Ramadhan al Mubarak

The following notes are from the lecture on fasting by Ustaz Sulaiman Usman Kabuye last Sunday.

1. Fasting purifies the heart.

2. Satan is ineffective on people who fast.

3. When fasting, one must leave all the haram, eg. protecting the tounge from back biting. Of course many more.

4. One way to do it is by being in i'tiqaf in masjid.

5. To treat the heart, observe the following:
i. Read Al Quran and reflect on the meaning.
ii. Empty your stomach (Fasting)
iii. Stand in the night - Qiamullail
iv. A short time before Subuh; after Qiamullail, contemplate on Allah.
v. To be in the company of good people.

6. Nabi used to stop eating about 20 minutes before Subuh.

7. It's ok to brush your teeth as Saiditina Aishah reported that Rasulullah used to clean his teeth with siwak while fasting.

Selamat beribadah di bulan yang barakah ini wahai adinda-adindaku sekelian.

Langkawi Lagoon

Resort bersebelahan apartmen kami di Langkawi. Khabarnya sewa semalam ialah RM900!

Langkawi

12-14 September yang lalu, Embak, mak, abah dan Linda melancong ke Langkawi. Aik, koma-koma mesti kata, asyik berjalan je Embak ni, tak kerja keeeee? Jangan jeles ya. Sebenarnya abah yang berhajat nak pergi ke Langkawi sangat-sangat. Mula-mula ajak mak, mak tak mahu ikut. Abah hampir ikut rombongan Pakcik Misai naik bas reramai ke Langkawi, punyalah kepingin sangat. Itu yang buat Embak aturkan trip ini khas untuk Abah. AirAsia pun ada offer tiket RM19.99, Chik dan isteri pulak sponsor penginapan; kiranya trip ni dah dapat 50% diskaun.

Kami sewa kereta sebiji dan berbekalkan peta, kami puas ronda satu pulau. Kami juga ikut bot island-hopping, cuma mak sahaja yang tak dapat naik ke pulau-pulau Dayang Bunting dan Beras Basah sebab tangga jeti tinggi dan cerun. Gambar di atas ialah pandangan dari bot memandang ke Pulau Dayang Bunting, menanti penumpang-penumbang bot kami. Di Pulau Singa, kami dapat lihat pertunjukan helang-helang terbang dan terjun mencecah air. Embak enjoy betul show ini sebab ianya semulajadi, macam ikan-ikan lumba di laut off Lovina, Bali. Embak dapati di Langkawi tempat-tempat tumpuan pelancong dah banyak yang "tacky" dan "contrived", contohnya Oriental Village dan Kota Mahsuri.

Di Pulau Beras Basah yang pasirnya putih dan halus, tiba-tiba hujan turun dengan lebatnya. Dan perjalanan balik kami ke Langkawi tersangatlah choppy, tetapi tersangatlah seronok. Kami basah kuyup, terpaksa balik ke apartment untuk salin baju sebelum keluar balik meronda Langkawi.

Abah enjoy habis, tapi mak dah swear off melancong. Embak faham, she has mobility problem. But for Abah, he's already thinking about Sabah.

Air Terjun Gabai

Pada 2 September yang lalu, Embak dan kawan-kawan dari FSG HUKM ber-riadah dan bermalam di Mestika Safa, Pangsun. Keesokan harinya kami berkelah di Air Terjun Gabai. Disebabkan hari sebelumnya hujan, maka air terjun haritu tersangatlah banyak dan laju airnya. Masa kami sampai tu, tak ramai lagi orang yang bermain di air terjun tu, jadi Embak pun ambil peluang berendam. Tapi hajat nak mandi bawah air terjun tu tak kesampaian sebab air dalam (kita tak pandai berenanglah), dan nak susuri batu-batu di tepi, licin pula. Tapi sekurang-kurangnya hilanglah kempunan. Rasanya setelah 4, 5 kali ke Gabai, ini kali pertama Embak dapat mandi.

Orang yang berdiri dalam gambar tu, bukannya Embak, tapi kawan Embak. Embak nak buat macam dialah, tapi tak berani. Jeles kita.

Tangling

This is my favorite breakfast joint. This place is actually renowned for its nasi lemak, but I feel I have eaten better nasi lemak elsewhere. I come here for the noodle fare served by this stall Mee Goreng Tangling. Honestly, I have not tested the mee goreng, but I have tried their Kung Fu Meehoon, Mee Kicap, Kuey teow soup, mee hailam and Wantan Mee Curry. They are all delicious, and fairly priced.

And on Wednesdays, there is a one-lorry pasar tani in the parking lot. It’s only one lorry but they have so much stuff; various leaves; some I do not know their names, ubi kayu, ubi keledek, umbut kelapa, young coconuts, a few types of pisang, tempe, etc and when in season, durian and other local fruits. Not forgetting yummy snacks; tapai, rempeyek, roti canai segera , kuih denderam and my fav, thinly sliced kerepek pisang tanduk.

This lorry comes all the way from Johor and I was informed that after the Tangling parking lot, they go to Bukit Aman, which is nearby before returning to Johor. The most fun part is paying for my purchases; it’s always cheaper than I had thought. I am not sure whether the guys don’t know their math or that they just like to give discounts. I never correct them, I always choose to believe the latter.