JANUARY to APRIL 2016 / No.1 / 2016 Please note that our MASRA website is now updated with latest info such as, Berita Masra (on-line), News, AGM, Social, Benefits, Travel etc. Our Web www.pesaramas.com.org or Google Search type MASRA Kapt. Abdul Razak Hashim Presiden family day dan pada tahun ini kita akan mengadakannya di rumah seorang ahli jawatankuasa dan seramai lebih kurang 50 orang ahli dan family akan mengambil bahagian. Kita akan berusaha untuk mendapatkan kembali kemudahan penerbangan tetapi ini akan mengambil masa. Semasa kita di bawah MAS kita ada dua kontrak iaitu membuat pembersihan di Hangar 1 dan di MAS hotel. Setelah MAB mengambilalih operasi kita telah kehilangan kontrak untuk Hangar 1 dan masih membuat kerja pembersihan bagi MAB hotel sehingga bulan MAR 2016 dan selepas itu kita belum tahu nasib kita. Upah dari kontrak kita itu selepas membayar gaji dan lebihnya yang amat sedikit kita gunakan untuk menjalankan Masra. Daripada pengalaman Masra dalam bidang pembersihan (cleaning service) untuk beberapa tahun, kami ingin mempelawa ahli untuk mendapatkan kontrak dan saya berfikir untuk memberi hadiah kepada sesiapa yang berjaya. Saya ingin mengakhiri warkah ini dengan mengucapkan selamat Dari Meja Presiden Salam sejahtera kepada semua ahli Masra di seluruh Malaysia dan berharap semua berada dalam keadaan sehat walafiat. Kita telah ditinggalkan oleh MAS lebih kurang empat bulan setelah Malaysia Airlines Berhad mengambil alih penerbangan MAS untuk menjalankan perkhidmatan penerbangan untuk negara kita Malaysia. Masra masih berjalan seperti biasa. Mesyuarat ahli jawatankuasa diadakan sebulan sekali dan masih berlaku seperti biasa. Aktiviti sukan seperti breakfast walk masih diadakan setiap bulan dan kedatangan ahli lebih kurang 50 ke 60 orang tiap tiap kali kita mengadakan perjumpaan. Tiaptiap tahun Masra mengadakan COMMITTEE MEMBERS tahun baru 2016 kepada semua ahli. Kepada ahli berbangsa Cina saya ucapkan Gong Hi Fa Chai yang akan dirayakan pada bulan February 2016. Saya berharap semua ahli berada dalam keadaan sihat dan akan berjumpa lagi di ruang ini pada keluaran yang akan datang. FROM THE PRESIDENT S DESK Greetings to all members in Malaysia and hope that all are in good health. We have been left by MAS by about four months since Malaysia Airline Berhad took over from MAS to run the country s airline operations for our country Malaysia. Masra will continue to run as usual. Committee meeting is held once in every month and continues to be held as usual. Sports activity like breakfast walk is also held every month and about 50 to 60 members attend every time we meet. Every - continue page 2 Capt. Abdul Razak Hashim president 012 3221844 Hj. Azlan Hussain vice president 0193811381 Hj. Mohamed Azraai Ramli 0162567701 Hj. Haron bin Ahmad 019 3844981 Hjh. Noraini bt Abdullah 0193860140 Encik Paul Dorairaj 0173978619 Encik James Foo Jee Lai 0193874003 Hj. Munawar Basha Khan 0194167441 Mdm Krishnaveny Encik Subramaniam G.P. Sarathy 0193393162. Masra0126349252 1
- continue from page 1 year Masra holds a family get together and this year it is held at one of the committee members house and about 50 members and family will be attending. We will continue to pursue with regard to our previlege travel but this will take a little time. When we were under MAS we had two cleaning contracts one in Hangar 1 and the other at MAS hotel. When MAB took over the operations we have lost the contract for Hangar 1 but we are doing cleaning for MAB hotel until Mar 2016 but we cannot tell what will happen after that. The payment for the contract after deducting for the salaries of the workers, the balance of which is used to run Masra. With our cleaning experience for many years, we would like to invite members to get cleaning contracts for Masra and I intend to reward those who are successful. I would like to end this note by wishing you all a happy new year 2016. To all Chinese members I would like to wish Gong Xi Fa Chai which they will celebrate in February 2016. I wish you are all in good health and hope we will meet again in this column in next issue of Berita Masra. President Capt Abdul Razak Hashim NEW MEMBERS 1. Miss Ho Wai Faye M/No. 1687 2. Mr. Wong Siak Peng M/No. 1688 3. Mr. Sia Chik Kiang M/No. 1689 4. Mr. Then Choon Min M/No. 1690 5. Mr. Rajasekar A/L Suppiah M/No. 1691 Orbituary SO LONG FAREWELL 1. Wong Ko Chee TFC KUL 2. Hng NH Gim TFC PEN 3. Mohamad Ismail bin Hassan Training PEN 4. Khalid bin Md Said FLT SVC KUL 5. Sevaperuman a/l Nallathamby ENG KUL 6. Sharifah Noraishah bt. Syed Abdul Rani (spouse of Mohd Hir Md Tahir) MEDICAL SVCS. 7. Dato Hj.Abdul Hamid Abdul LEGAL DEPT 17 Jan Tmn Jaya 14 Feb Shah Alam 06 Mar Kelana Jaya 10 Apr Tmn Jaya 08 May Shah Alam 12 Jun Kelana Jaya 10 Jul Tmn Jaya 14 Aug Kelana Jaya 09 Oct Tmn Jaya 13 Nov Shah Alam 04 Dec Kelana Jaya Dates and venue are subject to change without notice. NOTICE MEDICAL CLAIM NOTICE: Please be advised that with immediate effect Masra ceases to accept new members. Please take note those who propose to join Masra that they do not have to come to Masra office to forward their intention as they will not be entertained. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT WITH EFFECT FROM 01 Jan 2016, THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT THAT COULD BE CLAIMED FOR MEDICAL EXPENSES FOR ONE YEAR WILL BE REDUCED FROM RM3000/- TO RM2000/-. BENEVOLENT FUND WITH EFFECT FROM 01 JAN 2016 THE BENEVOLENT FUND FOR SPOUSE OF MEMBERS WIL BE RAISED FROM RM300/- TO RM500/- Masra 2
A man walks into the doctor s office and says, Doctor my name is Mark, and I d like to be castrated. What? Are you sure about this? Why? asks the doctor, amazed. It s something I ve been considering a long time and I d like to have it done replies Mark. But have you thought it through? Really through? Asks the concerned Doctor, It s a very serious operation and once it s done, there is no going back. It will change your life forever! I am aware of that and you are not going to change my mind, so please book me in to be castrated or I ll simply use another doctor. Well, OK, says the doctor, But I ll have you know that it s against my better judgement! So Mark has his operation, and the next day he is up and walking very slowly, legs apart, down the hospital corridor with his drip stand. Heading towards him is another patient, who is walking exactly the same way. Hi there, says Mark It looks as if you ve just had the same operation as me. Yes, it seems like said the patient, as for me, I finally decided after 37 years of life that it was time for me to be circumcised, Mark stared at him in horror and screamed Damn it, THAT was the word!!! A father buys a lie detector robot that slaps people when they lie. He decides to test it out at dinner one night. The father asks his son what he did that afternoon. The son says I did some homework. The robot slaps the son. The son says, Ok, Ok. I was at a friend s house watching movies, Dad asks, What movies did you watch? Son says, Toy Story, the robot slaps the son again. Son says, Ok, Ok we were watching p rn. Dad says, What?! At your age I didn t even know what p rn was. The robot slaps the father. Mom laughs and says, well, he certainly is your son. The robot slaps the mother. Masra 3 - Contributed by Paul Dorairaj
Many of us members live in Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya (or in the Klang Valley) may have heard of Bukit Gasing, but how many have visited or hiked in this quaint forest park, sandwiched between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. Covering an area of 100 hectares, this natural forest offers the perfect setting to hike walk or stroll. It is also a favourite with nature lovers who come to view the leaf monkeys and a bit of bird watching. Bukit Gasing or Top Hill highest point at 160 meters gives a panoramic view of Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. There are a number of hiking trails within the forest park to suit all levels of energy and fitness. On weekends, this forest park is quite crowded with health conscious folks. Some time ago I put forward this proposal in one of the MASRA morning breakfast walks to members to hike Bukit Gasing and quite many were enthusiastic, as many of them have not been to this forest park before. So on a fine Saturday morning on 21st Nov 2015, a group of about 30 members joined the hikes, led by Capt Abdul Razak, Ann Razak, Azlan Hussain, Badriah followed by the rest of ever eager hikers. All the hikers made their way up slowly. The hike up the gentle slope was very tough and neither was it easy for those not so fit. But congratulations to all who made it to the highest point 160 meters and enjoyed a panoramic view of KL in the far horizon and Petaling Jaya. The hike down was quite slippery as the trails was a bit wet. After slightly more than an hour, all hikers reached the foothill and felt delighted for being able to complete the hike. Group picture of MASRA Hikers in front of Gasing Hill main gate. Group picture of top Gasing Hill. After the tiring hike up and down, and with body all soaked with sweat, the hungry and thirsty hikers made a bee line to the nearest Indian Restaurant for tosai and teh tarik. Some have double helpings because of the thirst and hunger! After this first ever hike up Gasing Hill, all the hikers thoroughly enjoyed and put a double-thumbs up and eagerly waiting for the next hike!!!! Contributed by Organizer for the Hiking Trip James Foo Jee Lai Capt Abd Razak (with white hat) Ann Razak (in white scarf) leading the group of Hikers up the hill. Masra 4
Our Trip to Vietnam I t was a beautiful sunny morning on 1st Aug 2015 when my wife Ann and I left Kuala Lumpur Sentral by train for Kuala Lumpur International Airport. We checked in on MH 760 to Ho Chi Minh formerly known as Saigon. The flight service was extremely good with the cabin crew as usual smiling and accommodating. We touched down at Saigon airport on time at 12.50pm without any problem, in fact the landing was so smooth that you were not aware the aircraft had touched down. The baggages were delivered in quick time and we took a cab to Hotel Majestic at 1 Dong Khoi Street, District 1. It is an old hotel established in 1925 facing the Mekong River. We were lucky as our room was overlooking the river where we could see several movements of boats and even logs every morning. The hotel is two blocks away from the mosque. On our first day, we took a City Tour and visited the War Museum where we were shown pictures of the Vietnam War. We then visited the Notre Dame Cathedral which was constructed when Vietnam was under the French by the famous architect Gustave Effel. This was followed by a visit to the Thien Temple. We had lunch at the Malaysia Restaurant which was in fact facing the mosque. On 3rd Aug 2015 we left Ho Chi Minh on Vietjet Airbus 320 VJ 636. On arrival at Danang at 1635 hours local time we took a taxi to Sandy Beach Hotel. Danang was a huge American base during the Vietnam War. Despite the existence of golf courses nearby which was very tempting, I decided to accompany my wife to take a hospitality bus to visit the Shan Market and the Danang Museum of chain sculpture. We took a walk on the beautiful clean sandy beach. The cold breeze with the sunset made the walk more meaningful. On 5th Aug, we flew to Hanoi by Vietjet. It was a smooth flight. However the taxi to Essence Orient hotel and spa in Old Quarter of Hanoi took us almost an hour. We went to the Water Puppets show at the nearby lake. We did not manage to visit the famous Vietcong war tunnels as it was raining and the place was under water. Helang Bay was famous for its network of tunnels built during the Vietnam War. The said tunnels were very effective cover to protect the Viet cong from the bombardment of American tankers. Vietnam the paradise of shoppers/clothing is cheap and like in Malaysia, shoppers are encouraged to haggle with the price. Halal restaurants are available for both in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. Members are encouraged to get a list of halal restaurants before they embark on a trip to Vietnam Contributed by Capt Razak. Shopping in old quarter, Hanoi. Post-office, Ho Chi Minh City. Notre Dame Cathedral - Ho Chi Minh. City. Lake in Hanoi. Masra 5
21 RULES FOR YOUR GOLDEN YEARS Some of us have reached our golden years and some of us have not. But these suggestions should be read by everyone. They have been collected from many seniors, each with his or her own piece of advice. Some you know, may surprise you and some will remind you of what s important. So read well,share with your loved ones, and have a great day and a great life! 1.It s time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don t just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard earned capital. Warning: this is also a bad time for an investment, even if it seems wonderful or fool-proof. They only bring problems and worries and this is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet. 2.Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grand children and don t feel bad spending your money on yourself. You ve taken care of them for many years, and you ve taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money. 3. Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort. Do moderate exercise (like walking everyday), eat well and get your sleep. It s easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs. Keep in touch with your doctor, get tested even when you re feeling well. Stay informed. 4. Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then, enjoy it together. 5. Don t stress over the little things. You ve already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don t let the past drag you down and don t let the future frighten you. Feel good now. Small issues will soon be forgotten. 6. Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love you neighbor and remember: A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection. 7. Be proud both inside and out. Don t stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong. 8. Don t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. There s nothing worse than an older person trying to wear the current fashion among youngsters. You ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you keep it and be proud of it. It s part of who you are. 9. Always stay up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You ll be surprised which old friends you ll meet. Keeping in touch with what is going on and with the people you know is important at any age. 10. Respect your younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same ideals as you, but they are the future, and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism and try to remind them of yesterday s wisdom that still applies today 11. Never use the phrase: In my time. Your time is now, as long as you re alive, you are part of this time. You may have been younger, but you are still you now, having fun and enjoying life. 12. Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days on the latter. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it ll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you older and harder to be around. 13. Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. If you ve lost your partner (our deepest condolences),then find a person to move in with you and help out. Even then, do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live alone. 14. Don t abandon your hobbies. If you don t have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a garden, play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes, golf. You can paint, volunteer at an NGO or just collect certain items. Find something you like and spend some real time having fun with it. 15.Even if you don t feel like it, try to accept invitations. Baptisms, graduations, birthdays, weddings, conferences. Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven t seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). But don t get upset when you re not invited. Some events are limited by resources, and not everyone can be hosted. The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a field. Get out there. 16. Be a conversationalist. Talk less and listen more. Some people go on and on about the past, not caring if their listeners are really interested. That s a great way of reducing their desire to speak with you. Listen first and answer questions, but don t go off into long stories unless asked to. Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are. Everyone is going through the same things, and people have a low tolerance for hearing complaints. Always find some good things to say as well. 17. Pain and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of the cycle of life we re all going through. Try to minimize them in your mind. They are not who you are, they are something that life added to you. If they become your entire focus, you lose sight of the person you used to be. 18. If you ve been offended by someone forgive them. If you ve offended someone apologize. Don t drag around resentment with you. It only serves to make you sad and bitter. It doesn t matter who was right. Someone once said: Masra 6
Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. Don t take that poison. Forgive, forget and move on with your life. 19. If you have a strong belief, savor it. But don t waste your time trying to convince others. They will make their own choices no matter what you tell them, and it will only bring you frustration. Live your faith and set an example. Live true to your beliefs and let that memory sway them. 20. Laugh, laugh A LOT. Laugh at everything. Remember, you are one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life. But you did. So what s not to laugh about? Find the humor in your situation. 21. Take no notice of what others say about you and even less notice of what they might be thinking. They ll do it anyway, and you should have pride in yourself and what you ve achieved. Let them talk and don t worry. They have no idea about your history, your memories and the life you ve lived so far.there s still much to be done, so get busy doing and don t waste time thinking about what others might think. Now is the time to be at peace and as happy as you can be! ARTICLE CONTRIBUTED BY P. PATHMANABAN (Naban) MASRA Member from Flight Operations This is an e mail of an interesting article, sent to me by a good friend and MASRA member. Since it is too interesting I would like to share and I hope you will enjoy too. Subject: Do you believe in life after delivery? Food for thought... Lovely parable is from Your Sacred Self by Dr. Wayne Dyer. Do you believe in life after delivery? In a mother s womb were two babies. One asked the other: Do you believe in life after delivery? The other replied, Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later. Nonsense said the first. There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be? The second said, I don t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can t understand now. The first replied, That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded. The second insisted, Well I think there is something and maybe it s different than it is here. Maybe we won t need this physical cord anymore. The first replied, Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the afterdelivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere. Well, I don t know, said the second, but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us. The first replied Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now? The second said, She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist. Said the first: Well I don t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn t exist. To which the second replied, Sometimes, when you re in silence and you focus and listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above. May be this was one of the best explanation to the theory of After-death and the concept of GOD i have come across.. Contributed by Veny Ahhhhh, The wonders of being married A bookseller conducting a market survey asked a woman Which book has helped you most in your life? The woman replied My husband s cheque book!! A prospective husband in a book store Do you have a book called, Husband the Master of the House? Sales Girl: Sir, Fiction and Comics are on the 1st floor. Someone asked an old man: Even after 70 years, you still call your wife Darling, Honey, Luv. What s the secret? Old man: I forgot her name and I m scared to ask. Masra 7
Masra Family Day Satu perjumpaan hari Keluarga telah diadakan pada hari Khamis 31 Disember 2015 di rumah Puan Noraini bt Abdullah ahli Jawatankuasa Masra di Damansara Utama. Kita memulakan jamuan selepas mengadakan sembahyang Maghrib berjemaah di rumah beliau lelaki dan perempuan. Seramai 50 orang telah hadhir di hari keluarga ini. Ada yang membawa isteri mereka dan ada yang membawa cucu mereka. Hari keluarga ini diadakan untuk menyambut akhir tahun dan ini lah masa nya mengimbaukan bersama teman apa yang telah berlaku selama satu tahun. Hari keluarga ini dihadiri oleh penasihat kita iaitu Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Abdul Gambar beramai dengan penasihat Masra, Tan Sri Aziz Abd Rahman. Rahman dan Puan Sri, presiden kita Capt Abdul Razak dan isteri nya Ann. Timbalan Presiden Azlan Hussein dan isteri dan semua ahli jawatankuasa Masra. Kami telah bersurai pada pukul 11 malam selepas menjamu selera dan berkaraoke siapa yang hendak dan perjumpaan setahun sekali ini amat bermakna sekali. Peserta sedang menjamu selera di majlis perjumpaan Family Day. Sharifah Noraishah bt. Syed Abdul Rani the wife of Mohd Hir who was attachéd to the Kuala Lumpur Medical Centre died very suddenly on 28TH OCTOBER 2015. She was well and ok one day before and and all of a sudden she fell ill and had a serious stroke. She was rushed to the Selayang hospital where she went into a coma and died at four o clock the next morning. She left behind the husband, three sons and a daughter and five grand children. Dato Abdul Hamid Abdul joined MAS on 16th July 1983 and retired on 23rd March 2003. One day before he died he met a friend at a wedding on Saturday and the friend was surprised to hear of his death that Sunday 20th December 2015. He was the Manager of Datuk Abd Hamid & Datin. Tender and Contract Administration in MAS before he retired. He leaves behind a wife and children and grandchildren. Dicetak oleh Al Hikmah Sdn Bhd. Lot 447, Jalan Perusahaan 2, Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh, 47000 Sungai Buloh Selangor. Tel: 03-61574699. Masra 8 Siti Noraishah bersama Hj. Mohd Hir. Rombongan dari Masra diketuai oleh Presiden Kapt. Abd Razak berkunjung ke rumah arwah untuk menyampaikan khairat kematian.