Syukur Kepada Allah...

My second child, Kak Ngah obtained straight A's in her PMR result announced today. As a father, I can only thank Allah for this achievement and to Kak Ngah, congratulation on this excellent result. What is even more important is to use this achievment as a cornerstone for a bigger one. In life, a real achievement is not measured by the grade that we obtained but how much effort and perseverence that we can endure in all of our trials and tribulations. All good things come from Allah..and all things good or bad in this transient world will come to an end someday..when bitterness reaches it's peak...sweetness will follow...that is a sunatullah for those who can persevere for the sake of Allah...

Back to Square One

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

The announcement has been made. As it turned out, nothing much different then what have been speculated. To most people it must have been anti-climax. To few people like me, the announcement has created more uncertainties and confusions. The new structure has resulted in many people being promoted to say the least. My boss will be reporting to the new divisional VP and our department will be splitted. Two sections from the former unit will also be joining my boss and will be working under the jurisdiction of the newly created VP position. As for me and the rest of the staff of the three sections excluded from joining the VP, we are still unsure of our fate. I like to refrain myself from speculating further as what has been decided has been decided and no turning back. I just hope that the power that be will place us in the current division where we can contribute the best for the company.



My new position in the old unit is a very welcome relief to me in the mids of the organization restructuring melee. Although I just held the position for two weeks already, I have noticed that there are a lot to be done and should have been done before. The first thing I did was to introduced a new working structure that will be fair to all ten of my subordinates. In big compnay like this where your assets are growing everyday, efficient work process and adherence to system procedure is utmost important in ensuring that targets can be encomplished. In my very first meeting with my staff, I emphasized the concept on disciplining others in the company when it comes to requesting assistant from us. As a unit which manages few billion ringgit worth of assets, we could not afford to accomodate others if they fail to help themselves and be organised. Gone where the days where problems of others are also our problems as this accomodating gesture will only promote lackadaisical attitude on the responsible parties. I beleive that we should embrace ourselves to the modern thinking of working efficiently and not expecting others to solve our problem. Yes, we are to help each others to solve common problems but individual issues must be solved individually. To me, to each it's own.






In few days the curtain of 2007 will be closing and the new horizon of 2008 will be beckoning. I don't have specific resolution to make for the new year but I hope that more people will be happier working in this company with the new organization changes announced last week. As usual for a muslim, I strongly beleive in qada' and qadar Allah. But I also beleive in working hard and making total commitment towards our responsibility. In the end, it's not what others' think about us that matters... as long as what we do is being redha' by Allah..Amin

Calm before the Storm

There are two ways of being rich. One is to have all that you want. The other is to be satisfied with all that you have.

There are so many rumours about a major announcement to be made by the power that be of the company on restructuring exercise for several divisions. As the small pawn trying to make the ends meet in this company, this kind of rumour normally do not concern me that much. However this time for some reason, the rumours kinda affects many people including me, to some extend due to the unexpected turn of events lately especially when Penang has been hit by major blackout. Rumour has it that we may have new leader in the division and some also say that our department will be split to join other division. To me, whatever it is, for such announcement to be made, it must have been a long and thoroughly planned event irrespective of what has transpired in the last 2-3 weeks. The event on November 20th was just an icing on the cake for some people.


For the last twenty years, I have seen many things as a worker of the company. CEO' or Presidents came and went. VPs and GMs retired and rehired. People got sacked for disciplinary issues and people got transferred because of bad discipline. However, I am still could not grasp the idea of people got 24 hour transferred because of one major blackout. Really come to think of it, good power engineers are only good in absentia. If anybody suffers no blackout at all, chances are nobody will even think about them and let alone to thank him or her for the job well done. It is always easy to point finger to anybody but the truth is, it's hard to accept the fact that we are also part of the problem. Last week during the conference in Sunway, I was quite impressed on how Petronas took the initiatives to reduce the power quality problem that has been plaguing them due to faults in the supply system. I guess that's why there are No 18 in the world now. They choose to solve their own problem rather than asking others to solve theirs. I still believe that any achievement of an organization are the result of the combined efforts of each individual. And that also applies to any major failure. Simply put, blaming an individual for something that is done collectively is as good as ignoring the real issues. But then again, blaming is always easy to do.


I am also expecting a lateral change real soon. My new portfolio will be even more challenging and also will be more complicated based on the amount of resources available. But that kind of situation is quite normal to me having to experience it twice in my career already. About five years ago I was asked by the CEO of the company then to start up a small unit in a subsidiary company. I think that was one of the most rewarding time in my whole career. I did a lot of setting up before a proper unit can be managed. At the same time, I also had RM5 mill contract to deliver. It was tough but alhamdullilah, I think I managed quite OK. The present position where I am now was also started with minimum manning level and uncoordinated processes. Alhamdullilah, after more than three years managing it I think I have done just enough for a new leader to set in and contribute new ideas. I am always reminding myself and other that when we work with a company, we are not to make ourselves indispensable. We should strive for clear process and transparent operation so that everyone knows whats going on. The danger of being indispensable is that we will not be able to generate new leader and ideas and worse still, the company may have to retain a worker longer than required. Although I am bit disappointed on the way things finally turns into in the light of my boss promotion, I like to see things as positive. In life, what sometimes appears to be the end is really a new beginning and new beginning promises a lot. I am also beginning to feel that load is heavier now, but to me, is it a sign that I am climbing, and whatever it is I can only appreciate it when I can reach it.


In life change is inevitable. However, it is not the changes we take, but it’s the choice we make that determines our destiny...

Waiting for Change...

It is a sad fact that regardless of talent, second place only means you are first in a long line of losers.

Off-late I was not really into blogging due to many reasons. The biggest one is probably I have been spending too much time at home adjusting the HKB2 RC heli which to me was unexpectedly difficult machine to tune unlike the four channel Lama or Robbins. Nonetheless, being an engineer, solving technical problem like this is something that I enjoy the most and don't mind spending countless hours to get it fly smoothly again. Based on my observation and reading from several heli forums in the net, I somehow managed to understand the mechanic of the tail-rotor heli quite substantially relating to the HKB2. In the process of adjusting, repair and tuning of this micro heli machine, I acquired several special tools for this purpose such the the pitch-gauge device, ball-link plier, digital caliper, hex-driver and also assortment of allen drivers. I dare not count how much money I have spent on these tools and also on the spare-parts of the HKB2 and the 4-channel helis but I think I managed to cap it within a reasonable budget. If I were to follow my desire, I would go ahead and get the 6-channel T-Rex or the Nitro-powered Sceadu Hirobi which are more stable, bigger and of course expensive machines. Come to think about it, when the hell is the company is going to pay our annual bonuses ?!

I think another reason why I am a bit 'lazy' to write of late is probably because the uncertainty on my immediate future with the promotion of my boss recently. There were a lot of talks and rumours circulating around about the possible successor to him. As much as I would like to ignore these speculations, I am a 'bit' disturbed by them because of quite a few congratulatory greetings I received which to me are mere speculations and nothing more. I know very well that the management will have problem to select me because of my age and also my grade of which at the moment is two grade below the vacant position. In my opinion, this company is still plague by the prevailing culture of age and seniority. The idea of a double promotion is still essentially a big taboo and not well received by many. I have also kind of indicated my wish to move on laterally to other department to the power that be having had almost 20 years experience in the same field. The feedback I received was a bit disappointing with mix of a big No and sugar coated with unclear promise. Having said that, I am not the kind of person who has an excellent inter-personal communication skill that can advertise my achievement or ability to contribute to the company's success. To me, the prove of the pudding is in the tasting and I sincerely believe that I have contributed quite substantially to the company over the years, oblivious to many maybe. But then again, management always believe that your past record is not what there are looking for but rather the contribution that can be made in the future, with minimum impact to the morale of majority. Whatever it is, at the moment I am already accepting the fact that a new boss will come sooner that we expect. I also strongly beleive that I am not easily satisfied with whatever achievement thus far to be mired in complacency. What is even more important is that I am already gearing myself towards working with him or her. As long as I am an employee to this company, I am just a normal worker and have to abide to the company's rule and decision. Other alternative is to leave the company for good and frankly speaking, I could have left the company long time ago with at least 3-4 outside offers that came along the way if I really want to. But maybe I just don't have enough courage to do it for my believe that I have a good future within this company. To me, I don't have anything to prove anymore for now to the management about my ability to contribute. I think they know it judging from the past performance. But then again, what is past is prologue. The ball is at their feet now and they can decide the best for the company...

Images of KT on Syawal 1428H

We made our journey to KT on second day of Raya. As expected, the traffic was quite smooth with almost no congestion albeit we could still see many cars making thier journey to the east coast. Along the way, we made several stops at the rest areas or at the service station. In general most of the service areas were crowded with people and not as empty as we might have expected. It was more than 7 hour journey from KL to KT with all the stop overs including Pantai Teluk Chempedak were we had our Nasi Lemak lunch prepared at home by my other half.

In KT, as of the normal things people do during Hariraya, we visited close relatives to my other half around KT. Now, KT has Giant Hypermarket and Mydin which were recently open. I heard that locals are flocking to these hypermarkets and added up to the traffic congestion around this area. In fact, the bridge connecting KT and seberang Takir was so congested that some had to take 1.5 hours by car just to cross it during the Raya period !

I also took the oppurtunity to snap many views in KT. The following photos were taken mainly at Kuala Ibai and Marang and I thought they are quite good to be posted here. Enjoy !

Masjid Putih at Kuala Ibai


Near Marang Jeti to Pulau Kapas

Near Marang Jeti to Pulau Kapas

View of Pulau Kapas from Pantai Kelulut

View of the uncompleted Masjid Kristal from Losong

Closer View of Masjid Kristal

Road in front of Pasar Payang

View inside the Pasar Payang Textile Store

Selection of Fabrics

Sea Products of Pasar Payang

Satu Hari di Hari Raya...

Allahu Akbar...Allahu Akbar...Allahu Akbar..Walillahilham..

We celebrated the first day of 1428 Hijra Eid-Fitri in Bukit Jelutong and Kg Sungai Choh Rawang yesterday. This Eid will be the 4th Eid for us since we moved to Bukit Jelutong and the 5th Eid without my mom who passed away in 29 October 2003. My dad passed away in 1994 due to heart failure when he was about 65 years old. Time really flies. I could still vividly remember celebrating Eid with both of my mom and dad and the rest of the family members some years ago. Things have surely changed for the last several years and the joy of Eid as what I used to feel during my childhood is no longer the same now. Both of my in-laws have also passed away some years ago. Although time heals the pain, I still sometimes miss my parents and I am sure my other half is feeling the same about hers.

But I do wish that my children will cherish the moment of celebrating Eid like I used to enjoy it when I was a kid. As long as the parents are still alive, children should not be deprived of joy and happiness of Eid and as parents, we have to strive for this. Let each Eid be a celebration to remember for our kids so thier growing years will be filled with love and happiness !




As of our previous Rayas in BJ, the celebration really started after Isyak prayer on Raya eve. The Mosque will organise 'takbir rumah ke rumah' for those wanted to participate. I participated in this event for the last three years but this year I decided not join in because initially we were planning to join my brother and sisters' family in Rawang one day earlier. However, since we can only plan and Allah decides, we did not manage to go to Rawang on Raya eve but instead changed our plan to go after the RAya prayer !

In Kg Sg Choh, we visited several relatives who are much older than myself whom I considered very close. Also, they were very kind to my parents before and always willing to help out during time of need. These are the relatives for life and insha'allah I will not forget them for all the good deeds that they have done to my parents before.

Visit to the cemetary is also a must during Raya. This year, together with my other siblings and thier families, we visited the graves of both my parents in Kg Sg Choh. During Raya, the cemetary will be crowded with people right after the Eid prayer. However, we went to cemetary only in the afternoon and spared the huge crowd and the traffic congestion leading to this area.





Insha'allah, we will be making our journey to Trengganu on second day of Raya. Last year we skipped the trip and only went back to Trengganu during CNY holiday. This year I told my other half that we should not miss again and insha'allah we will spend our Raya until the fifth day in Kuala Trengganu. I will be bringing my camera in this trip and insha'allah will take as many photos as possible once we are there !!!




To all of you frequent visitors to my site, I wish you all SELAMAT HARIRAYA AIDILFITRI and MAAF ZAHIR BATIN. Please apologize for my writings should they have caused you some discomfort. Too err is human, and to forgive is divine !

Flying RC Helicopters

For quite sometimes I have been noticing a group of adult enjoying themselves flying the Remote Controlled Helicopters in front of the Guthrie Pavillion on the big open field. Initially I only saw them playing either on Saturday or Sunday morning but lately I noticed that sometimes they also will be playing during the weekdays evening before the sunset.



Recently my curiosity was so overwhelming that I took Gondai Jr to get closer to this group to have a first hand look of thier RC Helicopters. I was not so particularly surprised with the Nitro-engine Helis as I have seen them before more than ten years ago. What surprised me the most is how the RC electric Helis has evolved now. The price for a Nitro engine Heli is still very pricey even today starting from RM4K upwards. However, the story is different for the electric RC Helis. The technology of the electric heli has advanced so much and the cost of manufacturing them has also dropped tremendously. Partly I think this is because most manufacturers are now located in China and the cost of production over there is still the cheapest in the world. Before I purchased my first electric Heli some four weeks ago much to the joy of Gondai Jr and bemusement of my other half, I did some research on what RC Heli that I could buy to start with and here is some key findings.

First, I asked myself how many channel do I need to start up with? Well, at present, there are 3 main channel categories in the market:

2-Channel: Basically it is a toy for children, only moving up-down and turning left-right. It's good for Gondai Jr and in fact I bought one for him at RM60.00 Surprisngly, this 'toy' is damn good ! It can actually hover and can stand terrible crashes along the way. In fact until today, this heli is still in good working condition albeit it has crashed so many times.


4-Channel: A good starting point for RC hobbysts, it poses good challenges in flying and is emotionally satisfying for people who is serious in the hobby. It moves up-down, front-back, turn left-right, and tilt left-right, realistically emulate a real helicopter's movement, except it does not do acrobatic stunts, such as flying upside down. I bought the E-Sky Robbins 22 for RM350 and I can only say that it's not that easy flying this heli as advertised. Only after few broken rotor blades that I can actually feel how this thing flies.



In fact only after I practiced with the simulator, I finally got the 'hang of it' (Somehow Gondai Jr likes to say this also) and now alhamdullilah, I can pilot this heli reasonably OK. One thing I do agree with the advertisement is that one can get so much joy and personal satisfaction upon seeing the heli hovering under one's full control. So much so I bought another 4-channel Heli called ESKy Lama for RM250 and this heli is even easier to control.



Both models (Robbins and Lama) are working on same co-axial double main rotors principle, it give us much more control in keeping the helicopter hovering, I needed only minimum efforts in mastering the flying acts. Flying of these two models will make ones to misconveive that flying RC helicopter is an easy task indeed. Also, RC Helis are often considered as toys. Some will call them big boy toys. Well, to some extend maybe but the fact is that it requires a lot of patience and good reflect action before one can actually master to fly it. And of course for total beginners, extra spare blades are something of a must have during the learning process.The 4 channel models mainly is for those who just want to enjoy flying in the shortest possible time, and do not want to spend much time in doing fine-tuning, however, it does not prepare one with the skills necessary to handle the professional grade RC Heli models, like the 6 or 7-channel.

6 or 7-Channel: Capable of doing what 4-channel can and has the ability to perform aecrobatical moves, BUT those additional acts are of no use to beginners and intermediate players, the aecrobatical moves need ultra-high level of skills. Unless one is a highly-skilled expert, 6/7-channel model in a way is a burden for him to enjoy the hobby - it complicates the tuning and control. Nonetheless, after managed to convince my other half on the joy of flying an RC Heli, I secured one 6-channel Heli called E-Sky Honey Bee King II last week for slightly below RM500 for a ready to Fly unit. Well actually, the cost is a bit higher after I upgraded it to a Head Lock Gyro and and a Futaba Radio. However, I am yet to actually fly this heli because I am still on the simulator mode for the 6-Channel control. Insha'allah, I may do my maiden flight on the 6 channel this coming weekend.


There are in fact several RC Stores in KL. However AMCorp Mall in PJ has three stores which sell RC Equipment including Helicopters and also the spare-parts. I came to know about this only by googling 'RC Helicopter Malaysia' and it actually led me to www.rcsmart.com.my which is a reasonable place to shop for RC Electric Helis.

Certainly the joy of flying an RC Heli is not similar to my other passions such as photography or golf, but it is actually a good past time activity since it can involve the children very much...and other good point is, they are not as pricey as cameras or lenses !!!

Blessing of Ramadhan

It's been more than 2 weeks since I posted my last blog. As we are now in the 8th day of Ramadhan, my schedule at home changes a bit to accomodate Tarawih and I simply feel 'lazy' to write at night. However, this morning I feel a bit excited to write because this feeling of sluggishness if not handled properly, could lead me to total state of laziness and may effect my focus at work.

I was informed by Nosh that one of my friend's child was electrocuted and passed away last night. I am not very close to him but I knew him by association with other colleagues of mine and also professionally at work from time to time. I am not also too sure how old is his child but I was told that he lives in Section 13 Shah Alam. May Allah bless the soul of his child and May Allah also bestow upon him patience and perseverence to endure this test, especially in this holy month of Ramadhan.


In ten days, my second daughter will be taking her PMR exam. I am praying to Allah for her success in this exam. I hope she can also get similar result like her elder sister two years ago with straight As.Judging from her trial, insha'allah she can make it. Day before yesterday she told me that she got the highest mark on her English Literature paper. Her teacher in fact asked the class to read what she has written on her test paper. I actually took a peek but don't quite understand what it was all about really..well, alhadullillah..at least she is quite ok in her English.

My cameras are temporarily put to rest this Ramadhan. I think I also need a break for awhile after taking more than 3000 photos this year. Insha'allah, they will be put to service back this Syawal and I am quite sure they will do a lot of work for me :)

So far, Gondai Jr has been fasting without fail this Ramadhan. He also did not miss any sahur yet. The thing with children which I sometime fail to comprehend is their energy level. I did not see so much different in him fasting or not in terms of his exuberance and also intensity to play or move around. Simply put, he just does his stuff without complaining of tiredness, sleepiness or even hunger. Only on certain days that he did mention of being 'haus sikit' but apart from that, he seems to be oblivious about the fact that he is fasting. As usual, my other half is the busiest of us in Ramadhan preparing the food especially during sahur. She wakes up at about four in the morning and only wakes me up and the children when everything is ready on the table. Being a career woman herself, I really appreciate what she does to the family and I think only Allah can reward her accordingly for such a noble sacrifice!



There is a lot of speculation about internal staff movement within the department. I used to have high interest in this issue particularly after I was selected as one of the talent pool candidates. There was an informal words about me successing the boss and stuff like that when I was following the management course. However, judging from the remarks and the way things went against me lately, I sincerely feel that I am out of the picture for the immediate succession programme. But alhamdullillah, I really don't feel bad about it anymore. I recall vividly remark made by one of my retired bosses that "you will get what is coming to you". Everything is from Allah and we just have to be patient on what comes to us...to me for now, I just want to give my every best to the company irrespective whether I am giving or taking the order...

Are we Being Independent ?

"Allah memberikan satu misal perbandingan: Seorang hamba abdi yang menjadi milik orang, yang tidak berkuasa melakukan dengan bebasnya sesuatu pun; dan seorang lagi (yang merdeka) yang Kami kurniakan kepadanya pemberian yang baik (harta kekayaan) dari Kami, maka ia pun membelanjakan hartanya dengan bebasnya, samada secara bersembunyi atau berterang-terang; adakah kedua orang itu sama? Segala puji tertentu bagi Allah (dan Allah jualah yang berhak disembah), tetapi kebanyakan mereka (yang musyrik) tidak mengetahui (hakikat tauhid itu)" - An-Nahl 75

The nation is still in the state of celebration. Yes, we celebrated our 50th Independence from the British on 31st August 2007. Everywhere we go will see signs of celebration be it in terms of flags, banners or posters. Few will go even further by dressing themselves up with the national flags. We could also see many cars, buses, lorries and trucks flagging the Jalur Gemilang with pride. Turn on the TV or radio and we will almost be incessantly reminded about how our past leaders fought hard to achieve the independence that we are enjoying at the moment. Yes, in a glance we have indeed become independent and almost everyone could not agree more.


As a person who was born post independence, I could not really feel the suffering of those leaders that have fought for our independence. I am very sure that they have indeed sacrifice a lot for us and I just hope that Allah will reward them accordingly. My late father had often described to me how difficult the life before the independence especially during the Japanese occupation. My late father was in fact one of the lucky ones who survived the torturous life of the Japanese forced labor. As a teenager, he was taken away by the Japanese to help them build the infamous railway lines. According to him, we was a bit fortunate because he was selected to become a cook and hence spared the strenuous and laborious work on the field. My late father also vividly recalled on how his relatives had thought that he had gone forever with the Japanese but soon were very surprised to find out that he was still alive. Well, as a moslem, we beleive that only Allah can take one's life..not a second earlier, not a second later.


To me, independence is really about having a choice. The more choices we have, the more independent we should be. However, we must not forget that the choice that we make will come with the consequences of that choice. What we are now is due to the choice that we made in the past. People may argue that sometime the choice that we made was due to external factors and did not really due to our own judgement or will. Well, to some extend, that might be true. Some of us for instance, started thier lives on a much better condition than others. Some may start thier lives with a lot of struggle and handicaps. But, everyone has to make thier own decision given the conditions they are in with, sometimes in thier lives. I really don't agree with the beleive that one should be responsible not only to his or her own doing but also others. For me, blaming others for our own judgement is very sinful. That's why in Islam, nobody can't take the burden of dosa of someone else. After all, the greatest nikmat that is bestowed upon us from Allah is Iman and our choice must not runaway from this premise. What makes us different from other beings in this world is our freedom of choice. And if we can decide on a given set of choices based on the guidance from Allah and his messenger Muhammad S.A.W, we are actually freed from making a bad choice and that is what a true meaning of independence to me...

Development at Jalan Serambi U8/21

Several months ago I wrote about the impending development just few meters from my home. According to the large notice board placed at the junction to Jalan Serambi, the shop-houses are due for completion sometimes in August 2008. If everything is as per schedule, that is about a year from now.




Well, as the development has been progressing so well lately, I decided to take a peek on whats going on behind the blue zinc fence covering the construction site. Oddly enough, this blue 'curtain' has become yet another prominent landmark in BJ. Hopefully this is just temporary until the completion date one year from today.



I really have almost nothing to complaint about the on-going construction. In my opinion, the developer has done quite a good job in maintaining the surrounding area near the construction site and successful concealing the heavy-work being carry out inside. Even the noise level increase is almost negligible. If anything to complaint, my other half did tell me that the dust accumulation at our home has increase somewhat lately, maybe due to the construction work. I am not too sure whether this is pure coincidental, but last week I have to fork RM340 for the cost of servicing and repairing our bedroom air-conditioning unit. Well...maybe not

A Workshop and Perceived Gap...

I was involved in the system operators workshop organised by the colleagues from the SO department from 22-23 August. The workshop was held at the A'Famosa Resort in Melaka and was attended by about 50 people from the SO, OPP and RCC's departments. I have never been to this workshop before and when I was asked to nominate my engineers to go, I nominated myself instead ! Yeah, called me selfish but sincerely I really felt that this is one workshop that I should go to foster even better relationship with our counterparts in the SO office and also to understand their problems in operating the system daily. Nonetheless, there were 5 others from my office attended the workshop and I hope my presence would at least be a symbolic gesture that we are serious in closing the perceived 'gap' between the planners and the operators.



Although the forum coincided with the school 1-week holiday, I travelled alone because my other-half decided to preserve her official leaves for other important event later this year. Thus, on Monday at about 6.40pm after work, I drove to Melaka alone and arrived at the hotel at approximately 20 minutes past eight.

The workshop only started the next day on Tuesday and again our VP came down to officiate the opening, albeit his opening speech was deferred a bit after two presentations. Nonetheless, true to his form and energy, the VP did spend sometimes with us and I sometimes wonder how busy he is to do what he is doing.



The participants also include the technician level staff and several of them presented their papers. This workshop is more of of a forum of sharing information and knowledge and for a first-timer like me, the workshop is quite 'interesting' to say the least. A friend of mine did commented quietly to me on the quality of papers being presented having attended the Technical Forum a week earlier but I would say that it is good enough for non-exec to present papers and anything else would be a bonus.



For some reason, the organiser forgot to bring a camera for the photo session. Guess what, I was probably the only one who brought a decent one (apart from the mobile phone camera most people would have)and the organiser asked if I could take some group photos and also the event itself. Surely I would not object and thus I finally ended up taking close to 200 photos of the workshop and also the surrounding landscape of A'Famosa.




In summary, the workshop is totally new experience for me. At personal level, I feel kinda releive that I finally managed to participate in this forum and contribute during the discussion time. I also hope that my presence will be seen as sincere gesture of OPP to assimilate into or at least understand the 'culture' of real-time operators. Obviosuly we still have many differences in opinions and also the way we see things but as Maroon 5 says it, "It's not always rainbows or butterflies, but compromise that moves us along".