Monday, June 18, 2007

Second day Columbus


snake child

Looks like a cake



Museum plastik


Brunch at Deb's with Evan, Alan,Nik and Nancy


By now we'd fallen in love with the city.It's so accessible and friendly.But our stay at the Hilton spoilt it all cos' the front desk staff is so bodoh.Bagi info salah.I have zero tolerance for inefficiency (and stupidity).But we had dinner at Easton Mall (something like steamboat and yet not quite) It's Father's Day so I guess it's a Father's Day dinner with Nik.Mahal. :)

Nancy left.Kesian dia drive balik sorang-sorang.2 hours' trip for her.She took us to a book shop (Book Loft) which had 32 rooms in German Village.Pics later.

We went to the Art Festival too -- before joining Evan and Enid at their brunch for close friends and family members.Lagi jumpa orang kelakar.Deb's neighbour ada museum barang2 plastic toys.Met Daniel, a retired Prof of Maths from London.He and Evan's step dad kawan baik.I like Alan too.Dia pun kelakar.Ingat nak jumpa Evan's Dad today (semalam tak sempat berbual.He's a writer too)

Columbus is on our 'can live city' should we decide to migrate to the US later.But mengingatkan service kat Hilton ni..mungkin tak jadi.Bak kata Nancy quoting sedara Evan in Mexico who wrote to his relatives after the last election in the US: are you guys that stupid?

nb: I spoke to the GM of the hotel and she refunded our taxi fare to Easton.Oh wow..how cool.So Hilton is back in my good hotel list now.

Columbus, Ohio


picnic di mary orton, Ohio


river trail in style, Ohio


river trail, Ohio


da river, Ohio


The politically incorrect Cracker Barrel (but we enjoyed our meals there)


riverside,parkersburg,west virginia


Nancy drove us all to Columbus.Stopped at Cracker Barrel for authentic Western meals.Syok but wait! Not so nice write-up on the family restaurant here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_Barrel.

Nancy also took us to the riverside at Parkersburg prior to our trip to Columbus.

In Columbus,we checked in Red Roof Inn as advised by Evan and Enid.Very basic inn but close to Camp Mary Orton where the event was held.We went a bit late which was good cos' we'd have time to catch up with Evan and Enid and family.Nice time meeting people.

We took a walk on the river trail...looking for a river to bathe in.A still, muddy river so no swim.But pleasant and green.Headed back for the pool but they closed at 6 pm.Arghs!

Met Evan's family.Kelakar people.Loved them. :)

Mlm tu kita pi dinner at Haiku (a very nice yuppy restaurant)...Japanese tempura and American jazz could go together.Simply amazing.Went for a walk in the Short North area.Went inside the only shop open after 9 pm.Turned out to be a gay shop. :))) The guys were polite with us as we belek seluar2 dalam yang pelik2. ha ha.

New York again





June 14 is our 20th anniversary.We checked in Murray Hill's Inn which is minutes away from Macy's. Met up with Dr Susilo again and we had dinner with him.

Nik bought me my fav perfume and designer scarf.I bought him his designer shirts and tie.Cukuplah DULU.I'll get him to buy me a Burberry handbag (original punya) later. :)

Murray Hill's Inn looked nice on the net but it had no elevator.We were on the 4th floor.Even Amsterdam was not this bad (they had an outside lift which carried your stuffs through the big window)

I'm glad we spent only a nite at Murray Hill's.We took Amtrak train to Charleston in West Virginia the following day (early in the morn)

Stopped at DC.13 hours' trip.Nancy was waiting and drove us back to her place in Parkersburg.

Niagara Falls










Sorry folks but I have been busy travelling with my family since their arrival on June 12.First we went to Niagara Falls on June 13.Nik drove,relying on GPS.But at Interlaken (a small town in which people took their work seriously) he got a ticket for speeding.Was brought immediately before a judge who charged him USD155 or be sent to jail. Nik was hopeful it would be with Paris Hilton (on the West Coast?).He also felt like being escorted by Sheriff Lobo by the Interlaken sheriff.The judge asked him if he wanted a lawyer.Nik kata if he said yes,we'd never see Niagara Falls.

He paid up.

But Niagara Falls was beautiful that we forgot and forgave the sheriff who was too efficient chasing tourists speeding on their way to Niagara Falls.Remember Interlaken if you go to Niagara Falls (the speed limit is 20 miles per hour when passing a school, 30 miles per hour kawasan kampung)

Pics of the mesmerising Niagara Falls.Kuasa Allah.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Night out




Since Manu, me and Sandra will be leaving for good soon, we decided to have our final nite out together this evening.We went to eat Thai food at Ithaca Commons (tak sedap langsung but the restaurant cantik) Lepas tu balik Maplewood, kita ajak Robyn lepak makan desserts.Best jugak borak pasal plant technology, genetically modified (GM) foods and bio safety.I tak tau apa2 pun pasai benda2 ni but according to Manu, kat India menjadi2 R&Dnya tapi regulations very tight.Kata Sandra kat UK langsung tak boleh although Europe is opening up.Yalah..kalau pandai2 nak tambah zat itu ini dgn meletakkan campuran plants lain..takut juga ada bahan yang akan merosakkan ekologi kita, kan? Katanya dah ada kes serangga mati sebab menyedut madu beracun dari tumbuhan 'baru' ini.Kalau binatang lain makan serangga ni kot la mati juga? I kalau pi pasaraya, beli je..tak tengok2 ada label kata ni tomato asli ke tomato genetically modified, etc.Padahnya diri sendiri kalau tak kisah pasal labelling of GM foods.

Nak tau lebih check ==> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food
Perlunya labelling ==> http://www.thecampaign.org/

In the gardens














Bill and Lydia took me to a lunch buffet today.Mmm...nice! We ate Chinese and my chopsticks use is getting better and better as I age. :)

After that, they took me for a walk in the Cornell Plantations where the gardens were (flowers, herbs, trees).Very2 Spring although Lydia said it's not as good as last year's.Some pics for the record.

Friday, June 08, 2007

Last month in Ithaca













Over the 4 months, I have met very nice people here.Since it's Spring, people have barbecues, parties,get togethers with friends, etc.Some pics of Khairul's barbecue at Yuni's (Yuni hosted the event cos' she was also celebrating her birthday.Khairul's family came from Spore for a holiday in the US and Canada)

The second batch of pictures is of Thak's barbecue at his home by the lake.Very beautiful place, good company.

I will miss this place in Summer (I have to stress on the word 'Summer') :))

Satu pengajaran buat anak-anak

Sekiranya blog ini agak lama tidak dikemaskinikan, ini kerana saya telah berdepan dengan situasi yang cukup mencabar.Terasa sungguh perjalanan ini tidak semua indah seperti gambar2 saya yang sentiasa tersenyum sebelum hari-hari berita diterima beberapa hari yang lalu bahawa Ibu saya mempunyai jantung yang tersumbat di 3 vessels utamanya (80-90% blockage) dan sebarang bentuk rawatan adalah high risk memandangkan usianya sudah pun 74 tahun.Open heart surgery memang totally out jadi mereka menganggap angioplasty surgery lebih selamat walaupun masih berisiko.

Buat pertama kalinya saya tidak tahu hendak buat apa.Berita diterima 7 hari sebelum keluarga saya akan sampai dan 3 minggu sebelum saya pulang ke Msia.Antara mahu mengambil plane pulang untuk bersama Ibu atau tunggu sahaja keluarga saya sampai sebab barang2 saya tidak boleh ditinggalkan begitu sahaja.Saya betul2 dilemma.Kawan2 yang dihubungi ada yang berkata, pulang! Ibu kamu hanya seorang, cuti bila2 boleh.Ini menambahkan lagi beban emosi saya.Mereka tidak tahu saya di Ithaca.Lapangan terbang antarabangsa terhampir adalah sejam lebih jauhnya.Di sini tidak ada bas ke situ.Harus naik taxi.Tel di apt saya tidak boleh memanggil ke luar Ithaca.Di Amerika, semuanya answering machine.Betapa sukar untuk bercakap dgn seorang manusia yang bisa memahami bagi saya menukar tiket saya pulang.Sebetulnya, dalam krisis sebegini, seringkali ada orang lain yang memikirkan apa perlu dibuat.Saya rupanya terlalu bergantung akan suami saya!Dalam pada itu, saya cuba mencari di internet.Rata2 mereka perlukan 3 hari untuk menerima tempahan.Dan rata2 ia akan berlaku 2-3 hari selepas surgeri Ibu saya.

Dalam keadaan serba kurang, saya akhirnya berserah kepada qada dan qadar.Sekiranya inilah takdir saya, saya terima.Dalam pada itu saya bernasib baik mempunyai teman2 yang begitu mengambil berat.Saya mesti sebutkan Tuan Haji Zaidon yang tidak putus2 berdoa dan solat hajat untuk Ibu saya.Beliau juga telah suruh saya mengamalkan doa ratib yang saya kira amat efektif sekali dan menenangkan.Dina terpaksa turun sebagai 'kiyai' kerana dia juga dipaksa mendoakan!Rita sentiasa di YM bertanya khabar.Ruzy juga memperingatkan pentingnya sabar.Saya juga harus sebutkan rakan2 bukan Islam saya yang turut bersama memberi sokongan moral: Ivy, Robyn (pakar psychology dari England yang berada se aparment dgn saya.Dia banyak membantu!),Bao Chan di Vietnam,Eugene,Tom,dll. Teman2 saya di Ithaca: Yuni, Cris juga faham apa saya lalui.Cris dalam linangan air matanya bercerita bagaimana apabila dia buat keputusan untuk bernikah dgn orang Islam dari Indonesia dan berpindah ke Indonesia, Ibunya berkata "aku tidak ada halangan..suamimu orang baik2 dan aku percaya dia akan menggembirakan kamu tetapi kau akan berada jauh dari ku dan kau anak tunggal ku." Namun begitu Ibunya datang dan menziarahinya di Indonesia, kadangkala tinggal sampai 8 bulan lamanya.Ketika ia sakit dan sebelum meninggal, dia berpesan kpd paman Cris agar tidak memberitahu Cris berita kematiannya kerana dia tidak mahu Cis bersedih atau tergesa2 mengejar untuk melawatnya.Katanya biar diberitahu setahun kemudian kerana mengikut kepercayaan orang Kristian orthodoks Romania, roh hanya akan naik ke atas langit selepas 8 bulan.Sekiranya Cris datang dalam tempoh ini, Ibunya akan melihat anak tunggalnya kesedihan dan rohnya tidak akan tenang.

Cris hanya tahu setahun kemudian Ibunya sudah tiada.Cris dalam usaha menulis novel tentang kehidupannya.Sama2lah kita tunggu.Beliau tahu 6 bahasa dunia dan pernah tinggal di beberapa kota Asia.Pasti novelnya meletup -- bagaimana dia tabah hidup di luar lingkungan budayanya dan kehidupannya sebagai orang Muslim.Semangat patriotiknya terhadap Indonesia mengalahkan anak lahir Indonesia sendiri.Cris, gue tabik lu. :)

Di dalam kebinggungan saya ini, saya juga mendengar kisah teman penulis Amerika (playwright) yang saya harap akan dtg ke KL satu hari nanti mempersembahan hasil karyanya.Karya2 beliau telah dipentaskan di New York, Princeton University, Pakistan dan sebagainya.Dia seorang doktor perubatan tetapi memilih untuk menjadi seorang playwright dan artis.

Dia juga faham situasi saya sebab dia juga tidak sempat pulang ketika Ibunya meninggal di Pakistan.Katanya 20 tahun dia merana tetapi akhirnya dia akur, some things are not meant to be.

Pengajaran yang saya terima dari ujian ini ialah lakukanlah yang terbaik buat Ibubapa kita sementara mereka hidup kerana setiap kali kita bertemu dgn mereka, kita tidak tahu itu adalah yang terakhir buat kita.


Dan Nik bertanya, "Lain kali nak pergi lama2 lagi?"

Anda tahu jawaban saya. :)

Tahniah kepada IJN team yang telah memberikan khidmat cemerlang mereka terutama Dato Dr. Rosli Mohd Ali.Semoga mereka sentiasa dirahmati Allah.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

More Nuyork
















NYC has always been one of my favourite cities so I'm going to put in more pics here.Some are of me, Cris and Dr Susilo at Columbia University.

NYC has its own beca/trishaw now.

New York! New York!



















Cristiana and I made a crazy plan: we'd take the bus to New York (5 hours from Ithaca) over the long weekend. Thanks to her friend (also a Fulbrighter but based in NYC), Dr Susilo, we had a nice time in NY.There were times our gracious guide,Dr. Susilo, had to play the referee when Cris and I disagreed over where to visit first! Ha ha.Aku nak ke Harlem, dia nak ke Battery Park/Ellis Island.But in the end we did both (although not the full Harlem.I'd do it when Nik is here, InsyaAllah)and we both tak kuasa nak naik ferry to Ellis Island.I had been anyway.Cris was happy with just lazying around at Battery Park.We had lunch there and er...shopping. :)

Anyway, NY sidewalks and Central Park stink of urine!I have figured out why.There are no public toilets (like in Paris)Even one of the hotels we went to locked its toilets!!! I will write to Clinton on this (Hillary Clinton)and the city mayor, Bloomberg.I don't remember it being so bad 7 years ago when my family and I were here.

We visited the site of WTC (very sad!)

We went to Chinatown and Battery Park to cheer up again.

And of cos' the Broadway play we went to at 50% discount (tapi queued almost 45 mins).We saw Pirate Queen at the Hilton Theatre.Best gila! It's about rebellious women in the 16th century England/Ireland.Woman to woman war, politics and peaceful negotiations.Syok betul.It was a musical.

Nanti I nak tengok Jersey Boys dgn Nik and Z(pasal Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons)

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Guess who







I have a big family (on my side).One of the little ones on MY side yang kita selalu usik is Ijat.His dad is from Tganu.Ijat takes after him a lot, I think.Kalau besar jadi doktor macam dad and mom, bagus juga.

Ijat lives in his own world (very independent) but we like to kacau him and enter his world.Kadang2 dia layan.Kadang2 bolayan.I remember we took him out on the LRT.Dia duduk senyap2 macam Rodin, tangan di dagu.I tried talking to him.He did not respond.He looked so serious, like thinking of something very hard.I got worried so I asked the older brother what's wrong with Ijat, kot2 kejap lagi nak menangis nak mak dia (mana nak cari dalam LRT tu) ...he's gone suddenly very2 unresponsive (kalau tak, bukan main hyper!)

Aiman said, "Berak la tu!"

By the time his mom picked us up at the Bangsar LRT Station (kita nak shopping kat Megamall sebenarnya.His mom works in KL)mak dia checked diapers..Ya Rabbiii, memang betul!

Rodin la konon!

The Muse is back

Apa yang kau cari di sini?
(terilham selepas habis membaca novel Mohja Kahf The girl in the tangerine scarf -- dengan sedikit pengubah-suaian)

Di kota terbuang ini
ulat-ulat hijau berterbangan
ditiup angin kencang

bertanya
apa yang kau cari di sini?

di kiri kau novel Mohja
bercerita konflik diri
sebagai muslim di daerah tersisih
bercerita bagaimana dia harus tabah mempertahankan
tradisi
kerana itu didikan ibubapa yang sering berkata,
"jangan malu jika orang memerhati kita
sembahyang di tepi jalan
atau mengambil wudhu', membasuh kaki di sinki Sears
atau Macy"

di hari budak-budak skinhead menarik tudungnya
mencarik-carikkannya
tiada seorang guru yang membantu
mengatakan ini tidak mungkin di sebuah negara
demokrasi
di mana kebebasan beragama adalah perlembagaan

di hari budak-budak Saudi mempersendakan tudungnya
sambil meraba kewanitaannya
di dalam limo mewah di pinggir padang pasir
sambil berkata,"tidakkan kau tidak biasa bercumbu
dengan lelaki? Mengapa kau bertudung.Ini bukan
cara Amerika"
dia memekik sekuat hatinya

"AKU MAHU PULANG!!!!"
Di Amerika mereka menghina
tetapi tidak mencabul kehormatan wanitaku.

Apa yang kau cari di sini?

Di kanan kau seorang anak remaja
bertungkus lumus menghadapi periksa
menangis terisak-isak
kerana tiada siapa di sisi untuk mengadu

apa yang kau cari di sini?

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

On the way to Waterloo...




...we stopped at the Taughannock Falls.What a beauty! And Lake Cayuga is huge.The farms aren't as nice as those in NZ but green.This is all I need at the moment -- greenness, sunshine and SHOPPING.My idea of heaven on earth.

Waterloo is a factory outlet, outside Ithaca.Oh God..I could go crazy here...so cheap! Practically EVERYTHING is so cheap (branded items) so I did my shopping for the folks at home..from the little ones to the oldest in the family.I hope I didn't miss anyone.I will need an extra suitcase home.

Sakan! This is the cream of my trip here.Ha ha.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Farewell potluck








Two of the Block A people are leaving this week so we threw a potluck party for them (initially it was for Christina but the Spanish guy is also leaving so he joined in as well) Each cooked something.I did nasi lemak/sambal ikan bilis, Manu vegetable beriani,the guys did Italian pizza, Hong did cabbage and bacon (nampak sedap) and Cynthia (Brazil) and Christina did desserts.Katarina pandai beli air and arak (tak payah masak apa2)

It's hi and goodbye for those who are leaving (we never spoke before this)but those who still have some weeks left (we are all short term visitors in the A block)will have f/ship from now on.At least we know where they are from and what research they do.
Aku tak kisah..aku dah nak balik.Tak sabar.:)

Kim said the pre-paid card she bought me has a fair amount of money left.I must use up! (I thought I ran out of credit)I'm useless when it comes to using pre-paid ph cards.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Missing Nabil




My girl and I would talk about Nabil in our daily phone conversation.Today, Z told me how 3 years old Nabil now aspires to be a superhero: from Superman to Spiderman to 007 (we'd tease Keluang man tak mau ke Nabil? Or Cicak man?)But one day his mom and him went shopping at the Curve and there was a promo of a super vacuum cleaner.Guess what? Our little superhero hid behind his mom crying, "Ma, vacuum cleaner, Ma!" He's afraid of (of all things!) vacuum cleaners!! Ha ha.

This is the same little boy who I took to an aquarium and showed him big fish (Z, when she was that age, would smile and point excitedly and say fish!fish! beautiful! beautiful!) but Nabil went excitedly and said, "kukus!kukus! yum! yum!". I just could not believe it!This child was barely 3 then!But thought it was so funny.Just the other day I spotted a deer outside my Kahin office and I thought: yum! yum! daging rusa ni sedap dimasak lemak cili api.Nabil's influence.

On Zafirah's bday, Nabil sang "Happy bday to elephant..." His mom tried to cover up by saying oh he's confused with his Disney Channel bday parties...I wonder...

Just the other day he saw Nik on TV.He cried cos' he wanted to go inside the TV (his mom said dah lama dia nak masuk TV tu!!) so when he saw his Uncle Dee on TV, he had wondered why he could not be there as well.

Every time Nik and Z visit him now (our usual routine on weekend is that we take him out for a couple of hours, spoil him rotten with ice creams and all the fattening foods..he'd return so comot to his mom/dad) he'd go, "Aunty Nor?" -- without fail since I left. Nabil has a good PR. :))

I just love young kids that age.Simply adorable.But only for 2 hours. :))

Z, send me his pic.Let's blog that little imp.