'Musafirs' in Ramadhan

Last friday we were back in Klang for the day just to check on the old house which we left about a month ago. The hubby's day off is just the Friday so the trip back home had to be planned carefully so that we didn't miss tarawih prayers and still managed to have the energy to drive the 500 or so kilometres from KT to Klang and back again.. We left KT about 6 pm on Thursday and around Dungun we broke fast in the car. We didn't stop for maghrib prayers because as 'musafirs' (traveler), we could do the prayer with isyak. In perfect timing (Alhamdulillah) we arrived at a mosque somewhere in Kemaman (Masjid Geliga) in time for isyak and tarawih. After the usual 8 rakaah and a simple meal we continued our journey south. I took the wheel as we entered the highway from Kuantan to KL as the hubby was already squirming about in his seat trying to fight off his drowsiness. Since I had napped during part of the trip, I felt quite refreshed and after drinking some coffee, I was ready to drive, I thought, until Genting Sempah and then the hubby would take over. Anyway, the traffic wasn't heavy and with the coffee taking its effect, I asked the hubby if I could continue driving after GS and he said 'ok' (sleepily, I think!). And that was when I realised I got more than I bargained for... I don't think I've driven that part of the highway before, not in night-time anyway... Those who are used to it are ok I guess but I was having my heart in my mouth as I maneuvered the treacherous bends and at the same time handling the very steep inclines and what with the blinking arrows (you know, the arrows that make sure you don't fall off the cliff or something; they do blink..) trying to distract you and all the while the hubby slept like a baby... what a trusting man! We did arrive safely though, around 2 am Friday morning, greeted by a very dusty home and an almost overgrown garden...(Home, sweet home!) We started back on our return journey after tarawih prayers on Friday night and in perfect timing again (Alhamdulillah) we reached Masjid Geliga (yeah, the same mosque) about half hour before the dawn prayer... and arrived at our 'homestay' at about 9 am (because we stopped many times - I was too sleepy to drive) Saturday morning. What a tiring 'weekend'...*sigh*...

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler long I stood

And look down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay,

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

'Choice is inevitable but you will never know what your choice will mean until you lived it...'

Ramadhan in KT

It is 4 days into Ramadhan now and I have got myself into a routine. This is the first Ramadhan that I don't need to stressed myself out deciding on what to cook for the breaking of fast (yeay..!). The kids are not around anymore (the reason I used to spent a lot of time in the kitchen preparing favourite dishes around the fasting month), so it's about time we get the most out of this holy month. This year the hubby and I decided we'll break fast at the mosque and the one which we have been to, these past few days is the 'Masjid Putih' or the White Mosque (and why it is named so? because it's painted err.. white?) in the town centre. The meal served there is nothing extravagant, in fact it's very simple; rice, a protein dish, vegetables, a 'kuih' and dates. (reminded me of the meal I used to have when I was in boarding school - SMSNS Kuala Pilah). Here's one that we had yesterday:

It's ok by us though we supplement it by buying around RM3 worth of 'desserts' that we have after the tarawih prayers (they're sooo.. much cheaper than Klang!). Well, after the 'iftar' we pray maghrib and then stay in until isyak and tarawih. They have an 'imported' imam to lead the tarawih prayer; from Egypt. He recites one (back-breaking..) juzuk of the Quran per night. I have got used to it by now but shame on me... there are 'makciks' older than me who got through the whole thing and the hubby and I only do 8 raka'ats!

Free

Yesterday, a Friday, was the hubby's day off. So early in the morning (well, not so early), we drove around looking for a recreational area for our much needed exercise. And not 3 minutes from our homestay, we came upon a Park; couldn't remember the name though, but it was in the area called Pantai Batu Buruk (literally: 'Beach of the Ugly Stone'!). Anyway, many people were already hard at jogging and stretching and there was even a large group of people following an aerobic instructor. Here are some pictures of the Park:

The first and last pictures showed the aerobic activity already in full swing when we got there. Maybe next week, I'll join in the fun (they even had a lucky draw at the end of the session..!). We noticed that most of the participators were Malay ladies, with their colourful headscarves, kicking and swaying to the beat of the music.. By the way, what I find quite amazing in the East Coast, particularly the state of Terengganu and Kelantan is the number of Muslim women who wear the headscarves compared to some other places in Malaysia. The headscarves come in a variety of shapes and sizes, in a myriad of shades and colours and some could be tied in numerous ways that you can't imagine.. (pin it up, let it down and around it goes..my daughter is an expert on this). True, Islam ordains that Muslim women should cover themselves up at puberty and seeing the number of Muslim women in Malaysia doing just that is encouraging but sad to say not many of them actually abide by the exact law.. We see a lot of girls these days wearing short headscarves with short-sleeved T-shirts that are sometimes quite tight and revealing, too.. The T-shirts are usually short and then they wear tight jeans which of course show their curves. Not to mention those who wear see-through headscarves which do not cover anything at all! If you are going to cover yourself up then you need to do it properly - no showing of arms or feet, scarves covering the chest and loose clothing... I leave with a video-clip of the song Free, by my favourite singer, Sami Yusuf. It is about the wearing of Hijab for Muslim women..Happy listening!

Kuala Terengganu Here We Come!

We have been here for 4 days now. The hubby has accepted the post as Resident Engineer for a PERMINT (I tend to imagine the word 'peppermint' whenever I see the sign) project in the town. As for right now we are staying in a 'homestay' just 5 minutes from the project site. We live in a little room - air-conditioned, attached bathroom (with hot water), wi-fi, a tv set... There's a shared kitchen but no stove or 'fridge or washing machine. I'm not complaining - I don't have to do any cooking or a lot of cleaning! (only have to hand-wash our laundry - sigh..) However, I'm not sure how long we can stand take-aways. Breakfast is quite cheap, though these East Coast people eat a lot of rice even in the morning. They have nasi kerabu, nasi dagang, nasi minyak...in addition to nasi lemak. Not healthy, not healthy (apart from nasi kerabu..). We'll have to start eating home-cooked meals soon or else someone is going to put on some extra kilos...Well, we might be staying at the 'homestay' for the duration of the hubby's job - it could be for 3 years or erm... 3 months! (sigh...) It seems like a good deal. We don't need to bring a lot of furniture - just a simple cooker and a small 'fridge will do. The rent is RM500 a month; inclusive of everything (electricity, water, internet). And it's so near the town and where the hubby works. Anyway, let's see how things go after a month of homestay-living. I will either love it or hate it! (It's actually quite difficult to get a house for rent over here. I suppose it's more profitable to turn an unoccupied house into a 'homestay' rather than rent it out on a monthly basis). No pictures this time; next post, I hope.

Quarantined!

Not to worry, it was a self-imposed one... The daughter returned from Melbourne after nearly two months in Adelaide and a few days in Melbourne visiting her brothers there. A day before her flight home, to our horror, she caught a fever and what with the frequency of people returning from Melbourne, particularly, contacting the deadly Swine Flu, we were sick with worry! However, she did assure us over the phone that it was nothing serious, but the day before her arrival, we were already busy buying foodstuffs to last us for a week in case we were quarantined... Waiting for her at the airport, I envisioned her being escorted out through the arrival lounge with masked nurses but there she was, smiling away as she went through the arrival door (without even a mask!):

Apparently she got through the body heat scanner... However, as she was still having a cold and sneezing now and then, we thought we'll just stay indoors for a couple of days until she's well enough. It's not difficult for me to stay indoors... but for the other two; the daughter wanted desperately to go and register for her new semester and also meet her friends whom she hasn't seen for 2 months (as if they haven't YMed through the holidays..), the hubby had to go out and buy durians because his daughter was craving for one... Anyway, she is just fine now (Praise be to Allah), and let's hope and pray that we are all spared from this terrible disease...

Like Father, Like Son

I got a phone call from my daughter a few days back; she is on vacation in Adelaide, visiting her brother. She was describing to me her nephew's antics (the cute and adorable grandson featured a few posts back), always on the go, cannot sit still, overall making everyone constantly on their feet going after him! Well, it reminds me of HIS father when he was around that age. We were in Cardiff, UK, then. One day, a friend, Hanim who just came from Malaysia came for a visit with her 5-year-old daughter (I think she was around that age, then). My son, Umar was, as usual running around, climbing on the furniture, grabbing the tea-set and doing all sorts of thing a toddler would do. And as the little girl was eyeing him with interest, I was going: "Umar, stop it! Umar, stop it!". Later on, Hanim told me that when they got home, she was telling her husband about the visit and saying that our baby son's name was Umar Faruq. But her daughter interrupted: "No ummi, you got it wrong, the baby's name is not Umar Faruq, it's Umar Stoppit!". Whenever I meet Hanim, we always have a good laugh over it! Here are two scanned pictures of Umar Faruq from the good old days..