8 WEEK CHALLENGE 2011- part 1

There is no better time to participate in Australia's most seek after dietary program than now!! Why?

(1) Because we have been on MAKANSutra for the past.. err 2 weeks for the Eid Mubarak (Hari Raya) celebration!! Actually, it was not because we want to break our diet but it is actually customary and polite to try out and eat every meal that was served during open houses (make believe).

(2) Because the food for this year's diet was localise to Asian taste!! Yes we hear your last year's year feedback Yam Chan SiuCheh (and all ex-8WC'ians)... last year the food ingredient was not so conducive and abit exorbitant but this year.. hopefully, we will even have a price tag and everywhere-can-buy ingredients.

3) Because... Of course we want to be healthy and especially gorgeous and sexy with hot ass like Mek Yam!!

4) There will be one winner per participating platoon as oppose to last year's only one overall winner worldwide which our Otai and 4 times SOB James Fong was one of the finalist!

He received a RM300 voucher at NIKE store. Meaning, if I register all our platoons, there will be one winner for every platoon.

How much does it cost to participate? 
To participate, you must be a paid recruit at the CHIEF's ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP and pay AUD29.95 (Approximately RM90.00) for the 8 Weeks Challenge.

When does it start?
The CHIEF'S ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP™ Eight Week Challenge starts on Monday 26^th Sept and Finishes on Friday 18^th Nov 2011.

For more information and FAQ click HERE.

TOP 10 BEST WRITTEN FEEDBACK (FOR 1ST WEEK) ON THE CHIEF'S ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP TRAINING

(Click on Picture to enlarge)

What they say about the CHIEF'S ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP!! 

Coming to the second week of September session, there is no better aspiration than to record what the recruits say about the Chief's training!! There are too many too record, so I picked the top 10 best!! I'll pick the TOP 10 of best wording every week as an aspiration to everyone.. maybe as a candidate for you to vote as the next Spirit of Bootcamp? Speaking of which, do check out the updated Spirit of Bootcamp Hall of Fame at www.bootcampmalaysia.com (click SOB).

NOTHING IS MORE ORGASMIC THAN TO GET THE HANDS DIRTY

There is nothing much to be missed if you had never tasted a luxury lifestyle but once you had it and lost it, living without it is a lot harder... infact, it can be damn hard. Having maids to cook, clean, wash-up, serves us endless and tirelessly 24 hours 7 days a week is a luxury that most people are enjoying but life without a maid is actually nothing but a better lifestyle!! If you dont believe me.. see how fast and fit Delta Norliza Affandi and Nawal Aini Zulkifli is! They both had their fair share of moment without maids.

The trick is.. be positive.. look at the bright side. At least there is still a house to be clean. Some people had to be forced out of their house due to economic downturn and some had to vacate due to environment setback such as those in Perlis sufering from mega flood. Secondly, which is more important is for fitness and health. Fitness and fat lost should be everyone's goal in life. Lets take a quick look at my polar performing the following household chores. Yes.. believe it or not, Armin is the maid of honour. Abit higher grade than indons and banglas.

Normal household chores based on my weight of 70kg, age, gender and a 7,000 sq ft size burns calorie as follows (base on my polar):

Vacuuming 15 minutes - 93 cal
Mopping the floor 15 minutes - 97 cal
Cleaning glasses, windows & tables 5 minutes - 50 cal
Wash Dishes (standing or in General- Not broken into stand/walk component) 10 mins - 40 calorie
Make-up bed, re-arranging wardrobe, cleaning shower, toilets - 15 minutes - 105
Laundry - hantar dobi/laundry shop daa - No calorie burn

A BOOTCAMP A DAY, KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY

Some people called it over-indulgence and some people say its overdosed.. I say, I had a mega carbo load with 12 meals and used-up all my one year carbohydrate quota/ration in just one day at Bustanu Pahamin aqiqah and open house last Sunday. Being a member at the CHIEF's ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP, I can afford that extra calories and burned those overdosed, overindulged mega loaded carbo all within 1 hour at BU Alpha.. How?

First, arrived 2 seconds late for the session and had a 'Sprint & Grunts' as punishment as a waking up shock to the system.. err also work as an alternative to coffee. Having missed almost a month of bootcamping (due to travelling and puasa).. I did not know the punishment for late-comers has been changed! I was prepared for 20 Grunts but the unbeknown early sprinting was unexpected. I can hear Mohamad Fazli's scream.. Armin...!!!! followed by Shear Ling Toh.. ARMIN!!!! and I also went.... ARMIN!!! mampus.....

Second, the drop dead circuit.. eh.. run & drop circuit was short of breathing under water.. breathless. We had to run and drop 8 times (and perform various stationary workout) from one goal post to the next and the fastest are waived from Grunts punishment. The second placing, the team had to do two Grunts, third placing, 3 grunts all the way to the 10th team with 10 Grunts. Being partner'ed up with SOBs were challenging. I did not mind SOB Shear Ling Toh during the POW circuit! but when its SOB Joe Liew.. I had to sprint like a headless chicken in fear of being tapped. Fortunately, I was never tapped but the fear of being tapped send me straight to hell cloud 9.

VIDEO!! BATTLE OF KIASUS!! HOOYAH!!

The first BATTLE OF CHIEF ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP platoons was held on 17 July 2011 and saw the merger of platoon USJ1-Alpha and USJ1-Bravo into the Legends, BU-Alpha and BU-Bravo into the Spartans and DH-Zulu as the Highlander. These three platoons from three locations competed to be crown as the first Spirit of Platoons and the first Champion!! For more details & pictures, Click Battle- Part 1, Battle- Part 2, Battle Part 3, Battle-Part 4, Battle-Part 5, Battle-Part 6 and Battle-The Results.

Before the results were announced, the Spartans & the Legends led the challenge with four bull-dog stickers each. The Legends was short of 1 point. The first five challenges were all about stamina & fitness. Only the fittest and the fastest recruit/platoon can win the first 5 challenges but the determining factor for the first Battle of Platoons Champion is very dependent on team work effort.

The CHIEF'S ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP is all about motivating and inspiring team members. No matter how weak or slow a team member is, we are ala a soldier at war, duty-bound to support, motivate and would never leave anyone behind. At war, a soldier entrust their life to their fellow comrade. As such, instructors & admins as the observer to all three platoons had the discretion to crown the first Spirit of Platoons and the first Champion in the inter-platoon battle based on primarily comrade-ship, coordination, points and time.

3 IN 1 FUNCTION ON SEPTEMBER ELEVEN

The purpose of performing Aqiqah is to announced the birth of a baby. Being bestowed with a child is a blessing from Allah swt and the Aqiqah itself brings closer the neighbours, friends and family members to celebrate the blessed occasion. According to the Hadith of the Prophet Muhamamd SAW (peace of Allah be upon him), the animal to be slaughtered should be a goat or a sheep. Two Sheeps which resembles each other are to be sacrificed for a boy and one for a girl. (Sunnah Abu Dawood Book 15, No. 2380). The animals for the Aqiqah should be in the same condition as those for Qurban. For a camel, it must be older than 6 years old, cow older than 3 years, goat or sheep older than 2 years old. They must be free from any form of handicap such as blind, sick, limp and undernourished. 

SHAZRHY EDIAZ SHAZRUL was born on 10th June 2011 in London, England. The preparation began weeks ago and I was the designated JPJ for the function.. Maybe the title JPJ was abit too kind. Actually I was the bangla to install the road direction which was a huge responsibility!! Without my KPI being performed, the 3 in 1 function would have been futile... empty without any guests .. all would have gotten lost! but by 10pm last night.. the road direction was still no where to be found.. I forgot!! waaa.. but ala hindustahe movie.. hero always perform on the last minute though everyone almost freak out...  So at 11pm.. the 'construction' for the road signage began!!!  with a fine-art graduate as the advisor, we creatively designed and completed our damn kick arse signage as follow:

So to go to my house, go straight, turn left, turn right, turn left, turn right, yada yada... and walla.. Bustanu Pahamin.

IS PROTON A 'MALAYSIAN' CAR?

I read this article with the above title "Is PROTON a Malaysian car?" at Lim Kit Siang's blog. The article was written by KJ JOHN and was first published on Malaysiakini.com on 30 August 2011 and re-posted on Lim Kit Siang's blog on 6 September 2011. KJ JOHN was in public service for 29 years and is now the dean of the Faculty of Economics and Policy Science at UCSI University, Malaysia.

The author first spoke on PROTON Managing Director Dato Seri Syed Zainal Abidin's personal experience with a taxi driver that was published in Ahmad Talib (former NST Managing Director) recent column. In that article, due to the misconception that the power window regulator will malfunction with high usage, Syed Zainal introduced himself, gave the taxi driver his personal handphone number, asked the taxi driver to use the power window and to call him if the power window malfunction when used (or overused). Syed Zainal assured the taxi driver that he will replace the power window regulator without charge-FOC if it malfunction. The whole objective was to correct the life-long misconception that had damaged PROTON's goodname. The confident of PROTON Managing Director to give his personal handphone number to the taxi driver speaks volume. The taxi driver never did call signalling the problem or the misconception was not true.

MAT SABU & BUKIT KEPONG

My knowledge in Malaysia history is as good as my skill in cooking which was not very appetizing. Henceforth, I had to read quite a bit of history to understand Mohamad Sabu @ Mat Sabu (PAS Deputy President)'s statement that became a controversial topic that even our Deputy Prime Minister as well as UMNO Supreme Council members had to comment. For a start, I googled and enjoyed the 1981 movie 'Bukit Kepong' (for the dozenth time) and attempted some extra reading before falling asleep (again) on late Sunday noon. I gave up googling and reading Bukit Kepong history and draw up my on own conclusion (base on rationale) instead.

Mat Sabu was badly condemned when he claimed that Policemen defending Bukit Kepong was British officers and the real hero was Mat Indera whom fought against the British for Malaysia's freedom. Being under the British colony whom ruled Malaysia then, I would have thought the police force too should be the officers of the ruler.. which was the British then yes?

SKETSA AIDILFITRI 2011

30 August 2011. The eve of Hari Raya was complete with an orchestra of Takbir Raya, fire cracker bangs and boms and the 10 nieces and nephews laughter and giggles as the background music. The sense of contentment and happiness was magical. We've completed a whole month of fasting and tomorrow, I shall wake up with the aromatic smell of golden roasted coffee!!! Yes.. Coffee.. oh coffee... Nothing beats the morning blues than a cup of hot nescafe. Only God knows how I survived every morning during fasting month without coffee.

Aaraf Armin, Kasih Iris Leona and Shazrai were so excited to play with fire cracker!!

They and 7 others were all under the supervision of Uncle Long Azhar Sulaiman. On second thought, I think all 9 of them were supervising Azhar Sulaiman whom was more excited to play fire cracker than the children.

Some of the children was at the Guard post supervising Azhar Sulaiman,

My sisters... they were hiding far away from the fire crackers

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI 2011

 SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI (Arabic: ‎عيد الفطر ‘Īdu l-Fiṭr), Eid ul-Fitri or often abbreviated to Eid, is a muslim celebration that marks the end of Ramadhan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). The Eid is also special because 9 years ago on the second day of Eid, Aaraf was born. This year, is even more special when for the first time in many years, all my 6 siblings  are gathered together with Dr Teratai Edithy Pahamin back from London after 13 years?


On the left was our 2011 Hari Raya card. I think I have send the card to everyone but if I did missed anyone, please forgive me.

SELAMAT HARI MERDEKA, HAPPY INDEPENDANT DAY

Yes, sure I was not there to fight and regained back Malaysia from being colonized before independence nor was I born before any of the historical world wars (which is a sign that I am still young) though I wish I was. However, I was around when our country was about to be colonized (again) through modern instrument via our currency in 1998 which our then Prime Minister YABhg Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad labelled them as "Penyangak Matawang Asing" (Rogue currency traders).  Although that colonization attempt was not successful, but there were thousands of casualties. There were thousands of death (businesses) and many were paralyzed (bankrupted) and Malaysia was bedridden (in recession). Malaysia suffered alike a major stroke during that 1998 crisis and had never properly recovered before suffering another heart attack in 2008 over and above the inherited sickness Gout (voluntary unemployment-Malay dilemma) and diabetic (increasing price of essential goods). More than the majority of Malaysia working population would have been a bankrupt too if the government did not revise its bankruptcy threshold. Now, we are very slowly crawling back to recovery and it is primitive to even think that Malaysia is anywhere near being recovered. However, I am proud that Malaysia are not being dictated nor influenced by any foreign countries, international monetary policies or any rogue speculators be it in our fiscal instruments, policies and/or our economy. This is the new millennium independence.

Every year since my early teens, I look forward to hearing our Independence Day speech by our Prime Minister and look forward to the Merdeka Day marches at Dataran Merdeka. Tun Dr Mahathir's speech was the most aspiring... Tun reached out that patriotism in not just me but almost all those in my circle of people. If there was one day that we should all scream Merdeka with no hold barred, it must be on 31st August!! Our independence day! Having successfully achieved so much to be where we are today in only a short span of 54 years, we should be and should always stand united against any attempt to rape us away from the peace that we had achieved. Let us not be similar to Thailand whom although was never colonized but until today, are still fighting and killing each other in an endless cold civil war and public demonstration burning buildings, closing airports and blocking roads in their political inspired demonstration that benefits only a few to be in power but paralyzed their country and their people.

COBC 13TH PARTY AT BUSTANU

Welcome to the CHIEF's ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP Malaysia 13th graduation party at Bustanu Pahamin... my home. Every month, we celebrate our hard work, our hard core commitment, our passion and get together to indulge ourselves with sins in heaven.. eh I mean sinful food in heaven!! and since its Puasa month, we had a buka puasa pot-luck do!! MAKANSUTRA!! (ciplak'ed from Kamsasutra). What did we have at the Pot-Luck? yes... more than what we bargain for! Didn't know everyone is as good a Chef as they are in training... or err.. maybe good at buying food?

The theme for the 13th Graduation was Green and Yellow!!! and yes I was in Shocking Green and Yellow!! So shocking that I heard a shocking Gossip that left us all in elongated laughing tears even until this morning when we chatted online on BBM Chat room. Someone was having a conversation with Farhanah Bamadhaj and one part in the conversation, said.. 'I wonder who this gay guy is'.. Eeek. because he was wearing Shocking Green and Yellow jeans!! Now.. where is Rose Emini Pahamin who chose the colour theme and make me look gay? need to blame it on her and maybe give her Grunts inferno. Sarge (COBC) Dann was the first to arrived with SATAY HAJI SAMURI!!! Waaa... sheer torture counting down to breaking fast in 2hours! The aroma.. the smell... iiiisk.. now felt like having satay again!!

ALHAMDULILLAH ANOTHER GOOD YEAR.. ITS ALL ABOUT ROSEY...

What is the significant of 24 AUGUST 2011? Yup... Yes..... thats it, it was the day Allah swt gave birth to my spare part Rose Emini Pahamin that became the only compatible bone marrow donor for my bone marrow transplant 20 years ago in 1991 for leukemia and again in 1994 when I had a relapse. Being the youngest of four sisters in my siblings of six and the only sister that is still single, undoubtedly she became the princess of the Pahamins.

Every year for the longest of time, on every birthday there will be a big huge surprise birthday party such as HERE but this year is a different surprise. This year, it is a surprise birthday blog that compiled all her birthday greetings and dedicated wishes from the people that matters to her the most. Secretly, via Ili Liyana Baharon, I contacted Rosey Mosey's kootoo friends, and BFFs (best friends forever), BBM'ed her other close buddies, the CHIEF'S ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP and ABP Auto Ventures Sdn Bhd team mate to came out with this..

ILI LIYANA BAHARON: Dear Rosey Mosey... I still remember vividly how we first met. It was during our 1st semester in Uniten, accounts tutorial class, I think. U were alone, prolly waiting for haniradz or ur other frens. Me, being the kiasu one, sat infront with Hanim and Najiyah. Kalau tak silap i, haniradz didnt come for the tutorial. Then time discussion, since we need to discuss in group of 4, dengan selambanya i pusing, and asked u to join our group, out of convenient sebab xyah jln jauh2... Hehehehehe... And the rest is history... Im glad and thankful that we have this friendship, I think Allah wants me to have an extra sister, so He sends you instead.. Alhamdulillah!!! =) I have a poem for you, so here it goes..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SPECIAL TREASURE
God gave a gift to the world when you were born-
a person who loves, who cares,
who sees a person's need and fills it
who encourages and lifts people up.
who spends energy on others
rather than herself,
someone who touches each life she enters,
and makes a difference in the world,
because ripples of kindness flow outward
as each person you have touched, touches others
Your birthday deserves to be a national holiday,
because you are a special treasure,
for all that you've done.
May the love you have shown to others
return to you, multiplied.
I wish you the happiest of birthdays,
and many, many more,
so that others have time to appreciate you
as much as I do

Happy Birthday again dear bestfriend!! And remember, a birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. May you have a smooth-sailing trip, and enjoy it to the fullest with your loved ones.. =)

With lots of love,-Ili- 

A BODY GUARD, RUNNING PARTNER & COBC MASCOT- MEET JACOB

In light of increasing crime rate in the neighborhood and society... in light of the many 'tries' without success to bear a sibling for Aaraf Armin... and in light of many tries with failure to maintain Jacob's 6 pack abs ala the movie 'Twilight"... We went to adopt an 8 weeks old body guard from a German species with its origin dating back to 1899. This breed is often employed in police and military roles around the world because of its strength, intelligence and abilities in obedience training. We chose him because of his loyal and protective nature. Because of that, we named him Jacob!! or in short Jake! but before we toy that idea, we did our research, references and clarification with my Tok Guru Ustaz Dr Juanda Jaya, Perlis Mufti on its hukum... and when all is crystal clear that we can keep a dog, we went hunting for the best!!! We went to view a labrador, Golden Retriever, Siberian husky and German Shephard!! and our chemistry was best with a German Shephard!! a large size breed with a long muzzle and middle size eye. Dogs were never my cup of tea... infact, dogs has always been on my side of dislike until I met Jacob.

MAKANSUTRA PART 1

FOOD Seduction.. aka Kamasutra MAKANSUTRA!! Who would not go wild thinking of food especially during fasting month and when there is only a few hours left before breaking fast... unless someone is not fasting :-p There is no better topic to talk during fasting month than food!!! So lets talk food. Yesterday, this friend make me salivate for steak!!! at Menate Steak!! (Menate is a Kelantan pronunciation of Binatang) and now I cant stop thinking of steak!! cisss.. menate.....


We were introduced by Menate steak by my training partner Dr Malek Aziz in Ampang... We had our regular team meeting and Dr Malek Aziz chose the Menate Steak to protein-load!! huh.. we were loaded alright. Last Saturday, my other partner Daing Daniel Fitri went there again.. quietly!! secretly!!!!

SPEEDING COST LIFE AND MONEY!!

12 August 2011. Driving on PLUS Highway from Singapore back home to Kuala Lumpur was a pleasure with good road condition, good road lighting and smooth traffic but it was raining heavily and upon reaching kilometer 280, the nightmare begun. A superbike that was speeding on my right overtook my car and about 100meter later, a shocking green PROTON SATRIA abruptly swerved recklessly infront of my car into my lane to overtake a car and hit the speeding superbike causing the biker to be thrown out, landed unto the road divider and somersault before falling on the road tarmac right infront of my car. I had to emergency break, skidded and manage to turn to the left from the 3rd right lane to avoid hitting the biker on the ground. I saw the biker thrown out of his bike with his head hitting the divider and landing on his back after a 360 degree somersault before falling chest down and was either fainted with a bad head concussion or probably dead but he was not moving.

The green Proton Satria then fled away. I could not stop to help the biker without holding back the traffic, so I chased after the Proton Satria instead to get the car registration number and after a few minutes of chased, I managed to spot the car and. With one hand on the steering wheel, the other hand captured the car picture with a BB handphone. The car registration number was BEU 2636.  

Hit & Run Green Proton Satria BEU 2636

COBC: SKETSA IN AUGUST...

We're coming towards the end of BOOTCAMPING during Ramandhan and although we ACE training last year, this year was unprecedented.... I broke momentum for almost one month in training!!! Almost one whole month without bootcamp and any form of exercises... ok la I lied.. sikit sikit ada la... To avoid breaking that training momentum, the CHIEF'S ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP had open-up a special BU-ZULU session from 6:00 to 7:00pm which caters especially for those muslims whom are fasting. Thusfar, the session had attracted a healthy number of muslim recruits from the earlier Alpha and Bravo session and as well as the attention of Otaiis whom suffered from 'COD' Chronic Oversleeping Disorder aka.. cannot-wake-up-before-session-disorder.

There were so many dramas.. so many stories, so many voices and so many rumours. One of the great story was from Afik kutcher whom went to Sydney Coogee Beach CHIEF'S ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP to be trained by CHIEF BRABON himself!!! This is the advantage of being with the CHIEF'S ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP... if you are a recruit at the COBC, you can attend any one of the fifty ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP Worldwide....

THE LAST OF THE MOHICAN

There were ten of them and the eldest became a Dato'... Datuk.... Atuk more than 10 years ago and all had successfully scored many many goals with some as many as 7, except for one of the ten. Some of them grew exponentially bigger but he sustained his size. The last of the Mohican Mohamad ended his bachelorhood at the age 45 on 22 July 2011. Azhar Mohamad, my mother's only bachelor sibling open a new chapter in his life when he took Alina as his wife. Azhar Mohamad was my primary source of inspiration to get into the Corporate Sector when I was doing my General Certificate of Secondary Education O'level. Being raw and fresh out from the Bone Marrow transplant (BMT), most school does not have the experience to handle 'special needs' student and I had to opt for either private home study or defer my study until I was able to be out of isolation and attend normal schooling. Azhar Mohamad was my room mate at home in Ealing Broadway during my whole two years stay in London when he was doing his Association of Certified Chartered Accountant (ACCA) while I underwent the BMT and  recovering form Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) some 20 years ago. Sharing a room with a straight A's student and second class Upper graduate, my lifestyle changed from a party teen to the nerd that Azhar was. I completed both my GSCE (O'level or SPM equivalent), A'level (Form 6) and went into CML permanent remission (or known as "CURE" in a layman term) in less than 2 years as I turned 17 years old while my friends in Malaysia was about to seat for their SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia). Azhar Mohamad of course, passed his ACCA on first seating!!! Wowww... I wanted to be him!

This actually reiterate the importance of people that we associated ourselves with during teenage. I practically follow Azhar's daily schedule of waking up at 6am, go for a jog, comeback home watch news, have breakfast and study.... two hours later, break, read the paper and study!! then break, lunch and study!! Then break and study.. then break and study and break and study... goodness in contrast to my pre-london lifestyle of girls.. party.. girls.. party.. girls... party. So there are always the good side of any downturn. CML actually shaped up and changes my life.

I first bought and played the stock market with Azhar Mohamad at the age of 16 years old. We bought the British Midlands electricity board that went for Initial Public Offerings (IPO) and made I think triple (or was it double) our investment. Buying IPO shares at that time was affordable with only a denomination of 100 shares per lot. When I graduated with an honours degree in Economics from the University of Buckingham, I quickly call Azhar Mohamad and asked for the best platform for the best exposure into the corporate sector and Azhar Mohamad whom at that juncture, was attached to the Securities Commission, the God of the corporate sector said, without a doubt Corporate Finance (CF) at the COMMERCE INTERNATIONAL MERCHANT BANKERS BERHAD aka CIMB. Immediately I declined the offer from Malaysian International Merchant Bankers Berhad (MIMB) and practically went begging to get into the CF at CIMB and was accepted before I can legally vote at 20 years old but was paid almost half of what MIMB offered. A good exposure and experience is worth more than a short gratification of high paid remuneration but this is a story for another occasion. For now..... not surprising for Azhar Mohamad, he married an accountant and an ex-colleague from the Securities Commission. When he is determine to get something, he will get it.... and finally he got Alina. I do not know after how many years of courtship.

A LIFE TOO SHORT, A REGRET TOO LATE. FARUL ARIFFIN

Just three days ago, I lost an aunt and attended her funeral in Gombak. It was a hard news to swallow but attending a funeral of an 84 years old aunt was not as disturbing as the news I received from a blackberry private message this evening. I was having a steamboat seafood dinner with Ly Rattana while waiting to meet with AngkorOne.com CEO, Steven Path at the Family Soup dining in Phnom Pehn.

"Yaz I saw on fb of a friend that mentioned a dear friend passed away... 'Farul', I hope its not your friend that had the leukemia as you", reads Melor Edina Pahamin's BBM private message to me. "Huh??? Dont Joke!! Can't be my Farul?" I replied in shocked and insisting a mistaken identity but immediately facebook-email'ed Farul Rafiq Mohd Farid, sms him and even called his dad Datuk Farid Ariffin (but reached the voice-box instead). I did not know what to ask, so I just sms him and said.. "Farul, testing.. if you receive this, pls reply thanks." expecting a reply from him, I waited anxiously... and was lost in a sudden flashback of Farul's cheerful smile and the many moments we both shared when we were battling leukemia.... we were in our mid-teens then.

It was at the Government house at Hyde Park in London, 1992 when we were first introduced by Farul's father whom was then, the Deputy Minister of Health. Farul arrived from Malaysia to undergo the Bone Marrow Transplant procedure at the Hammersmith Hospital, where I had just completed mine. Somehow, we just clicked... and became close buddy bypassing the normal hierarchy of friendship but that is how Farul was... he was friendly but secretive and mysterious in many ways but our bond was build on ties that no one else could understand. We shared common aspiration to make the best out of our supposedly short span of life which we both outlived our own expectation. We shared similar emotional cycle from being angry, rebellious, then self pity and felt numb before being able to accept (if ever) that we actually had leukemia.

إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'u

(Islam forbids indulgence in intemperate grief for the dead. It requires that all affliction be borne patiently. On hearing of the death of a relative or a friend, or of any other affliction, a Muslim is enjoined to say: In-naa lil-laa-hi wa in-naa I-lay-hi raa ji-`oon (We are Allah's and to Him we shall return). These words are a source of unlimited solace and comfort in bereavement. Hence it is forbidden that one should indulge in regular mourning or ostentatious grief.)

Barely two hours into the holy month of Ramadhan, my Aunt, Hajjah Bidah Abdul Razak, aged 84 years old peacefully left at 1:30am. Hajjah Bidah Abdul Razak was the eldest in a sibling of five. Second, was Mahadi Abdul Razak whom passed away in 1998. The third was Noordin Abdul Razak. Fourth, my father Pahamin A. Rajab and the youngest Hashim Abdul Razak.

Bidah Abdul Razak or more fondly known as Mama by us all, left behind two daughters Norliza binti Ahmad and Norizan binti Ahmad. Mama's husband Ahmad bin Yusoff or more fondly known as Abah passed away in 1992. Mama whom resides in Gombak was a very caring Aunt. She pampers all her nephews especially me, Ervin Nordin and Arman Mahadi during our childhood. Mama was pretty Rawk and hot when she was young. I first began smoking cigarette with her.. aged 13!! Of course after getting consent from gangsta-Uncle Hashim aka Ayah Su. Actually all of father's sibling are gangsta with temper of a dragon (worst than a lion). Once, a robber armed with parang burglar Mama's house while they were asleep and Mama fist-fought the three armed robbers until the robbers fled. Mama was badly bruised but she would not let anyone get away without a fight.. She even fought with a Cobra once when the snake entered her house. That is the female version, imagine us male.. how we were brought up!! Fighting is almost a feast since childhood.

The last three surviving children of Salamah binti Awang (from left) 

Pahamin A Rajab, Hashim Abdul Razak, Noordin Abdul Razak

The last three siblings Pahamin A Rajab, Hashim A Razak, Noordin A Razak.

I last met Mama at our anniversary dinner just last week on 23 July 2011. She was struggling to walk out from her car to the eating place. I held her hand and walked her towards the table and again assisted her to the toilet. She was always smiling even when she was not well.