ReMiNiScEnCe....as the garden of memory grows arid...

And then there was two!

2011-09-26T12:48:00.000+08:00

The cats of my house have now entered a new phase. Prior to this, at any time, my house would harbor at least 5 to 6 of these feline creatures, if not more. Most recent, to be more exact, right before we balik kampong for raya, there was Mocot, (Mayo's ( the early martriach) second generation descendant), MB, Gum and 3 frightful kittens. Thanks to Mocot's overprotective behaviour i.e. hiding her newly borns in secret hideaway till they get so mortified when faced with strangers, these scadycats would scurry off like mad when they hear our footsteps.

So before raya, there were 6 of them. When we came back after our raya break, only Mocot and Kitam ( one of Mocot's male offspring who left home as he can't cope with the pressure from the intimidating male cats next door) greeted us.

Initially we were baffled as to why there were no show from the rest of the clan and thought they probably migrated for better pastures which was very unlikely. And we would hear frequent cat fights but shrugged it off as something normal.

One day, as Mocot and Kitam were munching on their biscuits, we saw one of the kittens came approaching, most probably for the biscuits and it looked rather thin. My guess is that it hasn't had proper meals for days. The minute it saw the two big cats, it slowed it's pace and appeared rather apprehensive. The next thing, we saw Kitam with all his might chased it away. Not just that, he even put up a fight with it making such a clamour.

Now we know why the other cats have not been around lately and if we ever did see them, it would be outside the house compound, in the neighbor's or sheltering under parked cars outside.

So Kitam has made a permanent come back and decide that he is going to rule the place alone with Mocot. Funny though, Mocot seems to condone this unscrupulous act of his. After all, these are her offsprings that he is chasing off. His close relatives too, for that matter! Worse still he is making Mocot, his new mate! For goodness sake, she is his mother!

One morning, as Sofi was about to hang clothes, the once unfriendly kittens came making relentless mewing sound, asking for food. At the same time, they appeared absolutely terrified and ready to jump out of their skin. They gobbled up the biscuits ferociously and would constantly look behind them, as if Kitam was about to pounce on them any moment. It was a truly pityful sight, watching their jittery souls braving the situation, torn between hunger and total fright!

However, their pleasure was cut short as they saw Kitam and Mocot came marching in. Sofi described the scenario succinctly: Kitam and Mocot came walking stoutly, shoulders up high with sharp leering eyes ala Mafia gangsters roaming the streets. The minute the kittens saw them, they ran for their lives, leaving behind their unfinished meal!

In the afternoon, both Kitam and Mocot would lay sprawled on the porch, as if guarding their territory, looking out for any lurking kittens.
So, statistically, we are now left with only 2 cats, as long as Kitam continues with his determined territorial behavior and Mocot does not get pregnant again for the umpteenth time!

IN THE MEMORY OF PROF DR KHALIJAH SALLEH

2011-09-18T13:46:00.001+08:00

BALASUNGKAWA - Profesor Dr Khalijah Salleh, Serikandi Muslimah Mithali Kontemporari

Pada jam 10 pagi Sabtu 17 September 2011 bersamaan 19 Syawal 1432, gugurlah serikandi yang amat dikasihi,

Profesor Dr Khalijah Salleh, bekas pensyarah Jabatan Fizik, UKM dan paling utama mantan Ketua Helwa ABIM, kalau

tidak silap Ketua Helwa yang pertama, yang juga di antara pengasas ABIMHELWA.

Pemergian Allahyarhamah K Jah (nama gelaran beliau di kalangan Helwa ABIM) memang diratapi oleh seluruh warga ABIM, baik wanita mahupun lelaki. Sepanjang hari-hari terakhir beliau yang dirawat di HUKM, pelawat tidak putus-putus mengunjungi beliau. Ketabahan beliau menghadapi saat terakhir itu sukar dilupakan. K Jah seperti biasa amat bersemangat dan mentally alert. Dia kenal dan tahu siapa pelawatnya dan dalam keadaan yang sakit, masih ingin berbicara dengan senyuman manisnya yang menjadi trademarknya. Melihat beliau ketika itu sukar untuk percaya beliau sedang menanti saat-saat terakhir.

Saya mengenali K Jah kali pertama di Kolej Tunku Kurshiah Seremban. Beliau datang ke Kolej untuk memberi ceramah motivasi atas undangan Murid Tua (inilah istilah lama untuk alumni). Beliau diperkenalkan sebagai wanita Melayu pertama meraih ijazah sarjana muda bidang fizik. Memang K Jah seorang yang boleh menaikkan semangat pendengarnya. Sejak itu jiwa saya turut berkobar-kobar mahu meneladaninya. Menjadi perintis Melayu dalam apa jua bidang yang mungkin semata-mata ingin membuktikan orang Melayu juga mampu. Dan akhirnya saya ke Amerika Syarikat untuk mendalami bidang matematik yang ketika itu memang kurang diceburi oleh anak Melayu malahan dicemuh bahawa bangsa Melayu lemah matematik dan sains. Begitulah kesan K Jah pada diri saya ketika itu yang masih di bangku sekolah menengah.

Saya pernah bertemu K Jah di University of California Davis ketika beliau meneruskan pengajiannya di peringkat tertinggi.

Dan ditakdirkan Allah, kami bertemu lagi dalam jemaah yang kita kasihi iaitu ABIM - saya masih bertatih mengikut jejak langkahnya. Alhamdulillah, kami terus bersama dan jurang adik dan kakak semakin tipis - sama-sama selaku ahli profesional Muslim yang ingin memajukan umat Islam menerusi da'wah dan juga bidang keilmuan.

K Jah seorang pejuang profesional yang amat passionate dalam apa sahaja yang beliau lakukan. Beliau amat passionate dengan ABIM, ilmu dan pendidikan. Beliau tidak akan menolak sebarang undangan Helwa mahu pun Biro Pendidikan ABIM dalam aspek pengongsian ilmu khususnya cinta pertamanya - sains Islam. Di akhir fasa perjuangannya, Allahyarhamah amat prihatin tentang keperluan memasyarakatkan sains di kalangan orang Melayu dan pentingnya hubungan sains dan aqidah. Sains sebagai ayat-ayat Allah swt. Walaupun sudah didiagnos dengan kanser, selagi beliau boleh berdiri, bercakap dan kuat, beliau masih meneruskan perjuangannya - hatta ke Indonesia - berbicara tentang sains Islam sebagai memenuhi undangan IIIT Indonesia. Beliau masih menghadiri majlis Helwa di awal tahun 2011 walaupun kekuatannya sudah mula merosot.

Usaha K Jah bukan sahaja untuk ABIM malahan semua organisasi Islam seperti Yadim dan IKIM. Kegigihannya dalam bidang sains terbukti bila K Jah dilantik sebagai felo oleh Akademi Sains Malaysia. Beliau tidak lupa mengundang saya pada hari bersejarah perlantikannya itu yang beliau gunakan untuk membentangkan mesej cinta pertamanya.

K Jah memang seorang serikandi dan wanita mithali. Selain daripada kerjayanya, da'wah dan aktiviti sosialnya, K Jah juga merupakan isteri dan ibu yang berjaya. Pada malam jumaat yang lepas iaitu jam 3.19 pagi, kita dikejutkan oleh sms daripada K Jah. Pesannya ringkas sekali:

Tk dear all. Help baca Yassin now. I may be leaving now. Salam maaf zahir n batin.

Benar-benar sms - ringkas dan padat. K Jah seolah-olah sudah tahu bila beliau akan pergi. Ini mengingatkan kita cara Imam al-Ghazzali sudah maklum beliau akan meninggalkan dunia yang fana ini dan memakai kain kafannya.

Masha'Allah. Kata-kata K Jah memang benar - beliau berangkat meninggalkan kita terutama ahli keluarganya yang dikasihi pada hari Sabtu. Sejak menziarahi K Jah di HUKM saya bacakan surah Yassin beberapa kali diiringi doa: Ya Allah, jika takdirnya sembuh, sembuhkkanlah K Jah dan jika takdirnya pergi menghadapiMu, mudahkanlah pemergiannya.

Allah lebih menyayanginya dan mengetahui rahsia-rahsia kita. Kini saya cuma dapat menenangkan diri dan perasaan bahawa K Jah pergi dalam keadaan husnul khatimah dan kejayaan muflihun.

Innalillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun. Semuga Allah mengampunkan Allahyarhamah K Jah dan menghimpunkan ruhnya bersama golongan abrar.

K Jah sudah pergi namun kita mestilah teruskan usahanya dalam bidang keilmuan dan pendidikan untuk memantapkan sains Islam dan aqidah umat. Inilah sekurang-kurangnya kita dapat lakukan sebagai mengenang jasanya yang tidak ternilai.

wabillahi tawfiq walhidayat. Allahu 'alam.

Nukilan

Rosnani Hashim

Mantan Ketua Helwa ABIM

Profesor, Institut Pendidikan UIAM.

10.30 malam.

THE PASSING OF ABAH

2010-11-29T06:48:00.002+08:00

Abah is what I called my late father in law. He was a person with a strong personality and his presence would never go unnoticed. Through out my married life I have grown to love this man who was well reputed to not show his love and concern in the open but more in his gestures and in a diary (we only found this out after his demise).

Conversations and discussions with him can be a tad difficult at times but this was mainly due to his British education backgrounds having attained his basic degree in London , post-degree in Bristol and dip-ed in Kirkby, which caused him to frequently come up with archaic colonial ideas. None the less, there are topics which I find easily agreeable, a topic which he would rave on, that is, how practical and reasonable the British education system is or was, back then.

Abah had lived a long fulfilling life, just like his mother and his was a colorful one I daresay. Having a grand-father who was a warrior to the former Sultan of Pahang and a father who was a leader figure in Tembeling, Jerantut, Abah had no problem in continuing their legacy. However, Abah had to endure a relative difficult childhood as his father had died young , leaving behind a young wife, whom, due to some misunderstanding with her in laws, had decided to return to Kuantan, where her parents was, with her small son. Thus began, our renowned family saga of how Abah and his mother had traveled up the Pahang river on a small sampan for days, an embittered widow and an orphan who was clueless of what awaited him in Kuantan.

I know I am not the best person to write a bout Abah. I am writing bits and pieces of what he had oft-repeatedly told me. As I write I can still reminisce his voice, his gesticulations and his favorite phrase to reiterate his point: “Awak faham dok?’ or “Do you understand?’ when his British tongue got hold of him. After his heart bypass, Abah had sort of developed a coarse high pitched voice which stayed with him till his last breath. “Suara abah boleh baik tak Roza?’ “insyaAllah Abah tapi lambat sikit la’, I replied. During his final days, he phoned me to inquire about his hospital follow-up but I had difficulty in discerning his words. I knew it was exasperating for him and for me, too.

Whatever Abah lacked in bringing up his children, he squared it up on his grandchildren. He was a doting grandfather to my children, having looked after them when we were busy studying and working. Of late, he was so besotted with Hasya, hubby’s niece who lives in Kuching, that her phone-calls and home-coming would brighten his days. He waited eagerly for Hasya’s return few days ago, spent the night with her and breathed his last the next morning during his routine dialysis treatment. And I wonder if he had begged Allah swt to let him see his favorite grand daughter before he goes?

The morning that he would leave us, I had gone to fetch him for his routine dialysis. Due to a recent spine fracture, he was bed-ridden and couldn’t walk. We had to carry him from the room to the car. As I was lifting his body from the bed, he had held on tight to me a moment longer than usual. Was he trying to gesture his goodbye to me? Allahu’alam. I would like to think so.

Abah, forgive me for all the wrongs I have done you. May Allah swt bless your soul with His Rahmah and protect you from the fitnah of afterlife. Ameen.

*Abah passed away on Thursday 25th November at 11.20am. Innalillahiwainnailaihirojiun

with Hasya

in Bristol?

with his cousin, Sarah my eldest and Amir my youngest bro in law

2010-11-10T14:46:00.008+08:00

THE BLESSED ARAFAH DAY

To all muslims, let's join in this global prayer event on Wukuf day on 16th Nov at about 6pm local time. It's also sunat to fast on that day.

SEE HERE FOR DETAILS---->

THE DISAPPEARING ADAB

2010-11-04T11:59:00.000+08:00

My eldest is into her second year of housemanship, leaving behind a year of tumultuous life, if you could consider it being a ‘life’at all, that is. No, I won’t delve on the intricacies of its hardship as it is all so notoriously known. I am sharing with you the current sad state of many young muslim doctors, who have conveniently abandoned the adab of associating with colleagues of opposite sex during work or otherwise. Sadly, it seems they have adopted a lackadaisical attitude in this issue; slapping each other playfully, making indecent jokes etc. It’s as if, these rulings don’t apply once they enter the professional realm.

By western standards, once a girl gets a job, she would automatically become self-sustaining and live a separate life of almost total oblivion from her parents. In Islam, we know this should not be the way. We (hubby and I) have imposed a ruling on our daughter, to inform us of her whereabouts each time she plans on going out of the hospital vicinity and alhamdulillah , she is comfortable with and has been abiding by it till today. Also, permissions have to be asked if she plans to go out with friends. I know many would be aghast by this and many of her friends have voiced their disapprovals, “Come on, you’re already 25! You don’t need parental consent to go out!” To this, I told my daughter, “Tell them : As long as you are not married, your welfare is you father’s responsibility and you are answerable to him till he gives your hand for marriage”

Recently she related to me that a male colleague chummingly asked her to join them to the movies and when she answered that she has stopped going to the movies and even when she did, it would be with her brothers, he retorted back in an almost disgusted tone, “You are so boring!” To which my daughter replied nonchalantly, “Yes, I am. So what?”
My response was: It’s better to be ‘boring’ in this world and not in the Hereafter!

Once, she was out with a girl colleague and unknowingly to her, the friend had invited some male colleagues to join, much to my daughter’s chagrin! When they were deciding a place to eat, she narrowed down all suggestions as we always reminded her to eat in only registered Jakim halal eatery. For this, she was mortified and literally humiliated as they laughed and looked down on her choice of venues to eat. After the incident she has ticked the girl friend off and warned her not to repeat the blunder again!

To all my friends out there, whose children are about to step into the world of housemanship or any other profession for that matter, you can never be too excessive in reminding them of what awaits them out there. You may have provided them with the best of Islamic values but the day to day exposure to the rough and tumble of working life may weaken their ‘shield’, make them forget their real purpose in life and lead them astray. Nau’zubillah!

ALLAH SWT berfirman:

Dan jangan lah engkau menurut orang yang telah Kami lalaikan hatinya dari mengingati Kami, lalu ia mengikutkan hawa nafsunya.” (al-Kahf: 28)

ALLAH berfirman lagi:

Maka berpalinglah engkau dari orang yang tiada mempedulikan peringatan Kami, dan ia hanya menginginkan kehidupan dunia semata-mata”. (an-Najm: 29)

ALLAH berfirman lagi:

“Dan ikutilah jalan orang yang suka kembali (bertaubat) kepadaKu.” (luqman: 15)

Bila Hobi-Hobi Ku Di 'Hijack'

2010-05-16T07:10:00.000+08:00

Mula-mula buku Ayat-ayat Cinta,
Bila membaca, aku terus terpikat,
Unik dan khusyuk jalan ceritanya,
Bila pegang, liat diletak,
Aku syorkan kepada suami ku,
Buku yang bagus perlu dikongsi,
Dengan orang yang dicintai,
Disangka buku cinta biasa,
Dia hanya pandang sebelah mata,
Berminggu jugak aku memujuk,
Namun dia tetap sangka ia pojok,
Satu hari, dia akur,
Dia baca, terus tersangkut,
Buku di usung ke mana-mana,
Lebih teruk dari aku,
Malah bait-bait cerita,
Yang sentuh hatinya,
Dijadikan bahan berdakwah,
Aya-ayat Cinta bagai kitab cinta baginya,
Aku dah lama lupa jalan cerita,
Namun tetap segar baginya.

Terbaru, aku cadang kita berbasikal,
Untuk riadhah dan kesihatan,
Lagi sekali, dia tidak tunjuk minat,
Buat 'dek', seolah tiada kesan,
Bila aku join FB GSM,
Hatinya mula berdehem,
Segala bentuk basikal dia siasati,
Kena pasti sebelum membeli,
Habis semua assessori dia amati,
Glove, lampu, seluar padded, topi,
Kini berbasikal tiada berhenti,
Mengalahkan aku yang hanya seminggu sekali,
On-road, off-road, semua dia sapu,
Dengan kadar dia mampu.

Itulah cerita bila hobi-hobi ku di'hijack',
Benar tetapi tetap pelik.

PESAGI REVISITED- A LEGACY TO HOLD ON TO

2010-04-14T22:45:00.008+08:00

Tok Ki Salleh's house

We recently went to Pesagi, an old village in Chenor, Temerloh, where Tok Ki Salleh's dilapidated wooden house now rest in all quietness. A once grand traditional malay house which had witnessed countless family gatherings and activities, full of love and merriment, now stand sad amidst forlorn eeriness. Pesagi in essence is a river village where its houses line the high banks of Sungai Pahang. To access the river, one needs to negotiate the fairly steep slope down the bank to the sandy beach.

Sg Pahang

The house (side view)

Dear hubby has been lamenting about wanting to visit the village and the house, which he is so fond of, since many months ago, but I have literally been the reason for him to push the plan aside , each time. It is one of his 'bucket list' he said. My main qualm was because he wanted to take the alternative old, narrow 'kampong' road that is almost parallel to Sg Pahang instead of the new route. Once during an early monsoon period, we took that road in an impromptu effort, but had to turn back when part of the road was flooded, thus my fear.

This time, we had mistakenly took an early junction which we later found would not take us to Pesagi after all. Turning midway, we ended up taking the highway and exiting through Chenor and via the bridge across Sg Pahang to reach the other side of the river hence to Pesagi.

Inhaling the fresh cool air around, we partly went on foot and partly drove down memory lane of old Pesagi. Due to numerous ravaging monsoon floods that would submerge the whole village each time, most of the pioneers had left for better pasture across the river. The place is now very much deserted without much development and it is as if time had stood still, making it almost ghostly.

As I stood facing the poor abandoned house, I began rewinding back to the time where hubby was a small lad, having a ball of a time, roaming the village, scaling the small lane to the furthest end, frolicking in the cool water of Sg Pahang during the day and sleeping in the spacious hall of the wooden house, enveloped by the stillness of typical village night-life, amidst the constant sounds of crickets.

This old forgotten abode still retains its yellowish tint of paint which in better days must have been a bright fresh façade, making it one of the grandest building, around. According to hubby, it was the only house that had a TV set and on nights when there was malay movie on show, villagers would throng the house, creating a party-like atmosphere.

Sadly, now it stands alone, color all run down, empty and bare. Its compound, thick with undergrowth. From the careless opened windows, I managed to glimpse the dark empty inside and to think that this house once was filled with cheerful family activities!

We had scoured the village, trying not to leave any details. The cemetery where Tok Ki Salleh, his wife and various other kins, rest. The wide river, with sand banks appearing in shallow areas, was very inviting but alas we were not prepared for a river bathing spree. The school, perched on a hill. The jetty that harbors boats to ferry people across to Paya Pasir.

It felt good that we managed to return to a place that holds fond memories with those who have left us. Hopefully when our time comes, we can leave a better legacy for our children to hold on to.

2010-02-04T08:37:00.003+08:00

Pic courtesy of Tariq Mahmood

pic courtesy of Zuber Hatia

The story

I WILL SURVIVE

2009-12-30T16:43:00.002+08:00

I was at Abah's place to pick up Pipoh and family to the airport yesterday evening. They were back for the great Aqiqah bash for Irman during the weekend. It was more like a '3 hari 2 malam' celebration, done with quite an extravagant pomp, I would say.Anyway,I will not rant about the kenduri , here, as I feel Amir's vivid photos and video taking of the occasion spoke well and enough.

This is actually about the nonchalant goodbye conversation between Abah, Imran and Hasya before they left and it was narrated back to us by Abah who found it very amusing. Hasya apparently has found a calling to be a doctor as she finds it intriguing whilst observing Long dress Abah's wound on the leg where they retrieved the long saphenous vein for the bypass graft. So she was telling abah that she would study medicine in Kuantan so that she could stay at Abah's house and take care of his wounds. She even went to the extend of choosing the bedroom for her to occupy.

Then, Abah told Imran, "Hasya wants to be a doctor to take care of Aki. She wants to live here in Kuantan.' Abah made a mental calculation and told that she would become a doctor in 18 years time. After a quick after-thought, Imran looked at Hasya and told her flatly,"But he won't survive that long, Hasya' When Abah related to us back, we burst out laughing at the children's innocence and bluntness! Pipoh only managed a short quip, surprised at her son's witty remark, "Amboi mulut!"

Little does Imran know that Abah has a long-living gene in him, inherited from his mom who lived till she was almost 90. Maybe Abah would live to see Hasya become a doctor, after all!

BILA AKU.....

2009-12-22T14:46:00.001+08:00

BILA AKU.....

Bila aku tegur engkau,
Bukan bermakna aku maksum,
Tidak pula lebih bagus,
Semata-mata aku sayang,
Mahu lihat engkau berjaya,
Dunia dan akhirat sana.

Bila aku nasihat engkau,
Aku kata aku ikhlas,
Tidak sekali aku insinuasi,
Yang engkau pula tidak ikhlas,
Maksud ku hanya satu,
Tiada niat jahat terhadap mu.

Bila aku tegur engkau,
Patutkah engkau balikkan teguran kepadaku?
Tak bolehkah engkau terima dengan lapang?
Aku dah kata aku pun kurang,
Tak payahlah pulang paku serpih,
Tak akan ke mana kalau teguran di sisih.

Bila aku tegur engkau,
Bawa bertenang dan ambillah kira,
Bahawa teguran ku ikhlas semata,
Tiada niat menjatuhkan marwah,
Tiada niat menyakiti,
Hanya luahan dari hati ke hati.

Ada faham?

Nukilan: Cekadak Dalam Semak , Ramadhan 1430

25th Anniversary Celebrated!

2009-09-10T01:19:00.005+08:00

........may Allah swt grant us tranquility, happiness, good health and many years ahead...amin

25 red roses signifying 25 years of married life

Late dinner after iftar as I was working at night

_____________________________________________________________________

The Morning We Sent Sofi (2 am)

__________________________________________________________________

Our Annual BBQ, this time at the balcony

Our compulsory dish: bbq-ed chicken and lamb with coleslaw

Mashed potato . grilled salmon

The hanging ornaments

Desperate Measures To Prevent Homesickness

2009-09-03T10:39:00.004+08:00

Sofi has gone back, back to the land of perestroika, back to where she resides for the past 4 years. The land of freezing , harsh winter where they need to seal the hostel windows or the unforgiving cold air will bite you to the bone. Her seven weeks at home was filled with many memorable things but can never satiate her. The last few days when the dreaded packing time came, she began her legendary must-do , that is to stuff her luggage to the bursting seams! But this time, she is committing the crime on Sarah’s red bag as she had busted her old bag, enough!

You see, Sofi has this weakness of trying to bring her whole room , if not the whole of Malaysia back to Russia! She desperately wants to be at ‘home’ there. Half of her luggage is jammed with sundries as she overloads it with stuffs she deemed necessary for her daily cooking there. She even staved in kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass, enough to quench her tomyam longing for few months, I should say. Whatever she finds on the supermarket shelves that incites her culinary instincts, she’d buy for that ‘what if I need it then?’ occasions. There’s more to this. Believe it or not, she has posted 2 boxes of these cooking goods via sea (submarine as the post-lady had jested) which will arrive in perhaps two months , just in time for her grocery replenishing.

Of course, the other portion of the poor bag is brimmed up with piles of books. As Volgograd has limited bookstores that sell English books, she naturally has to stock up a sufficient supply of fictions or not, to keep her sanity going.

By the way, she managed to pull through during baggage check-in in KLIA. Alhamdulillah the check in lady was extremely nice. After leveling out things between her hand and check in luggage, everything was fine, until she reached Moscow for internal flight to Volgograd. The strict Russians are as unforgiving as their harsh winter. She was charged few hundred roubles for excess baggage.

This weekend, it’s Muhammad’s turn to fly back. As Muhammad is a firm believer of traveling light, we would expect less hassle from him, insyallah. Meanwhile, Sarah is ‘basking’ in house-work and endless errands (plus taking care of my ailing FIL), till she starts work.

To all my kids, may all of you have a successful year ahead filled with Allah’s blessings. Amin.

WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW THE REASONS WHY.......

2009-07-16T20:16:00.002+08:00

A funny thing happened the other day and it opened my eyes wide and made me realize how naïve some non muslims can be when it comes to basic rulings in Islam. As our hair (my daughters and I) needed trimming badly after months of not visiting the hair-salon, I called my favorite hair-stylist to arrange an appointment. After agreeing on date and time, I managed to request for the back room to avoid meeting possible male customers.

However her reciprocated comments made me laugh. “Oh tapi ada dua male colleagues yang akan masuk bilik itu untuk ambil barang. Tapi you jangan risau. Mereka tak apa punya. Mereka tak kacau you.” Masyallah! What was she thinking? That I was worried that males who sat eyes on my hair will start to harass me or something? That I am so self-conscious ~~perasan~~ to even think that other men would ogle at my plain hair? I retorted with a giggle, telling her that I can’t show my hair to any ajnabi men regardless of his implicit intentions or not, if he does see it. Thus she sat another time, a date when the 2 male colleagues are not working. Good I thought, she understood.

So on the appointed time and date, we sauntered into the salon, straight to the back room. After a cheerful greeting, August (not her actual name but hers is also after a month of the year, the fourth in fact, ) said this in her chirpy voice, “ So siapa yang tak mahu lelaki lihat rambut dia?” addressing my daughters and I , nonchalantly. I almost blurted out in jest, “Only me. The rest are young and available so it’s ok for them”.

On a similar note, my daughters live in a hostel that allows male students to enter the female premise. Thus each time, a male student ‘intrude’, the muslim girls would run back to their rooms to cover themselves. Once an elderly technician ( a local Russian guy who knows nothing of Islamic rulings I guess) came in and was mystified to find the girls running helter skelter as he ambled through the floor. Baffled, he was given an even more bewildering answer by a male student who managed to pull his legs. “You are not allowed to see them without their cover or you will be forced to marry them!” The next time he came in and accidentally bumped into the girls, he immediately closed his eyes with his hands and shouted out that he didn’t see anyone! Talk about forced marriages!!

WHEN TIME FLIES ...

2009-06-28T11:46:00.006+08:00

Do you know that with technology, the world is revolving faster? Technically, that is. Just think of hand phones. Skeptics would have rebuked the idea of hand phones becoming a necessity, say, 20 years ago. But just look around today and you’ll find that almost everyone owns/uses a mobile phone, except for my dad, who has one but refuse to utilize it personally but would relegate my mom to do so when the need arises. Even my dad in law who is a staunch proponent of living without a hand phone has converted albeit using it for ~~kebun randezvous~~ emergencies only.

Why the contradiction? That people can do without hand phones just merely 20 years ago and today, they would act like a fish out of water if they don’t own one? It’s simply because once communication becomes easy and fast, you’ll be left behind if you don’t get in the ~~confusion~~ bandwagon. If you need to settle a business transaction outside you make an instant mobile phone call. You need to see someone, you call them immediately without the need to get back indoors. You need to make a crucial decision, you call those who are concerned a.s.a.p.

Imagine years ago when hand phones were still luxury items. A business deal might take days as you keep on missing to get the important person online at the needed moment. A person who is late for an appointment can’t redeem himself by making an impromptu phone call telling them of his tardiness as he weaves through the traffic. By the time he arrives, the people whom he was supposed to meet must already be seething with angst. By then, it’ll be too late for even a basketful of apologies or a thousand kow tows.

Thus, an item which was deemed a luxury and of no desirable need, whatsoever or even perhaps considered as an evil tool, is now taken as a plain necessity, ranking near your clothing obligations. Nowadays, the first thing you check as you enter the car is your dear hand phones, making sure you haven’t left them perched on the table in the house, ringing relentlessly as others try to get hold of you.

With the advent of telecommunication technology, computers, handsets, wireless, etc, things are done manifolds faster and easier. It’s no wonder you find time flies at a ridiculous rate today. I feel as though I just celebrated Syawal yesterday, and now Ramadhan is nearing!

It’s as though we are slowly entering into a new dimension, perhaps a different realm, where time takes hold a different meaning and concept. So Einstein was correct eh?

'Btw, my daughter Sarah just graduated last Friday. ALhamdulillah.

THE AWESOME FIREFLIES OF YAH YAH

2009-06-15T12:42:00.001+08:00

Sundays are supposed to be my rest day, right? Wrong. In essence, Sundays can be one of my busiest days compared to my working days. Take yesterday for instance, I was literally up and about on my feet on a non-stop phase. That is despite the fact that I am down with pharyngitis and rhinorrhea.

From the word go, I was timing my schedule to prevent my chores from overlapping. After managing the laundry, feeding the cats which are exploding in population, I had a quick breakfast with Maman outside. Sent him back and rushed for an overdue appointment at the bali spa for a much, much needed full body massage.

After 1 and half hours of body kneading and untying of knotted muscles, I rushed to a staff’s wedding in Balok, stag, as Maman refused to go and Long was at work. I gobbled up a small portion of white rice with some acar and beef curry in a jiffy, albeit in a polite manner of course. After small talks with the host, I left the function, making it one of my record wedding attendance, approximately 15 minutes at the most.

Zoomed back home, prayed zohor and started out with Maman to Kerteh to fetch Long. Also making it an opportunity for a family outing on the last leg of maman’s ending school hols. Traffic was heavy as everyone was probably like us, trying to make best of the last day of the school vacation, i.e. galavanting out

Waited for Long who still had several patients to wrap up plus one chap who had chest discomfort, walking comfortably in not at all looking like someone with angina whatsoever. He even made a passing statement that it was just dyspepsia but demanded an ECG anyway. By the way Maman was sleeping through out in the car, an after effect of 3 days skulking till the wee hours of morning with his friends in his room!
Despite telling Long that I have a skype conference Aqidah class at 8pm, he planned an impromptu detour to Ibuk to see the fireflies, assuring me that I will be in time for the online class. After maghrib prayers in Ibuk, we drove further to the said place by a bridge, near a river. A place with a name that tickled us pink: Yah Yah (kelip kelip). Initially, we couldn’t discern any fireflies in the vicinity. Disappointed, we almost headed out but Long made a last effort by turning back to the other side of the bridge.

Squinting hard in the pitch dark, Maman noted some blinking objects darting about in the trees. After a while, we started to appreciate hundreds of them roaming like fairies transforming the whole bakau area into an after dark fairyland or something. One tree looked like an ornamented Christmas tree, only this tree is not a fir tree and the season is so hot to be reckoned with santa and his rein deers at all!

While Long and Maman grappled with difficulty to snap the breathtaking sight of glittering flying bugs, I was back in the car, assembling my laptop and wifi, praying hard that my ‘berukband’ can pick up some signals there in Yah Yah (kelip kelip). It was almost 8 pm and Ustadha will be calling everyone soon! I was praying hard that I won’t miss the class this time. Oh ‘berukband’ please give me some signal, even a teeny weeny bit so that I can hear ustadha’s soothing voice, please.
Anyway, to cut the story short, the berukband had failed me again. What do I expect?? If it can’t even give me good signals in town, should I expect even a tinkle in Yah Yah?? Fat hope! All the way to Kemaman, I tried frantically to connect to Skype but nothing. Even sister Fazila Hanis who is in the class too was unSkypeable. Once in the middle of Kemaman, Long stopped the car and left me to catch up with half hour left of the class. Alhamdulillah

My vow: do not agree to go anywhere if I am scheduled for a class. Not even for the gorgeous fireflies of Yah Yah!!!

AntiHypertensive Drugs As Supplements???

2009-06-03T12:50:00.003+08:00

May 28, 2009 — Blood-pressure-lowering drugs should be offered to everyone, regardless of their blood pressure level, as a safeguard against coronary heart disease and stroke, researchers who conducted a meta-analysis of 147 randomized trials (comprising 958,000 people) conclude in the May 19 issue of BMJ [1].

Imagine the avalanche after this!! Drug companies will start making more antihypertensive drugs and pushing us to start prescribing them like vitamins!

Looking back, prescribing drugs in modern medicine has been a dynamic process through the years, especially the past few decades to be exact. For example at one time it was wrong to give patients with congestive cardiac failure, beta-blockers, as the negative inotropic effect will worsen the pump failure. However nowadays, beta-blockers are routinely given for ischemic heart disease patients even though their heart may already be in a state of failure.

Decades ago, many physicians would have raised their eye-brows should they hear of how we routinely prescribe anti-clotting drugs like aspirin to all moderate to high-risk patients with hypertension /diabetes. Today, the more aggressive physicians are starting anti-clotting or anti-platelets even much earlier in even low risk patients. They would even start on 2 or 3 anti-hypertensive drugs straight away to bring the blood pressure down to 130/80 and below. All these in the aim of preventing cardiovascular events namely ischemic heart attacks and stroke.

But starting a normotensive person with antihypertensive medication?? That would be a great paradigm shift in medicine. I doubt it will ever take place but in decades to come when life becomes more complicated and fast, taking antihypertensive drugs would probably be the norm. Allahu’alam.

2009-04-12T23:52:00.007+08:00

This is a double dedication to my hubby and daughter Sofi. Happy Birthday! May Allah swt bless you with good health and all the goodness in this life and guide you always! Ameen!

With love.

MESMERIZING LANGKAWI

2009-03-22T22:45:00.010+08:00

The Breeze yang cantik

I was lucky to be given another stay at Westin, Langkawi this year, earlier this month. I don’t know if any of you have stayed there before but I simply think that place has got all what a good resort takes. We brought Maman and Aliah along since both have never been to the breathtaking island.

When we were busy attending the medical seminar, Maman took the opportunity to go for a photography outing alone on foot , first on the hotel grounds, later to the town of Kuah till he was drenched in his own sweat that when he returned to the hotel room, his shoes emitted a foul odor that we had almost asked him to park them outside! Anyway it was simply worthwhile! Just look at his photos. Aliah? Well, she preferred to stay indoors. What a shame eh?

The most memorable bit of this trip was our round of Kilim Geoforest Park. When we first started off in the boat we had this naive impression that it was going to be a peaceful balmy ride. The first leg was an area where they feed the eagles with chicken parts, I think. The eagles would make graceful swoop to snatch the food with their legs and immediately bring it to their mouth. These eagles are doing this everyday for the visitors that they seemed to be acting out a show.

Lang-lang yang sungguh keletah menunjuk aksi-aksi terbang yang mengasyikkan

After that it was a very slow ride through the swampy area that I almost asked the boat-man to speed it up. I even imitated my nephew Imran’s voice saying, “Daddy, please make the boat go faster!” But the boat-man seemed not to hear or perhaps saving the last laugh for himself! It was such a slow ride, that Aliah asked permission if she could lie down and sleep!!

Next , there were several interesting stops. We entered a cave as the river tunneled through the Gua Buaya. We chanced no crocs nor spiders there, unfortunately (or fortunately!) Later we passed several moored yachts. We stopped at a jetty that housed many types of deep sea fish and we were given explanations by English speaking local boys! Imagine the look on Aliah’s face when she heard them rattle away in English with deep malay accent to the foreigners! Tabik habis!

Lastly we entered Gua Kelawar and saw what else but bats hanging upside down in deep siesta. We had to pay 1 rm each or something so that the person in charge can shine a torch and show us the way. She however abandoned us halfway excusing herself saying that she needed to go back already! We almost lost our way on the way back!

Finally, we headed back to where we started. This time the boat-man took the sea route bypassing the nooks and crannies of the swamp. When he told us to put on the life-jackets, I sensed some apprehension from everyone. As we reached the river mouth towards the sea, the view was simply exhilarating! However, that was when he decided to speed up the boat and each time it crashed a wave, we went several feet up! The only thing that I could hold on to was the boat’s metal frame that held the roof. And guess what? As we were crashing up and down, I felt that the frame was getting loose and shaky! It was so frightening that I bent forward towards Maman. My wild thoughts went, “what if…?”

See what I mean??

In sheer terror!

A moored yacht

When we finally arrived at the jetty, I was fully drenched with the splashed sea-water. Boy, was I glad to have my feet back on solid dry ground!

TABUNG GAZA

2009-02-27T00:00:00.003+08:00

Long Sleeve XL, L, M, S (American Size)
Harga: 27 rm
Kain lacoste

Back

Short Sleeve XXL, XL, L, M, S (American size)
Harga 25rm
Kain lacoste

Membeli sambil menderma kepada Tabung Gaza. Siapa yang berminat, sila email kepada:

drroza2004@yahoo.com

2009-02-16T08:32:00.003+08:00

Photo courtesy of Muhammad Ibrahim a.k.a. Momad . Click here to see more photos

WE WILL NOT GO DOWN

2009-01-22T08:07:00.000+08:00

ACTIONS

2009-01-21T08:18:00.003+08:00

Luqman has been earnest regarding the Palestine's War. He has,

1) Sold sushi to his school mates and donated profits to Tabung Palestin

2) Put up posters of products to boycott

3) Continued to not eating related fast-food

4) Designing T shirts to campaign for Palestine and to donate the profit to Tabung Palestin.

And Queen of the House related that her small son has already succeeded to not watching Disney channels and eating related fast food for more than a week. Bravo!

THE TEARS OF MUHARRAM

2009-01-07T08:21:00.002+08:00

The cruel oppression by the Zionists towards Palestine has become so mundane that each time a new invasion occurs, many would shrug the news off as apparently we are helpless in preventing the Israelis from attacking the Palestinians. For people like us, our best effort would be to offer earnest prayers for them.

This time, to me, the most affected person is my youngest son, Luqman. We were watching the shocking TV news about the terrifying air raids and bombings of innocent citizens of Palestines especially the defenseless children, when we saw Luqman became teary eyed and embarrassingly trying to wipe his red eyes. Not suspecting that he was genuinely moved by the news, my sister in law asked him what the matter was. In great emotion he related that he felt greatly for the Palestinians and their continuous predicaments. He took quite sometime to recover.

Few days later, whilst having breakfast, I pored over the Star which depicted a picture of a great explosion almost like an atomic catastrophy. It was another bombing of the Palestine, another sad day for them. With diligent interest, Luqman pulled the paper closer and perused the front page. Immediately, his face turned grim and red and tears welled up. He ate his breakfast quietly probably feeling sorry for the poor Palestinians who probably don’t have even a morsel to satisfy their hunger. After breakfast we had to attend an aqad nikah where hubby and Luqman were the official photographers. When Luqman refused to eat the delicious buffet spread, we knew his morose was deep.

Yesterday, I was sending him to school when I turned on the radio. Incidentally the news was being read and it was about the atrocities inflicted by the Israel towards the Palestinians. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Luqman wiping his eyes with his hands and off and on, I heard soft sniffles from him. I was debating within myself whether to change channels as I don’t want him starting his first day at school with a heavy heart. I decided that his profound empathy may appear excessive to some but non the less, it is a good character building block, rarely found in others.

There are so many plausible reasons on why he is greatly affected by the unfortunate war in Palestine. Perhaps he is sad that nothing concrete can be done to help them. Perhaps he is frustrated that we are still free to conduct our daily routines with carefree attitude whilst the Palestinians are fighting for their lives. Above all, he must be exasperated that the muslims throughout the world are never united in the Palestinian cause or for any cause for that matter.

Luqman, I hope that you would nurture this goodwill compassion of yours and let it grow within you and may someday you become a great and just leader of some sort who would protect his people from any kind of war. Ameen.

*TODAY IS THE 10th of Muharram. Sofi wrote about it here.

THE RELUCTANT TRAVELER

2009-01-02T07:59:00.008+08:00

View from resort

Breakfast on the open deck

Sunset & silhouette : Taiping town below

Enjoying the cool ambiance

motion sick

See the hairpin bend

We recently went up north to visit a friend. On the way down, we detoured to Taiping and scaled up Maxwell Hill or Bukit Larut. Now, Maxwell is unlike the other hill stations like Cameron or Fraser’s. It only has a single road system that has to be alternately divided between those going up and down as the route is narrow and steep with sharp hair-pin bends. To avoid chaos, only government Jeeps are allowed to maneuver the road driven by their seasoned drivers who negotiated the gut-wrenching bends like pro F1 drivers.

My daughter, Aliah is never into such nature trips. She hates the long car rides as she is being plagued by a bad case of motion sickness as I am too. Anticipating a grueling ride up, we both took a tab of Stemetil each. Sitting in the mid section of the Defender Jeep, we braced ourselves, praying for a safe and uneventful journey. As the jeep started moving, another stationary jeep was almost blocking our path in front. Instead of stopping, the driver slowly inched to the left, perhaps missing the drain by a few millimeters! We looked at each other, rolling our eyeballs, least suspecting that we were going to face with more precarious situations ahead!

After a few hundred meters up front, we encountered the first sharp bend, which made everyone go, “Uh Oh…” and started holding on to our seats with the strongest grip that can beat any adhesion glue, be it UHU or Gam Gajah. I’ll explain why. You see, the bend was not only acute, it was also steep at the same time, thus the driver had to accelerate as he took the sharp corner to prevent the vehicle from slipping back! Imagine! So you could envisage how we went swaying left and right every few seconds, holding to our dear lives! By then, we, the vestibular challenged ones, only dared look ahead as all other views especially down the ravines and gorges would initiate a cascade of events resulting with a pool of stomach contents on our lap!

By then, Aliah was putting on a face that obviously said “Why do you have to torture me this way?” She was changing positions every few seconds (macam kucing nak beranak, the malay says) in an effort to reduce the uncomfortable sensation, putting her head on my shoulder, on my lap or the seat in front. After 30 minutes, we finally reached our cottage called Cendana Hut. The view up there was simply breathtaking. Together with the cold misty atmosphere, the huge pine trees facing the cottage, created a faux ambiance of being in Switzerland (not that I’ve been there!) or somewhere similar!

The rooms however had the distinctive musty odor that was probably unavoidable due to the high humid atmosphere. Aliah was scrunching her nostrils as she entered the room and upon inspecting the bathroom, her bad suspicions came true. The toilet was fairly clean but with old tiles that gave it a rather sad outlook. By this time, Aliah was counting the hours to go home!

By evening it was raining heavily (hey! Didn’t we learn that Bukit Larut receives the most rain in Malaysia and that it rains almost everyday here?!) and we had to do the inevitable, i.e. sitting together in the big living room, drinking hot coffee, chatting or watching….discovery channel on ASTRO!!!! When it stopped pouring, we went for a stroll and the guys went photo shooting of birds, spiders and sceneries. The sunset was amazingly beautiful as the bright red hue filled the horizon that draped the whole of Taiping and watching it from on top of Maxwell Hill was even more exhilarating!

Having dinner and breakfast on the open wide deck that offered a panoramic view of the wide horizon across with Taiping town far below and luscious green forest all around, was undeniably an unforgettable experience. The peaceful surrounding of singing birds and chirping crickets is a definite balm for busy town people and saves trips to the shrink!

As night set in, the temperature dropped further and Aliah who can’t tolerate cold weather well, became more exasperated. She even made a comical statement, “Kat sini sejuk sangat sampai sakit hati!” “The weather here is so cold that I get heartache!” In that case, I told her that she won’t be a good candidate to study abroad in places like Volgograd where Sarah and Sofi are studying. Sofi said that the temperature there can go as low as -30 C and the heater doesn’t work so well either!

Going down the next day wasn’t as bad and we could enjoy the exuberant green view better. It was really a nice trip despite the few setbacks. Even though Aliah has vowed not to return, I might, insyallah!

SOLDERING FAMILY TIES

2008-12-11T22:59:00.000+08:00

Since getting married and living in the east coast, plus a job that involves awkward working schedules, attending family occasions like weddings, engagements, births etc have been almost impossible. Thus, I have been lagging in many things pertaining to my parents’ side of family, so much so, I can’t recognize almost half of the young faces that I mingle with in family ado. Thanks to Geni, at least I now know who is who, how many kids and grandchildren (yes, some are promoted as grandparents now!) my cousins have and from their avatars, I can put faces into memory, unless they opt to put caricatures or even disguise as Donny Osmond, like some do!

The recent Eidul Adha visits proved to be a ritualistic practice, especially for my mum. The typical route would begin at Mak Cha’s house and followed by Mak Kintan’s. The next house would be anyone’s guess, for it depends on impromptu suggestions and the best lobbied option wins. Usually the bandwagon would pick up size at Mak Cha’s where Mak Lah and her cohort (this time it was Abang Hamzah’s and Hamdan’s families) join in.

At Mak Cha’s we got to meet Kak Ah and Abang Chot with some of their many off springs (lost count). Ironically I used to call Abang Chot , Uncle Chot due to unclear reasons, hehe. What I remember well about this great couple goes back to umpteenth years ago when they were two carefree hippies, traveling together during their semester breaks, stopping by at our house in JB. Those were their flower power days! Though they are no more proponents of such carefree life, their big happy family is testimony of those days.

Kak Jah was as matronly as ever, serving us with the pot-luck spread. She has been a permanent member of Kak An’s family, taking care of their family needs, since long ago, thus you will notice that all her comments carry Kak An’s and Abg Duan’s names as well. Unfortunately, as we were tad too late, we missed Kak An’s family.

Mak Cha and Mak Kintan are both amongst the oldest living family member and it’s good to see them both well albeit the usual health impediments.

After Mak Kintan’s , Mak Lah who is well known for her persuading powers, lured us to Abang Harith’s abode. Abang Harith was his usual blunt bantering self, making comical and sarcastic remarks that would put any stand-up comedian to shame! His wife, Sharifah, is a cat lover with a capital L. All her priced long haired feline kin are being kept in the master’s bed-room and Abang Harith allegedly claimed that he sleeps with them with no qualms at all! Abang Harith, you sure have come a long way, brother! :p. As for Sharifah, you should appear in Katztales column of The Star any time!

I hope to be able to meet more kin in the next family occasion, a wedding perhaps? Hmmm…Dilla?

THE PASSING OF A DEAR GRANDMOTHER

2008-12-02T07:37:00.000+08:00

Tok Muar. That was the name she was fondly known to us. A woman who was full of grit and determination in the inside but exuded calmness on the exterior. She was 90 when she passed away last Sunday morning after a short spell of ill health. My family and I were on our way down to visit her when we received a call telling us that Tok had passed away at 9 am. It was fated that I was not to see her in the near hours before her death. I last saw her last raya and she was her usual old self, full of her bantering antics. Among her favorite phrases were “datanglah lagi jenguk tok kalau tok tak mati lagi” (come and visit me again, if I am not dead yet) and “tok dah tua tapi tak mati2” (I am old but still not dead).

Undeniably, Tok was loved by everyone around her, especially her grandchildren. Old age had caused her to be bent over with fragile bones that had twice fractured in her hip joints and her eye sight too had betrayed her. Did all these hamper her? No. In fact when she broke her hip bones, unlike many others with the same predicament, she recovered and even started to walk and be mobile again, albeit with a limping gait. Her grandchildren simply adore her because, despite all her health difficulties, she still made an effort to enquire about everyone’s wellbeing and latest development. Most importantly, she had an elephant’s memory that enabled her to recall and narrate to us salient details about everyone’s development. In short, she showed that she cared about us and this was pertinent in her effort to remember all the explicit details.

She had only met with my former maid once, but she never failed to ask me about her, each time we met, specifically mentioning her name. She remembered the places where each and every one of my children is studying without faltering. She could remember details of events that could even put us the younger ones to shame. Even at her death bed, when she was asking for me, she managed to rattle that Azmi had gone for a second treatment but this time it was non invasive. Imagine!

Tok was indeed a pious person but she never made it obvious. In her quiet moments, I would see her lips reciting softly the dzikir and her fingers would fervently move the worry-beads. She never failed to start her ‘puasa enam’ (non-obligatory fasting) at day 2 of raya which we would only attempt after the first week. And I am sure that she regularly did her supererogatory night prayers too.

The last thing I could do to show my deep respect and love for her before her burial was to help in the ‘washing/bathing’ of her body. Incidentally I was the one to hold her head in place, each time they maneuver her and I am honoured. She appeared to be very peaceful. Insyallah, one of the things we, the living ones can do now is to pray for her soul.

Tok, even though we seldom visited you, due to distant and time constraint, you are always dear to our hearts. We will always remember you as a caring grandmother with a big heart. For some of us who couldn’t make it at your death bed, we apologize but you know we love you….as I write this, I can still recall your warm voice , your loving words and your smile….may all these memories be etched eternally…May Allah swt place you amongst His loved ones….Ameen Ya Rabbal al Ameen

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

2008-10-23T12:00:00.000+08:00

I just hate going to formal high profile functions with the presence of royalties and dignitaries. Not that I get invited to such ado that often but these functions often requires you to be more meticulous in your preparation i.e. what you wear and what you give. So when we were invited to the MB’s son wedding last Saturday, we were a bit hesitant. You see, Saturday is a normal day work for me and having no maid, I had to iron our clothes, last minute. As the dressing code demands that hubby wear the traditional baju melayu, I dug out his recent raya’s beige baju melayu to press. Whilst ironing, I noticed that the baju had crinkled and shrunk and it struck me that the material, bought by mak had to be dry-cleaned instead! It was already 6pm and we had to be there before 8! Next option was his black baju melayu which was still in good condition. After 15 minutes of hard labor, hubby decided against wearing it, saying that it was inappropriate to wear black to a wedding, especially when the bride is Chinese! His next best baju melayu is purple in color and it will definitely clash with my turquoise baju kurung, also a recent raya’s outfit. (notice that we don’t make outfits especially for a function like some do). So finally, I had to concede and wear something more subdued that went along with a purple tudung, thus matching with his purple baju. Imagine, we had to iron 3 baju melayu just for that lone occasion!

Now, buying presents for the rich is always tricky!! If you buy them cheap stuffs, they can’t appreciate and your presents might end up in the dumps or in the servants’ quarters. So you end up buying less expensive presents for the less-to-do and dearer goods for the rich. Ironic isn’t it? This brings me to a cartoon strip I once saw in Mad magazine. It was depicting a newly wed couple unwrapping their wedding presents when they came upon a gift from an old aunt, a cheap tea-pot. Sniffling and giggling at the present with one hand pinching their nostrils, they threw it into the bin. The next strip showed a vagabond, whilst rummaging the dumps, chanced upon the tea-pot and found big cash in it!

Since hubby is active in several NGOs, attending the wedding was almost an obligation. Furthermore, my eldest daughter is a good friend of one of the MB’s daughters, thus the task got easier when we saw familiar faces amongst the hosts. Anticipating heavy traffic and massive jams, we decided to drive our kelisa, with plans of parking by the road-side and walking all the way. However when we arrived at the junction to the hall, the coast was clear that hubby spontaneously drove inwards towards the grand entrance. Imagine a kelisa cruising alongside the other big cars. Whilst the big motors chose to make a grand entrance into the porch and employ the valet service, we headed for the parking space straight, meekly.

Needless to say, the wedding was grand, yet not lavish as compared to some. The decorations were simple but sweet and elegant. No expensive live imported roses lining the aisle or tables. Even the guests’ tokens were not extravagant and yet still had good memento value. The guest line-up was however something else. Never before have I had the opportunity to be in the same vicinity with this great number of dignitaries! Besides the Sultan and his whole family members, there were DPM and wife, Hishamuddin and wife, Hamid Albar and wife, Rais Yatim and wife, JJ , plus several other ministers and deputies. Ex political figures like Anuar Musa and wife were also present. A surprising guest was Khalid Ibrahim and wife. Both the MBs probably came a long way before, thus, even differences in political views could not break their ties.

As purported always, the wives came dressed up to the hilt. I am truly tempted to write a detailed description of some of them who appeared even weirder in person but the idea of being sent to Kemunting, refrained me. Suffice to say that whatever they donned must be expensive and probably are worn only once. I have no inkling to what they do to these clothes after the occasion. They are probably sold as second hands but for some with disproportioned figures (read: short/rotund), their clothes, I guess, will end up like our poor Trajet after the accident, which was claimed as total loss and sold in bits and pieces as spare parts!

For the first time I was able to see Siti Nurhaliza and the infamous Datuk K, close-up. Siti actually has a petite figure and looked so demure. Seeing her sitting next to Datuk K, I can’t help feeling sorry for her with all the gossips that shroud her mysterious marriage. Undoubtedly she is a good songstress. When she belted out several numbers during the reception, one can’t help praising her voice.

We both thought that the MB had given a good rousing speech. In fact he choked and had to pause several times, controlling his emotions. He welcomed his new daughter in law and her family into the family and hoped for better inter-racial ties. Most importantly, he advised them to be responsible for each other and for his son to guide his newly converted wife.

Congratulations to the MB and his family. For sure, their family tree will look similar to ours now. Colorful!

OUR FAMILY TREE

2008-10-14T15:06:00.003+08:00

THEN.......

Maman and Qistina 12 years ago at Kampar, attending Pang5's wedding

NOW.....

Maman, 15yrs old

Qistina, 14 yrs old

Only quite recently that I realized mak is fairly annoyed that my kids call her ‘tok ampang’. She quipped with much irritation, “apasal lah awak mesti panggil kita tok ampang? Lepas tu panggil kuat-kuat kat shopping mall pulak tu!”. “Why must you call me with that name and embarrassing me in a large crowd at the mall?” We can’t help but laugh at poor mak with her slight, yet painful predicament.

You see, to differentiate between the two grandmas we had to assign these matriarchal figures, names according to the places they hail from. Thus, as mak was and is still living in Ampang, Tok Ampang aptly became her calling name. And my late mom in law was Tok Kuantan. They may sound crude but we were never into calling their real names with tok prefixes in front. Furthermore, my mom is known as Yon and ‘Tok Yon’ sounded comical, reminding us of the small and bald, bluish green mischievous apparitions.

No wonder, mak was quick to demand the rest of her grandkids from my other sisters to call her ‘mak tok’ which sounded more civilized to her, at least. Ironically we had no such problem with the grandpas. My dad goes by the simple name of Tok Mat, yet my kids still find him stern and a no nonsense figure. And my father in law is plain Aki to them. Even though Aki is easygoing, he can sometimes be sharp tongued and you wouldn’t want to be in his bad books!

Whilst adding relatives’ profiles in the Geni family tree website, my hubby can’t remember his brother-in-law’s mother’s name. So he just named her ‘Mak Geng’. Tok Geng is a fond name their grandchildren gave them as grandpa is a jovial chap who loves teasing his grandkids making them refuse to befriend him and he would jokingly say, “tak nak geng ek?’. Thus the name stuck. At least we can boast that we are related to a mafia clan or so it seems!

Now that I have mentioned about Geni, our family tree is growing wild like fire in the forest! (pardon the pun!). The shoots are sprouting eagerly and the branches are extending as though the roots are being doused with a mega dose of organic fertilizer! Since our last raya visit at grandma’s place in Muar, we were able to add several generations up and down the tree, after much digging and revving of info from our aunt, Kak Uchu. Notice the paradox here, how an aunt is considered a sister? Well, you see, my side of the family is also never so much into calling people according to their ranks in the family. Age is more of the essence. As Kak Uchu who should have been Mak Uchu is the youngest and relative young back then, OG and I, (or is it Kak Uchu herself ? hehe) felt more comfortable calling her as such.

Unlike my hubby’s side, who sticks to the proper name-calling hierarchy, an aunty gets the prefix Mak even though she may be years younger than you! Thus, Mazyah becomes Aunty Mazyah when she married Pak Man even though she is more than 10 years younger than us. And Farah who is hubby’s cousin is called Aunty Farah by my kids even though they are of the same age!

When we started Geni, hubby’s tree was much bigger to begin with as he had already recorded his genealogical lineage, several ancestral tiers up, few years ago. So when OG and I recently shifted gear and accelerated at full speed, we had already out done his side. Together, we had a good time bantering as we see the plus numbers escalating and overtaking his. OG even had the cheek to text us this, when were on our back home, “Where are you guys? Stopping by in Temerloh to search for 50 more relatives eh?”

Our Geni tree is so colorful in the true sense. Half of OG’s tree is Chinese, from her hubby’s side which incidentally was the initiator of this whole thing. Half of mak’s tree should have been of Chinese roots as well but we are not able to trace them yet, so we consider mak’s adopted family as our own and we are proud of it, needless to say! My hubby’s side of the tree is just as colorful if not more. With a Panglima as a great grandfather who fought for the Sultan and married an ex-wife of Mat Kilau the warrior giving rise to this particular lineage, who would agree less? And if you look deeper into the branches, you’d see that Tun Khalil Yaakob who will bestow Shah Rukh Khan with a controversial datukship, is actually hubby’s cousin twice removed, or is it thrice?

Strangely, this family tree thingy has sort of brought us back together, never mind that it’s only virtually. Some have not met in years but are able to communicate again. Who knows, maybe this tree would merge with Bush on the left and Obama on the right. Nothing is impossible!

'TIS THE SEASON OF FORGIVING

2008-10-05T16:06:00.003+08:00

Serious............then....

Saturday night fever set in.....

With Mak and my sis OG at cousin's place

EID MUBARAK

2008-09-30T07:56:00.003+08:00

If for any reason you need cheering up, read this.

Eid Mubarak everyone and may the recent Ramadhan fulfilled your criteria of a blissful month of ibadah, insyallah.

SPOOF, THIS!

2008-09-10T08:01:00.006+08:00

Last night my sis in Beijing called regarding a maths question. Her eldest 14 year old daughter, who is in an international school there follows the IB method of learning and is already cracking her head on trigonometry, high algebra, geometry, etc.

Her e mail:

Study the following 5 statements:

1. Spoof is the set of all purrs
2. Spoof contains at least 2 distinct purrs
3. Every lilt is a set of purrs and contains at least 2 distinct purrs
4. If A and B are any 2 distinct purrs, there is one & only one lilt that contains them
5. No lilt contains all the purrs

Question:

a. Show that the following statement is true - There are at least 3 lilts.

b. If the lilt "girt" contains the purr "pil" and the purr "til" and if the lilt "mirt" contains the purr "pil" and the purr "til" then the lilt "girt" is the same as the lilt "mirt" except in one case. What is the case?

Pls do not hesitate to contact me when u have solve the above problem :)

My reply was:

Are u sure this is geometry? Sounds like a therapy session between a psychiatrist and his manic-depressive patient who is in a manic phase and having one of his grandiose delusion of being Avicenna, Newton and Thomas Edison all put together!!

That is why the problem is unsolvable! Impossible, I tell you! Forget about girt, pil and til, even the first question is not possible! If spoof is a set of all purrs and contains at least 2 distinct purrs and every lilt contains at least 2 distinct purrs A and B, then the minimal number of lilts would be 2 and not 3!

Are you sure there wasn't any typing error or something?

Anyway, I bet this was a trick question, that is why the set was called Spoof!! hehe

Btw, try giving this to Obama or Hilary. No, don't give it to McCain. Definitely not to Bush! Forget P*****h, he'll doze off the minute he gets to the second question!

Her reply:

Thnx (at least u attempted to read the question ....Palin material)...but no thnx for not coming up w the aswer (definitely Dr M qualities....shrug off the immateriality, impossibility, stupidity of the question & try & get other lesser of kretins to attempt the question)...whatever the case thanks for even reading the question. I think u may hv open up my brain cells to come w the answer.

There are no typo errors...But there are at least 3 lilts - 1st lilt is the spoof with any purrs, 2nd lilt is the spoof w 2 distinct purrs & 3rd lilt is the one & only that contains A&B distinct purrs. So min must be at least 3 lilts since every lilt is a set of purrs. Nxt question I will pass to either to Samy Velu or LL Sik

I hope today Nina doesn't come back w any Bio or physics questions...I'm dead. Meng better come back frm Houston quickly.

My reply:

You said :
there are at least 3 lilts - 1st lilt is the spoof with any purrs, 2nd lilt is the spoof w 2 distinct purrs & 3rd lilt is the one & only that contains A&B distinct purrs.

Now, how can that be? It says in the question that Spoof is the set of all spurs. That means lilt is subset of spoof. Your answer shows otherwise. In that case, this is purely a bad worded question!

Any Maths whizz around??

BACK FOR GOOD, EH???

2008-09-07T07:30:00.006+08:00

I am sure many of us have had the hilarious opportunity to laugh our heads off at many of the atrocious TV subtitles that serve to make us understand (or in this case , get more confused) the ongoing dialogues. Recently I saw a malay TV drama with English subtitles. At one point, the scene was depicting a middle aged lady who just got back from overseas after being away for so long. Of course, after being away in a 'white' land for umpteenth years, she had to mix English phrases in between. She said' I am back for good'. Guess what was the translation below?? 'Saya dah balik untuk kebaikan'.........'gulp'....

On hindsight, making the wrong translation as the actual phrase is also politically or socially correct. What's wrong in making a come back to do good eh? In the spirit of the glorious month of Ramadhan, it has returned again to do us good. To create an environment of perfection for us to emulate in the next 11 months.....

Btw, found this at my sister Rafidah's facebook:

RAMADHAN KAREEM to all! Please make du'a for us during iftar!

To Be Hit By A Ladder After A Fall- (A Malay Proverb)

2008-07-28T14:21:00.005+08:00

This is a sad story of a green car, an MPV in fact that had only managed to render its service for mere 5 years, which can easily be considered short, considering it being a sturdy machine that was still going pretty strong with no major pitfalls. Last unfortunate February, its owner who needed to commute daily to a small town famous for its petrol plants, thought that the car was a bit jerky and sent it for fine tuning to the family mechanic, who, after this sad accident, no longer is the family mechanic. Apparently, the mechanic who was involved with the elections, was not in good shape as he probably had to stay late at night to raise the party flags. He was driving the car along a straight road and suddenly the car veered to the left, fell into a ravine, into a drain and finally hit against a tree. He escaped unscathed and also held no responsibilities whatsoever for the accident.

The car was a wreck. The insurance company decided that it was beyond repair and deemed it a total lost. They will only pay the owner 90% of the sum insured which had greatly depreciated for the last payment. The owner had 2 more years to furnish the car loan. Thus after deducting everything, he is only left with a small sum, enough for the down payment of a new car.

That was 6 months ago. Up till today, the insurance company hasn’t paid up a single Malaysian cent despite endless promises to do so. The bank has demanded the owner to continue paying the loan as the insurance company is keeping mum. So the owner has to continue paying up the loan even though the car is now sadly locked up in a store somewhere, useless.

Lesson learned: avoid subscribing to this particular insurance company!

IT'S OK TO TAKE ROSI!

2008-06-25T14:08:00.009+08:00

Mention ACCORD, ADOPT, DREAM, VADT and RECORD to anyone and chances are many would respond in the negative. These are acronyms for medical trials pertaining to diabetes. For example, ADOPT is actually short for A Diabetes Outcome Progression Trial and ACCORD is Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Study Group.

Last weekend I was in a medical workshop discussing the updates in Diabetes treatment and for two days I was overwhelmed with the above jargons. To ease us of the burden of absorbing all these packed and meticulous information, the drug company responsible was kind enough to hold it in Westin Langkawi, a beautiful spa resort perched on a hill, facing a small bay not far from Kuah Jetty.

Our room

Avandia or Rosiglitazone (or Rosi, as used by some presenters, implying how comfortable they are with the drug now despite the recent controversy that shrouds it) is a fairly recent oral hypoglycemic agent, used to treat Diabetes. Its usage was on the rise and was getting global acceptance, despite its steep pricing, as it is a diabetic drug in a class of its own with a coveted ability of preserving the pancreatic beta cells and it is thus beneficial especially to young type 2 diabetic patients.

At Temurun Waterfalls on the way to Datai Bay

However, last year, someone called Steve Nissen (who has a fitting resemblance to Salman Rushdie), came out with a meta-analysis that gave a shocking conclusion that Avandia gives an increased risk of cardiovascular events. The finding nearly caused Avandia to be taken off the shelf! After rigorous effort, GSK (the drug company that produces Avandia) managed to retain it in the market albeit a caution tag that comes with the label i.e. Avandia is not to be given to patients with a known heart disease.

Essentially the workshop was to impress upon us that the study done by Steve Nissen was seriously flawed and that Avandia is still a safe drug and should be given to especially the young type 2 diabetics as it gives good glycemic control, bringing down the HbA1c to below 7%, besides preserving the beta cells function in the pancreas as well as giving kidney protection in the long run.

Firstly, to begin with, the study was actually a meta-analysis, meaning that it was a retro review of other trials done before and thus to make a major conclusion out of such a study is rather uncalled for. Scrutinizing Steve Nissen’s meta-analysis, we would find numerous flaws. He had looked into 42 trials and out of it, only 2 were big trials i.e. ADOPT and DREAM which consisted of more than a thousand patients. The rest were small trials with more or less 100 patients. Nissen had made ADOPT, DREAM and all the small trials as the 3 arms of the study and for many of his analysis, the p was never significant in the first 2 arms but was compounded when averaged with the 3^rd arm which was the collection of the small trials. To add salt to injury, some of the small trials were not even trials to prove CV events with Avandia but was included nonetheless.

All these prove to show that researchers would go all out to produce journals to attain good resume. However, many a time, these studies are bogged down with many mistakes and weaknesses and if they get published, imagine the impact it will have on us. KKL told me that there was even a published clinical study which was only done on one single rat! Btw, you might be interested to read this published paper. Someone we know is one of the researchers!

One of the available villas.

Nevertheless, it was a very insightful workshop that has enlightened me on many issues. Besides, staying in Westin was a splendid retreat for both iKelah and I, not to mention the endless array of food provided in all the meals. Heavenly experience indeed!

HIS BELCH WAS WORSE THAN HIS MASSAGE!

2008-06-05T15:25:00.002+08:00

Have you noticed the sudden mushrooming of massage spas everywhere? In a mall over here, they charge RM 10 for a ten minutes shoulder rub, RM 50 for 45mins of foot reflexology/massage up to calf area, RM 130 for a full body massage and RM 150 for a body massage plus an extra reflexology of the foot. No, I haven’t tried them though my mom says the foot reflexology is good. The masseurs are all young females imported from Bali. The ambience is typical of a spa salon, dimly lit cubicles with massage beds, aromatic incense burning and subdued soothing music playing in the background, a sure recipe to make anyone doze off in a jiffy. The music? Javanese gamelan of course!

Ask any adult Malaysians and I am sure many will say that they have had at least once being massaged by someone, professional or not. Asian women are renowned for being meticulous in post partum body care especially indulging them selves in daily body massage, several days after giving birth. Their masseurs are typically elderly ladies who incidentally have a common trait amongst them, i.e. the ability to gabble on any topic they deemed fit to sustain a person’s attention as many customers would prefer to lull themselves off to sleep whilst the masseur knead their knotted muscles. Of course, no masseurs would like the idea of working in balmy silence, lest they themselves would nod off too!

Masseurs employ certain style/pattern of kneading the body, slathering their customer with either a traditional minyak urut or for the more affluent ones, aromatic oil or creamy lotion. How do they acquire the skills? Many would typically say that it was simply passed down through the generation in the family but the flamboyant ones would offer intriguing tales of receiving the explicit art of massaging via a dream. Often I’d wonder whether the lesson was gotten all in a single dream or perhaps staggered in a series of dreams that probably stretched in a span of time. Non the less, I’d keep the query to myself, not wanting more barrage of hocus pocus being fed into my ears, as I prefer to relax without engaging in idle conversation.

Once, I was unfortunate to experience a weird kind of massage given by a kampong lady in Sg Bakap. Introduced by a friend and hoping for a good body massage, I was at her disposal. Horrors of all horrors, I had to withstand an hour of pinching actions and being a meek and polite person I am, I endured with great patience! Apparently, her pinching style of massage is good for the tired body. Needless to say, I ended with black and blue pinch marks all over! I did feel better but vowed to never use her service again.

Many traditional malay masseurs who specializes in the female reproductive organs would tell their customers that their pregnant wombs have ‘dropped’ and would do a maneuver to ‘push’ it up again. And each time I have to explain to these patients that their pregnant uterus has got no where to go except to stay put in the pelvis!

Others love to tell their customers that he/she has lots of ‘angin’ in their body and to prove that, they would belch rudely each time they knead your ‘angin’ laden body! Once, I had to accompany hubby to this pakcik masseur who belches incessantly the instant he touches your body. Hubby said that his massage was so mild/ gentle that he hardly felt a thing, almost like a faint rub. Like a dog whose bark is worse than its bite, for this pakcik, his belch was worse than his massage!

Of course there are good and effective masseurs around who would throw an advice or two as they do their work. However none can beat the young chap at Bukit Tinggi, Padang. Hubby gave him a ten and told me that none in Malaysia came as close as giving 10% effort when compared to this guy.

Also in Bukit Tinggi, my SIL and I decided to go for a full body massage accompanied with body scrub. When we were getting ready, changing into their robes, we were given ‘something’ to wear. When SIL asked me what it was for and whether we had to don it or not, I answered with a savvy tone, like a season spa-goer, “Oh, just cover your hair with it”, thinking it was to keep your hair in place. We had a good laugh when we found out that it was actually a disposable underwear!

Whatever, it is good to pamper yourself once in a while and indulge in a good session of body massage and foot work, immersing yourself in a balmy ambiance of sheer bliss!

2008-05-27T23:18:00.004+08:00

I almost cried watching this!

____________________________________________________________________

THE TEMPESTUOUS BEING

I went down a rigorous mountain,

I set sail a stormy sea,

I was hoping for a calmer weather,

For my spirit to set free,

But a shock of life I gather,

From a being full of audacity,

A mockery of life it displays,

Full of pretending ways,

Unfair battle ground it chooses,

To its advantage it knows,

Feeling triumphant, it glows,

But only God knows,

For in the heart, it shows.

I went down a rigorous mountain,

I set sail a stormy sea,

I was hoping for a calmer weather,

For my spirit to set free,

Still the haughty being prevailed,

Thinking God’s approbation it has gained,

Sitting high and mighty on its pedestal,

Despicable foolish acts it plays,

Matriarchal powers it demands,

But none it begets,

Neither respect nor veneration,

For all has gone down the muddy drain!

I went down a rigorous mountain,

I set sail a stormy sea,

I was hoping for a calmer weather,

For my spirit to set free,

I hope one day I’ll be liberated,

From a being so disdainful, so arrogant,

Does it not think of the here after?

Where all actions are weighed and measured,

Nay! For never a minute it has pondered,

Of all the wraths it has incurred,

Of all the hearts it has severed,

Of sad minds and souls,

All maimed and tortured,

By you, the tempestuous being of the gallows!

*dedicated to someone in pain.....

2008-05-20T22:23:00.003+08:00

Guess what? Allah swt answered my prayers this evening. I prayed that Mayo return to us again. As I opened the front door, my mind was thinking of her when suddenly she appeared out of nowhere and entered through the door as if beckoned by me. To prevent her from getting away again I decided to keep her indoors.

Tonight when we got back, we had a surprise! Gasp! When we opened the back door, we saw her lying down against it, licking her wet body. Only after a few good seconds did I realize that Mayo had just given birth to two fine kittens!

Mayo with her kittens, minutes after delivery.

LOST, FOUND AND LOST AGAIN!

2008-05-19T22:28:00.008+08:00

Mayo, our semi-persian, went missing on the 14th of May, 2 years ago. This morning, exultingly, iKelah called me, "ada shocking news for you! Mayo dah balik!" I was so happy to hear it because all this while we thought that she was probably dead. "Memang Mayo. She's showing all her peculiar behavior."

When I got home, after much inspection and scrutiny I confirmed that it was really good old Mayo and she's pregnant! She was allowed in for a short while until she began her bad habit of scratching the sofa. Furthermore, I couldn't allow her indoors in view of iKelah's health condition. After feeding and stroking her I left her in the porch. In the evening when I left for work, she was still sleeping there. However later, Maman told me that Mayo was not to be seen anywhere!

Mayo is missing again but this time I have a strong hunch that she's being caged up near by. The people who is keeping her must have left the cage door opened and she escaped only to return back in this evening.

There are several pointers to why I am having the above suspicion:

1) I once saw a familiar orange long-haired cat coming out from the possible 'cat-napper's gate.
2) Mayo perked her ears when she heard the 'cat-napper's voice calling for her
3) The 'cat-napper' has a cage for their 'mafia' cats at the back of their house, hidden from outside view.
4) Mayo couldn't possibly get herself all lost again so soon after coming back all these years unless if she's familiar with her second abode which happens to be close by!

Meanwhile, for sure I'll be doing a lot of sleuth work ala Nancy Drew. I need a pair of good binoculars to spy on the possible 'cat-napper' and the cage!

If my suspicion is true, I am definitely going to lose faith in the human race! Imagine, for 2 years Mayo was actually within reach and we didn't know it! ~~Ini macam punya manusia dalam dunia juga ada!!~~

DOWN A CRATER TO HAMKA'S HOUSE

2008-05-11T07:47:00.016+08:00

Sumatera has a series of volcanoes, active, inactive and dead. Few of the dead ones have now transformed into huge crater lakes which offer breathtaking sceneries especially from atop. On the third day, we started off early to Danau Maninjau about an hour northeast of Bukit Tinggi. Before maneuvering down the zig-zag road to reach the lake, it is routine to scramble up a separate route to Punchak Lawang, where there are 2 popular panoramic spots to view the scenic lake. From here, the sight was heavenly. The lake was vast that it almost looked like a sea with undulating mountains all around it. It’s no wonder why Hamka was highly esteemed of it to the extent of making an exaggerated analogy of the picturesque crater lake being the giant foot-print of Adam as that is the shape it takes.

Sitting at the edge. Punchak Lawang

Danau Maninjau (View from Punchak Lawang)

Boogey and wife 'feigning' a romantic pose (hehe)

Danau Maninjau (view from one of the hair-pin bends)

I was forewarned of the hair-pin route down to Lake Maninjau and being an extremely motion-sickness person, I got myself ready with some anti-emetics in my bag. Altogether there were 42 bends or ‘keluk’ as they call them there, and surprise, surprise, I survived the ‘ular kena palu’ road, unscathed! The driver was quite careful in negotiating each bend , sounding the horn each time.

The town at Tasik Maninjau. Take left or right , here.

At the bottom, there’s a small town facing the edge of the lake and we either take a right or left turn. As visiting Hamka’s house was our main agenda, we turned left to Kampung Sg Batang, about 15 -20 km away. The road system essentially covers the lake’s perimeter and it measures 60 km altogether and it takes about 4 hrs to complete a journey by car encircling the lake on an average pace. Even over here, paddy is grown rampantly on terraces or flat land.

Rumah Hamka

Surau lama tempat Buya Hamka mengaji semasa kecil.

Buya Hamka’s (as he is fondly called there) house is perched on a hillside, facing the lake. It was refurbished recently by ABIM and inside, amongst Hamka’s paraphernalia's, we can also see their acknowledgement for ABIM. We spoke to the caretaker who gave us an insight of the place and history. We bought some of his books as money is needed to maintain the house. Several kilometers from the house we stopped to snap pictures of some people working on a paddy machine and accidentally stumbled upon Hamka’s father’s house and tomb. Over here, we were shown the old hand written manuscripts that belonged to Hamka and his father, all in jawi.

Studying the old hand-written Quran belonging to Hamka's dad

Old pictures of Hamka's family

Yellow paddy fields. Tasik Maninjau, background

During the journey we had close encounters with some of Minang kerbau and iKelah made a passing statement that the kerbaus there had a slightly different demeanor than their counterparts in Malaysia. He even went further stressing that they had sexy eyes which set us in a bantering mood instantly. Boogey attributed this strange opinions made by his brother to the high altitude of the place.

On the way, we encountered this realm of trapdoors and tarantula. iKelah was exuberantly excited, he could smell the tarantulas from far!

On the way back, almost reaching Bukit Tinggi town, our guide detoured down Ngarai Si Anok road to one of his favourite eating spot that prepares gulai itek, kambing etc. Unfortunately the eatery was already closed but our guide managed to coax the owner to dish out some gulai kampung for our dinner that day.

ENCHANTING MINANG EARTH 2

2008-05-06T10:24:00.000+08:00

Day 2 in Bukit Tinggi

Friday prayers in an ancient mosque.

The advantage of traveling independent of any package is that you are free to choose your destinations at your own pace without being bound to tight schedule and rigid itinerary. However, it is pertinent that you should employ a good driver/ guide who is willing to subscribe to your whims and fancies, especially when you’re an avid photographer and you need to make impromptu stops to snap good angles of a landscape or candid moments. For this, we were lucky to have met Ei en (Saiful Rahim – he was named by the great muslim writer, Hamka), the son of the hotel owner, a graduate of Liverpool in IT and film production.

Lembah Harau is a popular visiting spot by many and that was our destination that day. We asked if there was anything of interest on the way and someone suggested we stopped at Masjid Bingkudu, an ancient mosque of more than 2 centuries. Since it was Friday, we opted to do our prayers there. It is situated about an hour away from Bukit Tinggi, in a village called Canduang.

Masjid Bingkudu

The interior

The unique roofings

A view of Masjid Bingkudu

Made entirely of solid wood, the unique structure stood staidly and majestic. Apart from its antique architecture, one can’t tell that it’s such an old building as it is well maintained. Being an “objek peliharaan wisata’, the whole structure is to be kept as it is with no renovations allowed. The roofing material is made of ijok leave spines, arranged neatly in thick bundles. The fact that the roof has none of the Minangkabau features denotes that the mosque was erected prior to the Minang era. (my assumption).

The was no need for any fans as the atmosphere there is very cooling. As you enter the mosque, the old mystic charm of the whole place envelopes you. As you sit yourself on the wooden floor facing the mimbar, a sense of peace and tranquility creeps within you as you get transported back to the days of Majapahit and Mataram . The huge praying hall is supported by dozens of stout rounded wooden pillars with broad bases, snugly planted into the floor. The high wooden ceiling is decorated with rather antique chandeliers and some kerosene lamps as well. I was made to understand that like many minang buildings, every joints and hinges in the original structure are held in place without a single nail.

Kids splashing in the mosque pool

As Zohor approached, the whole mosque was filled with the bustling sounds of human voices and later as young boys thronged the vicinity and played with the water pool, it was almost festive! After a short but good and fiery qutbah by a young hunched back imam we performed the Jumaat solat and left the mosque in a drizzling rain.

Lembah Harau is in Payakumbuh, approximately an hour’s drive away and along the way vast green fields of paddy feasted our eyes. As the name denotes, the place offers a breathtaking panorama of high cliffs and canyons, with many spots of waterfalls seen from afar, some accessible by road, others only by foot treks. One of the falls was approximately 20 storey high and it fell all the way down without hitting the side wall, making a huge momentous splash below, causing even those standing far to be drenched.

The whole area is very cooling and serene and if you feel like spending a night there, there’s a resort available, situated between 2 huge cliffs, a spot where echoes are heard.

Lembah Harau

The many falls of Lembah Harau

On our journey back, we made a pit stop at a Rumah Gadang that has been turned into a hall for commercial usage. You can rent the house for functions like weddings, office dinners etc.

Rumah Gadang of Payakumbuh

The interior

AKSI EKSTRIM BANGET

2008-04-27T12:03:00.007+08:00

ENCHANTING MINANG EARTH

2008-04-24T08:24:00.014+08:00

Bukit Tinggi , a scenic hill town in the Western Province of Sumatera (Sumatera Barat or SUMBAR) is a 2 hrs drive away north to Padang, the capital city of SUMBAR. It is one of the many Sumateran tourist attractions and our decision to spend a 5 days 4 nights holiday was well worth. With moderate traffic flow and a population with laid-back pace, the cool and quaint Minangkabau town exudes charming warmth that embraces you the instant you enter it.

The place we stayed

Mid way to Bukit Tinggi, is a small town called Padang Panjang, a popular stop to delight your palate with the local Minang dishes, visit a ‘rumah gadang’ which is a minang house converted into a museum and also shop for embroidered telekung and head scarves. The ‘rumah gadang’ is a truly unique building with distinctive roofing architecture that resembles the bullock’s horns. In a way, it’s similar to a long house with a row of rooms and a large hall.

Rumah gadang

At both ends of the large hall are extended areas with graduated platforms, almost like a balcony. This is where they hold family discussions with the family head sitting top most.
According to Minang tradition, once a son reaches age 10, he has to leave the house and pursue Islamic studies either in a mosque or a madrassah. Thus the rooms are mainly occupied by daughters, each to a room. The family head occupies the right most room with his wife and children less than 10 yrs of age. Once a daughter is married she can occupy a room with her spouse and as more gets married, they shift rooms from left to right, till they reach the last available room which signals for them to leave the rumah gadang.

The Minang tradition are divided into 2, the pepateh or the temenggong. Those observing adat pepateh, give priority to the female family members when it comes to family inheritance. However they defend this rather ‘outlandish’ tradition by pointing out that it only involves main family loom like the rumah gadang and that sons are always being taken of and other family assets like paddy fields can be mortgaged for the expenditure for a son’s education etc. Also, as opposed to adat temenggong, the female members have strong hold in decision making. In the patriarchal adat temenggong, the family head has veto power and female ideas need not be sought. Inheritance is divided following the fara’id method.

If you’re interested in historical land-marks, then Bukit Tinggi can provide you with endless sites to visit and study. Smacked right in the centre is the jam gadang, the town clock. Opposite is Bung Hatta’s palace with his statue and bust decorating the vicinity. Then there’s Fort de Knock, a Dutch remnant down the road. From here, we can view the majestic Merapi mountain (not Jogja’s Merapi) to the south and the Singgalang mountain to the west.

Silhouettes, sunrise behind Merapi

Statue of Imam Bonjol

Jam Gadang

Interestingly, the town is rather precariously situated at the edge of a hill that sweeps into a small canyon, called Ngarai Si anok where a river meanders through the deep valley below. Strategically during the Japanese occupation, they (the Japs) chose to build tunnels at this particular edge of the hill with secret exits into the canyon, aptly called Lobang Japang by the locals. Forced men labor was imported from Jawa and Sulawesi and killed once the tunnels were completed.

Ngarai Si anok

After a short respite at the hotel, we decided to explore the town on foot. Unknown to us, Boogey had made acquaintance with the hotel owner’s son who had brought him to their other hotel and their beautiful minang house, surrounded by vast paddy fields, in a village, peripheral to town.

Bukit Tinggi town, early morning

We found a shop that offers foot reflexology and full body massage only for men and after maghrib prayers, hubby immersed himself for 1 and half hours in what was to be his best ever massage experience. He had only praise for the young masseur. After a very heavy Minang lunch earlier, we opted for a simpler dinner at a road-side gerai, incidentally run by a guy and his son, of Indian descendent. We had murtabak and nasi goring. Unfortunately he doesn’t know how to prepare teh tarik and when I suggested that he should learn how to, he politely retorted by saying, “tak tekejar saya”.

Visiting and praying in Indonesia’s oldest mosque, Masjid Bingkudu

Lembah Harau and it’s enchanting waterfalls, a spectacular sight to behold.

MelatiKesumaDewi

2008-04-15T22:53:00.005+08:00

MelatiKesumaDewi- begitulah nama hedgehog ini, haiwan kesayangan kepunyaan Uda, Wan dan dua anak perempuan mereka. Saya sendiri belum ketemu dengannya. Gambar2 ini adalah ehsan ikelah dan satu lagi saya cekup dari blog Uda: Tintacreative.fotopages.com. Harap Uda tidak marah, :p

Cuma satu yang saya musykil: bagaimana nak mengusap/ dakap atau peluk Kesuma? Popaleh weii!

TRIBUTE TO THE APRIL FOOLS BABIES

2008-04-06T14:23:00.008+08:00

Kerteh beach. Courtesy of iKelah who has been commuting between Kuantan and Kerteh/Paka since March.

April marks the month where the most number of kith and kins celebrate their birthdays. To all of you, I wish a happy birthday, a wonderful and peaceful year ahead, brimmed with Allah's baroqah and guidance. Ameen.

4th- PakTwain (?28th)

9th- Beloved s.i.l., Mas. (29th)

10th- Beloved hubby. (47th)

12th- Beloved niece, Adrianna. (8th)

13th- Beloved second daughter, Sofi. (22nd)

14th- MekTwain's Twins (2nd)

20th- Beloved f.i.l. (76th)

23rd- MekTwain (?28th)

28th- Beloved sister, Ita (33rd)

29th- Beloved son, Muhammad. (21st)

30th- Beloved b.i.l., Boogey, ( 44th)

There you go, a very long list. Now you guys can't blame me for forgetting your birthdays this time!

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall”

Confuscious

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling,
But in rising every time we fall."

Confucius.

A MONTH OF ABSENCE

2008-03-31T16:28:00.009+08:00

For those who missed reading my entries, this video is dedicated to you. For those who didn't, why are you still reading this??

Warning: this video clip contains violence. Parental guidance strongly urged.

Buntalshoot is the latest addition, along with another kinked tail semi-long haired. Buntal's fur is so soft and fluffy. Having short legs and rather plump torso, it walks with a very cute gait. (Aliah kata," Geram macam nak cekik dia!"

RUNNING INTO OBLIVION

2008-02-26T22:49:00.003+08:00

A doctor cum blogger friend related to me an incident which prompted me to write this entry. A husband and wife (patients) sought treatment at his clinic and remarked that he looked uncannily familiar and upon epiphany, they realized that they had seen a picture of him at his blog! The couple, too, happened to be bloggers. Now, such coincidences can be utterly embarrassing especially for us doctors. Imagine having patients coming to you and say, "hey I know you! You run that so-and-so blog isn't it?"

It's a bit like being superstars and having fans stalking you up, only that you're not artists but just someone whose profession requires you to mingle with people, all kinds of them. We've read how artists loathe the idea of their fans wanting to pry into their private lives, their personal day to day activities. No doubt, we, doctors, do not run our lives glamorously, but still, we have patients who think doctors as super humans, who do not get sick as it's beneath them if we, who treat their illnesses are not immune from them either!

Once, when I was working in a relatively remote area in Penang, I managed to get one of the kampong ladies to cook for me. She was a bit daunted initially. The reason being that she had this naive notion that we, doctors ate a different kind of food to delight our palates, compared to lay-men! When I told her that I actually took rice as my staple food, she relented and it vanquished her preposterous idea!

I've had patients who upon consultation on the methods of contraception would at the end ask me whether I practice any contraception myself and what was my choice! Blimey! These people are so blunt to even think that I would divulge such a personal info to them, lest the news will spread like instant bush-fire: "do you know that Dr A uses IUCD and Dr B had just gone for a tubal ligation?" So each time I get such tactless questions, I would dodge them or just answer obtusely that I don't practice contraception and let nature takes its course!

What's worse is when a male patient puts me similar queries or making remarks that can make me awkward, like :" You've lost weight doctor, taking slimming pills eh? Reductil or Duromine? or " Look at how the doctor maintains her figure, you should follow her", a male patient telling his wife who has grown rotund through out the years I've known her as a patient.

You see, in a doctor-patient relationship, doctors are extremely privy of many of their patients' personal issues, be it health, emotional etc. As doctors, it's a medico-legal crime if we expose a patient's info in whatever form out of the four walls of our practice. On the contrary, patients are not obliged into any oath in keeping whatever info they have about their doctors, confidential.

So just imagine, if these patients of mine, get to know about this blog. Essentially , they would be reading stuffs relating to my personal feelings, opinions and routine activities which I prefer to be under wraps. Next thing you know, they'd be referring my cats by their names! So should at any point, I get patients coming in and telling me that they read my blog, I'd then seriously consider to cease blogging or blog incognito! If one day, on typing my blog's url, you get a 404 error return, you know why! I'd probably then blog as 'drWho?' , with a blog named "Running Into Oblivion"

OLD FRIENDS QUANDARY

2008-02-16T20:06:00.006+08:00

They say a friend can make or break you. How true! All my life I've garnered friendships of all kinds, some being truly memorable, yet others were simply one-off acquaintances that never touched a chord. Being married to someone who deeply treasures friendship and still maintain them right through primary school days and with heaps of friends made via various organizations that he partakes in, I am privy of numerous good tales of special friends and also sad stories of friendships gone sour.

When we were overwhelmed with hubby's illness, last year, we came to realize that we had friends who really cared. Friends who would go the extra mile to make your day. Sincere friends with big hearts who simply mean the world to you (you know who you are!), these are the sort of people you'd love to be surrounded with, in sadness and happiness. We thank Allah swt, for bestowing us with such kind souls.

Sadly, all are not bed of roses. In the midst of all goodness, I have encountered unfortunate incidences that proved to be mind boggling, nevertheless. One is about hubby's very close buddy of yesteryears, a senior, whom he developed a strong camaraderie whilst involved in campus politics. In fact, when this friend had begun working, hubby continued visiting him, cementing the bond further. Later, due to work constrain, they lost touch. However, recently, few years ago, hubby chanced upon him in a big hotel, apparently attending an important political program of sort. He was in a great hurry, it seemed. Like all long lost acquaintances, hubby was overjoyed and ran to greet him. Alas, the joyous reunion was short-lived, when the friend didn't reciprocate hubby's jubilant excitement. he had to rush to an important meeting, he said and can't talk long. Still unperturbed by the lukewarm response (suam-suam kuku, as the malays says), hubby asked for his mobile number, to rekindle old friendship, perhaps. But heck, guess the guy's reply? He forgot his number!!! (Hey, kawan! Kalau tak nak beri, cakap tak nak. Tak payahlah beri alasan tak diterima dek akal!) I believe the guy is now holding a high post in the government and holds a datuk title even, but does that warrant him to discard old unimportant kuchirats like us??

Another close friend of hubby, also now a datuk gave us a similar cold treatment. This friend, who is now a renowned proponent of some big issues (sorry I have to be cryptic here, lest you savvy guys out there could guess the person easily) and holds the helm of an NGO body, happens to frequent the same mosque with my dear dad. One morning, dad pointed out to us, the friend's big double story luxury bungalow with a black BMW parked in front(I need to exaggerate to be dramatic!), when we passed by it. As I knew hubby was very close to him, I perked up and coaxed hubby to make an impromptu visit (yes, me and my big plans!). Thus we went visiting and oh boy, did we regret doing it in the first place! We rang the doorbell. First, the maid came out. Then the Datuk's mum. Datuk was upstairs, taking his bath. We chose to stay outside, hubby at the gate, the rest in the car. 10 minutes passed, still no sign of Datuk. Finally after a very long wait, we got the drift and told his mum to just send our salam to him! Up to this day, we are still baffled by the incident and gave all sorts of positive reasons to why he made us wait. In Islam, you're not supposed to have bad suspicions of others, what more to an old good friend. Perhaps, he was down with a bad headache or maybe he can't recall having a friend by hubby's name. Hmmm...anyway....

I could go on and on. About an old friend who when inquired by another, can't remember hubby at all and to think think that hubby was his best man at his wedding!! Sheesh!

Really, I would personally be submerged with joy and excitement should I have the fortuity to meet old long lost friend. I would hug them and maybe shed a tear or two, depending on my hormonal level then, :)). Then I'd bombard them with 101 questions to update myself about them. And oh! I'd give my mobile, house and even my office numbers. No, I won't pretend to have sudden amnesia to suddenly forget my handphone number! Yes, that's how happy and gleeful I'd be!

We've learned our lesson. Old friends may not be as cool as they once were.......

A YEAR

2008-01-29T16:34:00.000+08:00

Going uphill Bkt Pelindung is akin to facing life battle, tough and rough, huff and puff!

For many, life is an uphill battle, facing tests after tests. Occasionally you are thrown into a big tribulation that may seemed impossible to bear at that time but eventually with Allah's help, you find your way out and emerge a stronger and better soul, insyallah. Today marks the first year since my beloved other half underwent a major surgery to remove his pituitary tumor. 21st Muharram 1428 or 10th February 2007 was the fateful day. Alhamdulillah despite some hiccups, he is recovering well. I pray that he will get back to his normal health and celebrate more anniversaries of this auspicious day, years ahead, Ameen!

WHEN NATURE BECKONS

2008-01-19T20:20:00.000+08:00

*This entry has been censored and axed for more than 50% of it original writing that it fails to impart my main intention of telling you guys about my latest interest in nature. For fear of the many abusers out there who might sniff this 'info' and destroy the natural habitats of these certain species, I had to conform and leave you with just this:

There's a hill in Kuantan overlooking the famous Teluk Chempedak and the glorious blue sea around it. It's the staid Bukit Pelindung. Every morning and evening, dozens of fitness freaks would throng the road that meanders up the hill as a means to get their daily dose of the 'feel good' hormone, the endorphins. However for a couple of weeks recently , the serene hill has attracted a different kind of people, the photography enthusiasts, namely iKelah and his jinbeng of Nikon users (yours truly included, although I am SLR-less)

A long procession of black termites (approx. 200-300 meters), coinciding with the ma'al hijrah!

Beautiful mushrooms. Edible? I don't know.

As the hill is carpeted with a thick virgin forest with luscious green foliage, it provides them with myriads of colorful and strange looking arthropods, when shot in the macro view, magnifies their awesome beauty. Their close-up shots, impart a great world of wonder, unappreciated by the naked, unaided eye.

A trek connecting to TC

As for me, my personal interest would be to exercise the extra, extra fat (since I broke my toe, I haven't been exercising, thus adipose tissue has insidiously collected!) and also to scout for burrows of some great species. However, I restrain to mention them further as I was warned that sadly there are maniacs around who abuse these species, lest I might attract their attention!

Trudging up Bukit Pelindung can be treacherous for beginners as there are several stretches of very, very steep gradient that can make you huff and puff. Amazingly, however , you tend to see the same faces making their routine rounds of up and down the hill, everyday! So I guess, after some time, your body adapts and the climb gets pretty easy and addictive. My theory is this: the difficult cardiovascular climb is immediately rewarded when you begin the much easier and less demanding downhill walk, except for the pressure on the knees which is minimized if you walk backwards!

This insect is called the spider assassin

So what's on top of the hill, you ask? Nothing, except for the TM signal station and perhaps a spot to view the sea and Kuantan town. Oh yes, they also view the anak bulan over here but I am not sure of the exact spot.

*all pics are courtesy of iKelah without his permission! Thank you iKelah!

Btw, for those uninitiated, have you heard of the alleged plagiarism by Natasha Hudson? Read here and here.

2008-01-05T06:50:00.000+08:00

YEAR END (1428 AH) BOOK SNIPPETS

GUiT (Growing Up in Trengganu)-

Currently in the middle of perusing a quaint book written by a blogger who is basking in restored fame, launching and signing copies of his books in auspicious venues around Malaysia. Awang Goneng, a pen name which denotes a mischievous local boy, is Kak Teh's significant other and GUiT is actually a compilation of his blog entries, poignant tales of his childhood years in Kuala Trengganu (note the spelling), ladened with words of Trengganuspeak and piquant descriptions/narrations of things and events.

In essence, Kak Teh's Choc a Blog gets more readers, simply because her stories touch all walks of life. AG's Kecek-kecek is so much into Trengganu of the 60s which invokes memories of yesteryears that usually attract only those familiar with the place of discourse, thus leaving many unable to appreciate his style of writing. However, once compiled into a book, it transforms into a whole new phenomena and the reading gets easier, less tedious and more inviting. On and off, I would read his entries but never once did I attempt to comment as Trengganu in the 60s is so foreign to me and do I regret it now for not doing so, as he had specially written a chapter, acknowledging the list of bloggers who frequent his site. Imagine the honor of having your name etched in the book as well!

I especially love the way he had fondly depicted his relationship with his dad and mom and subtle insinuations of how they had raised him and his siblings well, deep with Islamic values. I, too, revel on his utter nonchalant style of describing various characters and uncanny practices only unique to Kuala Trengganu. Endless characters like Pok Mat Dok Dek, Pok Loh Tuk, Mek Jarroh etc. color the book with immense joy. He finds great pleasure in enticing our gastronomical lusts by relating the various kuih of Trengganu, accessorized with the details on how it was made including the necessary ingredients: the akok, beleda, beluda, buoh guling etc. His explicit details and descriptions of these local delicacies literally export you to the yesteryears and you could almost smell the warm aroma of the freshly baked kuihs inside your nostril!

This book has made me view Kuala Trengganu in a much different manner. The next time I'm there, I'd be looking for the many things written in it. Makam Tok Pelam at the Penyu round-about is top on my list. Kedai buku Abdullah Al Yunani where the book launch was done is another spot of interest. I'd probably hike uphill Bukit Putri which once housed the 'genta' and imagine its boisterous chimes during iftar. This time, I'd be roaming Pasar Payang searching for beleda and beluda (which I suspect is no longer available).

If only I could write similar accounts of my childhood Johor Bharu but alas, I have very poor remote memory. My recollection of it is very scanty filled with loop-holes and hazy details. I'd probably end up fabricating everything and having every kin and kith coming down upon me correcting my errors!

This is a book that every blogger should possess as it reminds us of the camaraderie present in the blogosphere.

Ayat-Ayat Cinta-
(finished reading and planning to reread)

A book written by an Indonesian writer with the sole purpose of giving 'dakwah' via a novel. This is apparently a translated version into Bahasa Melayu, although the thick Indonesian accent is still palpable in every page. Written in simple flow language, Ayat-Ayat Cinta is not to be mistaken as another Mills and Boons or Barbara Cartland. No doubt, it's main story revolves around the protagonist, Fahri and an alleged love triangle but the bulk concentrates on his strong Islamic character, telling the readers how despite his packed schedule as a master's student, writing thesis and translating books to finance his education, he would still perform supererogatory deeds like tahajjud, execute social obligations like paying dues to his Coptic Christian neighbors and the general society.

Besides being heavy with 'dakwah' message, this novel is beautiful as it is entwined with many interesting twists and turns. Set in Cairo, it brings us the extreme hot and arid climate of Egypt which at one point, along with Fahri's severe tight schedule had brought on a heatstroke upon him that finally culminated into meningitis which had reduced him into a semi-conscious state. The writer had cleverly seized this moment by narrating how Fahri, being a Quran hafiz, had,even in a comatose state, managed to still recite the sublime verses without mistakes.

The novel gets exciting when Fahri decides to find a wife with the help of his 'talaaqi' Sheikh. This is where all the twists began. From then on, we are taken into a swift whirl of events. When his intentions of marriage was made known, out came the box of pandora. Unbeknown to his naive mind, his strong charismatic self has attracted several ladies who admired his true Islamic knowledge and his tireless practice of Islamic virtues.

He married Aisha, leaving the Coptic Christian, Maria, secretly pining for his love till she fell sick, Nurul, the Indonesian undergrad who failed to confess her love for him earlier, asking him take her as his second bride (he refused) and Noura,the unfortunate soul, who back-stabbed him and wrongly accused him of raping her.

Accused of rape, the Cairo court had sentenced him to harsh imprisonment along with several professors, commited muslim traditionalists etc. who were all incarcerated for political reasons. The climax is how a sick and unconscious Maria became the sole witness who helped clear his name. Read to find out how and why he married the unconscious Maria at the hospital bed with Aisha's consent!

In a nutshell this book tells about the life journey of a knowledgable soul who held strong to and practiced the teachings of Islam when facing the tests in life. In those tests he was confronted with women who loved him, sudden wealth and later with prominent figures in prison. Despite the grueling tribulations in his life, he realizes that he was still better off than many unfortunate souls.

Essentially, the writer is relating about a person's unique path on earth, about love and that the greatest love is our love for our Creator and His most beloved prophet , Muhammad s.a.w. Lastly, he is trying to remind us that the keys to the doors of Jannah are the two verses of syahadah without which, no matter how noble you are, your entrance to Jannah is not permissible.

*When I told iKelah of this book, he appeared very sceptical. On my insistent, he started reading it albeit doubtful. Needless to say, he has now turned 360 degrees and apparently has understood the book more than me and still giving me short lectures on its contents! Talk about total conversion, eh?

*Prepare to cry when reading this touching story: iKelah and I did! huhu!

*When I asked Aliah to read it, she too was and still is sceptical. She accused me of being jiwang. I guess the title of the book can be a put off for some as it can give a negative connotation. I hope Aliah will some day consider reading it despite the jiwang title!

*They have made a movie out of the book and it'll be out soon.

2007-12-19T01:04:00.000+08:00

WHEN THE WRONG, RULES

I need to write this even though I wasn't there to witness the accident first hand. I am compelled to relate this as my inner emotions are seething with angst, fired up by the indifference attitude of our society. A society that is losing its humanity as we get immersed in deep social chaos.

The story goes....

An ambulance is traveling through the busy town of Kuantan to transfer a cancer patient, a makcik, to the government hospital. She was strapped down on a stretcher, accompanied by a nurse.The driver was busy negotiating the haphazard traffic, with the siren blaring away. Upon reaching one of the biggest traffic-light junction in Kuantan, the ambulance had to snake through in between 'understanding' vehicles which were paving a path for it. The light was red but the ambulance was moving upfront steadily as the cars on the moving green lane, stopped to make way for it to pass through. Halfway through the cross-section, the nurse saw through the side mirror, a car, speeding through, disregarding the voluntary traffic halt that was made for the ambulance and she knew that it was going to hit them. Fast-thinking, she embraced the makcik's body with great force to prevent her from jolting over, as she anticipated the impact of the crash. True enough, the 'thoughtless' driver had rammed into the side of the ambulance exactly where the patient was! Fortunately the nurse's fast action had saved the poor makcik who suffered only minor shock. The nurse herself, through her actions, had sustained abrasions in her arms.

As the ambulance driver began to recover his composure, he stepped out to examine the wreck. As he confronted the careless driver who was a young malay guy, he was in for a bigger shock. When asked why didn't he stop to make way, his brazen answer was,"Lampu hijau, saya jalan lah!" Realizing that he was facing someone with an attitude, the driver decided not to waste time and drive the patient to the hospital. A straightforward accident with many witnesses is apparently turning into a twisted bizarre tale of false defense by a reckless driver.

At the police station, after reporting the truth of the accident, the ambulance driver was in for another surprise. The arrogant young driver was given special treatment where he was invited to do his 'business' in a special room and they appeared 'chummy'. In his report, he defended his offense by alleging that the ambulance driver did not sound the siren! In actual fact, there were many witnesses that can attest the contrary.

The ambulance driver left out an important fact in his report: that the rash driver's initial statement was "lampu hijau, saya jalanlah" and not because the siren wasn't on. When he returned to amend it, the police told him that altering a report was not allowed. But it wasn't 24 hours yet! Can anyone clarify the issue here?

Due to the bleak situation and probable litigation, the driver was transferred to another department.Isn't it sad? How can we call ourselves civil when outright misappropriation of power rule our society? That we have allowed rowdy and bold youngsters grow amongst us is something shameful and so unbecoming. It reflects how weak and fragile the 'system' is.

Perhaps the perpetrator of the accident and the authority shielding him should ask themselves this crucial question: "What if the sick person in the ambulance was a relative of theirs? or better still. "What if they were the sick patient in the ambulance, themselves?"

Eid Mubarak to everyone and Maaf Zahir Batin! Fi amanillah! Allahuakbar Allahuakbar Allahuakbar Walillahil hamd!

Banjir di Jalan ke Pekan, Ahad lalu. Laluan Kuantan -Pekan terputus. Airnya merah, efek bakau. Kelihatan Petronas Gas menghulur bantuan.

2007-12-08T22:03:00.000+08:00

WOULD YOU ACT, EAT OR SLEEP ON IT??

What do you do when problems fall on your laps like an unstoppable avalanche? Have you a special mechanism to tackle them without causing a cascade of depressive symptoms besiege your mortal wellbeing? I am sure everyone has a personal psychological shield to prevent themselves from falling too deep into a chasm of 'blues'. Some would resort to sleep over the matter, so to speak, which I think is the commonest way chosen by many, though I feel that is the lamest, if not most cowardly, solution. Some hide behind 'comfort' foods to make their problems go away. Some would just feign a denying 'front' that disregards any predicaments and continue with their mundane activities with no qualms. Perhaps, too , there are those who are born experts at delegating their problems to others, pushing half , if not all, of their burden to the poor shoulders of unfortunate souls.

I am a born worry wort, as my mother is. It must be my mom's Chinese genes. I worry over the slightest issue that involves my life and family. I have this inherent character that holds firmly onto a motto that pressures me to analyze a problem, think of possible solutions and act them out ASAP. Worse still, I have this great urge of wanting to see the solutions materialize over night and this can be equally daunting! In fact, I can feel the adrenaline surge in me when I start worrying about things. Most exasperating is when your significant other falls in the 'cool' type that prefers to sweep the matter under the rug, only to uncover it when the issue gets out of hand. Sleeping over the matter is just not my style of untying a knot in my life-line. I might binge if there's good food around but I would think hard of getting out of the desperation, all the same.

Over the years, as I age, I have learned to accept problems in a way that's kinder to my nerves. I know now that these problems are actually tests from God to try my patience and make me stronger. Today, whatever problems that befall me, I'd still react by scrutinizing them but I am calmer, in the sense that I know everything is in God's will and I must accept the outcome with inner peace. At times, when a predicament seems so huge and burdening to my soul, my initial response would still be to sort them out ASAP but I have learned to take a step back, looking at the matter in a broader perspective and tell myself, "this will pass, too". I have also adopted the mantra: If you can't change something, then it's no longer your problem. Just let it go.

Most importantly is to accompany all efforts in battling a problem with fervent prayers to Allah swt. Dua is the unseen weapon belonging to all Muslims. I am grateful each time a friend reminds me to invoke Allah's help whenever I am in dire strait. An effort that is accompanied by diligent prayers to Allah swt is definitely better than those without.

(Somebody went for a 3 days 2 night holiday in Penang and left me at home. A definite influence from Pycno). Gambar ini adalah simbolik kepada penentangan penjajah ala Tok Gajah, Mat Kilau etc. Tiada kena mengena dengan 'tuntutan' baru-baru ini. :))

2007-11-21T06:58:00.001+08:00

A DESPERATE PLEA

Dear Sofi and Sarah,

An evident drought has seized this blog and I am taking this opportunity to paw down a letter of laments. Since you've been gone from home, I have been severely suffering from a bad case of lack of tender loving care and warm strokes by you! You see, everyone is either too busy or too careless to even notice my depressed presence. They pass by me as though I am just a furry-orange ornament in the house. To them, the mere act of replenishing my biscuit bowl, suffice the requirements of preventing the RSPCA people from coming after them. I think it's time they enact an animal Act that says it's mandatory for a cat owner to at least stroke their cats twice a day!

Even worse, I have been grounded out of the house for the past few weeks for a crime I don't remember committing! Your mum (who owns this 'arid' blog) has conveniently accused me of urinating on a pile of fresh laundered clothes, a vice which I am unknown of executing before.Since I can't offer any good alibi, I am guilty as charged. KKL strengthened your mum's case further by suggesting that I have grown into a man cat which has developed a dire need to mark its territory. Thanks KKL for recognizing my maturity but can you please reserve your thoughts next time?

Now, I am most of the time, lazing either in the front or back porch, having to share what limited space available with Nahar the stray which has decided to permanently call this home, his! Remember how your mum used to praise that 'pariah cat'? How he feared to incur anyone's wrath by tip-toeing quietly around? How he dared not come near the house or touch even a speck of biscuit? Well, that ~~Nahar~~ Mr Libas (or Naharuddin as Muhammad fondly calls him) is no more. He has turned into a brazen fool, who would do his 'dirty dancing' by twirling his scruffy body and wagging his dirty blackened tail vigorously, brushing himself against anyone close by, causing them to shout at him in disgust! Your mum has definitely lost all respect for him and I can see the angst in her eyes each time Nahar behaves unscrupulously.

Since the day I was banned from getting indoors, there was no more suspicious urine odor tainting the clean clothes. Your mum is adamant that I am the culprit but I have my theory. I believe that there is an elusive rat in the house. Even Maman confessed of hearing it scurrying away in the kitchen, recently. However , I doubt that the rat was marking its territory. Senile incontinence was more like it, I daresay! My other worthy theory, would be that ~~Nahar~~ Mr Libas, who loves to wildly wag his tail against the clothes which are still on the line, might have accidentally (or even intentionally) sprayed his urine as well. Needless to say, I never trusted that scruffy vagabond from the day I set eyes on him.

How I miss your loving pat and stroke against my velvety coat which incidentally is turning coarse due to the dirt outside. I could always tell that you were pleasured by my purring against your brushing hands. Those were the fine days. Now that Aliah is back for the hols, I get a bit of pampering from her, albeit not much. Well you know how she is when she gets into one of her day dreaming moods. I can tell that her mind is somewhere else and the stroking gets meaningless.

So, I am begging you to call mum and persuade her to let me indoors again! By the way, your mum keeps on complaining that you don't call home that often. With Muhammad skype-ing her every other day, you're a definite toast, my dear! I know how expensive internet fees are at your place. Since, we have a well-known cosmonaut over there, maybe he can suggest to Putin to make internet free for the Malaysian students there? No?

I hope this letter gets printed in this blog for both of you to read. Typing with my paws is hard work. And you know how useless my left paw is. Since KKL introduced me with Royal Canine, I have gained weight, causing my left maimed leg to limp even more. Anyway, do take care of yourselves and bundle up for the winter. My regards to Sifi the turkish angora.

Meowly Yours,

Mayo Jr a.k.a. Tempang

2007-10-31T07:20:00.000+08:00

SABAR

As per my last entry, we almost spent our raya in the hospital. Strangely, I was not sad but was emotionally prepared to 'celebrate' it in the hospital. The feeling was of someone who was resigned to face the inevitable : a quiet raya in the sterile ward, away from home, beloved parents etc. However, the physician decided that hubby was well enough on the eve of raya to go home although he was still extremely tired.

Eid at my parents'

On the 3rd raya, my family came up from KL. Guess, they missed us as much as we missed them! 2 days later we convoyed back to KL. Thus, we got to celebrate raya in KL, after all, albeit late. In view of hubby's condition we only limited our visits to very close relatives i.e. his brothers, my aunty and a cousin. I had to oblige mak when she asked me to accompany them to another cousin's by leaving hubby behind.

We had the great pleasure of being visited by 2 blogger families this raya. Pycno, Bea and their whole brood were kind to drop by for a meagre dinner. They brought us a beautiful strawberry cake and some gifts. Maman managed to snap a pic of the yummy rich cake but it came out blur. In essence, the visit was to inquire hubby's health. We are lucky to have friends who care and pray for us in times of test. Our heartful thanks to Pycno, Bea and family.

Last weekend, we were again given the opportunity to meet another blogger family. A long awaited visit, indeed! Mynn, Nisak, Sarah and Amar came to our house for the first time. Besides them, we also got to meet Mynn's fine dad and sis. Of course, KKL and OK were around too! Like all bloggers who get to meet each other for the first time, the feeling was mutual. It was as though we have known each other long. Reading entries and looking at their pictures were sufficient to create a bond of some sort. Thank you guys for the visit and gifts! To Mynn: Good luck in your up coming attachment and may you succeed in getting your masters soon!

On a more sombre note, Mynn/Nisak's close friend, Mr D passed away 2 days ago, from cancer. I got to know about Mrs D and her blog from Mynn/Nisak's entries. Though, I don't know D at all, my readings about her was enough for me to feel for her present bereavement.

Few days prior, my mom's neighbor, also D, passed away, from cancer, too. Still in her mid-late 30s, D left behind a 3 year old daughter. Apparently, she decided to go for chemotherapy when the cancer had advanced. Allahu'alam.

Both sad stories have profound similarities that I find intriguing. They both were inflicted by cancer and died young, leaving behind very small kids and young spouses. Also the span of time from diagnosis and their deaths was less than a year, I think. Such a poignant reminder for us that sickness and deaths can inflict us anytime, thus appreciate your health and seek His pleasure!

May Allah swt protect their souls and place them amongst those with iman. To Mrs D, I pray that Allah swt give you great strength to persevere in this hardship of yours.

ANOTHER RAYA TRIBULATION

2007-10-14T17:26:00.000+08:00

Another raya of tribulation, this year. A test, different from last year's but a great tribulation, no doubt. The whole week before raya, my hubby was admitted for Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis. A serious condition with 20% mortality rate, most likely caused by an infection en route the transphenoidal surgery site he underwent in February.

Alhamdulillah, his quick action of repeating an MRI after experiencing a similar headache he had in February, helped detect the thrombosis early, hence the swift treatment of i/v antibiotics consisting of triple regime of Flagyl, Gentamycin and Rocephine. The rapid management helped to resolve the thrombosis fast and he became much better within few days.

Multiple i/v line for all the antibiotics

However, on the 4th day, he became weak again and developed symptoms of probable Addisonian Crisis which sent me into a panic frenzy, calling his former surgeon and demanding the physician to intervene. After the appropriate therapy, he responded well and I am truly grateful to his former neurosurgeon who took pain to make sure he got the proper treatment here.

So to you all out there, sorry that there was no proper Raya wish. I have been off the internet since the whole plight.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA EIDUL FITRI. MAAF ZAHIR DAN BATIN.

*I cried reading this entry.....

*To Muhammad, we missed you this raya as much as we missed Kak Sarah and Sofi. Insyallah there'll be more raya with the seven of us together!

ikelah and pang5 with Ust Yusof who had been theirs, mine and also my kids' Quran teacher. He's a great teacher!

Raya feast at KKL-OK's

lemang

lamb stew!!!

baked spinach and feta cheese pastry

ginger-lemon tea

The Emptyng Nest...

2007-10-03T00:00:00.000+08:00

Dear Muhammad,

Good luck and all the best for the coming 5 years in Bristol. May you succeed in all your goals. Most importantly, may Allah swt guide you in every endeavour and pave a smooth path for you, Ameen!

Fi amanillah!

APABILA SAYA DI "TAG".......

2007-10-02T07:40:00.000+08:00

Terimakasih Pang5 kerana telah meng-Tag saya dalam permainan lima perkara yang tidak bermakna ini. Saya tidak faham mengapa harus wujud permainan tagging ini. Saya rasa ianya tidak membantu langsung untuk mengenali seseorang blogger itu dengan lebih mendalam pon. Mujurlah si Pang6 ni ada 5 orang kroni yang tidak bernasib baik terpaksa melayan kerenahnya. Namun saya akan ubah sedikit permainan ini dengan membuat analisis 'meta' terhadap tagging yang dibuat Pang5 untuk membuktikan bahawa permainan ini tidak membawa sebarang erti.

5 menda dalam beg galas aku...
1. Notebook kerja <- menunjukkan bahawa si Pang5 ini sama seperti berjuta 'yuppie' eletronik yang lain.
2. CD lagu raya <- bahawa dia ni mat jiwang karat yang emo habis
3. Documents kerja yang aku bawak balik rumah kononnya nak review <- bahawa dia sama seperti makhluk lain yang berkobar-kobar nak buat homework tapi gerenti tak buat
4. Check untuk bayar vendor <- bahawa dia ni orang kuat syarikat
5. Charger spare untuk handphone <- bahawa dia ni tidak boleh hidup tanpa handphone

5 menda dalam dompet aku...
1. Duit la kan... <- bahawa dia ni tahu dompet tu memang untuk simpan duit
2. Kad membership MARES <- bahawa dia ni adalah ahli Majlis Amanah Rakyat Eksklusif Sahaja
3. IC, lesen memandu kelas B2, D dan GDL <- bahawa dia ni bukan sahaja boleh pandu kereta manual, bahkan kereta otomatik, jentolak, chikadak dan yg sewaktu dengannya
4. Kad ATM dan kad kredit <- bahawa dia ni ada bank account
5. Duit kertas RM2 untuk improve reception handphone <- bahwa dai ni adik-beradik McGyver

5 menda feveret dalam bilik tido...
1. Katil dan selimut <- bahwa dia ni tidak tidur atas lantai/ toto
2. Radio clock, kasik tidur/gerak aku. <- bahawa dia ni tidak berkemampuan bangun sendiri
3. Charger handphone dan wayarless aku <- bahawa dia ni ada ekstra charger
4. Bokken <- what the heck is Bokken??
5. Camera dan adik-beradiknya <- bahawa dia ni pandai membiak camera

5 menda aku wish nak buat...
1. Jadi kaya raya... <- bahawa dia ni manusia normal
2. Pass exam CW <- dia dah ambil exam CW tapi asyik fail
3. Ambik lesen scuba diving <- dia belum ambil lesen ni sebab belum pass exam berenang
4. Belayar dalam kapal selam <- dia nak belayar dalam kapal selam sebab dia takut naik kapal biasa
5. Memancing kat semua tasik-tasik besar kat Malaysia <- menunjukkan dia dah memancing di semua sungai di Malaysia

5 menda aku buat skarang...
1. Tulis mende tagging bodo nih <- menunjukkan bahwa dia tahu menda ni bodoh tapi terpaksa buat juga kerana nak mengambil hati orang yang tag dia
2. Suruh harmonics buat homework<- siapa harmonics ni?
3. Belek mende nak beli kat internet <- dia ni kaki bershopping di internet
4. Belek fotopages family dan kenkawan <- dia banyak masa terluang
5. Tag kat tagbod aku. <- dia pencinta tagboard

5 orang kroni yang patut kena tag sekali...<---mujurlah dia ada 5 kroni untuk melayan dia
1. Doctor In The House
2. Ifos
3. Ikelah
4. Boogey
5. Red

2007-10-01T08:19:00.000+08:00

I simply love this clip and forgive me for re-posting it again this year! :P

2007-09-26T08:01:00.000+08:00

BIRTHDAY WISHES

Yesterday, 25th September was Maman’s 14th birthday. To my youngest but not the smallest (echoing Sofi’s statement here) offspring, I pray to Allah swt, that He will guide you always and bestow you with his constant kind blessings and lead a life filled with contentment. May you be more diligent in your studies and pursue a good and sound career.

And two days ago, 24th, was Salina’s (boogey’s wife) birthday. It has been Boogey’s tradition to forget her birthday each year. However, I am still in the dark of this year’s fate. Did he repeat the same blunder? Only Salina can tell. Happy sweet 20th birthday sis-in-law!

FLAT ON MY FACE!
Ramadhan this year, so far, has bitter-sweet taste to it. Sweet, because, we get to breakfast with KKL and OK and savor her phenomenal cooking. Bitter because few nights ago, after work, all exhausted and weary, coming down from the car, my kain got caught in one of the seat appendages and I took a heavy dive on the porch’s floor. As my hands were full, clutching all my work paraphernalia, I couldn’t use them to absorb the sudden assault, in time, as I hit the floor. Instead, my chin was the first to crash against the floor, transmitting a sharp jarring effect to my poor head! My chest and left hand came next, in a subconscious effort to reduce the burden of the fall. For a good moment, everything went blank.

The unfortunate accident left me with painful, swollen and bruised jaw, left hand and right thigh. Also, my neck and left wrist suffered minor sprain. X-ray of my mandibles was clear of any fractures, alhamdulillah. The kind doctor issued me an m.c., a much needed rest for me, I perceive. My boss and colleagues were kind and understanding to reshuffle the day’s schedule. Thanks guys!

As in all previous unfortunate series of accidents, my hubby was quick to label the incident as a kifarah dosa for I had sinned against him earlier on, hehe. I shall not delve on the details but suffice to say I am glad that my sins have been cleansed, insyallah!

We are now already in the second leg of Ramadhan, i.e. the maghfirah phase. As we know the first 10 days is the Mercy stage and the last 10 days is the Salvation stage. Let’s increase our efforts to better ourselves in these precious remaining days of Ramadhan. For that, Pycno has aptly listed the 6 adabs of fasting as a guiding tool.

Ramadhan Kareem!

2007-09-11T18:05:00.001+08:00

PAN LABYRINTH OF SG LEMBING

Recently I was 'transported' into a labyrinth, out of my own will. Realizing that the entourage was gamed on going deeper, I had to stage an act. An act that will force them to turn back before I became hysterical. The labyrinth was actually the world's biggest and deepest, abandoned old tin mine of Sg. Lembing (closed for more than 20 years ago) and the entourage consisted of my family (hubby, sons and I), lead by a family friend who is a local, well versed in finding his way through the old catacombs. He used to enter the mine when he was small, sending his dad, meals, as the miners were known to work long hours without coming out.

Initially I was made to believe that we were only going to tour the external grounds only. Little did I know that the friend was equipped with several torches to bring us as deep as 300 meters in wards. Upon reaching the site, he showed us the two main entrances. It was impossible to enter them as both path-ways were blocked by collapsed tunnel roofs. I gave a sigh of relief as I had no plans for old mine exploration! Good, I thought, we would only admire the place from outside. Then, he brought us to the side of the hill and showed us another entrance. Only this time, he went in and beckoned us to follow. Don't worry, he's just showing us a few meters in, I thought. As we enter I could feel a gush of cold air flowing outwards. This cold air phenomenon was actually due to air holes dug from the top surface of the hill downwards to ventilate the mine.

It was pitch dark inside but the torches managed to light the place and made our passage manageable. Twice, he made us switch off our lights and savor the true darkness. We couldn't even see our hands placed in front of our faces! Many parts of the ground that we tread were muddy due to dripping water from the roof. Instantly, my wild mind thought "what if the soggy soil above suddenly gave way and collapsed?" Oh no I thought! We'll be in the news papers tomorrow! A family of four trapped in an old mine! As we pursue the tunnel deeper, I kept questioning myself, "Why are we doing this? Why are we endangering ourselves? Why are we being stupid?" Ironically, my hubby and two sons were unperturbed. They followed our guide like seasoned archaeologists looking for lost artifacts and there I was trembling, wishing I hadn't followed them.

Then, we reached a junction of 4 tunnels. Oh good, an exit I, I hoped. But heck no! The exploration was only half-way, it seemed! Since we were already there, he had to show us through each tunnel, at least a few meters in. This was when I started 'whining' and asking hubby to signal his friend to end the tour. However , hubby shushed me up, telling me not to worry. I sensed that he was afraid that he might offend the friend, who was in a zealous mood to show us around.

As we got deeper, the grounds became more precarious. There was numerous excavation holes made by illegal excavators of recent times, here and there. Some were extremely deep, that when a stone was dropped, it took quite sometime to reach the bottom of the pit. Still in a jittery state, I had to yell at Maman who, in sheer eagerness, went much too close to the edge. I can't bear the thought of the unstable ground giving way. At one point, we entered a high-roofed area, almost like a huge cave. Here, we could see various excavation spots on the high ceiling with makeshift dwellings. Through the dim-lit space, I could see that the path ahead was worse. In fact, I believe that we had to walk on a ledge or something! Enough! I had to act now!

When they started to proceed further, I stood still, not wanting to budge an inch. I acted as though I was going to cry hysterically. Hubby knew then that I was adamant to end the expedition. He told the friend-guide of my fright. The guy reassured that he was about to turn anyway after showing some mining artifacts. It was when he said this that made me retain my composure, " Don't worry, many tourists come here. 60 at a time. Only today, there's none." Phew!

Undeniably, I was the most zestful on the returning path. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel was my most coveted proverb that day!. Breathing fresh air again, I made another secret vow of not returning back, ever! My hubby and sons? Oh, they came out feeling like Harrison Ford in scenes from Raiders of The Lost Ark, though they pilfered no precious stones. Not even a tiny speck of tine ore! So tell me, would you guys go on a similar exploration? WOULD YOU?

*To Pang5 and Boogey, abang Yusof tanya kabo awok bedua. Dia tanya bila awok nok ke sana lagi? Kawe cabo awok bawok anok bini masok lombong!

2007-09-11T06:33:00.000+08:00

Virtues of Ramadan - Yusuf Estes
(click the above to listen)

Got the above link from Azleen's blog.
RAC : Ramadhan Awareness Campaign is a good effort and may we benefit from it.

To all Muslim friends, "May this Ramadhan be a month full of goodness, filled with earnest worshiping of Allah swt, qiyyam, sincere ukhuwah and heaps of blessing from Him, our Creator. Most importantly, may it not be our last. Ameen."

To begin this Ramadhan with a sure foot, I am asking for forgiveness from everyone, especially those I have wronged.

Ramadhan Kareem!

2007-09-10T21:59:00.000+08:00

The originator of the Nice Matters award states that it is meant for “those that are just nice people, good blog friends, and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others, that are there to lend support, or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!”

Thank you Anne for giving me the award. Glad to know that what I write here can be of good inspiration to others. To keep the ball rolling, I am awarding the award to all the bloggers in my blog list. To the rest who frequent this blog but I have not included in the list due to my forgetfulness, you also deserve the award! You all have inspired me in your own unique way!

2007-08-29T01:09:00.000+08:00

A PERFECT VACATION (MINUS THE JOURNEY!)

The deep sinking feeling of aridness once again overwhelms my household. After seven whole weeks of sheer merriment spent with my beloved two eldest daughters, we are back with only three of us. My girls, by now, should have reached Volgograd for about 10 hours, probably still jet-lagged. I pray to Allah swt that He bless them with a fruitful 10 months ahead and ease them out of any predicaments.

During the last week they were here, which coincided with the school hols, the whole family members managed to squeeze a "3 days 2 nights" trip to Fraser's Hills, after much coaxing from Red and Mas. True to their words, Fraser's is indeed a place that makes one yearn to return. A small hill town (more of a village, I daresay), compared to Cameron's, it boasts an ambiance so peaceful and tranquilizing to the heart.

As to several of my prior holiday trips, the journey always pose as a hindrance, so much so, leaving me vowing quietly to never make a return visit. Tioman's choppy boat ride left me a total wreck. The bad road to Kuala Tahan was nothing to be desired, too. Now, the dwindling uphill road to Fraser's is another crying shame. For those who have sensitive vestibular organs like my daughters and I, negotiating the hair-pin curves, repeatedly, all the way up, was a head-spinning and nauseating disaster!

Anticipating an arduous journey, Sofi and Aliah, prepared themselves by sleeping early in the trip, all curled up, hoping to minimize the roller-coaster effect. Thinking that I have developed a certain kind of immunity, I braved through with only slight apprehension. Halfway through, I developed a sudden attack of nasal congestion, probably an allergic response to the kerbau meat I had earlier at a wedding. Made worse by the rising altitude and cold climate, I began having difficulties n breathing. The narrow road and gloomy weather contributed to the claustrophobic effect, reducing me into a nerve-wreck with an impending panic attack! Half irritated, hubby told me to relax as it was rather impossible to make a u-turn, panic attack or not!

After more than an hour of vertigo challenge, we reached the "hill station", as it was called a century ago by the British, whom, in search for cool climate, would scale the highlands of Malaya to find suitable spots for cool retreat. As history went, Mr Fraser was seen in the late 19th century with several mules, transporting tin ore through the hill treks. He was never to be seen again after that, thus the hill's name.

Occupying a 3 bedroom apartment in a resort perched on the hill-sides, surrounded by luscious green forest in the background and facing a majestic view of interlocking hills ala Shangrila upfront, we had a glorious family time together , immersed in joyful activities. We had barbeque for both nights, of marinated meat, prepared by the girls, from home. The ample balcony was truly apt for barbeque parties but unfortunately the very cool atmosphere and slight wind made it quite impossible to light the pit properly, thus we opted for the fire-place instead, which was quite a quaint idea after all.

With the cool breeze constantly blowing through the balcony door, we spent the night in a most relaxed manner. Some, having a game of scrabble which should be renamed squabble due to the amount of bickering the two opponents had. Some in great earnest, trying to finish Harry Potter's latest book. Mostly, we were lazing around watching whatever was on the TV. The barbeque tasted great, probably influenced by the holiday mood and also being famished after the trying journey.

Basically, Fraser's Hill consists of a small town center with several resorts, hotels and colonial styled bungalows scattered all over. the quaint small town is made up of a row of shops, a police station, a post office, a health clinic and a municipal office. In the middle is a clock tower that also serves as a round-about and a must photo-taking spot. All this is cloaked in a misty atmosphere, its beauty enhanced by the colorful flowers that thrive well in the cool temperate. Many of the old buildings here are colonial styled with white-washed brick walls, accentuated with black window and door frames. this must have been a vain attempt by the colonial British to create an atmosphere similar to their hometown.

Within the two days , we managed to scour almost all the important spots in Fraser's, taking the main route many times in a day. Of them, my favorite would be the Ye Olde Smokehouse, a name I find very amusing to pronounce. An old English bungalow, converted into a posh restaurant with rooms for accommodation plus an interior so overwhelmingly Christmas-like in atmosphere that a background music of jingle bells would have completed the mood. I read that one should not miss the scones which was rated as scrumptiously good. They, however forgot to mention that the price was exorbitant! For a set of 2 measly scones, accompanied with clotted cream, home-made jam, butter and a cup of tea (BOH tea!!!), they made us pay RM 18!! And the scones were nothing to shout about, really. I suspect they were not freshly baked as touted but frozen and microwaved when needed. Nevertheless, having tea, English style in such an appropriate ambiance is an awesome experience to cherish.

There were several trails that traverse the hilly town. Bishop's Trail became well known a few years back when 3 Singaporean youngsters got lost in it. It took us 45 mins to walk through it and indeed it was a challenging pathway with many obstacles that include walking on narrow ledge and not to mention the teeming leeches. As we went deeper into the forest, we could here a group of Baboons making jungle calls and I can't help envisaging them attacking us. Alas, it was the leeches that got the better of us. Numerous succeeded in attaching themselves to our lower limbs. Sofi had a few in her shoes!

Worth mentioning are the tarantula's nests found in relative abundance along Ledgeham Road. These hairy spiders make burrows in the hilly banks of the road. When observed closely, you'll find old brown leaves neatly lining the opening which is often covered with a cobweb. Tarantulas only leave their nests late at night, thus for spiders enthusiasts, this would mean having to bear the eerie possibilities of encountering other spooky beings as well.

Apart from the strenuous journey up and down, Fraser's Hill is a perfect retreat spot for nature lovers who pine for a peaceful hill-top getaway. Already, I am sensing that somebody is planning a revisit. In fact, I might just retract my vow of not wanting to come back. However the next time, I would be more prepared with Stemetil, asam and all! And oh yes, this time I'd prepare the scones from home as well!