Al-Fatehah to My Mak Teh

I had been expecting the inevitable for some time since I visited Mak Teh last at the University Malaya Medical Centre slightly less than 3 weeks ago where she lay on the hospital bed for I guess for the umphteenth time and this time and cousin Zakiah said that she had a mild stroke and she was not able to talk nor recognise anyone, that she would bid us farewell for " Alam Barzakh ".

When Mona phoned me one day after she came back from her German trip and paid a visit for her usual nursing routine she felt rather awkward when Mak Teh was reluctant to let her go her hand and cried. Mona had been attending to her for some time and tried her best to manage her bedridden situation. She had been weakened by the numerous blood tranfusions that she had been on for several months and the last visit for the blood transfusion was supposed to be on the morning of 22 March 2010 when she passed away.

Mak Teh as she's known to all her nephews and nieces had been a caring and wonderful woman and lived to a ripe age of 91, just a year older than my father. I remembered she would always remind us to complete the recitation of the Al-Quran and she was responsible for me continuing my lessons at Pondok Rasah where the late Tuan Haji Mohamad Noor, the brother of the Mufti Negeri then was teaching. We all adored her and she became the repository of all the stories about Tok Ungku ( Tuanku Tambusai)whenever the rest wanted to know more,especially Ayahsu Ghazali who began compiling the family tree more than 8 years ago.

Al-Fathehah and may her soul be blessed and placed amongst the pious, Amin!

Travelling on LEKAS Highway

Last night I was searching for the advertisement which appeared in a local daily on 05 March 2010 in conjunction with the official opening of Lebuhraya Kajang Seremban or E 21. Fortunately that page had not been turned into trash since Nasimah always wants to keep the week's newspapers in order for her to catch up on reading them.

So today I decided to take the LEKAS highway from Seremban after sending my father back to Seremban after his follow-up with the urologist in Ampang Specialist Hospital yesterday, Monday 08 March.It's not that I had not been on this highway before, but it ended only at Mantin if one is travelling from KL. Since I was curious where is the current exit/entry point nearest to Seremban, I called the toll free number and enquired where to take the entry if I were coming from Paroi.I was told to go towards Seremban-Jelebu road from Ampangan and from the junction where the traffic lights is situated on the Y-junction, its about 3-4 kilometres.

So after a short rest at my sister's house in Taman Sri Telawi, I took a short-cut to the Seremban-Jelebu road through Kampong Tok Dagang, and to my surprise the entry to LEKAS highway is so near the junction at what used to be a small bridge. It was fortunate that I did not take a much longer route as suggested by the person on the toll-free number.It is a completely new upgraded road at the interchange and as I took the ramp entering the highway, hardly there was no other traffic. It is a beautiful scenery with the hills on either side of the highway and it is a real pleasure to drive on this new stretch. Once the interchange at Simpang Paroi is completed, it is very close to the Taman where my sister's house is. I hope LEKAS highway will provide an alternative route for those who go back to Kuala Pilah and Seremban, other than the PLUS highway.

Oh What a Relief !

What a relief ! No it is not about the current spell due to El Nino where the temperatures around the country is way above the normal readings and drought is experienced especially in the northern part of the Peninsular.

On thursday 04 March I went to my bank in Section 14 Petaling Jaya to withdraw cash for my monthly expenses as I do not believe in using the automated machine although I am issued with the card. As usual I always wait for the branch to open because parking is at a premium there if you come when the doors to the main lobby are opened. Being the first customer, my number was called immediately and I went to the counter with Nasimah who accompanied me to withdraw some money too.

After completing the transaction Nasimah and I went to the Lembaga Zakat Selangor's office and then to the bookshop on the same row as the bank. Then we headed for home but along the way we decided to go to Kelana Mall in Kelana Jaya because Nasimah wanted to mend the broken arm on the frame of her multi-focal spectacles. After that we had something to eat at Atiqah Cafe at the mall and then only drove back home.

That afternoon we went to Kota Damansara to my sister-in-law's house and as I was having tea a received a call from the bank teller asking me about the morning's transaction. He politely asked me to check whether I received more money than what it should be and I answered him that as far as I could remember as I counted it in front of him, the amount was correct but I did raise a query why the money counter showed a higher number. Either I could not figure out his reply or he did not hear me properly and let it pass by. Anyway he asked me to double check once I got home. While driving home from Kota Damansara, another person from the bank called my hand phone and I asked Nasimah to reply and she said we are still on the way home.

I went straight to check the money once I was home and lo and behold, there was indeed an extra amount that I received from the teller that morning. So I called the bank and the lady was grateful and told me that the bank teller would come to collect the excess money after maghrib prayer. I waited till after Isha' prayer for Faizal to come and when he arrived with another friend, it was a face of great relief. Fortunately I have not spent a single sen yet and the amount could still be reconciled. Oh what a relief especially so for Faizal!