SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW TERENGGANU FOOD

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Labels: Quiz, Terengganu Food

BREAKFAST CLUB AGAIN

A group of RTM veterans met again today for the monthly breakfast. The venue was SA Marrakech Bangsar. We had 2 Dato' and many grandfathers. We welcomed for the first time Dato' Ahmad Merican, Tuan Hj. Ismail Hashim and Tuan Hj. Tamimuddin Karim. Dato' Ahmad Merican (left) our former Head of Entertainment had a big hand in the setting up of many of the private TV stations in the country. He still has not given up music. I asked about his granddaughter who used to read this blog.
Tuan Hj. Ismail Hashim was my immediate boss in Kuala Terengganu. His current hobby now is globe-trotting. He has never stepped foot in Angkasapuri after retirement and we were honoured that he joined us today.
Hj. Tamimuddin(right), a newsman at heart, retired as RTM's Deputy Director-General. He loved news so much that he came back after retirement to help edit the news for a while.
As usual we passed the hat round to pay the bill. Everyone was generous even though pencen pay day is a few days away. Alhamdullillah.
Hj. Azharuddin (in red) appointed himself as the Custodian of The Cash and he gives a status report at every meeting. We ended the morning by reading the fatihah for friends departed and prayed for Noor Hashimah's speedy recovery. Attempts to organise a rombongan to visit her at Assunta Hospital failed. Old people have a full calendar too. It was decided that the visit will be made individually.
The next meeting will be for lunch(briyani gam) at SA Marrakech on the 24th of July at 12.30 pm. RTM veterans reading this and would like to join, please send me an email with your phone number.

Labels: Breakfast Club, RTM veterans

LOW TECH, HIGH ANXIETY

If you take the Federal Highway from the city and head towards Subang/Shah Alam, you will notice a Media Prima billboard just before the Amcorp Mall turnoff. It will tell you that you can watch their TV programs "come Rain or Shine". I thought that this is a very clever tagline.

If you are an ASTRO subscriber like me, you would have suffered viewes interruptus countless times in the past and most likely to suffer so in the future. You sit in front of your TV (plasma, LCD or plain CRT) watching an interesting program and suddenly the screen breaks up into incoherent pixels and the sounds of irritated mice chit-chitting you from your sound system. Then, if you are lucky, you have the program back for a few minutes before it gets interrupted again. You poke your neck out to see if it is raining. Nope. Not even "rain to chase old farts" (Hujang hambat orang tua). ASTRO called this interruption "Rain Fade", common to the Ku-Band system. I wonder what system NASA used on Galileo and Mariner space probes. I wonder too if my daughter in Saudi Arabia, where it seldom rain and the capital never gets flooded has this problem.

So looks like I have to spend money for a technician to check and/or align my dish. This is after switching my system off and on as earlier advised by ASTRO in their old copies of Astro Guide. I will be paying more for my subscription already. Now I have to choose between giving up all the interesting new programs on ASTRO and going back to terrestrial TV. In the mean time when I miss a crucial part of the program I can choose to sigh and accept the inadequacies of our technology or just invoke a curse on those responsible to have their body hairs infected by the fleas of a thousand camels.

Labels: ASTRO, rain fade

ALHAMDULILLAH

Alhamdulillah, I am back. I thank those commentators nice enough to care and prayed for my speedy recovery. Thank you and God Bless You.The cough is almost gone but the cold lingers on and I am learning how to breathe fresh air again. I am too broke to buy expensive cigarettes. Even though there are some cigars ( and Sabah cheroots) within reach, I am giving fresh air a try. Just like the Terengganu administration is trying very hard to improve its workforce.

First they locked in the servants (civil or otherwise) to prevent wastage of time at coffee-shops and warongs. Today I read about Spycams being installed to watch the servants of this Darul Iman (the state of faith). Is this another effort at improving delivery or is it related to the earlier announcement? Spycams to see who took extra sugar at the coffee corner?

Before the advent of IT, countless tok guru like Haji Awang Rusila, Hj. Mat Lito, Hj Wang Hassang and many others, when mengajo (teaching) in between prayers would tell us that God watches our every move. People of faith in the state of Darul Iman disciplined themselves as every faithful should. Even without cameras snooping on them, the faithfuls would never sneak a bite of the belebat pisang during fasting hours.

Would the spycams improve the delivery system? Would the snooping made them pay up the cost of acquiring our land? It has been more than 6 months since we agreed on the quantum and the road for which part of our land was acquired is almost ready but our money is nowhere to be seen. Would the delay be the same if the matter was related to the Monsoon Cup? Together with the publicity for the Monsoon Cup, I saw another slogan in Terengganu - "Tiada Halangan, Hanya Peluang" (No obstacles, only opportunities). Now, use your spycams to see what's holding up our payment.

Labels: Darul Iman, delivery system

SICK

There are of course many things I find sickening but they have to wait because I am very sick.
The past week, I have been horizontally inclined with a bad cough and cold (and the mandatory splitting headaches). I also cannot eat well because of bad toothaches.

It is so bad that I could not smoke.

See you when I get better. InsyaAllah.