UEFA 022 – Schipol

This post is the continuation of the previous post UEFA 21 Datuk Adam.


Check it out.......!!!!


Way before that meeting in Paris, with my sister and wife, sometime in early April 1994, I flew to Schipol Airport in Amsterdam. It was only a stop over. So I immediately transit to Zurich. Although I did walkabout in Schipol Terminal building, I couldn’t remember any excitement. By the way, it was very early in the morning, probably 6:00 am.






Aerial view from Amsterdam to Zurich was enchanting. I could see the Rhine River meandering from Switzerland, thru Germany, right into the old town of Amsterdam and finally into the North Sea. The Rhine and The North Sea had witness many human intervention of history. It was almost similar to the human intervention of the automated legal requisition reply system in the road and rail system in my office.

Zurich to Heerbrugg was a familiar sight for me, as things did not change much in Switzerland. I went through Flughafen, Wintherthur, St Margrethen, Roschach, Au and finally Heerbrugg.

Hotel Heerbruggerhof was also still the same.

And I had the same Room No 17, facing the train station. Anne the Hotel owner was also the same nice lady. Her husband was also a familiar man. The only difference you would see and hear later in this series is the writer. I let you imagine first what changes could that had been.

This time around, I had to report to the factory on my own, as that was my second visit.
The training room, however, had changed to the red building. Before reporting to the Training Room, I went through the normal welcoming address by the Administration Officer. This time I was issued with tickets for free lunch at the Leica canteen.

The Training Room was at the ground level of the red building. My trainer was once again, Mr Jungker. He offered me his cunning smile and a hard handshake with a rigid grasp. I handed him the souvenir I got from Schipol airport. He didn’t seem to have aged despite after 8 years.

I have told you before, but I just feel like telling you again, that I was really amazed at their Training Room set-up and facilities.

I had a nice table with a pedestal drawer of tools and an anti-static work surface.

-359 words

-Drafted on 07.04.2007

-Edited on 03.05.2007 at 0018hrs

-At Woodlands Avenue 5

Raffles Marina & Catamaran

Last week, I had a chance to visit Raffles Marina. It is situated just next to the Second Link from Tuas in Singapore to Gelang Patah in Johor, Malaysia. Everytime when you pass this bridge in and out of Malaysia via Tuas, you will see this Raffles Marina from up the bridge.

Next time when you are there, drop by into Raffles Marina. It is open to public. There are ample free parking. You need not be a member to entertain yourself there, except for certain activities.






Being and adventuorous and curious guy, I first explore the boats, yatch etc that are parked there. I lived my life as aneighbour to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), in Woodlands. I lived just opposite of the RMN headquaters and barracks. During my youth I always entered their premise for Friday prayers and at night for movies. I do made friends with some of the navy guys.

My sister married one of the RMN Lieutenant. So sometimes I stayed within the barracks for a night. That exposure had great influence in my love for sea, ships and other sea activities. Surely, I appreciate the sea view from Raffles Marina.

In 1968, I used to work part-time in the British Royal Navy port at Attap Valley Road off Admiralty Road, where the Senoko Power Station is now located. I helped the British Navy to load up their fighter ships with ammunition, which were pre-packed in wooden cartons, in their withdrawal exerecise. Thus, I get to see the ammunition and even hold them in my hands, and at the same time to enter the cabins and store room in the belly of the fighter ships.

Thus, this view of the jetty to the yatch in Raffles Marina, bring back all those extraordinary memories of my youth in the Terpedo Depot at Khalsa Crescent off Admiralty Road.

I also had the chance to enter the jetty of RMN and into the cabins and deck of the Malaysian fighter ships KD Hang Tuah. KD means 'Kapal Di-Raja' which refers to 'The Royal Ship'.

Sometime in 2000, my friend Donald Andris was talking to me about a boat that he had somewhere in Java, Indonesia. He mentioned the word 'catamaran' several times. I didn't really vision clearly what catamaran is, un til I saw this advertisement at Raffles Marina. This one caused USD320,000.

Reminiscing all of these memories reminded me of the verses in the Quran which say that God has made the sea easy for you to travel. The Muslims of the past understood this message
in the Holy Quran and they traveled the world to China, India, Java, Malaysia, Rome, and the Meditteranean ports.

Admiral Cheng Ho followed their steps and Columbus followed them too. The sea expeditions compliment the land expeditions made by adventurous people who returned to their homeland and convey the message and lessons they learned from their journey with others.

Many of these great explorers wrote journals and books to convey the Message of God,

"We made the sea easy for you to travel"

In Chapter 55, Ar-Rahman (The Most Gracious), God is talking to us senses. It begins with......

"The Most Gracious has imparted this Quran to mankind.

He has created man. He imparted into them thought and speech.

He make the sun and moon to move in their appointed courses.

He has spread out the earth for all living beings with fruits,

palm trees and dates, grains, and sweet-smelling plants.

Which, then, of your Sustainers's powers do you reject?

He created man out of sounding clay

wherease the invisible beings out of confusing flame.

Which then of the Sustainer's power do you reject?

He is the Sustainer of the East and the West.

Which then of the Sustainer's power do you reject?

He has given freedom to the 2 great seas,

so that they might meet and yet between them

there is a barrier,

that is between freash water rivers and lakes and salty seas.

WHICH THEN OF THE sUSTAINER'S POWER DO YOU REJECT?

Out of these 2 seas are pearls, big and small.

Which then of the Sustainer's power do you reject?

And His lofty ships sail like mountains through the seas

Which then of the Sustainer's power do you reject?"

[His lofty ships means that God has given man the God-given nature

of intelligence and creativenessto invent ships etc...]

Kampong Sungai Limau

On Saturday, 7th June 2008, we drove up in convoi of 3 cars, from Hotel Istana in KL to Kampong Sungai Limau, at Sabak Bernam the northern most district in Selangor. My wife & I has an acquiantance there who was running a village small industry in producing & exporting dried bananas crepes.

His name is Encik Yatimi.

Early in the morning I was hosting a religous gathering and talk in my rooms. Before I could start there was a phone call from 2 Japanese tourists who wanted to visit Encik Yatimi's place.
They were my brother's wife schoolmates in Japan.

My brother who speaks fluent Japanese and his Japanese wife, guided them the way from KL, with my instructions.

Later, at about 1pm we heard that the 2 guys had arrived there. When we reached there at about 3pm, they were there waiting for us, despite the fact that they were rushing to KLIA airport that very evening to catch a flight to Japan.

Encik Yatimi gave us tradisional village lunch in his huge main hall. His house is the traditional architecture, and is about 2 metre above the ground. The whole house are made of wood.

After lunch we had a village tour to his neighbour and relative mango plantation. Here are some of the video clips.

Video clip of Hotel Istana

Just to add a video clip to compliment the other beautiful photos of Hotel Istana

Hotel Istana

From Colmar we drive back for lunch at Janda Baik Shopping & Food Complex. It is a huge complex, situated at the foothills of the Genting & Colmar mountain ranges.

As usual they have fast food and local food. We prayed our afternoon prayers Zuhor & Asar there. There is a big Musolla (Prayer Hall) for muslim men and ladies.

After makan we drove back to Hotel Istana in Kuala Lumpur, the cosmopolitan capital city of Malaysia. It must have been a 5 star hotel. The Buffet Breakfast was exhiliratingly delicous.

I took that oppurtunity to taste all the different kind of bread, spread and cheese, especially the expensive stink cheese, which tasted like soap. Anyway, as we all know, some soap are made from animal fats too.

We were lodged in a Deluxe room. Although the bed looks like 2 super single join together, it was a comfortable and luxury sleep, I must say. The toilets are like celebrity toilets. The 3 compartments are distinctly spacious and seperated from each other.

Upon entry, there was this shower with a 5kg heavy glass door, which shrieked slightly, so much so, you get frightened that you might break it. Pleas excuse me, as I was unable to edit the photos in the correct order.

Next to this luxury shower was the bath-tub which almost looks like a jacuzzi.

Then next to the bathtub is a separate compartment with sliding door for toilet bowl, for the heavy metal junk stuff. I supposed if you are in the toilet doing big business and you close the door, then the smell with not affect your wife who is enjoying a dip or singing in the shower.

Of course on the opposite side is the wash basin and other toiletries facilities such as hair dryer, dressing mirror and another special extendable mirror for precision shaving, make-up or to press your pimples and black-heads.

The toilet reminded me of our stay in Elaf Kindah, a five-star hotel in Mecca. The layout was exactly the same.

During breakfast I talk to another guest who was from Bedok, Singapore. He was on 5-day holiday tour of KL. He came with his wife and a granddaughter. They came via air.

A chit-chat with him and one of the chief-waiter, exposed that the owner Hotel Istana is one Malay datuk, a wealthy businessman in Malaysia.

I would like to recommend you stay in Hotel Istana when you visit Kuala Lumpur. If you book through Qodariyah Travel & Tours, Singapore, you may probably get a good price, of approximately S$200 a night. (Price subject to changes without prior notice).

Colmar

On the 6th June 2008, I travelled again to Malaysia with my family.

This time we convoied in 3 cars. Toyota Altis, Chevrolet Aveo and Toyota Estima. The trip was a tantalizing one, all the way from Singapore crowded city to the mountains resort in Pahang named Colmar. The drive uphill was very steep and snaky.

Colmar has got the Euro concept and up there are the scenic photographs.

I wanted to tell you more but for now I have to adjourned my intentions as I need to go marketing. You know Sunday is marketing day.

You guys keep reading OK and do travel and convey "The Message".

Datuk Adam

This is Leica Factory in Heerbrugg Switzerland



The villages next to the factory




This is the TM3000 that was used for monitoring in the underground tunnel.


UEFA 021 - Datuk Adam


Sometime in March 1994, my Sales Manager proposed another training for me in Wild Heerbrugg factory in Switzerland. Isn’t it fabulous?


Yes it was an Unexpected European Fabulous Adventure.


This time around, the training was on Wild TM3000. This was the first series of electronic motorized theodolites that was used in the tunnel monitoring, which made its debut in 1992.


These theodolites cannot be operated manually. Every movement is controlled by motorized gears which were activated by joystick.


There were many tunnel monitoring projects in the pipe-line for monitoring of Underground Trains stations. Thereby, there will be an increase in the usage of the motorized electronic theodolites. Therefore,it was time for training on servicing and repair.


By 1994 Wild Heerbrugg Ag, had evolved to Wild Leitz Ag and finally to Leica Ag. The name changed after a merger of Wild Heerbrugg with Leitz GmbH, Cambridge Instruments UK Ltd & Leica Ag. All I knew it was Wild Heerbrugg who had the majority shares.


As the result of the merger, the diversification became wider. We were then involved in industrial measuring instruments and cameras.


I went to meet John Richards of Siam Travel at Beach Road, to arrange for me the best option, so that I can see as much of Europe, within that stipulated time. I told him that my wife and I also wanted to visit my sister in Paris. Then, I wanted to cross the English Channel in a train via the new underground tunnel from Carlisle in France to Dover in London. Finally, we wanted to fly home from London.


John proposed KLM, which will takes us to Amsterdam. Then a free domestic flight to Paris. John worked that out very intelligently.


John Richards was a very nice man and jovial too. Once John, I and another colleague Donald Andris were together and we cracked jokes after jokes that we laughed our stomach out. John came to our office quite often, as his company was our corporate travel agent. Our office staff travel quite often to various places as we were a regional office.


Many times, I just called John to arrange a ticket for me to KL, Kuching, and Brunei, and it was delivered to my home at night. It was that easy and hassle free too.


One week later, my wife and I came out with a brave plan. We told John that we want some modification to his original plan.


I was to fly on KLM first to Zurich via Amsterdam. From Zurich I would traveled by train to Heerbrugg. At the end of my training, I was to take a midnight train from Heerbrugg to Paris, to meet my wife at Charles de Gaulle Airport on a Thursday morning.


On the other hand, my wife was to fly one month later, on Wednesday night reaching Paris in the early Thursday morning, with transit in Amsterdam. John said,


“Datuk Adam, that’s no problem. I can fix it.”


All praises to God Al-Mighty, he made the plan worked smoothly. It was a first time for me at Charles de Gaulle Airport, and first also for my wife. Yet, I wonder, how come we were so daring to make a date there.


In addition, my sister was all so willing to meet us at the Charles de Gaulle airport.
All 3 of us, my wife, my sister and I, had no hand phone. We praised God again and again, that we met quite easily in the airport arrival hall.


===========will be continued===============
~drafted on 07.12.2006
~edited on 19.03.2007
~at Woodlands avenue 5
~21:30 hrs