My early hint of skepticism gradually melted as my conversation with local inventor Hj Zupri Hj Kamis continued longer than my initial expectations.

He began to convince me that he is a man "who walks the talk" and readily acts on his ideas and inspirations with complete conviction and confidence.

Ramadhan is just about three weeks away and Hari Raya preparations are already in full swing for most people, especially women who have been sending material to tailors nationwide for their custom-made 'Baju Raya' as early as March, in order to avoid disappointment.

Some tailors have been flooded with materials and orders for Hari Raya clothing so far in advance that some have stopped taking additional orders since May in light of the tremendous work load in ensuring that all current orders will be ready on time.

They don't stop. They keep going. They continue to keep their passion alive.

Have you been in a situation where you dial a call-centre service for a certain query, and the reply you get is "Please hold..." which then leads to you having to wait for an inexpedient amount of time, listening to some musical tone that can get on your nerves.