believe it or not.. dieya is blogging now!

wordless wednesday

2012-02-08T07:48:00.002+08:00

sirih pulang ke gagang, ikan pulang ke tuan

2012-02-03T07:12:00.004+08:00

3 days passed and I didn’t get any call from Pos Malaysia or Pos Ekspres or Pos Laju or any of its related organizations. So yesterday I called 1 300 300 300 again to check on the status of my report. The operator told me the mails were at Pos Laju Petaling Jaya. She gave me the address and phone number and told me the office closes at 7pm. Good, I could go there directly after work.

Made a call to Pos Laju Petaling Jaya to ask for their exact location. The guy said I could get there via Jalan 222. “Just take the turning next to Petronas, dirive on and you will see the office.” Sounds easy, eh? However as I reached Jalan 222, I saw a signboard saying “Pos Laju”, but the arrow pointed to the junction next to BHP, not Petronas. Wait a minute, did the guy say BHP or Petronas? Perhaps I heard him wrongly. The signboard was big and clear, it must be right.

So I took the turning next to BHP. Continued driving while looking left and right for Pos Laju. Down the road was a housing area. Then I reached a roundabout. Then I saw SMK Sri Aman. What? No Pos Laju? I doubted the office would be further in front as all I could see were houses left and right. Arghhh.. Lost!

Made a u-turn. Reentered the roundabout. Went back to the main road. As I entered Jalan 222 once again, I saw this in front of me...

...yippie yeay! I will follow you.. lalalalala..

And I did follow the van. Seriously. Sedikit cuak when it took some shortcuts.. lalu lorong kecik tepi kedai.. lintas pam minyak Petronas.. but I still followed it dengan harapan the van was going back to the office. Kalau van tu sebenarnya baru keluar nak hantar barang.. jawabnya I pun ikut laa pegi hantar barang jugak.. huhuhu..

Fortunately the van took me here. Phew!

Entered the office. That was when the drama started. Before going there, I wrote the serial numbers of all 5 mails on a piece of paper. When I showed the paper to the guy at the counter, he asked me to put the paper in a basket and wait. Then out came a girl and she picked up the paper. The first word that came out of her mouth was “Banyaknya!” in a displeasing manner.

What? You are complaining right in front of the customer that you have too many mails to look for? Gosh, you should be thankful about it, because it means you have more business!

My mails we brought out and I asked the staffs what was the problem that they couldn’t send the mails over? They said it was because the content wasn’t a document and it was overweight. I told them about Kak Jaja’s envelope that reached her safe and sound, so why were the other 5 mails treated differently? They didn’t have an answer to that.

Me: So berapa ringgit saya kena tambah nak hantar semua ni?
Pos Laju girl: Kena pakai Pos Laju. Satu RM 6.
Me: Jadi tambah RM 3 lah?
Pos Laju girl: Tak boleh. Kena buat baru. Yang lama tak kira.
Me: Mana boleh. You tak perform servis pun. Kenalah refund.
Pos Laju girl: Kat sini tak boleh bagi refund.
Me: Habis kat mana? *Tempreture sudah naik*
Pos Laju girl: Isi borang. Dalam 2-3 minggu baru dapat refund.
Me: Bagi borang.

Started filling the form, which was troublesome because it asked for a lot of info. I asked the girl if I had to fill one for each mail as the form asked for recipient’s address and I obviously had 5 different recipients. She answered by giving me more forms. As I was filling in the second form, the guy saw what I was doing and told me never mind, I could just fill in one form and put all the serial numbers there.

Pos Laju girl: Ada bawa slip penghantaran?
Me: Tak bawak. Kenapa?
Pos Laju girl: Kalau tak ada slip tu tak boleh claim.
Me: Kenapa pulak? Kan dah ada bar code kat sampul2 ni. Ikut je la nombor siri kat sini.
Pos Laju girl: Kami perlu bukti awak yang hantar sampul2 ni.
Me: Eh tadi kan awak dah ambil IC saya. Sekarang saya dah ada pun kat sini. Sah laa saya hantar. Apa lagi bukti awak nak? *Time ni tempreture sudah naik sangat tinggi*
Pos Laju girl: Nak kena tengok bar kod kuning kat slip penghantaran.
Me: *Tunjuk kat bar code berderet on every envelope* Ambik je lah salah satu bar kod ni!
Pos Laju girl: Tak boleh. Kena ada slip tu jugak.
Me: Panggil you punya boss *Seriously rasa nak terbakar sudah*
Pos Laju girl: Boss tak duduk kat sini.
Me: *Are you kidding me?!* Panggil you punya boss!

She went inside. And one by one all the counter staffs went inside too. There was only me at the front desk. God knows what they discussed in there. A long while later the girl came out.

Pos Laju girl: Orang kat dalam cakap mesti kena ada slip tu jugak baru boleh claim.
Me: Fine, anggap je lah slip tu dah hilang. So macam mana sekarang?
Pos Laju girl: Memang dah hilang ke?
Me: Tak lah. Tapi saya tak mahu laa datang banyak kali semata-mata untuk benda ni. So anggap dah hilang. Macam mana?
Pos Laju girl: Nak kena ada bukti awak yang hantar.
Me: *Waved the envelope to her* Bukan bukti ke ni?
Pos Laju girl: Ye, tapi kalau takde slip tu memang tak boleh claim.

Tersangat sakit hati already. It was no longer about me trying to claim for RM3 per envelope. Trust me, I couldn’t care less. RM3 x 5 = RM15 = Cheaper than the cost of a cup of Starbucks. And you know how often I drink Starbucks. It wasn’t about the money. It was about being treated fairly as a customer. If they could accept my IC as a proof that I was the sender and gave me back the envelopes, why couldn’t they process my claims?

Me: Pos Laju sekarang dah tak bagus ye.
Pos Laju girl: Pos Ekspres memang tak boleh hantar selain dokumen.
Me: Ye, saya tahu. Sekarang saya nak claim.
Pos Laju girl: Nak kena ada slip tu juga.
Me: *Fed up* Pos Laju sekarang memang dah tak bagus.
Pos Laju girl: Kena ada slip sebagai bukti you yang hantar.

Balik2 bukti. Seriously I was super tired and sakit hati hearing that the slip was the only bukti they could accept as proof of delivery. Sedangkan atas slip tu there’s nothing but a bar code number, which was exactly the same as the number on the envelope!

Me: Takpe, saya akan buat aduan dekat Pos Laju Head Office.
Pos Laju girl: Tapi kalau takde slip tak boleh claim.
Me: *Dengan nada paling sinis* Takpelah dik. Awak dah ‘banyak’ membantu. Terima kasih lah ye.

Grabbed all the envelopes and the complaint forms and drove home. On the way back Jalan 222 was bumper-to-bumper. Lagi bikin gua stress. Stopped by my favorite laundry shop. It’s operated by an elderly Chinese couple. Picked up my clothes and paid using a RM50 note. The uncle counted the balance, arranged the money nicely and handed them to me with both hands. “Thank you harrr...” he said with a smile. Just like that, my anger was washed away. Thank you uncle, for your excellent customer service. No wonder why a certain race, despite being given all the perks and privileges by the government, still struggle in doing business.. hmm..

Got home and repacked the fridge magnets. At first I wanted to just put each Pos Ekspres envelope into a normal envelope, but then I realized it is actually bigger than the normal one. So I had to cut all 5 envelopes open and use the cutouts as linings.

Back into my hands.

Time to swim again you fishes!

Going to mail them using registered mail today. Set your stopwatch. Let’s see how fast (or slow) they will reach the recipients (or back to me) this time around.

P.S.: I’m a Gemini. I’m a lover, not a fighter. But don’t make light of me, because I will knock you out!

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Update:

All five white plain envelopes have been safely mailed to the intended recipients. I used registered mail which cost RM2.30 each. To Kak Lieya, Kak Lelord, Ninie, Messy Mummy and Erin, do let me know once you receive the fishes. I’m really eager to know if the good old Pos Malaysia is still better at this than its much younger sibling company.

By the way, please don’t feel like you all yang menyusahkan I. No, no, no! I was the one who wanted to give the fishes to all of you. And I was the one who decided to send them using Pos Ekspres. You all tak salah apa2 okay, so please don’t feel guilty about it. Just wait for your fish to reach your doorstep and put it on the best spot on your fridge :-)

Proof of delivery, yet again.

Hope all works well this time!

lodged a report

2012-01-30T21:41:00.001+08:00

I lodged a report with Pos Malaysia Customer Service today.

They asked me a series of questions.

“Masukkan sampul2 tu dalam tong warna apa?”

“Masukkan dari luar ke dari dalam pejabat pos?”

“Tong tu duduk dekat mana? Luar ke dalam?”

“Pukul berapa pos sampul2 tu?”

“Dalam tu ada apa?”

They said they will investigate it.

I will get a feedback in 3 working days.

Let’s wait and see.

Will let you know.

where did the fishes go?

2012-01-28T17:27:00.003+08:00

Amber alert! Maldivian fishes are missing!

I mailed all the fridge magnets to the intended recipients on Wednesday 18 January 2012 at Subang Skypark post office. For the 6 local addresses, I used small Pos Ekspres envelopes that cost RM3 each. Threw all 6 envelopes into the same bin, at the same time. For the sole overseas address I used a registered mail.

Until today, out of 7 mails being sent out, only 2 have arrived at their destinations. Kak Jaja got her green seahorse. Aida all the way in Spain got her yellow seahorse. But none of the fishes have reached their new owners!

Proof of delivery. Where are the fishes?

It’s really weird that those 5 mails are missing, as I sent them together with Kak Jaja’s. In fact Kak Jaja’s seahorse was way bigger than the fishes till I had problem closing the envelope and almost thought that Pos Ekspres would refuse to send it for being oversize. Yet she received hers.

I tried to use the online “Track and Trace” service on Pos Malaysia’s website to track on the missing mails. This was what the system told me...

... “No Record Found”! Are you kidding me?!

A message for Kak Lieya, Kak Lelord, Ninie, Messy Mummy and Erin:
I have sent your respective serial number to each of you. Do call Pos Malaysia’s customer service at 1300 300 300 and check on them. I really hope they will reach you safe and sound.

And I really wonder what happened to the fishes.

Shall I call Haratio Caine to investigate?

a night with mamamya

2012-01-26T07:37:00.006+08:00

After so many times thinking about it.. talking about it.. almost didn’t make it.. I went to visit Kak Lieya @ Mamamya at her new house, finally! I was pretty sure that I could easily find my way there. After all her taman is well-known among Malaccans and one of my school friends lives there.

Maka dengan penuh keyakinan saya pun memandu menuju ke sana. I saw a signboard showing the name of her taman but it was Seksyen 1 (hers was Seksyen 2) so I thought mesti Seksyen 2 kat depan tu. So I continued driving. Sedar-sedar dah sampai Jalan Tengkera going towards Sungai Udang. Aik, mana Seksyen 2?! I’m officially lost!

Stopped at Esso. Isi minyak sampai penuh. Alang-alang dah sesat better be sure I had full tank. Made a u-turn. Gamble masuk Seksyen 1 dengan harapan akan jumpa Seksyen 2 sebentar lagi. Wrong! Pusing punya pusing still kat Seksyen 1 jugak. Aih, tak boleh jadi ni. Called Kak Lieya.

Kak Lieya: Dieya kat mana?
Me: Kat Seksyen 1. Camne nak gi rumah akak?
Kak Lieya: Seksyen 1 belah mana?
Me: Dekat Kondominum XXX (tak ingat nama).
Kak Lieya: Huh? Kat mana plak tu.. Nanti jap..

*Passed the phone to her hubby*

Komando: Haa.. Kat mana?
Me: Kondominum XXX.. Dekat ngan gerai makan Cina..
Komando: Tau tak Klinik Kesihatan Tengkera?
Me: Err.. Dieya try carik..
Komando: Ok tunggu kat situ.

Cabaran seterusnya, macam mana nak keluar dari Seksyen 1 pegi main road? Taman tu punyalah besar I couldn’t find my way out! Fortunately I saw a guy in front of one of the houses so I asked how to get out from the area. Masuk je main road, Kak Lieya called.

Kak Lieya: Kat mana sekarang?
Me: Dah masuk main road.
Kak Lieya: Tau tak nak gi Klinik Kesihatan Tengkera yang cakap tadi tu?
Me: Takpe2.. Nanti Dieya carik..
Kak Lieya: Komando dah start motor dah. Tunggu kat sana.

A few seconds after that I saw the super huge brand new Klinik Kesihatan Tengkera on my right. Bingo! Terus called Kak Lieya. She asked me to wait in front of a school nearby. Tak sampai seminit her hubby pun sampai. “Haa.. Jom!”

Sampai kat rumah Kak Lieya dah menunggu depan gate sambil dukung Firas. Keluar kereta terus gelak sakan.. tak sangka laa pulak boleh sesat kat kampung sendiri! I’ve been to 5 continents in the world, sangat jarang sesat ok. Kat Melaka pulak boleh sesat. Walhal Tesco Melaka dekat ngan rumah Kak Lieya sangatlah selalu pegi coz my mum likes to do grocery shopping there. Haih! Masuk rumah. Borak2.. gelak2.. seronok tengok anak2 Kak Lieya yang sangat petah dah bijak.

Kak Long Damya is so sweet. Suka bercerita. Rambut lurus macam anak Jepun, potong style bob cut comel sangat. Very smart, sekolah lama kat JB dapat nombor 1. Pindah Melaka masuk Islamic kindy baru sebulan dah boleh sebut body parts in Arabic. When asked about her new school, Damya cerita “Sekarang pegi sekolah pakai tudung, tak boleh bergaya-gaya dah..” Hahaha.. comel laa Damya cakap macam orang besar!

Kak Ngah Fiqa pulak agresif orangnya, suka buli Kak Long. Her most prominent feature is her curly hair. Bila bercakap suaranya lantang. Ayatnya ringkas dan tepat. Macam askar pencen. When I asked her to snap a pic of me and Kak Lieya, dia pegang camera and jerit “Senyooom!!!” sebijik macam ketua baris bagi perintah kat padang kawad. Serius tak tipu. Since she’s so small and gebu everytime dia buat gitu I gelak sakan tengok dia. Little lady general!

Firas the Komando Jr. matanya sangatlah bulat. Suaranya mahal, dah sejam lepak sama2 baru dengar dia bercakap. Halus je bunyinya, ramai laa anak2 dara cair nanti. That night he wore the t-shirt that I bought for him at Buenos Aires. Masa bagi souvenir kat Kak Lieya, dia pun nak pegang juga. Bila tak bagi dia menangis sampai menitik air mata atas baju.. aduh.. syahdu sungguh! Dalam hati ada taman Komando Jr. ni tau!

Damya nyanyi lagu “Gajah”.

Fiqa nyanyi lagu “Rama-rama”.

Kak Jaja pesan mesti ambik gambar makanan :-D

Makan apa? Kak Lieya’s signature kek puding karamel. Sebenarnya sejak tengok gambar kek tu kat blog Kak Lieya memang teringin sangat nak try. Tapi sah lah takde jual kat kedai kan. Tak sangka pulak Kak Lieya buat kek ni masa I datang. Yeay! Siap bagi bekal separuh kek bawa balik rumah. Double yeay! Sampai rumah my brothers sangat amazed tengok kek tu coz tak pernah jumpa kek camtu. Terus diorang serbu.

Kak Lieya buat sardine roll jugak. Sangat sedap!

Bersama puan rumah yang pakar memasak. We finally met!

Me and Komando Jr. yang macho.

Fiqa playing with her new toys.

Damya sedang melukis. She asked me to wait coz she wanted to give the drawing to me *touched*

Awww.. cuteness!

Damya’s masterpiece.

Fiqa’s masterpiece.

Sambil tunggu the two princesses siapkan lukisan diorang, sempat usha album kawin Kak Lieya and Komando. Pakai gaun kembang gitu! Kak Lieya kata time tu wedding dia yang paling grand kat kampung coz takde orang lain kawin ala tentera lalu bawah pedang. Yang lawaknya time majlis tu black out ler pulak. And Kak Lieya siap tukar2 banyak jenis costume.. dari Western ke Jepun ke Korea ke Jawa.. semua ada! Yang paling hot masa dia pakai baju pengantin ancient Egypt, macam Cleopatra you!

Nak tengok? Heh, gambar orang laa, mana boleh tayang sesuka hati. Ni ambik sekeping dari blog Kak Lieya...

...aren’t they lovely? Kata Kak Lieya baju no. 1 tu Komando tak muat dah. Baguslah kan, bahagia kawin ngan Kak Lieya cukup makan :-D

A group photo with Kak Lieya and the kids.

To Kak Lieya, thank you so much for having me at you beautiful new house. Rumah akak sangat cantik dan bersih. Your kids are wonderful! Sangat friendly and pandai buat performance. Akak punya kek tu toksah cakap lah, memang marvelous! Boleh buat berniaga ni. Owh, thank you to Komando juga sebab menyusahkan dia jadi guide pulak. Dieya dah ingat jalan nak gi rumah akak. Kalau pergi lagi hopefully tak sesat. Kalau sesat jugak Dieya tunggu kat Klinik Kesihatan Tengkera :-p

To Kak Jaja, entry panjang macam naga (maklumlah baru raya tahun naga) I wrote especially for you tau! Kata Kak Jaja nak tau everything sampai makanan sekali kan.. hehehe.. amacam puas hati tak? Bacalah banyak kali sampai juling ok!

it’s the year of the dragon!

2012-01-24T14:53:00.001+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year people! My CNY celebration this year is a short one. Went home to Melaka a lot later than planned. Was working till Sunday morning and only left KL in the afternoon. Last year I took a week off to celebrate. Doesn’t happen this year. Too many things to take care of at the office.

Spent the entire day out yesterday. More to go today. So before I continue my tour around the historical city, let me leave you with several pics taken on the first day of the year of the dragon.

Popo and granddaughters.

Snacking ~~and gossiping~~ time. Someone’s sleepy.

Ang pow time! And she’s wide awake :-p

Red packets, yeah!

Me and my cousins at the family home.

Photographers at work.

Gong Xi Fa Chai!

it’s gone!

2012-01-20T07:19:00.000+08:00

My Friendster blog is gone! Non-existent! Vanished! GONE! GONE! GONE!

How can that be? When did it happen? How can I not know about it? Did anyone inform me that Friendster was going to close its blogging function? I don’t think so. I don’t know actually, considering that I was away from blogging for a long while.

This is sad. The Friendster blog was my first ever blog. Very sentimental. Worse still, my earlier travel stories were there! The stuffs I did during my 2 weeks in Aussie.. the mother-daughter trip with my mum to NZ.. the 3-day visit to my aunt’s place in Japan.. all gone!

Should I rewrite everything here for keepsake?

Google better not close Blogger without notice. If that happens, I might get a heart attack!

irresistible gemini

2012-01-19T07:37:00.002+08:00

I actually wanted to talk about something else today, but I saw this pic on Susumanis's blog that made me smile real wide...

...yeah baby, I'm irresistible!

P.S.: My first time blogging using Galaxy Tab. Hope this entry turns out well.

wordless wednesday

2012-01-18T07:37:00.001+08:00

the beauty of tablet pc

2012-01-17T07:37:00.001+08:00

To those who are considering buying iPad, Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Note.. whatever.. watch this!

Make sure yours can do that :-D

If mine can, I’ll jump into the screen and watch FC Barcelona play live at the stadium every single match.

You?

me and japanese skincare

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000+08:00

Me and Japanese skincare just don’t go well together.

Don’t get me wrong, I do love lots of Japanese stuffs. I drive a Japanese car. I enjoy shopping at Isetan. I eat sushi and sashimi by truckloads. I drink green tea by barrels. Doraemon remains my favorite cartoon character.

But when it comes to skincare, Japanese products just ain’t for me.

Just so you know, I had major breakout issues during my late teens (you can read about it here). Since then, I tried products after products. Somehow, the Japanese ones always ended up giving me problems.

First I tried Shiseido. The girl over the counter told me to get the entire Pureness range which supposed to fix my oily skin. Guess what, it didn’t. I ended up with the worst acne experience I ever had. It was really bad that I had to see a dermatologist and go under medication.

While I was doing my degree, I tried Kosé. Bought a couple of products from the Sekkisei line. Can’t recall if it made my problem any worse, but it definitely didn’t make it better. Hence I stopped using it.

Since the two bad experiences, I shied away from Japanese skincare. Tried lots of other brands - local and abroad, cheap and expensive - until I found my peace with Nivea. Yeah, the cheap pharmacy brand worked wonders on me! Then I switched to Olay, which was just as good, if not better.

After a while, I thought I should give Japanese skincare another try. Heard a lot of hype about SK-II, so I decided go for it. My mum is a long time fan. She started using it when it was still known as Max Factor Secret Key, way back when I was in primary school. Yeah, that long ago. Secret Key later became SK, then SK became what is now known as SK-II. She has been switching brands many times since, but somehow SK-II keeps coming back into her beauty regime.

So I thought, if it worked on my mum, it might just work for me. After all, lots of people used it without problem. Kind of thrilled by the prospect of having crystal clear skin like Fauziah Latiff and Qi Qi.

So sometime during Ramadan last year, I headed to SK-II counter and grabbed the entire range. Everything. From the cleanser to the toner to the infamous miracle water and more. Was really excited seeing those pretty glass bottles with shiny caps decorating my dressing table. Looked so classy.

I started using the range, at first it was just ok. No difference. After several weeks, I noticed some effects. Bad ones. My face started growing tiny little pimples. My cheeks began to redden. Whenever I applied the toner, I felt stinging sensation. When I dapped on the facial treatment essence a.k.a. miracle water, my face felt really itchy.

But did I stop using it immediately? No I didn’t. I decided to go on, believing that it was only initial reaction towards new product. Perhaps my face was detoxing itself. Gosh, wonder where the idea came from! Now that I think about it, it sounds really stupid! Well, maybe I was in denial, thinking that after so much money being spent on the product, it must work somehow.

It was a comment from my dad that made me realize the reality. “Why are your cheeks red?” he asked me one day. I looked into the mirror and checked my skin thoroughly. What a horror it was! True enough, my cheeks were red with tiny little dots all over them! I thought no way, whatever advance pitera technology the range might have, it definitely wasn’t working for me. After more than a month of usage, the “initial reaction” period should have long passed. What I saw was not initial reaction, it was allergic reaction!

Therefore, with a heavy heart, I had to let go of my entire SK-II range. Gave the products to my mum, she was more than happy to have them. “You should have told me earlier, I just replenished my stuffs!” she said. Good for her, now she has more to use.

So I went back to Olay and the allergies subsided. Meanwhile, I started surfing around for hypoallergenic skincare. Came across several suggestions, finally I settled on Clinique, which is well known for its allergy tested range. Been using it for a month now. Totally love the result!

Moral of the story:
- Just because it’s expensive, doesn’t mean it works.
- Just because it works for others, doesn’t mean it works for you.
- Don’t be in denial. If it doesn’t work, get rid of it and find something else.

Of course, every person is different. Let’s just put it this way: My mum gave birth to me, obviously half of her DNA is mine. Yet SK-II works like a charm on her skin but was entirely the opposite on mine. How do you justify that?

And while I was feeling devastated thinking that I was the only one in the world being unlucky with SK-II, I surfed the net and found these sites:
- This girl had similar experience as I had. I bought as many products as she did, if not more.
- This girl she mentioned that when she applied the products on her face she got red spots. But when she put them on her feet, they became smooth. Go figure.
- This girl said the miracle water made her face felt “like burning with sting sting feeling” which was exactly how I felt when I used it.
- This girl used SK-II mask the night before her wedding and woke up with rashes on her face. Imagine her horror!
- This girl also had allergic reaction, which was confirmed by her doctor. She returned the products and asked for a refund.
- This girl only used the essence for a week and her skin got worse. And like me, Nivea was good on her.
- This girl said her face reacted badly towards the facial wash, but the eye gel worked well on her eyes. I totally agree on the eye gel, it’s absolutely wonderful. I still use it, no problem whatsoever.

So should you use SK-II or any other skincare for that matter? It’s all up to you. As I said before and I shall stress it one more time, every person is different. I’m sure while Nivea, Olay and Clinique work well on me, there are people that have bad experiences with them. Similarly, while SK-II doesn’t seem to suit me and those girls I mentioned, you’ll surely find dozens of others singing praises about the product.

In conclusion, don’t give up finding what works on your skin. It takes effort, time, money and a whole lot of patience for sure.

Like what the late Aaliyah sang, if at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again!

the hotel in paris

2012-01-15T01:50:00.000+08:00

Satri asked me ages ago if I could tell her more about the hotel that I stayed in Paris, as she planned to go there in April. So here it is, some info about New Hotel Saint Lazare. To Satri, sorry for the very late feedback! I hope there’s still time for you to do your booking and get a good rate.

So why did I choose the hotel?

Firstly, it’s literally a few steps away from Liège metro station so it was easy for me to go to anywhere around town. I also felt safe going back late at night as I didn’t have to walk too far from the metro station to the hotel.

Secondly, it was a walking distance away from Théâtre Mogador where I watched The Lion King in French. Also a walking distance away from Galeries Lafayette, the popular department store in Paris where I went to watch a fashion show.

Thirdly, it may be a 2 star hotel, but the facilities are superb. You don’t believe me? Check out these pics.

Nice beds with clean sheets.

Chair, desk and LCD tv.

Squeaky clean and fully working shower.

Shiny toilet and fresh towels.

Can you get these stuffs at a 2 star hotel in Malaysia? I don’t think so. You are lucky if you can get these at a 5 star hotel! I remember staying at a hotel in KL that claims itself to be 7 star, yet when I saw the facilities, I felt like slashing 4 of those stars off their books!

The balconies, taken from the indoor garden. Very French ;-)

The hotel’s signage is clearly visible from the roadside.

Sadly I didn’t take any pic directly in front of the hotel. This is the best that I have.

P.S.: Writing this entry makes me miss Paris...

fridge magnet update

2012-01-13T23:05:00.001+08:00

As of now, ~~6 out of~~ all 7 have been booked...

...~~only one left – FM 4. Any taker?~~ All have been taken. Case closed.

To those of you who haven’t e-mail to me your address, please do so real soon. I only wish to make one trip to the post office, so I shall wait till I get everyone’s address before mailing these to all of you.

To those of you who already given me your address, go ahead and pressure the rest to do the same :-D

hello world

2012-01-12T19:30:00.002+08:00

Where do I start?

Been away from blogosphere for such a long time that I had a memory lapse when I opened Blogger homepage.

I forgot my password!

Fortunately it was only for a fraction of a second *phew*

So, howdy everybody? Behaved yourselves while I was gone?

Me? Still alive and kicking, thankfully! ~~Ada yang dah sedekah Al-Fatihah ke?~~

Err.. having a blank moment right now.. it has been a while..

Okay, let me start with a big THANK YOU.

Thank you to all of you. For keeping the blog busy with your visits. For asking me how I’ve been doing. For keeping me abreast with the happenings in the blogging world while I was busy juggling things in the real world.

Thank you. Gracias. Terima kasih.

As a token of my appreciation, I have these little things for you...

...fridge magnets from Maldives!

I only have seven pieces to give away, so it’s on first come first serve basis.

What do you need to do?

First, choose the FM number that you want.
Next, leave a comment. Tell me your name and the FM number so others know that you’ve booked it.
Lastly, mail your name and mailing address to me at ronaldieya@gmail.com

One FM for one reader. Please give others equal chance. And please don’t fight.

What if you don’t live in Malaysia?

I know I have quite a number of readers from abroad. Don’t worry, you have the same chance as everyone else. It doesn’t matter if you live in Huelva or Texas or Timbuktu, I will mail it to you :-)

So easy? Don’t I want anything in return?

Yes, I do. I ask for just one thing from you, that is doa @ prayer. I have some big things that I want to achieve and I really hope that you will pray for my wishes to come true. As simple as that.

Happy choosing, good luck to you and good luck to me too!

P.S.: Feels good to be back!

maldives - learning points

2011-10-31T07:38:00.001+08:00

1) Always book a hotel/resort with airport transfer. Taxis are few and far in between, more so after dark. So better get your transport pre-arranged.

2) If your flight arrives at night, spend the night in the city and go the resort the next morning. Why? Because you can save a lot of money by avoiding an additional night stay at the resort. Just so you know, the price per night at a resort is easily 3 times higher than a hotel in city.

3) To get from the airport to any island resort, you need to ride a boat or a seaplane. Islands closer to Airport Island are reachable by boat and the fare is reasonable (about RM 300 return per person). Islands further away require a seaplane and the fare is super expensive (about RM 1,000 return per person). So even though you get a cheap resort, consider the kind of transport you require to reach there. You might end up paying more for the transport than the room itself.

4) Most resorts offer two popular types of accommodation - water bungalow and beach bungalow.
- Water bungalow: Very beautiful yet very expensive too. You’ll go to bed hearing ocean waves from underneath. Some people love it. Some people have trouble sleeping.
- Beach bungalow: Relatively cheaper. Nice for those who enjoy the sand. Still can hear the waves when you sleep, but not as loud.

5) Snorkeling is a must. Maldives has one of the world’s most wonderful underwater sights. Beautiful corals, colorful fishes, simply breathtaking. Don’t know how to swim? Don’t worry, you can wear a live jacket. But if you can swim, it’s a lot better.

6) Seafood lovers, rejoice! In Maldives, any meal made with seafood is usually cheaper than chicken or beef. Why? Because all kinds of meat in the country are imported as they do not have enough land for agriculture. Thus, no locally bred cows and chickens.

7) Avoid buying souvenirs in Malé City. The price is really expensive. Go to islands where locals live (i.e. Himmafushi Island), either by joining an island hopping excursion or renting a small boat. A fridge magnet that costs USD 8 in the city is only USD 1 at the island.

8) Maldives is not a shopping destination. Goods are mostly imported from India and China. Not much else to see other than superb waters. Those who love the sea will find it heavenly. Those who don’t will find it boring. Four to five days stay should be enough to experience everything.

A postcard to myself...

...with a pic of where I stayed :-)

goodbye maldives

2011-09-18T21:00:00.000+08:00

We returned to Thulhagiri feeling really tired. Our boat transfer to the airport would only be at 8pm, so we still had a bit of time. Feast your eyes with some of the final photos that taken at the beautiful resort island before bidding goodbye.

A full view of Thulhagiri, taken from the boat on the way back from island hopping.

Spot the difference?

A crab on the shoreline.

The signature water villas.

The jetty where we would catch a boat to the airport later.

So picturesque!

One advantage of staying at water villa is that you can go snorkeling at your doorstep...

...but be careful, no lifeguard around to save you.

What a nice place to stay.

Amongst the coconut trees.

At the reception area, waiting for time to leave.

Boarded the boat to the airport. Naseer (in striped shirt) came to send us off at the jetty.

All set to go home!

To sum everything up, it was a short trip but a really meaningful one, as it was Eila’s final privilege trip as a MAS employee. She will be moving to a new workplace in November, far away from KL. Being a great friend that she is, I will surely miss her company.

Goodbye Maldives! To my wonderful readers, thank you for patiently following every step of the journey!

island hopping

2011-09-18T17:00:00.000+08:00

Final day in Maldives. We planned to make it memorable by going island hopping, so we could visit as many islands as possible. Fortunately our flight home was at night, so time wasn’t an issue. Just that we had to pack up early before heading off so that the resort wouldn’t charge us any late check out penalty.

Island #1: Himmafushi Island

The wonderful thing about Himmafushi Island is that it is home to the locals, not a resort island. So I could see normal people living ordinary lives, doing daily routines. There were lots of nice little shops selling souvenirs and local handicrafts. Stuffs there were much cheaper than any other places that I had been to in Maldives.

Welcome to Himmafushi!

Rows of trees by the beach.

Colorful shops. Too many to choose from, I only dropped by a few.

A local kid on his bicycle.

A handicraft shop owner offered me a visit to his workshop, where I saw some of the locally produced items that were still in progress.

A shark can easily snap my head off in one bite!

Island #2: Paradise Island

Another popular resort island. What attracted my attention the most was its beautiful beach and abundance of colorful fishes swimming along its shallow shores. Also saw several foot-long white sharks. Lucky for those who stayed there, they didn’t have to go far out to the middle of the sea to see those gorgeous marine creatures.

Welcome to Paradise Island!

The resort’s signature long jetty...

...with pretty fishes swimming underneath.

My first time seeing live squids! So excited!

In red circle: Shark! There were many of them actually. And those people swam ridiculously near to them, no fear whatsoever.

Who’s hotter now?

Island #3: Picnic Island

A very tiny island, just as big as a football field. As the name suggests, it’s only purpose is for people to have picnic. Our island hopping package included lunch there. Due to shallow waters surrounding it, our big boat couldn’t go too near. So they prepared a small boat to bring us from the big boat to the island in two trips.

The small boat on its way to pick us up.

Arrived for our lunch picnic.

That’s the entire island. All it has is a dining hut, several beach chairs and that small white building at the back is the washroom.

The lunch might not look appetizing but taste-wise it was really yummy! I went for a second serving!

The dining hut from the inside...

...and from the outside.

Time for siesta.

Pretty white birds along the shore.

Island #4: Bandos Island

This island is actually very near to Thulhagiri (where we stayed), thus we went there on our way back. Nothing much, just another resort island. Naseer’s (our boatman) cousin has a painting shop there. Coincidentally, Eila had been looking to buy a painting to bring home, so it was great that we got the chance to go there.

Welcome to Bandos!

While Eila got a painting, I got myself a Maldives map.

Enjoying mocktails before heading back to Thulhagiri.

malé city tour

2011-09-17T23:59:00.000+08:00

After a good Maldivian breakfast, we returned to our room, changed and hopped on a boat to go to Malé. It was the same boat that took us snorkeling the day before. The same crew was in charge, headed by a guy named Naseer. We chatted with him about what to do in the city. Naseer said there would be plenty of local guides who could give us a tour for a small fee. “But if you want, I can walk with you, then you won’t need a guide,” he suggested. Of course we said yes!

A pose with the spa girls while waiting for boarding call. All of them are Indonesian. The one on far left is married to a local.

Let’s go to Malé!

Naseer giving a briefing before we left.

The boat cruised over clear waters and pretty corals...

...and headed to the middle of the sea. The moment I did the pose, several other tourists with huge DSLRs took shots of me. Felt like a celebrity :-D

Approaching Malé, the capital city of Maldives.

Fishing boats near the jetty.

Our first stop was the fish market.

Couldn’t believe they would eat that pretty blue fish!

Next stop was the fruit and vegetable market...

...where we quench our thirst with fresh coconut.

Clockwise: Looking for Maldivian curry powder at a local sundry shop. Choosing fridge magnets. Jewelries made of corals. Eila finally got her curry powder at a supermarket.

The new mosque, within the compound of the Islamic Centre. The old man on the tricycle was performing solat together with the jama’ah.

The old mosque, known as Malé Friday Mosque.

The well from which they scooped water to perform wudhu.

The tomb of Sultan Ibrahim Iskandhar I, who built the mosque in 1658.

In memory of those who lost their lives in the 2004 tsunami.

Done with the tour, we went back to the jetty area.

Waited for Naseer who went to take a leak at the police headquarters. It was the only place near the jetty with a public toilet!

The military headquarters next to it.

We still had a bit of time, so Naseer took us to a local hangout where we tried authentic Maldivian snacks.

The place was full of men. Eila and I were the only female customers.

Super duper yummy!

Time to leave Malé and return to Thulhagiri.

Sunlight beamed on that side of the boat, so much so they had to hide behind umbrellas.

The Chinese tourists bought lots of cigarettes. Wonder if they were cheaper in Maldives than in China?

Approaching our beautiful resort.

People enjoying their evening swim.

Saw the diving school’s operator at the jetty taking pics of the sunset. She has grey-blue eyes like a cat.

Nightfall at Thulhagiri.

morning swim and maldivian breakfast

2011-09-17T11:59:00.000+08:00

What else to do when you have a beautiful beach at your doorstep?

Swim, swim and swim!

Eila stayed out of the water and went for a jog instead.

Relaxing under a coconut tree after a good dip.

Bigger than a cat.

Showered and went to the coffee house for breakfast. FYI the night before, we chatted with our favorite waiter about how we longed to try authentic Maldivian breakfast. “Don’t worry, I’ll arrange something for you tomorrow,” he said. Guess what was in store for us when we reached there?

Chapatti with 4 different condiments! Potato in coconut gravy, fish curry, red bean and tuna sambal. Yes, they call it sambal too, but not as spicy as ours.

Eila at a jewelry store next to the coffee house...

...where she checked out some precious stones.

After meal time, came chill time.

Sailboats at the resort’s sailing school.

Pretty beach...

More pretty beach...

Even more pretty beach...

Just couldn’t get enough of it!

Oh by the way, I hadn’t introduced you to our neighbor, had I? She stayed with her family next door. I often saw her playing around when I went for a swim or relaxed by the beach.

Such a cute little thing she was!

But don’t be fooled by the angelic look. Just moments from the shoot, I saw her filling sand into her little toy pail and sneaked behind her mum (the lady on the beach chair). Guess what she did next? She poured the sand onto mummy’s head! Hahaha!

finding nemo

2011-09-16T23:59:00.000+08:00

Snorkeling time! Eila woke up early to have breakfast. I chose to continue sleeping as I always practice not to eat anything before entering the waters. Eila returned from the coffee house with several muffins. “Just in case you get hungry,” she said. So nice of her.

We changed into our wet suits and headed to the jetty. Rented snorkeling gears from the diving school and got into the waiting boat. I was pretty excited, couldn’t wait to see if Maldivian underwater scene was as gorgeous as I heard it would be. The boat took us to the middle of the sea. Put on our gears and life jackets and jumped right in.

The instructors tested our swimming skills one by one. They would only let us snorkel on our own if they were confident that we could take care of ourselves in the open sea. I tried not to snorkel too far from the rest as I tend to get nervous when being left alone in the water.

How was the view down there? Amazing! Saw plenty of colorful fishes, beautiful corals and best of all, a turtle! I immediately recalled the scene in “Finding Nemo” when Nemo hanged on to a giant turtle so he could travel against the strong current.

Photos? Nil. Nada. Nothing. Didn’t think of getting an underwater casing for Red Baby before the trip. So you just have to believe my words - when I say the sea creatures were gorgeous, trust me, they were indeed gorgeous!

After snorkeling, we showered, rested, dried our wet suits...

...then went to the coffee house for a Maldivian lunch.

Eila giving away her autograph to a fan ;-)

Thought of getting a book from the library, but couldn’t find anything English that was worth reading. Ended up looking at pics in German magazines. Then we returned to the room to rest till it was time for dinner.

Had western food for a change.

Hanged out at the bar to watch live band.

These guys were pretty good.

See the dude on the left in shorts? He went up the stage and did some “kuda kepang” moves.

A lady danced with her toddler son. So cute!

The stage was then opened for everyone.

Eila enjoying the show. When the band took an intermission break, we decided to leave...

...and took a night walk instead.

Beautiful row of lights.

The main jetty where we arrived on our first day at the resort.

Pretty structure, even in the dark.

A map of the tiny island.

Phew.. another entry done.. not only that, managed to cover the entire day’s activity in one go. Should be able to finish my storytelling faster this way, eh?

dinner time

2011-09-15T23:59:00.000+08:00

Our accommodation was half board, which meant breakfast and dinner were included. Should we wish to eat anything in between, we would have to order from the coffee house and the bill would be charged to our room. Some guests took full board, thus they got fed four times a day – breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. I didn’t think it was necessary as we would spend most of the day time away from the resort anyway.

The bar area.

The buffet line.

We got friendly with a waiter, who reserved for us a table with a great view throughout our entire stay.

Maldivian food is very much similar to Indian. Lots of curries and spices.

My banana juice and Eila’s pineapple juice.

The dining area from outside.

Hanged out by the beach after dinner.

The island has two jetties - one for speed boat, another (this one) for slow boat.

There’s a library near the reception area.

Too bad they had very few English books. Most of them were in German or Swiss. Apparently Thulhagiri is very popular among tourists from that part of the world. Probably it has something to do with the fact that the resort’s owner is a Swiss.

Retired for the night. Next day’s activity: To find Nemo!

thulhagiri island resort

2011-09-15T18:00:00.000+08:00

30 minutes boat ride from the airport jetty brought us to...

...Thulhagiri Island Resort!

Why did we choose the resort? At first we wanted to stay at one of their gorgeous water villas (apparently theirs are among the most popular water villas in Maldives) but the price was crazy expensive. How crazy? Say about RM 1,400 a night *gawk* and mind you, that’s the price AFTER discount. Before discount it’s about RM 2,700 a night *double gawk*. So we went for the next best option – beach villa, which was only a quarter of the price. We might not get to sleep above the waters, but we had the beach in front of our doorstep, which was just as lovely.

Spa on the left. Water villas on the right.

Walked along this beautiful stretch to get to our hideaway.

Our villa. Clockwise: The room, the verandah, the front, the back.

Our beach. Open the door and that’s the view. Awesomeness!

First on our to-do list - spa! A nap during massage gave us a taste of sleeping in a water villa ;-)

After the spa, Eila went back to the villa to rest. I decided to take a walk around the island and took some photos. It was a relatively small island, didn’t take me more than half an hour to circle it. The water villas were definitely gorgeous. The beach was white and sandy. Couldn’t wait for the sun to rest so I could jump into the blue waters without getting much sun ~~burn~~ tan.

Resort staffs walking on the jetty.

There were many of these bright green birds around the island...

...and I saw this creature too. What do you call this? Iguana?

It was a sunny and windy day at Thulhagiri!

Went back to the villa. Took a good nap while waiting for the evening to come. Woke up a few times in between as I was just too excited to run out of the door and jump into the sea! Couldn’t remember how many times I asked Eila “Why is it still hot outside?” and chanted “I wanna swim! I wanna swim! I wanna swim!” again and again and again. I bet if she wasn’t so tired she would have thrown me out of the door :-p

The evening finally came. Changed into our wet suits and jumped into the beautiful Maldivian waters. It was awesome. The lagoon was flat, even if your swimming skill was nonexistent, it would be impossible to drown. Saw an Arab couple taking a dip nearby. The wife went into the water dressed in abaya, covered from head to toe. I couldn’t even see her eyes.

By the way, speaking of attire, saw this on TV while getting ready for dinner...

...a Maldivian newscaster wearing a bun on the side of her head.

Dare to try this new hijab style?

airport island to resort island

2011-09-15T11:59:00.000+08:00

We had some time to spend in the morning before our transport came. So we walked around the hotel to check out the surrounding area.

Before you read further, let me give you a brief geography lesson on Maldives. It’s a country of many little islands – 1,192 islands in total, but only 200 are inhibited. The airport is on its own island. The capital city is on another island. The resorts are built on many different islands. Usually one island has one resort. To go from an island to another, you need to take a boat or a seaplane.

Let’s start the day with a good breakfast!

In front of Loona Hotel on Airport Island, where we stayed for the night.

The beach is just across the road.

Sandy white stretch.

No bikini allowed!

The quiet street in front of the hotel.

The shop where we bought shawls the night before.

It was a new area, several buildings were still under construction.

Checking out fruits at a grocery shop.

The transport came and we headed to the airport. No, no, no, not heading home just yet! Not taking a plane anywhere either. We actually had to go to the airport to check-in at the resort’s counter there. Then we had to take a boat from the jetty just opposite the airport’s terminal to go to the resort.

Red light means cars have to stop because a plane is crossing the road.

Counter 54 for Thulhagiri Island Resort.

Had ice cream while waiting for departure time.

The boat that would take us to the resort.

A view from the airport jetty.

All set to go!

Really enjoyed the scenery along the ride. Aquamarine water, beautiful islands, breezy weather. Reached the resort in about 30 minutes. The moment I saw it, I was immediately in awe.

Wanna see how the resort looks like?

A sneak peak from the boat’s window.

Wait for my next entry for more ;-)

arrived in maldives!

2011-09-14T23:59:00.000+08:00

After 4 hours 20 minutes on board and yummy in-flight mutton beryani, we landed in Malé, the capital of Maldives. It was about 10 pm local time. We decided to spend the night at a cheap hotel near the airport and only head to the resort the next day.

MH 177 safely landed.

Welcome to Maldives!

The hotel provided airport transfer, so we didn’t have to worry about getting a taxi in the middle of the night. On the way to the hotel, we saw pretty little shops selling shawls nearby. After checking in, we asked the guy at the reception about the shops. He told us they would be open till 11pm. Glanced at the time, it was 10:45 pm, we still had 15 minutes before they closed. I wondered if the hotel could provide a transport for us to go there. “It’s just behind here,” he said. He then told a female staff to walk with us. Yeay!

Eila trying a nice black shawl with gold shimmers.

We only had the time to go to one shop, yet it was an effective spree - we both got a shawl each. The price was reasonable. Eila bought the shawl that she tried on for MVR 60 (RM 12). Mine was MVR 130 (RM 26). Hardly an hour in Maldives, we already started shopping ;-)

Walked back to the hotel and retired for the night. Our transport to the resort would pick us up at 7:45 am the next day. By the way, check out the room...

Slept under chandelier like a royalty :-D

Couldn’t wait to go the resort and begin the real holiday!

off we go

2011-09-14T21:00:00.000+08:00

We started our journey immediately after work. Our flight’s ETD was at 8:45 pm so Eila suggested that we should take the staff shuttle from Subang Airport to KLIA directly after work. It was raining cats and dogs that evening. Took our luggage out of our cars and went to the waiting area. Boarded the bus at 6:15 pm, hoping that we could reach KLIA on time despite of the rain and rush hour traffic.

My drenched suitcase. Remember the white hat from Cape Town?

The shuttle bus that would take us to KLIA.

The journey begins!

It was my first time using the staff shuttle. Though many of my colleagues do it - either to commute daily, attend a meeting or catch a flight - I never did. Perhaps because I’m staying in KL, it’s always more convenient to go to KLIA from home.

We reached the airport slightly after 7 pm. Went straight to the check-in counter. My ticket was a standby ticket (as usual). Eila’s ticket was a confirmed one. Fortunately we managed to get both boarding passes issued immediately as there were quite a number of empty seats.

In the aerotrain. Meet Eila, my buddy for this trip.

We went through customs check, headed to surau for solat and stopped by Malaysian Recipe to have something to eat. I didn’t have lunch (my last meal was nasi lemak during breakfast) so I was incredibly hungry. We ate till it was 10 minutes before departure time and dashed to the gate. Made it into the aircraft just in time!

Seats upright...

Belts buckled...

Off we flew to...

...MALDIVES!

oob

2011-09-14T20:45:00.005+08:00

It’s time for another flight
I’m leaving on a jet plane tonight
Not too far, not too near
Where the water is crystal clear
And the biggest animal on its land...

...is a cat!

That’s Fifi, my cousin’s pet. OOB activated. Wish me a safe trip!

wordless wednesday

2011-09-14T09:25:00.000+08:00

what’s that?

2011-09-13T08:31:00.002+08:00

Yesterday I got to play with something really interesting.

It’s only as big as half of my palm.
It’s not a toy that I get by pumping petrol at shell.
It has a very useful daily function.
Guess what it is?

job opening: junior technician & bridging junior technician

2011-09-12T13:11:00.000+08:00

“As one of the best airlines in the world, Malaysia Airlines is currently searching for dedicated and talented personnel to join them in the quest for aviation and travel excellence. If you love a challenging and exciting career, come and be part of our Junior Technician and Bridging Junior Technician...”

Click on the advert to read the rest.

Closing date is 26 September 2011. Good luck!

mr. s and cars

2011-09-10T09:45:00.001+08:00

Who is Mr. S? He's my colleague at work. What's up with him? Well, here's the story...

Mr. S used to drive a Satria Neo. Last year during Ramadan, the car was involved in an accident. He sent it for repair. All was ok. Then one day, he parked the car by the roadside near Airod (next to Skypark terminal). Someone broke the window and took away stuffs he kept in the car, including a sling bag that his mum bought for him. He was upset, but what to do. Fixed the window. Life goes on.

This year, about the same time I got Dobby, he traded the Satria Neo for Ford Fiesta. He really enjoyed his new ride. Then recently, while he was driving on a speed lane, he misjudged his distance from the car in front. What else? Gedebum. Major damage to the engine compartment. The car is still in the workshop as we speak.

Not having any car to drive to work, he had to borrow his mum's Honda City. Then last Monday, that was when this story got really dramatic...

Mr. S is a gym avid. He normally hits the gym at Empire after work. By the time he finishes his workout and heads home, it's usually very late, close to midnight.

Last Monday, after his workout, he drove the Honda City home. After what happened to his Ford Fiesta, he developed a phobia for speed. So he drove really carefully, after all he was driving his mum's car. Suddenly, while on the road nearby Empire, the car was hit from the back. He was stunned. He didn't do anything wrong. In fact he was driving slowly.

He got out from the car. Five Indian men got out from the other car. They beat him senseless. Punched his face so many times that his nose broke. Took away all his belongings including his new Blackberry. He asked them to just take whatever they wanted and leave him alone. No, they didn't listen. They went on punching him, hitting him.. until he was flat on the ground, hardly able to move. Sampai lembik. Then they took the Honda City and drove away. Mr. S was left in the dark of the night, badly bruised, sehelai sepinggang. Fortunately a passerby saw him, stopped and helped him.

As of yesterday, Mr. S was still on medical leave. He had to undergo minor surgery. All of us at work were shocked and sad to hear what happened to him. More so that he may not be able to claim insurance for the stolen car as it was his mum's car and he wasn't a registered driver in the insurance policy.

Moral of the story? Just too many.

Drive safe everyone.

aidilfitri cards

2011-09-08T07:38:00.005+08:00

A tiny winy effort to blow the dust away. Thank you to the awesome bloggers for creating these gorgeous cards. Bergembiralah melihat hasil ciptaan anda ditayangkan kat sini. Kena puji lebih2 laa kan pasal saya cuma copy and paste sahaja :-p

Thank you Dyanna!

Thank you eB!

Thank you Kak Ieda!

Thank you Kak Jaja!

Thank you Kaktek!

Thank you Big Daddyz!

Thank you Kak Lelord!

Thank you LIBL!

Thank you Kak Lieya!

Thank you Kak Sha!

Thank you Maya!

Thank you MM!

Thank you Kak Haza!

Thank you Kak Rozie!

Thank you Ninie!

Thank you Nisa!

Thank you Aida!

Thank you Jeet!

Thank you Kak Wahida!

Blog updated.. err.. kind of..

So which card do you like best?

wordless wednesday

2011-08-24T07:38:00.001+08:00

memo

2011-08-22T13:01:00.001+08:00

I thought this only happens when you talk. Apparently not.

And the CEO has disappeared indeed...

8.8.11 22:22

2011-08-20T11:07:00.000+08:00

Meet the boy who was almost born at Ramadan buffet. Fortunately the doctor managed to knock some sense into his mum’s head. Otherwise, he might have appeared on the next day’s paper :-p

My name is Aaron ~~Aziz~~!

*Thinking* No saliva, so it wasn’t Aaron who wanted to eat the buffet. It was purely his mum!

8.8.11 22:22

What’s that?

8 August 2011, 10:22 pm.

The moment Aaron said hi to the world. Nice numbers, eh?

Hamper from Aunty Dieya.

It was a last minute purchase. I was already in the car when I realised that I didn’t have anything to bring to see the baby. Called Zuzu, she already bought a set of jumpers. “Why don’t you have a look at them. If you want we can just share.” Met up with Zuzu, saw the jumpers, decided it was way too tiny of a gift to be share by two people. Made a detour to Giant. Saw the Pureen hamper. Nice.

Jumpers from Aunty Zuzu. Super cute!

A toy for Aaron’s big brother. Supaya abang tak jeles kat adik.

Aaron was such a calm little fella. We were chatting and laughing just a few feet away from his crib – he went on sleeping, oblivious to it all. Then his 3 y.o. big bro came screaming like nobody’s business – still he slept like a baby. Wait a sec, he is a baby! :-D

His mum said Aaron was very unlike his big bro who would wake up to the slightest sound. Perhaps since the moment he came home, all he had been hearing was his ~~mum and~~ big bro doing vocal execises all day round.

Welcome to the world you little Shin Chan!

tomat

2011-08-18T07:38:00.002+08:00

Remember I said that I wanted to get nasyid CD but wasn’t sure which one? I was driving home when I heard this verse playing on my stereo...

Ingat mati ingat sakit
Ingatlah saat kau sulit
Ingat ingat hidup cuma satu kali
Berapa dosa kau buat
Berapa kali maksiat
Ingat ingat sobat ingatlah akhirat

...and I decided that instant I would get Wali Band’s CD with that song in it.

Went to a very typical Chinaman music store. Was actually a bit skeptical if they had what I was looking for, but decided to just hop in and try my luck.

Nyonya: Cari apa miss?
Me: Wali Band ada? *half expecting her to say no*
Nyonya: Ada.. kaler kuning.. *pointing to the top shelf*

I picked it up and turned it over to see the song list. The song was there, awesome! Thinking that I was having trouble deciding, the nyonya came to me.

Nyonya: Mari tengok *asking me to give the CD to her*

She took a look at the price tag. It was RM 21.90.

Nyonya: Kalu lu mau saya bagi RM 20.

I nodded immediately.

Currently listening to Wali Band. Great talent.

By the way, the song that helped me decide is called “Tomat (Tobat Maksiat)”. Simple yet meaningful. Check it out below.

Tomat (Tobat Maksiat) – Wali Band

Dengarlah hai sobat
Saat kau maksiat
Dan kau bayangkan ajal mendekat
Apa kan kau buat
Kau takkan selamat
Pasti dirimu habis dan tamat

Bukan ku sok taat
Sebelum terlambat
Ayo sama-sama kita taubat
Dunia sesaat
Awas kau tersesat
Ingatlah masih ada akhirat

Astafighrullahal’adzim

Ingat mati ingat sakit
Ingatlah saat kau sulit
Ingat ingat hidup cuma satu kali
Berapa dosa kau buat
Berapa kali maksiat
Ingat ingat sobat ingatlah akhirat
Cepat ucap astafighrullahal’adzim

Pandanglah ke sana
Lihat yang di sana
Mereka yang terbaring di tanah
Bukankah mereka
Pernah hidup juga
Kita pun kan menyusul mereka

Astafighrullahal’adzim

Cepat ucap astafighrullahal’adzim

an old man on the stairs

2011-08-15T07:38:00.002+08:00

As I was walking out of LRT station, I saw a very pitiful sight. An elderly Chinese man, about as old as my grandpa, sitting on the stairs facing the main road. His shirt was tattered, his shorts was worn out. He looked weak and frail.

When he saw me approaching, he stretched out his hand, holding a paper cup. It was empty. I dug into my jeans pocket. I had several pieces of coins, balance from what I paid for the LRT ticket. 80 sen to be exact. I knew that precisely because the ticket cost RM 1.20 and I paid with two pieces of RM 1 notes.

I grabbed whatever coins I could reach and put them in the paper cup.

“Tima kasih amoi.. tima kasih.. tima kasih..”

He said it repeatedly. His voice, so sincere. His face, so thankful.

I was in a rush, iftar was in a few minutes. Others were waiting for me, I didn’t want to be late. I just smiled and quickly continued walking.

After iftar and solat Maghrib, I went home. Took off my jeans. Turned the pocket inside out. A piece of 20 sen coin fell on the floor.

I only gave the old man 60 sen. Merely 60 sen. Yet he was so thankful.

I could have done better than 60 sen.

I should have done better than 60 sen.

Couldn’t help but to wonder, while I was enjoying scrumptious food during iftar, what was the old man eating?

Hopefully he got more than 60 sen that day.

meet the new boss

2011-08-12T16:33:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was an extraordinary day for me and my colleagues. We were introduced to our new big boss, Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof, the Chairman. I was hoping for a glimpse of a man wearing a red cap. Nope, he wasn’t there.

The entire workforce was invited to the townhall, but obviously not all could come. Yet the auditorium was full to the brink till many of us had to sit on the stairs. Everyone was eager to know what would be the company’s direction after the much talked about collaboration.

The big boss.

Some personal facts that he shared with us about himself:
- He is 65 years old
- He studied at RMC
- His granpa (or father, can’t remember) used to sell nasi padang

Some stuffs about him that I heard from my colleagues:
- He used to be our MD a looooong time ago (way before TR era) for a couple of years
- He’s so humble that he pulls his own trolley at pasar tani (said a kakak who buys groceries from the same place)

The huge crowd.

So what did he talked about?

Well, other than what you have already heard in the news, there wasn’t much that I could share here. Not that there was much being shared anyway. Whatever the future holds, we pray for the best.

May this collaboration be beneficial to us, amin.

iftar at marché

2011-08-11T13:49:00.002+08:00

Had iftar with former schoolmates at Marché (The Curve). At first I declined the invitation as I was supposed to iftar with a friend who was 9 months pregnant yet still had a major craving – she craved for Ramadan buffet at Sunway Resort Hotel *gawk*. Unfortunately (or fortunately) in the morning, she texted...

“baru jumpa doc tadi. doc kata dah bole beranak sbb serviks dah buka 4cm. haha. hopefully sempat sampai malam ni nak bukak pose”

...dah dilated 4cm yet still nak buka puasa kat hotel, boleh?

Told her forget about it, go give birth already! By 6pm, she was in labour room. And few hours later she delivered a baby boy. Imagine if we were at Sunway Resort Hotel enjoying iftar and she suddenly wanted to push-push-push.. erkkk!

*Thinking* Hope the baby tak keluar air liur sebaldi pasal tak dapat makan Ramadan buffet :-p

Anyway, back to Marché. For most of us, it was our first time there. We were given a card each that we had no idea what to do with, so we called the waiter to explain it to us. It turned out that the card was for us to get stamps when we take our orders. Since it was a buffet, we didn’t need to use the card for food. But drinks and ice cream weren’t included in the buffet (weird) so we needed to get stamps for those.

Reminded me of hostel days – take your food and stamp your card.

Some of the food counters by the way.

Friends and food at Marché.

Good place to bring kids – there’s a playground in there.

It was Naf’s birthday, so we took the chance to celebrate.

The cost for one person.

Buffet: RM 65.00 – Only for food. Need to pay extra for drinks and ice cream.

Drink: RM 4.95 – That was the promo price for a glass of watermelon juice. For other drinks they charge full price around RM 10 to RM 15 per glass/cup. No, they don’t provide plain water. Have to buy their mineral water, no idea how much.

With 10% service charge and government tax, we had to pay RM 81.15 per person.

Worth it? Well, the food was average, I would say. The best dish I sampled was pepperoni pizza fresh from the oven.. with overflowing mozarella cheese.. yumster! The ambiance was very nice. And there were not that many people around. So I guess we paid more for the comfort, not so much for the food.

Anyway, it was great to meet up with old friends. Thank you Siti for organizing it!

wordless wednesday

2011-08-10T15:23:00.000+08:00

no more problem to pay zakat fitrah online

2011-08-08T13:01:00.001+08:00

Remember my earlier entry about not being able to pay zakat fitrah via PPZ-MAIWP website? Guess what, they replied my e-mail! It was a pleasant surprise to get their response in 24 hours, considering how slow government agencies usually act. Not only that, they also fixed the problem! Bravo PPZ-MAIWP, you have set a benchmark!

Thursday, August 4, 2011 1:20 PM
From: dieya
To: info@zakat.com.my
Subject: Zakat fitrah melalui FPX

Assalamulaikum,

Saya cuba untuk membayar zakat fitrah melalui laman web PPZ secara FPX.
Namun demikian di dropdown menu “Jenis Zakat” tidak terdapat zakat fitrah.
Bersama-sama ini disertakan screenshot yang saya ambil dari laman web PPZ menunjukkan dropdown menu tersebut.

Mohon panduan bagaimana saya hendak membuat membayar zakat fitrah secara FPX?
Adakah saya perlu memilih jenis zakat lain?

Sekian, wassalam.

Friday, August 5, 2011 12:44 PM
From: info@zakat.com.my
To: dieya
Subject: Re: Zakat fitrah melalui FPX

Waalaikumussalam wrh wbt,

Terima kasih di atas makluman tuan/puan. Pihak PPZ telah mengemaskini menu bagi jenis zakat tersebut dan tuan/puan boleh lihat screenshot seperti di bawah.

Sekian, Terima Kasih
Harap Maklum

Wassalam

SITI HUZAIFAH ABDUL RAZAK
Unit Khidmat Pelanggan
Pusat Pungutan Zakat MAIWP
1 300 88 5757

F : +603-9289 5759
E : info@zakat.com.my
W : www.zakat.com.my
Fb : http://facebook.com/zakat.my

Untuk Renungan Bersama, Firman Allah SWT yang bermaksud:
“Bandingan orang-orang yang membelanjakan hartanya pada jalan ALLAH, ialah sama seperti sebiji benih yang tumbuh mengeluarkan tujuh tangkai, tiap-tiap tangkai itu pula mengandungi seratus biji. Dan (ingatlah), ALLAH akan melipatgandakan ganjaran bagi sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya, dan ALLAH Maha Luas (Rahmat) kurniaNya,lagi meliputi pengetahuanNya.”
(Surah Al-Baqarah: Ayat 261)

my ramadan pledge - progress report

2011-08-05T16:09:00.001+08:00

Pledge #1: Solat tarawih every night

Today is the fifth day of fasting, which means as of last night, there have been five nights of solat tarawih. Did all five. Happy.

Pledge #2: Read 50 pages of Quran a day

I’m lagging on this one. Easier said than done. I did say that I wanted to read 10 pages after each solat fardu. Not that easy. Why?
- After Subuh: Catching up with sleep. Getting ready for work.
- After Zuhur: Lunch break during Ramadan is only 15 minutes. Not much time left after solat.
- After Asar: Rushing to go home to avoid getting stuck in traffic
- After Maghrib: Enjoying iftar. Getting ready for solat tarawih
- After Isha: Or more accurately after solat tarawih, that’s about the only suitable time.

See? Not that easy. Therefore I’ve decided to revise the action plan for this pledge. Instead of reading 10 pages after each solat fardu, I shall do it the following way:
- 10 pages before Subuh: Wake up early, sahur and read Quran while waiting for azan.
- 20 pages before Maghrib: A better way to fill in the time rather than staring at the food.
- 20 pages before I go to bed: Nicely wraps up my day.

This way, I can still finish 50 pages in one day, thus finish the entire Quran by the end of Ramadan. As of now, I’ve only finished 140 pages in 4 days (yet to read any today). By right I should have finished 200 pages, plus another 50 by the end of today. Need to catch up over the weekend.

Pledge #3: Spend only RM 10 a day at Pasar Ramadan

So far so good! I did overspend on Day 1, but I covered it back by not going Pasar Ramadan on Day 2, just reheating the leftovers from the previous day. So on average, RM 10 a day is still on.

But next week will be a challenge. I have several buka puasa plans outside. There’s no way I can stick to RM 10. Do you have any idea how much Ramadan buffet costs? A bomb. Anyway, I did say the RM 10 pledge only applies to Pasar Ramadan, didn’t I? Ramadan buffet ≠ Pasar Ramadan. So my pledge is still valid. And it’s not every day we get to enjoy Ramadan buffet, right? ;-)

Pledge #4: Listen to Islamic audios in the car

Okay, let me be honest about this one. I’ve listened to the Quran CD repeatedly, which I enjoy. I’ve listened to IKIM FM, which I don’t enjoy that much. Why? Too much talking. Too many adverts. Super long adverts. I really can’t stand them, especially the “Qurratu Aini” advert that seems to go on forever. And it repeats the words “Qurratu Aini” so many times my ears nearly bleed. And I still have no idea what they are actually selling.

Another thing, the nasyids that the station plays are mostly depressing i.e. about taubat, death, judgment day. Yes, I know, Ramadan is a good month to repent. But please, don’t make our religion sounds so miserable. A little mix with cheerful nasyids would be nice.

But the good thing about IKIM FM is the talk by guest speakers. I particularly enjoy the one I listened to yesterday, which discussed about reversion and the challenges of being a muallaf in Malaysia. Also the previous day’s talk about zakat. Very informative. Perhaps I’ll just tune in during the guest speakers slots and stick to my Quran CD in between.

Oh yeah, I’ve decided not to get Maher Zain’s CD, because his songs are too mellow for my liking. I’m thinking of buying one of Raihan’s old albums, or Rabbani, or maybe Wali Band. Upbeat nasyids, anyone?

P.S.: Kind of miss listening to my rock kapak CDs already. It’s not easy to stick to doing good things, even a small one!

problem to pay zakat fitrah online

2011-08-04T14:11:00.002+08:00

Weird. We can pay all sorts of zakat using PPZ MAIWP’s (Wilayah Persekutuan) online payment system, but not zakat fitrah.

A snapshot from PPZ MAIWP’s online payment page.

Look at the dropdown menu under “Jenis Zakat – Sila Pilih Jenis Zakat”. No zakat fitrah there.

I’ve checked out LZS’s (Selangor) website, they actually allow zakat fitrah payment via SMS. So I don’t think the method is the issue here. I mean, if Selangor can accept zakat fitrah payment via SMS without the payer meeting the amil, I don’t see any problem for Wilayah Persekutuan to accept similar payment via website.

Just can’t help to wonder why we can’t make online zakat fitrah payment to PPZ MAIWP.

Perhaps the system developer simply missed it out from the dropdown menu.

You know what, enough of wondering.

Guess what I just did?

I sent an email to PPZ MAIWP to ask why!

Will let you know when (or if) they reply ;-)

ramadan cards

2011-08-03T13:01:00.001+08:00

Let’s glitter up my virtual home with Ramadan cards! Nice to see the variety of colors, makes the space really lively.

So how many cards have I collected? Let’s see...

Kak Jaja – Cute teacher from Kuantan

Kak Lieya – Mama of three from JB

Maya – Working mum in KL

Kak Lelord – Housewife in Doha

Nafnaf – Stylish businesswoman from the Nara clan

Ikram – Funny kiddo

Shue – Always in her own arena

Syazwan – Pilot in training

Kak Ieda – Herbalife queen

Thank you folks for the lovely cards! You’ve saved me an entry today ;-)

By the way, if I haven’t picked up your card, let me know okay?

my ramadan pledge

2011-08-01T13:01:00.000+08:00

Today is a day of many firsts.

It’s Monday, the first day of the week.

It’s 1 August 2011, the first day of the eighth month of Gregorian calendar.

And most importantly, it’s 1 Ramadan 1432, the first day of this year’s holy month of Hijri calendar.

Thank you Allah for the chance to experience another Ramadan. And to be able to enter this holy month with good health and peaceful soul is such a blessing.

This Ramadan I pledge to:

1) Perform solat tarawih every night, except when I get my womanly excuse. Ever since I started doing MBA, this is the first Ramadan that I don’t have any class, thanks to the extra long semester break that the government imposes on local universities to sync them with overseas universities. Before this, I always used my night classes as an excuse not to perform solat tarawih (i.e. classes ended late, too tired when I got home). This time, no more excuse, only determination.

2) Read the entire Quran from start to end. My personal copy is with tafsir - 1,117 pages in total. If I read 50 pages a day, I can finish it in 23 days, which is just nice, assuming that I have to give it a pause for 7 days when I get my time of the month. However, I read somewhere that women on period can actually read Quran, no prohibition at all. Anyway, I target to read 50 pages a day, which means 10 pages after each solat fardu. Plan to cover more pages if I can.

3) Avoid wastage during iftar. I plan to only bring RM 10 every time I go to Pasar Ramadan. I did that last year, it proved to be a good way to curb my spending. Shall do the same this year.

4) Listen to religious audios (i.e. Quranic verses) in the car when I drive. I already have a CD with several surahs, given to me by a group of practical trainees at my office as a farewell gift when they finished their internship. Oh, that reminds me, I need to find the frequency for Radio IKIM, just to have some variety. Maybe I’ll buy Maher Zain’s album too.

A wish from me to you :-)

May this Ramadan improves our connection with Allah and our relationships with other human beings.

P.S.: What’s your Ramadan pledge?

always lock your car

2011-07-25T13:01:00.001+08:00

Omigod this is shocking! And for it to happen in Malaysia.. gosh..

REMEMBER TO ALWAYS LOCK YOUR CAR - even when you are driving or stopping for an errand!

And only two days ago Malaysia was ranked the safest country in South East Asia by Global Peace Index (read the news here).

Hmmm...

istanbul - learning points

2011-07-23T00:01:00.000+08:00

1. It is very easy to travel around Istanbul via metro, tram, funicular and ferry. To get a ride, you need tokens called “jeton”. You can buy them at the stations from machines called “jetonmatik”.

2. Metro and tram use red plastic tokens. Funicular uses yellow plastic token. Ferry uses golden metal tokens. Don’t worry, “jetonmatik” at the stations will sell you the right token for the particular ride. Therefore, if you go to a “jetonmatik” at the port, you’ll always get a golden metal “jeton”.

3. Istanbul is a safe city for ladies travelling alone. Just stick to general safety precautions, you should be fine. Plus, ladies often get bigger discounts when shopping alone ;-)

4. İstiklal Avenue very much reminds me of Myeongdong (Seoul) and Calle Florida (Buenos Aires) - a long stretch of pedestrian walkway with many nice shops. Good for those who enjoy walking aimlessly, jumping from shop to shop, stopping for a cup of coffee.. you know.. simply enjoying being out and about.

5. Go to Dolmabahçe Palace early. Why? Because it is compulsory to follow guided tours to see the palace and the harem, you can’t just walk around by yourself. Each tour takes roughly 45 minutes. Only a small group of about 20 people is allowed per tour, thus the waiting line is normally long. By the way, there are separate tours for the palace and the harem. So yes, go there early so that you have the time to join both tours in one visit.

6. Do take a ferry and cross the straits to the Asian side. You’ll experience a different Istanbul - less crowded, less touristy, normal people living their daily lives. Also, stuffs there are relatively cheaper compared to the European side.

7. Topkapi Palace is a must visit.

8. Try the following Turkish dishes:
- Manti - It’s something like ravioli.
- Iskander kebab - Kebab on a plate, drenched in tomato sauce.
- Apple tea - Yummy!
- Turkish coffee - Strictly for coffee lovers.
- Aryan - Yoghurt drink. Very sour.

9. Go to Galata Tower in the morning because it requires quite a bit of uphill walk from Karaköy tram station to reach there.

10. Stuffs sold at Grand Bazaar are pretty expensive. Price tag is almost non-existent. It’s quite hard to get a good deal unless you are very good at bargaining. But it’s a nice place to go if you simply want to enjoy the atmosphere.

11. To get tax refund, you have to spend at least TRL 118 in a single receipt. Request the store to prepare the tax free form. There’s a tax refund office at İstiklal Avenue where you can get your refund immediately in cash. Remember to submit the tax form at the airport on the day you leave the country, otherwise a penalty will be charged to your credit card.

12. The locals are generally very friendly and helpful. Their English command can be quite limited though, except for those who work at tourist areas.

13. Stay at Sultanahmet (old city). Most major attractions (i.e. Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace) are within the area.

14. Shops at tourist areas normally accept both TRL and EUR. However you may suffer quite significant exchange loss if you pay by EUR. So just stick to using TRL.

15. Simply put, if you love architecture, photography and history, Istanbul is the place to be!

Miss me?

halal feature: Nur Halaal Foods @ Cape Town, South Africa

2011-07-15T07:38:00.002+08:00

The last meal that we sampled at Victoria Wharf Shopping Mall’s food court at V & A Waterfront was from Nur Halaal Foods. Their stall is located next to halal Subway sandwich stall. They serve simple meals i.e. rice, burgers. Thus the service is pretty fast. The taste is average, nothing much to expect anyway.

That’s the stall.

Rice and curry can never go wrong!

Neither can burger and chips!

Here’s the place on Google map.

View Larger Map

the last lecture: achieving your childhood dreams

2011-07-12T07:38:00.000+08:00

To those who have been telling me to update the blog, this shall keep you occupied for the next 1 hour 16 minutes 27 seconds ;-)

motivational monday: how to improve your life

2011-07-11T13:07:00.001+08:00

First thing’s first, to my dear friend Lucky, I’m copying your “Motivational Monday” theme, if you don’t mind ;-)

Now let’s talk about this guy called Randy Pausch. He was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Shortly before his 46th birthday he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A year later he was told that he only had 3 to 6 months of good health left.

Did he roll in his bed and hope to die? No sir, he did not. A month after getting the death note, he gave a motivational lecture called “The Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” which became a Youtube phenomenon. He then co-authored a book called “The Last Lecture”.

Note to myself: To watch the video and get a copy the book real soon.

In the meantime, let me share with you the following article. Read on.

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HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE BY RANDY PAUSCH

This is amazing, he died of pancreatic cancer in 2008, but wrote a book “The Last Lecture” before then, one of the bestsellers in 2007. What a legacy to leave behind.

In a letter to his wife Jai and his children, Dylan, Logan, and Chloe, he wrote this beautiful “guide to a better life” for his wife and children to follow. May you be blessed by his insight.

Points on How to Improve Your Life

Personality:
1. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don’t have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
3. Don’t overdo; keep your limits.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously; no one else does.
5. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
6. Dream more while you are awake.
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
8. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more.
14. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Community:
15. Call your family often.
16. Each day give something good to others.
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
19. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
20. What other people think of you is none of your business.
21. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
22. Put GOD first in anything and everything that you think, say and do.
23. GOD heals everything.
24. Do the right things.
25. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
26. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
27. The best is yet to come.
28. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
29. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
30. If you know GOD you will always be happy. So, be happy.

While you practice all of the above, share this knowledge with the people you love, people you school with, people you play with, people you work with and people you live with. Not only will it enrich YOUR life, but also that of those around you.

Thank you Professor Pausch. RIP.

lex slide

2011-07-07T07:38:00.007+08:00

Anyone who has been to Empire Shopping Gallery must have seen the Lex Slide. Yup, the spiral metal tube near the escalator that seems to go all the way up to the sky. When you look up in awe from down below.. have you ever wondered.. is it fun? Is it scary? How tall? How fast? Well, I do. Curiosity can’t last for too long, so let’s just give it a try!

5 floors. 50 meters. 10 seconds. Do you dare?

World’s tallest, they say.

Nope, not free.

Get your tix here.

Got em!

That way to the thrill ride!

Make sure you are tall enough.

Follow the instructions.

I’m getting in!

That way out.

Weeeeeee!

My verdict:
- Fun!
- Scary, no kidding! Like roller coaster kind of scary!
- Super duper fast!
- A little bumpy. Be prepared for a slight back sore.
- Don’t eat before you ride.
- Expect some dizziness afterwards.
- Those with motion sickness should stay away.
- RM 12 per person is kind of expensive, don’t you think so?

job opening: cabin crew (steward & stewardess)

2011-07-04T13:03:00.000+08:00

The ads speak for themselves. Click on the images to enlarge.

Do you have what it takes to be Malaysia Airlines World’s Best Cabin Staff?

halal feature: Biesmillah @ Cape Town, South Africa

2011-07-01T09:15:00.002+08:00

This restaurant is located in the heart of Cape Town’s Malay Quarter, also known as Bo-Kaap. We went there the day before we left Cape Town, because we knew it would be awful to miss the chance of going to such a lovely part of the city. And of course, where else to sample authentic Cape Malay food, if not at Bo-Kaap!

Biesmillah, that’s the name of the restaurant.

A view inside. I believe it’s a family-run business.

The menu book. I just realise that they actually have a website.

We started off with “koeksister”, a traditional appetiser. Something like doughnut.

Veges, veges and more veges.

Rice with “denning viels”, a sweet and spicy beef dish.

Bread with chicken curry.

Pinky “falooda” with ice cream on the top.

Food and service were good. I enjoyed everything we had on the table. There weren’t many people around as we had late lunch, so we got the food quite fast. The waitress and cashier (perhaps owners themselves) were very friendly. Well, Capetonians were generally very friendly to us anyway :-)

Google map to the place is below:

View Larger Map

Check out their website for more info. Funny that I just discover it, long after the trip!

big john doesn’t pay

2011-06-30T13:00:00.001+08:00

I know, this blog has been neglected for a while. Been quite busy lately. Thanks for still coming to visit anyway, you awesome folks! Just so you have something fresh to feast your eyes, let me share with you this interesting piece that I got from a forwarded e-mail. Read on.

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Big John Doesn’t Pay

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops – a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well.

At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, “Big John doesn’t pay!” and sat down at the back.

Did I mention that the driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek? Well, he was. Naturally, he didn’t argue with Big John, but he wasn’t happy about it. The next day the same thing happened – Big John got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. And the next day, and the next.

This grated on the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of him. Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and all that good stuff.

By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong; what’s more, he felt really good about himself. So on the next Monday, when Big John once again got on the bus and said, “Big John doesn’t pay!”

The driver stood up, glared back at the passenger, and screamed, “And why not?”

With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied, “Big John has a bus pass.”

Lesson: Be sure there is a problem in the first place before working hard to solve one ;-)

wordless wednesday

2011-06-29T07:38:00.001+08:00

full house

2011-06-23T07:38:00.003+08:00

Full House – The title of one of my favourite tv series when I was a kid. Cute little Michelle, jointly played by the Olsen twins. And who could forget John Stamos as the hot uncle ;-)

Full House – A Korean drama series with Rain as the main character. A friend persuaded me to watch it. Ended up staying awake the entire night trying to finish everything.

Full House – Is when I’m trying to buy movie tickets but can’t get any as all the seats have been taken.

Then a few days ago I was introduced to another Full House. When my officemate mentioned the name, I was like “What, one more Full House? How uncreative. Can’t they come out with a different name?” Guess what, the name may be ubiquitous, but the place is definitely far from boring.

Full House – A lifestyle café in Ara Damansara.

17 of us had a team lunch cum birthday celebration for June babies. Food was okay, up to standard. Halal status unverified, so I stuck with seafood. Dory fish to be exact. The biggest plus point was the ambiance. Lovely garden style deco. Let the photos tell you the rest!

The menu book. Designed to look like a mag.

Not so full office :-D

Apart from food, they also sell cute household items.

Owh so pretty!

There was some filming going on upstairs.

Another pretty corner.

Almost as if I just jumped into a set of a Korean drama.

Foodie galore. On top left was my dory fish.

An officemate’s wife made this. Yummiest oreo cheesecake ever!

Happy belated birthday to us!

wordless wednesday

2011-06-22T07:38:00.003+08:00

a “burung puyuh” wedding

2011-06-20T07:38:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday my family attended Firuz and Suzila’s wedding reception in Shah Alam. Firuz is my childhood friend. Our parents have been friends since their student days, long before we even existed. So the wedding was like a mini reunion for mums and dads. For the children, we just tag along while trying to figure out which aunty and uncle match the black and white photos in our parents’ stone age albums :-D

We got there slightly late, so we sat a bit far from the pelamin.

Zoom.. zoom.. zoom.. finally got this pic.

Menu for the night.

The concept was “burung puyuh” so they gave out telur puyuh as bunga telur.

The hall was decked like a bird park.

The bride and groom at the dining table.

Saw my former schoolmate Soraya and her family. Her dad, my dad and Firuz’s dad all went to the same college. Then years later, Soraya and I went to the same school!

Cake cutting ceremony.

The bride and groom heading to the door to shake hands with guests at they left the hall.

While they do that, the groom’s brother Firdaus dedicated a song to him. Something romantic? Apparently not! It was “Memburu Impian” by Kristal :-D

Congrats Firuz and Suzila! May Allah bless you always!

It was fun to meet childhood friends, who became my friends simply by the virtue of our parents being friends. Yet what was even more fun? To hear parents reminiscing their younger days.. zaman hippies.. rambut panjang.. main gitar tong.. yadda.. yadda.. yadda.. everybody was young once! By the way, I just have to mention the best menu on the table...

...it was kuih bakar berlauk! Yummy!

happy father’s day!

2011-06-19T11:27:00.002+08:00

A special wish to my dad, my role model, my mentor:

Happy Father’s Day! Today is a special day, but you are a special everyday!

the migrant’s eye

2011-06-18T08:35:00.002+08:00

Have you heard of a Malaysian youngster by the name of Shaun Tan?

You haven’t?

Well, neither had I, until my friend forwarded to me an essay that he wrote.

Shaun Tan is a Malaysian youngster studying the prestigious Yale University. His essay made it to the final round of The World Bank’s International Essay Competition 2011, which was held recently.

What’s so good about his essay that The World Bank took notice? Mind you, we are not talking about just any bank. It’s THE WORLD BANK, the one that countries go to when hit by financial crisis.

The topic was “Youth Migration”. Out of over 1,900 submissions from 150 countries, only 8 essays were selected as finalists. And Shaun’s essay was one of them.

The title of his essay was “The Migrant’s Eye”. Read it. Incredible piece. I’m not saying he’s right, nor am I saying he’s wrong. All I’m saying is this article provides a different perspective of the same things we Malaysians face each day. If we want 1Malaysia to work, we have to understand each other a little better. We may not necessarily agree with each other, but at least we know the reasons why some people think/act in certain ways, thus we are able to respond accordingly in civilized manner.

By the way:
- Click here if you want to know about the competition
- Click here if you want to know about Shaun
- Click here if you want to download the essay in PDF format

Now, let’s open up our eyes and minds and start reading!

Mr. Shaun Tan
(Photo credit to Yale Journal of International Affairs)

THE MIGRANT’S EYE

‘Our young people represent the future of our country’. This phrase has been echoed by almost every politician in almost every country in modern history. However the changes instigated by the increasing ease of migration are such that not even this time-honored cliché holds the weight it once did. Young people still represent the future, but it is the future of whichever country they decide to settle in or impact, which may or may not be their country of origin. As with most changes, there are new benefits and drawbacks, and new winners and losers. Among the most pressing questions countries now face are how to prevent their young people from migrating, and how far they should go in providing for the migrants residing within their borders.

***

Exodus

Smart Indians go to med school,
Smart Chinese go to investment banks,
Smart Malaysians go to Singapore.
- Anonymous

My first brush with migration was in 2002. My father came home one day in a state of great excitement. My father is an excitable guy. He is also an alumnus of a university in New Zealand, and he had just learned that, because of this, our family was entitled to permanent residency (PR) status in New Zealand upon fulfillment of a few (relatively minor requirements). One of the requirements was that we reside in New Zealand for at least three months over the next two years. We discussed it and decided it might be fun. We packed for summer.

Within a few weeks I was bored. New Zealand was charming enough in its own way, but it didn’t have the vibrancy of my home city of Kuala Lumpur, and I couldn’t imagine us choosing to live in this land of sheep and five o’clock closing times instead. And yet I understood why my father pushed for PR status so eagerly. He remembered the Indonesian racial riots of 1998, and he kept the pulse of rising extremism in Malaysia. If violence ever broke out in Malaysia my family would have a back door, a way out.

Later on I saw that most of my Malaysian friends who could afford it went abroad for at least part of their education. Some went to boarding schools in Singapore, Australia, and the UK. When it came to university, almost all my Malaysian friends went to Australia, the UK, or the US. The reasons they (and their parents) gave for wanting a foreign education were the same: the racial quotas in Malaysian universities, the skewed syllabi, the controls on free expression, the low standard of the Malaysian education system (apart from a few private university colleges), and the relative quality and prestige of foreign schools and universities.

At university this trend continues. Many of my Malaysian friends plan to remain overseas after graduation, or to work in Singapore. ‘Everything in Malaysia is on such a small scale,’ one of them said, ‘it can’t compare with the training you get overseas’. Some of them hope to return to Malaysia later, but only in the distant future, after earning enough money and establishing themselves in their industries. I know the power of inertia, and every year that goes by makes it less and less likely that they will return.

Asian societies have very tight family bonds. Most of my friends have parents who miss them very much, and who dislike them living far away. However, far from meeting with parental opposition, these plans have full approval: the message my Malaysian friends get from their parents and relatives is, ‘Don’t come home’.

No Brain, No Gain

Malaysia faces a brain drain crisis. Recent decades have seen the migration of many ethnic Chinese (comprising 26% of Malaysia’s population)1 and Indians (8%)2, as well as considerable numbers of Malays, the majority ethnic group (53%)3. Shamsuddin Bardan, executive director of the Malaysian Employers Federation, reported that there are 785,000 Malaysians working overseas.4 Unofficially, the figure is thought to be over a million.5 According to the World Bank the number of Malaysian emigrants has increased almost a hundred-fold in the past fifty years, from 9,576 in 1960, to almost 1.5 million in 2005.6 A parliamentary report revealed that 140,000 Malaysians emigrated in 2007.7 According to Deputy Foreign Minister Kohilan Pillay, the figure between 2008 and 2009 was 304,000.8 As of 2007, 106,000 Malaysians had renounced their citizenship.9

Many of these Malaysians go to Australia, the UK, and the US.10 About half of them go to Singapore,11 which has a GDP per capita almost four times larger than Malaysia’s12. The portion of the Malaysians who return is minimal (Prime Minister Najib Razak reported the figure to be less than 1%)13 prompting former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to suggest that other countries should pay Malaysia for having seduced them to stay ‘since by right, the graduates’ training and knowledge should be called intellectual property.’14. Prominent writer Mariam Mokhtar outlines the reasons given by emigrants: ‘improved employment and business prospects, higher salaries, better working environments, greater chances of promotion and a relatively superior quality of life.’15.

This has severely retarded Malaysia’s development. Malaysia continues to be the poor cousin of the Asian Tigers – Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. Malaysia’s growth rate dropped from 9% a year, from 1991 to 1997, to 5.5% a year, from 2000 to 2008.16 Stewart Forbes, the executive director of the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry, explained that many of Malaysia’s lost investment opportunities stem from the brain drain – because international companies had trouble finding skilled employees in Malaysia.17 ‘People have left, growth prospects have dimmed, and then more people continue to leave,’18 said Danny Quah, an economics professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Council Member on Malaysia’s National Economic Advisory Council, ‘It’s a vicious cycle that the economy has had to confront for the last decade or longer.’19. The increasing ease of migration has produced new winners – countries like Singapore, Australia, the UK, and the US, who get to cherry-pick from a global talent pool. It has also produced new losers. Malaysia is certainly one of them.

***

The Malaysian Dilemma

As there are new winners and losers from migration, so too are there new benefits and drawbacks. A classroom discussion threw this debate into stark relief. It was last year. The date was the 27th of September, the country was America, and I was in my International Relations class. We were discussing globalization, and having gone through some of its benefits, we moved on to its drawbacks.

‘Well,’ said one of my classmates, ‘one drawback is that it increases the brain drain effect and leads to greater inequality between countries. Developing countries lose a lot of the talent that they badly need.’. This received a general nodding of assent.

I raised my hand. ‘Actually,’ I asked, ‘is greater inequality necessarily a bad thing?’.

My class, accustomed by now to my mannerisms, still looked at me strangely.

‘I mean, it’s true that many developing countries end up losing their talent, but really, some of these countries bloody well deserve to lose them.’.

This created a small firestorm. From my classmates’ reactions you’d have thought I’d asked what was wrong with genocide. There were gasps. Before I could finish, a forest of hands shot up to respond. One of my classmates burst out angrily; ‘Now you’re just being facetious!’.

My professor moved to restore order. He was a kindly old man who usually let our discussions run their course. He did however step in whenever our discussions threatened to turn into a pseudo-intellectual brawl.

He turned to me. ‘I assume you said that to be deliberately provocative’ he said gently; a teacher reasoning with a difficult student.

‘No,’ I said, ‘not at all.’.

I looked at the rest of my class who now whispered amongst themselves and eyed me warily, apparently taken aback to see their (I hope) usually charming and amiable classmate say such callous things.

But to me my statement seemed as normal as breathing. And said to any reasonably informed Malaysians, it wouldn’t even have raised an eyebrow. I realized then that there were perspectives on this issue that are unique to Malaysians, and to those who have experienced similar circumstances.

Push and Pull

I’ve left a few unanswered questions over the course of this essay. Like why do loving parents tell their children not to come home? And why do many Malaysians think Malaysia deserves to lose its talented young people? Now at last is the time to answer them.

Malaysia has a lot going for it. It has much untapped potential. It is devoid of natural disasters and rich in natural resources. It is a country with warm weather, amazing food, and hot women. Its people are generally warm, friendly, and (with certain exceptions like yours truly) humble. Pull-factors like these would require considerable push-factors to trigger mass emigration.

But there’s a darker side. A side behind the strained tranquility and Malaysia Truly Asia adverts. Since its independence in 1957, Malaysia has been run by the Barisan National (BN) party, and its regime is an autocracy that institutionalizes racism. Non-Malays, including the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, are discriminated against in favor of the majority Malays, whose support BN depends on. Malaysian laws make non-Malays pay higher prices for certain goods and services, allocate them only a small percentage of places in public universities, and impose significant barriers against their advancement in the military, police force, civil service, and in government-owned companies. The BN government persecutes minority religions, and major Malay politicians often refer to Chinese and Indian Malaysians as pendatang (immigrants), of inferior status, while the current Prime Minister Najib Razak is alleged to have threatened to ‘bathe a keris dagger with Chinese blood’.

The BN government is also very protectionist, making it even more difficult for international companies to set up business there, for example, international law firms can only operate in Malaysia by acting in partnership with a local firm. Furthermore, the BN government is both grossly incompetent and highly corrupt. Billions of dollars in public funds are squandered on cronyism20 and ill-conceived mega-projects21, instead of being properly used to develop the country. The judiciary is largely comprised of underqualified yes-men, the police force is unreliable, and the public schools and universities are of low standard, such that even Malaysia’s top university, University Malaya, has dropped out of the top 200 universities in the world on all major rankings.22

This is why loving parents tell their children not to come home. They don’t want their children to live as second-class citizens in Malaysia, where their ambitions will be limited by institutional inefficiency, where they will be passed over for promotion in favor of others, not for any lack of skill, but for the color of their skin. ‘Money does have a significant role but the most important factor…is opportunity,’ outlined Wan Saiful Wan Jan, Founding Chief Executive Member of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, ‘Malaysia is too politicized and opportunities are not evenly available to everyone,’23.

This is why Malaysians flock to Singapore, not because Singapore’s government is less despotic (it is even more so), but because the Singaporean government at least prizes efficiency, and recognizes merit regardless of race. When a Malaysian renounces his citizenship, he doesn’t see it as an unpatriotic betrayal, he sees it as washing his hands off a regime that has marginalized and persecuted him. As one Malaysian, Wan Jon Yew, explained: ‘I’m not proud of being a Malaysian because I think the government doesn’t treat me as a Malaysian.’24. Migration is beneficial because it increases efficiency; it allows young Malaysians to move to take their best offers, to move to where their ability is truly valued. A mind is a terrible thing to waste, and migration helps to reduce this wastage.

Not all Malaysians mass-emigrating are Chinese and Indians. Many Malays are emigrating too. Although they do not face racial persecution, many of their reasons for doing so are the same as those of non-Malays: the corrupt and inefficient system, the lack of security and religious freedom, the quashing of free expression, human rights abuses. Furthermore, Malays face a different form of religious persecution – forced piety by the overzealous Islamic moral police. Non-Muslim Malays and Malay homosexuals are jailed or sent to ‘reeducation centers’25, and earlier this year 80 Malays were arrested for celebrating Valentine’s Day26. In light of this, Malaysia deserves to lose the talents of its young people. It doesn’t appreciate these talents; it punishes its best citizens – those brave enough to stand up for themselves, or those too principled to fake devotion to a religion they don’t believe in – and instead it rewards its worst elements – the religious extremist, the racist, the sniveling sycophant. In a sense, we as Malaysian citizens deserve to lose the benefits those talents would have brought, because through our participation or collective inaction we allow this wretched state of affairs to continue. Migration is beneficial because it allows Malaysians to leave, and to live in a country that accords them the dignity commensurate with their status as a human being.

The Open Door

The ability to migrate presents young Malaysians with an open door to the rest of the world. This is not without its drawbacks. Many of the Malaysian émigrés leave not because they are weak or cowardly, but because they are ambitious, or because they are uncompromising – they refused to take orders from those who are their inferiors, or to remain party to a system that is morally indefensible. One cannot help but imagine how much good such spirit could have done if they had no choice but to remain in Malaysia. Not necessarily by engaging in overtly political activities, but by simple apolitical acts – by living their lives in their own way, free from compromise, and refusing to curb their ambitions. As Vaclav Havel explained in his book The Power of the Powerless, such simple acts are often the most potent weapons against oppressive regimes. Thus, migration has its drawbacks – it makes it harder for Malaysia to achieve real change because it takes away some of its most spirited people.

However there are also many young Malaysians who choose to return, and who seek to bring real change to the country. People like Nathaniel Tan – a Harvard graduate, who writes books exposing the abuses of the BN regime, even if his efforts meet with harassment and detention. Or Alea Nasihin – a friend of mine, and a student at Nottingham University, who resolves to return to work as a human rights lawyer.27 Or myself. For us the open door is comforting. It gives us the courage to say or do things we might otherwise be wary of. Because it reminds us that there are limits to what an oppressive government can do. Because we know that even if our efforts harm our careers in Malaysia, even if the BN government hounds us and bars us from getting a job at any major company in Malaysia, there will always be many other places eager for our talents. It allows us to take more risks and dare greater things. The open door presented by migration therefore simultaneously hinders and helps the process of change in Malaysia.

***

Point of Origin

From a Malaysian perspective, good measures for broadening opportunities for young migrants in their countries of origin are relatively straightforward. The most obvious one is to increase meritocracy, to distinguish merit instead of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. When each citizen is judged solely on the basis of his ability, when high standards are promoted, when the most innovative people are rewarded and encouraged, the whole country progresses and develops, creating greater opportunities for all. Nepotism and cronyism should be prohibited in all industries, so that positions and promotions go to the most able candidates. This policy should be pursued in conjunction with scholarships and financial aid for poor youths to attend schools and universities, again awarded on the basis of merit.

The other obvious measure is to liberalize. A liberal society that respects human rights provides the broadest opportunities for free expression and the free practice of religion simply because fewer things are prohibited. Laws should be enacted against the interference with an individual’s expression or religious practice, unless he harms or grossly misrepresents another person in doing so. The judiciary should be allowed to become strong and independent, so that everyone has the opportunity for a fair trial.

Meanwhile, opportunities should be given to migrants who consider returning to their country of origin. Those living overseas, but with vital skills in various fields should be invited back and offered senior positions, with PR status or citizenship offered to their families.

A fair, liberal government that rewards merit provides the broadest opportunities for its people. Measures like the Malaysian government’s Returning Export and Brain Gain Malaysia programs fail to attract young people because they make only cosmetic changes, refusing to give effect to the principles of fairness, liberalism, and meritocracy, that are the essence of true improvement of opportunity.

Destination

Good measures for broadening opportunities for young migrants in their countries of destination are relatively straightforward too. They largely consist of refraining from the policies these migrants were fleeing from in the first place. Other than some free basic language-training programs, no special privileges should be given to these immigrants, and no affirmative action policies should be implemented. Instead, these immigrants should be allowed to compete for (generally) the same opportunities as everyone else, judged on the basis of their merit, rather than race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. They should be given equal opportunity to exercise their civil rights, like the rights to free speech, association, and religious practice. Their right to marry should be recognized regardless of sexual orientation, and the continued ban on gay marriage is an instance where the US has fallen short of this standard.

However governments should be conscious of where granting formal rights in fact restricts opportunities. In Beyond Liberal Democracy, Daniel Bell contrasted Western and East Asian approaches to dealing with migrant workers. He described how migrant workers in East Asia are denied citizenship (and thus full legal protection) no matter how long they stay, while those in Western countries are able to obtain it much more easily. The result of this is that East Asian countries are able to officially admit many more temporary contract workers. Comparatively, Western countries can officially admit few migrant workers, although many more work there illegally, without any legal protections at all. ‘In the West,’ Bell explained, ‘the liberal political culture places higher priority on the justice of legal forms...In East Asia, by contrast, the authorities prefer to enact...laws that allow for large numbers of migrant domestic workers to engage temporarily in legally protected work in their territories.’28. Governments therefore should not dogmatically pursue form over substance, but should be pragmatic in their measures to achieve the best results for immigrants.

Ich bin ein Inmigrante

‘Once I thought to write a history of the immigrants in America. Then I discovered that immigrants were America.’
- Oscar Handlin

America is not without shortcomings in providing for its immigrants. True equality of opportunity can only be achieved with the shattering of glass ceilings, and there are numerous social barriers that still need to be overcome. To this date, the highest office in the country, that of the President of the United States, can only be held by someone born on American soil. And yet America remains the land of opportunity for so many people. The immigrants in America are integrated far better than those in Europe, because Americans are conscious of the fact that they were all immigrants once. And America has benefitted greatly from this. It gets physics from Einstein, political theory from Arendt, movies from Ang Lee, eye-candy from Maggie Q, and literature from Junot Diaz. The fact that Irish-Catholic immigrants like the Kennedys could become America’s most prominent family, that an Austrian immigrant like Arnold Schwarzenegger could become Governor of California, and that a black man born in Hawaii and raised in Indonesia could become President, is a testament to this tradition.

I am the product of migration. It was through migration that my ancestors from Fujian province in China came to live in Malaysia. It is through migration that I have been able to grow up in Malaysia and study in Britain and America, and it is through migration that I have had the privilege of learning from people from all over the world. My accent is a bastard mix of British, American, and Malaysian. My upbringing was a schizophrenic blend of liberalism and Asian Tiger Mom style parenting. I revel in living in a mixed-up world and having a mixed-up self.29 I have tried to live consistently with the principles advocated in this essay. Where in my life I have failed I have accepted it and tried to learn from my mistakes. Where I have succeeded, I have taken pride in the knowledge of having done so myself, not needing any legal crutch to prop me up. The only right I have demanded is the right to a fair contest. I think that the right to fair competition is the only thing we can and should expect.

End

1 US Department of State Background Notes: Malaysia –
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2777.htm

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

4 Mariam Mokhtar, ‘Malaysia’s Brain Drain’, Asia Sentinel, Feb 2010 –
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2308&Itemid=199

5 Ibid.

6 James Chow, ‘Malaysia Countering ‘Brain Drain’ Immigration Conflicts’, The Epoch Times, July 2010 –
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/39453/

7 Mariam Mokhtar, ‘Malaysia’s Brain Drain’, Asia Sentinel, Feb 2010 –
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2308&Itemid=199

8 James Chow, ‘Malaysia Countering ‘Brain Drain’ Immigration Conflicts’, The Epoch Times, July 2010 –
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/39453/

9 V Vasudevan, ‘106,000 give up citizenship’, New Straits Times, Nov 2007 –
http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/new-straits-times/mi_8016/is_20071122/106000-
citizenship/ai_n44378958/

10 ‘Najib kickstarts bid to reverse brain drain’, The Malaysian Insider, Oct 2010 –
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/najib-kickstarts-bid-to-reverse-brain-drain/

11 Ibid.

12 The CIA World Factbook: Singapore and Malaysia –
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-
factbook/geos/sn.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/my.html

13 Edwin Yapp, ‘The brain drain issue revisited’, The Malaysian Insider, March 2011 –
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/article/the-brain-drain-issue-revisited/

14 Mariam Mokhtar, ‘Malaysia’s Brain Drain’, Asia Sentinel, Feb 2010 –
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2308&Itemid=199

15 Ibid.

16 Liz Gooch, ‘Loss of Young Talent Thwarts Malaysia’s Growth’, The New York Times, Oct 2010 –
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/02/business/global/02brain.html?_r=1

17 Ibid.

18 Ibid.

19 Ibid.

20 ‘MACC hauls up Khir Toyo over Mickey Mouse, Bali house’, Sin Chew Daily, Sept 2009 –
http://www.mysinchew.com/node/29264

21 http://www.petronastwintowers.com.my/internet/pett/pettweb.nsf/frm_home_hi?OpenFrameset

22 Karen Chapman, ‘UM drops from top 200 list of world ranking’, The Star, Sept 2010 –
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/8/nation/6999421&sec=nation

23 Beh Lih Yi, ‘Malaysia struggles to stem ‘brain drain’’, Agence France Presse, Dec 2010 –
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gTSUzIQFE9P3yjqnUPc1aEyEA2kA?docId=CNG.59093f18282e8696a978af9849d18ab8.3f1

24 Ibid.

25 Jonathan Kent, ‘Malaysian ‘convert’ claims cruelty’, BBC, July 2007 –
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asiapacific/
6278568.stm

26 ‘Malaysia Valentine’s Day raids lead to mass arrests’, BBC, Feb 2011 –
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12466875

27 Alea Nasihin, ‘Dilemmas of a young Malaysian abroad’, The Malaysian Insider, Feb 2011 –
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/breakingviews/article/dilemmas-of-a-young-malaysian-abroad-aleanasihin-loyarburok.com/

28 Daniel A Bell, Beyond Liberal Democracy: Political Thinking for an East Asian Context, 2006, p 17 –
http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s8305.pdf

29 This phrase comes from Jeremy Waldron, in ‘Minority Cultures and the Cosmopolitan Alternative’, 25
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, 751, 1992.

Bibliography

Alea Nasihin, ‘Dilemmas of a young Malaysian abroad’, The Malaysian Insider, Feb 2011 –
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/breakingviews/article/dilemmas-of-a-youngmalaysian-abroad-alea-nasihin-loyarburok.com/

Beh Lih Yi, ‘Malaysia struggles to stem ‘brain drain’’, Agence France Presse, Dec 2010 –
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gTSUzIQFE9P3yjqnUPc1aEyEA2kA?docId=CNG.59093f18282e8696a978af9849d18ab8.3f1

The CIA World Factbook: Singapore and Malaysia –
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sn.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/my.html

Daniel A Bell, Beyond Liberal Democracy: Political Thinking for an East Asian Context, 2006, p17 –
http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s8305.pdf

Edwin Yapp, ‘The brain drain issue revisited’, The Malaysian Insider, March 2011
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/article/the-brain-drain-issue-revisited/

http://www.petronastwintowers.com.my/internet/pett/pettweb.nsf/frm_home_hi?OpenFrameset

James Chow, ‘Malaysia Countering ‘Brain Drain’ Immigration Conflicts’, The Epoch Times, July 2010 –
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/39453/

Jeremy Waldron, in ‘Minority Cultures and the Cosmopolitan Alternative’, 25 University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, 751, 1992.

Jonathan Kent, ‘Malaysian ‘convert’ claims cruelty’, BBC, July 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6278568.stm

Karen Chapman, ‘UM drops from top 200 list of world ranking’, The Star, Sept 2010 -
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/8/nation/6999421&sec=nation

Liz Gooch, ‘Loss of Young Talent Thwarts Malaysia’s Growth’, The New York Times, Oct 2010 –
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/02/business/global/02brain.html?_r=1

‘MACC hauls up Khir Toyo over Mickey Mouse, Bali house’, Sin Chew Daily, Sept 2009 –
http://www.mysinchew.com/node/29264

‘Malaysia Valentine’s Day raids lead to mass arrests’, BBC, Feb 2011 –
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12466875

Mariam Mokhtar, ‘Malaysia’s Brain Drain’, Asia Sentinel, Feb 2010 –
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php option=com_content&task=view&id=2308&It
emid=199

‘Najib kickstarts bid to reverse brain drain’, The Malaysian Insider, Oct 2010 –
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/najib-kickstarts-bid-to-reversebrain-drain/

US Department of State Background Notes: Malaysia –
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2777.htm

V Vasudevan, ‘106,000 give up citizenship’, New Straits Times, Nov 2007 –
http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/new-straitstimes/
mi_8016/is_20071122/106000-citizenship/ai_n44378958/

wordless wednesday

2011-06-15T07:38:00.002+08:00

you + heart attack + alone = ?

2011-06-14T07:38:00.003+08:00

Got these slides from a forwarded e-mail. Very interesting and useful. Often we read about what to do when other people get heart attack. But how many of us know what to do if we ourselves get heart attack?

The slides will tell you what to do if YOU get heart attack while you are ALONE. Yup, scary thought. Do read them. Considering how much junk food we eat and how less we exercise, it doesn’t hurt to be extra prepared.

Remember: Deep breath, deep cough, repeatedly. May none of us ever experience it. But at least if it happens (na’uzubillah), either to yourself or to people around you, you now know what to do!

job opening: graduate trainee

2011-06-12T07:30:00.001+08:00

Calling unemployed graduates! This is your chance to work with Malaysia Airlines!

The programme is called “Skim Latihan 1 Malaysia (SL1M) - Malaysia Airlines Graduate Trainee Programme 2011” and it is specifically targeted to degree holders who have been unemployed for at least 6 months since graduation.

For more details, read the ad below. Click on it to enlarge.

Go to the website here to download the application form.

Good luck!

peek-a-boo

2011-06-11T07:38:00.003+08:00

Take a peek into the cute paper bag...

...what do you see?

*

*

*

They are round...

*

*

*

They are colourful...

*

*

*

They are heavenly sweet...

*

*

*

They melt in your mouth...

*

*

*

They go well with a cup of black coffee...

*

*

*

I’ve given too many clues, haven’t I?

*

*

*

They are...

...macaroons from Harrods, not in London, but in KLCC!

Oh yeah, the best macaroons in the world have made it to our shore!

Okay hang on, I’m not sure if they are exactly the same as Ladurée macaroons sold their London outlet (didn’t see Ladurée’s sign anywhere at the KLCC outlet) but they surely taste good!

6 flavours available - chocolate, strawberry, blueberry, coffee, orange and passion fruit. Nice marketing strategy, as they sell them in packs of minimum 6 pieces, so you can take a flavour a piece.

One blueberry macaroon coming up!

Brought home this pack of 6!

Speaking of macaroons, my dear Kak Lieya all the way in Johor Bahru recently had her own macaroon adventure - she actually made some! Mind you, it’s not easy to make these babies. I know many people couldn’t get it right at the first attempt. In fact, Kak Lieya herself took 2 tries before she could call it a success. Check out the macaroons that she made...

...don’t they look fantastic? Just like the ones at Harrods!

Congrats to Chef Mamamya! Click here to read about her macaroon making adventure.

Now let’s grab some coffee and enjoy every bite of these heavenly work of art!

halal feature: Simply Asia @ Cape Town, South Africa

2011-06-10T07:38:00.001+08:00

Another halal stall at Victoria Wharf Shopping Mall’s food court at V & A Waterfront. This one served Asian food, which made us feel right at home. They offered a great variety of dishes, from rice to noodles to sushi. Fiza and I were unanimously inclined towards their Thai dishes. Perhaps (as much as we hated to admit it) we already missed home style food ^_^

Fiza in front of the stall.

Halal sign can clearly be seen at the top left corner.

Yes, halal indeed!

We sat outside under a canopy. Nice breezy evening.

The blue and red plaques were buzzers. Once the food was ready the buzzers went off, so we could go to the counter to pick it up.

My fried rice. Chinese style, if I’m not mistaken.

Fiza’s paprik rice. They called it differently over there, can’t remember the exact name. But it sure tasted like paprik!

I had chocolate popiah with ice cream for dessert.

Just look at the melted chocolate oozing out! Yummy!

Fiza’s caramel pudding, also served with ice cream.

How was the food? Excellent, just like home! The ambiance? Well, we did enjoy sitting outside, though the strong cape wind did blow some of our food away. I ended up eating fried rice with Sprite “gravy”!

Moral of the story: Don’t ever underestimate cape wind’s strength. One moment it’s a nice breeze on your cheek. The next moment you will be holding on to your food to keep it from flying to the next table!

Here’s the place on Google map.

View Larger Map

a year wiser

2011-06-08T13:23:00.002+08:00

Alhamdulillah, another decade accomplished.

30 years of living in this beautiful world.

Wow.

Suddenly, I remember my friends who didn’t have the chance to achieve this mark...

Siti, who was killed in an accident on the way home from sekolah agama when we were in Standard 1.

Zul, who alighted a bus, crossed the road, hit by a passing car and died at the age of 9.

Lan, who was only 17 when he lost his battle against cancer.

...just to mention a few.

Thank you Allah for giving me the chance to get older. It’s such a great blessing to be able to add another year, another day, even another second to my life.

Thank you to my loved ones for the wonderful celebrations and amazing gifts.

Thank you to my friends for countless wishes in many forms i.e. card, Facebook, SMS, e-mail and so on.

Thank you to fellow bloggers who made special entries for me i.e. Kak Jaja and Kak Lieya.

And last but not least, thank you to every single one of you for making my birthday a memorable one!

THANK YOU! ^_^

barcelona 3:1 manchester united

2011-05-29T05:12:00.000+08:00

Putting a pause to Istanbul entries. This one news is just too hot to miss.

F.C. Barcelona, my team, the greatest team in the world, is European Champion once again!

Yeah baby, UEFA Champions League winner for 2011, that’s us! (Photo credit to UEFA)

The first 10 minutes of the game was nerve wrecking. But as always, Barça just needed some time to warm up. After that it was business as usual.

To win against Manchester United was good. To win against an English team, in England, was even better.

Pedro’s goal was superb.

Messi’s goal was out of this world.

Villa’s goal was icing on the cake.

That trophy in the middle is returning to Camp Nou!

Visca Barça! El mejor equipo del mundo, siempre!

P.S.: Typing this as I watch the post-match clebration on ESPN. Bliss!

final day in istanbul

2011-05-18T07:38:00.000+08:00

Day 5. This short trip had come to its finale. Woke up and decided to have breakfast outside, as I had enough of eating French baguette at the hotel’s café for the past few days. Went to the restaurant where we had our first meal in Istanbul, as it was close to the hotel, cozy and the owner was a really nice guy.

The road leading to our hotel. We walk here every day to go to the tram station and back.

Hotel Albion Boutique, where we stayed.

Sitting by the quiet street, waiting for breakfast to be served.

The guy on the left was a worker at the nearby construction site. Earlier, he ordered a tray of tea in pretty cups and brought them away (presumably for his colleagues). Later, he came back to return the empty cups to the restaurant.

Yummy breakfast! Pan #1: Egg + capsicum + tomato. Pan #2: Egg + sausage. And Turkish spring rolls, courtesy of the restaurant’s owner.

Even before I started eating breakfast, I already felt that my tummy was about to misbehave. But I still ate, since I need to fuel up before embarking on my long journey home. So we finished our breakfast, returned to the hotel, checked out, took the tram to Zeytinburnu station, switched to metro and headed to the airport.

Waiting for metro at Zeytinburnu station. I was already feeling nauseous but managed to keep myself together.

Reached the airport. Lined up to clear the immigration and get our passports stamps.

We had quite a bit of time to spend at duty free shops, but I wasn’t in the mood to buy anything as I was already feeling sickly. Boarded the flight at 2pm local time. A few hours after we took off, I started throwing my guts out in the toilet. My entire body was sore. I didn’t eat any meal onboard, fearing that I would throw up again. Tried my best to sleep in many different positions. At one point I had to put my feet on the table as my joints were really aching. Pity whoever was sitting next to me.

Reached KLIA at 5:40am. Picked up our bags. Went to the pharmacy at the departure hall to get some oral rehydration salt and mineral water. Took an airport taxi home. The moment I stepped out of the taxi, I threw up by the drain. Yucks. Rested the entire day. By night time, I felt a lot better.

What a way to wrap up our short trip to Istanbul! So how would I describe the city? Let’s see. Beautiful place. Beautiful people. Definitely a must visit.

Despite the food poisoning, we totally had a blast!

basilica cistern, blue mosque (again!) & aya sofya (again!)

2011-05-17T23:59:00.000+08:00

...continued from previous entry.

After double, triple and quadruple confirming that the sickly one was no longer sick, we continued with our city exploration. From the hotel, we walked to Yerebatan Sarnıcı (a.k.a. Basilica Cistern), located somewhere opposite Aya Sofya. We actually wanted to visit it on the first day, but somehow we managed to pass by the place a few times without noticing it! Anyway, to our defense, the signage on the entrance wasn’t that obvious, to add to the fact that the cistern was built underground, making it easy to miss on the first glance.

The cistern was built between the 3rd and 4th century. Following destruction during a riot, it was rebuilt and enlarged in year 532 - that was nearly 1500 years ago!

The view as we entered. Wooden platforms had been added between the columns for visitors to walk on.

Amazing view of the ancient architecture.

Decorated columns supporting the arches.

Fishes swimming freely at the base.

Photography exhibition along the platform.

To infinity and beyond!

Amongst the so many columns, the most interesting spot in the cistern had to be the “Medusa’s Head”. Medusa was a female monster in Greek mythology whose hair was made of snakes. Yes, she had snakes growing out of her head, imagine that! Anyone who looked directly at her would turn into stone. She was beheaded by Perseus, a Greek hero who used a mirror to look at her reflection, therefore managed to kill her.

Statues of Medusa’s head were used as the base of two pillars. One was upside down...

...and the other one was sideways. They were placed that way so that whoever looked at the heads wouldn’t turn into stone!

Endless rows of columns.

A column decorated with “nazar boncuğu”, an amulet to protect against evil eye (bad luck).

We got out of the cistern through another end, which was a little further down the road. Then we walked back towards Blue Mosque and checked out the rows of shops alongside the tram track for something to eat. After much deliberation, we decided to go for kebab at a restaurant directly facing the mosque.

My meal for the day: “Adana kebab” - it came with cayenne pepper. “Ayran” - a typical Turkish yoghurt drink.

We then crossed the road to capture the view of Blue Mosque as day turned into night...

...as well as a glimpse of Aya Sofya. Amazing!

Standing in front of the Blue Mosque, bracing the chilly night...

...just to capture pretty photos!

Returned to the hotel for our final night’s stay in Istanbul. Day 4 - Done!

galata tower, dolmabahçe palace (again!) & istiklal avenue (again!)

2011-05-17T11:59:00.000+08:00

After a liter of water mixed with oral hydration salt and a good sleep, the sickly one felt a little better, but not well enough to go out and about. I made sure that my patient had a good breakfast and enough supply of oral hydration salt, then I went to explore the city on my own.

I decided to visit Galata Tower, a medieval tower that was built in 1348. It wasn’t in the initial plan to go there, but I did some online research the night before (since I didn’t go anywhere) and figured out it would be a nice and safe place to go alone. So I took the tram to Karaköy station headed to the tower. It was quite easy to get there as there were plenty of signboards. The only downside was...

...it was a really uphill climb! No kidding!

If you wish to go there, my advice would be to go in the morning and have a hearty breakfast before you attempt to walk up. The stairs were only the initial part of the journey. Afterwards you would have to climb some really steep and narrow roads to reach the tower.

Up and up I went...

...until I saw a glimpse of the tower *phew*

A bit on the tower’s history.

Thankfully there was an elevator to bring me up...

...but a bit more climbing was still required to reach the observatory deck.

Finally reached the top, yeay!

A bird’s eye view of the city with Galata Bridge in the middle.

A beautiful rooftop garden that reminded me of Dyanna. Another option for her besides Uruguay ;-)

If you had no idea what landmarks you saw from afar, this board would guide you.

A group of elderly Spanish tourists kept me company.

I left the tower and took a slightly different route to go down, just to check out the surrounding area. The narrow cobblestone road and the medieval architecture reminded me of Toledo, a historic city in Spain that I visited a couple of years ago. The aimless walk led me to Kamondo Stairs, another landmark close to the main road.

Kamondo Stairs, which was built by the wealthy Kamondo family for their kids to use to go to school. It was shaped that way to prevent the kids from rolling all the way down if they fall.

I saw these American tourists at Galata Tower and decided to walk close to them so I felt safe :-p

Waiting for the tram at Karaköy station. Decided to travel up to Kabataş station...

...and go to Dolmabahçe Palace once again!

As I said a couple of days ago, we missed the chance to see the harem as we reached the place too late. So since I suddenly had some time to spend on my own, I thought it would be perfect to go there again just to check out the harem, so I wouldn’t go home biting my fingernails for not being able to see such an important landmark. There were a lot more as compared to the first time around, but the good thing about the second visit was that I got to see the guard changing ceremony!

Check out the ceremony on video. By the way, it happened at 11am sharp.

Entrance to the harem. Similar rules as the palace - no photograph allowed inside, so no pic to share.

Clock Museum within the palace’s compound.

Palace’s Aviary, where they kept many different species of birds.

Crystal Pavilion within the glass walls on the upper floor, which wasn’t really worth going in. But since it was already included in the entrance fee, why not?

Stopped by the palace’s cafeteria for cheese cake and Turkish coffee.

Walked back to Kabataş tram/funicular station, passing by Kabataş port along the way.

Decided to take the funicular from Kabataş to Taksim and go to İstiklal Avenue again, to cover the remaining part of the shopping street that we didn’t cover the other day.

Saint Anthony Catholic Church in the middle of the avenue.

Check this out blogger pals - we got a shop there too!

I spent quite some time walking along the long stretch, stopping at one shop after another. I nearly lost track of time until the sickly one texted me asking when I was coming back as it was already late afternoon. So I walked all the way to the other end of the avenue and took an old subway called Tünel (the second oldest subway system in the world) from Tünel station (yes, the station had the same name) to Karaköy station. The fare was slightly more expensive at TRL 2.50 (RM 5) and it used a ticket instead of a token. The subway stopped near Karaköy tram station that I dropped by earlier in the morning when I visited Galata Tower.

Tünel subway was established in 1875, twelve years after London Underground.

I walked out of the subway from this exit near Karaköy tram station.

The underground passageway from the subway station to the tram station. Signage everywhere, I like!

Went back to the hotel. The sickly one had recovered and all ready to explore the city. Dropped off my shopping goods and went out again, no longer alone this time.

To be continued...

süleymaniye mosque & grand bazaar

2011-05-16T07:38:00.000+08:00

After breakfast, we headed to Süleymaniye Mosque, which was the second largest mosque in Istanbul. Took the tram to Beyazit which stopped right in front of the infamous Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı). From there, the mosque was a short (albeit a little confusing) walk away.

Passing by the outside of Grand Bazaar enroute to Süleymaniye Mosque.

Reached the mosque. From a glance, it looked similar to the Blue Mosque.

Wudhu’ area and beautiful arches above it.

A huge chandelier decorated the prayer hall.

Layers of arches inside.

The holy Quran had its own corner.

Didn’t I tell you the chandelier was huge?

A classic marble sink. The tap didn’t work. Yes, I tried :-p

A pose at the entrance before leaving...

And another near the gate...

One more from the outside to capture the beautiful domes...

Across the mosque, there was an alley heading to Süleymaniye Kütüphanesi. What’s that?

Süleymaniye Library, which houses the largest collection of Islamic manuscripts in the world.

We then walked back to the Grand Bazaar. Shopping time! Or so I thought. The truth was, prices of things at the Grand Bazaar were easily three times more expensive that what you could get by the roadside. A place to check out? Yes. A place to buy things? Not really, unless you found something that you really like.

Inside the Grand Bazaar. Beautiful architecture.

Beautiful things to see. And touch. And buy, only if you really like them and you have the time to bargain ala Petaling Street.

Thirsty? Help yourselves to some water here.

Some info on the bazaar.

We were only in the bazaar for hardly an hour when somebody started to feel nauseous. At first we thought it was due to the closed space combined with the smell of Turkish scents from the shops. Later we figured out it was actually food poisoning. So we returned to the hotel so the sickly one could get some rest. I went back to the Grand Bazaar on my own to continue where we left off.

Tired of walking with shopping bags in tow, I stopped by at Starbucks for iced latte with Irish cream syrup and a pink coloured vanilla cake.

Went to the pharmacy to get some oral rehydration salt for the sickly one and returned to the hotel. Spent the night indoors, surfing the internet, while my patient recouped.

Day 3 - Done!

dolmabahçe palace & istiklal avenue

2011-05-15T23:59:00.000+08:00

...continued from previous entry.

We crossed Bosphorus Strait and returned to Eminönü port at the European side. From there, we took the tram to Kabataş and walked to another interesting landmark - Dolmabahçe Palace. Just a note: Topkapi Palace (the one we visited on the first day) was the old palace. Dolmabahçe Palace meanwhile was the new palace. It was used by the Sultans until the end of the Ottoman Empire. The first Turkish President, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, also lived in there until his death.

Welcome to Dolmabahçe Palace!

Similar to Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahçe Palace also charged two separate entry fees - TRL 15 (RM 30) for the palace and TRL 10 (RM 20) for the harem. A combined ticket of both palace and harem would be slightly cheaper at TRL 20 (RM 40).

The grand entrance to the palatial garden.

Mmmuahs! ;-)

In front of the palace.

Had to wrap our shoes with plastic covers before entering.

A few minutes until our turn to enter.

As stated on the above board, no photograph is allowed inside, so nothing to share here. But just so you know, the palace is very extravagant. Crystal chandeliers, silk drapes, marble toilets, hand painted ceiling and all. The grand staircase was very impressive, though I couldn’t help but to wonder how long it must have taken for the royalties and VVIPs to climb all the way up just to meet the Sultan.

The palace tour lasted 45 minutes, so by the time we were done it was already nearly 4:30pm. The complex closed at 5pm, thus we didn’t have the time to visit the harem as we already missed the last batch of the harem tour. Wasted half of the ticket. The truth is, the money bit didn’t hurt as much as not being able to see the harem *sigh* but what to do. So we decided to just go around the complex and visit other sections that did not required guided tour.

Red tulips as the side of the palace.

A side gate facing the roadside that made a nice backdrop.

Another side gate, this one facing the waters.

A fountain in the middle of the garden.

We left the palace and walked back to Kabataş tram station. Adjoining the tram station was a funicular station that travelled to Taksim. Cost for a ride was one token of TRL 1.75 (RM3.50). The funicular stopped at Taksim Square, right at the start of İstiklal Avenue, the infamous shopping street.

İstiklal Avenue was full of people on Sunday. The look and feel reminded me of similar pedestrian shopping streets that I had been to i.e. Myeongdong (Seoul) and Florida Street (Buenos Aires).

If you are tired of walking, take this classic tram that goes from one end of the avenue (Taksim) to another (Tünel).

We stayed there until nighttime, hopping from shop to shop along the way. Even so, we couldn’t cover the entire street, as it was such a long stretch.

To answer Jeet’s question - we did stop for food. After two days of beef, we decided to go for fish. That fillet topped with melted cheese and mushroom was yummy!

Took the funicular from Taksim back to Kabataş tram station.

Back to the hotel. Day 2 - Done!

europe to asia in 10 minutes

2011-05-15T07:38:00.000+08:00

Can you travel from Europe to Asia in 10 minutes? Yes you can, in Istanbul that is.

As everybody knows, Istanbul is a city of two continents - Europe and Asia. If you look at the map, smack in the middle of the city is Bosphorus Strait. To the left of the strait is Europe, to the right of it is Asia.

We started Day 2 with one big mission: To cross from Europe to Asia and back like a local. So we took the tram to Eminönü to catch a ferry to Üsküdar, a town at the Asian side. The ferry trip required 1 token of TRL 1.75 (RM 3.50) but it looked different than the tram/metro token. The ferry token was metal gold, the tram/metro token was plastic red.

The cross-continental ferry.

Lovely view of the European side (Thrace) with Galata Tower standing tall.

Arrived at the Asian side (Anatolia). That was Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in the background.

There was an election going on, probably.

Reminded me of Jalan Masjid India.

A bazaar where you can get local products.

There were many mosques in the area, within walking distance between each other. We decided to visit just one of them - Yeni Valide Mosque - as it looked very classical and unique.

Wudhu’ area with a minaret in the background.

A water container decorated with calligraphies.

Beautiful mihrab with a classic green chandelier.

Electronic board displaying prayer times.

Two men reciting Quran.

Arches and pillars along the outer corridor.

The mosque was home to plenty of cats...

...as well as the deceased.

We then walked up the street aimlessly, simply enjoying the surroundings and blending in with the locals. Stopped by Doğancilar Park which was filled with parents taking their kids out on Sunday morning. An elderly gentleman came to chat with us. Despite his minimal English, we managed to understand that he had been to Malaysia before and visited the twin towers together with the adjoining bridge. Nice.

Being on holiday doesn’t mean that you can’t exercise!

Walked around a nice and quiet residential area towards the seaside.

We sat down on the rocks facing the waters to catch some breaths and enjoy the view. Suddenly a man came to us and asked what language we speak. We said English. He handed to us a small book.

“Belief and Man” by Badiuzzaman Said Nursi. The man who gave us the book was the one in white jacket.

I gave the book a quick flip. Pretty interesting piece, I would say. However I wasn’t sure if the man was only lending the book to us or he was selling it (it wasn’t exactly a brand new copy to begin with). So I thought we should give him TRL 5 and see if he would take it. He said no. He also asked us to keep the book and gave us another one called “Nature: Cause or Effect?” by the same author. Bless him.

Kız Kulesi (a.k.a. Maiden’s Tower) in the middle of the strait.

Some people swam, obviously oblivious to the big ships crossing paths...

Some people hanged on to their rods in hope for a fish or two...

Some people were lucky enough to catch some and proceeded with barbecue...

An election van. The cute little girl was handing out flyers.

So many pretty flowers!

After enjoying half of the day in Asia, we headed back to the ferry terminal...

...and crossed Bosphorus Strait back to Europe.

Good bye Anatolia. Hello again Thrace!

To be continued...

aya sofya & blue mosque

2011-05-14T23:59:00.000+08:00

...continued from previous entry.

After freshening up, we headed out to the see the two most important landmarks in Istanbul: Aya Sofya (a.k.a. Hagia Sofia) and Sultanahmet Mosque (a.k.a. Blue Mosque). Both of them were hardly five minutes walk from our hotel. Really glad that I picked the right place to stay!

We went to Aya Sofya first because it was already near to its closing time. What is Aya Sofya? It is a historic building that was constructed as a church, then converted into a mosque during Ottoman Empire, then later became a museum until now. The mix of both Christian and Islamic architecture could clearly be seen - from the Quran verses at the mihrab to the image of Jesus Christ on the ceiling.

Aya Sofya, as seen from a garden across the street.

Plenty of people wanting to enter.

Inside the building, it was one big hall.

One of many gorgeous chandeliers dangling around.

It used to be a place of worship for both religions.

Amazing architecture.

Now let’s walk up to the upper floor.

A long hallway upstairs.

A full view from the balcony. The “floating flowers” were the chandeliers.

Golden mosaic panels. Flash photos weren’t allowed as the light would affect the mosaics.

Beautiful arches.

A view of nearby area from a window.

Pieces of the building excavated by archeologists. They stopped the excavation work after realising that it was disrupting the building’s foundation.

A former wudhu’ (ablution) area.

From Aya Sofya, we walked across the street towards the garden and headed to Sultanahmet Mosque. There were many people hanging around at the garden, watching the fountain or simply waiting to see the nearby buildings aglow at sunset.

Plenty of benches for visitors to sit, relax and admire the view.

The ever beautiful Blue Mosque at dusk.

Closed at prayer times.

Magnificent view of the prayer hall.

The signature dome from the inside.

Pillars and arches.

Wudhu’ area outside of the mosque, behind the pillars.

From the mosque, we continued walking around the nearby Sultanahmet Square. Saw the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, but it was closed at 5pm, so no luck there. So we went to check out the long rows of shops alongside the tram track and stopped for dinner.

One of several obelisks at Sultanahmet Square.

Smartly dressed peddlers selling cut watermelons...

...and grilled corns.

Endless rows of shops on both sides of the track. Can you see the tram coming?

Passed by a restaurant with a lady making bread at its entrance.

Flower shops like this felt truly European to me.

Had kebab for dinner. The one on the top drenched in tomato sauce was “Iskandar kebab”, a signature Turkish kebab.

Returned to the hotel. Day 1 - Done!

istanbul, here i come!

2011-05-14T14:00:00.007+08:00

It was a really last minute planned trip.

Tuesday: Knew that my leave was approved. Booked tickets. I took staff tickets, so had to be on wait list.
Wednesday: Still on wait list. Got a map. Identified major attractions.
Thursday: Still on wait list. Booked hotel.
Friday: Before lunch - Still on wait list. After lunch - Confirmed. After work - Went to KLIA and flew off!

I did have some guts planning everything even before the tickets were confirmed, didn’t I?

Anyway, we arrived in Istanbul at 6:15am after about 10.5 hours flight. The long flight had its advantage - we got the time to read the articles collected from the internet about the city, learn how to get around and plan what to do each day. Must also thank that nice Turkish guy whom we met in the flight, he gave some really good tips about places to visit and how the public transportation system works.

Taking the Turkish guy’s advice, we took the metro from the airport to Zeytinburnu station, when we then switched to the tram to go to the city centre. Every ride required a token costing TRL 1.75 (RM 3.50) each. Since it took 2 rides (1 metro ride and 1 tram ride) to reach our hotel, 2 tokens were needed. Very cheap, considering a taxi ride from the airport to the hotel would easily cost TRL 30 (RM 60).

We left our bags with the concierge as it wasn’t check-in time yet. The nice lady at the front desk offered us their buffet breakfast, which we happily accepted. After the meal, we headed to our first point of interest - Topkapi Palace - a major historical site just a short walk from our hotel.

Beautiful garden along the way.

An uphill stretch towards the palace.

Saw these two furry guards. Turkish cats are super fat!

Entrance to Topkapi Palace. TRL 20 (RM 40) to enter the palace, another TRL 15 (RM 30) to enter the Harem (forbidden section reserved for females during the Sultanate era).

Many school kids around as it was a Saturday.

Before I go further, let’s talk a bit about Topkapi Palace. It was where Turkish Sultans lived during the Ottoman empire. The palace was a huge complex covering several different buildings, including a special section for females (Sultan’s wives, mothers, daughters, concubines etc.) called Harem. The palace was also where several key Islamic relics were kept, which include Prophet Muhammad’s sword, his daughter’s Fatimah’s cloak, Hajar Aswad’s cover from early years and several others.

Inside the palace complex. Look at its map. Huge place!

There are many interesting things to see at the palace. However photos aren’t allowed at the exhibition areas, so I can’t share much with you. Anyway, trust me, this place is definitely a must visit. If you go to Istanbul, make Topkapi Palace priority number one.

Done with the main palace. Heading to the Harem.

Entering the Harem. Just look at that beautiful architecture.

The artistic calligraphies...

The intricate mosaic walls...

The beautiful domes...

The tinted windows with colorful ceiling...

The pretty patios to hang out at...

Definitely the place for queens, queens-to-be and queen wannabes!

One last look inside the Topkapi Palace complex before leaving.

And one last look outside. It was really a sight to behold!

Went to have lunch at a nice little restaurant near the hotel.

Top: Meatballs with side dishes. Bottom: Manti, a traditional Turkish dish recommended by the waiter. Something like ravioli, but with sour sauce (perhaps yoghurt based). I enjoyed the manti, though it did taste a bit too sour at times.

Returned to the hotel. Checked-in. Freshened up. Rested for a bit. And out we went again!

To be continued...

away

2011-05-14T00:30:00.001+08:00

I’m on a short break.

Last minute plan.

Will tell you more when I get home.

Activating OOB.

Wish me a safe trip, will you?

P.S.: This was supposed to be autopublished last Saturday at half past midnight, but with all the problems going on with Blogger a few days ago, looked like it did not happen. But I guess it is all okay now, eh? Anyway, just so you know, I am blogging from a different continent. Wait till I get home for more updates, okay? Thanks for your patience :-)

talkative tuesday: up

2011-05-10T07:38:00.004+08:00

Got this from a forwarded e-mail. Pretty interesting, especially for language enthusiasts.

One word. Two letters. Plenty of uses.

Behold the word...

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UP

This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is ‘UP.’ It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].

It’s easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election (if there is a tie, it is a toss UP) and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report? We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and fix UP the old car.

At other times, this little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.

We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don’t give UP, you may wind UP with (UP to) a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it soaks UP the earth. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP. One could go on and on, but I’ll wrap it UP, for now...

...my time is UP!

Oh, one more thing: What is the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?

UP!

Did that one crack you UP?

Don’t screw UP. Send this on to everyone you look UP in your address book...

Or not...

It’s UP to you...

Now is time for me to shut UP!

alam ria cuti sekolah

2011-05-09T14:55:00.000+08:00

Done with my last paper this morning, yippie!

Semester break officially begins!

What to do now?

First, I wanna read a book. A story book. Fictional one. Nothing to do with classes...

...like this one. Yeah, I bought this many moons ago but yet to read it.

Okie dokie. Dan Brown’s waiting. Cheerios!

P.S.: Thank you for your warm wishes, prayers and support throughout my exam period. Really appreciate them all! Muahs!

tutti frutti me likey

2011-05-09T00:35:00.001+08:00

I finally got a taste of Tutti Frutti.. yippie!

My hunt for the infamous froyo (frozen yoghurt) actually started during the Penang trip in March. Every time we passed by Island Plaza as we drove from our hotel to the city centre and back, I would look at the Tutti Frutti outlet facing the main road and scream “Tutti Frutti! Nak makan Tutti Frutti!” like a four-year-old kid. And I did it so many times like a broken record, which nearly made everyone else go insane.. hahaha!

We actually wanted to go to Island Plaza before we left so I could get my wish, but the traffic was horrible so we decided to forgo the idea. Since that trip, I kind of ingat2 lupa about Tutti Frutti until...

...I finally got my hands (and tongue) on this!

Oh, it was a dream come true! So yummy!

Took a mix of original, chocolate, banana, coffee and guava flavoured froyo. They have several more. For toppings, took kiwi, strawberry and chocolate chips. Yes, they do have other kinds of fruits, nuts and cereals to choose from.

The drill is simple: Choose any froyo flavour that you want, put the toppings and get it weighed. The cups come in 2 sizes - big cup (pink) and small cup (green). Even the small cup is actually quite big, easily 3 times the size of a normal single cup. Price is by weight.

This mix cost RM 23.70, about the same standard as Baskin-Robbins or Gelatissimo, I would say. Worth every penny? Definitely!

A bit of education on the benefits of yoghurt.

The branch at Jalan Telawi, somewhere near Alexis. It opens till 1am on weekend nights.

I heart Tutti Frutti, absolutely!

chocolate riddle: the answer

2011-05-06T15:00:00.002+08:00

Each chocolate costs RM 1.

So with the RM 15, you buy 15 chocolates.
Chocolate count: 15 chocolates

For every 3 chocolates that you eat, you can return the 3 wrappers and get 1 chocolate for free.

Eat the 15 chocolates. Return 15 wrappers and get 5 chocolates for free.
Chocolate count: 15 chocolates (eaten) + 5 chocolates (uneaten) = 20 chocolates

Eat the free 5 chocolates. Return 3 wrappers and get 1 chocolate for free.
Chocolate count: 20 chocolates (eaten) + 1 chocolate (uneaten) = 21 chocolates
Wrapper count: 2 wrappers (in hand)

Eat the free 1 chocolate. Return the 3 wrappers (2 from the previous chocolates and 1 from the one you just ate) and get 1 more free chocolate.
Chocolate count: 21 chocolates (eaten) + 1 chocolate (uneaten) = 22 chocolates

Eat the last chocolate. Keep the last wrapper.

So how many chocolates and how many wrappers in the end?

22 chocolates. 1 wrapper.

Mystery solved ;-)

My momma always said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” - Forrest Gump

chocolate riddle

2011-05-06T07:38:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, while I was immersing myself into piles of work, my colleague Miss H called me up...

Miss H: Hey miss accountant, hear this.
Me: What?
Miss H: Mr. R (our colleague who was at another location) texted me a riddle...

You can buy 1 chocolate for RM 1.
If you buy 3 chocolates and eat them all, you can return 3 wrappers to the shop and get 1 free chocolate.
Say you have RM 15 in your pocket.
How many chocolates will you get in total?
How many wrappers will you have left?

No points for guessing that we spent the next five minutes cracking it up!

Give it a try. Will tell you the answer later in the day (if I have the time) or tomorrow.

Happy calculating.. or guessing!

just a day in the office

2011-05-05T08:51:00.000+08:00

Let’s do some work...

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...yup, let’s do some REAL work!