InsyaAllah, Embak and another member are flying tonight to Germany to pick up Acu and Co, and then onwards to South of Spain. If I am lucky, I might be stepping on some snow in Weingarten after not seeing it for twenty some years. Acu says there is a lot of snow this winter; but now not as much as last December. Spain should be warmer, which is good news to my not so young body. If everything goes according to plan, Embak will be celebrating her birthday in Madrid.
Sekarang, bagai air bah, tiba-tiba banyak pulak program realiti pertandingan menyanyi di TV; American Idol udah masuk musim ke 8. TV di Malaysia dengan "Akademi Fantasia" dan "One in a Million"nya. Embak setia menonton American Idol, dan bapa Embak memilih Akademi Fantasia. Sekali-sekali Embak akan tertengok satu dua persembahan AF, tapi dah lama tak tengok sampai habis.
Antara persembahan yang paling Embak ingati ialah oleh Aizat di AF5. Mengenang kembali cepatnya Aizat diundikeluar gara-gara kegendutannya, walaupun suara mantap.
Tetapi, lihatlah sekarang dunia! Aizat telah berjaya dengan album sulungnya, yang Embak beli tulen. Nyaris menang Juara Lagu 2008 lagi. Tak payahlah cerita tentang kejayaannya menguruskan badan, lantas terserlah kecomelannya, persis wajah anak menakan Embak, Ayid. Cuma Ayid lebih handsome.
Last Saturday night, my pal, Sal suggested that we go out of town; all expenses on her. I liked the free part, and since I didn’t have other plans, I agreed. We knew it was a crazy undertaking, without bus tickets nor hotel reservations, but we are adventurous enough to brave the challenges! So we promised to meet at Puduraya at 10 am the next day.
Needless to say we were both late because apparently on Sunday, the LRT is not as available and town cabs are not as plentiful as other times. Little surprise the tickets to Cameron were sold out. Sal, still determined to negotiate the higlands, decided to take her Citroen and test her driving skills.
Four hours later, we reached a wet Brinchang, and immediately set forth our quest for a room. We started with the decent-looking lodges, but soon reconsidered the sleazy- looking ones as everywhere was full house. But the prices were ridiculous. One "hotel" situated in a two-storey shop owner asked for RM170 for a windowless box the size of a double bed.
We then moved to the next town, Tanah Rata. The situation there is none better. The night was setting in, it was wet and we were tired. Sal was already resigned to paying RM408++ for a room at the Equatorial. On the way, we spotted a sign “Cameronian Inn, Tea and Homemade Scones”. We hastened to the place and were able to procure a comfortable and clean room for RM150. There were people scrambling around us for the last available room. What a relief! We proceeded to dinner soon afterwards, and then, bed.
The next morning, I rose refreshed by eight hours of peaceful sleep. In daylight, we discovered the guest house was quite lovely and homely. I love the rare orchids in the garden that I have to touch to see they are not made of rubber. We checked out of the place as a big family was sitting down for their English Chinese New Year breakfast.
We traced our way out of Cameron, stopping by for souvenirs and pictures along the way. I almost forgot about the signature of Cameron that is their tea plantations. It was a pleasant surprise the Bharat Tea House, where we had our brunch sits next to one. We sat down to some scones, a curry puff, tuna sandwich and masala chai (spiced tea). The scones were scrumptious just as what my friend Cuta told me. Apparently, I really enjoyed my scones, as Sal later related that she saw a boy observing my handling the scones and as I was swallowing them, he too swallowed his saliva. Despite the slight misadventure, it was a fun outing. I will definitely visit Cameron again.
Lessons learned:
1. Plan your travel. 2. If not, prepare to pay. 3. Pray. He is Ever-listening.
It has been two weeks since I completed my tenure as temporary nanny and guardian to eight nephews and nieces. Now looking back, I am grateful that it went quite smoothly. Except the two times when the abang and the adik broke into a shouting match and the ensuing wrestling spectacle that made dear Mak Long's heart skip a beat. After a short period of distance, the concerned brothers resumed their lives as if they never had a disagreement, while Mak Long watched in disbelief and prayed silently for no more fights, puhleez!
A few of my sister's friends and relatives came to visit, which was nice. My own friend drove from Ipoh with her family bearing pineapple tarts. The former were concerned about the kids' well-being, while the latter for mine!
I am very proud of my discovery of the perpustakaan desa which became our favourite place. The novels gave me some entertainment and the recipe books provided much inspiration for the daily menu.
When the school reopened, Mak Long was left with three kids as the eldest boy had reported to National Service in Baling in late December and four of the older kids returned to their boarding schools on Penand Island. It was a different routine as Mak Long started to take over caring for Baby Ziyad from older sister Aufa and had a new task of ferrying the sixth grader, Amad to school at the break of dawn and back. Luckily Umi had instructed to hold the kindergartener Ajwa from attending school until she came back. By the end of one week, the new Haji and Hajjah returned, and a day later, I bid adieu to the small town of Tasek Gelugor.
I never felt so rindu for KL before!
All in all, it was a great adventure with up, down and flat moments. I got to know my nephews and nieces better and they, me. I also have a renewed respect for my sister, my own mum and all mothers. As I type this, Mak Long feels so rindu for Baby Ziyad. I hope he rindu me too.
When my sister and her husband received the special invitation to perform haj this year, I volunteered to look after their kids. This is my chance to experience out-of-town living. I am thankful my job allows me to take a long break, so for 10 days already and 40 days more, I am the temporary resident of a tranquil taman up north. And I get to play house albeit without a husband :). My daily routine is more or less set, eg. I have to do my marketing at Kepala Batas every three days; in case you do not know, the price of sotong is comparatively cheap, prawns on the other hand is expensive. The picture is the road outside my sister's abode - a picture of serenity, a far cry from noisy Kay El. At night, whenever it rains, I hear frogs croaking; at dawn I hear rooster crowing; in mid-morning, I hear birds chirping. Wah! Life is so good.
En route from Universiti Teknologi Petronas today, my friend and I stopped by Kellie's Castle. The last time I visited this place was some five years ago when it stood in ruins. Now it is undergoing restoration process, which aims to create what might have been as this monument of love a'la Taj Mahal was never fully completed.
There is a rumor that the ghost of Mr Kelllie wanders around the castle. Can someone explain how this can happen when Mr Kellie actually never lived in the castle and he died in Scotland? There is a Hindu temple nearby, so that could explain the alleged sightings, so recite ayatul Kursi while you are there for protection.
To cover the contractor's cost, you now have to pay RM4 per person to explore the castle.
Subhanallah! Who would have thought there would come a day when America elects a "person of colour" to lead their country. I am hopeful that things will get better for the world, InsyaAllah. Why? Because, it is a major paradigm shift. I have goosebumps!
Our wonderful neighbour Ela, gave us 2 very big ikan haruan (measuring more than 1 foot) recently which became our lauk today. Ikan haruan is our choice fish for this dish, which can be substituted with ikan kerisi if ikan haruan became scarce or too expensive for our wallet. The following recipe is a rough one; please adjust to your taste.
A. Main Ingredients:
2 medium size ikan haruan, cut into 8 pieces 1 stalk bunga kantan 2 sprigs daun kesum 2 pcs asam keping
B.Mix and grind in a blender:
2 cm galanggal 2 cm tumeric 3 pcs onions 2 tsp chili paste 5 sticks cilipadi
C. Liquid
Thick santan from 1/2 coconut 2 cups of water Juice from 5 limau kasturi
D. Seasoning
Salt Kerisik (optional)
Steps:
Combine bunga kantan, asam keping and B in a pot. Pour in water and bring to a boil. Then, put in fish, santan, and daun kesum. Lastly, pour in limau kasturi juice, salt and kerisik. Using low heat, let the gulai simmer until the santan turns slightly oily.
farshi atturabu yadhommouni wa hwa ghita'i hawli arrimalu taloffuni bal men wara'i wallahdu yahki dholmata fiha ebtila'i wannuru khatta kitabahu unsa lika'i unsa lika'i
wal hubbu wadda a shawqahu wa baka raietha'i wa baka rietha'i wddamngu jaffa masiruhu bagda buka'i walkawnu dhaqa bi wessihi dhaqat fadha'i fallahdu sara bi jothati ardhi sama'i hadhihi nihayatu hali farshi turabi
wal khawfu yamla'u ghorbati wa hozna da'i arju athabata wa ennama 'asaman dawa'i
warrabu adhu mokhlisa anta raja'i abghi ilahi jannatan fiha hana'i
warrabu adhu mokhlisa anta raja'i abghi ilahi jannatan fiha hana'i
(Translation) Dust is my bed, embraces me and it's my cover now The sand surrounds me even behind my back And the grave tells a dankness of my affliction And the brightness draws a line
Dust is my bed, embraces me and it's my cover now The sand surrounds me even behind my back And the grave tells a dankness of my affliction And the brightness draws a line
Where is my family's love? They sold my loyalty! And where is my group of friends? They left my brotherhood! Where is the bliss of money? It's behind my back now And my name (reputation) where is it shine between praises This is my end and this is my bed
Dust is my bed, embraces me and it's my cover now The sand surrounds me even behind my back And the grave tells a dankness of my affliction And the brightness draws a line
And love farewells its longing and my elegizing cried And the tears went dry after crying And the universe became narrow and so is my space And the grave became my ground and sky This is my end and this is my bed
Fear fills my estrangement and sadness is my illness I expect firmness and I swear it's my cure
And for Allah I pray faithfully, you are my hope Allah! I desire heaven, to find bliss in it
And for Allah I pray faithfully, you are my hope Allah! I desire heaven, to find bliss in it.
When Egypt was still fresh in my mind, Acu urged me to read Habiburrahman El Shirazy’s novel Ayat-Ayat Cinta. I remember him mentioning a year ago that the novel is a hit with his friends. I didn’t think much of the novel; I felt (cough) what my brother reads will not suit me. This time, when he said that the novel is about Egypt, I didn’t hesitate. Needless to say, I read it as fast as I could, with intermittent smiles, tears and other interjections of recognition.
Co-incidentally, TV3 was to show the movie adaptation on 10th Syawal. Before the film was aired, I bought the CD (alongside Aizat’s excellent debut album) at Tesco. While the movie is good, the book is better. The writing is simple yet stylish. I think I may have lost the beauty of the language as I opted for the Bahasa Melayu version, but the messages are hard to miss. There is so much Islamic values and ideals to be learned from this book. And there is enough drama to keep one glued to the book.
This novel is one of few books that I reluctantly finish and will reread. If you have time to read only one book this month, read this one.
Now the novel is further entrenched in my life as the novel’s protagonist has inspired the name of my new nephew, Muhammad Arif Fahry.
[Tulisan ini dikirim oleh sahabatku RAY yang menerimanya dari internet]
Tahu tak, cinta sebenarnya sama seperti seseorang yg menunggu bas. Bila bas tu datang, awak nengok bas tu dan awak kata pada diri awak,
"Eee... penuhnya... tak de tempat duduk."
Jadik, awak katakan pada diri awak,
"Saya akan tunggu bas yg lain."
Awak pun biarkan bas tu berlalu dan awak tunggu pulak bas yg lain. Kemudian, datang pulak bas yg kedua.Awak nengok bas tu dan awak akan cakap,
"Eee... bas ni buruk sgt... mesti tak selesa. Dan mungkin bas ni akan rosak kat tengah jalan."
Jadi, awak pun biarkan bas buruk tu berlalu dan awak bercadang untuk tunggu bas yang seterusnya. Setelah beberapa ketika, datang lagi sebuah bas. Bas yg datang tu kosong, tak penuh dan tak seburuk bas yg tadi tapi kali ni awak kata,
"Emmm.... takde air-cond... cuaca pulak panas. Lebih baik saya tunggu bas yg lain."
Dan sekali lagi awak biarkan bas tu berlalu dan awak bercadang utk menanti bas yg seterusnya. Tiba-tiba awan mula gelap, cuaca semakin mendung dan baru awak perasan yg awak pula dah terlambat rupanya. Awak mula panik dan terus naik bas yg datang ketika itu, walaupun bas itu tak sebegitu sempurna. Dan kemudian barulah awak sedar bahawa... awak dah naik bas yg salah.
Jadi, selama ni awak dah membazir banyak masa dan wang untuk menunggu apa yg awak nak. Walaupun yg datang tu adalah bas yang berair-cond, adakah awak dpt pastikan bahawa bas tu tak akan rosak di tengah jalan atau mungkin bas tu tak terlalu sejuk untuk awak? Jadik, (terutamanya golongan perempuan) lelaki pun samalah mengingini apa yg awak idamkan tu memang tak salah. Tapi, tak salah juga kalau anda sanggup memberi satu peluang pada orang lain, kan? Sekiranya awak dapati "bas" itu tak sesuai dengan awak, apa yg perlu awak lakukan hanya tekan loceng dan turun daripada bas tu. Tapi... saya pasti awak semua tentu ada pengalaman yg macam ni.
Awak nampak sebuah bas datang (tentulah bas yg awak nanti-nanti kan), awak tahan bas tu tapi pemandu bas tu pulak buat tak faham dan pura-pura buat tak nampak awak dan terus berlalu tinggalkan awak! Hahahaha.... Bila ada bas yang lalu melintasi saya macam tu, apa yang saya lakukan ialah BERJALAN!
Bodoh sebenarnya untuk mengejar bas tu sebab setiap kali, awak akan terjatuh dan menyakiti diri awak sendiri. Jadi, bercinta tu adalah ibarat menunggu bas, sama ada awak nak naik dan beri peluang pada bas tu... semuanya terpulang pada diri awak. Dan bila awak berjalan, awak sebenarnya cuba melarikan diri daripada cinta!
[Berikut ialah reaksi sahabat saya RAY: --------------------------------------------------- Kalau cinta itu ibarat menunggu bas,nampaknya saya salah bas stop, bas tak lalu .
Adik Embak, Si Uda minta buatkan dia biskut kacanglah pulak. Memang kegemaran kami sedari kecik lagi. Akhir-akhir ni tak buat lagi sebab malas menerap. Tapi adik punya pasal, insyaAllah Embak turutkan juga. Tapi resepinya dah hilang. Sabtu lepas, sambil-sambil buat penerangan insurans, Embak tanyakan resepi biskut kacang pada emak sipelanggan. Dah tahupun dia ada, tu yang Embak minta tu. Tahun lepas Embak beraya di rumah makcik tu, dah test hasilnya. Sedap. Jadi, Embak ambik kesempatan ni nak abadikan resepinya di sini. Buat rujukan Embak juga di masa hadapan.
Bahan-bahan: 2 biji telor ayam 10 oz mentega 10 oz gula halus 12 oz tepung gandum 12 oz kacang tanah goreng, dikisar (nak lebihkan pun boleh) 2 sudu teh esen vanilla 1 sudu teh baking powder
Kalau tak biasa dengan sukatan empirikal, tukarlah sendiri ke metrik.
(Pic) At the Pyramids, Giza (Pic) Catching the sunrise atop Jabal Musa aka Jabal Thursina aka Mount Sinai. 26th Aug, 2008.
Four days after returning from Egypt, I am still having dreams about the place. Cannot recall the specifics, but they are busy dreams. I met up with a fellow trip member on Tuesday, and we talked about our experiences with much enthusiasm, and lamented how our family members and co-workers just don’t get it. Best not to divulge too much information lest we’d in the end lose the feel of the whole trip; hence, the minimal reporting in this post.
In summary, the trip was a blast. It exceeded many of my expectations, which I smartly set very low. Take the airline, Egypt Air, for example. Before the trip, I never knew it exists. Even though it’s not of Emirates standard, it’s not too bad an airline. The food and the pilots were excellent, the latter evidenced during turbulence and landing. The only peculiar thing is that the people who served our food are mainly males who could be pilots on rotation judging from their outfit.
Secondly, the lodging- I was expecting a hostel with rows of bunk beds. Instead we got a fairly new apartment with 8 rooms, clean bathrooms with working washing machine and microwave oven plus baroque furniture to boot. And a decent cafetaria downstairs serving Malaysian food.
Thirdly, the Al Azhar Qiraat students who acted as our tour guides are excellent youths. The visit to their college and students' centre in Shoubra humbled me and proved that simple lifestyle can produce positive characters. We had a very memorable session with one of their sheikhs , and learnt first hand how fierce they are. No wonder the students get their lessons fast.
Finally, as mentioned in Al Baqarah 61, ….(Moses said to his people) Go to Town (Egypt), and you shall find what you want!”. True enough, many things that I wished for, I got!
Some interesting tid-bits :
1. They are more 26 million people in Cairo alone! That’s the whole of Malaysia in one city.
2. The Egyptians pronounce the letter “J” as “G”. eg. Gamal instead of Jamal.
3. They omit the letter kaf in many words, eg 'ahwa' instead of 'kahwa'.
4. The Egyptians revere the Nile River so much that they don’t bother to bring back zamzam water from Mekah.
5. Egypt is still in the state of Emergency. In certain areas, like al-Fayyoum, the police will escort every visitor, and by 5 pm, all visitors’d have to leave the area.
Notes to my roommate: Sal, I expect improvements in a particular chaunteuse’s tudung sense and styling soon, thanks for the magnesium tip and Baraka is not the best habatussauda capsule, it's the ONLY brand available.
