YELLOW WIN

Yellow House 4 x 100 quartet
Wafiy, Saharafi, Arun, Ikmal

The crowd was cheering their hearts out, Arun was the anchorman and it was the last race of the day. Winning this one would make everything else so sweet. Amidst screams of encouragement, and shouts of happiness and joy, Arun dashes past the finish line like a gladiator in shining armour, and claims victory with his fist clenched high up in the air.

It was at this moment that something caught my eye, it was Wafiy, he was running after Arun. Then it happened, a hug, Wafiy hugged him saying aloud, "kita menang, Kita menang". At that moment I felt that it was all worth it, every drop of blood, sweat and tear I shed, It was all worth it. I had succeeded. The boys won the race but I won the battle. What the politicians , leaders and preachers failed to do was simply achieved by a simple sporting event.
I came to my senses when Ikmal and Sharafi caught up with the celebrating pair, they have become heroes. Arun the star, the name that will be remembered by many hopeful minds imagining and dreaming that one day they too will win a race like Arun, and many a giggling girl now wish how proud they would be just to walk beside these champions.
A moment that transcended race, creed or religion. A moment so rare, a moment that I wish would spread like wildfire and ignite the spirit of every other Malaysian, a moment that I wish could last forever.
How I wish if only the grown ups could learn to share and remember this feeling, remember what we had, remember the true spirit of sport, remember that we are one, remember we are Malaysians.

THINKING FOOTBALL

The football crisis in our country is becoming worse. The latest FIFA ranking sees Malaysia falling two notches down to 161. The fans have been crying foul and yet there are parties who feel that the ranking is not important. Read here and here
There were also outbursts regarding the governing body's decision to sack the acting manager of the national team, Dato Soh Chin Aun and also the coach, Sathianathan. However the manager KJ escaped action though he was willing to take the blame. Read here and here.
However, the biggest surprise comes from the alleged mismanagement of FAM's referee department. The department has been accused of cronyism. Read here .

Datuk Soh Chin Aun, a local legend and former captain of the national team, who is the vice-chairman of the referee board, has denied any knowledge of these allegations. His reactions were also not well received by certain quarters.
The standard of refereeing is being questioned as never before and even blamed for the poor performance of the national team.There were wild accusations that the disharmony in the department has spread to other departments causing the ranking to fall. How much more ridiculous could one be?

Firstly lets get something straight, I think the issue here is not the standard of refereeing but the standard of our national team. Over the years no matter who the chairman was, be it from the time of Tan Sri right up till the late Nazri, Malaysia never failed to produce referees of top quality, From the tenure of Dato George Joseph, Rodzali and now Colonel, as the HOD, FAM continued to be successful in this respect.

Our referees were highly sought after to officiate not only in Asia but also in other parts of the world. Names like Cikgu Zainal, Katheravale,George Joseph, Koh Guan Kiat, Othman Omar, Ismail Yaacob, Stephen Ovinis, Subramaniam Nathan, Col. Kamaruddin, Nasarudin Shariff, Nazri Abdullah, Nik Ahmad, Selearajan, , Kamaruddin Md Diah, Jamil Zakaria, Amir Sharifudin Wong, Che Mud, Nadarajan, VKS Sinaya, Kassim, and lots more were regulars in the international stage. All of these men somehow played a part, in one way or another in developing my career as a referee. I am indebted to them all. I idolized them.
Capt Halim and Mat Lazim stamped our mark in the world cup. We are also not too far away today and our men like Krishnan , Sabri, Saadon , and the younger guys are also earning praise, and even our women referees have performed at international levels. Our challenge is being led by none other than Subkhidin.

The late Nazri Abdullah served as an instructor for referees in the last world cup and was preparing the next batch for the coming one. Cikgu Amir is serving in the Maldives developing the referees there.

You see, you can’t say the same about our national team, the same few names keep coming up, Ghani Minhat, Soh Chin Aun, Santokh , the late Mokhtar and Arumugam, these are but a few. Where are the present batch. No denying that we did have a formidable team during Towkay’s time. Maybe Shebby, who probably found better fame and fortune in broadcasting. But where are the present batch. Are they anywhere near the world cup? Our referees have been there and Insyallah will be there again and again.
You see, the referee department has been continuously successful. We are moving closer and closer to the world cup . On the contrary, the national team continues to drift further away. To say that the disharmony in the dept has spread into other departments and caused the ranking to drop is grossly unfair and malicious.

To my brother referees, remember my 'pantun':

Langkah masuk rimau di dada
Silap langkah rimau dibedil
Berani, tegas, cergas, adil, waspada
Kalimah Keramat Kami Pengadil

United we stand, divided we fall

FOR THE GOOD OF THE GAME

Brother Thinking

Received a mail from my youngest brother today, really humbled me, anyway , am sharing it with you, and you and you too, (unedited cept for some naughty details)
with a message, stop and think about what's really important and who really matters.

Kudos to you Sr. Sibling !!!

I am at work filing off the hours to complete my 8 hours stint as per my employment contract. Truth be known, as the saying goes, this tupai is waiting to fall la.. so I need to find the extra drive to get me to work.. My evaluation was Excellent and Exceed which means I am playing my cards well however there is really no place in my orgn for a person like me.. Sigh..

Anyways nuff about me.. I visited the site of our Eldest.. I am impressed.. Very eloquent and intresting.. I see he has his band of brothers along side to support him. Todays posting had a sad tone at the lost of his friend.. so nothing really much I can comment on.. However one thing I noticed.. I too have this tendencies to want to share with the world my existence. However for the fear of release too much information, I do a weekly update for the entertainment of my buddies.. I always wondered where these feelings had rooted itself from.. NOW I KNOW.. It seems tat I have taken much of my outlook to life from my eldest.. Well honestly I dono whether to be thankful or curse and spit.. One thing for sure, I know my life and who I am is model after our Celebrity.. Strange but true.. It was nice to read and recognize the emotions convey in messages on the blog.. Funny how siblings are.. Dude you should however write more about everything around you as well.. Maybe its premature as you are only beginning to stretch your feet..

Was on the home front over the weekend.. Actually I had planned to stay in KL and Ooore Suthe.. However Amma called and I spoke to Amma on Saturday and my heart almost fell to the ground. I told amma I wasn’t coming home and I felt the disappointment in her voice.. It Sucked major but then I just was too lazy to go home.. so nonchalantly I ignore the hush disappointment Amma felt in me.. I then asked how was Cherimmas’ Bday.. I ofcourse in my aimless life had forgot to call cherimma despite reminding myself many times..Anyways what Amma said next almost had me in tears.. In her gentle unassuming manner amma told me how she went and bought a Cake for cherimma.. Immediate a vision came into my head of how our two ladies were sitting together just the two of them alone despite having us Children close by, and singing Happy Bday and blowing candles.. Of course tats not exactly wat happens in our family… We hide our emotions as we never really were brought up with Hugs and Kisses.. Amma bought cake, no formalities.. just cut cake labeled it as Cherimma birthday.. I felt so useless.. what kind of Son was I.. How could I let these 2 people sit there alone and enjoy the day while I sat and enjoyed my stupid life.. Anyways I was so guilty and planned to go home the next day and make up for it…

I went home and took the ladies out.. And GOD I tell you… We are the luckiest people on earth to have parents like ours. These two ladies are amazing.. Just sitting and chatting with them makes you so proud to be part of them.. They are so kind, gentle, unselfish and blessed with godly innocence. Despite all the challenges they face from our so called relatives, they always find some humor in life. It was just amazing sitting with these gentle creatures enjoying the simplistic life the led and the whole essence of being.. I felt like I was in heaven and why not , as hindu we know God is in ourselves.. and I feel like I am with God everytime I am with them.. Later that night while we all prepared to retire, I saw Amma going to cherimma room to sleep and I asked Amma.. why you going there.. you got your own room now wat.. You wouldn’t believe wat Amma said.. Amma said.. cherimma was sick and cannot walk properly so she wanted to be close incase anything cherimma wanted… I was shocked..! Never had I heard or seen acts of selflessness in my life. This was Love.. The true Love that People always professed to have felt but in reality never came close. It was so beautiful and endearing to watch how they love each other so much. In our absence they had built a bond beyond siblings.. They were truly best friends and relied on each other for every including emotional support.. This was family, this was Nirvana.. this was hinduism at its best.. I felt humbled like never before.. We often think with our exposure and worldly travels we were wise.. but in reality most of us are the biggest morons in the world.. we have nirvana right infront of us but yet we go in pursuit of foolish things to satisfy our immediate emptiness. Here was an example of eternal and pure love.. Man I was lessoned..

So the weekend was quite the Catalyst for my rethinking again.. Life? It can be complicated or it can so simple … why not choose simple and enjoy the finest gifts God has given us.. Our Parents.. Food for thought ?

Anyways I thank god for them always and am so proud to have them.. I will try to be a better person because of them and hopefully earn the right to be their son..!

CIAO CHIN CIAO My siblings !!!

Salam Sejahtera / With Best Regards,

minied

SOMEONE I KNOW

In his own words: "In refereeing, you only get one chance, you must use it to the best"

He gave us and the world his best, there is no way anybody can replace him.
What's left is for us to carry on the challenge and realize his visions.
Many of us left feeling lost and promised to draw strength from each other. Our beacon of guidance is gone, but he has always brought us together even in his 'death'. He had paved the way, set the standards and led by example.
We promised to 'continue the struggle', that was the message whispered into ears between those emotional hugs that knew no barrier of race, religion or creed. We are all brothers who have lost our 'Abang'.
Today I remembered all these quotes by some of our 'greats', and how they relate to this very special man that had come into our lives.

Nik Ahmad: "Always remember, as a referee you are an ambassador,
you carry the nation's flag wherever you go.
Everything you do reflects upon our country."

Koh Guan Kiat: "As a referee, you must have 3 D's ,
'Discipline', 'Dedication' and 'Determination'."

Dato George Joseph: "As a referee, you may not become rich ,
but people will remember you as an honest man"

Allahyarham Nazri, did our country proud, lived a disciplined life, was totally dedicated to his family, nation, religion, and refereeing, was determined to improve the standard of refereeing not only in Malaysia but throughout the world, and of course, he did it all with a sincere heart, never expecting anything in return.

The tributes are endless and messages continue to pour in. Read here , and here also in Kosmo.
The words touched people who never even knew him, Malaysia has lost a gem, a legend.
My brother, Nazri Abdullah, shall never 'die', he will always 'live' within me, this I promise, I will carry on the struggle.
May Allah All Mighty, bless his soul and place him among the righteous.

A Hole in The Fence

Life seems straight if everybody follows the rules.However life can be very boring too if everybody just follows the rules. Do we actually think about why there is a need for rules and regulations. Why is there a need for fences and walls and gates and trenches?
From time immemorial, these elements seem to be part and parcel of our life. Can we live without them? Do we really need them? Are fences built to keep others out or are they keeping us in? Who are the prisoners, those inside or those on the outside? Who is protected, people inside or people outside?
I suppose we have to look at in context. Fences around our houses and fences around correctional facilities serve different purposes. A fence in the zoo and the fence around cattle in a farm stand for different reasons.
Why is there a need for gates and walls? Must we always filter what goes in and out?
I would choose to think in a perfect world, there would be no need for fences to keep people out or the reverse. There would be no reasons to fear the 'outside' and there would be no reason for those on the outside to be suspicious of the 'inside'. Where do we stand as civilized humans when we do not respect one another's privacy and belongings. Everybody has a responsibility to each other that goes without saying.
Stop, and think, where are we now? Are we safer today than we were yesterday? Look around you, are there more fences, gates and walls?
Fences, walls, gates. trenches, barricades, obstacles don't only exist physically but they also exist within oneself, within communities, ideologies, beliefs, norms and even philosophies. Thus, the question again? Are we really free? Is there or will there ever be a perfect world? Freedom is just a word.

Start Today

Well, here goes; this is one of my new year resolutions. I would like to be kinder to people around me and not impose my thoughts and beliefs upon them. I must be more receptive to ideas no matter how stupid they sound. I MUST listen to others(God I'll try) and say thanks a million times. Just be thankful for everything. Gratitude is not expensive.Here's some scribbling I did some time ago.

Eight Thanks Table

Thank you for your kindness
when i was there
Thank you for caring
when i needed you there
Thank you for believing
even if you weren't there
Thank you for staying
when i wanted you there
Thank you for the listening
from deep within there
Thank you for trying
to help me see what lies beyond there
Thank you for not hurting
for i would have died there
Thank you most of all
for just being there

MNN. 5.36pm, 16.1.99.home

A New Day

Been some time since I wrote. Must admit that there were a thousand times that I wanted to but I was just lazy. I was also afraid that my post would not sound intelligent or interesting to others. There was also a need to make my blog informative. Somehow, this morning dragged myself to the pc to just say what I want to say. Could not care less about what others think in this context.
The past two months were not a holiday to me as it were to others. I was rather 'dogged' down with work. Some would say that the right word is 'bogged', well i prefer 'dogged'. coz the connotation is rather suitable here.
To be 'bogged down' with work is to be totally busy with work and so tied up that you can't do anything else.
To be 'dogged down' really would mean everything above plus all the emotional. mental and physical baggage that comes with it. It is rather figurative in meaning.
Being a rather self appointed eccentric of sorts, explains the difference in meaning to a same 'experience'.
The past two months were quite eventful I must say. The kid finished his formal 11 years of school. He now shuttles between the guitar in his room and the pc in the opposite room. In between this busy schedule of driving every adult in the radius of 500 miles crazy, he is forced to attend driving lessons (that's another story) and intermediate screams (or pleas) to clean his room, get the trash, wash the car or anything that will get him of that guitar that plays at 10,000 decibels or so. Of course he also had his first rock concert experience, bus ride to KL, movie with friends and so on. The so called matured people never forgetting to remind him of his obligation to God and country along the way. He is growing faster than we can keep up. I wonder. why can't adults leave the kids alone? Is it our duty to be a nagging reminder and poster of guidance? YES IT IS! Dropping the 'nagging will be fine though.
Yours truly gave up one of his passion for two months to concentrate on work. The passion took him all around the country and even some neighbouring ones. Feels rather empty now. Actually considering quitting completely. Then there was work and work and work.
The missus was bored to death and probably wondered what a her sins were to be hooked to this crazy old man who even grew his hair long and refused to comb it over the holidays.
And suddenly we are all in the new year. Talk about time moving fast. I think it just whizzed past between my legs. Yes and time has no obligations to warn anybody.
Well it is time for resolutions and I have already broken two of them. That's another 53 to go. Well. I just hope and pray the world will be a better place. People will be human and the kid will be filthy rich and score 21 'A's.