Day Trip: Pulau Ketam

As I’m still on a financial diet, we decided to check out Pulau Ketam on 25 October 2014. We parked near the police station at Port Klang and went to the jetty to board the boat. There were supposed to be scheduled departures and we arrived at 0930 – the same time as the boat was supposed to depart. We half-ran and thought we made it but the boat only left at 1010. So much for scheduled departures then! The ticket cost RM7 for adults (RM4 for children, or was it RM5?) and it took about 50 minutes to get to Pulau Ketam. I was appalled at how dirty the sea off the coast of Port Klang was. It’s like the Klang Valley inhabitants think the river is one big dumping ground and that it could swallow their rubbish whole. Well, no. The Klang River emptied out into the Straits of Malacca of course.

We arrived at 1100 in the baking mid-morning sun. The new MB was recently there too but his visit didn’t seem to have any effect on the locals. The island was dirty with the islanders nonchalantly throwing rubbish under their stilted houses. I was glad I didn’t decide to spend overnight there because before long I was wondering about the water supply.

We walked (you could rent a bicycle and cycle around but we didn’t plan on being there long anyway) and explored the village before turning back. The sun was already shining down mercilessly and we sought shelter while having apam balik from the only Muslim stall there. There were a few seafood restaurants but I wasn’t enticed.

We left before 1 pm. Well, we walked to the jetty and had to wait for the first boat out. In the end, we took the speed boat (RM10 for adults) back. I couldn’t wait to leave to be honest. I was glad I went there if only because it means I would never have to consider it as a destination again. I’m not being catty but the visit almost made me feel crabby at the end of it. Never again. Never.

Human Nature: II

I was having lunch at my cubicle one fine day while reading when I overheard two of my staff chatting and I caught one of them saying, ‘Well, they may be alright now but they should consider. After all, she’s a good 10 years older than him.’ I don’t know why it caught my attention and for once, I was quick to conclude, and rightly too, that they were talking about a local celebrity. They continued on commenting about the couple and their marriage and speculating how long it would last. And I remember thinking then, ‘Why? Why is our society always quick to judge and condemn especially the female segment of the population? And why are women the harshest critics of their own sex? Shouldn’t they stand up for one of their own?’

I have nothing against the couple at all. They haven’t done anything to bother me and my stance towards them is that they are free to do what they like. They are married (and the celebrity has recently given birth to a baby girl, her first) and they look happy together and in love. I don’t see why age should be an issue, why her being older in the union should be an issue when the husband in the equation has no issue about it. Of course it’s unusual and rare in our society for the wife to be older but hey, it’s been known to happen. Even Saidatina Khadijah was fifteen years older than our beloved Prophet and I’m not sure how the situation was back then, but I doubt it was usual for the wife to be older way back then either. But their marriage worked well and if it was good enough for Rasulullah (PBUH), then why do we have so many problems and issues about accepting it in the modern society we live in? (Some people claim to be modern but are not open-minded Oh the irony.)

I’ve mentioned in the first paragraph that women are the harshest critics of their own sex. They are the ones who would be the first to look down on lady divorcees, fearing that a single-again woman might have designs on their husbands (and of course it’s always the women’s fault for getting themselves divorced – as if they forget that it takes two to tango and make a marriage work). They are also suspicious of lady bachelors who haven’t settled down yet either by choice or circumstances, fearing that they would be replaced by these single women. Why? Why all these suspicions and misconceptions? And why look down on the single and single-again ladies and worse, call them spiteful names? Does marital status matter that much? Is marital status an indication that one’s made it in life, that s/he has fulfilled one stage of her/his lifecycle? Does being single or divorced mean one is a failure? And why immediately label those who are still single as choosy (and even then, so what if we are choosy? I take my time to choose my groceries, should I not devote a longer time to choose a potential life partner? Duh.)?

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I cried buckets when I watched this sad clip late on Sunday. I’m not naïve or ignorant but sometimes, in my safe cocoon of comfort, I may have overlooked those who have to do without. It seems a bit indulgent to complain of something, a bad footie match for instance, when there are those who really have to struggle on a day-to-day basis just to live another day. This clip is in Chinese with sub-titles in Malay and it is about this 8-year old girl who was abandoned by her parents when she was a baby. A stranger found her and brought her back and raised her as if she was his daughter. They live deep in the jungle, just the two of them. The neighbours had relocated a long time ago but they stayed put as the foster dad doesn’t have much himself. She walks close to two hours each way to school every day through the jungle and occasionally screams out to scare off wild animals as taught by her foster dad. She wore her sandals to shreds as they were given to her by her dad and they couldn’t afford another. He hasn’t changed his glasses in 10 years because he couldn’t afford a new pair and that any money would go towards her schooling. He’s doing poorly and she takes care of him when she comes home from school, cooking some simple fare. Before school, she feeds her buffalo, the only possession they have besides the dilapidated hut they lived in. Despite all the hardship, she’s a clever bright student. Despite being taunted a jungle girl by her classmates, she still braves the jungle every day to go to school to seek knowledge and education. And yet here we have students who skip school who play truant and have no respect for their teachers or elders.

It just makes you want to weep at the unfairness of the world and the ungratefulness of some. It’s a reminder to myself that life is just too short for the things that really matter. That I should concentrate on that those that matter most and not spend too much time agonising, stressing or worrying about things that don’t matter. And even things that matter don’t need much stressing and agonising over. I mean, what’s a loss when there are many people out there who live a hand to mouth existence?

Human Nature: I

TheOrganisation recently announced it’s raising the retirement age to 60 from 55/56 currently. As usual, this announcement was met with a lot of comments, criticisms, queries and for the most part, just plain negativity. I don’t understand what the fuss is all about especially when other countries have long since raised their retirement age (in fact, some will increase to 65). I especially hate it when people make comments such as the following: that pretty soon we’ll need to have wheelchairs; people coming to work with walking canes will be a common sight; those opting to stay on will deprive their subordinates from progressing on; and so on and so forth. There are also reminders that we are on living on borrowed time, that we should also stop to think about the Hereafter and our preparations for it, that at 55/56, we should already be doubling our preparations for the Hereafter, and that there is more to life than money. OK, I don’t disagree with that but I do disagree with the sentiment that those opting to stay on don’t necessarily think of the Hereafter. After all, isn’t work a form of ibadah too? And why do we need to wait until we are 55/56 to start doubling our preparations for the Hereafter? To me, it’s just like going to perform Haj: why have this perception that you should only go after you’ve reached a certain age? Sure, I know that going for Haj is not easy and that one needs to save for a number of years before one could be offered to go (and at the same time, ensure that provisions are also made for those left behind) but if one starts to save for Haj from when one is small, then one would be able to go even when he’s in his mid-20s or early 30s at least. Anyway, I digress.

I have always been in the camp of work-like-you-don’t-need-the-money because I believe that having this belief makes me enjoy my work more and not view it as a chore or a means to an end. I don’t want to view work as something I have to grudgingly do because I need the money. Of course money is a great motivator and I choose to feel it is a bonus to be paid doing something I enjoy (or don’t hate). As presently I don’t have anyone to provide for me, it looks likely that I would choose to stay on. And why not. What I don’t appreciate is negative critical moaners who immediately advise others from exercising their right, who criticise those who might want to stay on, who think they are trying to save others from damnation for choosing to stay on and work instead of repenting and doubling their preparations for the Hereafter. I should think we are all adults who are capable of making up our own minds, exercising good judgement and thinking of our own future. If one thinks one is able to survive financially without staying on, then fine, he is welcome to leave at 55/56. If he thinks he can still contribute, still enjoys working, is able to balance his worldly affairs and Hereafter, then he is welcome to stay on regardless of whether or not he needs the money. Why the need for negativity and pessimism? After all, the decision to increase the working age is surely not done lightly. It needed to be deliberated with the pros and cons carefully thought out taking into account many factors such as the impact on the medical bills, our EPF contribution, our loan terms, etc etc. Then the proposal had to be presented for approval to the senior management before it was tabled to the Board of Directors. That surely involved a lot of research work what with country comparison and experience, institution comparison, future projections, talent management and career progression, staffing needs, etc etc.

I’m a firm believer that in all aspects of life, be it marriage, job, the decision whether to have kids or not, just do what you believe in. Don’t let others influence you and don’t influence others to your thinking especially if your opinions are unsolicited for. It’s your life after all and you should live your life as you see fit, not as others dictate or decide for you. Sure, by all means, ask for others’ opinions, guidance and views so that you have an informed view but don’t let them sway or influence your decision. Work for your worldly affairs as though you will live forever, and work for your hereafter as though you will die tomorrow.

It’s just human nature, I guess, to be critical and negative and pessimistic. But why, when we can also choose to be positive and optimistic?

Day Trip Photos: Kuala Selangor and Sekinchan

Some photos of Kuala Selangor and Sekinchan.

 Interesting geology on the way up

 Arsenal presence sighted!

 Lighthouse

 Malawati Fort 

 Sekinchan

 So peaceful and calm

Mango tree at the mosque where we performed prayers. So many fruits!!!

  

We had durian cendol at Batu 9

This bowl of prawn noodles was so disappointing. Tasted blergh

Day Trip: Kuala Selangor and Sekinchan

I am on a financial diet this quarter (it’s a long story and I shall spare you) and as I still had my travel itch, I decided to go on a day trip to Kuala Selangor and Sekinchan (my first time there evah!). So on 11 October 2014, ZS and I drove to Kuala Selangor. We had to drive the mess that is Sungai Buluh en route and although we left considerably early, the traffic had built up by the time we reached Sungai Buluh.

We arrived at Kuala Selangor at 10 and headed for Bukit Malawati. After finding a parking spot at the nearby block of shops, we climbed up the hill. Oh, you can take the train up but we decided to walk instead. It wasn’t at all a strenuous climb and I was glad we did it as we found interesting geology along the way. I sighted some cannons and climbed up and gingerly made my way along the slope. The lighthouse and the Historical Museum of Kuala Selangor District were just around the corner.

We went into the museum and spent some time there before checking out the cannons outside the museum grounds which were pointing to the sea in the hazy distance. After that, we walked along the path to Malawati Fort. There were quite a few people posing with and feeding the monkeys before the fort. The monkeys were mild and not at all vicious as those at Bako National Park. Strangely enough, the fort was deserted. We spent about 20 minutes there before making our way down.

We then drove on to Sekinchan and turned into a randomly chosen road. We drove along and among the paddy fields until we reached Masjid As-Solihin where we performed prayers. We then drove on before turning into another road. The green paddy fields gave a serene calm comforting peaceful feeling to me.

We left Sekinchan and drove back to Kuala Selangor stopping en route to buy some fish sausages. We also had some cendol durian at a restaurant near to the restaurant selling the fish sausages. Then we continued on and stopped at a restaurant at Jalan Kuala Selangor (just before Jalan Rawang) for some prawn noodles. Let me just say that if you happened to pass by, do yourself a favour: just drive on and give it a miss. It was so disappointing and not at all worth the price.

We took LATAR back to Kuala Lumpur. I must say it was an enjoyable trip, horrible tasteless prawn noodles notwithstanding, and can envisage a return trip. Oh, I skipped the fireflies sighting as I wasn’t keen on being bitten by evil mosquitoes. But who knows, maybe next time I’ll give it a try.