KHAIRUL TODAY

My Beloved Father Passed Away Yesterday (Friday, 9 September 2011). This Posting Is A Tribute To Him.

2011-09-10T14:05:00.312+08:00

Photo: I Sat Down Next To The Imam During The Talqin Al-Mayyit Recital At My Father's Funeral Yesterday (Friday 9 September 2011) In Johor, South of Malaysia. According To The True Teaching Of Islam The Deceased Needs To Be Buried As Soon As Possible After Death. Hence, My Late Father Who Passed Away At 9:25am In The Morning Was Buried On The Same Day, Immediately After Friday Prayer In The Afternoon And After The Funeral Prayer Or Solat Jenazah Was Performed At My Village's Mosque. Alhamdulillah All Praises To Allah, Although Our Family Friends, Relatives And Fellow Villagers Were Given Such A Short Notice, The Funeral Was Attended By Hundreds Of Them.

Photo: My Late Father Is Shown Here In This Photo Sitting Down Alone On The Beach Enjoying Solitude During My Last Vacation With Him About One Year Ago. He Didn't Even Realize That My Wife Snapped A Photo Of Him During This Beautiful Sunset On The Beach. Looking At This Photo Is Enough To Make My Tears Drop. It Has Never Crossed My Mind That Was The Last Vacation That I Have With My Late Father. What A Sweet Memory. But Now...He Is In Alam Barzah. I Will Never Have The Opportunity To Have Such A Wonderful Time Like This With My Late Father Forever And Ever Again. Ever...

Photo: This Family Photo Was Taken 20 Years Ago In 1991. The "Hassan Muin" Family Comprises (Back, From Left) Azhari, Mahadzir, Myself (Khairul Hisham), Faizal And Also (Front, From Left) Mazlin, My Late Father (Haji Hassan), My Mother (Hajjah Rahimah) And Mahanum. I Am The Eldest Son In The Family. The Godfather Of The Family. The "Michael Corleone" Of The Family. The Protector Of The Family.

The Saddest Day of My Life

Yesterday (Friday, 9 September 2011) was the saddest day of my life. I lost my father. He passed away after suffering from chronic kidney disease and chronic diabetes. He was ill for quite some time but I never expect he would leave me forever so soon.

Last night was the worst night of my life too. All the sweet memories with my late father when I was just a small kid kept on coming and flashing through my mind like the big screen cinema. Indeed those sweet memories that have made me cry silently.

My Late Father, Bapak Tamam & Bapak Sugianto Saved My Life In 1991

In 1991 when I was studying at NCUK in Section 6 Shah Alam, I suffered from a mysterious and strange illness. Due to that illness I was not able to speak for two months although an ENT specialist in Batu Pahat Hospital has confirmed that medically, there was nothing wrong with my throat.

During those two months full of agony, I practically used sign language to communicate with my parents. My world crumbled and I felt so lonely in my own silent world. I will never forget how my late father has made every possible effort to cure me through modern medical treatment as well as traditional treatment in order to end my suffering.

Based on the advice from my former religious teacher, my father then sent me to receive a traditional treatment from a Javanese Imam (Bapak Tamam) who lived in a remote village which at that time did not have any electricity and any modern water supply. Bapak Tamam also brought me to see his friend, a religious man by the name of Bapak Sugianto who used to attend the same Muslim religious school or Pesantren with him in Java, Indonesia.

No words can describe the sense of emptiness and loneliness that I went through during that period of time. For more than 3 months I lived with the Imam in that remote village so that he could give treatment to me on daily basis until I have fully recovered from my strange illness. Bapak Tamam adopted me as his son and subsequently became my spiritual guru.

Hence, the hardship that I have endured as a result of that strange illness has shaped my new personality. A new Khairul Hisham who was not easily mentally-crippled by any external factor was born. I am certainly no Hindustani movie star who would easily cry. Yes I am a no-nonsense 41 years old tough guy. However, when each of my other family members already felt asleep last night, my tears flowed silently down my face. In the darkness of a sad and lonely night, all the sweet memories that I had with my late father especially when I was just a small kid has made me sobbing silently. The truth is I simply can't stop my tears.

Photo: This Is My 17 Years Old Eldest Daughter (Intan Nur Farhana Khairul Hisham). Among The 17 Grandchildren That My Late Father Has, She Was The Closest To Him. She Is The Eldest And The First Grandchild Of My Late Father. Thus, As The 'Pengerusi of Cucu-Cucu Haji Hassan Muin' She Has A Special Place In My Late Father's Heart.

Photo: This Is My 15 Years Old Second Daughter (Intan Nur Qistina Khairul Hisham). She Was Also Very Closed With My Late Father. She Was The One Who Cried The Most. She Can't Stop Her Tears From Flowing Down Her Cheeks Each And Every Time The Sweet Memory With My Late Father Flashes Through Her Mind .

The Last Request For Help From My Late Father

About 15 hours before he passed away, my late father had a short conversation with me at the hospital. He was perfectly conscious at that time although for the past one month he was lying down on the bed 24 hours a day. He looked pale, very tired, very weak but very calm.

He looked very deeply into my eyes and uttered these words:
(Since I am the eldest son, he addressed me as 'Long')
"Long, please help me, Long..."
I immediately replied him softly but firmly:
"Alright Abah...Of course I will help you..What kind of help that you need from me, Abah? You can tell me now..."
He responded:
"Please help me spiritually"

I knew that at that time he was talking to me in my capacity as his eldest son. He mentioned very clearly the word 'spiritually'. So I slowly and softly guided him to recite a few Zikir (Islamic religious chanting) that I have learned from my spiritual guru. He recited the Zikir repeatedly. I listened attentively to the chant of his Zikir to make sure the pronunciation was correct. I also corrected him when he made mistakes. I then explained to him the meaning of that Zikir because the original verses were all in Arabic. I really wanted him to recite the Zikir with the full knowledge of its meaning in Malay language. While uttering the Zikir repeatedly, he held and caressed my hand lovingly. Little did I know that 15 hours later he would pass away..

Photo: This Is The Photo Of My Daughters, Intan Nur Farhana (Right) And Intan Nur Qistina (Left) When They Were Just 6 And 4 Years Old. Actually When They Were At That Age, My Parents Were Living Together With Me And My Wife In The Same House. Hence, Both Of Them Were Very Closed With My Late Father. Unfortunately, It Was Fated That When My Father Breathed His Last They Were Not At His Bedside Because Both Of Them Were Schooling At An Islamic Boarding School In Kelantan.

My Late Father Was A 'Fighter'

My late father has battled many types of illnesses throughout his life. He has chronic diabetes, coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure and also stomach ulcer.

If my memory serves me right, my father has undergone at least 6 different surgeries throughout his life. Part of his left hand was amputated 2 months ago due to chronic diabetes. Then 5 days before Eid-Fitri celebration, he went through a stomach surgery. And about a week before that, another surgery was performed on his left knee. He also has been receiving dialysis treatment for the past 3 years.

Photo: My Late Father Used To Be A Rubber Tapper At Lam Lee Rubber Plantation. He Started Tapping The Rubber Trees As Early As 2:30am In The Wee Hours Of The Morning When Everybody Else In The Village Was Still Sleeping Comfortably In Their Beds, Much Earlier Than The Other Fellow Rubber Tappers Because He Took Two Different Designated Tapping Areas Or "Lots" In Order To Get More Income For Our Big Family.

I Still Remember...

I still remember when I was a kid, my late father was a rubber-tapper. He worked as a rubber tapper at Lam Lee Rubber Plantation, a big rubber plantation owned by a local Chinese rich man located about 10 kilometres from my house in a small village in Johor in south Malaysia.

Since my family is a big family (I have 3 younger brothers and 2 younger sisters), my late father obviously needed more income than his friends in the village. So, he decided to tap the rubber trees at two different designated tapping area or 'lots' within that rubber plantation estate. This left him with no choice but to start tapping the rubber trees as early as 2:30 am in the wee hours of the morning when everybody else in the village was still sleeping comfortably in their beds.

His friends normally started tapping the rubber trees at 5:30am because they only took one designated tapping area at that Lam Lee Rubber Plantation. The reason he has to start his work earlier because every rubber tapper has to finish tapping all the trees in the respective designated area roughly by 11am so that everybody can gather at the processing centre by that time to help each other to process the sticky and milk-coloured latex sap collected.

This determined father-of-six started tapping rubber trees as early as 2:30am early morning to ensure that he could get an extra income to cover the living cost and education expenses of his six children. Alhamdulillah, my late father's hard work and determination has inspired all his six children to study hard and finish our tertiary education. I managed to get a law degree from the University of Sheffield in the UK and my younger brother Faizal completed his accountancy degree and MBA at Hull University also in the UK while my other four siblings graduated from University of Malaya (UM), Putra University Of Malaysia (UPM) and Science University of Malaysia (USM).

It is also still fresh in my mind that during those days most of the time my mother, my younger siblings and I would not start eating our lunch until and unless my late father has arrived home on his Yamaha old motorcycle from that Lam Lee Rubber Plantation. When I heard the sound of my late father's motorcycle engine, I knew that our lunch would be served on the table by my mother in a few minutes time although the food was ready much earlier. My late father has never made such a rule but I guess that's one of the ways my mother would like to educate her children to show our utmost respect towards our late father who was very tired tapping the rubber trees since the wee hours of the morning.

Photo: Being A Rubber Tapper, My Late Father Has Never Received Any Higher Education Certificate Etc. Hence, This 'Tokoh Ibu Bapa Mithali Daerah Batu Pahat' Award Certificate Which He Got In 2006 Was The Only Achievement Certificate He Has Ever Received In His Life. Of Course He Never Nominated Himself For This Award. Somebody Else Who Knows My Family Has Nominated Him, Without His Knowledge, To Be The Recipient Of This 'District Of Batu Pahat Exemplary Parents Award' (Tokoh Ibu Bapa Mithali Daerah Batu Pahat). The State Of Johor's Islamic Department Was The Official Organizer Of This Government Initiated Parenthood Award .

Photo: In 1975 When I Was A 5 Years Old Kid, There Was Not A Single Muslim Kindergarten In The Nearby Town. This Simply Means My Late Father Had No Choice But To Send Me To St. Stephen Kindergarten Which At That Time Was Located Inside An Anglican Church In Yong Peng (Photo-Above). Although My Late Father Was Just A Villager, He Was Very Determined To Send Me To A Kindergarten So That I Could Receive My Early Childhood Education.

I Still Remember...

I still remember although my late father was just a rubber tapper, he was very determined to ensure all his children would be able to get an early childhood education. During those days when I was a 5 years old kid, there was no government-funded kindergarten such as Tadika Kemas or Islamic kindergarten such as Pusat Asuhan Tunas Islam (Pasti). Thus, he sent me to the St Stephen Kindergarten in Yong Peng which was run and owned by the St. Stephen Anglican Church. The year was 1975.

Naturally, being a devout Muslim community, some of the neighbours in my small village condemned him for sending his 5 years old kid to a church just to get an early education. Most of the villagers at that time did not even bother to send their children to a kindergarten. For them, their children's education process only starts at 7 years old when they send their children to the government primary school. But not for my late father. He wanted me to receive an excellent education right from the beginning.

Although 99.9% Of The Time My Late Father Used Javanese Language To Communicate With My Mother, He Wanted Me To Be Proficient In English!

Besides having no other choice, the other reason that he sent me to a Christian kindergarten was because he wanted me to start learning the global accepted language, the English language from a very young age. It is interesting to note that although 99.9% of the time my late father communicated with my mother in Indonesian Javanese language (not even in Bahasa Malaysia), he perfectly aware that mastering English language is very important for my future career. In hindsight, I think I did not disappoint him because being a law degree holder from a British university certainly makes me the best English speaker in my village.

Well...without trying to talk big, my fellow respectable Javanese wise old men in my village such as Wak Tumiran, Wak Mijan, Wak Leman and Wak Dakim are certainly no match for me when it comes to English communication skills. Forget about the Yorkshire accent English, Scottish accent or Queen's English. Even if they use their Javanese accent English, they would still struggle for 7 days and 7 nights to speak one complete sentence in proper English. No offence please. Just kidding. Anyway, the credit goes to my late father who has made efforts to ensure that I could master English language slowly but surely since my kindergarten time...

Photo: My Late Father Has Initiated A kind Of 'Bonuslink' Reward System For Me And My Younger Siblings. Each Time When We Got No 1 Or 2 In The Class Examination Or The Highest Mark In Any Subject, He Would Bring Us To A Nearby Town For A Satay Dinner Treat. He Inspired Me Long Before The Existence Of Malaysian Prominent Motivational Experts Such As Dr Fadzilah Kamsah And Dr Shukri Abdullah. My Late Father Was Also Very Proud When In 1987 I Became The Head Prefect Of MRSM Muar, Which Was One Of Four Top Government Boarding Schools In The State Of Johor. And No Doubt I Was On Cloud Nine When I Won The MARA Chairman Cup Debate Competition At National Level In 1985. Then When I Represented The State Of Johor In National Young Scientist Award Competition In 1987 And Subsequently Managed To Get The Second Runner-Up Position At Malaysia National Level, My Late Father Was Speechless And So Happy. What A Sweet Memory...

I Still Remember...

I still remember my late father has initiated my family's very own 'Bonuslink' type of reward system long time ago when I was still in primary school. The system was very simple. Each time when my siblings and I have managed to get the first or second position in the class during our school examinations, we were sort of like collecting points that entitled us to follow him to Batu Pahat, a town which is located 27 kilometres from my small village, for a satay dinner treat.

I still remember all the sweet memories when my late father brought me to Batu Pahat for that wonderful satay dinner because when I was in SRK Yong Peng primary school (morning class) and Sekolah Agama Seri Yong Peng (afternoon class) I always got number 1 or 2 position in the class during the examinations.

And during my secondary school in MRSM Muar, I also got number 1 position in my class (Fairuz '83 Homeroom) in the semester exams from Form 1 until Form 5. I was also the Best Student of MRSM Muar in SRP examinations. There were also many times I have managed to get the highest mark in a couple of subjects at the college level in MRSM Muar.

Yes, you are right, all of these were just small and past glories which absolutely mean nothing now. But these small and past glories remind me of the so-called "Bonuslink Satay Dinner" reward system that my late father has initiated as a tradition in my family to motivate me and my younger siblings to do well in my study.

My late father was also very proud when in 1987 I became the Head Prefect of MRSM Muar, which was one of four top government boarding schools in the state of Johor (the other three were Sekolah Menengah Sains Muar, Sekolah Menengah Sains Kluang and Sekolah Tun Fatimah). And no doubt I was on cloud nine when I won the MARA Chairman Cup debate competition at national level in 1985. Then when I (together with my MRSM Muar project team members Rushdan Hamzah, Pang Poh Yee and Dina Talib) represented the state of Johor in National Young Scientist Award Competition in 1987 and subsequently managed to get the second runner-up position at Malaysia national level, my late father was speechless and so happy. What a sweet memory...

I still remember the joy that I felt when my late father brought me to Batu Pahat to have that satay dinner after I have collected my 'Bonuslink-type' of points by doing well in my exams. This sweet memory really makes my tears silently flow as I am writing this blog. I was just a small 7 years old kid when he started this very motivating reward system in my family.

Perhaps I could say that the great excitement in my heart throughout the journey to Batu Pahat town when my late father brought me there for my first ever satay dinner treat more than 30 years ago in 1977 was akin to the feeling of a modern day kid flying on the Malaysian Airlines plane en route to Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Perhaps.

Satay dinner was considered a luxury at that time by me and my siblings who were just small kids and children of a rubber tapper. Furthermore, at that time there was no KFC, no Pizza Hut, no Kenny Rogers whatsoever in the nearest small town. Starbucks? Not even in my wildest dreams. Stars in the pitch dark night sky, yes. But Starbucks, nope.

Yes, no doubt that my late father was just a rubber tapper. However, the fact remains that he was such a great motivator to me. During the dinner, my late father would advice and motivate me to continue doing well in my study. He inspired me long before the existence of Malaysian prominent motivational experts such as Dr Fadzilah Kamsah and Dr Shukri Abdullah. Thank you Abah...

Photo: Although My Late Father Has Never Received Any Formal Higher Education And Was Just A Villager, He Used To Be A Berita Harian Newspaper's Part Time Reporter Or Stringer. During Those Days (In The 70s, 80s & 90s) There Were A Couple Of Times That The News Or Article Written By My Father Were Published In The Front Page Of Berita Harian. One Of The News Regarding A Runaway Daughter Written By My Late Father Has Somehow 'Hypnotised' The Teenage Girl To Return Home To Her Grieving Mother At Kampung Seri Sepakat, Chaah!

I Still Remember...

I still remember when I was a small kid I could hear the sound of an old typewriter in the middle of the night. No, it was not the sound of a haunted typewriter. Actually as a part time reporter of Berita Harian, my late father would normally type his writing or article in the middle of the night after all of his small children have gone to bed.

Although my late father was just a rubber tapper, I must say he was a talented writer too. My late father has never received any formal education in journalism but this did not stop him from being a part-time journalist or a stringer for Berita Harian newspaper in the '70s, '80s and '90s and also Harian Metro newspaper in the '90s.

The reason he became a part time reporter because he wanted to get an extra income to support our big family. The income as a rubber tapper was simply not enough to feed six energetic kids. The payment from Berita Harian that he received for each news published in the newspaper actually helped to raise the family.

All his writings that were published in Berita Harian newspaper were nicely cut and kept by him in his personal drawer. I myself saw there were many times that his news or writings were published in the front page of Berita Harian in the '70s & '80s and in Harian Metro in the early '90s. Sometimes he used his real name 'Hassan Muin' but there were times when he also used his pseudonyms 'Azharihassan' or 'Hassanulmuin'.

As a part time journalist, I came to know that there were two things that could make him happy. The first one was when his writing appeared at the front page of the newspaper. The other one was when he got a byline. He told me one of the greatest satisfactions for a journalist is when there is a byline on the top of the news which states the name of the reporter. During those days not every single news printed on newspaper came with a byline which is traditionally placed between the headline and the text of news. Only selected few interesting news that qualified to get a byline.

Perhaps some of my MRSM Muar ex-school mates still remember that my late father was the journalist who wrote an article about Miss Niki, an Australian teacher who used to teach at MRSM Muar. I remember reading that article which was published in Berita Harian together with Miss Niki's photo wearing beautiful Malaysian traditional Kebaya.

Photo: My Late Father Is Shown Here Receiving PIS Medal (Pingat Ibrahim Sultan) From The Previous Sultan of Johor, Almarhum Sultan Mahmud Iskandar Al-Haj For His Contribution To The Society. My Father Was Just An 'Ahli Politik Kampung' (Small Village Leader) And This PIS Medal Is Just A 'Small' Medal, But I Can Still Recall He Was Very Happy, Proud & Grateful To Allah That He Was Given The Honour To Receive This Medal From The Sultan Of Johor At His Majesty's Palace.

Photo: My Late Father Used His Old Typewriter To Do Two Things. Firstly, To Write News & Article For Berita Harian As a Part Time Newspaper Reporter And Secondly To Render Assistance To His Fellow Villagers, Free Of Charge, By Drafting And Typing Official Letters To Government Departments And Many Other Government-Related Documentation For Them. Well...My Late Father Maybe Not 'The Special One' Like Jose Mourinho But For His Fellow Villagers In My Small Village He Was Considered As The 'Educated One' Because He Knew How To Make Good Use Of This Old Typewriter!

I Still Remember...

I still remember the time when my late father became an unofficial consultant to his fellow villagers pertaining to any administrative matters such as filling up government department's form, college admission application forms, drafting official letters to government departments and many other government-related documentation works.

I think the main reason why his fellow villagers consulted him for those matters was due to the fact that my late father could write relatively well as compared to them. Hence, he was the best person for his fellow villagers to seek help concerning documentation matters.

Majority of his fellow villagers were not highly educated. They were just rubber-tappers and farmers. My father was seen by his peers in the village as the most 'educated' one simply because he could write well and he owned a typewriter! Well...he maybe not 'The Special One' like Jose Mourinho but he was considered as the 'Educated One' by his fellow rubber tappers in my small village.

The consultation was done during the night time but there was no electricity yet in my village during those days in the '70s. This however did not deter my late father from using his old typewriter to help his fellow villagers by typing and drafting documents for them.

Although I was just a small kid at that time, I could see those who came to our house to seek help from my late father would leave our house with satisfaction, often with completely-filled documents or forms in their hand. And my late father has never charged them for the service, not even a single cent.

In 1996, my father was awarded PIS Medal (Pingat Ibrahim Sultan) during the birthday of the previous Sultan of Johor, Almarhum Sultan Mahmud Iskandar Al-Haj at his majesty's palace. This PIS Medal is just a mere 'small' medal as compared to the other types of medal awarded by the Sultan of Johor in Malaysia. However, this morning when I saw his nicely framed photo at the wall of my parents house which shows the late Sultan pinned the PIS medal on my late father's chest, I could see from his face that that was one of the greatest moments in his life!

Photo: I Must Confess When It Comes To Malaysian Politics, My Late Father And I Belong To Two Different Political Parties. I Am A Loyal Supporter Of Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), An Opposition Islamic Party In Malaysia While My Late Father Used To Be The Village Branch Head Of UMNO, The Party That Has Been Ruling Malaysia For The Past 54 Years. However, Unlike Some Grassroots Party Members Of Both UMNO And PAS Who Could Be Very Emotional And Confrontational, I Have Certainly Never Heard My Father Hurling Any Hurtful Words Or Used Abusive And Foul Language When Articulating His Political Party Stance Or When Criticizing PAS. Never.

I Still Remember...

I still remember that my father used to be the village Branch Head of UMNO party. He was just an 'Ahli Politik Kampung' (Small Village Politician) but for at least two terms he was successfully elected as one of the UMNO Committee Members at Divisional level in the '80s. During those two terms he was also elected to be one of the delegates representing his division to attend the ruling party UMNO Annual General Assembly at national level in Kuala Lumpur. If I am not mistaken during those days the UMNO AGM was held at Hotel Merlin because there was no PWTC building yet.

I must confess that I am a loyal supporter of the Malaysian Islamic opposition party, Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). Although my late father knew that both my Kelantanese wife and I staunchly supported the opposition PAS party, he has never provoked us by bashing PAS emotionally. I must say he was indeed an open-minded UMNO supporter.

Unlike many other grassroots conservative UMNO members in the village who were always very defensive and emotional in defending the Malaysian government policies, I never recall any occasion that my late father, being a hardcore UMNO loyalist, getting emotional and confrontational when articulating his political party stance or when criticizing the opposition PAS party.

Even went he visited my father-in-law in Kelantan (who is a die-hard supporter of PAS), I saw my father always try to be very diplomatic the moment any current national political issues cropped up during the discussion with my father-in-law and my other Kelantanese brother-in-laws.

I have certainly never heard my father hurling any hurtful words or used abusive and foul language against his opponents from the Islamic PAS party. My father was only interested in promoting the features and benefits of having UMNO party as the ruling party in Malaysia. His political themes were not ideological-based. His political propaganda or selling points were just simple things such as UMNO could bring better development to the people and some other points to that effect.

Not even once he made any unbecoming or unwarranted remarks towards his political opponents. I know this for a fact. I myself have many times tried to 'provoke' him by condemning many policies of his UMNO party while praising sky high the Islamic PAS party but he remains composed and not emotional. Indeed he treated his political opponents even at the village level with respect and dignity.

If we ask any PAS party cadre about UMNO, the general opinion would be more or less the same which is basically UMNO is a party which is so occupied with race-based issues such as Malay race rights and Malay race supremacy and not so much about Islam per se. On the other hand, it's not rocket science to deduce that a loyal die-hard supporter of UMNO will fight tooth and nail anyone who accuses UMNO of being a pure secular party and not exactly promoting Islam as the ultimate way of life and governance in Malaysia. Having said that, I observed that my late father was indeed very careful whenever he opened his mouth talking about Islam and also when he criticized PAS, the opposition Islamic party, so that all those words uttered by him were not against the akidah of Islam.

I Still Remember...

I still remember being the eldest in the family, sometimes I accompanied my late father the part time journalist to search for news to be sent to Berita Harian newspaper. In the evening after he has finished his work tapping the rubber trees, my late father would go on-the-field searching for sources of news. And then during the night time, by using his old typewriter he would write-and-write-and-write until he satisfied that whatever article that he has written was newsworthy to be sent to Berita Harian newspaper.

One day I accompanied him to visit a distraught couple at Kampung Seri Sepakat, a small village about 15 kilometres from family's house in Johor, who asked for my father's assistance to write a story to be published in Berita Harian about how helpless and miserable their life were when their daughter ran away from home with an Indonesian foreign worker. With tears flowed non-stop from her eyes, the mother of the runaway teenager expressed her great hope that her daughter would read the news that my late father wrote in Berita Harian. This grieving mother wanted her daughter to realize how devastated her parents were by her action running from home just because she thought she was the Juliet for her Romeo Indonesian lover.

Indeed I consider my late father as an unsung hero when that missing daughter eventually came back home to her grieving mother. She told her mother that after reading the news in Berita Harian written by my late father about her running away from home, she felt that as if all the people around her were fully aware about this matter and were looking for her too.

She felt uncomfortable and scared all the time after the news appeared in the newspaper. She was also somehow 'hypnotised' by the way my father described the sorrow of her mother in his writing. Thus, she made a decision to return to her parents. What a happy ending for that family...

My Late Father Himself Has Never Experienced The Love Of A Father

I consider myself as fortunate to have a father like my late father, Haji Hassan Bin Muin. Unfortunately my late father himself has never experienced the love of a father throughout his entire life because his father i.e my paternal grandfather passed away about 4 months before my late father was born in 1939. My paternal grandfather, Haji Muin Bin Ali was a Naib Kadhi and Imam in my small town in 1920s.

My Late Father's "Final Night" With My Mother

My mother told me that on the night before my late father passed away, while lying on the hospital bed, he caressed and gently massaged my mother's hand intermittently throughout his final night in this world.

The nurses on duty also told my mother that they saw in the middle of that 'Final Night' my late father, from time to time, continued massaging my mother's hand and caressing her hair lovingly while my mother was sleeping on the chair next to my late father's hospital bed. That was the last sweet memory that my parents have during their 'Final Night' together in this world.

My Priority Now, As The Eldest Son In The Family

My priority and my main focus now is to look after my 60 years old mother. As long as I am still alive I will take care my old mother. No doubt about that. I will ensure that she will stay with me. Due to career commitment, it is impossible for my five younger brothers and sisters who live in Kuala Lumpur to move to Johor in order to take care my old mother. Hence, as the eldest son I vow I will be the one who will look after my old mother until her last breath.

If I have to modify my business plan and my business modus operandi in order to ensure that I could look after my old mother on daily basis, so be it. Indeed there is no business venture that is more important than looking after an old mother.

I am grateful to Allah that although I am normally in overseas, on the day when my father passed away I was the first person to arrive and hug my old mother. As the eldest son I was also involved in washing and bathing my late father's body as well as conducting the funeral prayer for him.

My Special Thanks To My Beloved Wife

Actually one of the main reasons my wife previously did not accompany me when I was doing my business in Manchester, Khartoum, Kathmandu and Jakarta was that she voluntarily wanted to look after my ill father and my old mother so that I could focus on developing my consultancy business in overseas.

My wife was the person who has patiently looked after my ill father and my old mother when I was in overseas. In other words, my wife became the eyes and ears of me. On daily basis she would update me on what's happening to my parents when I was away. She brought my late father to the dialysis centre to undergo his dialysis treatment 3 times a week for the past 3 years.

All this while my wife was also the person who drove my parents to any destination that they wished to go, whether to buy groceries, or to the clinic or to visit our relatives. Although my wife is just a daughter-in-law, she with her kind heart has really devoted her time to take care my ill late father and my old mother.

Due to their career commitment, all my younger brothers and sisters have no choice but to live in the big cities (four of them in Kuala Lumpur and one in Abu Dhabi) which are far away from my old mother who is living in our family house in a small village in Johor. Thus, without any slightest of doubt they are indeed very thankful to my wife for her noble sacrifice.

Even almost all the people living in my small village know about my wife very commendable attitude towards her parents-in-law who are my late father and old mother. For that, I must say to my beloved wife: "Thank you so much my dear wife. You are everything to me. You are my heart. My nyawa. My ratu hatiku. My angel. My sunshine!"

That Day Will Never Come...

Until the day I die I will never forget what my late father have told me in the hospital. He said: "Later after I am discharged from this hospital, one day I would like to go to your house to spend time with you to learn more about all the Zikir that you have guided me to recite just now"

When I kissed my late father's face for the very last time before it was wrapped in a white cloth which served as the shroud, I finally accepted the reality that that day will never come...

Good Bye Abah...Till We Meet Again At Padang Mahsyar On The Day Of Judgment, Insya-Allah.

Al-Fatihah For My Beloved Late Father, Haji Hassan Bin Haji Muin. Al-Fatihah...

"Ya Allah Tuhan Yang Maha Pengasih..., Kasihanilah Ayah Saya, Hassan Bin Muin Sebagaimana Beliau Mengasihi Saya Semasa Saya Kecil"

"Ya Allah Tuhan Yang Maha Pengampun..., Ampunkanlah Dosa-Dosa Ayah Saya, Hassan Bin Muin"

"Ya Allah Tuhan Yang Maha Penyayang..., Cucurilah Rahmat Ke Atas Roh Ayah Saya, Hassan Bin Muin"

"Ya Allah Tuhan Yang Maha Memperkenankan..., Tempatkanlah Roh Ayah Saya, Hassan Bin Muin Di Kalangan Roh Orang-Orang Yang Beriman"

"Ya Allah Tuhan Yang Maha Pemurah..., Jadikanlah Alam Kubur Ayah Saya, Hassan Bin Muin Satu Taman Dari Taman-Taman Syurga"

"Ya Allah Tuhan Yang Maha Menghendaki..., Lepaskanlah Ayah Saya, Hassan Bin Muin Dari Siksaan Kubur"

"Ya Allah Tuhan Yang Maha Berkuasa..., Permudahkanlah Urusan Hisab Ayah Saya, Hassan Bin Muin Di Padang Mahsyar Nanti"

"Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin..."

Jakarta-Valentine's Day-Luna Maya-Cyber Khalwat

2011-02-13T09:59:00.156+08:00

Photo: Beautiful Monumen Nasional or "Monas" During Night Time. Located At Jalan Medan Merdeka Jakarta Pusat, Monas Is A Must See Attraction For Tourist Visiting Beautiful Jakarta. Oops!...What Does Jakarta Have? Monas. What Does Malaysia Have? Mona Fendy.

Photo: This Is A Pretty Javanese Pencak Silat Lady. Indeed. But Gentlemen.., Don't You Dare To Break Her Heart. Because If You Do, She Will Break Your Neck Or Break Your Hand Or Break Your Leg Or Break Your Nose Or Break Your Hairs. You Name It. And...The Scariest Part Is She Definitely Can Break Your "Dotdotdot" Too By Using Her "Jurus Pangeran Majapahit" Or Her Bare Hands In Just 3 Seconds! 1..2..3...It's Broken! Oh Mamma Mia!

Photo: "Monumen Pancasila Sakti" Is Located At Lubang Buaya Near Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force Base. The Monument Consists of "Museum Of PKI Treason" (34 Dioramas Showcasing Alleged Brutality Committed By Partai Komunis Indonesia Or "PKI"), Sacred Pancasila Museum (9 Dioramas Of The Events Pre-And-Post Failed PKI Coup) And Also A Well-Preserved 50 Years Old Building In Which The kidnapped Generals Were Allegedly Tortured (You Can See A Life-Sized Diorama Of The Said Torture There) And Also A PKI Command Post. I've Been There 3 Times But I Still Want To Go There Again. It's Mystical & "Keras" Place. When I Performed My Dzuhur Prayer At The Musholla There, I Felt There Were A Few Invisible People Praying Behind Me. No Kidding. Goosebumps? Nope. "Elephantbumps" Indeed. This Monument Honouring 6 Indonesian Generals & 1 Lieutenant Killed By Communist On 30 September 1965. The Generals Were General Ahmad Yani, General Parman, General Panjaitan, General Suprapto, General Siswomiharjo, General Haryono And Lieutenant Pierre Andreas Tendean. Phew...Alhamdulillah There Was No General Khairul Hishamono!

WELCOME NOTE!

Welcome back to my blog. I have so many stories to tell you about my latest venture in Jakarta but in my today's posting I'm not going to write about my interesting stories in Jakarta. That topics will be for my next week blog-posting.

Today I will write about Malaysian Islamic Development Department's (Jakim) directive on Valentine's Day, about the so-called "khalwat" via internet" and about Dato' Siti Bahyah's comments in YouTube linking Christianity with vices in a sermon about Valentine’s Day

I'M NOW SETTING-UP MY BRANCH IN JAKARTA. I USED TO WORK IN JAKARTA IN 1998

By the way, I was already in Jakarta since 10 August 2010. Jakarta is not a new city for me because way back in 1998 I had the experience of working and living in Jakarta together with my wife and my children before we "ran away" from Jakarta due to chaotic conditions after President Suharto resigned. That was 12 years ago.

But my mission this time is to set-up my own Indonesian incorporated company which runs my branch here in Jakarta.

Photo: President General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) Is The Son Of Bapak Raden Soekotjo And Ibu Siti Habibah From Tremas, A Village In Arjosari, Pacitan, East Java. Despite Wikileaks Revelation (As Reported In Sydney Morning Herald & The Age Australia Newspapers On 11 March 2011) About President SBY's Alleged Corrupt Practices, I Still Believe He Is The Cleanest President In Indonesian History. He Won The Presidential Direct Election With A Landslide 61% Popular Votes In 2009. Nonetheless, Nowadays He Is Heavily Criticized For Being Slow And Indecisive. I Call This: "Abdullah Badawi Syndrome"! And Not Only That...He Is Also Perceived By Many Indonesians That I've Personally Talked To As A Leader With No Real Vision & Mission Who Spends His Precious Time More On "Curhat" Here And "Curhat" There. Well...Another Clear Symptom of "Abdullah Badawi Syndrome"!

MY CONSULTANCY SERVICES

My company is still providing the same nature of consultancy business, which are:
(1) Consultancy on "Doing Business in Malaysia"
(2) Consultancy on "Doing Business in Jakarta" NEW
(3) Consultancy on "Malaysia My Second Home"
(4) Consultancy on "Malaysian Higher Education"
(Represents UIA, MMU, Unisel and other universities)

NEWLY INTRODUCED SERVICE (THE 4TH SERVICE)

I always believe it is better to have 4 different consultancy services than 4 different wives :-) Hence, recently I introduced my company's 4th services for my JAKARTA BRANCH only which is "CONSULTANCY ON DOING BUSINESS IN JAKARTA". Under this new 4th service, my company offers to do an A to Z complete task for any Malaysian or foreign businessmen who wish to set-up their operation in Jakarta. It is a complete package from business viability study right until the search for their accommodation.

Photo: Barack & Michele Obama Visited Istiqlal Grand National Mosque In Jakarta On 10 November 2009. Michelle Obama Wore The Hijab During That Trip. And From The Photo We Can Clearly See The President Padded Round In His Socks While Michelle Also Removed Her Shoes As Another Sign Of Respect In The Place of Worship. Both Obama & Michelle Strolled Along A Carpet Laid Across The Courtyard. The Macho Indonesian Man In The Photo Is None Other Than The Grand Imam Ali Mustafa Yaqub. By The Way, Obama Used To Live At Menteng Dalam, Jakarta For 4 Years In 1967. So, During His Public Lecture At Universitas Indonesia On 10 November 2010 He Spoke In Bahasa Indonesia: "Pulang Kampung Nih". He Also Impressed The Audience When He Said: "Sate, Baso, Saya Ingat Pedagang Keliling Itu Selalu Berteriak Sateee! Basoooo!..Enak Ya". Perhaps It's Worth Mentioning That President Barack Obama's Step Father Was Bapak Lolo Soetoro, An Indonesian Muslim..

MY "BONUS" SERVICE. FOR MEN ONLY!!

And....here comes the most exciting part. For a Malaysian Muslim man who appoints my company as their A to Z consultant for all matters concerning their Jakarta branch office set-up, I would be glad to offer them my "bonus" services, free of charge, which is to find for them a beautiful, religious, super soft-spoken Javanese or Sunda lady from Pesantren religious schools in Bogor or Sukabumi to be their wife with the following condition: That Malaysian Muslim man is still single!

If that man is only "single-at-heart" or "single-in-his-wild-imagination' but in reality he is already married in Malaysia, then he must really need to convince me that he has got at least an "implied" permission from his Malaysian wife to have a second Jakarta wife.

And one more thing...that Malaysian man should not be too ugly in order not to give other Malaysian men "bad name" among Jakarta ladies. He may not need to be as handsome as me but at least he must be deemed as "reasonably handsome" to maintain the good image of Malaysian men among Jakarta ladies.-)

Photo: Indonesian Lady Is Undoubtedly Beautiful, Sweet, Soft Spoken, Polite, Caring, "Manja" & Can Make Even A Fierce Monster Like Mike Tyson Purrs Like A Kitten. And...This Is Beautiful Indonesian Actress Inneke Koesherawati. Her Parents Come From Purworejo, Jawa Tengah. But It Goes Without Saying That My Very Own Beautiful "Inneke" Is My Wife! My Dear Wife..I'm Forever In Love With You. And Only You.

JAKARTA HUGE MARKET

Jakarta is a huge market with its 240 million Indonesian population. And out of that 240 millions, there are 24.9 million Middle Class and Upper Class Group in Indonesia (Ref: "Litbang Kompas Report" 2009).

Therefore, I have set-up an Indonesian company, "PT Pro-Versatile BTL" just to handle the marketing and operations for Indonesia huge market.

Alhamdulillah, in October 2010 officially my Indonesian subsidiary company by the name of "PT Pro-Versatile BTL" was successfully incorporated with the Indonesian Ministry of Justice (SK Kehakiman) and the Investment Coordinating Board (BPKM). Currently my Jakarta branch office is located at Sampoerna Strategic Square, Jalan Jenderal Sudirman.

My Jakarta branch office address is:
PT Pro-Versatile BTL
Sampoerna Strategic Square
South Tower 18th Floor
Jalan Jenderal Sudirman Kav 45-46
Jakarta 12930
Tel: +6221 5750923
Fax: +6221 5750803

Photo: Sampoerna Strategic Square Building

TEDIOUS PROCESS OF SETTING-UP AN INDONESIAN COMPANY

These are altogether at least eight tasks that need to be fulfilled before I manage to have my Indonesian incorporated company in Jakarta:
(1) Akta Pendirian Perusahaan (Article of Association of the Company)
(2) BPKM (Investment Coordinating Board's Approval for foreign-owned company)
(3) SK Kehakiman (Approval From Ministry of Justice)
(4) NPWP (Registration With Tax Department)
(5) TDP (Company Registration Certificate)
(6) BNRI (Berita Negara R.I Notice Announcement)
(7) Domisili (Compulsory Permission From Pak Lurah)
(8) KITAS Visa (Permission To Live & Do Business In Indonesia)

Alhamdulillah, without any hassle the Indonesian Immigration has also approved my KITAS application which is a Visa that allows me to set-up my business and live in Jakarta legally.

Photo: Having Es Durian & Delicious Ribs At Mamink Daing Tata Restaurant Located At Jalan Casablanca, Tebet, With My Brother-In-Law (Right) Who Came To Jakarta For A Vacation With My Younger Sister. Look At His Macho Face. He Has The Look Of A Typical Engineer Who Can't Part With His Gadgets And Gizmos! And...The Photo Shows Out Of Sudden He Was Staring At The Floor, As If He Saw An Indonesian Gadget "Crawling Mysteriously" On The Restaurant Floor!

What a tedious process and bureaucracy to set-up a company in Jakarta! But I still love Jakarta with all my heart. For me, Jakarta is a paradise-on-earth. No doubt about that. The people here is definitely very much more polite and very much more soft-spoken as compared to citizens of other parts of Planet Earth, the food is very delicious and the countryside panoramic and beautiful view makes my heart cries and my mind blows...

Photo: Indonesian Green Countryside. There Are Many More Villages With Panoramic Views Throughout Beautiful Indonesia. Well...If Mr M. Nasir, The Legendary Malaysian Composer Lives Here Surrounded By Mountains And Waterfalls, I Believe He Can Compose Many More Mind-Soothing Songs Better Than His "Kepada Mu Kekasih", "Nota Terakhir" Or "Keroncong Untuk Ana". Who Knows...Over Here He Can Compose "Keroncong Untuk Anta" Which Is More Touching Than "Keroncong Untuk Ana" Or Maybe "Keroncong Untuk Altantuya"! What Say You, Mr Razak Baginda? Traumatic?

MY NEXT WEEK BLOG-POSTING WILL BE MORE ABOUT JAKARTA VENTURES

My blog-writing for next week will be regarding my exciting personal experience living and doing consultancy business in Jakarta. So I will keep my Jakarta venture collection of stories and photos for my next blog posting. As for today, please me to comment on 3 issues here:

MY COMMENT ON JAKIM'S REMARKS IN THE STAR, 12 FEBRUARY 2011: "VALENTINE'S DAY SYNONYMOUS WITH VICE, JAKIM TELLS MUSLIMS"

If you read The Star, a Malaysian newspaper yesterday, 12 February 2011, under the topical heading "Valentine's Day Synonymous With Vice, Jakim Tells Muslims", the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz was quoted as saying that Valentine's Day is associated with Christianity and vice activities.

Well...I do not want to get involved in a debate whether Valentine's Day celebration is associated with Christianity or not. To my understanding, the Council of Churches of Malaysia general secretary Reverend Dr Herman Shastri has issued a statement that “Valentine's Day is a secular observance that is not celebrated religiously by churches in Malaysia or worldwide”. To know more about the history of Valentine's Day you can get the complete information at Wikipedia.

The following are my comments about Valentine's Day:
Hmmm...talking about Valentine's Day, for how many years whenever approaching 14th February, I always sent SMS to many of my Muslim friends that if celebrating Valentine would be such a never-ending big issue, why not we as a Muslim community in Malaysia create our very own one annual special day to display our affection or extraordinary pure love towards our wife, fiancee or whoever that we love passionately.

And for many times I suggested to them for the Malay Muslim why not we create our own so-called "Kassim Selamat Day", as an alternative to "Valentine's Day". Note: Kassim Selamat is character played by P.Ramlee in "Ibu Mertuaku" a 1962 film

Photo: The Legendary Kassim Selamat in "Ibu Mertuaku", a 1962 Film. By The Way, Valentine's Manifestation Of Love Is Nothing Compared To Kassim Selamat's. There Is No Way Valentine Will Ever Dare To Poke Or Dig-Out His Own Eyes With Abnormal-Sized Wooden Fork & Spoon Without The Help Of An Eye Surgeon And Without Anesthetic, Like What Kassim Selamat Did 49 years Ago! "Happy Kassim Selamat Day" Everybody!

Well...Kassim Selamat's display of pure love towards his wife, Sabariah is legendary. There is no way Valentine will ever dare to poke or dig-out his own eyes (with abnormal sized wooden fork & spoon without the help of an eye surgeon and without anesthetic) like what my Kassim Selamat did 49 years ago!

All in the name of his pure love towards Sabariah. Ralph Waldo Emerson used to say: "Let not a man guard his dignity, but let his dignity guard him". That was exactly the reason as to why Kassim Selamat did that mind boggling dare-devil stunt. Mind you...what Kassim did was not a suicide attempt which is sinful. He simply wanted to return to his "status quo" as a blind man. It is more honourable than seeing his beloved Sabariah cuddled by notorious Dr Ismadi.

Silly? Maybe. But were you born yesterday? Don't you ever know that love between a non-mentally retarded man and a non-mentally retarded woman often filled of "mad" things. Indeed.

Oh I hate Dr Ismadi, the opportunist eye-surgeon and also Nyonya Mansoor, the mother-'outlaw' of Kassim Selamat. Both of them were so 'zalim' and have never appreciated Kassim Selamat's pure love towards sweet Sabariah.

And yes you are right....tomorrow, 14th February when I wake up I will say to my wife with a lot of passion in my sweet romantic voice: "HAPPY KASSIM SELAMAT DAY to you, my dear wife!" Sound weird? You bet. But at least I am not uttering the word "Valentine". And shall we say this Kassim Selamat (the blind man "not-by default") can certainly say with authority that "Love is Blind"!

My same comment can also be read under "Comments" in Malaysia Today.
(http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/newscommentaries/38094-valentines-day-is-associated-with-christianity-and-vice-activities)

MY COMMENT ON DATO' SITI BAHYAH REMARKS: "VICES, GOING TO DISCOS AND TO BE IN REMOTE PLACE WITH A PARTNER AS CHRISTIAN TRADITION.”

Dato' Siti Nor Bahyah Mahamood’ is a Muslim preacher and motivational speaker who has appeared many times on national TV.

In a television programme aired on TV9 (actually more than than a year ago but the brouhaha only started very recently) she was claimed to link Christianity with vices in a sermon about Valentine’s Day. To be exact, she said “vices, going to discos and to be in remote place with a partner as Christian tradition.”

You can listen to the recording of her comment in YouTube is viewed by close to 100,000 visitors. And the displeasure on her remarks has been voiced out by many Christian groups in Malaysia as stated in Malaysian Insider.
(http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/church-group-seeks-muslim-preachers-apology-over-vice-link/)

Photo: Mind-Soothing Scene. Muslim Women Praying On The Main Road In Jakarta During Eid-Adha Morning Prayer. What About Road In Malaysia? Oh...That Is The Place Where The Notorious "Mat Rempits" Would Try Their Very Best To Commit Suicide With Their Fool Antics During Their Saturday Night "Non-Halal" Motorbike Racing. And When I Write "Non-Halal" I Don't Mean To Say These Young Illegal Motorbike Racers Love To Race Against Pigs Or Dogs During Their Routine Illegal Motorbike Racing On The Road Of Kuala Lumpur!

In an attempt to discourage Muslims from celebrating Valentine’s Day on February 14, Dato' Siti Nor Bahyah also presented several versions of the origin of the celebration and declared the day as a Christian festival.

The following are my comments about Dato' Siti Bahyah's remarks:

I am a "full-time" practicing Muslim and I love my religion very dearly but I can't stop whispering to my heart how wrong this Dato' Siti Nor Bahyah is. (Thank God it is not my favourite Dato' Siti Nurhaliza). Look...just because some Westerner practices pre-marital sexual relationship, "clubbing" and any other hedonistic way of life this does not simply means that Christianity as a religion teaches its followers that kind of way of life. In fact far from the truth. Far, far as far as Greek in Europe from Grik in Perak.

The same way many idiots who claim they are Muslim, yet they practice terrorism, or incite violence against their own wife, or have very rude manners, or break promises, or bomb other Muslim's mosque who is of different school of thought (like in Pakistan). Not to mention those jokers who claim they are leaders of Muslim countries, yet are so corrupt, autocratic, oppressive and cruel.

In other words, it is extremely wrong to conclude that Islam teaches all of those negative values just because some Muslims idiots practice that with no shame at all. Then by using the same logic, I honestly do not see how a wise person like Dato' Bahyah can make such an easy conclusion to link Christianity with vices. And mind you...I am a Muslim. However, it will be an insult to my intelligent mind granted by Allah if I blatantly agree with Dato' Bahyah's misleading opinion

It is a real tragedy that a learned person like Dato' Siti Bahyah can have that kind of thinking. Even my uneducated but religious Javanese aunties and uncles who are living in a small village who have never been given a chance to be in national TV channels (unlike this glamorous Dato Siti Bahyah) will never make a wrong conclusion that just because some Christians followers are alcoholic or practicing pre-marital sexual relationship then it simply means Christianity teaches all of those things.

As a matter of fact, I shook my head in disbelief for roughly 3 continuous minutes listening to the speech given by this Dato Siti Bahyah either at YouTube or during the TV programme. Simply can't belief it how easy a so-called "Researcher" or "Motivational Speaker" or "Cakaran Rimau-Making Love-Technique-Proponent" or whatever you call her, can reach a conclusion.

By the grace of Allah, I had the opportunity to live and mingle with the British Christian community in 1994 when I did my law degree in Sheffield, UK . Unlike other majority of Malay students who love to mingle most of the time with their Kelantanese, Johorean, Kedahan, Air Baloian, Taipingan or Batang Berjuntaian friends, I really mixed around with many Christian British friends when I lived in the UK while still practicing my daily Muslim routine religiously.

And let me humbly say with authority here that Dato' Siti Bahyah is very wrong to link free-marital sexual relationship, "clubbing" and any other hedonistic way of life with Christianity teaching.

On the other hand, there are so many real Christians that I met there on daily basis who were very decent human-beings, extremely polite, caring, very much against pre-marital sexual relationship and definitely were not practicing hedonistic way of life.

Oh...I can still remember the face of my neighbour when I was living in the UK, Father Bernard McGary, whom when we bumped into each other would never fail to greet me with : "How are you today my son? Are you alright my friend Khairul? Tell me my dear friend how can I really help you today?" If my memory serves me right, I hardly hear such a greeting from my felllow Muslim Imams or Ulamak. What about Dato' Siti Bahyah? Hmmm...

My same comment can also be read under "Comments" in Malaysia Today.
(http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/guest-columnists/38108-of-sin-siti-and-small-minded-men-without-sagacity)

Photo: A No-Nonsense Javanese Pencak Silat Warrior. Even John Rambo Can't Handle This Guy. Seriously. With His "Ilmu Majapahit" And "Powerful Eye-Staring", John Rambo Can't Even Move, Can't Breathe, Can't Sweat, Can't Think, Can't Cough, Can't Scream, Can't Blink His Eye, Can't Pee, Can't Smile And Also...Can't Even Cry. So How..?

MY COMMENT ON DATO' ZAWAWI REMARKS ABOUT: "BERDUAAN DI ALAM SIBER SAMA SEPERTI BERKHALWAT"

A motivational speaker Datuk Mohd Zawawi Yusoh said a man and a woman who are not married to each other and are chatting in cyberspace are akin to committing "khalwat" i.e close proximity between unmarried man and woman. It is reported here in The Star.
(http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/beritakomentar/37973-berduaan-di-alam-siber-sama-seperti-khalwat)

Photo: A Serious Discussion In Front of A Pesantren (Religious School). Khalwat? You Must Be Out Of Your Mind! No Way It Is A "Khalwat". Look Carefully At The Photo My Friend...Can't You See This Guy Purposely Broke His Hand Before Seeing This Beautiful Pesantren Lady Just Because He Wanted To Have Absolutely Zero Probability That His Hand Will Touch Or Caress The Body Of This Innocent Sweet Religious Lady! Just Kidding.

This simply means although I am in Jakarta and Manisha Koirala is in Kathmandu, both of us are deemed to be committing "khalwat" if we are chatting alone, without any third person involves throughout our chatting session, regardless whether or not I use a formal language and not romantic language during the chatting, regardless whether or not while typing at my laptop keyboard here I am using my hand gloves and not caressing Manisha Koirala's beautiful silky-skin, regardless whether or not Manisha Koirala is wearing her black Triumph's Butterfly Bra throughout the chatting session.

Photo: Maya Karin With Her Ex-Hubby, Steven Shorthose. Yes, His Surname is Shorthose But No, I Don't Think Steven's "Hose" Is Short. Yet They Have Divorced. The Moral Of The Story: It Doesn't Really Matter Whether It Is "Short" or "Long"!

GROUP SESSION? SHEESH! AN ORGY? NA'UZUBILLAH...!

So honestly speaking, what if, throughout the chatting session there is a third person involves. Let's say the third person is my sweet Maya Karin, a beautiful Malaysian-German actress. This means there are three of us are chatting together through internet, not just two persons. So it can't be "khalwat", can it? Then what should we call that one? Group Session khalwat? Sheesh!...An Orgy? Na'uzubulillah!

MY COMMENT ON KHALWAT VIA INTERNET

Photo: "Pesantren Cinta" Is All About The Beauty Of Love Based On Islamic Teaching. Look At Their Innocent Faces. But Don't You Worry My Friend...No Matter How Innocent Their Faces Are, After They Are Solemnized As Husband And Wife They Will Definitely Know How To Kiss Passionately And Make Love Romantically! In Fact More Romantic & "Hotter" Than Maya Karin, Julia Roberts Or Brad Pitt. You Don't Believe Me? Try To Find A Wife From Pesantren. You Will Be On Cloud Nine My Friend. It's Heaven On Earth! Heaven...Heaven...Heaven...

Here are my comment about Datuk Zawawi's opinion. By the way, to my non-Malaysian blog readers, I am sorry this comment is in Malay language because I originally wrote this comment to be posted under "Comments" topic at Malaysia Today in Malay language because the original news was reported in Malay language. Maybe I will translate my comment into English next week:

Adalah sangat zalim untuk menyalahkan internet sekiranya terjadi keruntuhan rumahtangga. Internet ini seperti pisau. kalau pisau itu diberi kepada Maya Karin, dia akan guna untuk memotong kek yang enak untuk saya & dia makan bersama di tepi kolam renang, sambil saya cuba nasihat-nasihatkan dia memakai Bikini Muslim agar nggak menunjukkan bentuk tubuhnya yang indah itu.

TAPI kalau pisau yang sama diberi kepada Hang Jebat, pastinya tanpa menunggu walau 3 menit pun dia akan guna pisau yang sama itu untuk mengamuk membunuh para koruptor di Putrajaya.

Begitu juga dengan "alat kelakian" seseorang, sekiranya diguna untuk melakukan persetubuhan penuh nikmat dengan isteri yang halal, malah bisa jadi IBADAT pula karena membanyakkkan umat Rasulullah S.A.W tapi "alat" yang sama pula bisa jadi LAKNAT kalau diguna untuk berzina seperti kes Ariel dan Luna Maya.

Photo: Bapak Puspo Wardoyo (The Founder of "Ayam Bakar Wong Solo" Franchise Business) With His 4 Religious & Beautiful Wives. This Is A Classic Example Whereby "Alat Kelakian" Can Be A Tool For Ibadat.

Photo: Ariel "Peterporn" & Luna Maya, Infamous For Their Porn Video Scandal. This is A Classic Example Whereby "Alat Kelakian" Can Be A Tool For Laknatullah.

Kesimpulannya, buruk atau baik sesuatu MEDIUM atau ALAT itu tergantung kpd KITA. Maka untuk mengatakan intenet bisa menghancurkan rumahtangga, kalau menurut saya nggak berapa betul. Semuanya tergantung kepada ORANG yang menggunakan Internet itu.

Bagi diri saya yang terpaksa "out-station" ke banyak negara karena urusan bisnis, internet adalah karunia Allah yang teramat indah sekali karena dgn internet saya bisa saja chatting hari-hari dengan isteri bagaikan pasangan "anak-muda yang sedang mabuk berpacaran" walaupun sudah 17 tahun bernikah. Dengan adanya internet juga saya bisa menatap wajah lembut & ayu isteri saya yang mendamaikan jiwa itu HARI-HARI secara "LIVE" guna Webcam.

Nah...kalau ada rumahtangga hancur karena ada pasangan yang curang menggunakan intenet, itu bukan salah Internet "mengandung", tapi salah isteri curang itu yang rela dimengandungkan oleh lelaki durjana teman selingkuhan!

My same comment can also be read under "Comments" in Malaysia Today.
(http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/beritakomentar/37973-berduaan-di-alam-siber-sama-seperti-khalwat)

RE-VISIT: COLLECTION OF MY PREVIOUS BLOG-POSTING THAT ALSO TALKED ABOUT INDONESIA

Date Posted: 12 July 2009

Are KFC & McDonald Using 'Ilmu Pelaris' (Black Magic) To Increase Their Global Sales?

I believe I don't need to use a Shaman or 'Dukun' in my business venture. I believe in my own effort and then I believe in my pray or doa to Allah in everything I do. I do not believe in black magic. Have you ever heard KFC or McDonald use black magic or 'pawang' to increase their global sales, have you?

What about Bill Gates? Has he ever used a Red Indian traditional black-magicians to increase his Microsoft Windows Vista sales or to kill competition from Google? The answer is a resounding "No". Even Bill Gates cannot use any black magic to contain or create a 'gate' against any virus attack in Windows system. We need Karpesky or Norton anti virus to combat it, not a Shaman like Pawang Subagio or Pawang Adiwata from Kalunggung Mountain to resolve this virus problem.

Photo: British Ladies Performing Pencak Silat, The Indonesian's Martial Art. What Can I Say...The Body Movement of These Fantastic British Ladies Are Like Cartoons. But That's Okay. That's Alright My Dear. That's Their Version Of Silat Dance And I Salute Them. Or Shall We Say That's Their Silat "Accent"!

Can "Ilmu Pengasih" (Black Magic) Make George Bush & Osama Bin Ladin Intimately Having Breakfast Together?

I used to work in Jakarta in 1998. In the newspaper that I read those days there were so many advertisements promoting this super natural powers to resolve any problems, whether it is to win the heart of your girl friend ("Ilmu Pengasih"), to make your business performs better ("Ilmu Pelaris") or even to make you not being injured from any weapon ("Ilmu Kebal"). For this group of people there is no no need to read "How to Win Friends and Influence People" book written by Dale Carnegie. For them, everything can be resolved just by using the service of this Shaman or 'Dukun'

They claim their super natural ability can do everything and can do wonders. They maybe can claim that their super natural power can make George Bush and Osama Bin Ladin intimately having breakfast together at Kabul Hilton Hotel while smiling and patting each other like a romantic gay couple who has not made love for 6 long months!

If Indonesian Shaman or "Dukun" Is So Good, Why Indonesia Is Not The World Cup Champion?

For me it's simple, if the Indonesian "Dukun" (Shaman) is so powerful why on earth Indonesia has never won any World Cup football tournament. Not even once. Why? If this black magic really works well we should have at least Indonesia qualified to compete in the final round of FIFA World Cup, if not win it. The fact remains they have never qualified, let alone win the World Cup.

What about the claim that if you are a goal keeper, you can use black magic to ensure that nobody can score a goal passing through you? I heard about this claim even when I was competing in my primary school football competition. Again, if this Javanese "Dukun" or Shaman can do wonders why we have not seen any imported Indonesian goal keeper plays in English Premier League or Spanish La Liga and saved a very clear cut sure-goal kick from Fernando Torres or Christiano Ronaldo?

Photo: The Great Save By Gordon Banks, Not By "Guntur Bagong" Or Any Other Indonesian Goal Keeper! If Javanese Shaman Or 'Dukun' Can Do Wonders Why We Have Not Seen Any Imported Indonesian Goal Keeper Plays In English Premier League Or Spanish La Liga And Saved A Dangerous Free-Kick Taken By Fernando Torres Or Christiano Ronaldo?

It was Gordon Banks, the English Goal Keeper And not "Guntur Bagong", an Indonesian Goalie That Made That Great Save!

Do you remember in Mexico 1970 World Cup when Jairzinho delivered an inviting cross from the right wing which bypassed the English centre halves? And then out of nowhere Pele, the King of Football rose majestically in the air. Everybody saw Gordon Banks seemed to be beaten as he scampered despairingly across his goal post. Although Pele's header was perfect, Banks somehow managed to tip the ball over the crossbar. That made the crowd were simply stunned by that great save.

Mind you, the name of that great goalkeeper was Gordon Banks. If the black magic from the Indonesian 'Dukun" is very powerful, why not the name of the goalkeeper say "Guntur Bagong" instead of Gordon Banks?, or Budianto, Prabowo or Joko Sembung?

RE-VISIT: COLLECTION OF MY PREVIOUS BLOG-POSTING THAT ALSO TALKED ABOUT INDONESIA

Date Posted: 12 June 2009

Photo: This Is Manohara Odelia Pinot, The Ex-Wife Of Tengku Fakhry of Kelantan. Hmmm...I Can't Simply Understand Why On Earth Tengku Fakhry Wanted To Go To The Hassle To Get This Lady As His Wife Whereby There Are So Many Ladies In Kelantan Itself Who Are More Beautiful, More Religious, More Well-Mannered, More "Berjuruh" And Definitely Having Much Better "Body Design" Or "Body Curve" Or "Body Architectural Structure" Than Manohara Odelia Pinot's. Much, Much, Much Better My Friend. How Do I Know? Excuse Me..Should I Highlight To You Again That My Wife Is A Kelantanese..? By The Way Many Indonesian Newspapers Reported That Manohara Cried When Indonesian Nearly Lost In The Second Leg Match of 2011 AFC Suzuki Cup Final in Jakarta.

The Moment I Told Them "My Wife Is From Kelantan", The Response Is "Oh That Tengku Fakhry Who Tortured Manohara Odelia Pinot"

The essence of the case is very simple. Manohara Odelia Pinot announced to the whole world that she was treated like a sex slave after her marriage last year to Tengku Fakhry, whose father is the Sultan of Kelantan. She escaped the prince's guards at a Singapore hotel and returned to her family in Indonesia with tales of abuse, rape and torture at the hands of the 31-year-old prince. But of course Tengku Fakhry has denied abusing his estranged teenage US-Indonesian model wife and he even threatened to launch legal action against her for making false allegations.

Who To Believe? Manohara Odelia Pinot or Tengku Fakhry?

Well..I cannot say for sure who are actually telling the truth. So I reserve my comment, at least for now. But as a Malaysian who used to work and live in Jakarta back in 1998, let me share with you my general opinion about the so-called 'socialite' like Manohara.

I am very reluctant to swallow everything narrated by Manohara, a well-known socialite in Jakarta and her mother, Daisy Lajarina who herself was on Interpol 'Red Notice' for the past one year. Mrs Fajarina was reportedly a suspect in a case of an Indonesian maid locked up in her house when she was in France last year. There are many ladies like Manohara Odelia Pinot not only in Jakarta but also in the whole world who are waiting to struck the 'lottery of their life' by being a 'princess' or consort of their respective prince charming.

Withdrawal of Support By Fellow Indonesians

I read in various newspapers including the Indonesian newspapers (via the internet), that an Indonesian NGO women activist (Ratna Sarumpaet) who previously offered her assistance to Manohara has also withdrawn her support because of the issue related to the real existence of evidence of sexual torture and abuse purportedly suffered by Manohara as a direct result from Tengku Temenggong's awkward sexual demands.

Another prominent Indonesian public figure that has withdrawn his support is OC Kaligis, a well-known lawyer in Jakarta. When I was working in Jakarta in 1998, I used to deal with OC Kaligis's law firm pertaining to certain legal matters of the company that employed me (but only with his senior staff, not with OC Kaligis directly). So I know the fact that people like OC Kaligis, Hotma Sitompoel and Adnan Buyung Nasution are all big names in the Indonesian legal fraternity.

So when OC Kaligis who initially offered his legal services to Manohara later also withdrew from representing her, citing difficulty of getting cooperation to gather evidences, my initial belief in the story of Manohara sexual torture has greatly diminished.

The Doctor's Claim. Can We Just Swallow It?

What about a forensic doctor by the name of Dr Mun'im Idries who told AFP news agency that there are slash wounds on many parts of Manohara's body, especially on her chest which he claimed some are still fresh?

Well..Let me put my response this way. Even if I really want, I myself can 'make' a Sudanese doctor to announce to the world that there are many slashes and wounds all over my body as a result of endless torture by a Sudanese lady. It maybe difficult to find that kind of doctor but it is still possible to get just one doctor who can make that claim, especialy if I have a lot of money and if I can guarantee the doctor that there will be a very high possibility he will not be subjected to any vigorous verification by any third party on his claim.

My point here is how credible is this doctor who made that claim on behalf of Manohara and her mother? Will this doctor be subjected to any cross-examinations by Tengku Temenggong's lawyer in a court of law? My experience living in Jakarta shows that you can buy almost everything in Jakarta when you have 'Dollars' in your hands. With all due respect to all my Indonesian friends, it is indeed a reality in Jakarta's life. I do not mean to insult the dignity of all the Indonesians by making this general statement. Of course the majority of Indonesian people are very honest and reliable with high integrity. Thus, there surely have many more reliable doctors in Jakarta. But unless any third party doctor (not an Indonesian or a Malaysian doctor) who can validate the claim by this Dr Mun'im Idries, the claim of torture and abuse remains just a claim.

In a way, OC Kalingis and Ratna Sarumpaet's withdrawal of support shows that not all Indonesians are emotional and blindly supported their fellow citizens without solid evidence.

Do You Know What Substance You Injected Your Wife?

Having said that, I do not in any way try to say that Tengku Temenggong absolutely did not commit this heinous act of barbarism. Maybe he did. Who knows. Maybe he really cut Manohara's chest with a razor as claimed by Manohara. Maybe it is true that he injected Manohara with 'unidentified substance' before having sexual intercourse with her, also as claimed by Manohara. I do not mean to talk dirty here, but to all the Indonesians ladies I would like to say that we, the Malaysian men will definitely know fully well what kind of substance that we injected our wives during making love. For us, (normal Malaysian men) there is no such thing as 'unidentified substance'. Not like in your Manohara's case.

It's All About The Art of Making Love

If you really study very carefully all the news related to Manohara's saga, it seems that all her accusations against her husband, the Tengku Temenggong related to his treatments towards her during their private time as a husband and wife. In other words, most of the accusations related to the way they make love. Isn't it disgusting?

If it is proven true that Tengku Temenggong engaged in such an inhumane act, this kind of behaviour is definitely not condoned by any average Malaysian men who are generally very romantic and loving.

Human, Not Cats and Dogs, Has Become More Daring In The Art of Making Love

But nowadays we never know. Human has become very complicated in fulfilling their sexual desire. Even the famous David Cardine, the star of 1970s TV series "Kung Fu" found hanging in a Bangkok hotel room last week. The Thai police have said they suspect Carradine died from a sex act that went wrong after his body was discovered on June 4 hanging from a wardrobe rail in a Bangkok hotel room, naked and with ropes attached to his neck and penis. You see! human are becoming very daring and strange.

I do not think animals dare to do this kind of act. I solemnly believe cats and dogs maintaining their very same way same when comes to making love, right from the Gengis Khan time until the present day. They never practice any sadism in their sexual intercourse. But please do not make any assumption that I know about this 'cats and dogs' thing because I keep on observing how these cats and dogs making love!

Leave Bigfoot Alone!

That's why in certain aspects, animals are sometimes better than certain group of human being. Those who know me surely can recall three years ago I strongly objected to the mission of so-called 'Bigfoot researchers' to capture Bigfoot that was said still roaming our Endau-Rompin jungle.

For me, leave that Mr Bigfoot alone. If they really exist, they have done nothing wrong to us, the human being.

Anyhow, have you ever read in any newspaper about any news regarding any Bigfoot was captured for raping Malaysian lady at Jalan Haji Taib? Have you ever watched any news in our television regarding any Bigfoot as a snatch-thief, riding on a motorcycle on broad daylight in Malaysia, snatching lady's handbag? No! Only human-being did that. With that I rest my case.

That's all for today. Thank you for your time reading my blog. Till we meet again next week with my Jakarta story and many more photos! Permisi dulu Bapak-Bapak dan Ibu-Ibu. Have a fantastic and bombastic day! Khoda hafiz, Wassalam..

Note:
Constructive feedback from my blog readers are welcome. Please either:
(a) Write your comment below, OR
(b) Write directly to me at khairul@pro-versatile.com

26 More Stories-Nepal

2010-03-23T10:10:00.172+08:00

MY OTHER PREVIOUS TOPICS WRITTEN IN THIS BLOG
To read my other writing please go to the "List of My Previous Topics" heading located at the right hand side vertical column of this blog. The titles of previous topics written by me in this blog are:

- Uniqueness of Kathmandu
- Latest: From Kathmandu With Love!
- Sudanese Culture: My Perspective
- About Raining in Sudan, MRSM Muar & Silat Kuntau Tekpi
- Another Historic Day in the Life of a Village Boy Named "Khairul"
- Romantic Sudanese Sleeps Outdoor Admiring Thousands of Stars!
- The Beauty & Uniqueness of Sudanese Wedding
- How Would Hang Jebat React To Sandstorm In Sudan?
- Met 2 Colonels & 7 Majors In Sudan. My Manohara Odelia Pinot
- Khartoum: Hot Weather, Hot Lady!
- My First Day In Sudan

Again, if you wish to read my other previous blog topics as stated above, you are cordially invited to go to the "List of My Previous Topics" heading located at the right hand side vertical column of this blog.

MY FACEBOOK
By the way if you wish to read my Facebook Wall postings please search for Khairul Hisham Hassan. Alternatively, you may also use my khairul@pro-versatile.com email address to locate my profile at Facebook.

FEEDBACK

Constructive feedback from my blog readers is indeed welcome. My email is khairul@pro-versatile.com . Thank you for your time reading my blog. Have a fantastic and bombastic day!

NOTE:

This week blog posting is the 14th posting since I started this blog. Hence, it is also meant to be the 14th chapter of my yet to be launched book. My book title is: "From Malaysia to Manchester-A Story of a Small Businessman With Big Dream". Insya-Allah. God Willing. This book will be launched by my beloved father, Haji Hassan Muin, in January 2011 and will eventually have 100 chapters with 2,500 photos. In order to get big sales volume, this book will be sold at a seductively cheap price so that "Now Everybody Can Buy Book". Besides English and Malaysian language, the book will also be published in Indonesian language to tap the 230 million Indonesian population market. It is not an easy task but by hook or by crook it will be done. Hopefully the marketing of this book can be done in an extremely aggressive manner and creative multiple marketing channels never be seen before in the history of book marketing in Malaysia & Indonesia because 5% of the book sales profit will be donated to Batu Pahat Orphanage Home. I will do whatever it takes to ensure the book will be a unique book. Will appreciate your kind support later when this book is finally published. Without your support, all of these plans will remain just a big dream. Dream. Dream. Dream. (From Your Friend-Khairul Hisham Hassan)

THIS WEEK BLOG PHOTO
56 Photos With Interesting Captions

26 MORE STORIES RELATED TO NEPAL

TOM HANKS IS THE HERO IN "SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE"
BUT
"KHAIRUL HANKS" IS THE HERO IN "SLEEPLESS IN KATHMANDU"

PHOTO: My Nepali partner ("General" Basu Rijal) and I ("General" Khairul Hisham), the two no-nonsense marketing generals ready to go to the battlefield (meeting) in full suit. The "military tank" we use is Basu's Bajaj Pulsar motorbike. Full Attack!

PHOTO: I told my partner and my staffs that when we go to sales battlefield, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together.

PHOTO: Jack says: "Oh Rose, your face is so clean. No pimple. What do you use, My Love? Is it L'Oreal Facial Cream?"

PHOTO: The most romantic scene-Jack Dawson & Rose DeWitt Bukater "You jump, I jump". In my case, if I jump, my wife will jump too because she knows her 100kg husband can't swim as good as her!

PHOTO: Tom Hanks in "Sleepless in Seattle" but in Kathmandu it is Khairul Hanks "Sleepless in Kathmandu"

I started writing this week blog-posting on 20th March but due to electricity "on" and "off" problem, it is only uploaded on Tuesday, 23rd March.

We meet again today. In fact today , 20th March 2010, is the birthday of my beloved wife, Azura Mohamed. First and foremost, before I go further writing this week blog, please allow me to pay my tribute to this lovely Kelantanese lady that I have been married for the past 17 years.

I sincerely cannot find any single world in any English-Malay dictionary, or English-Nepali dictionary, or Malay-Nepali dictionary or even Malay-Tibetan dictionary that can best describe my gratitude towards this most beautiful lady in my eyes who was created by Allah specially for me, for being the most loyal and loving wife that a husband can have, for being the most patient and wonderful mother that my children can wish, for being the most romantic Juliet that a Romeo can fantasize and for being the most caring Kelantanese daughter-in-law that my Javanese mother can dream of.

I am not exaggerating my facts here. The truth is "a fact is a fact, no matter what"

The same way that not every single thing which can fly can be eaten (such as we can eat bird but we can't eat aeroplane), so I guess not every beautiful lady can be a good wife or at least a good wife for me. In my eyes it is beyond any reasonable doubt that my wife Azura is the most beautiful lady who was created by Allah specially for me.

To my only 'Azura': "Thank you and thank you for making me understand the meaning of true love after I married you 17 years ago on 20th August 1993"

No doubt there were times when both of us thought this life is so unfair to me, especially when my first business, K.H Membership Consultant, collapsed in 1997. But like Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) we will continue navigating our very own Titanic without hitting any iceberg, carlsberg, whoopi goldberg or whatever "berg" that can threaten our great Titanic.

Perhaps it is worth mentioning that in the film "Sleepless in Seattle" there is a scene whereby Dr Marcia, the consultant in a national radio advice show, asked Sam (Tom Hanks): "Tell me what was so special about your wife?".

Without any hesitation, Sam replied: "Well, how long is your program? Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were suppose to be together...and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home...only to no home I'd ever known...I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like...magic."

Similarly, now in "Sleepless in Kathmandu", I can also go on and on rumbling my inner feeling towards this lovely lady, my beloved wife Azura, for another 7 days and 7 nights non-stop (except when I have to go to toilet).

Having said that, I guess my blog readers would like to read my writing about my current experience in Kathmandu, and not about a romantic 100kg Romeo expressing his love to his Juliet. Alright...alright...I hear you...I hear you...I hear yoouuuuu. So, let's go to our first topic:

ONE MINUTE CALL TO MALAYSIA FROM KATHMANDU EQUIVALENT TO 10 PIECES OF NEPALI ROTI GONE!

PHOTO: Hulk Hogan Junior says: "Hi Khairul! Who said I cannot eat 30 Nepali Roti in one time?"

PHOTO: I don't take Nepali Roti, I eat Spagetthi, Mamamia!

PHOTO: Cyber Cafe owner will not give a damn opening his Internet Phone Centre at 2am just because Khairul, the Malaysian fat Romeo wants to make a call to his Juliet in Malaysia.

I am a father of 2 beautiful daughters (Intan Nur Farhana and Intan Nur Qistina) and a macho son (Mahathir Khatami). Thus, almost everyday I must communicate with them, the least by sms-text message or by using Yahoo Messenger chatting if there is internet connection in my room and if that time they are in front of a computer.

Occasionally I have got no choice but to communicate with them through my mobile phone. However, unlike when I was in Manchester UK, developing my UK branch there, I found out calling from Kathmandu to Malaysia is comparatively more expensive.

An sms-text from my mobile by using Ncell to Malaysia cost me nearly 13 Rupee per sms, whereas if I buy one piece of Nepali Roti (similar to "Roti Tempayan" in Malaysia) it only costs me 10 Rupee per Roti.

And what about calling to Malaysia by using mobile phone? I have done my checking and testing. It costs me a whopping 60 Rupees per minute!

So if I call my wife from Kathmandu by using my mobile, for every 1 minute, 6 potential pieces of Nepali Roti will disappear from my plate because 1 piece of Roti is 10 Rupees and 1 minute calling to Malaysia by using Ncell mobile is 60 Rupees.

Being a Romeo, what about if I spend the first 5 minutes of my call to my wife with my usual "I miss you", "My lonely night is disastrous without you", "The Nepali lady is nothing compared to you" bla, bla, bla, bla and 5 minutes of talking is over?

Wow! 30 Nepali Roti will be gone. That's a hell of lot of Roti, man. Even Hulk Hogan can't eat 30 Nepali Roti in one time.

My friend, I do not mean to be so calculative and stingy here. My point here is to prove to you that expressing long distance love via mobile phone is expensive in Nepal. That's exactly my point here.

However, calling to India from Kathmandu is very cheap with some mobile operators offer just 3 Rupees per minute. Unfortunately, my wife is not 'Letchumy' in Tamil Nadhu or 'Aishwarya Rai' in Bollywood. Instead, My wife is a Malay lady now living in a far, far away paradise called "Malaysia"

EXPRESSING LOVE IS EXPENSIVE IN NEPAL

PHOTO: Aishwarya Rai in a mouth-watering pose but "tak solehah" attire. Calling to India from Kathmandu is cheaper, but my wife is in Malaysia and not this Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai in India.

PHOTO: Expressing love from Nepal is expensive. Thus, making calls from Internet Phone Centre in a Cyber Cafe is the cheapest way

My Nepali branch staff (Pratima Manandhar) innocently suggested to me that I can use Internet Phone Centre at any Cyber Cafe in Kathmandu which uses VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) to communicate with my wife and children that offer much cheaper rate than by using my mobile.

She may be right but what about during 2am early morning and lonely midnight night time when I have to call my wife for missing her so much? I cannot knock the door of the Cyber Cafe owner, asking him to open his Cyber Cafe Internet Phone Centre at 2am in the morning just to make me make a cheap call to Malaysia, can I?

I do not think he will give a damn opening his Cyber Cafe Internet Phone Centre at 2am just because a Malaysian fat Romeo want to make a call to his Juliet in Malaysia.

Neither will he be bothered if that Romeo dies standing missing his Juliet in front of his Cyber Cafe.

CONSULTANCY BUSINESS IS NOT LIKE MAKING ISFAHAN GAZ. HENCE, I NEED TO BE BASED IN NEW BRANCH FOR 3 MONTHS

PHOTO: No. You cannot learn how to provide consultancy services the same way you learn how to cook Tandoori Chicken by using a Recipe Book!

PHOTO: Isfahan Gaz is my favourite Iranian food. Thus, I am willing to accept payment of my service by cash, cheque or Gaz!

PHOTO: Lavosh, a must for my breakfast last time when I visited Teheran for 2 weeks.

Some people did ask me, as a married man isn't it amazing that my wife and I only meet every 2 or 3 months once. At least for the time being.

I told them the nature of my business which is providing consultancy on 'Doing Business in Malaysia', consultancy on 'Malaysia My Second Home' and consultancy on 'Malaysian Higher Education' leaves me with no choice but to create my network of associate branches all over the world.

My business battlefield is in overseas because overseas is the place where my prospective clients can be found, not in Malaysia.

In Malaysia I can only found Wak Mijan, Wak Tumiran and all other Malaysians who are already citizens of Malaysia and will never ever apply Malaysia My Second Home visa no matter how brilliant I use any of Zig Ziglar's closing sales techniques that I learned by reading his book 5 times. Furthermore, my targetted clients are international business community who want to set up their business in Malaysia.

However, this overseas mission will not be forever. After having at least 20 active associate branches worldwide I will delegate this task to my protege to continue creating another 100 more active associate branches worldwide.

Joking aside. This is my great ambition. I will do it before I breathe my last oxygen in this world. I do this not only to fulfill my ambition to be a multi-millionaire through my own effort, without resorting to dirty corrupt sinful political channels, but also to ensure my children and all my partners' children in the future will be able to be based in any office in any part of the world that they choose.

Even if there is potential associate branch to be set up in Planet Mars or Planet Zuhal, I will do it. If I have to do, I have to do, no matter what.

I do not believe in just issuing a piece of appointment letter that famously called "Representative Company Appointment Letter" to my overseas company branch associate to represent my company in their home country. That piece of appointment letter does not mean anything to me.

This kind of consultancy business is not the same with cooking Tandoori Chicken or making Isfahan Gaz or Iranian Lavosh, where people can just learn to do it by reading a recipe book.

My experience tells me that no, it will not work that way. In fact, it will never work that way. Period.

Therefore I need at least 2 or 3 months to stay and work together full time with my overseas branch partner in that country and his staffs in order to coach them as how to run this consultancy business and also to develop the new market together.

I AM THE MARKETING GENERAL

PHOTO: I am the "5 Star Sales General" in my company. Yes! General "Sexy Bald Head" Khairul Hisham!

PHOTO: When we go to sales battlefield, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together.

I am the Marketing General and when we go to sales battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, my partner, my staffs and I will all come home together. As simple as that.

The branch staff will make the appointments for me and my branch partner to attend and I will do the complete presentation on my company 3 services to the prospective clients in the country that I am operating into.

They will also have the opportunity to hear how I answer the real questions, real enquiry made by real clients. This is the way my new branch partner and their staffs worldwide learn from me. And learned they are.

Not by reading my company brochures like a kindergarten kid. Not by mere repeating the information stated in my corporate website like a parrot. No. No. No.

Only by listening to my various answers to various different clients that would make the learning process more effective. Some of the questions thrown out by my clients maybe the same with the other clients.

This will make my branch partner and their staffs understand better and much more familiarized with the topics been discussed just by listening to the same answers given by me.

I always believe that in this kind of consultancy line especially in 'Doing Business' consultancy, each client is unique with its specific needs. Therefore, during the real presentation with different clients, my branch staffs will hear how I answer different type of questions.

Thus, the time frame of 3 months will enable my new branch partner and his staffs to learn through best practical way about different kinds of questions or aspects related to the 3 services that my company are offering to the Nepali people.

This various appointments and presentations touch on various subject matters, so by listening to my answers my staffs learned many practical things related to those 3 different services.

THE SALES CYCLE OF MY BUSINESS IS LONG, NOT LIKE IN ROTI CHANAI BUSINESS

PHOTO: Nobody will need one hour long to make a decision whether to buy a 'Roti Chanai' or not !

Besides coaching and training, this 3 months is also a time frame that I set to develop the market for each branch. Like I used to write in my previous blog-posting, the sales-cycle process of my business is longer than any other business such as 'Roti Chanai' and Doner Kebab business.

When you are in the restaurant, it is either you buy that 'Roti Chanai' or not. Nobody will need one hour long to make decision whether to buy that 'Roti Chanai' or not.

I am pretty sure the cook or chef who prepares the Roti Chanai will throw that hot Roti Chanai to your face if you keep on standing in front of him for one hour, thinking whether you want to buy that delicious Roti Chanai or not.

The services that we are promoting sometimes involve nearly 6 months sales-cycle. But 3 months is a reasonable time frame although I also used to get on-the-spot confirmation or within a week decision for them to come to Malaysia either to invest and open a company in Malaysia or to apply for 'Malaysia My Second Home" programme or sending their children to study in Malaysian university.

Therefore, within this 3 months time frame and before I leave them to run the branch operations by themselves, it is in my targeted plan to clinch some deals with the prospective clients in that country so that my branch partner and staffs can see the whole real process of the sales-cycle from A to Z.

That way, they would see by themselves that indeed we can get clients and the business plan is not just a mere amazing theory written in a piece of paper.

Although I myself has got a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from The University of Sheffield in 1994, I still believe a Bachelor degree or a Master degree or even a PhD is just a mere paper qualification which does not guarantee success at all in this line of consultancy services if the correct business modus-operandi is not adopted.

IF YOU EAT 'DURIAN' EVERYDAY, IT WILL EVENTUALLY TASTE LIKE A 'BELACAN' (SHRIMP PASTE)

PHOTO: Malaysian Belacan (Prawn Shrimp Paste). "If almost everyday you eat durian, I can assure you even the best durian will make you feel tasteless as if you eat 'Belacan'!"

PHOTO: Durian-The Undisputed King of Fruits in Malaysia!

From time to time, there were people who did ask me that as a married man wouldn't it a long lonely night spending 3 months in overseas alone without my "halal" wife.

I told them 3 months is nothing compared to many foreign labours in Malaysia who normally go back to their home country once a year or even once in two years time.

Furthermore, as a man who has to travel to different parts of the world setting my associate branches, hence always left my wife at home in Malaysia, I can't describe to you the bombastic, fantastic and smashing feeling meeting my wife again and having a kind of "First Night" experience once in every 3 months. It's Heaven. Mamamia! Fantastico...

All of you my blog readers are not cute, innocent 6 years old kindergarten kids, so let me be very open to you. Please allow me use eating Durian as an analogy to give my explanation. You know...when you have not eaten Durian, the King of Malaysian Fruit, for 3 months and out of sudden you have got the chance to eat it, only God know how to describe the sweetness, the joy, the "romanticism" and the sheer pleasure of eating that Durian!

But if almost everyday you eat Durian, I can assure you even the best Durian grade D4, D7 or even grade D888 (if there is any such grade) also will make you feel tasteless, as if you are eating 'belacan' (prawn shrimp paste) instead of the delicious Durian, the King of Fruit in Malaysia! It is more or less the same thing with "husband & wife thing". How do I know? I know lah...

Furthermore, the Malay proverb says: "Sayangkan Isteri Tinggal-Tinggalkan" (means if you love your wife, you should leave her, from time to time).

Having said that, I leave my wife just for a temporary period of time. Like I wrote earlier, I have my own target. Whenever I have managed to set up a certain number of active branches network worldwide which will feed or provide my headquarters in Malaysia continuous stream of business clients, then I will delegate this task of developing my company branch associate worldwide to my protege.

I AM NO SANTA CLAUS

PHOTO: Although my big tummy looks like Santa Claus's tummy, I am no Santa Claus who always gives something for free!

For me, the most important thing is having quality and active branch network, not just a branch which hold my "Representative Company Appointment Letter", but produce nothing or zero sales or a very minimum number of sales.

At the end of the day, I am no Santa Claus who gives something for free as mere gifts. Perhaps my big tummy looks like Santa Claus's tummy but I am indeed a legitimate businessman, doing legitimate business who expect a return and who dream to be a multi-millionaire.

Correction...having said that, I think even my dear friend Santa Claus when giving out gifts he also would expect a kind of return, perhaps in the form of good deed made by the recipients of his gifts.

Throughout my reading and from the opinion of many learned person that I have consulted with, in order to know the real character of a person we need to stay with them for at least 40 days continuously.

Thus, I guess 3 months time frame is very much sufficient time for me to understand the character or behaviour, whether good or bad, of my branch partner in the country that I have set up a branch.

During these 3 months time, both my international partner and I will know each other's approach, character and behaviour very well.

This will make them see, by themselves, the passion and commitment that I have with this consultancy business. They will 'smell' my sincerity in bringing sales and profit to their business.

They will also think twice to deal with other consultant who does this same line of consultancy business, simply because they do not know that person as much as they know me.

BLACK PANTHER SIMPLY CAN'T RUN COMFORTABLY IN A TINY CONCRETE JUNGLE OF SINGAPORE

PHOTO: Black Panther can never live happily in a tiny jungle of Singapore

PHOTO: Singapore is just a collection of 'Pigeon-Hole" apartments township.

From my experience attending many meetings and making many presentations to promote my consultancy on 'Doing Business in Malaysia', consultancy on 'Malaysia My Second Home' and consultancy on 'Malaysian Higher Education", I found out many Nepali top corporate men and businessmen that I met almost all have already visited Singapore.

Unfortunately, just a few of them have visited Malaysia. The reason is simple; Singapore offers them VOA (Visa on Arrival) which makes traveling to Singapore much easier and hassle-free.

However, Alhamdulillah (Thank Allah) unlike in the 70s whereby Malaysia is a little bit left behind as compared to Singapore, in term of infrastructure development, nowadays even a blind man can 'see' that Malaysia is very much a modern country with high standard of living but lower cost of living.

Without any shadow of doubt, I would contend that Malaysia is certainly on par with Singapore and in certain aspects is very much far ahead than this 'city-country-tiny-miny' Singapore.

I told them if they think Singapore is a good country to visit and live, then they should come to Malaysia and see that Malaysia is even 168 times better than Singapore.

For me, Singapore is just a collection of 'Lego-type' modern building country plus the 'Pigeon-hole" apartment township.

In short, Singapore is just a city centre and not a 'real' country. The so-called natural beauty claimed by Singaporean leaders are all man-made. In simple language it's damn artificial. The beach is artificial, the camping side is artificial and sometimes their smile also 'smells' artificial!

If a black panther wants to leap out in the so called tiny jungle of Singapore, I am sure within minutes this poor Puma will leap into a Singaporean's lap doing Tai-Chi exercise in the gazetted leisure activity area surrounded by its concrete jungle.

On the other hand, unlike Singapore, Malaysia is a country which is not only modern in term of infrastructure, but also well known for its natural beautiful landscape and islands.

SINGAPORE IS A "BARBIE DOLL" BUT MALAYSIA IS LIKE....?

PHOTO: Malaysia is like Manisha Koirala. Real natural beauty. Real exotic. Real pleasure!

PHOTO: Singapore is like a Barbie Doll. Beautiful but artificial. Miss Barbie Doll can't cook. Can't kiss passionately!

PHOTO: You can't have candlelite dinner with Cik Barbie Binti Doll

During my meeting with a Chairman of an airline and also with CEO of 6 different banks here in Kathmandu I told them it is not wrong for me to make a conclusion that Singapore is just a "Barbie Doll", looks beautiful but artificial.

Well...the truth is you cannot do much with this "Barbie Doll", can you? Can you ask a Barbie Doll to cook and prepare a romantic candle light dinner?

Can you kiss a Barbie Doll passionately? No, you can't and no you won't because even a sex maniac won't kiss a Barbie Doll passionately, will he?

Can you ask a Barbie Doll to provide a mind pleasuring foot-massage to you? No. No. No You certainly can't.

On the other hand, while staring straight at my client's eyes, I told them very openly that unlike this "Barbie Doll" Singapore, Malaysia is indeed akin to "Manisha Koirala" with her natural beauty, erotic natural body design and "architecture", sexy lips and with real passion as a real woman.

There is no need for me to explain here what you can do with "Manisha Koirala". Again, all of you are grown-up adults, not 6 years "Smart Reader" or PASTI kindergarten innocent kid.

So, I will let your creative and wild imagination to run its course, visualizing what you can do with Manisha Koirala, run...run...run non-stop until you can visualize no more.

Let us see why I keep on claiming my beloved country Malaysia is like "Manisha Koirala".

'2009 WORLD'S BEST RETAIL CENTRE' IS IN MALAYSIA, NOT IN LONDON, PARIS OR NEW YORK!

PHOTO: Tanjung Jara Resort Terengganu-"Best Hotel Spa in Asia Pacific" by Condé Nast Traveller UK and "Most Innovative Spa" by Tatler UK-Spa Awards

PHOTO: Pangkor Laut Island Resort-Luciano Pavarotti said "This is a paradise."

PHOTO: Pavillion Kuala Lumpur-FIABCI "2009 World's Best Retails Centre" Award

PHOTO: Luciano Pavarotti used to say: "Pangkor Laut Resort Island is enchanting, it is a paradise."

I told all Nepali businessmen that I met in my meeting with them that Kuala Lumpur is a big metropolitan with its monorail, subway, big modern clean road and highways.

There are many shopping complexes all over the country. One of them is Pavillion at Jalan Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur.

Pavillion Kuala Lumpur has even been awarded with the prestigious FIABCI Prix d’Excellence Award 2009 as the 'World's Best Retails Centre', beating 26 other world class entries worldwide to win this award. (http://fiabcinews.com/news/uploads/Emmagen.pdf). Yes...it is the best in the world, not the best in 'JB, Singapore and Batam' only.

They also should see our many other world class shopping centres such as 'The Curve' in Mutiara Damansara and Mid Valley Megamall with its 15 cinema theaters.

Apart from that, we also blessed by Allah with many pristine white sand beaches and islands such as Pangkor Island, Tioman Island, Redang Island, Sipadan Island and many more islands.

Pangkor Laut Island Resort even won the prestigious award of ‘Number One in the World in Top 100 List’ by the Condé Nast Traveller UK magazine in year 2003.

It is in fact an eye-opener that the world best island is not located in the Mediterranean or Caribbean region, but in Malaysia indeed.

Perhaps it's worth mentioning that the late Luciano Pavarotti (Luis Pavarotti "Yang Terlambat") used to say: "This place (Pangkor Laut Island) is enchanting, it is a paradise. The morning when I woke up I went out and I was really moved, almost crying, to see what beautiful things God had done. This is a paradise."

I also tell them since Malaysia is not located at the Pacific Ring of Fire Zone whereby there is earthquake and active volcanoes, the possibility of any earthquake in Malaysia is practically zero.

History has proven that Malaysia is relatively safer from natural disaster as compared to some of the neighbouring countries.

Surely, again the these businessmen do not want to start a new life in a foreign country only to wake up in one fateful morning discovering that there are cracks similar to the size of Wembley Stadium in their house compound because of the earthquake, do they?

Everyone in Dungun, a small town in the state of Terengganu, Malaysia also knows that last time when it was the turn of Malaysian Sepang Circuit to host the Formula 1 racing, Michael Schumacher will definitely spent at least 3 days at Tanjung Jara Resort.

Make no mistake, this beach resort has been picked as "Hotel of the Week" by The Independent on Sunday, UK (November 27, 2005) besides clinching the award of "Best Hotel Spa in Asia Pacific and the Indian Subcontinent" by Condé Nast Traveller UK-Readers’ Spa Awards, 2008.

On top of that, this Tanjung Jara Beach resort also grabbed the number two ranking in “Best of the Best” World’s Top 26 Spas also by Condé Nast Traveller UK-Readers’ Spa Awards, 2008.

As a Malaysian, I am indeed very proud to say Tanjung Jara Resort also won the award of "Most Innovative Spa" by Tatler UK-Spa Awards, 2007 and also the title of "One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World" by the Condé Nast Traveller UK ( March 2006).

Last but not least, according to 2007 statistical survey by the ‘Long Stay Foundation of Japan’, Malaysia ranked first as the most popular long-stay destinations overseas, outpacing even Australia and Thailand which are at the second and third place respectively.

As a matter of fact, there are many other good places, beaches, islands and national parks in Malaysia that have won the admiration of Planet Earth citizens.

However, let us move to other topic so that Singaporean will not cry reading this blog, knowing fully well that there is no way Singapore can compete with Malaysia in overall quality of life.

THE POSITIVE ATTITUDE OF NEPALI WORKERS

PHOTO: One of Sony Products. Sony Electronics Malaysia needs another 2000 more Nepali workers!

"The Republica" newspaper on Thursday, March 19, at page 4 reported that due to positive track record of Nepalis currently employed in its manufacturing plants, Sony Electronics Malaysia needs another 2000 more Nepali workers including 1000 Nepali women to work in its Bangi and Penang branches.

Initially, Sony Malaysia only asked for 300 Nepali workers because they plan to recruit workers from Vietnam and Indonesia.

But later Sony Malaysia change its mind and diverted its demand from Vietnam and Indonesia to Nepal.

The golden question is why there is a sudden demand for Nepali workers? The answer is Nepali workers are comparatively dedicated, professional and hardworking.

In addition, the most important thing is, unlike the "Vietcong-minded" Vietnamese workers or the "Ayuh Berhantam-minded" Indonesian workers, these Nepali workers are very loyal and non-trouble makers.

I can say it with authority because I have been dealing with Nepali staffs here for the past one and half month.

As I already stated in my previous blog writing, my Nepali branch staffs all this while I have been dealing with are Pratima Manandhar, Babita Shrestha and Sunmala Giri.

Just take Pratima Manandhar as an example. She is extremely committed to her work and she always implemented every sales strategy professionally.

Although she always ended her sentences with the word "sir" such as "Thank you sir", "I will do that sir", "I am sorry sir", "No problem sir", it is indeed a big mistake if you think this Nepali staff only good at obeying instructions.

No. It is not only that. I found out that Nepali staff is also smart, creative, persistent and full of "zest" as well as very passionate about their job.

This manifestation of sheer intelligence and dedication can be clearly seen in the case of Pratima Manandhar, who is a very smart person because she always managed to secure an average of 3 (many times 4) appointments per day for me to attend to.

And mind you, these appointments are not with the owner of a "Teh Tarik" stall or with a "Jaga Kereta Boy". On the other hand, these appointments are with CEO or Managing Directors of various banks in Nepal, Chairmans of airline companies, General Managers of 5 Star hotels (not with the Chow Kit Road Rumah Tumpangan "General Manager").

Apart from that, she also many times managed to convince many Presidents of various chambers of commerce in Nepal to have a meeting with me and my Nepali partner, Basu Rijal.

These were all possible because this Nepali lady is a very smart staff. No wonder Sony Malaysia has requested more Nepali workers, instead of Vietnamese and Indonesian foreign workers

IN NEPAL, MY STAFF GO TO THE EXTENT OF VOLUNTARILY WAITING FOR ME IN FRONT OF THE GENTS'. IN MALAYSIA, THEY WOULD ASK: "HOW MUCH SALARY YOU PAID ME THAT YOU EXPECT TO DO MANY THINGS"

PHOTO: My Nepali branch staff, Pratima Manandhar, an exemplary dedicated Nepali professional.

Today I want to share with you another small and simple example as to why I say Nepali worker is also well known for their loyalty and creative attitude.

The story is like this: Once upon a time, on Thursday last week, slightly before I left for a meeting with a Country General Manager of an airline company in Nepal, I really had to go to my office gents' (toilet) first.

To my "surprise" as soon as I stepped out from the gents' I found out this Pratima already waited for me outside the gents' with my briefcase in her hand.

Before I managed to ask why, she already told me: "Excuse me sir, Mr Basu has just arrived from our Bagbazar office, waiting for you downstairs to go to your next appointment already arranged by myself. Here is your briefcase, sir which I have sorted out all the relevant documents order for you to go downstairs immediately now, sir. If not, you would be late for your meeting, sir "

I am stunned with this high level of dedication shown by my Nepali branch staff Pratima Manandhar, an educated Nepali girl who is now pursuing her Master qualification, and who has got the initiative to bring my briefcase waiting for me in front of the gents, so that I can straight-forward rush downstairs to see her other boss (Mr Basu) in order for both of us not to be late for our meeting that day.

Throughout my 16 years working career and business venture, I have yet to meet such a staff with a high degree of commitment and passion towards her work like this Nepali staff by the name of Pratima Manandhar.

In Malaysia, if you ask your staff to do some extra duty or go extra miles or incur just a little bit pressure to them to do the job faster, there is still a possibility that they will rudely and with a high degree of "kebiadapan" ask you back: "Berapa banyak gaji yang you bayar saya untuk buat macam-macam"? (How much salary you paid me that you expect me to go extra-miles?)

WARNING: "IF IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD THERE ARE MANY...."

PHOTO: You think you are cute cat and dog? Wait until Vietnamese foreign workers come to your neighbourhood!

To summarize it let me say that it is not wrong for me to conclude that:

In Malaysia, if in your neighbourhood there are many Indonesian foreign workers, watch out! Your money may one day disappear!(Because some of the Indonesian illegal workers love to commit burglary and robbery)

If in your neighbourhood there are many Vietnamese foreign workers, watch out! Your dog or cat may disappear! (Because some Vietnamese do slaughter cats and dogs and barbecue it)

If in your neighbourhood there are many Indonesian Lombok foreign workers, watch out! Your daughter may disappear! (Because there were many incidence this Lombok man runaway with Malaysian teenager to Lombok Island)

If in your neighbourhood there are many Bangladeshi foreign workers, watch out! Your wife may disappear! (Because some Bangladeshi think they look like Bollywood film stars, hence they tend to seduce Malaysian woman & housewife)

If in your neighbourhood there are many Republic of China foreign workers ladies, watch out! Your husband may disappear! (Because your husband can easily fall in love with this super soft-spoken, silk-skin Republic of China lady)

However, I have not heard any cynical jokes about Nepali workers in Malaysia which is currently nearly 400,000 in total number!

PERODUA SHOWROOM IN KATHMANDU, NOTHING BUT QUALITY-FROM THE SECURITY GUARD TO THE CARS DISPLAYED

PHOTO: In front of impressive Perodua showroom in Kathmandu

PHOTO: Posing with the handsome "Mr Incredible Nepal", Mr Pramod Dhungel, the Perodua Sales Consultant in Kathmandu

On the way to an appointment with the President of Nepal-French Chamber of Commerce, I saw a Perodua (one of Malaysian national cars) showroom at Lazimpat area.

Automatically I asked my Nepali partner to drop-by for a while, just for me to see and take some photos of Perodua showroom.

A a Malaysian, I am naturally proud to see a Malaysian car showroom in a foreign country.

The moment I entered the showroom I felt like as if I was the Nepali Chief of Army Staff, General Chattra Man Singh Gurung or at least like the Defence Minister, Madam Bidhya Bhandari when the Perodua showroom security guard showed his no-nonsense army salute to me with a lot of zest and seriousness splashed all over his commando face.

In my heart, I said: "Wow! I am so impressed but...take it easy Corporal".

Thank God I am not a smartly-dressed would be robber because if I were, this dedicated and patriotic security guard must have saluted a would be robber!

What to do. During that time I was wearing my usual full suit and coat with neck-tie and a briefcase in my hand. So he surely assumed that I was a potential Perodua buyer especially after seeing my big tummy that looks very much like a rich man tummy, not a small tummy of an Ethiopian hungry man.

I love Nepal. In the office almost every statement conveyed to me by Pratima Manandhar will be ended up with the word "Sir" like I am an Army General, and now in a Perodua showroom also another army salute to me. Was I dreaming or what....? No I was not.

Later when I achieve my dream to be a multi millionaire I will contact this no-nonsense, never smile, commando type security guard and I will offer him better salary and better perks than Perodua Kathmandu gives to him, in order for me to bring him to Malaysia to be my chief body guard!

Inside the showroom I was briefed by a very helpful, professional and friendly Sales Consultant, Mr Pramod Dhungel about the price of Perodua models MyVi and Viva.

I was "terkejut-beruk" or shocked to hear that the price of a MyVi SXi in Nepal is Rs 2,385,000 (Rs 2.3 Million) or if we converted to Ringgit Malaysia the price is nearly RM119,250 because RM1 is roughly equivalent to Rs20.

Perodua Viva 1000cc price tag here is Rs1,755,000 (RM 87,750) and Perodua Viva 850cc is Rs1,575,000 (RM 78,750).

Wow! You need to be a Rupee Millionaire to buy a Perodua car in Nepal.

The next question that you may ask me is how come the price of Perodua becomes so high maaaaaa? The answer is it is not Mr Pramod, the handsome Nepali Perodua Sales Consultant's fault. It is not my beautiful Manisha Koirala's fault.

It is not because Nemlink International Traders Pvt Ltd (the Nepali authorised distributor for Perodua Vehiles) wants to get rich very fast by inflating the price. It is not.

The price becomes a little bit crazy as compared to the price in Malaysia because I was told any new car in Nepal will be charged with a total of nearly 210% tax.

Before I left the Perodua showroom I thanked Mr Pramod Dhungel who spared his precious time showing me around.

While shaking his hand to say good bye, I told him: "Thank you for your time. It is very kind of you spending your time with me. And please kindly take note that your face is a very handsome face because you are 93% look like Mr Incredible, the super hero in the Disney film in 2004 who is also the husband of Elastigirl." (Look at the photo attached)

IT'S A "BAHOON", NOT A "BABOON"!

PHOTO: A Baboon in deep thought about his future! There is a significant difference between a Bahoon and a Baboon. A Bahoon is the highest caste and very respectable community in Nepal while a Baboon like this one is a kind of African and Asian Old World monkey .

PHOTO: The highest ranking Bahoon in Nepali government is Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, the "Abdullah Badawi" Nepal, only looks fierce but comparatively quite slow, indecisive and don't know what to do maaaaaa

PHOTO: UCPN Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal a.k.a Prachandra, another top echelon of Nepali opposition party who is also from Bahoon caste. He used to be the Prime Minister of Nepal in 2008.

I found out Nepali name is unique and most of the time depend upon the ethnic or caste they belong to. There are many castes in Nepal. The higher caste is Bahoon or Brahmin. Please...it is "Bahoon" and not "Baboon".

Don't you ever ever made a silly pronunciation mistake by asking a man: "Are you a Baboon?" Come on my friend, there is a significant different between a Bahoon and a Baboon. A Bahoon is the highest caste and very respectable community in Nepal. While a Baboon, without saying, is a kind of African and Asian Old World monkey.

Almost all the top politicians in Nepal whether in the government or opposition parties come from Bahoon caste or community. A very good example is President Ram Baran Yadav is a Bahoon, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is indeed a Bahoon too although somebody told me "Nepal" in his name is also a caste.

The Opposition UCPN Maoist party leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal a.k.a Prachandra is also a Bahoon. So is Mr Jhalanath Khanal, the Chairman of other communist party CPN-UML which is the party that PM Madhav Kumar Nepal is a member.

Both of my partners, Umesh Adhikari and Basu Rijal are also Bahoon or Brahmin. So surnames such as Rijal, Yadav, Adhikari, Dahal, Koirala normally are Bahoon surnames.

Although they are Brahmin or Bahoon, please do not visualize that they only cover themselves up with a little clothing or a loin cloth like Hindu holy man Nagas Baba (not Ghaffar Baba).

IF YOU THROW STONE TO A CROWDED STREET OF KATHMANDU, IT WILL LAND ON A "SHRESTHA" HEAD!

PHOTO: In Nepal, a person with a "Shakya" surname simply means he or she is the descendant of Gautama Buddha

Another big community in Nepal is Newar ethnic or caste. In fact from my own research I came to know that Newar is the majority ethnic at Kathmandu Valley. It is not wrong for me to say the Newars generally acknowledged to be the original inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley

My Nepali branch staffs, Pratima Manandhar and Babita Shrestha are all Newars. In fact the popular surname among the Newar community is "Shrestha".

A good example of a Shrestha is the coming new Chief Justice of Nepal, Chief Justice Ram Prasad Shrestha.

Another prominent Shrestha is the Minister for Land Reforms and Management, Mr Dambar Shreshtha and also Mr Rabindra Shrestha, Minister for General Administration.

From the opposition party side, the top ranking Shrestha is the UCPN Maoist Party Vice Chairman Mr Narayan Kaji Shrestha. Although "kaji" in Malay language means "analyse", it does not mean "Narayan Kaji Shrestha" is "Mr Narayan analysing Mr Shrestha"!

Throughout more than one month I am here I have had a meeting or appointments with many "Mr Shreshta" who are big guns in banking sector and corporate sectors.

The most recent one was with two different "Mr Shreshta" who are the top office bearers in two different Chambers of Commerce in Nepal. For confidentiality purpose, I unable to state their exact name and organization here.

There are many Shreshtas on the street of Kathmandu. I think if I throw a stone to a crowded street of Kathmandu the stone will somehow land on a head of a Shrestha. Guaranteed!

"Shakya" is another surname among the Newar ethnic group. If among the Muslims in the world, it is a well known fact that a "Syed" or "Seyed" is by right a descendant of Prophet Mohamamd (Peace Be Upon Him), over here in Nepal a person with a "Shakya" surname simply means he or she is the descendant of Gautama Buddha.

In fact, Lumbini located in Nepal near the Indian border is indeed a birthplace of Gautama Buddha.

IS A "GURUNG " ETHNIC MAN AUTOMATICALLY A "GARANG" (FIERCE) MAN?

PHOTO: Chief of Army Staff, General Chhatra Man Singh Gurung, the highest ranking soldier and Gurung in Nepal Army. Does he look like a "Garang Gurung"? ("Garang" is the Malay word for "fierce")

PHOTO: Nepal UCPN Maoist Party People Liberation Army. Yes, Maoist is a party but yes too, Maoist has got his own army. One Nepal two army. Funny but true.

Another big ethnic group in Nepal is the "Gurung". From their facial structure, I see the Gurung looks like a Mongolian or Tibetan origin people.

The Gurung ethnic or caste normally like to use the surname Gurung at the end of their name. The majority of the population in Pokhara, a city well known with its beautiful lake and mountain are the Gurungs.

The top ranking Gurung in the country is none other than the handsome and no-nonsense Chief of Army Staff, General Chhatra Man Singh Gurung.

For a Malay like me, the immediate sub-conscious mind response when the word Gurung is mentioned is I tend to associate it with the word "Garang" which is a Malay word for "fierce".

General Gurung made newspaper headlines last week when he told the United Nation Under-Secretary Lynn Pascoe who visited him that he was against the bulk integration of Maoist combatants into the Nepali Army.

In one way, I personally of the opinion that General Gurung has got the point here because according to him the integration of politically indoctrinated individuals into the Nepali Army, without meeting the established criteria could divide the army institution.

Naturally, the Chairman of UCPN Maoist Party has come down heavily on the General Chhatra Man Singh Gurung for his stand against group of Maoist combatant into the national army. He said the statement by General Gurung was a violation of Comprehensive Peace Accord that ended the Maoist rebellion against the government.

The Maoist Chairman said as an army general he has to honour any decision on the matter that is based on political consensus.

Again I am personally of the opinion that General Gurung is right because every soldier in any army in the world should be non-partisan, neutral and serve the government of the day, elected by the people.

I can't visualize in Malaysian Army they are group of soldiers used to be the military arm of MIC Party who is loyal to Samy Vellu or former members of military arm of PAS Party who are ready to go for Jihad upon hearing the battlecry of Abdul Hadi Awang.

YOU CALL ME "KHAIRUL TAMANG" I WILL SMILE BUT YOU CALL ME "KHAIRUL SIAMANG" WE WILL GO TO WAR, BROTHER!

PHOTO: This is a no-nonsense "Siamang", a long-hand monkey which can be found in the beautiful jungle of Malaysia, but "Siamang" and "Tamang" are never the same! Tamang is one of the ethnics in Nepal

PHOTO: This is Zenisha Moktan. She is a Tamang lady and of course she is not a "Siamang" like the above photo. In fact she is a former Miss Tamang who is also the reigning Miss Nepal 2009! Oh! You are so beautiful Zenisha, but in my eyes my wife is still more beautiful than you...

Another ethnic is "Tamang" which for me they look very much the same like the "Gurung".

The most high ranking Tamang in the country is Subash Chandra Nembang who is the Chairman i.e Speaker of Constituent Assembly.

As a matter of fact throughout my stay here many Nepali thought I am either a Tamang Nepali or a Gurung Nepali. So they thought my name should be "Khairul Gurung" or "Khairul Tamang".

Well...if I don't open my mouth I would easily been assumed as a Tamang or a Gurung. But the moment I open my mouth and start talking, my English accent will make them realize I am not a Nepali.

Guess what?...Out of sudden, everythng instantaneously became expensive to me the moment they know I am a foreigner and not Khairul Tamang.

For example: If a bottle of 1.5 liter mineral water which normally cost Rs15, out of sudden for me it becomes Rs20. A pair of socks which has a street price of Rs60 would become Rs85 and as usual the taxi driver also would refuse to use meter when they know this Khairul Tamang is actually Khairul Majapahit.

When I asked the taxi driver as why on earth they were not using the fare meter, one of the taxi drivers "Selamber-Rock" and bravely replied: "Oh for foreigner or tourist we don't use meter!"

It's alright. It's okay. In my heart I said it is still okay if I look like a Tamang to them, at least it is much better than I look like a "Siamang" (a species of monkey in Malaysia with long hands).

If people call me Khairul Tamang I will feel proud and smile, but the moment they call me Khairul Siamang (long hands monkey), then I am afraid I have left with no choice, but to declare "World War 3" to that people, no matter who.

Please do not forget that Miss Nepal 2009 is Zenisha Moktan, a 20 years old Tamang lady, a famed actress and a model, who is also a former Miss Tamang!

PRESIDENT DR RAM BARAN YADAV IS NOT AS "BARAN" (HOT-TEMPERED) AS HIS NAME

PHOTO: Nepali President, Dr Ram Baran Yadav who is not "Baran" (hot-tempered) at all.

What about the former monarchy? What caste or ethnic they come from? Obviously the former King Gyanendra and the late King Birendra come from the "Shah" family which is a Chhetri by cast or ethnic group.

The Chhetri is the warrior caste. The Chhetri, also known as Nepal Kshatriya, is making up roughly 17% of the entire Nepal population but they used to control the country by being the ruling monarch.

My Nepali branch former staff Sunmala Giri is a Chhetri whom I found out very religious. If I am not mistaken, she told me that once a week she would fast for 24 hours without eating anything except plain water.

In Nepal Constituent Assembly (Parliament), the powerful UCPN Maoist Party Chief Whip Post Bahadur Bogati is also a Chhetri. Recently this "Kshatriya" or "Warrior" threathen Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, that his Maoist party, being the single largest party in the Constiruent Assembly would table a no-confidence motion against the incumbent goivernmet if a unity government was not formed under the Maoist leadership.

You see...some times the name itself may reflect the personality of the person having that name.

For example, I still remember during my boarding school time at MRSM Muar in 1983, one of my college mates name is "Jelita". As a matter of fact, yes..."Jelita" (beautiful) she was.

Hence, when I see the Nepali Presiden Dr Ram Baran Yadav's name has got the word "Baran", I thought this President must be a "Panas Baran" (hot-tempered) personality.

But no...he is not. He is not a "Baran" (hot-tempered) person at all. On the other hand, when you see his face, he actually has a very calm and peaceful face.

I believe any Gurkha army who wants to run amok will cool down just by looking at this President Dr Ram Baran Yadav's face.

AFTER BEEN HORN 20 TIMES PER DAY CAN I CHANGE MY NAME TO "KHAIRUL BARAN HISHAM" ?

PHOTO: This is a famous Malay singer in the 90s, Ramlah Ram. Is Ram Baran Yadav, Nepali President, her long lost father?

When I do my daily walk to the office in Jamal area from my apartment at the end of Thamel area, I surely have to pass-by a crowded Thamel area with its narrow road.

And surely for that 25 minutes walking journey, at least more than 10 times the cars or motorcycles or rickshaws will horn at me, for reasons best known to themselves.

I said "for reasons best known to themselves" because I don't think I obstruct the traffic. What to do ("Ayam mematuk, Itik menyudu").

Maybe they just love to press their horns. Or maybe they just excited to see my buttock which is sexier than Brad Pitt's buttock, so they horn at me. Maybe.

Now the next questions is if you are in my position being horned a total per day more than 20 times by this motorcycles, cars and rickshaw, would there any slightest possibility that, in the balance of probabilities, you would also will be a "Baran" (hot tempered) person.

You bet! The fact that I was constantly "harassed" by non-stop horns can make me instantaneously change to Khairul "Baran" Hisham. But not President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, a truly calm and cool-tempered statesman.

Nonetheless, later when I go back to Malaysia I think I will miss the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu, with its vehicle horn non-stop for almost every 2 seconds.

I really really have done my own experiment that every 2 seconds some hands must be very itchy, hence pressing their vehicles' horn.

I jokingly told my Malaysian friend that perhaps this Dr Ram Baran Yadav is the long lost father of the famous Malay singer in the 90s, Ramlah Ram!

You know in Malaysia the last name is not a surname but the father's name

NEPALI NAME RESEMBLING THE MALAY NAME

PHOTO: "Mahat" in Nepal is the surname of two Cabinet Minister. But my friend Mahat in Malaysia loves to tackle others during football match. So I normally count the fingers of my leg, just in case his rough tackle has made me lost any of my leg fingers!

The only Nepali name resembling the Malay name is "Mahat". Currently, there are two Nepali ministers that have got "Mahat" as their surname. They are Minister for Energy, Mr Prakash Sharan Mahat and State Minister for Peace and Reconstruction, Mr Dilli Bahadur Mahat.

Every time I read these two "Mahat" ministers name in Nepali newspaper, automatically I remember Mahat, the Malay boy in my small village in Johor, Malaysia.

This Malay Mahat is well known for his no-nonsense tackle during the village football match. After been tackled by Mahat in his effort to possess the ball from me, I would normally count my fingers of my leg, just in case his rough tackle has made me lost any of my leg fingers!

LAST TIME A SHERPA IS JUST A GUIDE FOR MOUNTAINEERING EXPEDITIONS, NOWADAYS A SHERPA OWNS AN AIRLINE

PHOTO: Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, the first man reached the peak of Mount Everest together with Sir Edmund Hillary, is seen here at the summit of Mount Everest in a photo taken by Sir Edmund Hillary

PHOTO: A Sherpa-undoubtedly the best guide for mountaineering expedition.

Another very famous etnic which you cannot disassociate with Mount Everest is the famous "Sherpa" ethnic. The famous Sherpa which was the first one who reached the peak of Mount Everest together with Sir Edmund Hillary was Tenzing Norgay Sherpa.

Most Sherpas live in the west regions of Nepal while some of them live in Kumbu, located in north eastern Nepal on the Nepalese side of Mount Everest.

However, we can also found some Sherpa live farther west in the Rolwaling Valley

The Sherpa is a very extremely strong group of people, mentally and physically. That's why they can survive living in the harsh surrounding area of the Himalayan.

Last month I have been granted an opportunity to have a meeting with the Chairman of an airline who is indeed a Sherpa ethnic. Although this multi-millionaire owns an airline company and many other big businesses, I was amazed that he is such a nice gentleman, such a humble man with unbelievable degree of humility.

When explaining to me about his origin from Sherpa ethnic, he repeatedly said: "I am just a Sherpa people from the mountain".

This multi-millionaire is an epitome of success among the Sherpa who does not forget his origin, no matter how rich he is now. I feel so small in front of him, in term of his wordly achievements.

If you ever came to Kathmandu, please do not forget to visit a Sherpa shop called "Sherpa Adventure Gear" located at Hattisar.

This shop sells very quality range of clothes and trekking accessories like back packs, sleeping bags, crampons, ice axes, harness, climbing ropes and ice screw.

From a press statement made by the manager, Mr Ang Phurba Sherpa in a newspaper last week, I came to know that this shop alone enjoys a transaction of Rs 18 Million (nearly RM1 Million) in just six months of its operation.

I NEARLY LOST MY SALES BECAUSE I NEARLY MISTAKENLY CALL "MR LOBSANG" AS "MR LOBSTER"

PHOTO: Wow! Mouth-watering lobster! But I would loose my sale if I wrongly call my Nepali client "Mr Lobsang" as "Mr Lobster"

Another Nepali name that is unique and strikes my mind is "Lobsang". From my own observation seeing the facial design or facial structure of "Mr Lobsang", the Nepali who has "Lobsang" surname is most probably originated from Tibet long time ago. Maybe.

By the way, I think I would have a good chance to loose my sale if I wrongly call "Mr Lobsang" as "Mr Lobster". I simply can't imagine the facial expression of Mr Lobsang if I say something like this: "Okay Mr Lobster, apart from being the best place to do business, Malaysia is also a heaven for seafood such as Clawed Lobsters, or Spiny Lobsters or Slipper Lobsters".

Wow! Mr Lobster enjoy eating various types of Lobster at Bagan Sea Food Port Klang. Why not??

MANISHA KOIRALA IS A BAHOON, REKHA TAPA IS A CHHETRI, WHAT ABOUT NEWAR, DON'T THEY HAVE ANY BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS?

PHOTO: Well...in her "Part 1" series of desperate efforts to show she is sexier than my favourite Manisha Koirala, this Karishma Manandhar is seen here trying to showcase a "stretching" position ala Taekwondo.

PHOTO: And here...In her "Part 2" series of desperate efforts to show she is sexier than my favourite Manisha Koirala, this time Karishma Manandhar is seen trying to use her "belly button technique". By the way, you do not listen to my advice, do you? Who ask you to stare at lady's belly button, huh? Have you ever stared at your own belly button?

PHOTO: To be fair to this Newar Beauty Queen, I must say this Karishma Manandhar has 89% of the beauty of my favourite Nepali actress, Manisha Koirala.

Before I stop my rumbling about the Nepali name and ethnic group, let us see what is the ethnic group of Nepali popular actress.

Well...we know Manisha Koirala is a Bahoon. Without saying, a beautiful and smooth skin face lady like Manisha Koirala is definitely not a Baboon. She is a Bahoon. Remember...a Bahoon is the highest caste and very respectable community in Nepal. While a Baboon, without saying, is a kind of African and Asian Old World monkey.

Furthermore a Baboon has got thick black hair all over its neck, chest and face.No..No.. I can confirm that Manisha Koirala's neck, face and chest are 100% clean from any hair like a Baboon, black or white, maroon or silver colour!

What about sexy Nepali actress Rekha Thapa? Oh....She is actually a Chhetri. By the way, I met many "Mr Thapa" throughout my appointments in Kathmandu.

In fact many "Mr Thapa" has became PM in Nepal. For example, PM Bhimsen Thapa (1806), PM Madhabar Singh Thapa (1843), and the famous 5 times PM Surya Bahadur Thapa (1963, 1965, 1979, 1997, 2003).

Another promising actress which can give Manisha Koirala a run for her money is Karishma Manandhar. If Manisha Koirala is a Bahoon, Rekha Thapa is a Chhretri, this Karishma Manandhar comes from Newar community.

Unfortunately Karishma Manandhar is not related to my Nepali branch staff, Pratima Manandhar.

If they are in fact related, maybe I can inform Pratima Manandhar that I would like to have a candle night dinner with this beautiful Nepali actress Karishma Manadhar from Newar ethnic.

Anyhow Karishma Manandhar already married to Binod Manandhar, a famous Nepali film director.

Karishma really got 'charisma' because she was awarded with the title of "Nepali Best Actress" in November 2007.

By far, she is the most popular actress in the history of Nepali film industry (while Manisha Koirala is more popular in Bollywood).

Karishma Manandhar major films were ‘Mann Ma Maya’ and ‘Paapi Maanche’.

She was also the brand ambassador for Lux beauty soap for few years. Read here very carefully...its "Lux" beauty soap, not the brand ambassador for "Axe Brand Soap" (Sabun Cap Kapak) or brand ambassador for "Keropok Lekor Mengabang Pok Jin!"

WHEN RIDING A PULSAR TO ATTEND MEETINGS, I WOULD RATHER BE TOM HANK IN "TOP GUN" THAN RAJESH KHANNA IN "ANDAZ"

PHOTO: Two businessmen or shall I say two marketing Generals ready to go to battlefield (meeting) in full suit. Bajaj Pulsar motorbike is the "tank". Attack!

PHOTO: Tom Cruise in the "Top Gun" movie. I swear I have never and will never hug Basu Rijal's waist like this because we are not a loving gay couple. Never.

PHOTO: The same model & colour Bajaj Pulsar that Basu and I use daily to go to our meetings or appointments

PHOTO: Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini ride on the motorbike while singing "Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana" in Andaz film. No, my Nepali partner Basu and I don't sing "Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana" like Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini on the street of Kathmandu while riding motorbike to our appointments.

PHOTO: "Milo Tin". Yes ladies, watch out your body figure if you don't want me to call you "Milo Tin Lady", hehehe

Everyday my Nepali support staff (Pratima Manandhar, not Karishma Manadhar) would arrange an average 3 meetings for me and my Nepali partner Basu Rijal to attend.

All the person that we met were "Who's Who" in Nepal. I can confirm there were times when one day after we had a meeting with the person, his photo then appear in full page or front page in some newspapers.

This is the type of the people that Pratima has managed to secure the appointments for me to see for the meeting.

As I told you in Kathmandu the traffic is crazy as compared to Kuala Lumpur and Manchester. Everday it is almost confirm that we are going to be trapped in the Kathmandu traffic jam.

It is also a normal phenomenon in Kathmandu to see people wearing full coat or full office suit use motorcycle to go to office or to their meeting place.

During my appointment with one of the office bearers at United Nation office in Nepal, the person who parked his motorbike next to me, out of sudden take off his full track suit.

The moment his track suit was taken off, he changed himself to a different man with a smart one full set of office suit with the same colour of coat and trouser, ready to attend a meeting.

Without fail, I would normally wear my two-piece, single-breasted suit. If I wear like this during my 3 months attachment in Sudan last year I think my whole body would be sweating like I am sitting inside a Sauna.

Initially for the first 3 appointments or meetings we took a taxi to go to those meeting. But later I told him since we had got at least 3 meetings per day arranged by Pratima at 3 different locations, it is much faster, reliable and predictable if we use his Bajaj Pulsar motorbike to go to the appointments.

Due to massive traffic jam in Kathmandu, the journey on the motorbike is definitely faster than by using taxi. It is also more predicatable in term of time spent because if we use a taxi, we are not guaranteed to get a taxi on the spot if we have an instant meeting or appointment to attend.

So everyday my Nepali partner Basu Rijal and I ride on Basu's Pulsar to go for various meetings arranged by Pratima.

Do you still remember in "Top Gun" film, Tom Cruise loves to ride on his big bike while not on duty as a Navy fighter jet pilot.

The other famous scene that shows motorbike riding was in the Andaz movie in 1971 when actor Rajesh Khanna and actress Hema Malini ride on the motorbike while singing the hit song "Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana".

No, I cannot visualize Basu and I romantically sing the lyrics of that famous song while riding his motorbike on the way to attend our daily appointments or meetings:

Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana
Yahan Kal Kya Ho Kisne Jaana
Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana
Yahan Kal Kya Ho Kisne Jaana
Arey Oleiyo Leiyo, Oleiyo Leiyo
Oleiyo Leiyo, Oleiyo Leiyo
Oleiyo Leiyo, Oleiyo Leiyo

BOSSES IN NEPAL PREFER TO BUY BIG HOUSES THAN CARS

PHOTO: To those in Malaysia who think my Nepal partner Basu Rijal uses motorbike because he cannot afford to buy a car, well...well...well...you are absolutely wrong. You have to see this Basu's huge two storeys bungalow then.

PHOTO: Oh Dear! Look at this panoramic view surrounding my Nepali Partner Basu Rijal's big bungalow.

In Malaysia I think even a fresh graduate, after 3 or months drawing their first salary, can afford to buy at least a small Perodua Kancil car.

On the other hand, in Kathmandu I found out many bosses or owner of companies would rather ride on a motorbike than buying their own cars.

You are making a terrible mistake if you think the reason these bosses do not buy cars because they do not have got much money. Indeed they have a lot money.

Take for example my Nepali partner, Basu Rijal. His house is a damn big 2 storey bungalow which maybe worth 3 times more than a Mercedes car.

Through my own observation here in Nepal, there are several reasons why some bosses prefer not to buy cars and just happy to ride on their motorbike to go to office.

The first reason is they do not see any "value-for-money" paying 210% tax just to have a car which makes the price of the car ridiculously expensive.

Better still that money can be invested in buying a property. In Malaysia, people stress on what brand of the car a person uses in order to determine the social status or "Biar Papa Asalkan Bergaya". In Nepal it is a different story.

The other reason maybe because of the traffic condition in Nepal itself which makes riding a bike is so convenient

Before I sign off, it is my pleasure to tell you that it is quite funny everyday when I was on the bike with Basu we always joke that when we see a pretty girl walking or riding a bike next to us, we would say: "Oh! Look at that sexy Coca Cola-Bottle lady".

And when a rather fat woman walking we would say: "Oh! Look at that Milo-Tin woman."

If you see the contour or design of a "Coca-Cola Bottle" and "Milo Tin" then you know what I mean, hehehe. When you put two married men on a bike, this is what would happen!

Till we meet again. Phery Vetaula! See you again next week

NOTE: Constructive feedback from my blog readers are indeed welcomed. Please either write your comment below OR write directly to me at khairul@pro-versatile.com. Thank you for your time reading my blog. Have a fantastic and bombastic day!