GA

Human body is indeed very fragile. Or is it just me.... Setakat nie, this is my 3rd time using crutches. Ok second time tu tongkat..... But still..

This time my right knee collapsed while training badminton. Tak bagi impact banyak pon dekat lutut tu, tapi kalau dah ditakdirkan Allah untuk collapse, apa nak buat? Thanks to Remco who wheeled me out of the court to my bicycle. Ironically I could still cycle back home despite of injury.

Bukan nak puji lebih-lebih healthcare system dekat belanda nie but.... It is very good. Yang examine aku pulak, bukan calang2 orang. Tgk2 dia punya title Prof. Dr. . He's the orthopedics specialist. Pegang punya pegang, rupanya my miniscus jahanam. Dah la Jahanam, dia terlipat and stuck between my knees. So, the consequence of that was, I cannot straighten my leg. Only solution was SURGERY.

Apa nak buat? redha jee... surgery pon suuuuurgery lah... Good thing that papa n mama came.

And Now I'm back..... Fine and danday... Dah start main badminton

Appreciation

Funny some of us take for granted simple things of life. Bole bernafas, bole berjalan, melihat, berfikir.... Semuanya satu nikmat tau!.... Well, Allah took one of my nikmat... Temporarily of course... hopefully....

But really, when a part of your body cant function very well, it really affects everything. But no worries, it will be fixed in a jippy and plus... look at the bright side...mama and papa are coming. Papa is staying for a week and mama is staying for a month! Macam dalam pantang laa pulak

Currently working on secularization continuum. Getting inspiration is a b***

Orientation Week

Minngu Orientasi University di Malaysia

As proud as I am to be a Malaysian University Graduate, I am not proud of our University's Orientation system. Historically, our University orientation system was much worst. It was degrading and humiliating. There were students who went crazy because of the pressure given by the seniors. However, during the Modern era, things have changed..... but still.... it needs major improvement

The video above is just the tip of the iceberg.... Look at their faces... did they enjoy it??

Nie siang siang. Kalau malam-malam kene panggei dengan senior. Pastu kene berleter sampai 2-3 pagi like we are idiots. Tah ape-ape kene ragging dengan senior. Nie tak termasuk yang kene basuh baju senior lagi.

Some institutions even have Army like marches. Penah dulu sampai tahap kene guling-guling atas padang lagi sampai ada orang pengsan. For me it doesnt make sense!!!! We are not going for war!.Those seniors have to understand that new students in a new environment away from their parents for the first time. Let them learn by themselves and not a be a bunch of dictators.

Basically, our orientation system is based on oppression. The seniors were desperate for respect through coercion. As far as I knoe, we are not supposed to gain respect through coercion but we have to earn it by improving ourselves and show good examples.

Australian Universities

See.... macam pesta kan??? The seniors were very accomodative... Terpulangah pada kita... kalau nak ikut ceramah atau tidak. Happyyyyy ja. Macam2 game ada from Foozball to pie throwing. Tapi ada aaa sikit drawbacks... Party terlebih hehe

Nie pulak University Groningen dekat Belanda. Of course memang the parties were extensively highlighted. Tapi, ada macam2 activities besides partying. For example, ada sports tryout, international dinners, tours around the campus, games and macam2 lagi lah

I Strongly believe that we need to change our Oppressive system. Minggu haluan siswa is supposed to be something enjoyable. Not to the extent of University Groningen of course. Our seniors are supposed to be like our brothers and sisters and not bullies.

Not to undermine our Malaysian Universities but as far as Orientation week, overseas universities is the real deal. However, in other areas such as spirituality, religiosity and even teaching, our Malaysian universities are still superior. Kalau dekat OZ or Belanda nie lantak Komee leeee. There are pro-s n con-s.

Yes I have strong resentment towards our University Orientation system. And one day, I intent to change that. Muahahaha

List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter.(revised!)

Menyahut cabaran sedare Pire.....

I know this may sound cocky but this is my passion!

Seriously, I'll do it for free if I can....I'd be willing to work at 7-eleven at night just to sustain myself and during the day, I wanna be lecturer. However, I just figured out other professions

1)Lecturer for University Technology Mara UiTM Bebeeeeh!

2)Standup Comedian

3)Penyanyi Karaoke Professional

Chuppp air tu teh o ais yeee... Bukan ayaq buih nooo

Raya Trip

I'm now writing my insignificant nuisance on the train while listening to Radio Era!!!! Ya'll must be wonderin. Train? ERA?.... Yess I think around this year kot, Netherlands dah ada internet dalam most of its intercity train ... lagi sempoi dari Germany kott!!? Rasa macam naik Bus nak balik Aloq setaq laa pulak. Tambah pulak today, cuaca panas dan lembab. The thing is, youtube kureng sket.... lebih kurang macam Dialup. But Its good enough for me.

Anyway, I found a nice cozy seat in de train. Its in the silent area, not apposite some loud Dutchies and its a direct train.... No transit sana, transit sini

Rewind a couple of hours ago, I saw some Malaysians while I was walking around in rotterdam . It turned out to be UiTM students..... Merbok plak tu.... wah wah wah... Budak2 merbok nie terer2 laaa....Ex-DBS plak tuuuu... Selaluuuu ja gi Overseas (poyo).

Rewind lagi a couple of hours...I was doing my jalan-jalan cari makan. So far today tak sempat cover the whole Randstadt(Area The hague, Rotterdam, Utrech and Amsterdam). I went to Rotterdam carneiselanden to makan Groote Soto Ajam Surinamse... siap bungkus sekali. N then, i went to Den haag Holland spoor to buy its cake and pastries. Pastu gi plak kat Den haag Centrum for its Lams Schotel. Well I think during this syawal, I'll be gaining 5 kilo easy. Tapi takpa lah coz I lost 10 kilo for ramadhan. Yes... 10 kilo wooo main tak lost 10 kilo.... Bulan2 posa dok main badminton macam orang tak posa.....

Dua jam sebelumya, semayang Jumaat dekat Rotterdam... Worth going...ingatkan nak take advantage of being musaffir but , bulan yang mulia punya pasal . The Azan was Fantastic and Suara Imam sedaap sangat. Funny thing happen after Jumuah prayers. There was a half naked guy ran into the Mosque... Depa kata the guy was carrying a knife... but I don think so coz I saw him entering the Mosque..... Nasib baik dia tak violate aku...

Friday nite I beraya umah Uncle James and Aunty Jolanda. I just need to visit them, coz they are family. Uncle James cam besa, besaq hati laa bila adik beradik mai tak putuih-putuih.

The 3rd, 2nd and 1st raya Beraya kat umah Kak Yooong! The best part was My parents and I all of us beraya kat umah kak yong.. Well at least the same tuan rumah. My parents beraya kat umah kak yong in Putra Heights while family kak yong and I beraya kat umah kak yong in Hannover. Beeest ... Ada rendang, daging merah(turun temurun from santa claus"Opah"), ketupat, lemang, tempoyak ikan patin you name it... semua ada! Isy laaa kalau takda kak yong... tensen jugak raya... My close Malaysian Friends "Balik Deraih"

1st raya aaa best! Family kak yong and I webcam ngan family in Malaysia and Bangi. Tolak pi, campoq mai, lebih kurang macam raya kat Malaysia aa

Projek Posa

After about half way through Ramadhan, I came to realize that this Ramadhan is special. Last ramadhan, I was quite alone. Everything was done alone. This time....

After semayang Jumaat, my Indonesian friends ajak bukak posa. Being who I am, I cant resist free food. So.... pergilaa aku sensorang rumah Wahono. Masuk2 rumah Wahono, teringat umah Abang ucop dulu. Dengan bau, baby creamnya, semerbak masakan lagi.... mmg family home lah. Comelnya baby dia...

After abang Ucop balik, aku nie dah lama tak rasa suasana Muslim. Kalau lepak, mesti ada botol2 arak atas meja dan asap rokok/ganja. I dont do all that tp duduk semeja dengan depa, rasa tak sedap hati. Kali nie dengan Indonesian Muslim community, rasa mcm Ramadhan lebih Imarah.

So, antara aktifitas-aktifitas persatuan Pelajar Indonesia Groningen adalah Tadarus Al-Quran dan berbuka puasa every alternate days at different houses. Beeeest... Makanannya enak-enak belaka.

Tadarus pula, interesting..... Range of proficiency ranges from beginner to super expert. So, kalau ada silap, masing2 tegur laaa si pembaca jikalau ada yang silap. Best part, beginners are equiped with their enthusiasm. The thing is about Indonesian, Semangat depa memang kuat.... Cuba laa baca sebaik mungkin. I really admire that

However on normal days kalau takde Iftar together, I'm with my cooking projects. So, one of my masterpiece is Lamb steak with pita bread and Mac n Cheese. Beeeeeeest!

I found that daging dekat europe nie top notch punya Kwaliteit... Leeeeeembut!

Resepi nya simple

Beli daging for steak....

Use butter knife and sapu 1)Oyster sauce 2)kicap

Taboq serbuk cabai and pepper

leave it in the fridge....

as far as I'm concerned it can last in the fridge for 3 days at least.....

so bila rasa macam nak masak, taruk jee dalam pan.... kejap jeee nak masak

Less than 5 minutes each side or according to Jamie Oliver, according to yuour intuition

For Mac n Cheese pula...

You'll need

• Macaronies
• Grated cheese
• milk
• condensed milk
• butter
• black pepper
• Tepung

Rebuih macaronies.......

Pakai non stick pan, mix Butter, grated cheese, condense milk, butter, pepper and tepung sekali and masak sampai agak2 likat tu.

Taruk macaronies dalam mangkuk foil and then taruk the magic mixture of cheese tadi...

And then tauk dalam oven 200 celcious

and then VOILA!!

Jangan jelessss.... Kat Bazar ramadhan takde jual mende2 nieh HAHAHA (Pathetic lough)

Anyway.... you guys know what's another word for "buka Puasa" in Indonesian????

Its menanti Maghrib or "Penngaburan Burit"...... yes it is true and I didn't make it up

Summer

Musim panas adalah antara musim yang paling Bosan di Groningen. Everybody seems to be either on vacation or at their parents place. Tinggal laaa aku sensorang mcm kera duku. Nasib baik ada member satu office.

Before this, Aktiviti kami kami untuk menghilangkan bosan was of course swimming. Swimming bukan saja menyehatkan tubuh badan, tapi boleh menjamu mata. Bulan Puasa nie tak la pulak gi swimming :P

After that main Badminton..... It turned out main badminton nie lagi best daripada swimming coz bole kutuk2 member in other words, lagi banyak aa interaction drp kawan2.

Kalau 24hrs dok depan computer buat keje je mmg tension...

Anyway, Claudio baru saja bagi video yang dia rakam waktu kami gi Lisbon haritu... We stumbled upon Portuguese traditional dance which was very similar to our peranakan melaka punya tarian.

1st Malaysian version

2nd Portuguese Version

A little bit about the skirts that the girls pakai:

According to Rui, there used to be 7 layers or so. The outer layer was supposed to protect the girls from the sea water when they go out to sea. What they did was depa selak skirt tu naik atas mcm cup. Not all the layers!!! only the first layer. And supposedly it will protect them from the sea water

Rempit

Kekadang bila lama tak balik Malaysia, rasa macam hilang Malaysian vibe.......

Very difficult to describe unless you experience it....

Among the things that I do is of course Masak makanan Malaysia.... tp tu dah selalu dah

Dengaq Azan Malaysia would help...

But now what I do is dengaq lagu Melayu... Bukan lagu traditional Melayu nie...

Lagu-lagu yang aku klasifikasikan sebagai lagu-lagu rock kapak

Contohnya

Cinta di Pantai Merdeka- jinbara

Rahsia Pohon Cemara

Titian Hasrat - Samudera

Perrghhhh layaaaaaan hilang kejap Nederlandse vibe yang buhsan tuh...

Teringat masa tgh lepak dekat pekan rabu... or tgh makan lunch dekat kompleks peruda....

Tu laaa dulu dok kutuk sangat lagu rock kapak... kata lagu mat rempit laa ...

Sejauh mana merantau last last teringat kat Loq stuck jugaaak

My bro's Graduation ceremony

First, let me tell you what I meant by Anglo Saxon. Anglo Saxon nie basically Negara2 yang ada kaitan dengan British. May it be Britain, OZ, NZ or Canada for that matter. One of the things that is most obvious is that the currencies in these countries has a picture queen Elisabeth on it. Apart from that if we look at the design of the house of representative and the system boleh kata semua sama.

Our vision of studying overseas on the top of our mind is the UK and of course US, OZ and NZ. The graduation ceremony is a typical robe with mortar head. You'll receive your diploma and and after that maybe a small reception and thats it. I think, the best part is getting to wear the robe and the mortar head to take pictures. Ada jugak yang bagi parents pakai robe tu and also take pictures which I think its very sweet :).

Malaysia Universities are a fusion of Anglo Saxon tradition and our own Monarchical tradition. Our Chanselors are the Sultans and heads of states. A robe and a mortar head is a must except for our clothing inside the robe. We have an option to wear a Malay Suit (Baju Melayu) or a business suit. However I find that business suit is not practical considering our hot and humid weather. In a more traditional public Malaysian Universities of course ada paluan kompang

In the Netherlands, things are a lil bit different. I find that the Dutch are not very keen on formal clothing. Of course they have nothing against it. There are no robes and mortar head gear. There are no dignitaries or head of states. Its just a cozy yet elegant ceremony that celebrates the achievement of the graduates instead of the dignitaries.

These are the Graduates... Tgk, ade yang pakai simple je

His name was called and he had to sit on the table and sign stuff... macam aqad nikah pulak

An then a speech by the Lecturer and by him. They tell about each other's experiences and achievements

The Certificate was given and then the Van Gogh sun flower... And then they hug and congratulate

An then, sesi bergambor

Bros

Geluk

Words cant describe how happy I am. I'm definitely going to spoil him. He's gonna get many gifts. I'm going to teach him how to swim, Taekwondo and Dutch.

My dream is for him to be mischievous and naughty during an auspicious event until all the professors lough seeing mummy gettin angry. Insyaallah

Irony

Irony kenapa pencaci Al Quran Belanda terlepas daripada tuduhan mengapi-apikan sentimen Agama.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-23/netherlands-court-acquits-freedom-party-leader-wilders-of-defaming-muslims.html

Ironi kenapa pereka fesyen yang hanya terlepas cakap ketika mabuk sentimen antisemitik. Di soal berkali-kali, diseret ke mahkamah dan di desak untuk meminta maaf.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8591926/John-Galliano-trial-day-one-as-it-happened.html

Wonderful days

Wanted to borrow a very important book for my research from the library... It turned out I cant coz the book has fungus!

Pulled over by the police because of cycling at the wrong lane. Right direction but wrong lane. 25 euro saman.... That's equivalent to freakin 5 Super chicken shoarma/a week of groceries/ a trip to amsterdam :(. Such an Irony...... when possessing or planting marijuana and prostitution is cool but cycling at the bus lane is not cool. There were no buses on sight!. My german friend tak kene saman pon... A lil bit of racial undertone here.... well... Belanda kan... paham-paham lah... they never express it except for the Wilders guy.... But they do have it

Discussions at the Astana Economic Conference is cool for development in Islamic countries. But why some Islamic leaders distinguish Islam and Development???. I guess Luckman and Durkheim is right at least for mainstream thoughts... The Fundamental belief in religion in terms of higher transcendence is disappearing. What I admire is about the discussion was about Womens rights in Islam. This discussion stops here... I hate politics

Library nie laa yang aku dok pi..... Its like a candy store :)

Memang la video nie mcm lakonan. Tp dalam real life pon orang Belanda memang perangai macam nie.

Lipdub nie dah dok jadi trend dah dekat University Belanda... Wagenigen dah ada Universiteit Van Amsterdam pon dah ada....

University Malaysia bila lagi??

Sambungan Bacalhau

After portugal, then, off to Umah Kak Yong in Hannover . Macam2 dia masak... merasa laaa aku makanan Malaysia. N then mama pulak masak my fav dish. Beeest ! . Umah kak yong is basically my refuge kalau nak merasa suasana raya.Too bad Imran was in Barcalona. We went to Berlin. It was nice there. Got to see some of the remains of the wall. Bukan apa... batu ja... But it was of great significance to the German people.

Above pic is us infront of German Parliament

From umah kak Yong we went to Rumah Uncle James. Uncle James, although he has never met my parents tp Masyaalah Besaq hati. Macam2 dia masak! Umah uncle James adalah satu lagi tempat refuge kalau cuti hehe... Uncle James dulu keje Cook... so mmg sedap laa masakan dia.

Next we went to amsterdam... nothin much abt Amsterdam... Malas lah nak tulis banyak2 about amsterdam, takut emosi kurang stabil. I savored the last days with my family in Amsterdam... after that depa nak balik dah... Sedih laaa bila depa balik... Seb baik jumpa uncle joe dekat airport....

Bacalhau

It has been a really long time since i've posted anything. Busy as hell.... Loads of things to read before my parents come visit me. Thanks to Azizi sohabat dari Vrij Universiteit yang sudi menumpangkan apartment yang hanya 5 minit berjalan kaki dari Amsterdam Zuid. Siap belanja kebab lagi.

It has been nerly one year since I've seen my folks secara live. Selalunya skype aje.

I took my parents from the airport and we went straight to keukenhof... Sayang, bunga2nya dah banyak layu. The flower in the picture were dutch lilys. It was the end of the season. Then, off to Gro town.... Before that singgah sembahyang kejap dekat Masjid Den Haag.

A little bit about this mosque. If you look at the building, anything familliar? You'll be surprised that this building was a synagogue. I guess the Muslim community bought the building and convert it to a Mosque. Well, it is true that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. The same situation happened in Leewarden.

After 2 and a half our journey, sampai juga akhirnya

Then dinner at my garden.... Thanks Alles for the table :)

After Dinner menyanyi sepam.... Thanks to my bro Amir for the music and Frank for the guitar. Susah2 Amir turun from Leewarden utk jumpa my parents...

Brought them to see my uni.....

Then besoknya I brought them to Bremen, lepak sana semalam and off to Portugal!!!!!!

For all you readers, if any... hehe before you read this post I would strongly advice you to listen to this embedded music by Dulce Pontez

All this while I thought Sweden was Beautiful. But masyaallah, Portugal is even more beautiful. With its ancient buildings, coble stoned roads, beautifully decorated tiled walls, cozy alleys. Or is it beautiful because I was travelling with my family?. What ever it is I have to say, hands down, the most beautiful place I've ever visited.

Why is Portugal beautiful? The buildings are really old.. If you ask my mum, portuguese buildings need serious paint job. Still it's beautiful.... I think because its different. Typical Malaysians or should I say asians, europe means UK, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland.....oh yeah and a pit stop in Belgium. Portugal? I guess portugal is sort of out of the way. It is secluded inside spain. I think thats why there were not many immigrants and Muslims. Payah nak cari Muslim disini. Kalau di negara eropah lain contohnya Sweden, Switzerland, you're not alone.... mmg banyak Muslim

Neway this is my buddy Claudio. He's our tour guide (FOC maaa) member2 punya pasal. Dia, Rui and Amir nie mcm bro aku aaaa.... Best bro man!... Gaya hidup mesti mau style hippie..... Turun2 dari flight terus aku kutuk dia Abraham lincoln haha.

Nie pulak Rui..... nak sebut nama dia nie susah sikit. OK mcm nie... Khhrruiii..... with the Khhrr.... But he's a really nice guy. Budak philosophy.. Very knowledgeable fela... Dia tour guide FOC kami, siap bole cerita apa significance banggunan nie... sejarah banggunan tu...He and claudio even gave us free tickets to travel. Rui managed to arrange with his Grandma to get those tickets

This is us in Lisboa...... or should I say it in a very sexy Portugeshh way..... Lishhhbowwa.... Notice the bridge far away behind us.... Thats the exact same designed bridge in San Francisco.

This is us in Porto satu family....

Papa... Solo traveler..... But you've got to admit the view..... Mak aiii romantik...... Aku nikah nnt nak bawak bini or bini-bini aku mai sini.... Notice baggunan yang paling atas sekali tu...Aku, claudio dgn loan dah ragaih dah.

Maaan It was quite steep... The reason that we went up there because of our ego... I saw one sweet old lady climbing the steep hill selamber je. So claodio n I "Lets go man!!!" loan pon join. It turned out that that old lady lives between the hill.... She musta climbed that hill every day all her life.

Above is the tomb of Mendiang Vasco Da Gama. Sempoi dak?.... All this while baca daripada buku sejarah aje. Portuguese ppl has great pride in their exploration. According to the tourist guide(curik2 dengaq tourist guide orang lain), Apparently if you are an important figure, particularly a religious figure, your followers will cut off some of your limbs as remembrance, when you die of course.

For Vasco Da Gama, he died in India. So what the Church of India did was ... they cut his finger and keep it in the church while the rest of his body was sent back to Portugal.

Sempat lagi mengayat awek portugis lagi tuuuuuuu....... Malu-malu kucing lah konon... Sajaaa nak gempaq my mum...kasi dia suspen sikit.

Below is a typical Portuguese food. Bacalhau nama dia(sebutan bakaliaw)... Ikan kod...siap ada lagu lagi utk a=ikan nie..... mmg sedap....

Above is Pajeja..... Phayeeyaaa.... Its a typical Spanish food actually.... Nampak macam nasik goreng seafood.

Rupa-rupanya walaupun tak banyak, tapi ada jugak comunity Muslim di Portugal. Community Bangladesh actually. From now on I will NEVER patronize Bangladesh people. It is true what my friend Aiman said when I was studying in Australia, Bangladesh people are among the best people to live with. And he was right.

I was just looking for a mosque to pray, and ask this Bangladeshi salesman. Pastu dia terus calling2 member2 dia and kami dijemput ke rumah Imam Bangladesh. Jamu kami makan. Almost every one of them pernah keje dekat Malaysia and they loved it. Bangladesh people are Hardworking, honest and humble people.

Education pon boleh tahan.... Sorang tu graduate dr Al-Azhar and now doin Phd in belgium. Hebat hebat... tapi modest

From now on, siapa kutuk orang Bangladesh, mau kena paku dengan aku...

akan bersambung.......

Looking Back

After you've done number 2, do you actually "Look Back" ?

I know its disgusting but come oooooon!

Its disgusting, but some people cant resist it

Although some "pasts" can be disgusting but still we wanna look back

Things becomes worse when the shit is not ours

I've had enough of Marx and Hegel

Ik gaan terug

SPM A's

There are quite a number of debates regarding our SPM results. Among others," are the students really performing or is it just a matter of figures". During my Papa's(Father's) time, students that obtained straight A's in SPM or equivalent are just a handful. I'm not undermining straight A scorers, its just that, if nearly 10k students score straight A's in SPM... Is it too good to be true?

Here's an interesting video

Makan Free

This Morning tengok Euronews... Nak tau betapa kuatnya pengaruh Rejim Yahood terhadap media europe. Berita nie tentang keganasan yang dilakukan oleh Negara I dan pejuang H. Tapi video yang ditunjuk sangatlah misleading. Video pertama adalah Bom berangkai menyerang bandar Palestine. Anehnya sejurus selapas itu ditayangkan pula penduduk Yahood yang dibom oleh roket secara detail dimana mangsa2 bom itu tertimbus dalam runtuhan banggunan. Pelik kan?

Bila tgk Post pasal musim buah, terasa Jeless aku..... Jeless teramat sangat. As you guys know i'm a serious Durian lover. I see durian not as a fruit but an art. Tautologically, i can call my self a Durian Connoisseur. Gosh I miss Durian, I mean good Durian as in Ang he, Mountain king or at least D24. Over here, in the netherlands there's only one type of Durian that is "Durian Siam". Too bad.... At least in Sydney, I can get D24 easily but not here.

Well, I've had a gastronomical experience of my own wahai che Pire..... There was this international festival organised by International Business Students in my Faculty of Economics & Business Groningen. I reckon there were more than 10 different stalls from 10 different countries from Indonesia to Romania. The Food was superb!!! as in different laaa tak boleh nak lawan asam pedas kita but STILL!

I cant remember it all but here some of the gist....

Unfortunately the Indonesian Representative only offered Satay among others. Satay pulak bukan dibakar tapi di Sautae(Pan fry ) je. But the dipping was good. A good old soy sauce and cubes of onions and garlic. I'm sure you know what satay looks like... nothing new lah

Romanian food was nice. It was Polenta..... It was basically Griesmeal (its a dutch word, I dont know the English for it) but in Bahasa, tepung suji, eggs, butter and cheese. Bole laaa... Its an acquired taste. Unfortunately the sausage is made of you know what lah. Anyway I munching around till I didnt notice my Romanian friend (cun giler ok)

For desert, I ate

This... I dont know whats the name... Dont bother to ask also... But its made of barley, on the lowest layer..... the 2nd layer is chocolate mousse and the upper layer is chocolate powder.

Next is the Slovak food... Still i dont knw the name. But it looks kinda like muntah kucing. Definately something that you wont eat during sahur, if you know what i mean . Taste not bad. Very acquired taste I should say. Its basicaly grated pickled cabbage mixed with salty cheese and some flour, I think. Looks like a paste. Usually eaten with bebola babi. They separated the bebola babi ok

The best so far were the Turkish guys. Seedap gilerr... But nothing new for me.... I think for Malaysians, definitely worth flying 4000 miles for. Its Lahmachun. According to my Turkish friend, Lahmachun is only served during Ramadhan. But here in europe... Belasah ajeeee.

Ini lah ghoper nyerr.... Best kan. Tastes a little bit spicy, you can taste the meat...

And here's Pide.... The same ingredients as lahmachun but in different form... Once you are in Australia and Europe for years.. trust me you'll get tired of it

As for Hungarian dish... I didnt really taste it... maybe because it is sosej Babi on a stick. However, I did managed to rake some cookies. It looks something like this. Sedap tau.... Taste like kuih raya with frostings

Nigerian food was quite unique But I wouldnt dare to taste it... Looks something like this....

But... I did manage to eat this... looks like bananas but it tastes nothing like Bananas. It has this very fibrish taste.... heck.. as long as its free

At the german stall, I tries Black forest cake...... REAL BLACK FOREST CAKE if you know what I mean... Made by germans dowh

As for puerto ricans , they served rice and beans... All vegetarian niceee... Typical non Asian taste... in other words not much of a taste... Looks like Nasi goreng with beans... really filling

Other stalls includes Irish stalls, Chinese and czech stall..... But unfortunately I was very full.... I mean ... urghhh.....

April fool on a different perspective

Right now I'm damn busy to write any posts... But I was called by my self conscience to make a simple analysis about this story. I think the society needs to know both side of the story behind April the 1st and evaluate it themselves about the plausibility of these seemingly conflicting historical facts

Back in Malaysia, I was educated with predominantly conservative Muslim education. Non Muslim celebrations are not encouraged for us Muslims to celebrate . It is in the Hadeeth Al Bukhary that Muslims are not supposed to follow the culture of the Yahood and The Nasara.

al-Bukhari relates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "Truly, you shall follow the ways of those who were before you, span by span, and little by little, until, if they were to enter a lizards lair, you would follow them." We said, "O Messenger of Allah, the Jews and Christians?" And he said, "Who else?" (Sahih al-Bukhari. 9 vols. Cairo 1313/1895. Reprint (9 vols. in 3). Beirut: Dar al-Jil, n.d., 9.126: 7320).

About April fools day, there are two conflicting stories about it. The first one is what I always hear and read when I was in Malaysia.It is about the fall of the Moor empire or also known as Islamic Andalus/Umayyad empire. And the second one is the "european version" of the story about the changing of the Christian calendar year.

Lets look at it one by one

It has been decades since the Islamic Empire flourished in Granada only to be fooled by the Nasara that resulted in the fall of the empire. The citizens of the empire were forced to seek shelter in their homes. Alot of them were killed including men, women and children.

The Muslims were told by the Nasara that they could leave their homes and bring their necessities to take a ship and sail to seek refuge. Although there were elements of doubt that this was a trick, the Muslims just got along with it

After the Muslims left home for the ships,, the Nasara ransacked their homes and then set fire to them. Before the Muslims got to the ships, the Nasara had set fire to the ships as well. The Crusaders then attacked the Muslims and killed them all.

This version of the story is my adaptation prominently from Ust. Nordin bin Bayadi Bahagian Penerangan dan Penerbitan Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor

see JAIS's website

http://www.jais.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=571&Itemid=1

Now lets turn to another "Version"

Mohd Tariq Ghazi, a veteran journalist and historian postulate that Muslims are not that stupid and the story about Muslims being fooled on the 1st April is a hoax. There were no documented historical fact. These kind of stories were just told mouth to mouth without any concrete evidence.

Actually the Nasara did got hold of the Moorish Muslim empire, but not by fooling them. In fact, the Nasara revered the Muslim for their intelligence and sophistication although they do regard them(the Muslims) as "ïnfidels". It was just by sophisticated and modern weapon and war strategy and of course by the will of God that the nasara won the war . This happened on 2nd of January 1492 when the Nasara army marched to Granada.And the actual date that we as Muslims should remember is 1st January when the Umayyad empire fell. Note that by remembering is not doing violent acts but to Strive and work hard for superiority in human and social capital.

Another story was during the reign of King Charles the IX, when he shifted the new year from April the 1st to January the 1st. During that time, there were no e-mails or Morse code, just snail mail by foot or horse..... so, not everybody received the news. The ones who didnt receive the news still celebrate new year on 1st april and they were called fools because of their outdatedness

If you guys wanna dig deeper here's the link incase what i've digested is incorrect

http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_901_950/truth_about_april_fool.htm

Both resources are pretty reliable. The first one is from JAIS (Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor) and the second is from Islamic Research Foundation international. However, its not that I'm undermining the words of an Ustaz but I do wish that he state references and sources from his stories because the article from Islamic research institute have reference and historical dates .

Again, i'm stating..... I'm just looking at April 1st at another perspective and not judging the plausibility of the story. I mean, who am I to judge?

Lastly i would like to repeat this

al-Bukhari relates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "Truly, you shall follow the ways of those who were before you, span by span, and little by little, until, if they were to enter a lizards lair, you would follow them." We said, "O Messenger of Allah, the Jews and Christians?" And he said, "Who else?" (Sahih al-Bukhari. 9 vols. Cairo 1313/1895. Reprint (9 vols. in 3). Beirut: Dar al-Jil, n.d., 9.126: 7320).

I think the Moral of this Hadeeth is that, we need our own stand and identity. No need to follow other culture (in terms of celebration) and all the bad stuff. However I think it doesn't hurt to follow others cultures in terms of working hard, ethics and awareness towards the environment

Speedo Aquabeat MP3

I am now having a honeymoon moment with my brand new Speedo Aquabeat Mp3. For me it is super cool especially when you attach it to your goggles. I've been going swimming 2-3 times a week now haha!. Lets hope it lasts. A quick review of the product:

1st of all the design is cool to a certain extent that you sort of feel like cyclops from X-men. You wont feel anything when you attach it to your goggles.

The battery lasts for 8 hours with 1 Gb memory. There is a 2 Gb version but I dont think i need it coz I only use Aquabeat just for swimming

To attach the headphones to my ears is quite cumbersome especially with my dumbo like ears. A prolonged use of the earphones will result to marks on your ears.

Sound quality for me is unsatisfactory at first because, water keeps coming in my ears and it blocks the sound. I have adjust it a few times to get it right. It turned out, the third set of earbuds gave me the best sound quality. The thing is, I need to always put the earbuds in my ears while its still dry, or if I'm already in the swimming pool, I need to drain my earsthen put in back. Although it was not comparable to altec lensing, it was ok. I would still recomend friends to buy it.

Conclusion:

Since i've paid 59eur for it, might as well get the best of it. Having an unsatisfactory music is better than having no music at all. Well, its not exactly altec lensing especially when i'm blowing alot of bubbles while swimming. Just try all three earbuds , which one suits you the best. I do wish that there's radio function though

Recomendation:

I just wish that speedo come up with x-ray googles... Waterproof of course ;)