Stampede beraya at Casa de Shaiful

At Stampede, during one of our Blitz (scrum) sessions, we threw a question that we can all relate to. It’s about each and everyone’s most favourite and memorable Hari Raya memory.

What is your best Hari Raya memory?

Here’s what the team had to say

Iwan

For me, the best Hari Raya memory was from last year (2015). Before this I would only go back to my hometown, but now that I’m married, I get to start celebrating with two families. It is a new experience for me because now I need to decide which kampung I need to visit first. This also means I get to eat twice as much and can get to savor both Negeri Sembilan and Ipoh cuisine. My wife’s family are ethnic Banjar people so the food they serve is very unique to me, while my side makes the best rendang. Last Raya was also very memorable because my wife was pregnant at the time so many people came to visit.

Shaiful

My best Hari Raya memory last year in 2015. My family organized an open house, because my grandparents are not around anymore so there’s no place to ‘balik kampung’. The turnout was huge, with about 12 families attending the invitation. The guests contributed to some of the food and brought their own specialties to be shared.

Then there were also some crazy scenes happening when the kids got together. One of them just strolled into my room and picked up my ukelele and started jamming.

I think the biggest highlight of that Raya was the barbecue setup, using a big burner and set up at the porch of my house. Having a barbecue pit is very unique during Hari Raya. Then there were also some crazy scenes happening when the kids got together. One of them just strolled into my room and picked up my ukelele and started jamming. After that they went on to the playground.

Shaza

In Malaysia, Hari Raya is often celebrated by traveling back to your hometown—this mass exodus is called “Balik Kampung” (translation: going back home to the village). My parents have called Ipoh town home for many years and yet when Raya beckons, we will always look forward fondly to Balik Kampung to my grandmother’s house, a small village in Batu Kikir, Negeri Sembilan. As Malaysia gets more urbanized, Balik Kampung could also mean going back home to wherever home is, cities, towns and villages alike.

When I was a child, my parents couldn’t afford to make the trip and celebrate Hari Raya with their family every year. At one time, I remember we didn’t go back for 3 years. So this made Balik Kampung something to look forward to. I remember us taking the rickshaw from our house in Kuala Terengganu to the bus terminal, followed by a bus ride to the Kuantan terminal by the river, an exchange to yet another bus onwards to Negeri Sembilan, disembarking at a small stop by the roadside and walking down the village road for another 2 kilometers (not easy with three children and massive luggage) before finally greeted by the excited shrieks of my aunties and uncles.

Raya food and popping zombies—that’s the dream.

My grandmother has gone for a few years now, but we still honour her memory and family tradition by celebrating Hari Raya together. One of the fondest memories I have of Hari Raya recently was playing Left 4 Dead in a LAN party with my siblings at the Raya table, surrounded by lemang, ketupat and laksa, with my dad checking in every so often to replenish his supplies of “Kuih Raya” (specialty raya cookies that truthfully, all tastes the same).

Raya food and popping zombies—that’s the dream. Anyone game this raya, look me up on Steam.

Zana

My father would occasionally join us in his sarong and fire ‘meriam’ (bamboo cannon) with the older cousins.

My fondest and best memory of Raya was when I was around 7 years old. During that time we would go back to my grandmother’s kampung. Once there all the cousins would get together to play with fireworks. It was cute because the smaller cousins would play with ‘Pop Pop’ (small firecrackers), while the older ones would play with larger fireworks. With such a variety, all sorts of sounds could be heard with everyone playing. My father would occasionally join us in sarong and fire ‘meriam’ (bamboo cannon) with the older cousins. Another thing about Raya is collecting ‘Duit Raya’ from the adults which we would soon spend on buying sweets.

Tony

For me, the best and most memorable Hari Raya was the time just after Nauly (my daughter) was born. She came into my life during the fasting period before Eid. That Raya was not like the other times because the neighbors would come over to visit and be excited over Nauly. It was a great combination of becoming a dad and getting together with friends and family.

Hakim

I can’t recall a particular Raya that is the best. During that time I would visit family and friends, eat great food and getting some well needed rest after a month of fasting. Then at night, I’d hang out with my friends and watch football somewhere. One thing I do look forward to during this season is my grandmother’s cooking, as she makes the best Soto. Don’t just take it from me, my friends also love savoring her cooking.

What about you?

So what’s your favourite Hari Raya Memory? Share one of your best moments about this holiday with us below in the comment section. You’ll also be able to see what we’re up to this Raya on our Instagram and Facebook channels, so be sure to check that out too.

The team at Stampede wishes everyone a blessed Eid and Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Batin. Enjoy your holidays and make even more great memories!

The post Our Best Hari Raya Memories! appeared first on Stampede: the strategic design & technology company.

#rayasquadgoals

At Stampede we have our daily scrum meeting at 2 pm, of which we called The Blitz, where we update what had we been working on and our plans for the day as well as some harmless banters after that. It got us talking to how excited we are about Hari Raya, so I decided to throw a quick question,

What does Hari Raya mean to you?

Shaiful is looking forward to have Kuala Lumpur to himself

“Being born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, I am pretty much a city boy – also because my grandparents are no longer around, so I don’t really get the chance to celebrate Hari Raya in kampung. When most people go back kampung (going back to their hometowns), I look forward to empty roads and a more chill KL. Generally, my friends and families would visit each other in each other’s houses, catching up and stuff.

Another thing I really look forward to is our tradition of having open houses for the whole month of Syawal!”

Iwan is elated to spend Hari Raya in two kampungs

“This is my first year of marriage, so I get to experience the unspoken concern of deciding which kampung to spend in like other married couples do. Luckily, my wife’s family and mine live very close to each other, so we get to visit each other’s family as often as we could during the Hari Raya break.

Also, it’s good to meet friends and catch up, and get some break from work. Looking forward to come back to the office all recuperated.”

Dahlia plans to eat all day long

(I asked if she wants to change her answer, she replied with a firm, “no”.)

Shaza is grateful to have enough – and KFC!

“Me and Dov are not very particular in celebrating Hari Raya, mostly because every Hari Raya we would go back to my mother’s kampung in Negeri Sembilan. We are a big family, and have to meet every family members from all ages, so we have to socialise a lot. It is also the time of the year to meet my siblings face to face. Although we talk to each other a lot, my siblings and I live all over Malaysia – so it was fun to meet them again and bully each other, sometimes joined by my parents who are just as comical as we are.

Also, another thing you must know – my family and I have this unspoken tradition. On the night of second Raya, after all the food is finished no matter how much they were cooked, we would all huddle up together in a car, bantering over who squashed whom and went ahead to queue with the whole town to buy KFC bucket meals to share with the whole family.

Hari Raya also taught me to be grateful for what I have – and if I have more than that, then it’s a bonus. I think that’s how the world should work for everyone.

Being an introvert, usually I need a few days to recuperate after coming back to Langkawi after Hari Raya break.

Also, only on Hari Raya we get to see Dov in baju melayu, even only for a few hours in between Hari Raya prayer. It’s actually a rare sight!”

Zana is just happy to catch up with family

“I am an only child, but ever since I was small I had been very close to my cousins. Now that we are all grown up, where most of my cousins are all scattered around Malaysia due to family and career obligation, it is about the time of the year we get to meet each other again and catch up.

I think Hari Raya is the day when my mother is the happiest because she gets to spend so much time with family. So seeing her happy makes me happy – although that would probably mean sometimes I have to roll on the carpet in my baju kurung throwing a tantrum, “When do we get to go home?!” after she had uttered goodbyes but still been chatting with the relatives for yet another hour at least.

Also, I love it that I get to dress up 😉 And yes, echoing Dahlia, FOOD!”

What about you?

What does Raya mean to you? The comment section is all open for you – and if you want to echo my and Dahlia’s sentiment about food, oh yes feel free to!

With that in note, we at Stampede would like to wish everyone a blessed Eid and Selamat Hari Raya Maaf Zahir Batin. Enjoy your holidays, go easy on the food binge, and come back from the holidays all refreshed!

The post What Hari Raya Means To Us appeared first on Stampede: the strategic design & technology company.

If you are feeling seasick, look to the horizon because that is the only thing reasonably stable when you are on a boat. But how boring it is to be stable all the time, no?

Running Social Media

Aside from providing real-time race updates via web, of which Syazwan and the boys had been doing for the previous years, we are also tasked in providing updates via RLIR’s social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

On top of the existing platforms, we decided to introduce something new – a brainchild of our Creative Lead, Shaza.

Behold, the beautiful RLIR 2015 Timeline – providing the Regatta updates by the minute.

Constantly updated with the latest embeds from multiple social media platforms and fully responsive to boot, which means everyone can browse on their mobile devices, our Timeline had garnered close to 4,000 visitors within a week and had been the talk of the regatta!

Faces of Royal Langkawi International Regatta

I look forward for good races, good show and good souls.

Because we are not easily satiable by just updating social media, we came up with the idea of having Faces of Royal Langkawi International Regatta.

Injecting a bit of human factor to this year’s regatta, we conducted quick 2-5 min interviews with the folks around the Regatta- merely a quick chat on their hopes, dreams, fears and what made them who they are today.

So we went round the yacht club, armed with a camera and a little bit of courage to talk to people. These amazing people – they were the employees, the volunteers, the sailors, the media, the visitors, anyone who were happy to chat. They were even more ecstatic to be told they were going to be featured in social media. Some would quickly tag themselves for their family and friends to see when their photos were up.

This project is yet another talk of the regatta!

A new Foxy Lady in town

On the final day of the race, I was approached by Wicky Sundram, the ever delightful Regatta Director – and was introduced to Bill Bremner, the skipper of Foxy Lady VI.

“Would you like to go racing with Bill and his team onboard Foxy Lady VI tomorrow?”

I quickly said yes without thinking further. I have never sailed before. The night before the race, it was a mix of being ecstatic and feeling terrified. This is going to be a race, no, two races – not a leisurely stroll. The most extreme sports I have done was running, back in the chilly mornings of London. Now, not so much.

Luckily, Bill and his team were ever helpful. A cool team who knows how to have loads of fun while being thoroughly focused while racing, we started out to the sea listening to Deadmau5, Black Keys and Pnau. I was given a detailed briefing on the inner workings of a yacht, the terms and we had some light practice before the race. Basically all I had to do was move to the port and the starboard during the race, in times of changing directions of which the sailors call ‘tacking‘. It sounded nothing much, but in the midst of sailing and everyone was in full focus, you have to take care of yourself and not get in the way of the team doing their best job.

And The Foxy Lady VI came first in the IRC1 class in the Regatta. Yay!

My observation: The Foxy Lady team is an absolutely amazing team, with a strong team dynamic. The level of precisions and details given into the preparation is just mindblowing. Their teamwork is rock solid and coordination is on point. Just the perfect team.

It was great fun, and definitely this will not be my last time sailing. Thank you for trusting such a sailing n00b to be onboard, Bill and team!

The Stampede team

I know I have mentioned this time and again, but have you met my team – my wonderful Stampede team?

I, and each other, could have never achieved things above and beyond without the unbridled support of each other. Seven of us, juggling the tasks of live web update, providing live social media to four different platforms, interviewing people, taking photos and transcribing the recordings later on and make everyone look and sound good – these tasks were nothing piece of cake.

Yet in between all the noise and the traffic and the bustle, we could not resist including in some little harmless trolling.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, they say? We defy that and we play and work at the same time.

It gets even better when I receive random messages in my inbox congratulating our team for a job well done, on top of the verbal praises we received while on the job. We could not stop smiling.

Conclusion

I think I speak for the whole team when I say this is the best Royal Langkawi International Regatta, yet. As always with Stampede, even though we often aim for the moon (and more than often we land higher than the stars), we will often aim for an even greater heights the next time round. Also, have I ever told you how therapeutic it is to work overlooking the gorgeous Andaman Sea?

So mark our words, next year’s Regatta is going to be even more spectacular. See you again!

(And Mihalis, I hope to see you too again next year 😉 )

While you are at that, check out these RLIR2015 links:

• Web
• RLIR2015 Timeline
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

(Foxy Lady VI photos credits go to Icarus Sailing Media & Sea Yachting.)

The post All Good Things: Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2015 appeared first on Stampede: the strategic design & technology company.

Much love, from all of us at Stampede.

The post Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! appeared first on Stampede: the strategic design & technology company.

Happy Birthday, Zana!

The post Happy Birthday, Zana! appeared first on Stampede: the strategic design & technology company.

The post The Year of the Dragon appeared first on Stampede: the strategic design & technology company.

Since the very first game till last night’s semi-final (at time of writing), the event is marred by surprises and controversies. Big talents in football didn’t play half as good as they did in club level. Names such as Christiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messy, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Kaka are well known across the globe. But their appearance on the field is simply disappointing compared to their colourful club track record.

What Happened to the Superstars?

Christiano Ronaldo, the most valuable footballer on Earth – he’s worth €94 million euros – only scored one goal in 2010 World Cup. And it only happened during the Portuguese 7-nil rampage against Korea DPR. It’s almost like wearing the captain armband wasn’t motivation enough to play well for one’s own country. It was a totally different Ronaldo, a far-flung from the Real Madrid star with plenty of skills, trick and astoundingly fast acceleration. For the most expensive player in the world, South Africa didn’t see much from him.

Same goes to Lionel Messi, winner of the Best Player of The Year award. Nobody expected a footballer like him, with 34 goals for Barcelona under his belt, to not even score one goal for Argentina in this World Cup. As predicted, the opposing team’s defense marked Messi so tight that he couldn’t formulate a goal. But that’s a given – if you don’t keep Messi on a leash, he will demolish your team.

The Favourites’ Early Flight Home

Favourite teams such as England, France, Brazil, and Argentina, coming to South Africa expecting to be crowned as the World Cup Champion are just too weak. I can say that France is the worst team in 2010 World Cup. Contrary to the glorious era of Zidane, The French started with such poor performance. They only managed to get a 0-0 draw against Uruguay, then lost 0-2 to Mexico before ending their World Cup campaign by losing 1-2 to South Africa. They also sent home Nicholas Anelka just after tournament day 9 because of some spats between him and the head coach, Raymond Domenech. It gets worse after that. The remaining French squad protested by not attending their training. As the result of the protest, their skipper, Patrice Evra was ultimately dropped from the last game against South Africa and his armband was stripped.

Another favourite team everyone thought has the goods was England. Unfortunately, the star-studded English team was just lucky to survive in Group Stage. Poor performance by Capello’s lads nearly cost them an early exit, but with draw against USA and Algeria and a lucky goal by Jermain Defoe against Slovenia, they earned a sad place into the next round. Tragically, in the knockout stage, they were hammered 4-1 by Germany. It was painful to watch.

Germany once again displayed their real capabilities by showing the way out to Argentina in the most humiliating way, beating the Argentine 4-nil. Excellent performance by Thomas Müller and Mesut Ozil made it terribly difficult for Argentina defense system the entire match. Losing only once to Serbia during group stage,the Germans are now the favourite team to win this World Cup. Up to this moment, they have already scored 13 goals. That’s enough to show how deadly their attack form can get.

The Ghanaian

One team that caught my attention was Ghana. No one expected them to advance from group stage, let alone quarter-final. They nearly made it to semi-final, but Uruguay striker, Luis Suarez denied their chance with a game-saving handball few minutes before the game expired. Suarez was red-carded and penalty given to Ghana. It was an extremely bad luck for their penalty taker, Asamoah Gyan, who only managed to hit the crossbar despite scoring twice from the same spot. The game ended with 1-1 and extended to penalty shootout. Uruguay won 4-2.

Referees

Like any other football tournaments around the world, the World Cup is not free from judging controversies. The most famous controversy involving referees happened in England’s game against Germany. Referee Jorge Larrionda denied Frank Lampard’s 38-minute shot eventhough the video replay had clearly shown that the ball crossed the goal line for approximately 1 yard. Some people claimed that the disallowed goal changed the entire element of that game. If England were not denied of the goal, they probably would have fared better, in spirit and form, during the second half. This incident will ultimately ignite debates over goal-line technology since FIFA president Sepp Blatter has steadfastly refused to consider the possibility of goal-line technology.

Another refereeing controversy surrounded Luis Fabiano’s goal for Brazil against Ivory Coast. After the match, Luis Fabiano himself admitted that he handled the ball in the build-up to his second goal. Mexico also suffered a partial referee decision during their match against Argentina. Referee, Roberto Rosetti awarded Argentina a goal despite Carlos Tevez clearly being offside. Consequentially, both referees Jorge Larrionda and Roberto Rosetti were sent home.

The Final Two

Now, at this very moment, all eyes are set on Germany, Spain, Uruguay and the Netherlands. The Dutch already booked their ticket into the final match after they beat Uruguay 3-2. They will face either Spain or Germany this July 11th at Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg.

(photo by gitfo)

The post Shocking World Cup appeared first on Stampede: the strategic design & technology company.

FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa fans

Quick background check, I’m not an all-time neutral though. I was a France supporter back in ’98 and Zizou was and is my favourite player. After he retired however, I tried but wasn’t able to really feel the excitement supporting the Blues anymore. Yes I’m talking about the excitement of WC ’98, Euro 2000, his injury in WC ’02 that saw the French team failed to go through and how he came out of retirement to bring them all the way to the finale of WC ’06 (and not to forget the iconic headbutt).

Back to 2010, I have to admit the team that caught my attention the most is Germany and the instrumental match they played against the English is my favourite match of the tournament so far. Not mainly because it’s a high-profile encounter, what impressed me a lot was the brilliant display of fluid playing by the German team of fresh faces with little international experience. Such a contrast than the line-up back then when the rest of the team were veterans in the likes of Kahn, Klinsmann and company.

Undeniably the match of the QF is Argentina vs. Germany. It is a historical clash, took place once in 1990 and recently four years ago and got very physical. Well this is the match I will look forward to in the QF. Somehow it felt like the finale came early with this one. I reckon it’s going to be good end-to-end football.

(photo by Grant Johnson)

The post Kicking Off the Finals appeared first on Stampede: the strategic design & technology company.