful experience with Jim Gandolfini, and there is a kind of superiority that goes along with that kind of casting—you know, Look, we’re not casting a movie star, we’re casting a great actor.”
But Weiner and Taylor kept coming back to Hamm. “It was a wonderful turning point when we put him through the process of hair and makeup,” Taylor said, “and the first time we saw him with his haircut and his suit, all the women in the office kind of wilted and fainted when he walked by. He was this wonderful icon of maleness, and it took us almost that long to catch up to the fact that it was perfect to cast sort of the perfect male in this part, because what we were doing [in the show] was basically deconstructing that. I mean, that’s just one layer of what he brought.
Obviously the other thing that made us go back to him again and again was this wonderful sadness and lost quality in his eyes. It’s a rare quality for someone who’s a strapping leading man.” That was something Weiner had picked up on right away. In his recollection he settled on Hamm the first time he saw him: “He was the only person I saw that I felt had this old-fashioned masculinity that reminded me a little of James Garner, or William Holden, or the other movie stars that I loved who were Boy Scouts.”
There was something more: According to a recent profile of Hamm in GQ, after the actor read for Mad Men for the first time, Weiner turned to the casting agent and declared, “That man was not raised by his parents.” Which was true: Hamm’s mother had died when he was 10; he had been mostly raised by a grandmother and had a difficult relationship with his father, who himself died when Hamm was 20. Weiner’s observation was not only perceptive—and a little odd—but also relevant: Don’s backstory, which dribbled out across the first season, has him orphaned at a young age. (Hamm dryly told me that the parallel with his own childhood was “serendipitous.”)
In Weiner’s view, Hamm’s upbringing contributed not only to the vulnerability he brings to the role but also the wit, an underappreciated current in Hamm’s performance. “The most valuable thing on television and everywhere is when you find someone who is physically attractive and funny,” Weiner said. “It’s very unusual. At least that’s the common conception among people who cast for a living. Barbara Miller”—the late casting director who had ER, Friends, and The West Wing to her credit—“is often quoted as saying, ‘God doesn’t give with both hands.’ You’re attractive or you’re funny. And I would say to the casting people, ‘Where’s the funny, good-looking person?’ And they’re like, ‘Everyone who’s beautiful and funny is already in the movies.’ And then you find someone who basically has some kind of deprivation that has made it so they don’t even know how attractive they are.”
Hamm certainly doesn’t play up the James Garner–William Holden thing. When I met him for an interview he had a thick carpet of hobo stubble on his face and a greasy St. Louis Blues cap pulled down low on his forehead. Lisa Albert told me that the first day she and the other writers met him he was so casually dressed, even by the unexacting standards of a TV production office, they thought he was delivering lunch. (Related observation: people in L.A. are accustomed to incredibly handsome delivery boys.)
According to the actor, it took him a while to calibrate his performance. “Don is a character who can easily skew into, I think, something way more dark and menacing and mean than maybe what is necessary,” he told me. “I think you definitely want some of that, but it’s a fine line. I would always sort of push for making it a little lighter, and Matt would push for making it obsidian blackness, and Alan Taylor was kind of, I’d say, the middle ground. And I think we found the right balance.” Excerpt ends.
I believe one who doesn't watch these series will not relate to any of the above, so try watch an episode. I bet you would return for more. The whole cast save for one was not familiar to me; Jon Hamm included. But his acting and that of January Jones have garnered them nominations in their respective best actor/actress category.
Jon Hamm and January Jones in a fashion photo shoot.Excerpt begins:
Don Draper was the trickiest role to cast, since the actor would have to not only be credible as a man who essentially lies for a living—and doubles down on those lies at home—but also, as the lead, command sympathy. With extensive television experience on shows such as Providence, The Division, and CSI: Miami but no lead credits, Hamm read for the part early on and survived several further auditions.
But according to Alan Taylor, a Sopranos director who directed the Mad Men pilot and was involved in the casting, Weiner and he held off committing to Hamm because of a “reverse prejudice” about the actor’s good looks. “I think Matt and I, coming off Sopranos, both had a kind of bias because we had a wonderful experience with Jim Gandolfini, and there is a kind of superiority that goes along with that kind of casting—you know, Look, we’re not casting a movie star, we’re casting a great actor.”
But Weiner and Taylor kept coming back to Hamm. “It was a wonderful turning point when we put him through the process of hair and makeup,” Taylor said, “and the first time we saw him with his haircut and his suit, all the women in the office kind of wilted and fainted when he walked by. He was this wonderful icon of maleness, and it took us almost that long to catch up to the fact that it was perfect to cast sort of the perfect male in this part, because what we were doing [in the show] was basically deconstructing that. I mean, that’s just one layer of what he brought.
Obviously the other thing that made us go back to him again and again was this wonderful sadness and lost quality in his eyes. It’s a rare quality for someone who’s a strapping leading man.” That was something Weiner had picked up on right away. In his recollection he settled on Hamm the first time he saw him: “He was the only person I saw that I felt had this old-fashioned masculinity that reminded me a little of James Garner, or William Holden, or the other movie stars that I loved who were Boy Scouts.”
There was something more: According to a recent profile of Hamm in GQ, after the actor read for Mad Men for the first time, Weiner turned to the casting agent and declared, “That man was not raised by his parents.” Which was true: Hamm’s mother had died when he was 10; he had been mostly raised by a grandmother and had a difficult relationship with his father, who himself died when Hamm was 20. Weiner’s observation was not only perceptive—and a little odd—but also relevant: Don’s backstory, which dribbled out across the first season, has him orphaned at a young age. (Hamm dryly told me that the parallel with his own childhood was “serendipitous.”)
In Weiner’s view, Hamm’s upbringing contributed not only to the vulnerability he brings to the role but also the wit, an underappreciated current in Hamm’s performance. “The most valuable thing on television and everywhere is when you find someone who is physically attractive and funny,” Weiner said. “It’s very unusual. At least that’s the common conception among people who cast for a living. Barbara Miller”—the late casting director who had ER, Friends, and The West Wing to her credit—“is often quoted as saying, ‘God doesn’t give with both hands.’ You’re attractive or you’re funny. And I would say to the casting people, ‘Where’s the funny, good-looking person?’ And they’re like, ‘Everyone who’s beautiful and funny is already in the movies.’ And then you find someone who basically has some kind of deprivation that has made it so they don’t even know how attractive they are.”
Hamm certainly doesn’t play up the James Garner–William Holden thing. When I met him for an interview he had a thick carpet of hobo stubble on his face and a greasy St. Louis Blues cap pulled down low on his forehead. Lisa Albert told me that the first day she and the other writers met him he was so casually dressed, even by the unexacting standards of a TV production office, they thought he was delivering lunch. (Related observation: people in L.A. are accustomed to incredibly handsome delivery boys.)
According to the actor, it took him a while to calibrate his performance. “Don is a character who can easily skew into, I think, something way more dark and menacing and mean than maybe what is necessary,” he told me. “I think you definitely want some of that, but it’s a fine line. I would always sort of push for making it a little lighter, and Matt would push for making it obsidian blackness, and Alan Taylor was kind of, I’d say, the middle ground. And I think we found the right balance.” Excerpt ends.
I believe one who doesn't watch these series will not relate to any of the above, so try watch an episode. I bet you would return for more. The whole cast save for one was not familiar to me; Jon Hamm included. But his acting and that of January Jones have garnered them nominations in their respective best actor/actress category.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Joke Teganu
Lagi cedokkan dari tulisan kawan Embak yang kreatif dari Yahoogroup alumni kami. Nak tergeliat leher Embak membacanya, tapi seronok.
Mamat rase malassang nok bangung tiddo. Nye gulling-gulling atah katil.Pusing kiri, pusing kanang. Serba dok kene dia berase. Mok Lijoh blèbèr hanyaar kot luor pitu, “Mat! Matahari nok tinggi galoh doh nim, ka’ak rezeki kalu bangung lèwat-lèwat. Mung tak dok kheje ke ari nim?”
Dok tahang kene blèbèr Mamat Ppayang pong bikah bangung ceggat dari katil.Baru dia teringat pukol 11 ada kene wat kheje sikit hok Boh dia suroh kemarèng. Mamat pong jungaa tangang dia ambèk tuala. Pèsèngang mandi P. Ramlee pulok pagi nim, al maklunglah pukol 10.30 doh. Dari Manir nok jembe ke Jalang Batah Baru tu jauh jugok. Pah tu nok kena bereti stèsèng minyok Petronah pulok dekat sipang trapik lait Pulau Musang. Dop ingat starang nok tamboh minyok kemarèng. Dok dang 10 minit Mamat siap belake doh. Minung air kopi-o setegok dua lepah tu pakaa kasut kulit atah tangge kak
lambo. Baru beli minggu lepah tu kasut tu. Bekilat ssio! Lepah tu Mamat pong stak muto vroooooong hale ke bando. Motosika sèkèng hèng jer, tapi boleh tahang lah.
Jalang Batah Baru ader banyok bangunang jabbat dengang kedaa. Kalu hale ke depang sikit ada kedaa Astro, hok tv kene bayor bulang-bulang tu. Kalu tebèng dok bayo jer kena potong hanyaar. Lepah pada suraa Flat Batah Baru tu ada lèrèk kedaa èkong. Kedaa makang pong ada gok. Kalu jallang sikit lagi sebelum kedaa Astro tu, ada kawasang lapang tepat juaa khète baru cap Hyundaa dengang Kia.
Di antara kedaa èkong dengang kedaa Astro tu ada celoh-celoh tu jabbat loyar baru buka. Pèsèngang baru pah jadi loyar tu Mamat mari mmkir sorrang. Slo-slo Mamat naèk tikat dua. Napok gaye ader dua orang jer kherani. Llaki sorang, ppuang sorang. Boleh tahang hok ppuang tu. Tapi pakaa cicing molèk ngak kat jari manih tu. Ttunang doh pèsèngang tu.. Dok napok gambo starang. Berat nnanang. Mamat kabo ke kherani ppuang tu dia nok jjuper Tuang Loyar. Hayat hidup Mamat dok rajing jjuper loyar skali habuk. Cakkak dengang loyar jauh skali.. Nye mari debo wèh.
Mamat pong ketok pitu masok. Loyar tu tengoh pegang gagang talipung cap Panasonic kat telinga dia. Wayar talipung tu tengoh beseranggoh lagi. “I dah uruskan fixed deposit you sebanyak RM10 juta tu. Lagi satu, minggu depan ni, I nak you ikut I ke Singapore. HSBC Singapore dah buat arrangement untuk finance syarikat klien I, tak banyak, dalam 20 juta Sing dollar. Firm I jadi lawyer jugak tu. I turun KL minggu ni, kita dinner kat Shook di Starhill ok?”
Mamat bukang pandaa sangat cakak orang putih. Tapi bila dengo haa pitih die pahang. Mainang apa juta-juta nim? Mamat mari mmikir.
Loyar muder tu pong letok gagang talipung sambil-sambil kheling ujung mata tengok ke Mamat. “Yer, nok mendero Saya sibuk sangat ni, dok tengok ker?” loyar tu tanye Mamat.
Mamat pucat kesi. Dok tahu nok kata mende. Nok jawak saloh. Tak mboh jawak saloh. Macang mase nok bangung tiddo sakning. Serbe dok kene. Sudohhang Mamat tebèng jugok jawak.
“Sebenornyer tuang, sayer nim kheje dengang sarikat Telekong. Saya mari nok sambung wayar talipung hok tuang wak lolok cakkak sakning. Dok sambung lagi wayar tu, guaner lah tuang boleh cakkak doh!”
Muka tuang loyar tu jadi biru bèrang!
Doh nok wat guana starang! Nok èksèng dok betepat! Adajugok loyar kècèk orang dèh! Pecoh bong! Orang jamang lenim kata “kantoi”!
Mamat rase malassang nok bangung tiddo. Nye gulling-gulling atah katil.Pusing kiri, pusing kanang. Serba dok kene dia berase. Mok Lijoh blèbèr hanyaar kot luor pitu, “Mat! Matahari nok tinggi galoh doh nim, ka’ak rezeki kalu bangung lèwat-lèwat. Mung tak dok kheje ke ari nim?”
Dok tahang kene blèbèr Mamat Ppayang pong bikah bangung ceggat dari katil.Baru dia teringat pukol 11 ada kene wat kheje sikit hok Boh dia suroh kemarèng. Mamat pong jungaa tangang dia ambèk tuala. Pèsèngang mandi P. Ramlee pulok pagi nim, al maklunglah pukol 10.30 doh. Dari Manir nok jembe ke Jalang Batah Baru tu jauh jugok. Pah tu nok kena bereti stèsèng minyok Petronah pulok dekat sipang trapik lait Pulau Musang. Dop ingat starang nok tamboh minyok kemarèng. Dok dang 10 minit Mamat siap belake doh. Minung air kopi-o setegok dua lepah tu pakaa kasut kulit atah tangge kak
lambo. Baru beli minggu lepah tu kasut tu. Bekilat ssio! Lepah tu Mamat pong stak muto vroooooong hale ke bando. Motosika sèkèng hèng jer, tapi boleh tahang lah.
Jalang Batah Baru ader banyok bangunang jabbat dengang kedaa. Kalu hale ke depang sikit ada kedaa Astro, hok tv kene bayor bulang-bulang tu. Kalu tebèng dok bayo jer kena potong hanyaar. Lepah pada suraa Flat Batah Baru tu ada lèrèk kedaa èkong. Kedaa makang pong ada gok. Kalu jallang sikit lagi sebelum kedaa Astro tu, ada kawasang lapang tepat juaa khète baru cap Hyundaa dengang Kia.
Di antara kedaa èkong dengang kedaa Astro tu ada celoh-celoh tu jabbat loyar baru buka. Pèsèngang baru pah jadi loyar tu Mamat mari mmkir sorrang. Slo-slo Mamat naèk tikat dua. Napok gaye ader dua orang jer kherani. Llaki sorang, ppuang sorang. Boleh tahang hok ppuang tu. Tapi pakaa cicing molèk ngak kat jari manih tu. Ttunang doh pèsèngang tu.. Dok napok gambo starang. Berat nnanang. Mamat kabo ke kherani ppuang tu dia nok jjuper Tuang Loyar. Hayat hidup Mamat dok rajing jjuper loyar skali habuk. Cakkak dengang loyar jauh skali.. Nye mari debo wèh.
Mamat pong ketok pitu masok. Loyar tu tengoh pegang gagang talipung cap Panasonic kat telinga dia. Wayar talipung tu tengoh beseranggoh lagi. “I dah uruskan fixed deposit you sebanyak RM10 juta tu. Lagi satu, minggu depan ni, I nak you ikut I ke Singapore. HSBC Singapore dah buat arrangement untuk finance syarikat klien I, tak banyak, dalam 20 juta Sing dollar. Firm I jadi lawyer jugak tu. I turun KL minggu ni, kita dinner kat Shook di Starhill ok?”
Mamat bukang pandaa sangat cakak orang putih. Tapi bila dengo haa pitih die pahang. Mainang apa juta-juta nim? Mamat mari mmikir.
Loyar muder tu pong letok gagang talipung sambil-sambil kheling ujung mata tengok ke Mamat. “Yer, nok mendero Saya sibuk sangat ni, dok tengok ker?” loyar tu tanye Mamat.
Mamat pucat kesi. Dok tahu nok kata mende. Nok jawak saloh. Tak mboh jawak saloh. Macang mase nok bangung tiddo sakning. Serbe dok kene. Sudohhang Mamat tebèng jugok jawak.
“Sebenornyer tuang, sayer nim kheje dengang sarikat Telekong. Saya mari nok sambung wayar talipung hok tuang wak lolok cakkak sakning. Dok sambung lagi wayar tu, guaner lah tuang boleh cakkak doh!”
Muka tuang loyar tu jadi biru bèrang!
Doh nok wat guana starang! Nok èksèng dok betepat! Adajugok loyar kècèk orang dèh! Pecoh bong! Orang jamang lenim kata “kantoi”!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Canadian woman loses benefits over Facebook photo
From Yahoo News! Sun Nov 22, 1:20 pm ET
BROMONT, Quebec – A Canadian woman on long-term sick leave for depression says she lost her benefits because her insurance agent found photos of her on Facebook in which she appeared to be having fun.
Nathalie Blanchard has been on leave from her job at IBM in Bromont, Quebec, for the last year.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Saturday she was diagnosed with major depression and was receiving monthly sick-leave benefits from insurance giant Manulife.
But the payments dried up this fall and when Blanchard called Manulife, she says she was told she was available to work because of Facebook.
She said her insurance agent described several pictures Blanchard posted on Facebook, including ones showing her having a good time at a Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party and on a sun holiday.
Blanchard said Manulife told her it's evidence she is no longer depressed. She's fighting to get her benefits reinstated and says her lawyer is exploring what the next step should be.
Blanchard told the CBC that on her doctor's advice, she tried to have fun, including nights out at her local bar with friends and short getaways to sun destinations, as a way to forget her problems.
Manulife wouldn't comment on Blanchard's case, but did say they would not deny or terminate a claim solely based on information published on Web sites such as Facebook.
Embak: Jangan ghairah sangat tayang gambar kat Facebook. Banyak mata yang memandang!
BROMONT, Quebec – A Canadian woman on long-term sick leave for depression says she lost her benefits because her insurance agent found photos of her on Facebook in which she appeared to be having fun.
Nathalie Blanchard has been on leave from her job at IBM in Bromont, Quebec, for the last year.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Saturday she was diagnosed with major depression and was receiving monthly sick-leave benefits from insurance giant Manulife.
But the payments dried up this fall and when Blanchard called Manulife, she says she was told she was available to work because of Facebook.
She said her insurance agent described several pictures Blanchard posted on Facebook, including ones showing her having a good time at a Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party and on a sun holiday.
Blanchard said Manulife told her it's evidence she is no longer depressed. She's fighting to get her benefits reinstated and says her lawyer is exploring what the next step should be.
Blanchard told the CBC that on her doctor's advice, she tried to have fun, including nights out at her local bar with friends and short getaways to sun destinations, as a way to forget her problems.
Manulife wouldn't comment on Blanchard's case, but did say they would not deny or terminate a claim solely based on information published on Web sites such as Facebook.
Embak: Jangan ghairah sangat tayang gambar kat Facebook. Banyak mata yang memandang!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Pakcik di 7-Eleven
Dah lama tak menulis; sememangnya tak ada ilham.
Tadi, kawan Embak tulis ni dalam Yahoogroup kami. Embak rasa amat kelakar..
****
baru kejap gi 7-11, beli roti... masa nak bayar Cashier tu cakap.." ada apa2 lagi..Pak Cik?"...saya pusing belakang..takde orang...
" RM8.20.." kata Cashier tu...saya pun bagi RM10.. "ada 20 sen Pak Cik?"... tambah Cashier tu.. saya pusing belakang lagi.. takde orang lain lagi... saya diam, Cashier tu pun diam dan bagi baki wang saya..RM1.80. .
Bila saya nak keluar ..saya dengar " Terima kasih Pak Cik..sila datang lagi..."
Heran saya....dalam kedai tu saya sorang saja....
Tadi, kawan Embak tulis ni dalam Yahoogroup kami. Embak rasa amat kelakar..
****
baru kejap gi 7-11, beli roti... masa nak bayar Cashier tu cakap.." ada apa2 lagi..Pak Cik?"...saya pusing belakang..takde orang...
" RM8.20.." kata Cashier tu...saya pun bagi RM10.. "ada 20 sen Pak Cik?"... tambah Cashier tu.. saya pusing belakang lagi.. takde orang lain lagi... saya diam, Cashier tu pun diam dan bagi baki wang saya..RM1.80. .
Bila saya nak keluar ..saya dengar " Terima kasih Pak Cik..sila datang lagi..."
Heran saya....dalam kedai tu saya sorang saja....
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Happiness is....
....finding good books for peanuts. Last Saturday at Payless Books Warehouse Sale at 3K Inn, Subang Jaya, I found these books which I will read in this order:
1. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. I will re-watch the movie to see how well the adaptation from book to film is.
2. Postcards by E.Annie Proulx. My frustration for not finding any book by Carol Shields was redeemed by finding this one.
3. A Confederancy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Never heard of this book but it is "a wildly comic masterpiece" that also won the Pulitzer Prize. The most expensive of the lot because it is a hardcover.
4. Possession by A.S.Byatt. I picked it up because I read somewhere that is a favourite of Marina Mahathir's or T.Elida's.
5. Reading Lolita in Tehran. Because I'm intrigued.
6. Music for Chameleons by Truman Capote. Because I like Capote's other book "In Cold Blood".
And all these for RM31!!! I am far from maxing on that RM1000 tax-relief for purchase of books. The next sale at the same venue will be held in December. Who wants to join me?
1. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. I will re-watch the movie to see how well the adaptation from book to film is.
2. Postcards by E.Annie Proulx. My frustration for not finding any book by Carol Shields was redeemed by finding this one.
3. A Confederancy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Never heard of this book but it is "a wildly comic masterpiece" that also won the Pulitzer Prize. The most expensive of the lot because it is a hardcover.
4. Possession by A.S.Byatt. I picked it up because I read somewhere that is a favourite of Marina Mahathir's or T.Elida's.
5. Reading Lolita in Tehran. Because I'm intrigued.
6. Music for Chameleons by Truman Capote. Because I like Capote's other book "In Cold Blood".
And all these for RM31!!! I am far from maxing on that RM1000 tax-relief for purchase of books. The next sale at the same venue will be held in December. Who wants to join me?
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Why I Should'nt Have That Audi Yet!
In their book, You Have More Than You Think, David and Tom Gardner said that one of the most common financial mistakes people make is buying an expensive car using borrowed money. Here are some excerpts:
"...When you purchase an automobile, on average it loses 30 percent of its value one year after the purchase - and sometimes does so at the moment you roll it out of the lot....
We know you need a car. We do too. But from an investment standpoint, it's never a good idea to covet expensive automobiles, and buying it on credit. On average you'll pay 10% interest anually on the loan plus the value of the car depreciates by 30% the first year and 10% per year subsequently. In the business world, they'd call this sort of leverages transaction "dumb". We are gentler; we'll call it a mistake.
Buy transport. Buy utility. You are not your car.
Our recommendation is simply that if you can swing it, you pick an automobile that you can buy with cash, or the next best thing to do, as much in cash as you can. Remember, you are not your car. Impress your friends with your heart, your mind, those natural good looks, and your sense of humor...."
In another book, The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and william Danko, after 20 years of profiling the wealthy, surmise that , "the flashy millionaires glamorized by the media actually represent only a tiny minority of America's rich. Most of the truly wealthy in this country don't live in Beverly Hills or on Park Avenue -- they live next door."
The authors say that the typical wealthy individual is a businessman who has lived in the same town for all of his adult life and owns a small factory, a chain of stores or a service company. He lives next door to people with a fraction of his wealth. Their survey indicated that while the paycheck-to-paycheck crowd drives new cars, most millionaires don't. They're not wearing expensive clothes and watches and their houses are relatively modest compared to their financial status.
Note to self: Live simply.
"...When you purchase an automobile, on average it loses 30 percent of its value one year after the purchase - and sometimes does so at the moment you roll it out of the lot....
We know you need a car. We do too. But from an investment standpoint, it's never a good idea to covet expensive automobiles, and buying it on credit. On average you'll pay 10% interest anually on the loan plus the value of the car depreciates by 30% the first year and 10% per year subsequently. In the business world, they'd call this sort of leverages transaction "dumb". We are gentler; we'll call it a mistake.
Buy transport. Buy utility. You are not your car.
Our recommendation is simply that if you can swing it, you pick an automobile that you can buy with cash, or the next best thing to do, as much in cash as you can. Remember, you are not your car. Impress your friends with your heart, your mind, those natural good looks, and your sense of humor...."
In another book, The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and william Danko, after 20 years of profiling the wealthy, surmise that , "the flashy millionaires glamorized by the media actually represent only a tiny minority of America's rich. Most of the truly wealthy in this country don't live in Beverly Hills or on Park Avenue -- they live next door."
The authors say that the typical wealthy individual is a businessman who has lived in the same town for all of his adult life and owns a small factory, a chain of stores or a service company. He lives next door to people with a fraction of his wealth. Their survey indicated that while the paycheck-to-paycheck crowd drives new cars, most millionaires don't. They're not wearing expensive clothes and watches and their houses are relatively modest compared to their financial status.
Note to self: Live simply.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
1 Syawal 1430H
Picture courtesy of Nedim Muhic - (Excellent picture btw. Note the bird at top left corner)
Here's me blogging at 5.51pm on Eid on the loft of my father's house. Some of my house guests are away visiting relatives; the other half are at a rented house 200 meters away from this house which we specially rent for this raya as my father's house is too small to accommodate 21 cucus from 5 households plus the 5 permanent residents. 5 or 6 people are at in front of the TV watching a stream of Raya programmes on ASTRO channels. At 4pm just now as I sat for my tea of more ketupat, I had a chat with Abah about our plans for next raya. We concurred that we need to procure a new house, big enough for everyone to enjoy Raya under one roof. May Allah grant us this wish.
This Raya around, I am blown away by the amount of food my nieces and nephews are capable of consuming. A marked difference from last year. Thank God, we have Angah who brought more sarung ketupat and for the first time she made ketupat palas, so the threat of food shortage was arrested. Last night's iftar and today's breakfast was chaotic; actually this happens every year with one or two new additions yearly for the last 18 years; but this year is the qauntum leap. The eldest nephew is 18 going 19. Not many more years to go before he gets a household of his own.
With the end of Ramadhan, life slowly comes back to norm. In about a week, Acu will return to Germany, and me to work. I have to get some money if I want to jalan-jalan next year. And also to look out for a new house before the next Eid. My Abah wants it to be within the same Taman as our current house. So it makes the search more focused. Allah help us.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Satu Malaysia
Baru-baru ini Embak berjumpa dengan seorang pelanggan lama, Puan E. Sebelum berbual bisnes, seperti biasa kami bercerita perihal keluarga dan semasa. Sampailah ke satu topik yang menjadi aspirasi PM Najib; Satu Malaysia. Puan E jelas tak setuju dengan aspirasi ini; katanya ini hanya untuk menjaga hati kaum bukan Melayu dan menidakkan hak keistimewaan Melayu. Embak kata, jangan risau, PM tak akan buat benda ni secara mendadak. Puan E berkata, anak sulongnya telah dimasukkan ke Sekolah Yayasan Saad di Melaka. Yang mendukacitakannya ialah dia dikenakan yuran sepertimana pelajar-pelajar bangsa bukan Melayu hanya sebab beliau dan suami bergaji lumayan. Anaknya telah bekerja keras untuk melayakkan dirinya ke sekolah tersebut. Sebagai ibubapa, Puan E berkata, mahu tak mahu , dia dan suami kena berbelanja RM20,000 setahun untuk membayar yuran. And I went like, WTH is this lady talking about? Kalau tak nak bayar yuran mahal, hantar saja ke sekolah biasa, atau sekolah berasrama kerajaan. Tak payah nak komplen.
Embak dengan secara diplomasi berkata, saya rasa sistem meritokrasi ini baik untuk Malaysia. Jadi semua orang akan berkerja lebih keras, lebih produktif. Orang Melayu yang selama ini mendapat hak istimewa kenalah baiki diri; lama kelamaan jati diri juga akan meningkat dan mertabat Melayu akan bertambah baik. Sampai bila orang Melayu nak menidakkan hak bangsa lain yang telah turun-temurun di Malaysia. Orang Melayu juga asalnya bukan dari Tanah Melayu. Saya juga berdarah campuran. Puan E pun cakap, dia juga berdarah campuran, tapi, blah, blah, blah……(masih tak setuju).
Embak pelik sebab kalau yang bercakap tu orang kampong yang tak bersekolah tinggi, Embak paham, tapi ini Puan E yang telah mengecapi nikmat DEB semasa kecil, ditanggungi kerajaan hinggalah ke peringkat universiti. Dan sekarang berjawatan bukan calang-calang di sebuah GLC. Bukankan beliau sepatutnya tidak lagi tergugat apabila biasiswa mula dibuka kepada anak-anak bangsa bukan Melayu yang miskin? Belum 100 peratus pun, masih pada peratusan yang rendah.
Siapa kata Malaysia ialah hak bangsa Melayu sahaja?
Kita menunding jari pada orang putih di Amerika apabila mereka meminggir golongan kulit hitam dan minoriti lain. Apa kurangnya orang Melayu apabila menidakkan hak bangsa-bangsa lain di Malaysia? Kalau kita yakin bahawa setiap rezeki datang dari Allah,"insecurity" orang Melayu tak timbul. Allah juga sangat suka sekiranya kita berlaku adil.
Tahun lepas, kawan Embak, sepasang orang Melayu yang beranak pinak di Amerika memberitahu anak sulong mereka diterima masuk ke Standford dengan biasiswa penuh universiti. Kalau Puan E di Amerika tentunya dia juga mahukan anaknya diberi hak saksama seperti orang Amerika. Itu contoh terbaik meritokrasi. Nampaknya keadilan di Amerika telah bertambah baik. Ayuh Melayu, masa untuk berada di "comfort zone" telah tamat.
Embak dengan secara diplomasi berkata, saya rasa sistem meritokrasi ini baik untuk Malaysia. Jadi semua orang akan berkerja lebih keras, lebih produktif. Orang Melayu yang selama ini mendapat hak istimewa kenalah baiki diri; lama kelamaan jati diri juga akan meningkat dan mertabat Melayu akan bertambah baik. Sampai bila orang Melayu nak menidakkan hak bangsa lain yang telah turun-temurun di Malaysia. Orang Melayu juga asalnya bukan dari Tanah Melayu. Saya juga berdarah campuran. Puan E pun cakap, dia juga berdarah campuran, tapi, blah, blah, blah……(masih tak setuju).
Embak pelik sebab kalau yang bercakap tu orang kampong yang tak bersekolah tinggi, Embak paham, tapi ini Puan E yang telah mengecapi nikmat DEB semasa kecil, ditanggungi kerajaan hinggalah ke peringkat universiti. Dan sekarang berjawatan bukan calang-calang di sebuah GLC. Bukankan beliau sepatutnya tidak lagi tergugat apabila biasiswa mula dibuka kepada anak-anak bangsa bukan Melayu yang miskin? Belum 100 peratus pun, masih pada peratusan yang rendah.
Siapa kata Malaysia ialah hak bangsa Melayu sahaja?
Kita menunding jari pada orang putih di Amerika apabila mereka meminggir golongan kulit hitam dan minoriti lain. Apa kurangnya orang Melayu apabila menidakkan hak bangsa-bangsa lain di Malaysia? Kalau kita yakin bahawa setiap rezeki datang dari Allah,"insecurity" orang Melayu tak timbul. Allah juga sangat suka sekiranya kita berlaku adil.
Tahun lepas, kawan Embak, sepasang orang Melayu yang beranak pinak di Amerika memberitahu anak sulong mereka diterima masuk ke Standford dengan biasiswa penuh universiti. Kalau Puan E di Amerika tentunya dia juga mahukan anaknya diberi hak saksama seperti orang Amerika. Itu contoh terbaik meritokrasi. Nampaknya keadilan di Amerika telah bertambah baik. Ayuh Melayu, masa untuk berada di "comfort zone" telah tamat.
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