Housing Loans For Dummies (Malaysian Version)

Introduction
Buying a house is an exciting event. It will probably be the biggest purchase you will ever make in your life. Understanding the steps involved in securing a housing loan will help you save time and avoid uncertainty and anxiety. This information in the following pages will give you an insight into the various issues on financing a house and outlines the major steps in the overall process of financing a house. It guides you through the basics, explains the technical terms and gives you invaluable tips on financing a house.

Buying a House
Buying a house is a major step, so it deserves careful thought and planning. If you are buying a property under construction, you should check the background of the developer. You should ensure that the developer: Has a valid licence issued by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government which is still in force (not expired) Has a valid advertising and selling permit issued by respective local authority which is still in force You have the right to enquire from the developer, information on licence and permit. You can also refer to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government for further clarification. A developer with a good track record reduces the risk of the project being abandoned.

What can I Afford?
Before you commit to purchase a property, you should first work out a budget to help you determine how much you can afford and the ceiling price on any property you may wish to buy. As a guide, your monthly commitments on paying instalments for your house, car and other payments should not exceed 1/3 of your gross monthly household income. Your source of funding can be all or any combination of the following: - Savings - Withdrawal from Employee Provident Fund (EPF) account - Loan facility from a financial institution

Savings
You should have sufficient personal savings to pay for the downpayment and other related costs associated with buying a house. A good estimate would be about 10%-20% of the purchase price as down - payment and another 3%-5% for related costs, such as legal fees and stamp duties.

EPF Savings
You could also withdraw from your Account 2 to make the initial downpayment. Please contact your nearest EPF office to inquire about your withdrawal eligibility.

Choosing your Financial Institution
You should shop around before you decide on any financial institution. Remember that when you take up a housing loan, you will be dealing with the financial institution on a regular basis for a period of time. Therefore, you should also consider factors other than just interest rates.

Below are some of the factors you should consider:

- How professional is the financial institution in dealing with customers?

- Does it offer quality service in terms of efficiency and reliability?

- What are the available loan packages and which package suits you best?

- What are the charges involved? For example, legal fees, related government fees and charges, disbursement fees and others. You should also be informed when and how often these charges are to be paid.

An innovative financial institution may offer a more suitable loan package that suits your needs and their application process may be faster and hassle-free. It usually takes about one to two weeks for your loan application to be approved from the time you submit all relevant documentation.

Loan Applications: Documents Required
You need to provide the following basic documents before the financial institution can process your loan application:
- A photocopy of identity card or passport
- Your latest 3 months' salary slip
- Your latest income tax return form (Form J) or EA form
- Sale and Purchase Agreement/deposit or booking receipt/letter of offer from the housing developer
- A photocopy of the land title (if any)
- The latest bank statements (compulsory in the absence of salary slips and/or Form J/EA Form) dating back six months/savings passbook/fixed deposits
- Valuation report for completed houses and/or
- If you are self-employed, you need to provide your business registration documents, latest 3 months bank statements, latest financial statements and other supporting documents to support your income

However, some financial institutions may require additional supporting documents. Upon acceptance of the letter of offer, you will need to appoint a lawyer to draw up the loan documentation for you. Normally, you would select your lawyer from a list of panel lawyers provided by your financial institution. Some of these documents need to be submitted to the relevant government authorities for registration and to the Stamp Office for stamping.Upon completion of the above, these registered documents are then submitted to the financial institution and you will be given a copy of the Loan Agreement. In general, the timeframe for the completion of this legal process should not exceed 6 months.

Fees and Charges
There are also related costs such as professional fees and government charges that you would have to pay. Below are some of the common fees and charges you would expect to incur:

Sales & Purchase Agreement/Tranfer/Financing
First RM150,000 - 1% (minimum fees of RM300)
Next RM850,000 - 0.7%
Next RM2,000,000 - 0.6%
Next RM2,000,000 - 0.5%
Next RM2,500,000 - 0.4%
Excess RM7,500,000 - negotiable (not exceeding 0.4%)

Please note that the type of charges and the amount charged might change in the future. You should meet with your financial institution's loan officer for further advice and discussion regarding any questions that you may have concerning the type of fees and legal services.

Assesing your Loan Repayment Capacity
A common criterion is that your monthly loan instalment repayment should not be more than 1/3 of your gross monthly household income. If you have savings or fixed deposits, they can be used to support your loan application as financial institutions may take them into account in evaluating your eligibility. Different financial institutions have different criteria in calculating the repayment capacity. In the case of a floating rate loan, you should also note that your monthly repayment may increase substantially when interest rates go up.For example, when there is an increase in the Base Lending Rate (BLR), the interest rate on your loan will also go up, and your repayment would be higher. However, in most cases, financial institutions would allow you to pay the fixed amount of monthly repayment throughout the loan tenure and would make any adjustment caused by the variation in interest rate by increasing or shortening the loan tenure. You should check this out with your financial institution.

Margin of Financing
The amount of financing provided by a financial institution depends on the market value (for completed properties only) or purchase price of the house, whichever is lower. The margin of financing could go as high as 95% of the value of the house. It is assessed on factors such as:

- Type of property

- Location of property

- Age of the borrower

- Income of the borrower

Loan Tenure
The length of a loan can range anytime up to 30 years or until the borrower reaches age 65 (or any other age as determined by the financial institution), whichever is earlier.

Loan Features
Each financial institution packages its housing loans differently. You should examine all the features of a loan package and not just base your decision on any single feature. Pricing is just one consideration; other features like flexible repayment terms could balance the scale or even translate into greater loan savings. Financial institutions generally offer housing loan packages either in the form of a term loan, overdraft, or a combination of a term loan and overdraft.

Common Housing Loan Packages Offered by Financial Institutions

Term Loan

- A facility with regular predetermined monthly instalments. Instalment is fixed for period of time, say 30 years

- Instalment payment consists of the loan amount plus the interest

Overdraft facility

- A facility with credit line granted based on predetermined limit

- No fixed monthly instalments as the interest is calculated based on daily outstanding balance

- Allows flexibility to repay the loan anytime and freedom to re-use the money

- Interest charged is generally higher than the term loan

Term Loan and Overdraft combined

- A facility that combines Term Loan and Overdraft. For example, 70% as term loan and 30% as Overdraft

- Regular loan instalment on the term loan portion is required

- Flexibility on the repayment of overdraft portion

Daily Rests VS Monthly Rests
Financial institutions may charge you interest either on daily rests or monthly rests depending upon the products offered. In the case of daily rests, the loan interest is calculated on a daily basis, while in the case of monthly rests, interest is calculated once a month based on the previous month's balance. Under both types of loan, the principal sum immediately reduces every time a loan instalment is made.

Graduated Payment Scheme
A graduated payment scheme allows lower instalment payments at the beginning of the loan but this will gradually increase over time. This type of payment scheme will help house buyers to reduce burden of loan repayment for the first few years and allow them to allocate more money for other purposes. Over time, as earnings of house buyers increase, their repayment capabilities will also increase thus allowing higher repayment instalments at a later stage.A graduated payment scheme is also suitable for a house buyer who wishes to purchase a more expensive house but is restricted by his/her repayment capability during the initial years.

Prepayment Flexibility
Different financial institutions may have different terms and conditions imposed on prepayments. Check the loan package to see if it allows you the flexibility to make prepayments or extra payments. Flexibility to make prepayments and paying interest on a daily rest basis, may help save considerable interest charges. It is also possible to start repayment of the loan during the construction of the house, thus saving more interest charges. What is important is to make prompt monthly repayments.

Partial Prepayment of the Outstanding Loan
Many borrowers find it useful to shorten the loan tenure by making partial prepayments with surplus savings or annual bonus. Partial prepayments can be in any amount. However, some financial institutions may impose restrictions on the amount to be pre-paid while others may impose a penalty. It is extremely effective in reducing the interest charges you would have to pay if prepayments are made during the early years.

Early Termination Penalty
Financial institutions may impose a penalty on full repayment of loan. Generally, the penalty imposed can either be a flat rate or an 'x' number of months' of interest (e.g. 1 month's interest). This is because when a loan is granted for a certain term, the financial institution would expect the loan to be repaid over the period agreed and has planned their cash flow on this basis. An early termination of the loan would therefore disrupt the financial institution's cash flow planning. As such, some financial institutions do not charge a penalty if sufficient notice is given (as stated in the terms and conditions of the loan) or if the settlement is made after the required minimum period to maintain the loan with the financial institution has passed.

Documentation
The primary documentation involved in applying for a housing loan is the loan agreement. A Loan Agreement is a contract signed between the buyer and the financial institution. A Loan Agreement contains major provisions such as the terms of the loan, principal sum of the loan, interest rates, default interest rate, penalty charges and repayment terms. It also sets out the duties of borrower and the lender and in the event of default, the rights and remedies of each party.The other common legal documents that you may need to sign are Deed of Assignments, Charge documents and Power of Attorney.Remember that throughout the tenure of the loan, your property is charged to the financial institution (i.e. the financial institution has a claim over your property). Whether you are buying a completed property or a property under construction, you should obtain an explanation from the attending lawyer on the major clauses of the agreement and the implications of each clause.

Valuation Report
This documentation may be required if you purchase a fully completed property from a houseowner. The financial institution will appoint a property valuer from its panel of valuers to appraise the property. The valuation fee for this service starts from a few hundred ringgit upwards, depending on the value of the property and you will be charged for this service.

Insurance
It is extremely important to take insurance coverage when you purchase a house. The most important factor is that it gives you and your loved ones peace of mind, in the form of financial security if an unfortunate event should occur. There are two important insurances to consider:

- The House Owner/Fire Insurance policy This policy provides coverage for your property against natural disasters such as flood, fire, riot, strike and malicious damage. For properties with strata titles such as apartments or condominiums, you need not buy the insurance because the Management Corporation (MC) would have taken up insurance on the entire building. You should ensure that you obtain the sub-certificate of the Master Policy issued by the insurance company from the MC and present it to the financial institution. This is necessary so that the financial institution is aware that the property has been insured and will not buy another fire insurance on your property. In such a case, you will be required to assign your rights under the policy to the financial institution.

- The Mortgage Life Assurance or MRTAThis type of policy provides for full settlement of the outstanding balance of the housing loan with the financial institution, in the event of total permanent disability or death of the borrower. Premiums can usually be included in the loan amount, and the repayment period of the premium is usually spread over the loan tenure. The premium is only incurred once. There are no monthly or yearly premiums to be paid. In the event of early termination of housing loan, you will generally have the option to request for a refund of the premium for the balance of the unexpired period or to continue the insurance coverage.

Financial institutions have their own panel of insurers and most of them can arrange insurance on your behalf with the annual premium charged to your loan account.

Loan Disbursement
The financial institution disburses (pays out) the loan once it has received advice from its lawyer that the legal process has been completed and the loan documents are in order. At this time you will be informed of the date and amount of the first instalment you have to make.

Rights and Duties of the Borrower and Financial Institution
Both borrower and financial institution have certain rights and duties during the course of the loan. Some of the more important ones include:
RIGHTS

Borrower

- Right to have access to all information that would affect your borrowing decision

- Right to be treated professionally, courteously and without prejudice

- Right to be consulted on changes to the terms and conditions of your loan

- Right to have accurate information on a regular basis on your loan account

- Right to enforce legal action in the event of a breach of contract

Financial Institution

- Right to have full relevant disclosure of information on borrower's credit standing

- Right to correct and truthful information on the borrower

- Right to timely repayment of interest/ instalments of the loan

- Right to enforce legal action in the event of default/breach of contract

DUTIES

Borrower

- Duty to read and understand all terms and conditions of the loan

- Duty to observe the terms and conditions of the loan at all times

- Duty to enquire and get clarification on all aspects of the loan to their satisfaction

- Duty to make prompt payment on the fees, charges, interest and instalment of the loan

Financial Institution

- Duty to discharge borrowers' obligations as described in the loan agreement

- Duty to consult borrowers on any changes made to the terms and condition, fees charged and other relevant information

- Duty to attend to all queries made by borrower. A Loan Officer can provide invaluable assistance, and clarify issues which you are unsure. Take the time to discuss your housing loan questions with a loan officer at length so that you can choose a loan facility that best suits your needs.

4 days full of excitement

Sunday, 20 April 2008.
4 days were filled with full of fun. Exhaustion and tiredness experienced during these days were easily ignored. Just to recalled back those sweet memories. On the way back from KLIA, we planned to have our breakfast at the Mamak Restaurant in Putrajaya. Razeef, my sister’s boyfriend, drove my car. I and my wife seated at the back. My brother drove the other car with other family members and led us heading to Putrajaya. Along the way, I shared some memories within three months in Paris with them. There were many questions asked from my sister about my life and most of it was very funny as she keeps asking me about my appearance. She said, as agreed with my wife, I looked slimmer and then the questions continued to my daily consumption, halal’s food, favorites French food, favorites restaurant and finally it end up with my French friends. I patiently replied all the questions although I was very sleepy. As mentioned earlier, I couldn’t sleep for 14 hours flight!

Few minutes later, we reached the restaurant. The sky was clear and the sunshine spread through. Turns the dark into the day. The unforgettable day. I ordered a fried noodle (mee goreng) and hot Nescafe. We enjoyed the breakfast with sweet conversation and full of jokes and of course the main topic was about my life there. Reached home almost 9.00 am. Home sweet home. Had a rest for a while and then unpacked my baggage. All the dirty clothes were placed in the basket at the back. Now is the best part. All my family members were excitedly waiting for their souvenirs. Hehe. As promised, I won’t tell them about the souvenirs until I reached home. For my dad, I bought a cup for him. A big cup with a decorative art on it. As for my mom, there were no specific souvenirs for her since I will bring her to the shopping complex to buy anything she wants. For my siblings, T-shirts for them. Similar to Razeef. For home decorations, I just bought a typical souvenir from Paris – Eiffel Tower replica. For my lovely wife, I bought her a scarf so that she can wear it on this Spring Holidays. Hehe. After a while, I pass around some chocolates bought in Paris and they were recommended by my colleagues. Yes, they were very good. Pure chocolates with different layer of flavors.

2.00 pm. I went to the barber shop nearby. Cut off my hair with a hair shaver No. 2 all over my head with a sloped cut at the side. About 4.00 pm, I and my wife with my parents went to the Sogo Shopping Complex. The intention was to buy my new lens and a birthday gift to my mom. The traffic remained the same. No difference since it used to be. The toll’s rate and ongoing construction of the Loke Yew’s road seems never changed. The weather looked cloudy and most likely going to rain. We reached the mall an hour later. Parked there and walked down to the Pertama Complex. Spent hours in the optical shop, I bought two lenses – for me and for my dad. The optometrist claimed that my iris was partially damaged. Huhu. It means my iris was not functioning normally. So if someone shines a bright white light in my eyes, my iris won’t shrink as normal and limits the amount of light in. So, I’ll see the full dose of light or temporarily bilnded. Huhu. Poor me. The main caused was my bad habit to watch television or too much computer work in the gloomy environment. Huhu. About 6.00 pm, we walked out from the shop and went to the Sogo Shopping Complex. I offered my mom a hand bag and she was very happy with that. Few minutes later, she made up her mind to choose a brownish leather hand bag. It was a good selection and I couldn’t remember the brand but I was really sure it suits my mom’s taste. Actually, it was chosen by my dad. Hehe. Then, I bought a sling bag for my wife purposely for this coming spring holidays. Simple design, black colored and most importantly easy handled. Done with the shopping, we went back home and have our dinner at the Malee Restaurant. It offers variety of seafood and Thai’s food. I ordered Siakap Sweet Sour, Fried Prawn with Flour, Kailan cooked with belacan, Squid cooked with sambal, mixed tomyam and keropok. Huhu. 10 pm, reached home.

Monday, 21 April 2008.
As planned, I will go to the office to collect my return air tickets, pay slips, EA form, magazines & letters (if any) and to submit my expences claim vouchers. Reached office around 9.15 am and I wish I can meet some of my close friends at Kasim (Mamak stall in Wisma Technip). I was a bit surprised since the stall was replaced by a smaller shop. Then, I went up to the Technip Cafeteria. Nobody’s there (of course, 9.30 am already). Then, I slowly walked through the cafeteria and looked for the breakfast. Suddenly, met up Bujai and one big brother still having their breakfast. Met them and had a small chat, I proceed to the breakfast corner. There was only capati and toasted bun offered. I ordered capati and joined them. 9.50 am. Went down to the lobby and waited for my friend. As promised, we plan to meet at the lobby at 10 am. Nearly 10 am, he arrived. Went up together to Process Department. There was a major modifications and renovations made in 3rd floor. Process Department has occupied almost the whole floor with small area left for IT Department. Safety and Piping have move out to 11th and 4th floor respectively. The modifications also involved the workstation arrangement and overall layout. Fortunately, my workstation was still there and temporarily used by one PID engineer from Indonesia. The environment was too calm as I haven’t experienced before. Everybody looked too busy as usual on Monday and my attendance seems breaking the silence. Few minutes chatted with them, I filled up the leave application form, and collect those documents mentioned earlier and do my claims assisted by Kak Roz (Process Secretary). Left some chocolates on her desk for further distribution among department members, I straight away met my manager and had 45 minutes talked with him about my job assignment. Then, I went down to the 2nd floor to collect the air tickets. Done with everything, I went up again to Process Department to meet everyone before I leave. Lunch time, I spent my time with some close friends in RHB. Have a long chat and then around 1.00 pm, went back home to have lunch together with my wife. Around 4.00 pm, we went out to Alamanda.

Tuesday, 22 April 2008.
Shopping time! I and my wife went to Queen’s Park, Midvalley and Alamanda (again). Bought something for my wife - two jackets, one sporty shoe, one pair of socks and one hand bag. Huhu. She was really a shopaholic kind of women. I don’t know if it’s just me or this happens to everyone. I think all women love shopping and nothing can stop them. For me, I will give her a full support if the total “losses” are affordable and reasonable. Moreover, she always claim that she never shopping since we were apart. Huhu. Girls =)

Wednesday, 23 April 2008.
Planned to submit my Income Tax Form at Wangsa Maju, go to Carrefour Wangsa Maju and finally collect the lenses. In the first place I thought we need to submit the form at Wangsa Maju branch, but actually we have to submit it to Head Quarters which located at Pandan Indah. That’s ok. At least, my to do list was fulfilled – buy a new pants and a casual jacket at the outlet store, Carrefour. During lunch time, I said to my wife, it’s been three months I never eat KFC. Then, we have our lunch there. Hehe. Few minutes later, we stop by at Pasar Keramat to alter our pants and finally the itinerary for the day reached to the end – collect the lenses. 7.00 pm reached home.

My New Frame

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DURABILITY
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OPTIONS
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I am back home!

19 April 2008, Saturday

7.00 am. I was excitedly went down to the lobby waited for my friend for checking out. At the time, I asked the receptionist to call a taxi to bring us to the CDG Airport. After checked out, asked the receptionist to re-confirm my room reservation on this coming May. Alhamdulillah, it was booked by Technip last two weeks ago. 7.15 am, my friend still was not around. I said to myself, maybe he was misunderstood about the time to meet at the lobby as discussed last night. Then, when I am about to call him with the receptionist assistance, I noticed the lift from 3rd floor (my friend’s room was in 3rd floor) was moving down. Then, I waited for a moment. Yes. It was him. After done with his check out, we waited for the taxi. As confirmed earlier, the taxi will reach the hotel at 7.30 am. Looked at his baggage and weighed it, I was too worried since mine was heavier than his baggage. Finally, the taxi arrived.

It took about 45 minutes from La Defense to the CDG Airport by the taxi. The traffic was so smooth as it was early in the Saturday morning. 8.15 am, we reached the airport and directly proceed to the Hall 5, Terminal 1. MAS counter was not on service at the moment and claimed to be opened at 9.00 am. Then, we planned to have breakfast at the McD. As there was no fillet offered for the breakfast set, I ordered one chocolate muffin with hot coffee. 9.00 am we went back to the counter and surprisingly there were quite a number of people started line up to check in. Few minutes later, our turn took place. It was a big released after both mine and my friend’s baggage didn’t exceed the allowable weight limit. Complete with the check in and tax refund, we explore the airport – arrival hall, departure hall, boarding gate, airport shuttle, toilets and free duty zone. Spent some times in the free duty zone, most of the price seems to be a bit cheaper (of course, with a tax deduction). Bought some chocolates for my friends and walked around, then we proceed to gate 41 and waited there. 12 pm, we was onboard and seated next to each other. After, loaded our hand luggage and laptops on the upper storage compartment, we excitedly read the Star newspaper provided and waited for the take off. Almost 12.15 pm, the take off commenced.

The journey took almost 14 hours and I couldn’t sleep onboard. I was thinking about my family and of course my three months spent in Paris. Few hours earlier, I and my friend chatted and shared about our impression to be in Paris within these three months. Negative and positive point of view was discussed and mostly we shared a common judgement. Few hours later, he was slept and I spent my time with watching movies – I am Legend, Treasure Hunter, Legally Blonde, etc though I’d watched them before! Huhu. Almost 2.00 pm, the lunch served and MAS really served a good food! It was well known world wide and I really proud about it when Nasi Goreng Kampung was “sold out” during breakfast and I would say almost 95% onboard was European. Huhu.

6.20 am (Malaysia time). The flight landed smoothly. Alhamdulillah. Unloaded our carry baggage and other stuffs, we prepared ourselves to walk out of the plane. Passed through the custom and then proceed to the baggage collection area. Few minutes later, took my baggage and separated from my friend. Upon reaching the arrival hall, I saw my lovely wife, came towards me with his smiley face and happy tears. Hugged and kissed her, she said I was getting scrawny and slimmer. Huhu. Few steps ahead, I saw my mom, sister, brother and his wife and Razeef. At the moment, my dad was in the toilet. Few minutes later, we walked down to the parking area and planned to have breakfast at the Mamak restaurant at Putrajaya. Finally, at 9.00 am reached home. I am back!

April Left With Silence

There was nothing special for the day. Normal routine as usual but I leaved the office earlier as the aim for today seems to be accomplished. 6.30 pm. Stop at the Turkish restaurant nearby and bought “Son Doner” – my normal snack during dinner. Reached my room almost 7 pm. Washed up and had my dinner. Prepared my clothes during these 2 days and hanged them in the cupboard while the worn clothes were packed nicely in the luggage. 7.40 pm. Partially finished my packing. I need to group some of my belongings either to leave here or need to bring back home. Since the room was booked in three months basis, I need to check out and bring out all my stuffs upon leaving for holidays. Anyway, as per plan, I will place some of my clothes, shoes, foods, toiletries and other necessaries in my friend’s room. I hope the luggage won’t exceed the limit – 25 kg. Otherwise, I need to bring my hand luggage and use it when necessary. Anyway, the maximum allowable weight for the hand luggage is 5 kg only. When I recalled back during the time I checked-in at KLIA, my luggage had exceeded almost 10 kg. I couldn’t remember exactly the figure but I think it was almost 10 kg and maybe more than that. Hehe. Fortunately, during the moment, I still have time to unpack and choose the unnecessary to reduce the load of my luggage. I hope it won’t happen again this time. Hmm. This coming 2 days will be very fast as tomorrow I will have to complete and issue the task as per schedule and on the following day, I need to update some of the documents and discuss with my lead regarding some issues since he just come back from his technical presentation in Lyon. Hmm. 2 days to go. Miss you all.

Monday Blues

10.20 pm. I reached my room. Two of my Malaysian colleagues planned to have a dinner at the Malaysian Restaurant. I said to myself, good idea since I was very hungry today. I only eat a slice of fish and some mixed fruits during lunch time. One of them suggested to leave the office at 6 pm and agreed by the other. In my current situation, I was too busy with some jobs and need to clear up something. Then, I simply replied to them that I won’t be able to join them if they go there too early. Then, they shift the time proposed and decided to meet at the office lobby at 7.30 pm. Thanks friends. Meet up at 7.30 pm at the lobby and walked to the Metro Station. The climate was 9 degC. It tooks about 40 minutes from La Defense to the restaurant. Upon reaching the restaurant, suddenly we just realized that the restaurant was closed on Monday. It was a big frustration as I am thinking of having nasi goreng ayam and Nescafe tarik. Huhu. Then, we shifted our plan to another restaurant nearby. After few minutes, we stop by at the Sri Lankan Restaurant and checked out the menu posted on the glass wall. My eyes wildly looking at the menu searching for a dish with rice based. Finally, we decided to have our dinner there. In the restaurant, there were two French couples having a spicy food – curry/masala. I knew it from the sharp and nice smells. It was very good and I am sure the taste was good also. After a while, the waiter gave the menu and I ordered a prawn curry with rice. It costs about 10 euro. I don’t care about the price. If I did, I won’t buy anything here. Huhu. While waiting for the meal, I and the other two have a chat mainly on our job as we were working in a different project. Few minutes later our meals were served. The aroma was really good but the portion was too small. Huhu. That’s ok. I have only 5 days to go =)

Happy Birthday Mak!

You taught me everything

And everything you've given me

I always keep it inside

You're the driving force in my life

yeah

There isn't anything

Or anyone I can be

And it just wouldn't feel right

If I didn't have you by my side

You were there for me to love and care for me

When skies were grey

Whenever I was down

You were always there to comfort me

And no one else can be what you have been to me

You'll always be you

Always will be the girl

In my life for all times

Chorus:

Mama, mama you know I love you

Oh you know I love you Mama,

mama you're the queen of my heart

Your love is likeTears from the stars

Mama, I just want you to know

Lovin you is like food to my soul

You're always down for me

Have always been around for me even when I was bad

You showed me right from my wrong

Yes you did

And you took up for me

When everyone was downin me

You always did understand

You gave me strength to go on

There was so many times

Looking back when I was so afraid

And then you come to me

And say to me I can face anything

And no one else can do

What you have done for me

You'll always be

You will always be the girl in my life

(A Song For Mama - Boyz II Men)

----------------------------------------

I love you very much mom

Happy 58th birthday - 14 April 2008

May Allah keep blessing you

Wishing you have an excellent health

Long life full of happiness

From Your Son

Nature - one of the pure love treatment

I slept too early tonight and about 9.45 pm I woke up and seeing my lovely wife sleeping. This evening we had a long chat, talking about those activities to be done when I am back home. I feel very happy to have such strong and dependable women in my life. Alhamdulillah. I said to myself, I will make her life full with happiness no matter how far we away from each other. If I have time, I would like to bring my wife for some outdoor activities – camping. I love a nature and peaceful place. I am sure she feels the same way too. Come to think about it, I’ve been to one of the most beautiful waterfall in Malaysia, Berkelah and I hope she will be part of my below diaries on the trip next time.

Friday, 11th May,2007

It was 5.15 pm. I was excitedly waiting for Nazrul and others at Kasim (Mamak stall in Wisma Technip). As planned, we need to pick up some camping gears, tents, food containers, fly/groundsheets at my friend’s house (Ali) in Cheras. This trip was organized “officially” by Technip but all the itineraries were planned by “Rakuzz Outdoor” committee which means we have to prepare those related stuffs by ourselves provided this is an open trip and most of the people joined the trip was a first timer. 8.45 pm. Still in Ali’s house. Helping him packing some foods in a medium size container and loaded them into my car. Few minutes later, we rushed to pick up Khairul at his house somehere in Sungai Besi. Reached there after 45 minutes and he wasn’t done with his packing. Looking at his old big backpack, I remind him don’t forget to bring those climbing gears as there will be an abseiling activity in this trip and he was the only one who know the best about this activity. Nearly 11 pm, I sped my car towards Wisma Technip and accelerated as fast as the traffic would allow me. Reached Wisma Technip about 11.30 pm. There were many people waiting at the stair case and eagerly waiting for the bus to arrive. They came with their big backpacks, some seated on the stairs, and others stood around. Then, unloaded all the stuffs from my car, distribute them to the others and repacked again our backpacks. Then, I met Thoriq and checked out his brand new backpack. I said to myself, hmm nice pack, slim design, conveniently placed straps for securing camping stuff, but the colour was not to my taste - nothing really wrong with it except I don’t really fancy red. Then, a short briefing takes place followed by doa. Finally the bus came.

Saturday, 12th May, 2007

The journey took about 5.5 hours with 2 stops - at the MRR2 Projet petrol station and Temerloh (as I was told). Upon reaching the Kampung Gelugor mosque (meeting point for human cargo ferrying arrangement), washed up and said my dawn prayers. Prepared my gear before having a nasi lemak breakfast, pre-arranged by the organizing committee, at a local restaurant, Restoran Laila. Well done to the organisers! The 3 tonne lorry came, up went the backpacks and human cargo onto the wet metal bed. I was on the second lorry, full with jolly and eager-faced brothers. The 30 minute journey was filled with excitement and adventure, with everyone trying to dodge the oncoming branches and moving along with the sway, pitch and roll of the lorry.

Once we reached the trailhead and unloaded ourselves and our backpacks, it was time to stretch, led by Khairul. It was about 10.00 am when we started our trek to Camp 3. The first 200 meters of the trek was on cemented track with mild ascent. Next was a dose of jungle trekking followed by a breathtaking view of the free flowing Bekelah river, as we cleared the trees. The remaining 1 hour upstream trek was full of slides and a few falls, due to the wet and slippery rocky riverbank. Finally, just a few minutes before noon, the first group reached the campsite. The site was flattish 20ft x 40ft, with plenty of foliage, giving us very good protection from the sun. About half an hour later, the separated groups were together again.

Setting up camp quickly got underway, with the ladies preparing lunch. I think during that time, I dozed off after a few minutes of lying down on the ground sheet, set up in the middle of the camp. When I woke up, there were not many people around the camp site. Lunch was ready but everyone was having fun in the sun. So, I dragged my weary body down to the river about 10 meters away. The natural pool is about 20m x 60m with varying depth of about 30:70 shallow to deep ratio. The water was clear, fresh, cooling and refreshing. Everyone was really having a good time. As for me, since I have no skills at swimming, I could only “swim” on the shallow part of the river and sat down on the shallow riverbed for about an hour. After that, we were served with sumptuous sardines cooked in thick coconut milk, scrambled egg, fried potatoes and fried cabbage. Done eating, I performed my prayers before continuing with my power nap. When I woke up, the sun was already setting.

Night came, after the combined Sunset / Evening prayers, I joined the rest for dinner. Around 10.00 pm, some of us wanted to enjoy the beauty of the starry sky from the waterfall upstream. About 11 of us gathered around over instant noodles and got to know one another over a game of Questions & Answers. How does the game work? Well, each person is given the opportunity to ask one question and everyone has to answer as truthfully as they possibly can. So I got to know a little bit about Irma, Nazim, Zura, Suraya, Ida, Nazrul, Ishar, Zaza, Nizam, Khairul and, Nurul who joined at the tail end of the game.

Sunday, 13th May, 2007

Woke up just before 7.00 am, performed my dawn prayers, and down I went into the pool for 1.5 hours of dipping. Breakfast was again supervised by Head Chef, Kak Nor, assisted by Fara. We had fried meehon, fried rice, french toast and, power root coffee and tea for drinks. After that, we packed, cleaned up the campsite, took a few more group shots and started our track back around 11.00 am. A few of the guys had left earlier to set up the rappelling equipment about 1 hour downstream of the camp. There was nothing dramatic about the track back except a few slips and slides. After 1 hour of trekking, we took a breather not knowing that the rappelling location, where we will descend a rock using a fixed rope, was only 2 minutes away. Again we rested. I took the opportunity to cool off in another natural pool nearby. After about 1 hour, we headed down to the trailhead. With just a little detour, we reached the trailhead in a fast time of 30 minutes.

I am too lazy to remember and write in detail about what happened after that, all I could remember was that I bought a canned drink and RM3 worth of keropok lekor (fried chewy fish snack from Terengganu ) to share. Then I changed into fresh clothing, waited for the lorry to come back after picking up the ladies. Reached the restaurant around 4pm. Had fried mee for lunch, Noon/Afternoon prayers combined. Boarded the bus around 5.00 pm. By 9.15pm we reached Wisma Technip.

Looking back, it was a very enjoyable camping trip. Nice and friendly people that I got to know during the trip. Well organized except for the delay in departure and looking for volunteers to carry the tents, food containers and the fly/groundsheets.

Overall – Adventurous, Exciting, Addictive and most importantly SERIOUS FUN!

LOVE is an IDEAL thing, MARRIAGE is a REAL thing

Marriage is one of the fundamental sociological institutions. Mankind, since its very beginning, has kept to it without any disruption. Even the so-called 'uncivilized' tribes and primitive societies treat marriage as a sacred bond. Such an institution must be based on the foundation of the nature itself. The Holy Prophet said: Marry and procreate and increase your population. Alhamdulillah, I was married officially on 23rd of November 2007. Some people said, a happy man marries the girl he loves; a happier man loves the girl he marries. Yes, it is so true. Because I am the man =)

Tapas

Yesterday, I and my team member went to a Spanish Restaurant for our dinner. The most popular dish offered in the restaurant is “Tapas”. Tapas is the name of a wide variety of appetizers in Spanish cuisine. There are many type of appetizers (meat, fish, vegetable and fruit based) and they are served with a plain bread. I love the avocado blended and tuna. While having the dinner, each of us “release” the pressure and stress out all the disagreement about the work in this project. Attached is the picture taken by my friend, Achraf. From left : Lise, me, Anne, Sophie, Florent and Julie. Really appreciate their friendship and hopefully it will last forever.

Inter-communication Fatigue

I am not in a good mood even though in 8 days time I will be going back to my hometown. I miss my wife and family. Their continuous support and courage really give me some momentum to move on. Because of them also, I still can smile and reduce the pressure built up in my head. Fortunately, all of my colleagues also shared the same feeling. It is all about the time. When I start thinking about it, I feel very upset. Don’t get me wrong, it is not because of my personal life. Again, it is all about my work here. Some people might say, to be a good employee, logically you may need to be close to your boss no matter what had happened. In other words, you just need to do everything he asked for. Different managers can stress out employees in different ways – by being too controlling, too suspicious, too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over a trivial issue. Personally, I think this is just a small issue but somehow it becomes a burden as it was not managed and/or planned in a proper manner. I mad at nobody but just to clear up everything that polluted my mind. But what would you do if you have been informed at all of sudden that you may need to submit some tasks without any prior notice? I know the schedule was too tight but did they consider any time delayed because of other issues? For example, amendment of the design basis and some other design modifications. It is clearly involved a major impact on the overall project design if we revise the basis and definitely the overall planning will be dragged ahead. The intention to deliver the tasks earlier was not really satisfying me for some reasons. First, why do we need to deliver such documents if there are so many hold items? I believe if we were given a sufficient time, we might be able for some extent to clear up those pending items and deliver them with better information. Second, if we still need to deliver, why do we need to deliver all of them in one shot? I don’t think other disciplines need those documents at one time in order to proceed with their work. I think it can be done in such a simple manner by highlighting those critical tasks/documents/items that really need to be delivered to others in batch basis. It means we could save/optimize some times by giving an extra effort towards completing those critical documents. Hmmm. I am not saying that I always right and perhaps there are some hidden reasons that technically we didn’t know but as far as I concerned, most of the projects face and share a common problem - intercommunication.

Not My Day

Argh, there is butterfly in my stomach. Damn, I hate this uncomfortable feeling. I think there must be something wrong with the fried rice I ate just now. Huhu. What a terrible day - a spoilt meal and excessive work burden. The project coordinator had asked me about some deliverables that need to be issued within these days to meet the forecasted planning. Personally, I really hate when people keep asking about my job. Due to strict time constraint and lack of man power (I would say that), I don’t think it is fair to achieve that. With current situations – major design modifications, basis of design amendment, material “imbalance”, etc, I believe it is a big mess to deal with. It means, before we want to proceed with A, we need to solve B, C, D in the first place and maybe to some extent to Z! So can you imagine how long it will take to issue the abovementioned A? It was too much for me. Fortunately, my unit lead feels the same way. He asked me, “Are you getting crazy now?” with his tiring and smiley face. Hehe. At least it gives me some support and positive inspiration to keep on breathing in this situation. He was really a nice and cool lead I’d ever known. He was a specialist in this area and I feel very lucky to be part of his team. He used to work for a chemical plant project in Indonesia for almost one year and he knows some of Malay greetings and it really cheers me up every morning when he said “Selamat Pagi”. Then, I just simply replied back, “Bonjour, comment ca va?” =)

Hmmmm...

11pm already. Still can’t sleep. 11 days to go. Huhu. Today, my lead has circulated a holiday planning schedule. All the team members are required to mark on the cells required concerning their leaves during this upcoming spring holidays. The project itself expects all the team members will be off on duty for almost 2 weeks. But in my case, my leave will be one week earlier since I will be going back to my hometown for 2 weeks break and then take the advantages of the following week (which is on holiday) to bring my wife to visit some places here. Yesterday, two of my colleagues from Malaysia just came back from their holidays. They took only one week off and it was too short for them to recall those activities done but they were able to attend the Annual Dinner & Dance 2008 (ADD 2008) which was held at the KL Convention Centre. The theme for this year was “Under the Sea”. They claimed the food served was not as good as last year and there were a lot of new faces in this event. Anyway, the door gift has been upgraded where all the staffs will get a MP3 Player which considered fine enough compared to a candy as last year. Attached is a picture taken during ADD 2007. The gloomy night. Wallaaaaaa.

Malaysia's 2008 palm oil exports heading for record

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia's palm oil exports are headed for a record 50 billion ringgit (15.7 billion dollars) in 2008, boosted by strong global demand, a report said on Tuesday. Malaysian Palm Oil Board chairman Sabri Ahmad said continued tight supply and high demand for vegetable oils, as well as bad weather conditions, could see the commodity's bull run continue into 2009.

"We expect the world demand for vegetable oils and fats to increase within the next three to four years," he said according to The Star.

Malaysia, the world's top palm oil producer, saw export revenue jump 42 percent to 45.1 billion ringgit in 2007 compared with 31.8 billion ringgit in 2006, the daily said. China is the largest buyer of Malaysian palm oil, accounting for about 28 percent of palm oil exports.

"China and India are expected to take the lead in demand for palm oil due to mushrooming domestic industries and increasing consumption," Sabri told the state Bernama news agency. Sabri said the industry achieved a "phenomenal" performance in 2007, with the average price of crude palm oil at 2,530.50 ringgit per tonne against 1,510.50 ringgit the previous year, up by 67.5 percent.

Palm oil exports are becoming an important source of growth for Malaysia as the manufacturing sector experiences a sharp slowdown due to weaker demand from the United States. Malaysia and Indonesia are the two leading producers of palm oil, which is typically used for cooking and soap-making, but also increasingly for producing biodiesel.

Neighbouring Indonesia had said it plans to rise from second place to become the largest palm oil producer by 2008. Malaysia and Indonesia together account for 85 percent of world production.

The Top 10 Reasons Why Should I Study French

10. You're a musician, and France is a country where culture is taken seriously. You long to go to L'Opéra and admire its sculptured façade, its magnificent marble staircase, and its elegant foyer. You really like classical music (although you'd never admit it to your friends) and would like to enjoy the operas you love in their native language: Carmen by Bizet, Faust by Gounod, Manon by Massenet, Samson et Dalila by Saint-Saëns. Yes, you want to take your studies further.
9. You're an artist. Your dream is to sit in the Place du Tertre in Montmartre and paint watercolor scenes of Paris or do charcoal portraits of the tourists who stop by your easel to admire your work. You're pulled to Paris by its many museums: the Musée du Louvre with its Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo; the Musée d'Orsay with its impressionist collection; the Centre Georges-Pompidou with its fabulous modern art museum; the well-hidden Musée Picasso; and many more. You long to have a picnic lunch at the Musée Rodin while you sit and admire Le Penseur (The Thinker) or Le Baiser (The Kiss). Art is your life, and you want to study in a place where it is respected and loved.
8. You love French movies and long to understand the actors without the distraction of poorly translated subtitles.
7. You're not greedy, but you do want to make more money. France, a leading nation in the European Economic Community, has the fourth largest economy in the world, and you'd like to take advantage of that. Haute couture (high fashion), perfume, leather goods, precision instruments, automobiles, chemical and pharmaceutical products, and jewelry are all thriving French industries—France is a European leader.
6. You want to prove you're smart. The French language has the reputation of being difficult. This dates back to a time when only the smartest junior-high-school students were offered French. Of course, anyone who's ever studied French knows that it really isn't any more difficult than any other foreign language.
5. You want to live in a French-speaking country. You love the language, you love the people, or maybe you've been relocated by your company. Whatever the reason, if you're going to be staying in a French-speaking country for an extended period of time, you've got to learn the language.
4. You love to cook and have a special passion for fabulous dishes and desserts. You want to go to original sources and to understand all the food terms and culinary techniques. If you decide to take a cooking course in France, you want to know what's going on.
3. You love to eat. Do you consider yourself a gourmet? If so, then a basic knowledge of French, especially the culinary terms, is a must. Whether you prefer nouvelle, haute, or traditional cuisine, Cajun specialties, regional or native dishes, French cooking is truly considered the world's greatest. Whether you eat in Paris or New Orleans, Algeria or Port-au-Prince, the city or the country, you can be sure that the food you are served is fresh and appetizing, and that it has been expertly and lovingly prepared by a chef who takes great pride in his or her work. And a good French wine accompanying your meal is a tribute to the prestige and excellence of this industry in France.
2. You want to be totally irresistible, and you truly believe that speaking French will attract that special someone. You're probably right. French, more than any other language, has the reputation of being “the language of love.” It doesn't even matter what you say. Just whisper any of the beautiful, flowing, songlike phrases in someone's ear to “Wow!” them and to make their heart beat faster. It's practically foolproof.
1. You love to travel. In addition to France, there are more than 40 French-speaking countries in the world, where more than 100 million people speak French on a daily basis. Whether you travel for business or pleasure, romance or adventure, excitement or relaxation, your choices include: sensuous tropical islands with white, sandy beaches; lush rain forests with luxuriant, native vegetation; tempting snow-covered mountains perfect for winter sports; sweaty, sultry jungles where special thrills lurk everywhere; fortified ancient villages where history comes to life or bustling, modern cities where the future rapidly unfolds. You don't have to go far: Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Canada, or you could find yourself across the globe in distant, exotic lands in Africa or Asia. Perhaps you will simply be one of the more than 60 million tourists who visit France each year. The possibilities and opportunities are endless.

A Dull Sunday

Today, I want to spend my time in my room and really don't care about the "First Sunday Special" (Some places provide free entrance on the first Sunday every month). I just want to iron my clothes and start packing the unnecessary stuffs to bring back home and of course to chat with my wife. Come to think about it, I love those days with my wife when we pack our stuff for vacation and holidays or to be exact, during our honeymoon. I really miss those days. Normally, she will give an advice on which clothes should I bring. Now, distance has pulled us apart. It is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. This is probably why lovers who are apart spend most of their time thinking about each other. It is so true especially when you are being alone because love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart. Hmm. 13 days to go.

Miss You All

Now, 12pm already. I just reached my room after spending almost 10 hours in Paris. Today’s mission was partially accomplished. I still have something to buy for my dad, adik ipar and friends. Actually, I don’t know what I supposed to buy. I have no idea. Anyway, I still have one more weekend before I’m going back to Malaysia. Huhu. I really can’t wait to meet my beloved wife and family members especially my mom since I’ll meet her after 5 days of her 58th birthday. InsyaAllah. I miss you all. Two weeks break seems to be too long but I believe the time will pass very fast as there are many activities planned by my wife and my family. I will be going back to Penang for a while to meet my mother and father in law. Hehe. As planned, they will bring me to Danoq (Southern part of Thailand) to have the most delicious tomyam I’d ever tried. I really love Thai’s food. Can’t imagine it right now. It makes me suffer. Huhuhu. Actually, I want to disturb my wife and chat with her right now. Unfortunately, she’s offline. I am sure there is a network problem as she always claims that the internet connection was not so stable and can be easily disconnected. That’s ok. I won’t disturb her tonight. Sometimes I feel very sad to wake her up early in the morning almost every day. Hmm. I’ll stop here. Miss you sayang. Good night.

Mussels

Last week, my project team members had planned to introduce me to mussels or “moule” for our dinner. With difference nationalities and beliefs, we share a common interest - eating! We leaved the office at 7 pm and reached the restaurant almost at 7.30 pm. Mussels is a popular, especially in Belgium and the Netherlands, where they are consumed with french fries. In Italy they are popular, often mixed with other sea food, or eaten with pasta. Mussels can be smoked, boiled, steamed or fried in batter. As for all shellfish, mussels should be alive just before they are cooked because they quickly become toxic after they die. A simple criterion is that live mussels, when in the air, will tightly shut when disturbed. Open unresponsive mussels are dead and should be discarded. Closed mussel shells that are unusually heavy should be discarded as well, because usually contain only mud and can be tested by slightly moving the two shells away from each other. Mussel shells open by themselves when the mussels are cooked, revealing the cooked soft parts. In Belgium, mussels are often served with fresh herbs and flavorful vegetables in a stock of butter.

After dinner, we went up to the Sacre Caour, the highest point in Paris and enjoy the night view of Paris. I was really enjoyed during the time spent with them since they were very friendly, helpful and full of jokes! Normally, during lunch hour in the office, we will eat together within project team member, including our lead and the other specialist! The culture here seems inspiring me. The professionalism showed during working hours can be easily grabbed during this short lunch break. We can talk on a silly jokes and chat for some personal stories. There is no barrier between us.

Colmar

It’s been two weeks after my last holiday trip. Actually, this is a continuation of the “Strasbourg in memories”. If anyone out there had asked me about which places should he goes in France besides Paris, I would suggest Colmar. Colmar is 40 miles (64 kilometers) south-southwest of Strasbourg. The interesting element of Colmar is most of the buildings here are very unique, colorful, attractive and still lack of modernization. The day was full of stillness. Many shops were closed and the town looks emptied. We reached there about 2 pm and it was light snowing. From the Colmar train station, we walked for 30 minutes to the hotel. Luckily I had my breakfast in Strasbourg. After check-in and had a short break, we gathered at the lobby to proceed with our plan. First, we go to the town to see the ancient buildings, medieval renaissance houses, and “Petit Venice” (Small Venice) which considered as the most popular place to be visited here and the most romantic district in Colmar (I wish I’ll bring my wife here). After capturing some pictures around the town, we decided to have our lunch somewhere there. Then, we go to the Tourist Information Office located nearby to get some information on the travel packages provided within these 2 days. Unfortunately, the office was closed and then we directly go back to the hotel and try to get the information (with full of hope) from the receptionist. Actually the main problem is the transportation since all the nice places are scattered and a bit far from the town. For the worst case, we had decided to rent a van and drive to the places concerned even though nobody of us has a valid international driving license. Finally, the receptionist makes a deal with his friend to bring us to such places with agreed payment. Huhuhu. Our aim for the day was to visit the Chateau du Haut Koenigsbourg (A castle on top of the hill). Along the way, we pass through a wine yard route to the small villages named Riquewihr and Ribeauville at Alsace. Ribeauville is one of the most important villages for wines and for tourism in Alsace. It is also one of the largest producers of mineral water in France, Carola. Alsace offers charming wines of great quality (according to my friend) and the wine producing region of Alsace in France primarily produces white wines which have a strong Germanic influence. The local people here seem putting tremendous effort in maintaining the ancient buildings and they really proud of it. The driver who brought us here did mention to us that the Statue of Liberty in United States was actually designed by a Colmarian and because of the “pride”; they place an “original” replica of the Statue of Liberty in Colmar.

Poor Microsoft Office 2007

There is a bit of confusion as to what has happened to the speech recognition element of Microsoft Office 2007. Speech recognition was first introduced by Microsoft as a feature of Office XP in 2001. An improved version was then included with Microsoft Office 2003. It has been removed from the latest release, Office 2007, and is now part of Windows Vista. Speech recognition has been ‘promoted’ to become part of Windows Vista - Microsoft’s latest operating system. This means that the feature can be used across all compatible Windows applications and makes it a real competitor for Dragon NaturallySpeaking. If you are using Windows XP and you upgrade to Office 2007 you will lose the speech recognition feature. If you are determined to use Office 2007 then you must have a computer running Windows Vista to carry on using speech recognition. Unless, of course, you install a third-party solution such as Dragon naturallySpeaking or IBM ViaVoice. Speech Recognition is often incorrectly known as Voice Recognition.

Nasi Beriyani Sotong

It’s been almost 3 months I’d never eat any spicy food or I would rather name it as Malaysian food. Normally, I will take bread in the morning, heavy lunch in the office (fish, fish and fish) and kebab or bread during dinner. It doesn’t mean there are no choices here, but the thing is I don’t like to cook. It takes a lot of time with no guarantee of the taste satisfaction. I’d tried to cook before. But, it’s not good to take sausages, chicken cordon bleu, eggs and chips every day. They are highest rated of cancer caused! With my current life style, I don’t think such foods are good for me. My daily weekday’s routines are about the same. Wake up in the morning, have a light breakfast- bread with hot nescafe, work, heavy lunch, work, work work, light dinner, chat with my wife and then sleep. No physical activities besides walking for just 5 minutes to the office. Poor me. But surprisingly, my weight has reduce 5 kg since I was here. That’s why I rather spend some money for a good food. Luckily there is a Malaysian Restaurant somewhere in Paris. I get to know about it through Malaysian Association in France website and then start searching the google map for the direction. I have been here so many times since they serve a really good and typical Malaysian food. Alhamdulillah. So far, I’ve tried “nasi goreng ayam”, “nasi goreng lembu”, “nasi goreng kambing”, “nasi beriyani sotong” and “samosa”. Huhuhuhu. It’s delicious!

Strasbourg in memories

My first trip out of Paris was really great! I and the other five had spent 3 days in Strasbourg and Colmar since it was a public holiday on last Monday. Initially, we had planned to go to Bordeaux but finally we chose Strasbourg and Colmar for some reasons. Actually, these places were my preference. I really love peaceful and hilly places. Since day one, there was snowing and it was not too heavy but the ambient temperature is minus 1 degree Celsius. As the forecasted weather was accurately expected, we don’t have any problem about it. We depart from Paris at 7.24am and it takes almost 2 hours with high speed train (TGV) to reach Strasbourg. After check-in at the hotel nearby the train station (Gare Du Strasbourg) and had a short break, we went out and start looking at the map for the direction as per planned. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t permit for a boat ride since the water level in the Ille River was too high. It was raining. Then, we divert our plan to visit the Musees De Strasbourg, Palais Rohan, Ponts Couverts and the most popular place to be visited in Strasbourg, The Cathedral. It was so beautiful and very huge building with a great ancient architecture. Can you imagine it was built in 1230s! At the time, we planned to climb up to the top of the building but it was still raining and we were not allowed to do so. Then, we decided to have our lunch somewhere there. The other five were so excited to try the famous meal here. I forgot the name but it has some sausages, sour cabbage, some local sauces and salads. They said, the taste was not so good and it was so true just by looking at their faces. Hehe. For me, I just take bread. Plain bread with espresso. Enough for me. OK, after the lunch, we straight away go to the Cathedral and climb up the tower since the weather permits. It was so beautiful scenery from the top plus the snowing which really gives me a “cooling” effect. Strasbourg in memories.