Of 2012 "Trendings"

Those in the social media circle uses this word a lot - don't mind the grammar though.. "TRENDING"! OMG.. its a flashback to PAINING! (an expression of pain as it is happening - its not in any dictionary though!) Initially i did not understand why such "broken" English is promoted but I guess its an expression of thought via the new media which who knows one day would make it into the dictionary as how Google did. Google is a noun/verb/adjective which was definitely not in the official dictionary 10 years ago!
I'm writing about "Trending" as I was intrigued with what happened yesterday back home.There is a trend of "imarah masjid" back home and this programme is led by Ustaz Azhar Idrus.Who is he? Google la kalau tak tau and if that name does not ring a bell, you are not "Trending" man! hahah He managed to garner a big following during the new year celebrations and yesterday there was another one which coincided with Anugerah Juara Lagu 26 last night.The crowd was big and I am amazed by what he has done in the past few years.

Ustaz Azhar is a very interesting man and has a cult following over the net.You'd find his collection of ceramah is freely available. I reckon he should be credited as one of the most influnetial Malaysians as he brought a revolution towards people listening to Religious sermons and talk in the net. You can see that people flock his youtube uploads.I guess he has a way in tackling the current young generation to listen to his knowledge sharing session.He can be comical and certainly uptodate with all the current "Trendings" and that makes the young wanna sort of listen to him. His knowledge about the world, general entertainment and current happenings shows his leaerned depth.His Terengganu slang maybe a bit awkward to some but language is never a barrier for those who wants to garner knowledge.
I am sure that he'll continue what he fights for and I guess the best way to do it! A different contrast to what was on the other side of town of promoting the lines of lagha.Who would have thought, Ustaz Azhar can garner the same amount of followership "live" in the Masjid as how it was in PWTC- in fact even more! The streaming of Ustaz Azhar was busy from all who has connectionship all over the world including me. (though I was heavily switchin between Ustaz Azhars Q&A with AJL! - with the TV playing the epic battle between Djokovic and Nadal!)
MAtLuthfi90 is another cult figure and he is the main "artist" of youtube among the Malaysian youths.Look at his hits in youtube (MILLIONS!!)  and you'll see how influential he can be! He is a sincere gentleman with simple ideas and vision but he really knows how to put it forward.Why people link to him is because whatever he is vlogging, it relates so much of how the young feel about things in this current age! As a youth, it would not be right if he does not question the authorities of what is happening at the moment.The social,economical and perhaps the day to day issue of the social classes of Malaysia. Being abroad is certainly an eye opening experience to those who are lucky.I guess the mixture of information and lifestyle has affected this chaps brilliant mind to express his thoughts on vlog.Of course with his thick Kedah slang it makes it funny and enjoyable to watch! I have had the chance of encounter with this bloke here in Perth and am amazed with his down to earth attitude.
They may not be physically seen but take my word, both of them has the power of the "3rd Force" without them maybe consciously realizing it :)

Recce Mt Cooke

 After my sesat experience on the Kalamunda start of the Bibbulman track, I vowed to buy a GPS and never to be lost again! There are a big number of walks around Perth which requires GPS and perhaps I would try a number of them in having the thrill of going off track instead of a designated track.
Mt Cooke is probably the highest peak near Perth. Western Australia in general is flat therefore its not as typical as the Malaysian landscape to find something tall to climb. However, since dah jadi orang gunung ni somehow kenala jugak cari puncak.. haha

Perth was to experience a heatwave till the weekend and I just had to make the call to climb Mt Cooke on Ozzie day. I am lucky that Syafiq is very well versed with GPS since he is a geologist in training and I guess the perfect partner in crime for me to achieve these type of activities.
We started of really early because there were so many uncertainties. I don't really know where to park and depended on walkGPS website and Google Earth! Immediately after Subuh we were off since the sun is up by 5.30am anyway. The temperature was not too bad early in the morning and we started our hike with the map,paper and GPS coordinates!
The route was not too bad eventhough initially we were unsure of things but when you have given the number, just follow it and janganlah memandai2! haha The track was not too bad and the climb was alright because from the starting point we were already up by 300m. I can imagine if it was in spring, the wildflowers will be all over and the dry small river would have had a stream to show off. We ad few good views during the trek and i must say this is the reason why I like hiking upwards!

 We arrived at the peak safe and sound after few "bluffs" and Syafiq was imagining the Bluff Knoll trick getting at us again! haha The peak was not so great as there were bushes around it making it as typical of Semenanjung's peaks.However, achieving the goal was satisfactory and Yup.. we did it! Soon we'll be offering Guide services to bring up to these hills around Perth :)

A new term

After last weeks adventure, I'm a bit off course this week . After reaching the peak, i am a bit lost of things that I want to do during my free weekends. Of course, I have a higher peak to reach in Australia but that plan is a bit difficult to execute because of the impossible logistics.Reaching the highest peak in Aussie will be the highlight of my outdoors this year!Ok lets trace back where I've been so far. I'm pretty familiar with Perth and its surroundings, done a number of small scale bushwalks, heavily involved in road cycling ( should see the stuffs i've bought so far! inilah bahana ebay!) I've been to Kalgoorlie, South West ..hmm.. maybe later I should go up north : a visit to Port Hedland? Apparently there is a big malay community there and it would be interesting to see who they are! However, i reckon it'll be wiser to go there during the winter months rather than in summer.

February will mark the end of my first half of my tenure in Perth. Its quite sad to know that few of my fellow SRs will be leaving and they are the really cool ones:) Its interesting to work in an environment with colleagues from Europe, States and of course from back home! Its an experience which I will definitely use when I'm back home. This week will be the transition week for them and for me as well as I move into Simulation. I guess that will be the bulk of my blogging in the coming months - being a part of a renowned Simulation training centre. It'll be cool to mix around with fellow professionals from different departments - A definite shareabouts of what life is in other fields here.

And today- a good rest by Cottsloe beach after cycling from Perth was a definite example how I will really miss WA when my term is up!

Crazy weekend in Toolbrunup and Bluff Knoll

 This is my 2nd attempt at blogging this and I don't what happened to the first post! Suddenly it just went blank! haha I guess I cannot give too much detail about the trip I had last weekend ; as how all WA's wonders are hidden for people to discover.2012 has certainly been promising as I've been doing really enjoyable things so far and a life that I've always wanted to live!
I had an excellent weekend in Stirling Range National Park - just an hour from Albany down South.WA is generally flat with majoritily the outback but there is a national treasure hidden from everybody down there - and I am glad that I've managed to seize the moment. It was unplanned as I had this hunch to go climbing - saw my posts of 2011 and discovered how appauling that I did not climb anything last year! There were few planned but all had to be cancelled due to my departure to Perth.
I advertised my intention to climb both of this in the GEBA GEKA FB page and had a wonderful response from the enthusiast.. thus terlahirlah.. GEBU ( Geng Bukit! ) Syafiq - final year Geology student in Curtin, Farida - phD student in UWA and Anisa, my anaesthetic FANZCA mate from Fremantle. Alhamdulillah , we clicked and I guess had one of the best moments of our lives! The team was awesome and i could not have had other climbing mates!

 Climbing the 2 highest peak in the South WA was a purely junkie satisfaction for me. Toolbrunup (1052m) had the steepest and difficult trek. It was not easy to usher the newbies but with their perseverance, we all achieved the goal together! And the view.. Masya Allah.. most excellent.. can't wish anything less I guess! Bluff Knoll (1098m)was a more popular commercialised trek (like Kinabalu) and reaching the top can be a mental breaking session! Again, it was damn good to be up there!
Thank you to my team mates, it was certainly a very rewarding climb and experience in organizing it!

                                           top of Toolbrunup

                                          Emu Bay, Albany - waiting for Ray the giant Manta-ray!

                                          flying on air !

                                                     Top of Bluff Knoll!

Teringin nak jadi DJ?

Radio Melayu Perth is ran by the Malay Association of Western Australia for more than 19 years. It is an hour slot running on 95.3 FM from 9pm to 10pm on Saturday evenings. It is in fact part of the multilingual radio serving Perth's population which would cater to their riginal ethnicity. For more info and what else is on or if you wanna have a listen 6eba radio !
I've met Tuan Kamarulzaman , the main DJ since its inception many years ago during the 1Malaysia bicycle ride late October. We had a chat on many things and he did invite me to join their team for the weekly schedule.It was something that i thought to be really interesting and one of the many things that I've always wanted to do! However, work commitments as well as family visits during the past few months had limited my Saturday nights to be dedicated for this activity.
However, since it is 2012 I've decided to give him a call and perhaps join his team. Of course, he was more than happy to have me on board and there I was in a radio station conti for the very first time.
I met a few others, who themselves Australians and had been here for more than 10 years. I had my go as well talking and at the same time being broadcasted! Haha And my induction song just had to be Untukmu Feminin!! hahaha
It was an interesting experience and I hope to be a regular Saturday DJ with my own slot. So wait for me ah.. ( For those out of Aussie, bule je streaming on the net, We're Digital! )

Up baby up!

 Had my first introductory session of wall climbing with Hanif, a friend of mine in Perth. He managed to secure earlier through the discount vouchers - a real good bargain for 5 sessions in this climbing gym near to my place.(Rockface Northbridge).This is one of those things where I've always wanted to have a go but never had the time and money to do so back home.
Both of us were there when it opened at 10am today. I was a bit intimidated by the crowd but I discovered a lot of them were newbies as well.It is also good to see lots of children brought by their parents to have a go at this.I reckon because it is affordable unlike back home where it can be a real question of is it wise to spend your money on this with your family.
After having my harness on, we were briefed by the staff there ; pretty simple especially on the steps to ensure safety. I guess thats why the tagline is EVERYODY CAN CLIMB!

 I did some reading before trying this - in terms of techniques and what to expect from the eyes of a beginner.Wow, its simple but not as simple as how it looks especially without the proper shoes. Im sure my technique was out as after the 3rd wall my arms were aching like hell! haha Well, i suppose its part and parcel of learning! My upper body strength is crap to start off with and it shows so much.Eventhough the technique mentioned that you are supposed to use more of your lower body, i reckon a fair amount of upper body power is needed for this activity. I'm slowly learning the linguas as well and I must say the staff here is really helpful.
Overall I enjoyed the session and am looking forward to future climbs especially to improve my reach and ability to do the wall climb.Bring it on!

Another step taken

 I missed my son's first day in school. Well, wifey did update me through text but I was not physically there.I'm lucky though with the advancement of technology, I'm able to view the pictures that were taken then. Dzaeffran is a big boy now and moving on to formal primary education.The small baby who in the first few hours of his life to be a bit dodgy, is currently leading his life. And from the pictures I received he is certainly enjoying it.
 I can still remember my first few days of standard one as well as my Agama school. It was concurrent and honestly i enjoyed it very much! I would never dream of missing school and being in the compound with the atmosphere was just electrifying! Pelik? i don't really know how to explain it but it was just so good to go to school then? Was it the teacher? was it the environment? I do hope Dzaeffran would feel as how I experienced then.
I pray for his success not just in his studies but in his life as a whole. Its the hope of any parent to see their offspring thrive and be successful.
Learn all that you can my son; find your own pathway and may Allah guide you.:)

2012 and beyond!

Its 2012 already and I'm blogging my entry for this new year today. Its public holiday today and i was working day shift yesterday on New Year's day.( Something very typical as long as i can remember!) Syukur Alhamdulillah that I'm blogging this from my temporary shelter in another country; which I would never have thought to do at the start of 2011.
I've always made New Year resolution blog each year except for 2011; not too sure was it the hectic schedule of life & work or simply "blog-burn out" period. Alhamdulillah again, most of my resolutions (after reading through it today) was achieved one way or another. I must thank God for making it work - though sometimes the results were totally not of what you planned for.
My biggest achievement in 2011 would be probably my success in reducing my weight! haha Eventhough it started off with a health scare rather than a weight reducing regime, I am able to maintain that momentum and Insya-Allah living a healthy lifestyle nowadays. I'm glad my 4 kids is growing up with time; eventhough I've been apart from them for the last 4 months.Dzaeffran will be starting his primary school in SKBJ tomorrow and I'm a little bit excited to see how he will endevour thi new adventure.I pray that his learning (not just academics but about life) would develop and grow; despite the worries in what is happening in Malaysia at the moment.
Lets see what 2012 has in store for us. I may have few surprises under my sleeves but God has his qada' & qadar for me :)

New Year Eve's ride

It was an ad hoc planned i had with Adly. He has not ridden his bike for a very long time. He told me about his scenic route that he used to do. I thought I should do it especially something different on the eve of 2012.
Indeed it was a beautiful route just beside the Swan River all the way to East Fremantle. It was a leisurely ride and I'm sure to have another go at this route again.It was a good evening ride to sort of muhasabah what has transpired in 2011; achievements and dissapointments.. as well as the happy thoughts. And of course, another eye opener to see what the future holds.