Standing Tall

At last, something that I am proud of. Not only because one of the tallest office buildings in the world is located in my homeland, but also because it is my first touch in photography.

Petronas Twin Towers located on the northern boundary of the Multimedia Super Corridor, is designed based on geometric patterns common in architecture of Islamic heritage. As described by architects, these geometric figures symbolise unity, harmony, stability and rationality - all important principles of Islam. The towers were once the World’s Tallest Building before being unseated by Taipei 101 on October 17th, 2003.

The towers feature a connecting sky bridge between the two towers on 41st and 42nd floor. It is 170 m high and 58 m long. Outside the building is a park with a fountain, jogging/walking tracks and a children’s playground. Suria KLCC situated at the lowest part of the towers is one of the biggest shopping malls in Malaysia. Malaysian Philharmonic Hall, situated also at the lower level of the building, has been the home for Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.

Here are some other intriguing facts about the twin towers:

·    Number of storeys : 88

·    Height: 452 meters above street level

·    Total built-up area: 341,760 sq.meters ( 3.7 million sq. feet)

·    Owners: Kuala Lumpur City Centre Holdings Sendirian Berhad

·    Design/Architecture: Cesar Pelli & Associates [U.S.] in association with KLCC architects

·    Engineers: Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers

·    Contractors: Mayjus and SKJ Joint Ventures

·    Vertical transportation: 29 double-deck high speed passenger lifts in each tower

·     Number of escalators: 10 in each tower

·     Stainless steel cladding: 65,000 sq. metres

·     Vision glass: 77,000 sq. metres

·  Concrete [various strengths up to grade 80]: 160,000 cubic metres in the    superstructures [see also foundation description below]

·     Steel: 36,910 tonnes of beams, trusses and reinforcement

·    Foundation: 4.5 metre [15 feet] thick raft containing 13,200 cubic meters of grade 60 reinforced concrete, weighing approximately 32,550 tonnes under each tower, supported by 104 barette piles varying from 60 to 115 metres in length

·     Topping Out: 1998 

·     Official Opening: August 28, 1999

Rejuvenating Mud Bath

To consider driving a 4-wheelers into a jungle as a rejuvenating mud bath, one might think I have gone completely nuts. But yes, I am totally crazy about trying my hands on the 4 wheelers, getting myself covered with sludge, the sensational feeling riding on bumpy tracks and the painful feeling when my head bumps hard on the roof of the jeep. Ambitious to become an avid wheeler, I had learned about the joys and pitfalls of wheeling as well as the proper techniques in handling the vehicle which cover everything from vehicle preparation to survival and to recognize offroad driving techniques and more. I have seen a lot of different terrains, encountered different kinds of obstacles, and have traversed some desolate landscapes.

Driving through mud is not easy. Some types of mud have a greasy top layer with a hard surface underneath, while other types can be a bottomless quagmire of gooey mush. Different types of mud require different driving techniques and equipment. Greasy mud with a hard bottom layer is best suited to narrow tires to allow them to cut through the top layer to bite the hard surface below. Wide tires are unsuitable because in this situation they tend to float on the greasy top layer without reaching the hard surface underneath. Thick gooey mud tends to favor wide tires as they give some flotation, similar to wide tires favoring sand driving. When used in muddy track, tires must have large open spaced lugs to keep the tire clean. However, the tyres handle worse on bitumen as there is less rubber in contact with the ground and in sand they tend to dig in. Also they can have an annoying drone at highway speeds.

I also learned that when crossing the water, I must take off the seat belt and wind down the window. In most situations I must use low range 2nd gear and try to drive at a steady speed to create bow wave. I learned to avoid using clutch and I must not over-rev the engine whenever I lose traction. One most important thing I learned is that when the engine stalls, I must place in neutral without using clutch to restart and takeoff in 1st low.

Well, those are some accumulated tips I obtained from several experiences on 4-wheel driving. Not only I learned about the tyres but also about the tyre chains, the winches and some other parts of the vehicles. But the first experience is always the most remembered one - it was the offroad exploration to Sungai Liang, Pahang on 29th March 2005. I called it the Bloody Muddy Exploration as the jungle was mostly covered with mud and not to mention, leeches. I remembered when one of the jeeps got stuck in a deep gap full of greasy mud and that the gap had swallowed the whole part of one of the rear tyres. When I saw some of them get out of their vehicles and walk towards the ‘trapped’ jeep, I tried to follow suit. When I reached the spot, I peered at the rear tyre, the one that was stuck in the deep hole, while the others were busy with  the preparation to hoist the jeep out. They called the little gadget, a ‘winch’. Attached at the front part of the vehicle, it is used to drag the vehicle out from holes. Merely feeding my curiousity, and without anybody realizing it, I went over to the back of the jeep to take a closer look. Unaware of what was going on at the front, I squatted down and scrutinized the condition of the tyre. My butt barely touched the ground and I tried very hard not to slip and stay clean. Out of a sudden, the jeep jerked forward and the tyres screeched hard. Mud splashed wildly on my face and body. And I cried out loud and tried to make haste  to get out of the way but it was too slippery. I finally could catch my breath when the jeep was at last sucessfully pulled out of the mudhole. I waited for somebody to finally discover me and when they did, they let out a big laugh! I laughed along pretending that the whole scene was humurous but in actual fact I silently scolded myself for being such a fool. Hating myself for being a laughingstock, I vowed not to stray away from the group if any problems arised.

Have I been keeping my promise? Yeahhhhhh rightttt!

Last Touch

I see an old man,
With hope in his mind,
With heart in his hands,
With tears on his cheeks.I see an old woman,
Lying on a deathbed,
Gasping for air,
Struggling to survive.I watch him in perfect silence,
His eyes never leave hers,
His mouth quivers,
His hands tremble.

I see tears rolling down his cheek,
For he knows soon she will leave him forever,
But he will never leave her.

He’ll be sitting right next to her,
He’ll be watching her,
He’ll be waiting.Til she breathes her last breath,
Til her heart beats the last beat,
Til she shed the last teardrop.I see him reach for her hand,
His weak hand, caressing her, soothing her,
His shaky lips, whispering words softly,
Only he and she can hear.“For all the times you had stood by me,
For all shared dreams,
For all the joy and happiness,
Darling, you will forever be in my heart,
Life will never be the same without you.
May Allah bless and forgive you for all the wrong deeds you had done,
May you be one of those people sent to Heaven,
May you rest in peace,
Soon, you will leave me,
Alone in the world,
With empty feeling and loneliness,
So darling, let me have your last touch before you leave me forever… because I love you.”

The ‘Last Touch’ was written in dedication to my late grandmother (I called her Uwan) who departed on 20th October 2005, and to Allahyarhammah Datin Seri Hendon Mahmood, Malaysia’s First Lady who also departed on the same date.

Allahyarhammah Datin Seri Hendon

Al-Fatihah.

Journey To Paradise

Life is a journey. Life is so thorny. Not knowing when we might stumble and get wounded along the way. But keep on walking and walking and try not to get derailed until we reach our own final destination. Be strong!

Life is full of challenge. From the day we were born til the day we die, we have to face the challenge of what life has to offer. Be brave!

Let’s just be courageous. Let’s just walk ahead. Don’t be afraid. Let’s hold hands and take one step at a time. Let the journey be the journey everyone wants to go. A journey to paradise.

Storming The Brain

The corporate company I am currently working with is indeed the premier toll expressway operator in Malaysia and I believe the company is already at its best. Frankly speaking, I am very proud to work with this well established company. Some people call this company a gold mine, some even say it a comfort zone. Well, I do agree with them, but I perceive the company differently.

This Company to me is a venue to know and get closer to people with higher level of thinking. A venue where I can spill out my creativities and show them off and be recognised. A venue where ideas are heard and appreciated and not simply thrown away. A venue where I can explore more in what I do best, civil engineering, and will not become brain drain. A venue where there is a chance to stand tall, work hand in hand with the Managing Director, CEO, COO. As a summary, this Company is a good place for my self-development.

Speaking of which, the Management had organised a 5-day brainstorming session from 12 - 16 September 2005 which was called as The Special Task Force, as a way to get as many ideas out as they could from the staff. Well, I was one of the 30 selected people who voluntarily participated in the program. These people were then divided into 6 groups of five. Two groups would be sent away to Cameron Highlands, two groups to Pangkor Island and two groups to Port Dickson, for the so-called ‘vacation’. At the end of the program, we would all have to present our “outside of the box” ideas to the judges, comprised of the Company's Managing Director and five demanding Senior General Managers.

My group unanimously had chosen Cameron Highlands, yayyy! A cooler place - good for mind, body and soul! But berangan aje laaa…. the 5-day vacation was totally excrutiating to me and my teammates, Ijoe, Amran, The Razzler and Ajoy (dah jadik arwah dah). No good sleep, no good food, no lari-lari in the tea garden macam cerita Hindustan, no lepak-lepak. Painful! Arrghhh… Perah otak macam perah kain basah. There was one night where none of us uttered a word and none of us came out with any brilliant idea. It was a silent night. Syed finally broke the silence by letting out a loud sigh “I think the box is just too high to climb to get outside-lah!” which made us laugh terbahak-bahak.

Well, the program was similar to the TV show, The Apprentice, except that in this program there was no Mr. Donald Trump sitting amongst these VIPs, provoking and intimidating you. And the best part was, nobody got to hear the word “You are FIREDDDD!”.

Never Too Old

This was the first time I celebrated my other-half’s birthday. It was his 43rd birthday yesterday and I wanted to make it a special one for him. So, a few days back, I secretly bought him a flashy Montblanc wallet at Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur as the birthday gift and made a dinner reservation at a romantic restaurant, Courtyard Damansara. I presented the birthday gift to him last night while we were having dinner together. So here’s wishing you…

“Happy 43rd Birthday, sweetheart. You’re never too old for me.”

'V' For Vietnam

One of the tunnel holes of Chu Chi Tunnels

From afar, the never ending rattling of automatic weapons can be heard. However, as the Americans get deeper into the wood, peculiarly not a single Vietnamese can be seen. No sound of children’s cry of fright. No sign of movement. Where are they? It seems like a dead land, but the traces of human presence are very obvious. Chopped wood bundled neatly and stored in a newly built hut. Fresh growth of fruit plants and vegetables cover some parts of the area. A flaming bonfire confirms the existence of those people. Where had they gone hiding?

The Saigon’s Notre Dame Basilica

That was a common scene of the Chu Chi Tunnels during wartime in 1968. Chu Chi Tunnels being one of the most famous and extraordinary battlegrounds, is located about 30km Northwest of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam in the Chu Chi rural district. The Chu Chi Tunnels consists more than 200km underground maze where thousands of fighters and villagers could hide. The rural district is noted as the base where the Vietnameses mounted their operation of the Tet Offensive in 1968. By using the tunnel network that stretched from Ho Chi Minh City to the Cambodian border, the Viet Congs managed to control the rural area. The main axis system has many branches that connect to underground hideouts, shelters and entrances to other tunnels. Vietnameses are born to be naturally skinny and petite, an advantage for them to fit through very small and untraceable entrances and passages (0.5 meter to 1 meter wide). One has to bend or drag when walks along the passages. 

Before the invasion of the Americans, Chu Chi had been a peaceful land of many gardens. One halcyon morning in 1968, Americans ruthlessly dropped strings of bombs on the peaceful land, killing thousands of Vietnameses. The blood-thirsty American squads mercilessly fired at the women and children. The Americans wanted to turn Chu Chi into a dead land, but Cu Chi would never die. Instead, the war had turned the Vietnameses into brilliant fighters, who they called themselves as Viet Congs. Slowly and silently they built secret tunnels as hideouts. While being attacked by the Americans several times, the digging continued until they finally completed the underground village. The tunnels, not only had they become the shelter for thousands of villagers but it had also become the safest place for the Viet Cong guerillas to strategize their fights and ambushes against the invaders. During ‘calm’ times, when the invaders temporarily stopped attacking, the guerillas and villagers would crawl out of the tunnels and would go about their daily bussinesses as usual. The men would chop woods, catch fish and built traps while the women would wash clothes by the stream, pluck some fruits and plant vegetables. Some Viet Congs would be stationed at every corner of the land to detect the advance of the Americans and send signals to the village occupants if it happened. Upon hearing the signals, the guerrillas and villagers would leave everything and scurry hurriedly into the jungle and into the tunnels through the ‘main entrance’. The last person would have to close the entrance door from outside and cover it with dry leaves and tree branches and ensure that there were no traces of footprints that might lead to their hideouts. Then he would enter the tunnel through another entrance (backdoor) which was much smaller and difficult to squeeze into. While the American troops searched around above ground, the Vietnameses went about their business underneath. 

Vietnamese health drinks

The war ended in 1975 with victory on the guerillas' side. Since then the Vietnameses moved on to live like normal people. They no longer lived under the ground. When I paid a visit to Ho Chi Minh City in June 2005, I took the chance to visit the battleground and I felt like the war had just ended yesterday.