Thursday, February 12, 2009

I Had A Big Shock On 11th February 2009.

There had been too much postings about Tomoi or Muay Thai or Boksing Kelate on this blog so rest assured I will mention a bit about it just in passing to let you all know whatever happened to my trip to KL. The above topic has nothing to do with the KL trip though there is a semblance of relationship. Just bear with me awhile while I recap on the beginning of the trip as I have to satisfy Pak Adib who wanted to know something about the train ride but not the Muay Thai Championship of which he tends to have nothing much to like about.

Mat Cendana formerly of Badawi's Bru and now morphed into Mat Cendana's Blog Review or the other as famous blog Recovery From Drug Addiction had informed the world about my late train departure from Pasir Mas and thus late arrival in KL Sentral. His timely announcement has allowed a few other friends in KL to know of my impending arrival and some like Gurindam Jiwa, Mawar (Mohamad Azmi Wan Abdul Rahman) and Pak Idrus did contact me while I was in KL asking me of the possibility of meeting up. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do it except for Mawar who happened to be in KL and we met for tea and later went to watch the KL Muay Thai's first day event.

The train ride was a total failure as I couldn't sleep as the jerks and rolls while trying to sleep was something unusual for me. As a result I had a splitting headache and I was sure my blood pressure was hitting the roof. Upon reaching Kajang at about 8.00 AM, I called my son who lives in Enstek Labu to book me a seat on AirAsia for the return trip. I will just forgo the train return ticket. So for me, that train ride will be the last ride if it is going to be an overnight trip.

I reached KL Sentral at about 10.30 AM and another commuter ride from KL Sentral took me to Bank Negara where my son Azuan was working even thought was a Saturday. Bank Negara was celebrating their 50th Annivessary so he had to work during the weekend and the Thaipusam holidays as well. With his Kancil I went to have a great brunch at the eatery near the velodrome in Cheras which was quite near to the Cheras Badminton Stadium.

At the Badminton Stadium I met Tuan Zahari of Boxxevent and his buddy Sanusi with Rudy of Telekom Malaysia. There were many other members of Kawanboxx too but there were too many to mention here and I haven't managed to know their names yet. Of course I will have to mention Adexx as she is the only rose among the thorns at the stadium then. I stayed around there till they did the dress rehearsal for the opening of the games which was replete with gimmicks ala World Wrestling Championship such as smoke machine, dazzling light and laser displays, bursting flames and music. Wow! This gonna be a great show. When everything was almost done Mussadik Boxxtomoi came. This is the person that I am most close to among the Tomoi people as we have been constantly communicating via the blogs and email on the net and via SMS. At last I have met in person this one person that has been so close to me.

I returned to Bank Negara and fetched Azuan for a drink in Kampung Baru. Later Mawar came to join me and Azuan left for home leaving me to the mercy of Mawar. Mawar took me to his well furnished home in Jalan Ipoh Lama a few doors away from this successful entrpreneurs and philanthropist Ramly of Ramly Burger. After doing the jama' for Maghrib and Isya' we proceeded in Mawar's car to see the first night Tomoi event. Mussadik had earlier given me an all access pass to the event and he managed to give me another ordinary pass for Mawar.

Azuan joined me for supper after the night's event was over and we returned to his home in Shah Alam.

The next day I had to follow Azuan to his work place in Bank Negara and I took his car to visit my sister in Gombak and later went to my nephew's place in Setia Alam. My nephew was giving a small feast for relatives and friends as he was leaving for Melbourne to accompany his wife who will be studying for her PhD there. I was joined by my son Azrin and his family who fetched my son in law at KLIA after his arrival from Labuan.

To cut a long story short, My son Azrin and son in law Lokman joined me to watch the second night event at Cheras Badminton stadium. Since Azrin could afford it, I asked him to pay the RM25.00 gallery seat while I secured a free pass for Lokman. Azrin's excitement for Tomoi was aroused and he bought himself a KawanBoxx T shirt and a tomoi short. After watching the event, he became a convert. Now he will be a die hard Tomoi fan. Later Azuan joined us to watch the fights.

At the fight I met Ee Lynn of Combat Loaded And Mission Ready! who came with his boy friend and 5 other friends to enjoy the event. Unfortunately we were too engrossed with the fights to have time to interact.

I would say Tomoi isn't really that bad. Though some blood maybe spilled and some bones maybe broken, it was done by people who were trained and well prepared for it. They fought as foes when in the ring but they are friends when they are outside the ring.

The four of us, adjourned for supper at Oldtown White Coffee in Cheras before we split with Azrin and Lokman who spent the night at KL Hilton while I rode with my son Azuan to his home in Shah Alam.
I had to come early to Sentral the next morning as Azuan had to go to work at Bank Negara. He left me at Sentral where Lokman and his friend from Labuan, Chris joined me for breakfast. Later my son Azrin came down with his family for breakfast.
Thanks to MRCB for providing free Wifi at Sentral, I spent time surfing the net while waiting for Mussadik to come from Rawang at 11.00 AM for a long waited chance to have a one to one chat. If only my battery could last longer hours, I won't feel the time flying while I waited another hour for Mussadik to come.
At the food court I learnt from Mussadik the set up of Boxxevent under Tuan Zahari. Thanks to him, now I know much more of the intricasies of the world of Tomoi in Malaysia. The weaker and shallow pocketed event organizers will never survive in this business. There are always rich and powerful rivals with connections who will try to make you fail just to eliminate an opposition. Developing the game isn't their ideal and people in the position of power are ever willing to be used by such dirty organizers to achieve this end. If I were to be in this business I would have suffered heart attacks several times over.
Well it wasn't in Tomoi that I was going to suffer from heart attack. It actually has someting to do with a friend by the name of Mat Cendana or Ahmad Cendana which I once blogged about here. He was supposed to be at the Syariah Court on 11th February. I posted bail for him so that he didn't have to be remanded in the Pengkalan Chepa jail to ensure his attendance at the court. Going to that jail again will break him down as the memory of being there the last time he was detained has left indelible memories of the time he spent there. I was supposed to have taken the train ride for home on the 9th of February 2009 and reach home on the 10th. thus ensuring more than ample time for me to make sure that he will be available to attend court on the 11th of February. Due to my change of plan, I decided to fly home by AirAsia on the 10th and be around to ensure his attendance. It was easy really as I had gone over to my son's place in Enstek Labu which was just less than 20 minutes to LCCT KL. Being so near and the usual delay in AirAsia's flight made me complacent. I decided to leave my son's home at 2.40 PM for my 3.40 PM's flight. Any fool could guess that by the time I reached LCCT it was already 3.00 PM and they have closed the check in counter for Kota Bharu! Now I have squandered away not only RM38.00 for the train ticket but also another RM130.00 for the AirAsia flight to Kota Bharu. I went back to Enstek Labu and purchased the another seat on AirAsia scheduled for 9.30 PM. This time I won't dare to be late and checked in much earlier than the 45 minutes stipulated for checking in. True to type, my 9.30 PM's flight was delayed by almost an hour. The reason was attributed to aircraft delay from its earlier destination and air traffic congestion at the airport. Little was mentioned about the argument between a flight steward who could have shouted at a passenger on the flight who was caught using his handphone while walking to the aircraft which was being refuelled. Some people are ignorant or take it easy over such seemingly trivial but serious matter. Having worked in the petrol retailing business I know how dangerous it is to use handphones where extremely volatile fuel such as petrol and jet fuel are present. All it takes is a spark from the handphone to ignite the fuel vapours in the air to bring a catastrophe.
After a goodnite sleep in my own familar bed, I woke up early for my Subuh prayers which I did ar home this time and not at the surau as I usually do. Logging to the internet I saw an update on Mat Cendana's sidebar that he will be going to court at 8.30 AM on the eleventh. That is good.
Next I turned my handphone on and I received a message from Sherry in Kuantan at 6.27 AM reminding me of Mat's need to attend court that day. At 7.05 AM Mat Cendana sent me a SMS that he was up and should be at the court by 8.30 AM. I sent a SMS assuring Sherry of his readiness.
What came at 8.15 AM nearly choked me!
'Drat! Cerah perut perut. But don't worry.. I WILL be there.'
I was not ready for that as I thought he was already on his way to the court and wanted to go there myself abit later. Imagine how I managed to take a bath, dress up, drove my car the 7 kms to town to be at the court all within 15 minutes!. While driving I called up Sherry to remit RM1000 immediately into my account after giving her my account number. I don't have that much money in my account or any other account hehehehe. Sherry was surprised I could rattle away my 12 digits Maybank account number. She would even be more surprised that I could rattle away my 16 digits credit card number. Yeab but only the Maybank Visa which I use more often. Afterall I have been using it for the past 21 years since 1988.
When I reach the courthouse at 8.32 AM, the place seemed qupet and quite deserted. I guess everyone must be in court by now. Breathless I asked the counter clerk the location of the court room. He said all cases were postponed! How sweet was that news to my ears.
First thing first, call Sherry to cancel the transfer. She was on the verge of pressing 'Enter' on her keyboard which will make the irreversible transfer done and I will be richer by RM1000 before I return the money to her. Since she managed to control her finger from activating the transfer, everything was alright.
I didn't bother to tell Mat about the postponement as I wanted to have breakfast with him. So when he came at 8.45 AM, I just put a serious face and told him that I have requested the magistrate to postpone the hearing to another day. He didn't buy that as he KNEW that the hearing was supposed to be at 9.00 AM and not 8.30 AM. The new hearing will be on the 23rd of February or something like that. Maybe I should get myself discharged from being the bailor to avoid getting another shock like the previous one.
Any takers to take over the bail for Mat Cendana?
Hehehehehe. Just kidding there Mat. I will stand by you as long as you stay clear of drugs.

26 comments:

zaitgha said...

Pak Zawi,

Dont shock me with that kind of title...i usually sneaked in quietly here nowadays but today i got tell you how worried i was...hisshhh Pak, my heart also went very fast when reading of your activities, from the long train ride to the missed flight...btw, I am grateful for MC to have someone like you to look upon his shoulder...

take care Pak and have a good weekend...

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

Pak Z,

i'm with zaitgha. i was shocked to read the title in Kak Pi's bloglist. hey, glad you're doing great over there. been missing in action for quite awhile. got loads to catch up with.

btw, please tell me Mat Cendana is the same guy who goes by a certain handle NJ Ahmad. he's gotta be my friday pagemate, ISN'T HE?

hehehe...sorry about the caps. sure hope i didnt give you a mild one.

Pak Zawi said...

Zai,
I am sorry if I made your heart beat faster abit. Just trying to sensationalise something abit. Dou you want me to change the title? If you felt it that way it may happen to others too. So just tell me.

Pak Zawi said...

Kerp,
My apologies to you too for the mild shocker. If I had it then I will definitely not be able to write the post hehehe.
I am not sure about NJ Ahmad. Just wait for him to wake up and respond to you. Then we will be definite.

Gurindam Jiwa said...

I just lost an old friend, so your title is actually NOT very funny!

I was looking forward to meet you that day, but it was alright. We could only plan.

I took the Wau Express once to KB for an assignment. I "wau"ed never to take the train again on urgent assignment. I even got diarrhea when I got home! The food was terrible!

Train trip is perhaps alright if you are on your honeymoon, going for that Orient Express, like in those trashy novels.

The main things about train ride for me are:

1. You never know when you are going to arrive.

2. When it makes unscheduled stops somewhere at stations in the middle of the jungle to let oncoming train pass by (because of the single track system), it is just frustrating because you never know when the oncoming train is gonna pass by.

3. When you are in the train in the middle of the jungle, cellular communications is no longer possible.

4. Have you tried emptying your bowel in the train's lavatory when the train is at top speed? It is really a lot of fun. It is almost like riding an express bus with an unruly driver at the wheel.

On my next trip KB, I would like a favor from you to take me to visit Kg Dangar's graveyard.

Pi Bani said...

Laa hai... ingatkan kot almost heart attack pasal tomoi... rupanya pasal MC's court case. But you'd better make it a point to confirmkan the exact date of the new hearing. "23rd of February or something like that" does sound like saja cari pasal for another possible heart attack...

Pak Zawi said...

Mazle,
Pohon maaf kerana tidak sempat bertemu kerana terpaksa menziarahi kakak dan menhadiri kenduri keluarga di Setia Alam. Masa berada di Enstek anak saya Azrin telah terbang ke Beijing jadi tak ada pemandu pelancong semasa di Enstek pada 10 Febuari.
Saya akan mengubah tajuk blog ini bagi menghormati Allahyarham Prof Hashim.
I did use the toilet to pee and I can feel the discomfort. If need to, I may still have to use it. Didn't try the food on the train as the buffet coach was a few coaches away and I had a good meal before the train arrived.
Please call me when you are back in Kelantan. I know he is buried in Kubur Lemal and not in Kg. Dangar.

Pak Zawi said...

Pi,
Kena tukar la tajuk tu. Nanti orang lain terkejut macam zaitgha dan Kerp tu.
I will check on the actual date and fetch him to court on the day of the hearing. That way I will have no more shocks from him.

Anonymous said...

I caught a documentary on TV about Pullman coaches and how the Orient Express improved on them. Reading your post made me ask myself when are we going to have such coaches.
Salam!

Pak Zawi said...

Pokku,
Wassalam.
I think KTMB has improved alot in terms of comfort, air cond, cleanliness and ease of booking by internet. They have removed the many gaps between rails end along time ago and thus there was a definite reduction in the noice level whene the wheels travel over the gaps.
If passengers are willing to pay, I think they can give you what you want. I have yet to try the first class cabin. Maybe they are more comfortable.

BoxxTomoi said...

Pak Zawi,
Salaam from me and the rest of the crew.
Terima kasih kerana datang, I can't remember much about the two day event except the warm hug I got from you when we first met and the day we departed, and the look on your face when you get hold of OUR magazine!
Bulan depan kita jumpa lagi, di Kota Baharu, Insyaallah, 3 days of Muay Thai extravaganza. The HRH Sultan Cup.

brothers;
Musaddik 'boxxtomoi'Zainuddin

Pak Zawi said...

Bro Mus,
I will be posting my pictures of my trip to KL in my next post. It wont be much on the fights but more on the behind the scenes things at the event. It should be interesting for you to read. Hope the rest of the team especially Tuan Zahari will take a peek too.
We will improve on the magazine to suit the market need. It has to be in BM, there is no two way about it.
We will have better opportunity to interact in KB as I will be spending more time with you all there since now I am a member of Kawanboxx. I am placing an order of another 2 pieces of XL Kawanboxx T shirts in Red and Black and a set of the KL DVD.
Hugs.

Unknown said...

My record on the train: 15 hours from Pasir Mas to KL Sentral. Yup. Took the train at 7 something in the evening, ETA 7 something in the morning, the following day, and actual tie of arrival at 10 something. But that's not the last time I took train to KL lah haha.

Pak Zawi said...

Akmal,
Masa Pak Zawi belajar dulu pernah dok kat tangga dari KL hingga Gua Musang. Masa tu muda, boleh tahan la. Sekarang ni jauh bezanya hehehehe.

Gurindam Jiwa said...

I spent 1 month of my SRP holiday in Kelantan. I took the train home from Wakaf Bharu (?) to KL along with an uncle in December 1978. My Tok Ayah, the late Hj Hussin of Bunut Payung bought us third class tickets.

It was a 24-hour ride back then. Yes, masa tu muda, memang boleh tahan. Now, you can forget it.

Initially I got a seat. After several hours, I got tired, so I got up to wander around, and my seat was taken. So I had to sit everywhere from that anak tangga to on the floor next to the lavatory.

It was a lot of fun then. The coach was filled with students from Kelantan going for the Royal Military College (RMC) Form 4 entrance examination.

I didn't have a single complain then.

Now,it is completely a different story.

~CovertOperations78~ said...

Salam Abang Zawi,

It was good to be able to meet you at last, as well as your son Azrin.

Adoi... Mat Cendana pandai buat orang terkejut pagi-pagi ya?

Abang Zawi, if you have uploaded the Muay Thai photos and could send me the one of my friends and I, I would be very grateful. My bf's photos semua tak jadi. No hurry, bila-bila pun boleh.

Thank you very much.

CO78

Pak Zawi said...

Gurindam Jiwa,
Dulu memang naik kereta apa saja masa belajar. Ada kawan yang terus naik keretapi walaupun ramai yang berhijrah naik bas SKMK yang mula diperkenalkan. Dia suka merayau atas keretapi untuk mencari kenalan perempuan.

Pak Zawi said...

CO'78,
Next post will have loads of pictures. You can pick anyone that you like to use. Give me a bit of time.
I was happy to have met u and your friends too though I can't discern which one was your bf. I guess one of them must be him hehehehehe.

Rita Ho said...

Haha! First time I see a change in title of blog post because it triggered a series of shock waves on readers. I was one of them!

Really nice to catch up on your posts, Pak Zawi. I finish a bottle of Gatorade in the process. LOL!

Pak Zawi said...

Rita,
Real nice to see you back to LAISI.
At my age and poor health such a thing is a possiblity and I dont want friends and foe to be worried when reading the title. That seemed to happen to Zaitgha and Kerp. Above all the demise of a close friend and mentor of Gurindam Jiwa who didn't find the choice of title amusing must be respected.
Used to drink Gatorade when I was an active tennis player. Thought the drink could give me the extra power to hit the balls faster hehehehe.
May you and David be in the best of health.

Sad Open said...

Pak zawi, your writing always impressed me. I wonder how a retired like you have so much energy to write those long posting.Just reading your blog exhausted me.
It really put me to shame.
Also you go around "pusing2 kl" like that.Do you have any secret?

Pak Zawi said...

Sad with a white hair,
You dont have to read them all if you get tired. Just read part by part. Anyway it has to be long because there is no picture at all on this post. The next post will be easier as there will be lots of pictures.
I get tired too but once I start writing I feel energetic the joy of writing just give me the will to write it till the end. The beginning is always difficult.

mamasita said...

Hai P.Z.
Reading your entry especially from the part you missed the AirAsia flight till your court presence with MC gave me so many heart palpitations!hahaha
Wah! You didn't succeed tricking MC with your 'bohong sunat' eh? hahaha
Hoi! MC tu can smell a bluff a mile away.Mujurlah Sherry selalu tolong dia.Tadi I jumpa Sherry for the first time.Shes a really really sweet and jovial person!And you're a great friend too.MC is so very lucky!

Pak Zawi said...

mamasita,
Did I really give you heart palpitations? Well that was how I felt back then because taking another train ride wasn't going to be a preferred choice. Just a five minutes carelessness cost me RM185.00 which could be put to better use for buying a camera accessories hehehehehe.
The many phone exchanges with Sherry gave me the same impression of Sherry too. Hope to meet her and Nazmi one day soon. I know I will be meeting you and Dato' real soon so that part of it is considered 'termakbul'.
I have never been a good bluffer. Failed it all the time when applying it on my other half. So now I prefer to tell the truth all the time. But it is fun to pull one once in a while hehehehe.

Daphne Ling said...

Hi Pak Zawi,

La, I thought Mat Cendana skipped the hearing and your previous bail went flying! I agree with Zaitgha, don't la scare people like that...;(

Pak Zawi said...

Daph,
With my blood pressure at 150/100 as standard on a normal day, any excitement like taking a bath, driving 5 kms into town and requesting financial help within 15 minutes is easy for my bp to shoot the roof. I really had a shock. If only I had known that it was another 30 minutes to spare, I wouldn't have felt so bad.
Anyway now I know why medias love to use sensational topics for news because it helps to attract attention. Any inconvenience is regretted hehehehe.