Magical Fun Day

Last Saturday, the event that took more than 3 months of planning and prepration was finally executed. It's the largest event for my company's Sports & Social Club headed by yours truly since it involved not only our employees but their family members as well. This kind of event is commonly known as Family Day but as not to offend our single employees, we decided to name it Magical Fun Day instead. Our event took up the entire LG Floor of Cineleisure, Mutiara Damansara to accomodate nearly 600 people.

Loads of fun-filled activities and entertainment were made available for adults and kids from Walk Hunt, game stalls, petting zoo and stage games with over 200 prizes given away on that day. Celebrity MC on that day, Naz of My Australian Advanture tv program did a great job coordinating the stage games and the crowd entertained but what I noticed the most was his peculiar laugh. I am already considering him as MC for our Annual Dinner & Dance in November.

All photos are by Roland Hashim

The finale of the day was watching movies Harry Potter and Surf's Up where 3 cinema halls was reserved for this. I am never a fan of Harry Potter, the book series what more the movies, so I opted to take a nap during the remaining one and half hour of the movie. After the movie ended, we revealed the last surprise to the employees and their families. We had placed lucky draw envelopes under the movie seats and I remembered the suprise look on their faces when we asked them to remain in their seats at the end of the movie and check for an envelope under their seats. It was absolutely thrilling.....

I am relief this is over after sleepless nights worrying about the event. But I am thankful for the support and commitment given by my committee members in making realizing this event. Although there were some issues cropped up at the last minute especially from the Cineleisure Management who decided to impose some ridiculous restrictions and requests at the last minute at our expense, we managed to iron it out. Although this is over, I am now already working on the project timeline for our next event, Motor Hunt which is about a month away. Since I will be on leave for more than a week next month, got to leave some 'amanat' to my committee members to do the follow ups. We have unofficially informed the employees about this upcominng event and they are excited about it. Hopefully this one will be another success for our Sports & Social Club.

IT Humor

A Noble Cause

I got to know some time last week I have been tagged. Alamak....not again! But when I saw the purpose of this tag is for a noble charitable cause, I decided to do my bit - the least I could do. This project is the brainchild of Blogger Idham where he will donate RM127 to Darul Izzah Orphanage, Bangi on behalf of every person who completes this meme no later than August 26.

The Rule

If you are tagged, you need to write an entry related to the meme. At the end of the entry, you just need to tag as many person as you like. You will then leave a comment in their blog to let them know they have been tagged. And to include this message, "By doing this meme you are contributing RM127 to the Darul Izzah Orphanage". Then please copy and paste this rule somewhere in your entry.

The meme is about completing at least 17 out of the following 27 sentences.....

1. A person is only as good as SHE OR HE GETS

2. Friendship is always UNCONDITIONAL ONLY WHEN IT STARTS WITH SINCERETY AT HEART

3. To love is TO ACCEPT SOMEONE WITH HIS OR HER IMPERFECTIONS

4. Money makes me WORK HARD BECAUSE "SEE #19"

5. I miss MY LATE ABAH AND ONYANG

6. My way of saying I care is by BEING THERE DURING GOOD AND ESPECIALLY BAD TIMES

7. I try to spread love and happiness by LOVING AND HAPPY WITH MYSELF FIRST

8. Pick the flowers when IT IS FOR A GOOD REASON

9. To love someone is to SHOW IT MORE THAN JUST SAYING THE 3 WORDS

10. Beauty is IN EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING, JUST FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

11. When I was 13, what I remember the most - INAPPROPRIATE TO TELL BUT IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE IN MY LIFE

12. When I was 21, I remember RECEVING MY FIRTS MARRIAGE PROPOSAL

13. I am most happy when THINGS GO MY WAY

14. Nothing makes me happier than KNOWING THAT I HAVE CONTRIBUTED OR PART OF SOMETHING GOOD

15. If I can change one thing, I will not change NOT ONE SINGLE THING

16. If smiles were AS CONTAGIOUS AS LAUGHTER, then I WILL SPREAD IT LIKE WILDFIRE

17. Wouldn't it be nice if we could BE LESS JUGDEMENTAL OF OTHERS DIFFERENT FROM US

18. If you want to have INNER PEACE, then STOP FRETTING ON SMALL STUFFS

19. Money is not everything but EVERYTHING NEEDS MONEY

20. The most touching moment I have experienced was WHEN MY LOVED ONES ABANDONED THEIR PLANS AND WHATEVER THEY WERE DOING TO BE WITH ME AT THE HOSPITAL AND I WAS THERE MERELY FOR A MEDICAL CHECK UP AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT

21. I smile when MY HEART SMILES

22. When I am happy, I SUGGEST YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME

23. If only I don't have to BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR MY OWN ACTION, then SOMEONE ELSE WILL BE IN DEEP TROUBLE.

24. The best thing I did yesterday was LENDING MY EARS TO SOME FRIENDS AND LISTENING TO THEIR PROBLEMS

25. If I ever write a book, I will give it this title, "DAMSEL NOT IN DISTRESS"

26. One thing I must do before I die is to live EACH DAY AS IF IT WERE MY LAST

27. Doing this meme, I feel like "SEE #14"

To keep the ball rolling, I am selecting the following bloggers to do their bit of "Tagged For Charity". So folks, the ball is now in your court:-

1. Bila Pena Menari

2. Scusi! Sono Smaritto

3. Shahril Aley

The Week That Was

Khamis lalu aku ke Rebung sekali lagi tetapi, bukan untuk 'mengintai' si Abang Astronaut tetapi untuk dinner dengan seorang former blogger, Dirtypap. Ini pun secara kebetulan apabila aku menghantar sms kepadanya minggu sebelumnya untuk bertanya khabar after he decided to put his blog "Perjalanan Hidup" to rest dan memberitahu aku dia berada di Johor pada waktu itu dan akan ke KL a few days later for a seminar. So, we agreed to meet and this time, I invited Xis, Bila Pena Menari to join us menjadikan dia blogger yang kedua bertemu dengan Dirtypap in flesh selepas yours truly. From my office building, where headed to Rebung in Xis's car. Instead of buffet dinner, this time I opted for ala carte Nasi Goreng Kampung (spicy one) sementara Xis dan Dirtypap ordered Nasi Goreng Special Rebung. Pilihan ala carte sememangnya tak banyak tetapi yang menarik di sini nama-nama air minumannya memang unik, Janda Pulang, Mayang Sari and a few more tetapi aku dan Xis chose Syrup Sarbat with cinnamon whilst Pap settled with a more common drink, Iced Lemon Tea. Geram juga aku dengan mereka berdua ni tak adventurous mencuba buffet dinner. Yang seorang berdiet dan seorang lagi memang jenis tak makan banyak. Haiyoooo....Both of them skipped desert but I had pengat pisang. Memang dah lama nak makan pengat pisang but everytime datang ke sini, pengat lain yang ada. It was a lucky night for Xis as Rebung played Kak Pah's songs that night although in between adalah suara-suara sumbang dari guests yang menyanyi karaoke till at a point we literally covered our ears...pitching lari ler....

Soalan cepumas yang ditanya kepada Pap of courselah kenapa dia decided to put blog 'Perjalanan Hidup'nya to rest. Alasannya tiada apa yang nak diceritakan. Xis dan aku 'lectured' Pap kalau ya pun takkan sampai delete, at least change permission setting tu just in case tiba-tiba terasa nak sambung aktiviti blogging. Sayang effort yang dah dibuat menulis dan merias blog tu. Anyhow, rice dah jadi porridge, nak buat camna. Jenuh bersembang dan berbual dari satu topik ke satu topik, tak sedar waktu berlalu hingga hampir 12 malam. Cashier pun dah datang minta bayaran sebab nak tutup buku dan start serve nasi lemak panas (Pada hari Khamis hingga Sabtu dari pukul 11 p.m. hingga 2 a.m., di Rebung, nasi lemak panas dan teh tarik available at hawker's price - promote ler ni). We dropped by at KL Sentral for Pap to pick up his bags and after Xis sent us back to my car parked near the office, aku menghantar Pap ke condo rakannya di Vista Angkasa. I felt sorry for Pap juga sebab perancangannya untuk menyambung Masters di UM dan move back to KL tidak kesampaian. Mungkin khidmat murninya masih diperlukan oleh penduduk Labuan....sabar dan tawakal aje Pap. Ada hikmah di sebaliknya.....

On Saturday night, aku menghadiri wedding adik colleague aku di Brickfields. Another Indian wedding tetapi kali ini tiada wedding rituals, hanya wedding reception sahaja. Mula-mula tu bercadang nak pakai sari yang dihadiahkan oleh seorang rakan dari Chennai tetapi tak sempat pula nak menghantar sari itu untuk dijahit. Last-last pakai sahaja dress dan kebaya dari Thai silk yang sudah lama terperap dalam wardrobe. Nasib baik muat lagi though I have put on a couple of kilos. My colleagues and I car pooled from our office and arrived at the wedding venue, a hall in the compound of Buddhist Temple about 9 pm. Bila kami sampai sahaja, terasa overdressed pula sebab ramai juga guests yang dressed so casually in jeans and T-shirts especially Cha Ya Nun Alif. Isykh...macam tak hormat the host aje those yang do not bother to dress appropriately ke majlis orang. Anyways, selepas makan nasi beriyani yang sememangnya sedap walaupun aku hanya jamah sedikit sebab dah had dinner earlier, kami beredar dalam pukul 10 pm. On the way balik, ada pula yang suggest singgah di mamak for teh tarik. Hilang akal agaknya diorang ni pergi ke mamak in those attire!

On Sunday pula, around 10 am aku dah ke The Curve mencari buah tangan untuk housewarming a friend di Cheras. Dah terlalu lama tak bersua muka dengan rakan aku ni, hanya occasional phone calls dan e-mails sahaja menjadi penghubung. So, when I received an e-mail invitation from her to a housewarming at her newly built house, aku luangkan masa untuk hadir walaupun aku sebenarnya memang tak tahu jalan ke Cheras. So there I was making my way to Cheras based on the direction she gave, main bulldozed aje. I finally arrived at a 3-storey bungalow house, the one and only there and gave her a call just to make sure I was at the right house. Alhamdulillah, begitu murah rezeki dia sekeluarga, dari duduk di apartment, sudah mampu membina rumah bungalow. After a tour of the bungalow dan menjamah makanan yang sedap, siap ada sambal tempoyak yang dibuat oleh ibu mentua kawan aku ini, aku meminta diri untuk temujanji with Hazura di Dome, Subang Parade. We had casual chat over drinks about the latest updates and gossips continued with dinner at Gazebo. We all jumpa agak often juga tapi still masih banyak yang nak dicerita-ceriti. It was already almost 9 pm by the time we knocked off for the day.

It has been an eventful week with too much excitement tetapi tidak sunyi dari dugaan dan kesedihan. Tomorrow is the start of another working week.....God knows what's in store for me....

No Ordinary Luncheon

Sememangnya kadang-kala aku dan rakan sekerja yang lain membuat perancangan makan tengahari in advance terutama sekali sekiranya tempatnya special sedikit dari kebiasaan. Pada hari ini venuenya adalah di Restoran Rebung yang terletak di Lorong Maarof, Bangsar kurang 15 minit dari our office. Restoran Rebung ini dimiliki oleh celebrity chef, Chef Ismail dan Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (the latter name rings any bell?). Malaysia's first astronaut lor and recently listed as salah seorang daripada 30 lelaki yang digilai dalam majalah Wanita bulan Jun 2007). At RM28 for buffet lunch, harga memang berpatutan considering the wide buffet spread from gulai-gulai masakan kampung to the Malay traditional kuih-muih.

Kami berenam adalah pelanggan yang pertama pada hari itu dan yang paling mengejutkan bukan kerana personally disambut oleh the ever bubbly Chef Ismail himself tetapi siap dengan paluan gendang dan loceng oleh beliau. Sudah beberapa kali aku ke sini sebelum ini, tak pernah pula disambut sebegitu walaupun sudah beberapa kali berjumpa dengan Chef Ismail. Selepas kami mengambil makanan, Chef joined us at our table and had his lunch. Apalagi riuh meja kami dengan Chef yang sememangnya peramah, ditambah pula kami yang asyik melayan. Dalam bergurau-senda gelak ketawa tu, Chef sempat berkongsi perancangannya untuk restoran tersebut termasuk membuat cultural show with kampong style set up. Sepanjang kami menjamu selera, kami dihiburkan dengan dendangan lagu-lagu Kak Pah membuatkan aku teringat kepada seorang rakan yang amat meminati beliau. Kalaulah dia ada di sini, mesti dia enjoy the food and ambience sambil dihiburkan oleh penyanyi pujaannya.


We also unexpectedly berpeluang bertemu dengan Sheikh Muszaphar yang pulang bercuti for 3 weeks. Aku hampir-hampir tak mengenalinya sebab the last time I saw him at Rebung was before he started his training and he was much much fairer and berisi sedikit. Now a little darker and thinner maybe because of all the training. Selepas kami habis makan, he came and sat at our table dan peluang tidak dilepaskan untuk bergambar dengannya. There we were squeezing into the 3-seater sofa which was absolutely fine with us ladies (*grinning*). Sempat juga aku bertanya perkembangan terbaru and wished him all the best.

Pulang ke pejabat, kami berkongsi cerita dengan a few colleagues tentang our encounter with Sheikh Muszaphar. Kebetulan pula salah seorang daripada rakan wanita aku was admiring him in the Wanita magazine the day before. She could only looked at us with her mouth opened and "green with envy’.

Anyway, I will be going to Rebung again in a couple of days to meet some bloggers but that will be another story……….

Cuti D'Langkawi

Destinasi percutian keluarga aku kali ini adalah ke pulau lagenda, Langkawi. Kami sekeluarga seramai 9 orang ke Langkawi menaiki pesawat Airasia dan tempat penginapan yang dipilih ialah Mutiara Burau Bay Beach Resort yang terletak lebih kurang 15 minit dari Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi. Walaupun terpaksa menunggu sehingga lebih 30 minit semasa check-in, itu semua berbaloi apabila melihat pemandangan pantai dan laut yang mengasyikkan dari beranda Burau Suite dua bilik sementara dua adik lelaki aku pula menginap di cabana dengan katil berkembar yang terletak bersebelahan.

Walaupun ini adalah kali pertama aku menjejaki kaki ke Langkawi, aku tidak membuat perancangan untuk menerokai seluruh pulau. Tujuan aku ke sini lebih untuk merehatkan minda dan badan tanpa memikirkan soal kerja di samping meluangkan masa bersama ahli keluarga. Pada hari ketibaan, kami meluangkan masa berehat di cabana sambil melayan anak-anak buah aku berendam di dalam jacuzzi tab di beranda cabana dan bersantai di tepi pantai hingga lewat petang. Pada hari kedua selepas mandi laut di waktu pagi, baru kami ke beberapa tempat menarik di Langkawi menaiki kereta yang kami sewa dengan kadar RM100 sehari untuk 2 buah kereta Wira. Kadar ini jauh lebih murah dari kadar yang dipamerkan di lapangan terbang.

Tempat menarik yang dilawati ialah Langkawi Oriental Village di mana terletaknya Kereta Kabel dan Curved Suspension Bridge, lebih kurang 10 minit dari resort. Pemandangan sepanjang perjalanan ke atas menaiki kereta kabel memang menyejukkan mata dengan kehijauan hutan dara Hutan Simpanan Gunung Machincang, Air Terjun Telaga Tujuh dan sayup mata memandang, gunug-ganang, pantai serta pulau-pulau yang mengeliling Langkawi. Apabila melihat ke bawah, ngeri membayangkan bagaimana kalau kereta kabel yang kami naiki ini jatuh ke dalam hutan di bawah. Kebetulan pula kakak aku, Kema sebut pula mengenai peristiwa kemalangan di sebuah negara jiran di mana sebuah kereta kabel jatuh. Memang tak sayang mulut betul kakak aku ni!

Sewaktu kami menghampiri hentian pertama, aku terpegun melihat Curved Suspension Bridge yang merentangi banjaran Gunung Machincang. Seperti Gunung Machincang yang mistik, jambatan tersebut bagi aku seperti suatu ilusi dan fantasi yang mengingatkan aku akan filem Lord Of The Rings. Salah satu perkara menarik tentang jambatan ini adalah seluruh strukturnya disokong oleh sebuah menara tinggi yang ditanam jauh di bawah antara lembah gunung ini. Aku kagum bukan sahaja kerana jambatan ini dibina pada paras ketinggian hampir 700 meter tetapi juga bagaimana bahan-bahan binaannya dibawa ke ketinggian tersebut memandangkan tiada jalan dari kaki gunung sehingga ke puncak. Sebaik sahaja tiba di Hentian Ke-2, kami merintis jalan denai bertangga menuruni ke jambatan tersebut. Semasa berdiri dan meniti laluan ke hujung jambatan, terasa jambatan tersebut berbuai-buai walaupun angin bertiup lembut. Aku tidak berani melihat ke bawah tetapi sekadar menikmati pemandangan indah di sekitar. Terasa seperti di awang-awangan pula.

Pada hari ke-3, pada sebelah pagi kami ke Padang Matsirat di mana terletaknya kawasan Beras Terbakar. Di kiri kanan jalan menuju ke kawasan ini, penuh dengan deretan kedai menjual pakaian, barangan handikraf, cenderahati dan ubat-ubatan terutama yang diperbuat dari gamat. Kawasan beras terbakar ini hanyalah sebuah kawasan kecil yang dipagari. Puas juga menguis tanah dari tepi pagar mencari beras terbakar tetapi hampa. Yang ada hanyalah beras terbakar di dalam botol yang dipamerkan di hadapan kawasan tersebut. Aku tidak lama di sini dan langsung menuju ke Kota Mahsuri sementara kembar aku sekeluarga membeli-belah di kedai-kedai tersebut.

Selain daripada terdapat makam dan perigi Mahsuri, tempat Mahsuri dikatakan dikebumikan ini telah dibangunkan menjadi sebuah kompleks yang agar luas dengan replika rumah-rumah tradisional Melayu, mini muzium yang mempamerkan barangan artifak berkaitan cerita Mahsuri di samping kedai-kedai menjual cenderahati. Terdapat juga pohon kekabu yang lebat berdekatan dengan makam dan beberapa ekor burung di dalam sangkar. Aku sempat juga meminta seorang pelukis melakarkan potret aku di sini pada harga yang agak berpatutan. Kami langsung ke Pekan Kuah untuk makan tengahari dan membeli-belah di kedai-kedai bebas cukai di sini. Aku hanya membeli fridge magnet Langkawi sebagai kenangan dan coklat untuk dibawa pulang. Aku tidak lama di sini kerana bagi aku tiada barang-barang yang menarik hati aku untuk dibeli walaupun kulihat berpusu-pusu orang memborong pelbagai jenis barang terutamanya pinggan mangkuk. Kembar aku terus sakan membeli-belah sehingga malam baru pulang ke resort sedangkan aku awal-awal lagi sudah pulang. Pada keesokan harinya sebelum pulang ke KL pada sebelah petang pun dia sempat menyambung aktiviti membeli-belahnya di Padang Matsirat sehingga anak buah aku, Ashin merungut tidak akan mengikut Mamanya membeli-belah lagi.

Di Langkawi juga aku terserempak dengan beberapa orang yang aku kenali. Semasa membeli tiket untuk menaiki kereta kabel, aku terjumpa dengan Khairil sekeluarga yang merupakan ahli rombongan semasa percutian aku ke Kaherah pada akhir tahun lalu. Lalu berlakulah adegan jejak kasih kerana sejak percutian tersebut, kami tidak lagi berjumpa. Aku juga terserempak dengan seorang mamat yang aku kenali di kedai Sony Style, Subang Parade semasa aku sedang membelek kamera digital di situ. Dia yang menyarankan aku membeli kamera digital jenama Sony berbanding dengan Canon dan Nikon, antara jenama lain yang dalam pertimbangan aku. Aku terima saranan beliau lalu membeli kamera digital Sony Cybershot T20 berwarna merah jambu. Sememangnya aku berpuas hati dengan ciri-ciri kamera tersebut dan hasil gambarnya. Kebetulan yang lebih mengejutkan ialah, mamat ni atau namanya Ouch tinggal di cabana bersebelahan dengan cabana aku. Peliknya kami tidak pernah bertembung di resort. Jemputan untuk makan malam darinya di cafe resort pada malam itu terpaksa aku tolak kerana pada waktu itu aku dalam perjalanan bersama keluarga untuk makan malam dan malam itu adalah malam terakhir aku di Langkawi. Memang kecil dunia ini.......

Walaupun ini adalah kali pertama aku menjejaki kaki ke Langkawi, tetapi pastinya bukanlah kali terakhir. Aku berhasrat untuk pulang ke pulau lagenda ini untuk melawat tempat-tempat lain yang menarik.....insyaallah....

Inspirational Quotes

Kebaya Day

Kehadapan sahabat kami yang dikasihi dan diingati selalu

Gadis ayu jalan berlenggang
Sungguh manis memakai kebaya
E-mail ini untuk mengundang
Ke jamuan kami di kafetaria

Bukan gunting dalam lipatan
Sekadar memberi peringatan
Bukan majlis besar-besaran
Sekadar ringkas kecil-kecilan

Sungguh harum bunga hiasan
Harum lagi bau kasturi
Jangan lupa jika kelapangan
Jumpa di sana jam 12 tengahari

Yang mengundang
Elis, Nurul & Roza

Finalists Ratu Kebaya (boleh?)

Pantun di atas adalah hasil nukilan kreatif rakan sekerja aku, Roza Lawa sebagai undangan eksklusif kepada rakan-rakan sekerja untuk hadir ke majlis makan-makan yang diadakan pada Jumaat lepas bertempat di 'Sky Garden' my office. Segalanya bermula dengan satu pakatan dengan beberapa rakan sekerja untuk memakai our best kebaya on a Friday. Plan ni dah beberapa kali tertunda kerana ada yang kata nak kuruskan badan supaya boleh fit into their kebayas dan ada pula yang hendak menempah kebaya baru. Kebaya pink yang aku sarungkan tu dibuat untuk Aidilfitri tahun lalu.

As the D-Day approached and excitement built up, timbul pula rancangan untuk mengadakan a small party over lunch to celebrate a few occasions, personal and work-related. Menu asal pada mulanya hanyalah pulut kuning beserta rendang tetapi apabila at the last minute we decided to invite a few other colleagues, a few more dishes were added including fried meehoon yang ditempah dari food court, chocolate muffin yang dibuat oleh Roza dan cupcakes yang aku tempah dari a fellow blogger, P-nut siap dengan names of a few of our colleagues on the cupcakes. Nasib baik Pnut dapat buat on short notice dan dapat personally deliver the cupcakes to my office.

Ocean 11
(Not in the pic - Shearnilicious, the photographer)

Pada hari tersebut, kami yang all dressed up in our kebayas awal-awal pagi sudah ditegur oleh other colleagues yang curious mengapa a bunch of us memakai kebaya. Tambahan pula dua rakan, Joyce dan Roza sememangnya tidak pernah memakai kebaya di ofis. Tepat jam 12 tengahari, we set up the table at the 'Sky Garden'. 'Sky Garden' ni is an open air area at 24th floor of our office building with a spectacular view of KL city skyscrapers and the view gets better at night. Memang sesuai untuk majlis seperti ini. All our invitees started to come a little after 12 walau ada yang sedikit kelewatan disebabkan kerja dan meeting termasuklah my lady boss yang sememangnya sporting dan turut memakai kebaya at my request. Kesempatan get-to-gether seperti inilah we talked about other than work dan memandangkan inilah member-member office yang 'sekepala', majlis makan memang meriah dengan usik-mengusik, bergurau-senda dan gelak ketawa.

From left (clockwise) : Elis Cun, Roza Lawa, Syamsul, Adeline+Jonaes,
Adeline, Elis Cun+Anne, Jonaes, Yat, Lin, Joyce, Rozita

Majlis ended when the lunch hour ended but some of us were still hype from the excitement continued to pose and snapped pics in the office. So vain, kan? Anyways, we the hostesses were so glad that everybody had fun. We received thank you notes from our friends for organizing this event.Aku rasa walaupun sesibuk mana atau sestress mana pun bekerja, such little little things yang dibuat to create a little fun and excitement at work boleh membuatkan tempat bekerja a fun place to be. All work and no play, makes Jack or Jill a dull boy or girl.

From left : Jonaes, Anne, Roza Lawa, Shearnilicious

Definitely this will not be the last but the beginning of more to come. We are determined to do this more often and are already planning to have the next one in July. Hopefully it will materialize, insyaallah....

Soal Hati

Sebelum ini aku tidak pernah endah untuk mengambil tahu siapa gerangannya. Tambahan pula kesibukan kerja sudah cukup to keep my mind occupied daripada memikirkan hal ini. Namun baru-baru ini a remark made by a friend sewaktu kami bersama, walaupun berkias sudah cukup membuatkan aku tergamam. Dia kulihat terpaku dengan muka yang merah padam sebelum dengan pantas meminta diri dan berlalu.

Sejak itu dia mengelak dari bertemu atau melarikan pandangannya bila bertembung, seakan malu . Mungkin dia sudah dapat mengagak isi hatinya yang sekian lamanya terpendam bukan lagi rahsia padaku. Pada mulanya aku fikir perubahan sikapnya mungkin imaginasi aku tetapi seorang rakan turut merasakan perubahan pada dirinya, lebih banyak berdiam dan menjauhkan diri.

Separuh daripada aku berharap dia terus berdiam diri daripada menyatakan isi hatinya kerana jawapanku bakal mengecewakannya. Tetapi jikalau dia memberanikan diri bersemuka denganku, aku harus berterus terang dan menolaknya dengan baik. Mungkin itu lebih baik agar dia berhenti berharap dan tidak terus dilambung angan.

Sememangnya tiada cacat-celanya dia di pandangan mata, tapi sudah puas hati diselami jika dia boleh kuterima lebih dari seorang teman. Namun tiada sekelumit pun rasa tertarik apatah lagi cinta kepadanya melainkan hanya sebagai teman biasa. Angkuhkah aku atau cerewet memilih? Tidak sekali. Ini soal hati. Memang sukar diduga dan dipaksa. Mungkin benar walaupun seseorang itu memiliki ciri-ciri dan budi pekerti yang diidamkan dalam pasangan, tetapi kalau tiada chemistry hati tidak akan terpaut juga walau sesempurna manapun si dia.

Either way, aku harus bersedia menghadapai kemungkinan reaksi dari dia. Aku masih mahu dan boleh meneruskan persahabatan tetapi jika itu sukar baginya untuk menerima, aku redha.

Semoga Kau Mengerti By Gya Anandini

Breakaway

I was absolutely thrilled when my flight ticket to my next holiday destination which I booked at the recent MATTA Fair arrived today. Another dream holiday came true within a short span of time. The last one month has been a hectic month for me having to work long hours till late nights and on weekends and this holiday is something I very much look forward to - away from work and to rejuvenate.

My preference was to look for a free and easy package rather than a tour package. Unfortunately, most of the travel agents offered tour packages with very packed itineraries for a 9-day tour. One thing I learnt from this kind of package is, one will not have the opportunity to enjoy and truly appreciate each places as the tourist guide will hurry you to keep with the time and itinerary. MAS Golden Holiday offered a free and easy package but the travel period was up to May 31 and it’s way too soon for me.

After collecting and reading a whole lot of travel flyers and brochures, I stopped at several booths to enquire further about airfare and flight availability to this destination. I was a bit panicky when a few travel agents told me that there was no more seat available on the dates or even the month I planned travel. Alamak…and it was only the 2nd day of the MATTA Fair. They told me I should’ve have come the day before. It was quite understandable as April to October is high season as it will be summer there. An agent at one particular booth was very helpful enough to check all airlines to this destination from MAS, Qatar Airways, Emirates and even Uzbekistan Airline, nada.

I was very disappointed but I thought I should just make one more stop and tried my luck at one particular booth offering attractive airfares from Emirates. Probably their quota for low fare seats is still available. I let out a sigh of relieve when the agent told me that there’s available seat in early August. It may be a month later than my original planned date but I decided to grab it. Furthermore, I like traveling in Emirates not only because of their excellent in flight services and good food but also the variety of tv, movie and radio channels to choose from.

So, from August 3 – 11, I will be at City of The World’s Desire marveling at the beauty of Aya Sofya, The Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and exploring the Grand Bazaar, just to name a few. I will stopover at Dubai for 2 nights before heading home on August 13. This will be my 3rd visit to Dubai and I am planning to take the opportunity to try out skiing at Emirates Mall which I did not do during my last 2 visits. Gee, it’s like I know I’ll be coming back to this part of the world…

Now that my flight ticket has been confirmed, what’s left to do is to make hotel arrangement and planning my itineraries at Istanbul. If any of you fellow bloggers out there have been to Istanbul, Turkey, I would be most grateful if you could share your experience and provide some tips and info to help me plan my holiday. .

Night of Ala Bollywood Wedding

Yesterday evening I attended an Indian wedding for the very first time. The wedding reception was held at a community hall in Kerinchi. The bride's our colleague of Singh-Chinese parentage. Earlier me and some of my colleagues met at our office building and car-pooled together to the wedding venue. Once we entered the hall, the wedding ritual has already started with the groom sitting under a canopy called mandap set on the stage together with the bride's relative next to him, the priest and close family members close by observing the ceremony. At the centre of the mandap were the sacred fire and other ritual items such as coconut, flower garlands, pots of water, rice among a few, visible from where I was sitting. After the groom left the mandap it was the bride's turn to go through the ceremony with the priest and eventually both bride and groom went through the ceremony together. It was definitely a long wedding ritual and prayers because even after we have finished eating, the ceremony was still going on. Luckily we did not have to wait for the ceremony to end to eat. I was starving as I did not have anything for lunch that day.

The ceremony came to an end when the mangalsutra necklace was put around the bride's neck, the bride and groom exchanged garlands and the family members threw rice and flowers towards the bride and groom. I was in awe observing how symbolistic each ritual was and how even the family members were very much involved and have a very important part in the ceremony. The finale was for the guests to walk up to the mandap where everybody were required to take their shoes off before entering the mandap to congratulate the bride and groom and give them their wedding presents.

Flanked by some of our colleagues who were clad in beautiful sarees

Another interesting obervation was to see some of our colleagues dressed in sarees. It felt like a Bollywood wedding especially with some other guests in their beautiful sarees and mixed of Hindi and Indian songs playing in the background. If only I knew they were planning to wear sarees, I would have joined the bandwagon. So, everybody made a pack to wear sarees in the next Indian wedding which will probably be some time in June.

Background Song : Dil Ne Yeh Kaha Hai Dil Se from Dhadkan

I Have Been Tagged ! For The First Time

I was first tagged by ShahrilAley like months ago. Honestly, some of the questions were quite tough and got me to think how much do I know myself. Hope I do not have to do this again.

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire :
1 ~ Pay tithe
2 ~ Give some to mum and my siblings
3 ~ Donate to the needy particularly to sekolah pondok
4 ~ Buy a piece of land and build a house in Africa
5 ~ Travel around the world starting with the exotic places

5 bad habits :
1 ~ Keep stuff which I do not actually need anymore thinking I would need them in future. Lama-lama accumulate junks.
2 ~ Not getting enough sleep
3 ~ Work too hard till sometimes misses lunch
4 ~ Often perform solat 2 in 1
5 ~ If I really really do not like someone tahap Gaban, I can't help but let my feelings show. At least, tahu where to draw the line and tak hipokrit bila kena interact.

5 things I hate doing :
1 ~ Folding clothes
2 ~ Reprimanding my niece and nephew
3 ~ The long wait to see a specialist at SJMC even with appointment
4 ~ Doing cardio on walker or stepper
5 ~ Reading manuals on how to assemble or operate things

5 things I'll never do :
1 ~ PMS
2 ~ Smoke or consume alchohol
3 ~ Keep long fingernails
4 ~ Compromise my integrity at any cost
5 ~ Emigrate to another country or give up my citizenship

5 things I regret doing :
I believe in blessing in disguise....no regrets to what I have done, didn't do or experienced in the past.

5 fave toys or thing :
1 ~ A gold ring, gift from someone 10 years ago which I wear till now
2 ~ An antic table fan bought at Jonker Street, Malacca
3 ~ An antic brooch given by late Great Grandma before she passed away
4 ~ My book collection
5 ~ A Bohemian crystal bowl, a gift from a dear friend.

5 people I choose to do this :
I choose not to tag anyone.....consider yourself lucky!

Background Song : Aku Ada Karena Kau Ada by Radja

Tagged By Zeyn

6 weirdest thing about SPK......here it goes.............

1. SPK does not eat durian but like any true Perakian, she eats tempoyak. Pelik tapi benar. Kalau buat tempoyak ikan masin lagi best especially yang my late great grandma buat!!!!!!!!!!

2. SPK geli kalau makan beansprout yang tak buang ekor. Sanggup menghabiskan masa buang ekor taugeh kalau masak masakan yang ada taugeh kat rumah. Kalau makan dekat restaurant mesti request no taugeh sebab for sure diorang guna taugeh yang tak buang ekor. Kalau ada yang masih bubuh taugeh jugak, will take time to pilih and kumpul all the taugeh tepi pinggan.

3. No matter how slow SPK eats she always end up the first to finish.......Orang lain kunyah ikut sunnah Nabi kut atau memang she's the very gelojoh one?

4. Bila kena berdiri lama, SPK tends to cross her legs. Very comfortable.

5. SPK works with papers all over her desk. Kalau tidak, mesti macam rasa otak tak jalan and tak excited nak kerja but she knows where the documents are between the piles of papers. Tapi end of the day, meja mesti clear punya...

6. Last but not least, the reason she calls herself a Serial Plant Killer - takde pokok yang survive in her hands.

A Fine Sunday

It has been a hell of a week, working late nights at the office for the last 2 weeks resulting an impulsive act of cutting my hair. Thank God my girlfriends were not there, otherwise they would have stopped me like they did in my past attempts. The initial plan was to stop at Midvalley last Wednesday after work to get some stuff but when I passed A Cut Above, like a robot or zombie, I walked into the salon and told the senior stylist that I wanted to get a haircut to a certain length and I left it to his expertise to advise the style. The end result, love it!

Just when I thought my late nights at the office was finally over, I was told last Friday evening to help prepare a proposal and presentation for a management meeting today. Aaargh....so, there I was spending my weekend at the office for a discussion and completing the presentation. In spite of that, I managed to squeeze in time for family and friends including meeting a fellow blogger for the very first time.

After spending a few hours of my Sunday morning giving the finishing touch to the proposal, I took the Putra LRT from my office to KL Sentral where we initially agreed to meet for lunch at 12.30 p.m. Got there just on time and sent him an sms that I was waiting for him at the information counter. He instead had arrived much earlier and asked to meet at Secret Recipe and looked for one wearing a white shirt. Thank God there were only a few diners at Secret Recipe and I immediately noticed a guy wearing a white shirt at one of the tables. Tak syak lagi, memanglah Dirtypap. As I extended my hand to shake his hand, I was not sure whether I should address him by his moniker but he quickly introduced himself by his real name. He gave me a souvenier specially brought from Labuan, two boxes of chocolates. Rasa segan ada jugak sebab I didn't have anything to give him in return.

Topic of our conversation circled around the normal get-to-know-each-other Q & A especially about him since Dirtypap has been keeping his identity on his blog anonymous. Undeniably, I did imagine how he would be like in person and some does fit the mental picture I had of him in a positive manner but it never crossed my mind that he works as a ........... and he gave me his business card to prove it, not that I did not believe him. Our meeting lasted for an hour as he had to catch a 2 p.m. bus to Genting. It was brief but I think it's a pleasant experience to finally got the chance to meet face-to-face and get to know him better. Hopefully it will not be the last.....

Cairo, Al-Qahirah : The Finale

I continued to visit a few more equally interesting places on my last day in Cairo. We started the day visiting Saqqara where the Steps Pyramid is situated. Unlike the Pyramids of Giza, the Steps Pyramid or also known as the unfinished pyramid, was made from smaller bricks which over time turned into dust. It's actually quite a huge complex with several temple and wall ruins around the pyramid. Mum and I decided to 'tawaf' around the pyramid where we saw entrance into the pyramid which was unfortunately closed from public due to safety reasons.

Our next stop was a complex consists of Ramses II Museum, Mummification Temple, Hathour Temple among others. It sounded misleading but the complex is actually an open museum with a lot of statues exhibited including several huge statues of Ramses II. Ramses II is one of the famous paharaohs particularly for his long reign and notably famous wife, Queen Nefertiti. We were supposed to visit other areas within the complex but decided to pass as what we will be seeing will be more statues and we had seen enough statues for the day.

We then went to Imam Syafie Mosque which is situated in between residential buildings occupied by locals. We were pre-warned by our guide not to give hand out money to the locals in the area as once you give to one, more will come and ask you for money. I guess that place was not a popular tourist spot as we were the only ones there. Imam Syafie's Mosque is merely a small mosque and the his tomb is situated in the middle of the small praying hall. We peered through the glass and wooden structure housing his tomb and could see a lot of things strewn around the tomb from papers, 'sejadahs' and cash notes. I guess some visitors just went overboard worshipping the late Imam. Another interesting about this mosque at a corner under the old worn-off carpet lies what believed to be Rasulullah s.a.w footprint.

Next, we went to another famous Islamic sites i.e. Sultan Hasan Mosque and Refa'e Mosque, located opposite the Sultan Hasan Mosque separated only by a small passage. I spent more time in Sultan Hasan Mosque admiring the beautiful ancient Islamic architecture. We were privileged that the Imam himself spent time telling us about the mosque and we could sense pride in his voice. He recited outloud the Kursi verses inscripted around the base of the dome attracting the attention of other non-Muslim tourists and 'azan' in the mosque and we could hear the call for prayer echoing in the mosque. Such a soothing feeling...The mosque is also a madrasa shared by all the four mazhabs - Hanafi, Syafie, Hanbali and Maliki with each has a separate courtyard to its own. I spent a brief moment a Refa'e Mosque famous for being the final resting place of the former Shah of Iran which is equally magnificent in its own way.

On the way to Cairo International Airport before leaving for Dubai, we stopped at Anwar Sadat's tomb and site where he was assasinated which is just across the street from his burial place. He was assasinated for signing Egypt's peace treaty with Israel while watching a military parade. His tomb is underneath a pyramid like structure and guarded by 8 - 10 guards dressed in either modern military uniform and the ancient Egyptian attire.

I left Cairo with wonderful memories not only of the places I visited but also the people I met and befriended. It is definitely an interesting and exotic place to visit with the richness of her history, culture and mysterious past.

Background Song : We Maloh By Amr Diab

Cairo, Al-Qahirah : Day Three

Our first destination on day three was the Egyptian Museum a.k.a Tahrir Museum. Just like many places in Cairo, we had to go through security checks and despite that I managed to smuggled in my camera. Not that I wanted to use it but was concern of losing it. We were given 3 hours to tour the museum but then again I knew the time given would not be enough as the museum consists a huge collection of objects and artifacts. It was impossible to read all the descriptions about the exhibited objects, so I decided the best was to focus on the main artifacts particularly King Tut's golden mask, treasures from his tomb and of course the mummies although I had to pay additional LE100 to enter the Mummies Hall. It was a bit creepy looking at the mummies placed in the glass in the As I expected, we took more than 3 hours touring the museum and before leaving, I left a short note in the guest book at the museum.

Next, we headed to the Paharaoh's Village, a living museum complete with the exact reproduction of houses and temple during the ancient Egypt with actors and actresses performing the daily activities during those time, among others pottering, perfume making, weaving, mummification process and agriculture activities. An English speaking guide took us through the tour which originally was supposed to be on a motorized barges sailing down the canal with these activities being acted out along the canal. Unfortunately, we had to go on foot as the water in the canal was too shallow for the barges. We were then taken to the reproduction of King Tut's tomb where his coffin and treasures were arranged exactly like when the tomb was discovered. Although all these objects were merely replicas but it was amazing to see the exact details that have gone to make it look so much like the ones we saw at the museum.

When we arrived at our next destination, it was already closed to public. It's a holy place to the Christians where in the church courtyard stood Tree of Maryam and Maryam's well. The Christians believe that Virgin Mary sat under the tree with Jesus and quenched their thirst with water from the well. Somehow, our tour guides managed to negotiate with the guardian to allow us in but it was quite dark and we relied on the streetlights to see the tree and the well. There were stone carvings on the wall of Virgin Mary and Jesus and a beautiful statue of Virgin Mary in the compound. We had to be quick to avoid being caught and questioned by the authorities.

Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped at the largest shopping mall not only in Egypt but in Africa as well. The CityStar Shopping Mall looked exactly like any other typical shopping malls and packed with locals particularly the youths. I guess that's the only shopping and entertainment centre available for them to hang out. I was not interested to browse the shops but headed straight to Virgin Records to buy a few more Amr Diab CDs original from the birth country of the singer himself.

Once back at the hotel, at around 11 p.m. all 18 of us including our tour guides gathered in my hotel room to joinly celebrate Kak Rosni's birthday which fell on December 31 and Mom's birthday on January 1. Before the small birthday celebration, we watched photo slideshow of Cairo taken by a member of the tour, Richard complete with background songs. They were indeed beautiful photos. The birthday celebration was a small one with a chocolate cake, some puffs served with tea. Mum had received her birthday present earlier i.e. the fully paid trip to Cairo and I gave mum a hug and wished her a Happy Birthday. There were tears in her eyes. The night ended with a group photo as Liza and 3 of her friends had to leave for Dubai the following morning.

Background Song : Betkhaby Leh by Amr Diab

Cairo, Al Qahirah : Day Two

Idul Adha fell on the second day I was in Cairo i.e. December 30, a day earlier than Malaysia. Sejak ketibaan aku di sini, kelihatan di sana sini binatang korban either kambing atau lembu dikumpulkan di tepi-tepi jalan atau diangkut dengan lori. Apa yang mengejutkan aku, binatang-binatang korban ini disembelih dan dilapah di tepi-tepi jalan sahaja. Tak sanggup aku nak tengok tapi selambanya kanak-kanak menyaksikannya. A little after 8 a.m. kami dah bertolak ke Malaysia Hall Abbasiah untuk solat sunat Idul Adha. Dalam perjalanan Bob selepas menceritakan sedikit sebanyak mengenai sejarah upacara korban dan erti pengorbanan dalam konteks sekarang, kami diceritakan juga latarbelakang tentang tapak dan bangunan Malaysian Hall. Tanah di mana bangunan Malaysian Hall itu dibina dihadiahkan oleh pemerintah Mesir (tahun berapa tak ingat) kepada penduduk keturunan Melayu dari Thailand, Malaysia dan Indonesia yang telah membantu beliau dalam peperangan sehingga mencapai kemenangan. Bangunan yang dibina di situ asalnya diduduki oleh students Melayu dari ketiga-tiga negara ini sehinggalah Kerajaan Malaysia menyumbangkan sejumlah wang yang besar untuk membaikpulih bangunan ini dalam tahun 1990-an. Sejak itu, bangunan ini dimiliki sepenuhnya oleh Kerajaan Malaysia dan diduduki oleh students Malaysia.

Selepas solat sunat Idul Adha bersama dengan students Malaysia di sini, kami dijemput menjamu selera dengan students yang lain. Walaupun juadah ringkas terdiri daripada mee goreng, nasi lemak dan kuih muih, tiada ketupat, lemang dan rendang, suasana Idul Adha tetap dirasakan. Lagu nasyid dan Hari Raya berkumandang dan ada students dan tetamu lengkap berbaju Melayu beserta dengan samping dan yang wanitanya pulak berbaju kurung. Actually terasa kekok dan segan juga sebab we all bukannya students kat situ and we had had breakfast at the hotel tapi sebab dah dijemput makan dan juadah pun nampak tempting, so we went ahead and digged in.

Lebih kurang pukul 10 a.m., we left Malaysia Hall to witness and set foot on the oldest, yet the only surviving of the seven ancient wonders of the world and the original reason that prompted me to go on this trip. From afar, I could see the Pyramids of Giza which consists of three pyramids of different sizes, Pyramid of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. My excitement built up as we approached the pyramids and finally stopped in front of the biggest pyramid of the three and the one which is actually called one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, Pyramid of Khufu and not the other two pyramids. As I stood at the base of the pyramid, touched the ancient stone and looked up at the piles of blocks rising to the sky, I find the structure was a bit plain but what was playing in my mind was the picture of how the ancient Egytians then transported the blocks which were at least 5 feet high and stacked them up into this pyramid shape. Of course, these pictures were fed by my readings on the pyramid and Discovery Channel, but still those theories may not be accurate, but logical yet still shrouded with mysteries.

I climbed up the small steps between the blocks towards the entrance into the pyramid but was told by the guard, tourists are allowed to enter only at 1 p.m. and it was too early then. So, after snapping a few shots there, we headed to a plateau to get the panoramic view of the pyramids.Di sini, we got some nice shots of the pyramids in full view in the background. Tapi, di sini juga kena watch out sebab banyak 'periuk api' i.e. najis unta dan kuda. I took the oportunity to ride on a camel for the first time. Nasib baik Liza sounded awal-awal suruh pegang before the camel raised to its feet, if not mesti dah jatuh terjelepuk. Our final stop at the Pyramids of Giza was at the Sphinx. I was a bit suprised because it was not as big as I thought. Hidung Sphinx ni sudah rosak kena bom semasa peperangan.

Next, we headed to The Citadel, famous for Mohamed Ali Mosque and the Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi's Fort. This landmark is visible from any part of Cairo and forms part of its skyline as it is situated at a high ground. When I first saw this landmark from afar, at a glimpse, it resembles the Blue Mosque in Turkey with its great dome and towering twin minarets. I must say as I entered the mosque, pictures what more words do not really do justice to the Mohammed Ali Mosque. To truly appreciate the beauty of the mosque especially the impressive interior one will just have to be there. After marvelling at the beautifully decorated high ceiling in the mosque, snapping as many photos as I can and performed Jamak Takhir in the mosque, we walked out to the open courtyard of the mosque to a spectacular view of the city of Cairo.

Then, we hurried back to the plateau of the Pyramids of Giza to watch the sound and light show. On the way there, we stopped at a fruit juice stall by the roadside where some of us dengan beraninya ordered and drank juices from there despite the stories we heard about drinking from the stalls by the roadside. We arrived there early so that we could get the best seats and indeed we did. With the Sphinx and the pyramids as the backdrop, dazzling lights and images projected on the sphinx and the temple wall, the storyteller narrated stories about ancient Egypt. I was a bit lost in between the storytelling especially with the names of the Pharoahs unfamiliar to me and also distracted by trying to keep warm. Even the three layered thick clothing and a rented blanket were not able to keep me warm. I was shivering especially when the cold wind blew. I practially let out a sigh of relief when the show was over and hurriedly headed to the bus coach and eventually to the hotel.

Background Song : Agheeb By Amr Diab

The Sweetest Thing

Those who have been waiting in anticipation for my entry on Cairo, Al-Qahirah - Day Two will have to wait for a few more days. I have just finished downloading pictures from my gmail sent by my sister and currently is uploading it to slides. It has also been a hell of a week at the office with multiple deadlines to meet. Bear with me for a few more days.....

Anyhow, this is just a brief and quick entry to thank a fellow blogger, Xis for posting a special entry on his blog sempena my birthday siap dengan a custom-made pic and a lovely poem. I didn't plan to make any entry on my blog on my birthday as it has never been an important and celebrated event for me. Kadang-kadang aku sendiri terlupa sampailah family and friends hantar birthday wishes. Anyhow, a heartfelt thank you to Xis for the sweet thought and kind words. Also, my appreciation to Rush for his thoughtfullness mentioning and wishing me a happy birthday in one of his entries. Definitely this is one of my memorable birthdays which I will truly treasure.

And of course, I truly appreciate the birthday wishes from others - family, friends and bloggers who have sent their birthday wishes via smses, e-mails and comments on the blog.

Cairo, Al Qahirah : Day One

Memang sukar hendak summarize about my 4 days and 3 nites trip to Cairo in one single entry kerana on each day I covered several places and there are so much to tell about each places I visited. I guess for the next couple of weeks, I'll have to post serial entries on Cairo and hope I will not bore anyone to the brink of insanity if not to death.

Ketibaan di Cairo on the evening of December 28, 2006 disambut oleh four Universiti Al-Azhar students yang menjadi tour guides selama tempoh kami di sini. Selepas makan malam di Nile Restaurant, kami checked-in di The Golden Tulip Hotel Flamenco yang terletak di Zamalek. Awal pagi selepas bersarapan di hotel, kami bertolak ke tempat pertama di dalam itinerari, kilang pengeluar kristal yang kedua terbesar di dunia, Asfour Crystal. Showroom belum buka lagi, kami dah tercongok di situ. Apabila masuk ke kawasan showroom terpegun melihat crystals yang dipamerkan berkilau-kilauan di bawah cahaya lampu. Aku bukanlah peminat crystal sangat, yang ada dalam simpanan pun hadiah dari rakan (which I truly treasure) tetapi bila melihat crystals pelbagai bentuk dari figurines, jewelleries, chandelier, rosaries, vases dan macam-macam lagi, hati tertarik juga lalu aku membeli beberapa buat koleksi peribadi dan souvenier. Harga memang unbelievable! and you have to pay in Egyptian pound or credit card as US Dollar is not accepted here.

Kami makan tengahari nasi kerabu di sebuah restoran Kelantan berhampiran kawasan hostel Malaysian students di Universiti Al-Azhar. Di sini memang senang cari makanan Malaysia sebab Malaysian students di sini ramai dan restoran menyajikan makanan Malaysia pun ada. Sementara menunggu yang lelaki pergi solat Jumaat, kaum wanita bertanggak di Rumah Negeri Sembilan, to be exact, rumah warden Malaysian students dari Negeri Sembilan. Semua hostel penuntut Malaysia si sini dibiayai oleh kerajaan negeri, oleh itu dinamakan dan diduduki oleh penuntut dari negeri masing-masing. Kami disambut oleh isteri warden tersebut, Ibu Noraziyan yang merupakan seorang Cina mualaf. Kami tumpang solat Jamak Takdim di situ dan dijamu pula dengan teh/nescafe panas dan biskut. Memang lega dapat menghirup teh panas memandangkan suhu di luar memang sejuk.

Tempat berikut yang dituju ialah Masjid Hussin, Masjid & Universiti Al-Azhar dan Pasar Khan El Khalili yang terletak berhampiran di antara satu sama lain di El Hossein Square. Halfway perjalanan ke sana dari Asfour Crystal, kami diiringi oleh kereta peronda polis. Hairan juga pada awalnya kenapa kereta peronda polis ini membunyikan siren di hadapan bus coach kami. Rupa-rupanya di sini, adakalanya polis akan memberi khidmat escort kepada kenderaan tourist for safety reasons. Terasa macam VIPlah pulak bila kereta yang lain kena beri laluan kepada kami. El Hossein Square ini memang sesak dengan bukan sahaja tourists tetapi the locals as well bersantai, kanak-kanak happily berlari ke sana sini, the cafes filled with people dari yang tua ke muda berbual-bual kosong or just seating there doing nothing. As a matter fact, everywhere we went and passed by in Cairo seemed to be full with people seperti berpesta tapi kemungkinan juga kerana keesokan harinya Idul Adha.

Tempat tujuan pertama kami ialah Masjid Hussin, di sinilah dipercayai kepala cucu Rasulullah s.a.w., Saidina Hussin ditanam. Kami kaum wanita pada awalnya tidak dapat menziarahi makam Saidina Hussin kerana waktu Asr sudah masuk dan kami tidak dibenarkan masuk ke makam semasa waktu sembahyang. Kecewa juga hati kerana sesiapa yang ada hajat, boleh bertawassul di makam Saidina Hussin dan aku memang berhasrat untuk mengambil kesempatan itu. Allah itu Maha Pengasih, sebelum pulang dan sementara menunggu yang lain habis membeli-belah di pasar Khan El Khalili, aku dapat memasuki dan menziarahi makam Saidina Hussin. Setelah menghadiahkan al-Fatihah kepada Saidina Hussin, aku menadah tangan bermunajat kepada Allah. Aku bisikkan suara hati dan hajat aku berulang-kali di sisi makam. Aku beredar dengan rasa syukur dan tawakal kepada Allah s.w.t. semoga doa aku dimakbulkan olehNya.

Masjid dan Universiti Al-Azhar terletak across the road from Masjid Hussin. Seperti yang diketahui umum universiti Al-Azhar merupakan universiti yang tertua di dunia, dibina more than 1000 years ago. Mengikut penerangan Bob (one of our tour guides), Oxford University dibina untuk menandingi Universiti Al-Azhar dan menghapuskan pengaruh Islam tetapi uasaha ini gagal. Untuk ke Masjid Al-Azhar, kami melalui tunnel di bawah tanah dan apabila aku menaiki tangga keluar dari tunnel, I was mesmerized by the sight of the mosque emerging in front of me, subhanallah. As you entered the main door, you will walk in to a marble courtyard and the feeling and ambience memang sukar nak disuratkan. Terasa sungguh tenang berada di dalamnya despite the fact that masjid ini terletak di tengah-tengah kesibukan kota Cairo. Memandangkan Asr telah aku jamakkan, aku hanya melakukan solat sunat Tahiyatul Masjid di tempat solat yang tertutup di sini sebelum further melawat sekitar masjid. Memang perasaan rasa tenang dan syahdu sewaktu menunaikan solat di masjid yang menyimpan dan menyaksikan pelbagai sejarah dan kisah riwayat Islam sejak lebih sekurun yang lalu. Selesai solat, aku joined the rest melawat dan bergambar di sekitar masjid. We then took the spiral staircase leading to one of the towers untuk menaiki ke bahagian bumbung masjid. I went further up the tower eventhough I had to climb up in total darkness led by an Egyptian lad. From the balcony of the tower, you can see the city of Cairo, terasa seperti you travelled back in time because unlike Dubai, buildings di sini memang mostly look ancient.


After a while at Al-Azhar Mosque, we returned to Pasar Khan El Khalili untuk aktiviti apa lagi, shoppinglah. Like the pyramids, pasar Khan El Khalili is a must destination if one goes to Cairo. The market is not just any market, being one of the oldest markets in the world, this sprawling market played an important role in Egypt history. Barangan yang dijual di sini dari alabaster, jewelleries, gold brass, goods made from mother of pearl and papyrus, museum replicas, leather, essential oils, perfume, perfume bottles, crystal, home decor items and a whole lot more. I must say perfume made from Lotus flower memang mempunyai bauan lembut yang wangi believed to be worn by Queen Nefertiti. Most of these items are available at other tourist spots but at pasar Khan El Khalili, you can do some serious bargaining and the prices are cheaper. So, kalau nak shopping, do it at Khan El Khalili. Having Arabic speaking Malaysian students as our tour guides helped a lot whilst bargaining. Do not be surpised kalau ada shop owners there speak a few words in Malay to you as they pick these up from the Malaysia students there. Tambahan pula tourists dari Malaysia pun ramai ke sana. Since it was eve of Idul Adha, ada kedai yang tutup especially those selling precious stones but kedai yang buka pun dah cukup banyak and tak terlawat. Anyway, most of the shops here sell the same thing, it's just a matter how much less they are willing to go down for the goods that you want to buy.

Our tour for the day diakhiri dengan cruising Kor nish El-Nil over dinner on a ship. Sebelum dinner, kami dihiburkan dengan pelbagai persembahan dan sudah pastinya tarian gelek included. Ironically, tak seperti tarian gelek yang aku saksikan di Dubai, di sini pakaian penarinya lebih seksi dan tarian lebih raunchy. Halfway through her performance, aku joined some of members of our rombongan di atas dek untuk menikmati pemandangan Cairo di waktu malam sambil mendengar cerita tentang sejarah Islam dan kehidupan di Cairo dari our tour guides. Memang kurang jelas kota Cairo di waktu malam kerana dari sungai Nil, hanya cahaya suram sahaja yang menerangi kotanya. Bila dah tak tahan dengan kesejukan walaupun dah berlapis baju dipakai, we all turun semula ke restaurant for dinner. Dinner adalah secara buffet terdiri mixed of makanan Middle Eastern dan Western tapi kena beratur panjang juga untuk mengambil makanan kerana malam itu memang restaurant tu full house. The cruise lasted for about 2 hours and we headed back to the hotel after that. Sampai di hotel baru terasa kepenatannya tapi nevertheless it has been an exciting day.

Insyaallah, coming soon entry Cairo, Al Qahirah : Day Two about my visit to Pyramids of Giza.

Background Music : Aiam We Ben3eshha by Amr Diab

Dubai Revisited

It's now 7.17 a.m. in Cairo and about 13 degrees Celcius. I am sitting at a cybercafe opposite the hotel I am staying. I planned to post something on my few days in Dubai whilst in Dubai but the internet connection was so bad and I could not gain access to my blogger account, frequent interruption to internet connection etc etc. It's too early to tell about my Cairo trip as we have actually not started yet except that we had dinner at Nile Restaurant last night after arriving from Dubai and a brief glimpse and tour of Cairo city on the way to our hotel in Zamalek.

On my second day in Dubai, aku menjadi 'chapperon' kepada golden citizens yang terdiri daripada Mak and parents housemate Liza sightseeing in Dubai city. Since all of them are in the sixties, taking the public bus or going on foot were out of the question and taking the city cab was just too expensive. The best alternative was to take the Big Bus Company tour. This is a hop on and hop off tour service on a double decker bus which covers 23 tourist stops in Dubai through 2 bus routes, the city tour and the beach tour. We managed to cover only half of the entire route when after shopping at Dubai Old Souq, some of the golden citizens dah nampak penat memicit-micit kaki, so we stayed on the bus for the rest of the stops and headed home. Aku dan Mak tak rasa ralat sangat because both of us have been to most of these places during our last trip to Dubai in May 2006

The following day, I decided to wander off on my own in Dubai, mainly because I need to get some souveniers and some barang kiriman relatives and friends. Using the same Big Bus Company tour ticket (it's valid for 24 hours from the time of purchase), I took the beach tour route to Souq Madinat Jumeirah. This route will pass through Jumeirah Road and you will stop at some main tourist attractions like Jumeirah Mosque, Jumeirah Beach Park, Jumeirah Public Beach and Souq Madinat Jumeirah. The bus stopped at Jumeirah Public Beach for 5 minutes where you can see Burj Al Arab from there. The view at Jumeirah public beach was exactly how I remembered the last time I came here, breathtaking, undescribable beyond words. Pasir yang halus, the clear water in shades of emerald green berhampiran dengan pantai dan turned into darker shades of green and blue towards the sea.

After a couple of hours shopping at Souq Madinat Jumeirah and Zuhr prayer there, I walked back to the Jumeirah public beach and just sat there looking out to the sea with my feet buried in the cold sand, my iPod playing my favorite numbers, a cup of hot chocolate and my travel journal penning stories of my journey so far, my thoughts, hopes and dreams as the new year approaching. Pemandangan laut yang indah dengan angin sejuk bertiup buat aku leka sehingga tidak sedar sudah lebih sejam aku duduk di situ. Gathered my stuff and decided to walk along the beach and feel the water, it was icy cold but bearable. Continued to walk for the next 30 minutes and finally took a cab to Mall of Emirates where I bought a few more things mainly perfumes yang dipesan.