Durian dah berbunga!

Some of you would remember the Perak-born comedian, Os singing,

"Oh kome, deghoyan dah berbunga...".

Well, durian dah berbunga indeed at Kampong Kepayang Fair Park, my kampong.

For those of you who haven't seen the flower of a durian tree take a good look at the pic above taken this morning in front of my mum's house. Beautiful, aren't they?

There are three durian trees at Mak's house. Looking at their flower blooms, there's a good chance that this Hari Raya we'll be having durian for breakfast, pulut durian for lunch, and bubur durian for dinner.

Malaysia Airlines System, 1973-1987

Commemorative stamps on the occasion of the establishment of Malaysia Airlines System

Did you know that our flag carrier, MAS, had its beginnings as the Malayan Airways which was founded in 1937?

With the formation of Malaysia in 1963, the airline was renamed Malaysian Airways. It was soon renamed again in 1965 as Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA).

But when Singapore separated (some say “kicked out?”) from Malaysia, and what with both countries having differing aspirations, eager to develop and project their own distinctive identity, it was only matter of time that MSA would be disbanded.

This finally happened in 1973, giving birth to two different airlines. The Malaysian national carrier was from now on called Malaysia Airlines System (MAS).

MAS McDonnell Douglas DC10-30

Those early days saw MAS branding itself more of a regional carrier, connecting a myriad of remote destinations in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. But soon enough it expanded adding, among others, the lucrative KL-London route.

And it was just in time too, I might add. For when I flew to London on 9th September of 1979 to further my studies, it was in a beautiful, gleaming MAS McDonnell Douglas DC10-30 aircraft.

It was just awesome!

The economic boom in Malaysia during the 1980s further spurred the growth of MAS. By the end of the decade, it was flying to 47 overseas destinations. By this time it had also changed its name to the current Malaysia Airlines.

Today MAS serves over 90 international destinations in six continents and boasts a fleet of aircraft that is as good as any other international airlines you may get. This comprises the following:

Current MAS Fleet (Major Aircrafts)

Boeing B747-400SP: 13 crafts
Boeing B777-200: 17 crafts
Airbus A330-300: 11 crafts
Airbus A330-200: 3 crafts
Boeing B737-400: 37 crafts
Airbus A380-841: 6 crafts ordered (year 2011 entry into service)

A MAS Boeing 707

MAS Boeing 747

I wanted to be a pilot

During my primary school days, if any one of my Apak's friends were to ask me the proverbial question "when you grow up, what would you like to be, son?" I was sure to shoot back "a pilot!".

Yup, there would've been no doubt what so ever in that answer.

For I love aeroplanes.

I think I began to develop this love looking at airline advertisements featured in old magazines and in the newspapers. One such magazine was the Asia Magazine which was distributed free of charge with the New Sunday Times newspaper, Apak's newspaper of choice. Another one was the Readers' Digest.

Old ads especially by BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation), the Malaysia Singapore Airline (MSA) and, much later, MAS (Malaysian Airline Systems) fed to my interest.

An ad for BOAC VickersVC10 aircraft

At first, it was the mind-boggling thought of long distance travelling - flying into the sunset - and being able to go to nice places that I'd seen many times in our encyclopedia set, that first got me hooked.

But later, it was also the sight of beautiful, elegant aircrafts with their graceful wings that further intrigued me.

As my interest grew, I got to the point where I could recognize and memorize the names of all the aircrafts in the papers and magazines. And if there was a picture of an aeroplane or an airline advertisement in any magazine or newspaper (I seldom miss them), you can bet that there'd be a hole in them by the end of the day. I would cut the pictures up and stick them in my scrap book.

MSA ad and timetable

The formation of our very own national airline, MAS, in 1973 further fueled my interest.

I still remember looking on proudly at the very first printed advertisement for MAS in the newspaper. It featured a picture of MAS's first ever fleet, seven spanking new Boeing737s, lined side by side on the runway in dignified fashion.

Oh, how it took my breath away.

They came in a new, bright red colorscheme. The logo on the tail unmistakeably showed the kelantan wau. How, nice, I thought. Befitting Malaysia's very own national carrier.

When I went to boarding school, and later entered university, the intensity of love for aeroplanes waned a bit as I got engrossed in (distracted by) other mundane things like study and assignments. Nevertheless it never faded away.

During one of the summer breaks in UK, I managed to get a part time job selling Red Arrows official magazines at airshows and festivals in which the Red Arrows team were featured.

I had a whale of a time not only selling those magazines, but also looking up the aircrafts on show, as well as, taking pictures (my new hobby then).

Airmen atop a Hercules C3. Pic taken at one of the airshows in UK

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Floria Putrajaya is here again

Flower lovers will be happy to know that the Floria Putrajaya for 2009 will be opened to the public this Saturday, 1st August.

This year's theme is ‘Celebration of Colours’ and you can expect a riot of colours at the show alright, especially because this year's main flower to be on show shall be ORCHIDS.

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The event shall be held for nine days beginning 1 to 9 August.

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Admission is free.

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Yes, people say nothing in this world is free. But Floria Putrajaya is the exception. And what a nice exception it is too.

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For details please visit Floria website here.

Swine flu hits UiTM Seri Iskandar

Syafiq’s campus at UiTM Seri Iskandar has been closed due to swine flu outbreak. At least 10 students have been tested positive with the flu.

So Syafiq is now with his Opah in Kampong Kepayang, safely away from the virus. He did complain of having a slight fever and a cold earlier this week. But alhamdulillah, he was cleared by an on-campus doctor as having just common cold.

Swine influenza virus is said to be very common throughout pig populations worldwide. But swine influenza was first recognized to be a disease related to human influenza during the 1918 flu pandemic.

The 2009 H1N1 form of swine flu is one of the descendants of the strain that caused that 1918 flu pandemic.

The H1N1 outbreak began in Mexico when it was first identified in April 2009. It led to the closing down of most of Mexico City’s public and private offices and facilities in order to contain its spread.

And, in early June, the virus spread globally. Malaysia is not spared, of course. Yesterday saw the first H1N1-related death in this country.

So everyone, please take extra to avoid being infected:

1. Practice good hand hygiene: wash your hands with soap and water often, particularly after travelling on public transport.

2. Use anti-bacterial hand gel: this is said to be better than using soap.

3. Use tissues: cough or sneeze into a clean tissue and throw it into a bin immediately.

The gift from Apak

During my pre-school days, there were only three kids in the family: my brothers Azmi and Azman, and I. We were very close to each other, especially because there was not much separating us in terms of age.

Being all boys, we were the heroes, but we were also the enfants terribles. We would run havoc and turn the house upside down on a daily basis. That our parents could cope with all the three of us at once is, perhaps, a testimony to their patience, and love, for us.

Oh yes, they treated us all with equal love and attention. And it showed, literally.

You see, whenever Apak bought us something, every one of us would get exactly the same things. The same batik patterned shirts. Same style of shoes. Same type of trousers. All the same, except maybe in terms of their colours.

One of the many things that Apak had presented to us all were these leather wallets. Perhaps wanting to inculcate in us the habit of saving, we had already much earlier received our colourful, animal-shaped porcelain coin banks. But the wallet, now that was something else.

I used to watch Apak as he prepared himself to go to work. I’d noticed how he would carefully put his wallet into the pocket of his pants. It seemed to be such an important item – one which he would never leave home without.

So you can imagine my excitement in getting my first wallet….my very own wallet. I felt like a grown-up man, ready to go out and work. Earn some big money.

That auspices day is more than forty years ago now. But the leather wallet which Apak gave me that day is still with me.

I cannot even start to tell you how I have managed to keep it with me after all these years. Because I really do not know. It has been popping in and out of my life over the years.

But one thing I know is that, I always have this thing in me that says anything given to me by Emak or Apak should be treated with utmost respect. They should be kept in their proper place and should never be given away, let alone be wasted, or lost. I would be consumed with guilt if ever I were to mistreat their gifts to me. In one way or another, I guess, it is these notions which have seen my wallet survive to this day.

The leather wallet is still fully intact. Well, almost, except for the plastic cover for the identity card compartment. The leather is still in fine shape, too.

But what really touched my heart when I was examining it recently was seeing my own name "Azizi A.T." printed by Apak on the inside of the wallet.

Apak had lovingly inscribed it himself using a pen (he had to, otherwise my brothers and I would end up fighting over our wallets). The inscription is still there, clear and un-faded even after more than forty years.

I will treasure this wallet till I die. And God willing, I shall not lose it again.

I might even take it with me on my mountain bike rides. Its design is so simple, and yet does the job just nicely for cyclists. After all, we cyclists just hate to ride with a big, fat wallet in our pants.

Thank you for the wallet, Apak.

You will always be in my memory, and may ALlah bless your soul. Ameen.

Purification of the Heart

I seldom take notice of the daily "breakfast television show" dished out by our television stations. To me they are just there, in the background, to accompany me as I bite into my toasts.
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But last week, Wardina, one of the hosts on TV3, started talking about this book entitled "Purification of the Heart" by Hamza Yusuf.

It made me stop chewing on my toast momentarily. For I had heard that title before. But I could not pin-point exactly where, and when. Memory failed me, I went on to finish up my half-boiled eggs and promptly left the dinning table.

It was only later on in the day that I remembered the book had been lent to me by cousin, Iwan, quite some time back. I had browsed through it. But I never really got to start reading it.

Thank you Wardina for reminding me. I really do have to catch up on my reading, haven't I?

Allow me to share some excerpts from the book's Introduction :

"The sound heart is understood to be free of character defects and spiritual blemishes. This "heart" is actually the spiritual heart and not the organ per se, although in the Islamic tradition, the spiritual heart is centred in the physical".

"Many in the West have long proffered that the brain is the center of consciousness. But in traditional Islamic thought - as in other traditions - the heart is viewed as the center of our being."

Wallahua'alam.