Sindrom Syiok Sendiri! & A game of Volleyball

SSS ini satu penyakit yang semakin menjadi-jadi sekarang ini. Dengan tersebarnya teknologi IT melalui berbagai channels seperti 'Muka Buka', Blog, kawanster dan sebagainya semakin menjadi2lah SSS. Ada juga yang sanggup membayar untuk mendapatkan domain website di atas nama sendiri - all in the name of SSS!!

Bloggers SSS!!

Pp sendiri pun terlibat! Kadang2 tu menulis, mengambil dan memasukkan gambar2 sendiri, mengarang entah apa2 ~ lepas tu dok melangut membaca blog sendiri dan tersengeh2 sendiri! Apa kes nya itu, jika tidak kes SSS.
Sekali buat ok lah.....dua kali buat, kira benefit of the doubt la....but jika hari2, hingga kan kucing beranak pun nak istihar kepada satu dunia ~ itu apa kes, jika tidak kes syiok sendiri!
Pp memang guilty sebagai salah seorang bloggers yang Syiok Sendiri ni......I know, I know, but I like lah to be like that! Hehehe.

Tapi Pp tak kisah pun. Syiok juga dapat syiok sendiri. But you all bukan macam tu kan? *wink wink*

Latest Syiok sendiri story from me!
Today I played in a Volley Ball competition bersama Masyarakat Malaysians di sini bersempena menyambut Maal Hijrah!
Our team which was called 'The Burj Spikers' came runners-up after losing by a very small margin to a better team on the day. It was so Syiok dapat bermain, sambil bergelak ketawa bersama kawan2. Penyokong2 juga macam syok jer memberi support kepada feverit team mereka!

Above: Picture taken by FND. It was yours truly attempting to spike! hehehe The ball went over the net and we won a point, but it was not really a spike but instead a tap over the net only lah!

Below pictures were taken by Rusdi using his mobile phone. Our team in white! The guys in Red became the eventual champion. According to Tuan Syed Hasrin, the Consul General and who played as a member of the white team, the event was successful in bringing Malaysians in Dubai together ~ closing ranks and improving our network. He congratulated MyUAEPRO for organizing! Bro Afza deserved full credit as the main organizer.

Pp sponsored the books which were given as prizes for the champions.
Players were seen taking a rejuvenating energy drink ~ The Tongkat Ali can drink was a special promotion by FAMA who was here recently to promote their products!

Gambar2 di atas membuktikan sindrom syiok sendiri!

My own questions....my own answers!

Sometimes, something in our life requires a little push. Just like a pendulum which swings and finds its own rythm and comes to a stop when it reaches velocity zero ~ there are times the same law of physics applies to our life too. When that happens, exasperation seeps in for those who are restless. Tranquility awaits those who are contented.

I feel like my pendulum is coming to a stand still! And I am not sure how ro respond. Part of me has many questions and lots of doubt. Another part of me is feeling rather grateful, finding peace with this stop!

My own questions....

How much must we have before it is enough?

How far must we travel before we arrive?

How much must we lose before we even realize?

How close must we get before we hear His name?

My many doubts....

Too many to list

Too private to share

But I am filled with them.....of what will happen after? And what will happen ' if '......or what will happen 'if not'?

At velocity zero there is not much activity we can do with our limbs but a lot we can do with our mind. Perhaps, we need to make more effort not in nudging for the next bout of swing! Perhaps the effort required is to try harder at not doing anything! To find peace and usefulness in stillness!

Aku hanya ingin berehat! Apa kah salah dengan kemahuan begitu?

Sering aku melihat bintang berkelipan

sungguh indah dan menawan

walau pantas aku berlari

lautan dan benua aku rentasi

bintang tetap berkelipan jua

tanpa berubah dari paksi kesetiaan

dia tidak kemana-mana

walaupun dunia tergesa-gesa

mencari ...memburu...mengumpul segala!

Perhaps it is time I just let my pendulum rests in its equilibrium!

Apakah paksi yang aku cari? Kesetiaan aku kepada apa dan siapa?

Selamat menyambut Maal Hijrah!

TKC 3 : STAR 1 : Budak Kolej 0 !!!!

Latest: TKC 3 : STAR 1+1 (Tonight one of my former classmates from STAR ~ batch75 ~ came visiting. He is on a vacation in Dubai with his family, and also visiting his niece who is residing here on the Palm! ). Above: Nazrah and her princess Aishah. Top: Pakwan and Pakpayne!

One of our joys living abroad is when friends and relatives come visiting! Their visit provide us with an opportunity to catch up with the latests, to get fresh supply of budu, tempoyak , daun kesum, presented with the odd ole-ole from home, get to read latest copies of printed Malaysian newspapers and magazines, and best of all rekindling memories of yester-years with new twists and fresh perceptions.
LiL and I have been fortunate! And the score for December is infact , LiL 3 Vesus Mine 1. Yes, we have received three of LiL's TKC buddies versus one of mine from STAR. Regardless, her friends are my friends and mine are also hers. Such is the simple rule of cobweb of marriages; you marry into the network of relationships from both sides. I heard one more of my STAR friends is coming to town! So, I am still optimistic of equalizing the score.

Today we were visited by Dato' Zurai and Puan Siti both ex-TKCian who happened to be in Dubai on a trade and business trip. Despite the many touristic attractions beckoning, they were focused on their mission ~ probably one of the hardest working trade mission I have seen. They are here looking for opportunities to market products developed by FAMA, and also products from Puan Siti's company. One particular product caught my imagination and triggered my anticipation - and according to Puan Siti who is also the director of marketing for her company, the product's effectiveness has been proven! Looking at how glowing her smile was, I needed no further convincing! I look forward to putting it to test. hahaha! * No need to say lah what product....you can guess already what! Clue: there is the word Tongkat in the name of Ali. hehehe*
LiL and Dato' Zurai were batch mates! Puan Siti was their senior but it was hard to tell that fact if not for the information volunteered to me ~ and I said this as a compliment to Puan Siti for keeping her vitality (The Boss of the vitality capsules is herself a showcase for the product lah kan!) and this statement is in no way intended to imply that her Juniors were anything but as youthful and full of vigour too! Gosh, why am I justifying myself here! One thing for sure, happiness was visible on everyone!

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Umi Kalthum Ngah and her husband Ir. Mohd Sufian who were on a short vacation in Dubai. I came to know Umi Kalthum through her blog "Biasanembun.blogspot" and also as an author of a few novels and childrens' motivational stories. She brought two 'signed' copies of her books! Thank you. LiL had known Umi from TKC days while Ir. Mohd Sufian was my batch mate from STAR! Needless to say, an evergreen friendship.


We accompanied our guests of last week and of today to the Global Village which is located a stone's throw from our residence.

Inspecting the stall selling Gaharu....a tray was seen displaying Malaysian Gaharu!!

Long time no see....but school days camaradie lives on!

School buddies reunited at the Arabian Ranches!

Below, Dr. Umi Kalthum Ngah and her husband Ir Mohd. Sufian visited the Global Village on Dec 17th. The visit was after a long hard day of sight seeing.....must have been very tiring for both, but they went through with the GV visit partly to fullfill a promise we have made to Luqman! So thoughful of both Umi and Pian!

Umi Kalthum Ngah capturing a scene in the Global Village! Her husband in the background was testing the different varieties of Yemeni Honey!

Spices! Lots of them...found in the Yemeni cluster!

The Senior and a Junior - posing today for tomorrow's memory! Luqman was tired towards the end of the long walk....! We spent 4 hours there.

To our guests, we thank you for visiting us! Your presence brought joy and happiness and hopefully will also rejuvenate our friendships! Please come again.....

ps: To friends not from TKC or STAR, with the exception of Budak Kolej Melayu *wink wink*, you are equally welcomed! Read HERE, if you want to understand what has been going on between STARians and the Budak Kolej!

My choice ~ Top Pictures from Istanbul!!

Just the two of us.....and no body else....sailing on!!!

A shot of Hagia Sophia ~ selected mainly due to its backdrop of a beautiful blue sky with clusters of clouds. The picture highlight the prominance of one of its mineret!

Amongst the faces of Istanbul, I found the three above captivating. From each one I could write a story about life ~ life in Istanbul! A street peddler selling bread having a rough day, a pensive old man with a thousand wrinkles, is he about to scream with anger or burst into tears of sorrow? And another old man who has seen it all......with a questioning look of curiousity or authority?!

An old leaf has fallen and partly covering some green shrubs ~ the contrast of old and new and the background of foliage made this an attractive picture. I like it.....well spotted by the photographer.

Haziq captured this picture on the day of our arrival while we were on our familiarization walk around the hotel we were staying, in the Fatih area. I just love this picture!
Hard to explain why I have a special emotional affliation
with the picture ~ perhaps it is the element of loneliness, a feeling of being abandoned.

I tried to choose the best of the sun-set pictures ~there are so many amazing ones ~ finally I settled for these two. One with a sail boat and the other which was taken just as the sun was touching the edge of the water in the horizon. It was a special moment for me.....to have witnessed the sunset!!.

A sea gull landed effortlessly in the water near the ferry terminal jetty of the princess island. The soft waves rocked the sea gull back and forth, making some small ripples. The picture captured an element of serenity and the sea gull's reflection accentuated this same mood.

This picture was taken by Haziq using Canon 40D while on horse carriage on the Princess Island. I like this picture for its details in showing
the steamy breath from the horses ~ capturing the coldness of the morning
and
the hard work being demanded from them.

The Sky of Istanbul!!

Sitting on the upperdeck of the boat-ferry while cruising down the Bhosporous, I silently registered the moments ~ as one of my happiest! Seeing LiL smiling and laughing with her little laughter reminded me the song by Suhaimi Mior Hassan ~ "Bila isteriku tertawa!" Her happiness was my happiness, and I could tell she was happy!!

and so was Zeti! In a way, the trip to Istanbul was a reward for Zeti for her success in her studies. And I was rewarded with a satisfaction beyond measure with a smile such as this one below from her!Even as we were landing at the Istanbul airport on 6th December, I saw a glimpse of the charm from the Istanbul sky! It was 11am in the morning and through the airplane window I saw hues of amber, grey, and cotton white formation of clouds partly hiding a clear blue sky.

Through-out our stay, our camera troopers had a wonderful time clicking away ~ capturing images of towering minerets majestically rising into the skyline This huge flag below was found on the highest point on the Asia side of Istanbul.Our boys had a field day shooting pictures of sea gulls which apparently have learnt to equate humans with food and fun!! The birds were seen flying, cruising and diving ~ putting up a display of agility and playfulness for the tourists!

During a cruise returning from the Princess island, we witnessed a glorious sun-set!
"Angin menderu selembut baldu
menyapa aku yang datang bertamu
kedinginan membekukan sejarah keagungan
yang semakin hanyut dan tenggelam
umpama senja di selimuti malam
penghuni Istanbul melayari Bhosporous
wajah-wajah semakin muram
tersepit di antara pusaran arus
memisahkan di antara dua benua
mencorakkan kehidupan berbagai warna
menari rentak irama sekular
kau tahu sumbang, melangkah juga
hukum agama tergadai kemana?
kenapa?
Aku hanya datang bertamu
melayari Bhopsorous menghayati sejarah mu"

"Jika kau nampak aku tersenyum

tak kala bersendirian begitu
maka ketahuilah
aku tersenyum kerana aku ada kamu
dan aku melihat senyuman di wajah mu"

"Matahari di waktu senja ku renung
sering tenggelam di perjanjian waktu
walau di junjung setinggi gunung
pasti di telan lautan biru.
Kenapa pula aku.....
inginkan segalanya, untuk selamanya!
sedangkan sudah pasti, yang datang akan pergi
yang di dunia tiada yang kekal abadi!"

Cats in Istanbul !

I was looking through the pictures taken in Istanbul by my camera troopers ~ Along, Achik, Haziq and Luqman ~ when I noticed so many pictures of cats.

During our walk on the first day in Fatih, there were five pictures of cats. Then amongst pictures taken at the Topkapi palace, there were more cats! They were every where, in different colours but mostly fat!
Even during our tour to the Princess island, I saw pictures of cats ~ even one where cats and dogs were sun-bathing together in perfect harmony. The Malay adage of "Like cats and dogs" used to described quarelling siblings does not hold true in Istanbul. Over there, cats and dogs do not fight! I wonder why.......

The camera boy assured me that he was taking the cat's picture, and the girl happened to be there! And I said, why didn't you take more pictures of cats where pretty girls happened to be there!! LiL somehow raised her eyebrows ~ disapprovingly! I changed subject to cats and dogs instead.....hehehe.

Below, cats and dogs sunbathing together!!










Intrigued, I made a google search using key words 'cats in istanbul' and found these stories

above: i posed with three pretty furry beings, but no cats happened to be there!!

1. HERE :
I copied the following intro from the blog.

"The British explorer, archeologist Charles Fellows encountered nomadic Turkish tribes on many occasions while traveling in southwest Turkey in 1840. In his book Travels and Researches in Asia Minor, Fellows described a typical procession of them:

An old man, and generally his wife, head the clan, which consists of several generations...His son, the master of the flocks, follows with his wife; she is often seated on a horse, with a child in her arms...Asses are allotted to the younger children, who are placed amidst the domestic stores, and never without a pet cat in their arms...

The association of the Anatolians with cats probably goes back many centuries and is still an ongoing affair as revealed by the abundance of cats in Turkey."

2. HERE