Game Over!

OK folks, some of you would remember my expensive treatment with this guy who calls himself Doc Bob Koh.For a while, I simply refuse to associate myself with him, even in writing about him.

But after a while, you'd start thinking hey, I can do lots with RM50K.Haha.With time, money has different value, kan? But that is not the issue.The issue is this guy cannot go free, menipu people.So when my private investigator friend asked me if I had any evidence, webs for him to check with his friend, I googled up and wow...a fb was set up to expose this chap.Apparently he got arrested in KL for molest.But my other fren (Zul) looked up and said pakcik ni denied..konon2 ada org frame him up (biz rivalry).Bob pandai cakap (I suspect he uses NLP technique).Anyway, soonest I hear from my PI fren, I'll update you guys (sapa interested, angkat tangan!).

new arrival

isn't she adorable??

Nik's sister gave birth semalam to a beautiful baby girl.Nadra is her name.

We went to have a cup of hot milo at the cafeteria after the visit, then Nik vomitted non-stop.Took him to the hospital's emergency.

Yup, food poisoning.
Lama juga kat situ...injection, ecg (just in case) but I asked the doc if it was OK to leave Nik alone at home cos' I had a dinner to attend to (isteri mithali).Doc said go ahead enjoy myself.Haha.Nik would be resting, anyway.

So after making sure he was settled nicely in bed, I minta izin keluar (isteri mithali, haha).It was a charity dinner hosted by Persatuan Ulama Malaysia.I was a bit late (but in time to hear the welcoming speeches) and I was happy to see Dr Aldila already there.So kita caught up with the latest and made friends with those at our table.

The dinner was to raise funds for a tahfiz school in Semenyih.They need close to RM6 juta.I thought any 3 Muslim millionaires could have donated some money for the cause...or even 1 millionaire.But Dr A asked a very valid question: just how many tahfiz schools do we need? The existing ones pun dah banyak..can't we kinda centralise je? Put under one umrella ke?

seminars and conferences

With Lateef

Yang ambik gambar ni Bibik so I tak ready pun dia dah snapped.haha

yang ni tangan sebelah takda..but still

cute la, kan? kah3.

Looks like I am really back at work.ISTAC was having a couple of 'parties'.One was a seminar on Islam and Moderation (can't remember the full title but I went to the opening) and the last 3 days Islam in Africa.I chaired the roundtable session this morning on African Lit.Something crazy got into me...I went dressed as an African woman.Haha..bila lagi nak melaram the dress I bought in Conakry,Guinea kan? (or was it the Gambia?)

'Fans' rushed to take pics with me (mostly African students, some Msian ones).
In between lunch and dinner, a lot of excitements. :) New friends, new ideas, old pains (my back prob is back.Went to my physiotherapist who was happy to see me back in treatment.Haha)

I'll try upload my pic as an African woman some time later, OK?

Back at work

My 2nd day at work today...beratnya kaki nak melangkah. :) My last day of puasa ganti too (I was busy doing puasa 6 then got sick, remember? Tak sempat nak ganti till the last min).Did a week's marathon.With physical work in the 2 holy cities, semua org kata I look fit and berseri2 and amazingly beautiful..hahaha..syukurlah, Allah beri kesihatan lagi.Must not abuse it, kan? And I told ya..kalau pi haji or umrah, balik mesti 20 tahun lebih muda.OKlah..10 tahun lebih muda. OK, 5. :)

A lot to do sampai tak tau where to begin! Org ni text itu, org ni text ini...next week full load kat ISTAC..conference and talk.I look fwd to that.Dah lama tak bermeriah dgn kawan2 akademik.Ah..Sat. pun NGO meetings...Sunday wedding.The following week, Z's theatre week and Ummi's lunch. Phuiyooo..makan and entertainment! Welcome home! :)

Prof Q and I will be finalising our Asia-pac book.I hope it gets out by this year.But Prof Noraini was saying even if the draft were perfect, the final output akan jadi terok juga...but to publish outside will be a betrayal...we'll see.

Pics sekitar umrah

a mysterious blind guy at Qubah mosque
(we tried 5 times to snap his pic..camera tak dapat captured.
This pic was taken with another person next to
him baru jadi..we've cropped it so dapat juga gambar dia sorang)

Keluarga bahagia with twins dari Sri Lanka Hassan and Hussain(Jeddah Airport)

Hotel kita yang selesa di Makkah (Dar ul Eiman Royal)

(di bawahnya shopping mall)

Buah kaktus dari Taif sgt sedap

Fruit Flan cake for Sharifah

dinner with Jamil's family

tawaf in the afternoon

TH group pic at Jabal Rahmah

Israk Mikraj berbuka puasa items

Al Haram in the evening

masih malam

makan mesti baguss

Al Haram, on expansion

leaving for Makkah

Z in Madinah

Mommy with Ahmad at Movenpick Hotel
in Madinah.He wants to study at IIUM

at the hotel in Madinah

our mutawif

Beberapa dos and don'ts bila buat umrah:

1.bawak sun block kalau pi musim panas

2.bawak botol spray air which you can sembur if it gets too dry

3. bawak vaseline utk bibir kering

4.bawak ready made sambal belacan sebab meals served by TH tak sedap (unless depa cari tukang masak Msia)

5.jangan beli mas pound sebab dia lebih murah tapi depa letak harga mahal (esp at Jeddah airport) Design memang cantik.

6. jangan lupa makan daging kibas kat Restoran Heraa kat Hilton.Kat situ je ada.Just say I want laham (daging kibas)

7.If you are at Safwa Towers foodcourt, ada counter D'Saji..situ ada roti canai, rendang and apa2 makanan Msian yang you nak.

8.Beli jubah kat Madinah, murah.Kurma pun beli situ.

9.Minum air zam2 byk2 (bawak botol utk dibawa pulang ke hotel..)

10.Saie kat Bin Daud is a must.The one at Zam2 Mall is the biggest.

BERSIH rally

Siapa sangka begitu ramai rakyat Msia yang begitu berani turun padang menyatakan pendirian mereka against all forms of power-related intimidation.Yang menarik, rakyat2 berani ini datang dari pelbagai kelompok: anak2 remaja, kelas2 yang berbeza, usia yang pelbagai, bangsa dan agama yang pelbagai dan yang seronok, sastera kembali relevan dgn keberanian Pak Samad mengepalai saf.Oh I'm so proud of him (who I text-ed from Makkah kata tidak apa jika title Sasterawan Negara dilucutkan darinya..nanti Allah ganti dgn Nobel Laureate for Peace.I hope he will get it one day.Pak Samad balas dgn cool-nya).

I wanted to go..ajak Nik pi office dia.But dia tak kasi.Bahaya for me..kalau kena kejar FRU, takut I tak terlari.Haha.I text-ed my sister (yang kerja Suhakam) if I wanted to join her, boleh kah.She said semua sudah kena blocked.Tak leh masuk.Yang di dalam pun sudah terkepong (where is safety kalau apa2 berlaku.Sungguh tak bertanggungjawab pihak berkuasa! Dan sah, ada yang mati sesak nafas sewaktu dikejar FRU/polis...ini dari laporan pekerja Suhakam yang bertugas)

Kita masih BELUM maju kalau berfikiran kalau rally, mesti kacau bilau..mesti a threat.

Kawan2 yang anti-demo kata kenapa tak go proper saloran..dey...dah berpuluh tahun cakap benda sama, ada change kaa? Buat demo pun SPR punya byk cikadak and punya defensive..tak tau malu credibility depa at stake.Instead of working on points raised, depa lagi suka nak justify why things cannot be revised/changed.It's like justifying power, isn't it?

Apapun tahniah sekali lagi bagi mereka yang lari lintang pukang dikejar FRUs, SBs dan yang pedih matanya disembur asid/air cili? You have made your point for the nation (dan bagi mereka yang tak berani atau masih tidak faham mengapa rally Bersih itu penting).

Terima kasih!

Home

Selamat tiba waktu zuhr di KLIA tadi...syukur alhamdulllilah, the flight was uneventful.

What do I miss most about home? Clean toilets at the airport! and so many malls and tempat makan. :)

Lepas solat zuhr, terus kita berkejar ke Urban Retreat for body massage..aiyoooo..mcm kat syurga rasanya.Lepas tu dinner ayam percik..and chilled mountain tea and Boba tea..ohh...sejuknya...

Z went to a bday party rightaway.Lupa dah lah dia tawaf saie dia...

KL mengasyikkan.

Last couple of days in Makkah

Ho boy..we will leave Makkah besok. But maybe it is the right time, heatwaves dah mula menjadi2 since yesterday.

We'll miss this city but pray we'll return soon.

Someone asked dah buat tawaf wida' kat malls ke belum.Haha. Soon!

Night life in Makkah

It is meriah.Last night Jamil took us out eat seafood at one restaurant (there's a theme park near it so the kids went to get their rides..termasuk Z!) The place has chalet-like tempat makan so we have all the place to ourselves.You have privacy that way.Jamil's family members came - Nada, Bushra and family.It was really nice but dinner at 11 pm? Ngantuk juga but such is life here.The night starts around this time.Kita dah nak masuk tidur!

I promised an entry on the other "tawaf".Tawaf shopping mall which is conveniently housed at the hotel we are at..Al Safwa mall sekali dgn byk hotels (we are at dar al eiman..kalau haji people pay up to RM30K for 4 people in a room! Tapi musim umrah ni a lot cheaperlah).Z and I will tawaf the mall every after prayer.Haha.D'Saji has got a counter so semalam we ate roti canai with rendang.Do we miss home? Definitely not! Haha.

But sebenarnya the ibadah bit is the best (keluar hotel dah perkarangan the mosque.Masuk je, terus nampak kaabah.Nikmat Allah mana nak kita tidakkan?)