Never take things for granted!

Last week I took one day leave which is on Friday. That makes my leave total became 32.5 days as of now. The maximum we can keep is around 36 days. We can’t sell leaves and to make it worst, it’s difficult to apply for leave(s)! Anyway, I have nothing to do either as on my leave days but it will be different starting from this week because my project has started. Last week I started to buy things and started to find the sources and everything to make this project a success. I want my dad to be proud of his children that we can change the quality of our lives and to upgrade our standard par with those who has succeeded! Thank God that my dad is still alive and serving God. By having him, I have no problem doing things on my land at kampong because dad is originally from there and he has rights to do what ever he wants there including to let me do some project there. We already have nothing in Kapit where my mom came from so to response on this, we must have something here in return. Dad won’t live forever I know and the villagers know dad very well and not us. What will happen if dad is gone? Will Bunuk do still accept us like how they accepting us while dad is still around? Where would we live? Where would we stay in kampong? Frankly the closest grand dad that I ever had was aki Henry Jeom whom had died last year! Since he had pass away, we rarely went back to visit Bunuk! What a pity!! Maybe our next generation would says that the only kampong that they know is No 6 Taman Linang Tabuan Jaya which is in the middle of the city! So hold on tight every one! I have to start it slowly but it is so meaningful because it is for the Toda’s Generation, not even Sanub’s but only Toda’s!

Yesterday church was great! I’m glad that Evelyn would bring some new songs but I didn’t expect the songs would be so difficult! Thank God, aku kan terror! We managed to carry out the song and everyone likes it!( is it?)Watch the orginal clip below and that was how we brought it too... Hallelujah!!!

Din Beramboi

Hmmm, what’s wrong with this morning, I asked myself... so very quiet and boring. The songs kept on playing without any failure just like we are having a concert in the morning and the thing is, it is without an emcee or dj. So all the singers sang their number beautifully and most of it are slow sad songs. No commercials too… It’s unbelievable. So I drove from home to work enjoying myself listening to 96.1 ERA channel only realizing that one of the DJ had passed away! Oh, no wonder it was cold every morning. Usually my journey would be a fantastic one, everyday. If one drive from the opposite drive towards me, they would think I’m crazy because I would dance and scream like as I’m in a concert! Oh, the last concert I attended was the final concert of the AF7. Believe me, it was fantastic! I didn’t care the kakak, nenek, datuk, abang or isteri orang that was sitting surrounds me. I made my Michael Jackson move ala ala moonwalker, with my hands swing from let to right and vice versa while my body was following the beat of the loud music accompanied by the perfect surround system, I think every one especially me enjoyed it so much! I was a good boy only when Aril sang his number. Well mannered boy! I don’t move a single even the mosquitoes passed me also managed to landing on my nose for a while to rest.

The first timed I heard his voice was when I was in Matriculation 2 in Penang. David Andrew room was just next to mine and he bought this tape full with Din Beramboi’s jokes and short funny stories. At first, I was so disgusted with his voice. It was so sarcastic and sounds rather stupid then funny. But when exams fever, that tape is the medicine. His jokes became funny and hilarious to me. I started to accept him until today. There was one riddle that made me laugh until now is: In many horses (kuda) , what kind of horse can see you but you cannot see it? Ha…. The answer was beyond my imagination but yet, it’s relevantly logical!

This week was really a sad week for everybody. I felt the same too. Though I have no connection to Din, but I would tune to his channel, read his Ujang’s comic and watch his tv programs. I’d like to wish my condolence to Allahyarham Din Beramboi’s family on this special and unwanted loss!. May you rest in Peace I

Board of Directors

My dream last night was quite funny. I had a ticket, don’t know who bought It, and the destination is from Kuching to London using MAS. I faced difficulties to get to the airport, what else to board the plane it self. I suddenly was in a ship it was surfing along South China Sea. I asked the captain where I should catch the plane. You will catch the plane in Perlis. OMG!, Do they have airport in Perlis, I questioned myself. The journey continues until I heard Madonna sang ‘Take a Bow’. She had a sweet voice until I realized it’s already 20 minutes after the alarm rang and I’m going to be late for work!
Last week was Good Friday, we didn’t go anywhere instead just stay at home and watched ASTRO channel. In the afternoon we went outing to Matang and the Telaga Air. Believe it or not we have a kampong Bodoh nearby Kuching???


It was my 1st trip to Telaga Air though and I never thought it would be so beautiful. I never realized that not far from the Red River where we swam, go further into the unknown roads, one can see a gulf. Believe it or not, there is a newly build esplanade along the sea side and there’s a marina too to accommodate the sail boats here. Kuching or Borneo Island is so blessed with many things. I love the environment, the mountains, the hills, the seas and the rivers for they all are so beautiful!
Early Saturday morning before Easter day, we drove down to Baru Kawa area for breakfast and later on, I went to my brother’s clinic for the Board of the Directors’ meeting! The Iron ladies were absent due to several reasons. It was raining like cats and dogs. The meeting adjourned an hour later and I drove to Tabuan Jaya for my quarterly hair do. I like my new hair styles and I received many compliments from the ladies at church… hahahhaha… feels so young lah…But the short hair showed my weak point, which is the white hair. In the afternoon, what else, the Akademi Fantasia 8.
AF8 that night was so boring. It was not like before where all the charms of the academy have gone! I don’t have any more reason why I should watched AF8 and it should not be that way since it is under KRU team. Where are all the superb gimmicks, the KRU magic touch and the extraordinary of the AF8 now? If I’d given a choice to choose either to watch AF8 or Tom2 Bak, Hmm, you should know what channel I watched! Both the participants from Sarawak, Daus and Farina have no x-factor. How to wins the jury’s heart if like this? I do hope they’ll find and show it by next week before they both get eliminate! All they have to do is buka mulut, forward your voice clearly, maintain good pitching, dance if you need to and use the stage wisely. That’s it! We don’t ask for more than that! Enough said!
My project will start by this week. As one of the board of directors, I feel so good and excited. The project will be solely be handled by my brother and me. The paper work has been done and it’s just the matter of erecting things and raring the living things and the business would flow! Now, should I resign from what I’m doing now? Emmmmm perhaps, in 5 years of time… Let the project grow and succeed first and then the Board of Directors (BOD) will have a round table to decide. Actually I’m glad that the project is done on my own land at Penrissen. Being an alien in your own country is not to be favored. Living in the city and no home in my own kampong make us feel so unknown to the villagers. Of course they know who Michael Toda is and Elizabeth Ijah is but I’m sure they are not aware or not even to bother to know who their children and what do they do? I want each of my brothers and sisters to be recognized in our own kampong Penrissen, Bunuk and Giam area. I want them to know that we are exists!
I just call mom, telling her that I want to have lunch with them this coming Thursday. It has been a while I didn’t bring them out for lunch. I still remember when I was working on shift; we would go to the Li Garden Restaurant at HLC and enjoy ourselves eating duck there. Then my brother Andy and my sister Doli and her husband would join us later. That was one of the happiest moment in my life, to see mom and dad smile and everyone is enjoying themselves even though we are busy with works and how much we hate our work which include our mean supervisor, but when we are gather in the family, the bond heals the pain and it mends the hard load.
As i mentioned earlier,did I?, it's just the matter of time. I know that everything would be alright evantually. Trust, believe and it will happen. That's why we have God. That's why we depends on His spirit because we admit that we are weak but in Him, we found our inner strength.

Time Tunnel

Tak mungkin ku percaya, kata kata yang penuh dusta, hanya dirimu berkata… Well, that’s Bengang song san by Akim, keep on repeating automatically in my mind. I like the song though the lyric is about trust. Today is the 2ns day my running nose. I blame it on the weather. Once it’s raining heavily, a minute later it’s badly hot. I know that my body is so fragile compare to my other siblings. I can easily get sick. And when got this running nose, it will stay until 3 – 4 months. Yes months, not weeks! Yes, I already see doctor and eat my medicines. Oh, at the same time I want to congratulate my cousin, Jamie for being appointed as a director of the Ministry of tourism Penang, with grade gaji 64! Not far from JUSA tu..!!
I want to comment a bit about AF8. So frustrated because non of them exceed my expectation. I’ve seen people yg kena audition and some were good and most of them were par with Brussles’s standard. I can say that the AF is trying to copy what the AiDOL is doing such as to have 2 emcees and to have the result out only on the next day to allow people’s vote counts. Ok, why can’t they give audition in stages like the American Idol does? Kala nak tiru, kenapa alang2 aje? It’s better to have it that way because I believe people need to be given more time to be prepared and present their best during the 2nd, 3rd until they are the final 12… I ‘ reckon it will be fare to everyone personally because at the end of the day, they are competing with the best among the bests! How can the AF8 judge judge them only hearing them sing once or twice in one day? To me, they should select the VERY BEST 12, and then let ME, who has the money to vote and select the champion! So.. sorrylah AF8, I rather watched Hagemaru on that Saturday evening… perhaps, maybe go outing with my wife by the esplanade! We have Esplanade now you know.. Jangan mare orang Miri…
Esplanade is the extension of the waterfront. Oh, Kuching is so beautiful now days. Despite the traffic jams and the rock forest we do keep our enchanting secrets of beauty. I know that most of the Kuchingites are so fond to see Kuching clean and safe place to live in. (Apo, what am I writing here!!) I love Sarawak Laksa, the Mi Sapi and the Mi Belacan! Too bad, good food makes you become less healthy. Em,,, should watched my diet is that what I’m trying to say here? I think now I size 47!!! Most of mu jeans are 44 and now are sexily very tight holding my butt up and my stomach is compressed like the black hole, trying to swallow everything including lights!!
No I seldom visit my brother’s clinic like what I always did before. So bad me kan… Nevermind, since my project is not ON, I’ll be there this Saturday then! At least lah cuci and mop the floor!! I’ll bring Dresden and Bruxels along! It would be fun! So what’s my plan this weekends??
My brother chat with me thru FB while my sister SMS me and another one call me last night asking me whether the BBQ is on or not tonight. Well, why not I said even thou I had a mild fever since 2 days back. But I love family gathering where everyone would meet with each other, eating and share stories. Oh ya, I just join the Lanang camp in FB. Lanang camp was the place where I supposed to grow emmm, maybe up to age 10? 15? But too bad, we moved to Kuching when I was nearly 6 years old so what could a kid remember in those early period? I remember playing in the drain after heavy raining, running around the big field infront of our house which was just near to the main gate and in front of the main Lanang road and opposite the ‘’greset’’[entah how to spell this - wide open hall]. Mom used to tell us that during communist period, dad was always not around us because he was in the jungle with the other soldiers. It was very scary she said that everytime, there would be chopters landing by the field carrying dead casualties and also dead bodies. The curfew were really a burden where very night, the light was offs and we live in the cold and scary condition. I believe mom was tough with us. What else to say, having me, as the 5th in the family was really a burden. Mom said I cried non stop for more than a normal babies would cry and over 30 days and 30 nights I did it without feeling any guilt within me. Personally I don’t like crying babies. I couldn’t stand the noise and the disturbed peaceful environment. But mom consistently took care of me and believe it or not, it took nearly a year for me to recover. I was not told what the sickness was but maybe I missed dad’s presence at that time. I thank God for His plan is so good to me. I don’t remember when we moved to the big green (BG) house but I do remember visited that BG house with mom. Ya, mom can drive at that time and she drives dad’s car. Boleh tahan mak aku!! BG house have 1 Master bed room and another room for all the children. Since we were small at that time, Andy and I slept with the parents while Doli, Igat and Ivy slept in the other room. Each room attached with a toilet. From the main living room, on the left side is the eating room; next to it is the kitchen cum the bar. I still remember having lunch with the whole family in that room and out of a sudden, the picture of Christ in the frame hung by the door fall down and the glass scattered all over the area, I remember swimming in the bath tub with my brother, I remember playing badminton a the car porch, I remember looking at Stella’s mom laying on our sette with her big round bulging stomach carrying Sharon in it. Gosh, kid’s memory is so limited… Emmm, I remember i saw Monopoly’s money in my sister’s cupboard but I never play with them…I remember on the last day in Sibu, at the airport, my dad persuaded somebody so that we could bring our cat Bang Bang in the same fligh to Kuching and finally it happened!. I remembered during the photo taking, one of my feet was bleed due to the sharp object but I manage to forget about it because I was so happy!

Well, I can go on and on but most of the memories are faded away… Yea, the TV was still black and white and not so much entertainment. On weekends, dad used to bring us out for ice-cream near to the Sibu Wharf. Oh ia, one thing which is so special about Sibu to me is the drain… Everytime after raining, Sibu would always flooded and it cleans all the passage and the big drain in front of our older house. So I always took the advantage to swim in there with the other friends… To be continued

Akademi Fantasia 8

AF 8 is here... pack my gear and here me go!!!