My first MC

I woke up this morning with a terrible pain in my lower back......I had had this problem since a few years ago.....it'll come and go......but this is the first time I got it in Dubai......

I went to see the doctor at the Al-Raffa Hospital, it's just a 5-minute walk from my apartment. It's actually a maternity and surgery hospital but they do have an out-patient department.

I told the doctor that it's probably because of the long flight from KL and because I had to handle about 50kg of luggage.....He told me what almost every doctor had told me earlier....to lose weight and to trim some of those extra inches around my waist.....Thank you Doc.....!!! He's not a slim guy himself......

It cost me almost Aed55 for 4 kinds of medicines. Fortunately, I got the insurance card...I didn't have to pay even a fil.

I also got an MC......it's just like Zalfah....hehehe....but this time I was really hurt......couldn't get myself off the bed......

But tomorrow, it's back to work.....I have an important thing to do tomorrow, I wouldn't want to miss it.....

Hope my back gets better tomorrow.....

Apit....at the end of the tunnel......

This is Apit.....my youngest.....taken using the Sony DSC-H50.....hehehe...saje try2 teknik baru.....

Makan2 at Uptown Mirdiff

It's an open secret that Malaysians in Dubai like to eat......but that's only one of the few ways that we can get together.....This week it's makan-makan again at Mr & Mrs Imran's house in Uptown Mirdiff.

It was Friday afternoon, we took a cab to Uptown Mirdiff..... fortunately, the driver was quite familiar with the area, so that we didn't have to be a tourist guide for him.

We were the 2nd family there (Alamin's was there since the afternoon)......the others arrived just after the Maghrib Solat.....

The menu was nasi lemak, laksa, bubur kacang and other tidbits that the guests contributed. My wife brought her "kek batik marie" and some items that I brought back from Malaysia.

I ate a lot that I felt as if my tummy's going to explode (hehe).

We met some new people.....Abang Mazlan and Khairul (MTC) were the new arrivals in Dubai.....There were also some Dubai Otai's like Bro Fudzail, Wak Latib, Nik, Ajim and Aidid....Bro ZBA and wife were also there.....they are moving to Bahrain next week. This would be their farewell party (of some sort).

The kids also found new friends....

It's all talk, eat, drink.... talk, eat, drink.......we left at about 1230am.....thanks to the host who sent us right to our door step.....

Thank you Bro....thanks a lot.

Home Sweet Home (180808 ~ 200808)

I had a training in Malaysia....and it presented me the opportunity to go home.....My KL-bound flight left DXB at about 100am. I brought with me one large luggage, two hand luggages and a box full of souvenirs from Amin and Laila for their relatives.

I got out of the KLIA arrival hall at about 300pm....my brother was waiting for me there. He said that my parents were at the prayer rooms. I saw my mother just when I was exiting the wash-room....After more than 3 months away from my family, I felt very relieved when I got to kiss her hands and hug her.....I went to the prayer room before we headed back to my house in my brother's brand new Vios.....

I had my lunch, before going out to the factory......It was my mother's Nasi Lemak....man!!! it's ultimately out of this world.....the first time I tasted my mother's cooking after more than 3 months. After lunch I rushed to work....

I was greeted by the familiar sight of the SOEM factory......I went in without needing to get a pass......because the people at the guard-house were my friends.....hehehehe.....

It happened that the training was postponed to the day after.....so, I grabbed the opportunity to go to the production lines to meet my old friends.....Fortunately, they still remembered me....and bombarded me with a lot of questions....the most popular one was "Are you on leave?"......and "Can you speak Arabic?", "How's the family doing?" and "Has your family followed you to Dubai?" were also some of the questions asked. I would love to meet everyone but my time was limited.....I have only until the Wednesday night to be in Malaysia. I have so many thing to do.....My wife had been making a list of things I need to bring back to Dubai......Click here to see the partial list. My sister arrived at my house with my nieces.....they spent the night there......(I stayed at my house in Sg Merab the whole trip.....they obviously wanted me to save Sony some money by not staying at the hotel.....what a bunch of crap....)

The next day....the training started...but don't wanna write about work here.....so, let's skip to the afternoon. After sending the two Egyptian engineers who were training with me, I went home.....telling my mother that I was planning to go to PD to pick up some foodstuff from my sister-in-law......So, the whole family went with me.....We took my wife's Honda City and my brother's brand new silver-colored Toyota Vios. It's good to see the "other half" of my family....And it's just blessed with another member....my brother-in-law's wife in Shah Alam had just delivered a baby boy. My mother-in-law was taking care of the mother and the baby....

At my sister-in-law's house

My sister-in-law's going to get a PJK from the YDB of Negeri Sembilan....a great honor and recognition for her contribution to the society through her frozen food business....We all shared her joy...

We headed back to Bangi at about 1100pm via the Seremban-PD and KL-Seremban highways. We stopped by the North-bound RnR to eat and then headed home....That night I decided to sleep downstairs, in front of the TV, with my brother.....The night before, I slept in my room but couldn't close my eyes until about 300am.....don't know why.....maybe a change of air would help....and it did....I slept like a baby that night......my last night in Malaysia......Ayah woke us up for the Fajar Solat.....I had to pick up my Egyptian colleagues at their hotel.....so, I had to go out early.....

Having supper at Seremban RnR

That afternoon, I went to Warta after work...and after bidding farewell to my friends in SOEM......I had to buy some things before going back to Dubai....my wife's contact lenses, Lina's head-scraf and some PS2 cds.

We went to KLIA at about 1020pm.....I'd bringing back to Dubai two hand luggages, one big check in luggage, 4 boxes (including one containing 5 screwdrivers that I have to bring to Lahore next month). When the check in clerk weighed them.....my luggages were 25kg overweight.....and I had to pay about RM2.5k....luckily, my old friend....Master Card, was there to help me......Now I just hoped that the luggage wouldn't create problems for me at the Dubai Customs.....

After hugs and kisses....I bid farewell to my mother, father and brother.....I told my brother to take Ayah to see a doctor as he wasn't feeling very well.....I felt bad as I couldn't stay much longer....but I promised that I'll bring the whole family back next year for my brother's wedding.

The Emirates' Boeing 777-300ER landed in DXB at about 330am......I was so anxious waiting for my luggages......After colecting every one of them....I cautiously pushed the trolley through the Customs.....but I was ushered to the check point.....Fortunately for me they didn't ask me to open the boxes....or else my RM2.5k would go down the drain, just like that. I brought some "daun kesum", "bunga kantan" and "daun pandan".....which I think were one of those controlled substances.....(fresh vege products usually have to go through a quarantine period...or in some cases, banned at all...).

My wife greeted me at the door......I performed the Fajr Solat and unpacked most of the stuff (most of them are frozen food from my sister-in-law)....Then I slept until it's 1000am.....Went to the office....feeling jaded.....

Can't wait until July next year.....this time...the whole family will come back with me.....InsyaAllah.....

For more pics, click here

My New Toy

I had been waiting for this.....My first big money buy in Dubai....My new toy.....A Sony DSC-H50.....a digital compact camera that looks like a DSLR....I got it from the Sony In-house purchase for a bargain price (If we can call Dhs1400+ a bargain). It's not as sophisticated as a Canon or as expensive as a Leica....but I think for a start, it suits me well.

Now I can "click" all I want.....and reserve my mobile phone for making calls and sending text messages only. For more info about this camera, click here.

This Weekend…..(15/08~16/08/2008)

I got back from Tehran on the Friday morning…very early morning……my family were still awake……They are used to staying up….I hope my two daughters will start to adjust their sleep time before they start school in two weeks…..

We just stayed at home this Friday……I was feeling very tired after coming back from Tehran…..could be the weather is changing over there and my body is trying very hard to adjust……

I went for the Friday solat alone….Apit hasn’t been going with me since 3 weekd ago…..his reasons were too sleepy and too hot…..hehehe….Bertuah!!! We ate gulai kurma’ ayam and kangkung goring belacan…..my wife had been promising me to cook the kurma’ since a few weeks ago.

That night we had dinner at our upstairs neighbor’s. Just plain old Melayu food…..asam pedas, sambal tumis udang with petai , sambal belacan, mixed vege in coconut milk, vege stew…..I’ll stop here….somebody is drooling…..hehehehe…..(okay, it’s me…..). We were joined by Syed Nasir and Shiela (from AUH).

Saturday morning was spend at home…..my darling wife made “cekodok ikan bilis”……we all liked it…..just a simple recipe of flour, water, salt and dried anchovies.

In the afternoon, we went to the Beach Center, Jumeirah……the Zaks uniform store there had called me when I was in Tehran, saying that the girls’ pants were ready (I prefer my girls to wear pants to school…..the skorts are just too revealing….)….But Ain insisted that she wanted to wear the skort….so one pair of pants and one skort for her and two pairs of pants for Lina…..

Today, we decided to buy another blouse for each of them…..we also got Apit a Raffles IS PE T’shirt…..which he liked very much.

All the uniforms, including Apit’s T’shirt, cost me Aed1000++…(not a surprise, actually)…Unfortunately, I can’t get that amount reimbursed…..It’s not covered in my contract. Well, as long as my wife & kids are happy, I don’t mind spending…..

We had lunch at Burger King…..we had to “carbo-load” ourselves before the “walk”. We had decided to walk to the Mercato Mall….an Italian-styled Mall on the Jumeirah road. It’s just less than 2km from the Beach Center…..so, after lunch we walked…..

It was about 37-38 degrees…..Ain was the first one who felt it…..(like always)…..Apit remained strong as always…..but he started to “lose” it about 50 meters or so from the mall….We arrived just in time for ‘Asar…..but not before taking a breather for a few minutes…..

After the solat, we went to the Spinneys to buy some groceries……then, to the taxi stand for a ride home….

For more photos...click here

Sunflower, Sangak and Saffron?

Alamin joined my weekly trip to Tehran this week....he has some special assignments to do in Tehran.

One of the first things that we notice when we arrived was this tall sunflower stalk (could be about 8 feet tall). But one weird thing about the flower was that it didn't follow the sun's path across the sky.......it only faced the sun in the morning until noon and that's about it......From afternoon onwards it seemed to refuse to follow the sun......We thought that it could be in some kind of a crisis....a conflict of identity maybe. Well...I guess some of us also have had that kind of crisis.....

One confused sunflower in Shahab

One afternoon after work, Tajgardoun brought us to a bakery in Ekbatan.....we were introduced to Barbari.....a traditional Iranian bread....mostly popular amongst Iranians especially those from Turkish descends like Tajgardoun.

Tajgardoun with a freshly baked Sangak

Before we get back to Dubai, he brought us to another bakery that makes Sangak....another bread quite similar to Barbari....they both are baked in a clay oven (like a furnace) only that Sangak is baked on hot pebbels...

Read more about Sangak here and here. And see how it's being made here.

A 75000Rials/bottle of saffron

Then before boarding the plane at the IKIA airport...we stopped by at a duty-free shop....I bought a bottle of Saffron or Zafran. Some people say that it has a lot of good use especially to spice up our cooking. It cost me 75000 rials (almost RM30) per 2 grams......pretty expensive huh? Well check out the Caviar......USD150/50grams.....

Ayam Golek and Mee Kari

I have been wanting to do this......my first Ayam Golek....So, this morning I went down to Speedex and bought a whole chicken....1.5kg of chicken......prepared the stuffing and other ingredients......de-frosted the chicken in my microwave.....and started the "project".....

My Ayam Golek....in the oven....almost ready to eat

I think it tasted ok.....good enough for a first-timer....but I promise that the next time would be much better.

My wife made Mee Kari.....(or Spaghetti Kari...we couldn't find the yellow noodle here in Dubai....so, the spaghetti served as a very suitable substitute)....

Mee Kari.....siap ada bergedil....

In the late afternoon, we went to a driving school to ask about driving lessons. I thought that I need to get a driving license to make our life much easier in Dubai.....I really pity my family to have to walk or take a cab to go everywhere....If I have a driving license, at least we could rent a car........Luckily the driving school is just a few minutes' walk from our house.....just across the Al-Kuwait Rd.

The family in front of the Masjid Al Raffa (our kariah masjid)

On our way to the driving school

I think I'll do it the next time I get back from Tehran......so, I would probably start the lesson after Hari Raya......a good timing......and looking forward to it.....But first, I have to prepare some documents needed to register......

My Li'l Man's Big Day......

I don't quite remember my first haircut.....but today, I took my Li'l Man to his first haircut. I had been cutting his hair before this.....and I guess I had been doing a great job......

Apit's hair before the "Falcon" haircut

But considering his "Beattle-like" or "George Best-like" hair.....I thought, this is a job for a pro.......So, the two of us walked for about 10 minutes to the Falcon Gents Saloon, near Al Rolla. It's just a stone throw away from where I wait for the bus to work.

The barber (I still don't know his name....even after visiting him the third time today) was working on one guy's hair......there were two more persons waiting. The second guy was kind enough to give Apit his turn.....

Apit....during the haircut session.....

The barber helped Apit on the chair and went on with his job......Apit was really a cool kid.....he just sat there and let the barber cut his hair.....

We stop at Bager Mohebi to buy something his Ibu needed......and walked back home....It's already dark when we arrived home.....

Apit's hair.....after......

Apit was so excited because he was greeted by Ibu and his Sisters....."Wah!!!! Apit handsome la potong rambut....." Well....like father like son......hehehehe.

For more pics, click here.

Lahore, Pakistan......Doha, Qatar.......Dubai, UAE

The second day in Lahore started at 800am, when Wajid picked me up at the hotel. Wajid is the Technical Manager at Sony service representative partner in Pakistan. We arrived at the factory and went straight to Afzal’s office. Muhammad Afzal is the Person-in charge of the Sony operations in the factory. From his info I discovered that he was just married. I had already met Khurram Shehzad and Jin Qin @ Saleem from my visit the day before. Khurram is a young Engineer attached to the Quality Department and Jin @ Saleem is a Muslim Chinese.

I spent the morning giving tips and improvement ideas to the production line…..Some times Mr Song walked in and showed his concerns about a lot of problems that hadn’t been solved yet by Sony. I told him that I was not there to solve the problems….I was told to do some improvement and some training to the production.

That afternoon after lunch, we had a meeting with Mr Song…he once again reiterated his concerns and asked for the problems to be solved ASAP….Wajid and I promised that we will see about that matter……As I have told earlier in my last post, he reminded me of Mr KF Lee…..and he definitely did…..

We left the factory at about 300 or 330pm……and went to lunch…..Wajid brought me to a Pakistani restaurant to eat buffet….The food was nothing strange to me as most of it such as Shuwarma, Puri, Naan, Salad etc….is considered almost my daily diet here in Dubai…..We can find South Asian food easily in Dubai….as easily as to find a South Asian person.

I got back to the hotel at almost 500pm….said good bye ("alla hafez" in Urdu) to Wajid….I told him that I would come back some time during Ramadhan in September.

I spent the whole afternoon and evening resting…..my flight home would be the next morning at 550am….I had to be at the airport by 300am the latest…..So, I dare not sleep that night…..I didn’t spend much time on the internet as it wasn’t free….PRs200/hour….almost USD3.00….about Aed10.00……

But luckily, they had cable TV (with a big LG LCD TV)…….just like our Astro….with movie channels, sports channel etc…..I watched "The Pacifier" a movie starring Vin Diesel and Lauren Graham…..and a few other interesting movies……

I left the hotel at 230am….reached the airport at about 255am….. The security at the airport was so tight that I had to go through 4 security check point before being allowed into the boarding hall…..this is a lot considering the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore is just a small airport. But luckily, all the security personnel are quite friendly compared to the ones in Tehran IKA. Especially when they saw my Malaysian passport. That’s what I like about the authorities in Pakistan….they are all very courteous.

So, here I was….having to wait until 515am for the boarding call….what did I do? I put my luggage beside me and sleep until the boarding call was announced.

Qatar Airways is not like what they said in the ads…”Your 5-star Airlines”…..the food is not as good as Emirates and MAS….the cabin crew is not as friendly….but the one thing really pissed me off was that they called us to board even though the plane wasn’t ready…..we had to stand in line for almost 20 minutes after handing in our boarding pass….Imagine having to stand in a line at 5am in the morning…..

The short stop in Doha only allowed me a visit to the “john” to let my tummy pass its wastes….then a trip on the airport bus to the Doha-Dubai flight…which was only about 50 meters away from the boarding gate. What a waste of energy….and time….

I felt relieved when I arrived back in Dubai…..the Lahore-Doha-Dubai flight was a torture…..my already aching head got worse in the Doha-Dubai flight….

So, I decided not to go to the office from the airport, but straight home….that was after I got my E-gate card..... It'll useful to me as a frequent traveller....

That afternoon, I slept like a log until 800pm…..

Happy Birthday To Me

For the 1st time in about 12 years, I had to celebrate my 36th birthday alone...I did it by watching "Iron Man" on the DXB-Lahore flight. Sitting next to me was a lady with her 2-and-a-half year old son....who was very cute (the son that is)....he reminded me of my own "bujang kecik".

I arrived in Lahore at 330am (local time) along with my Boss. We went straight to the Pearl-Continental Hotel, Lahore....checked in and catched some sleep.

Lahore reminds me of Malaysia....the greenery, the weather......It's like driving through a road in Ipoh or Penang......with lots of over-grown trees lining the road itself.

Lahore people, especially the hotel people, are more courteous than Tehran's......they always greet you......the hotel room is also much better than Homa's.

The plant/factory is run by a Chinese named Mr Song....he reminds me of my ex-boss Mr KF Lee.....hehehe.....We had a meeting people in the morning before visiting the factory......My Boss introduced me to everyone...."he's a professional production man" he said....yeah right!!!....

Click here for some photos in Lahore.

Ayem Den Lapeh.......(A Minang Classic/Folk song)

I'm a Minangkabau descent...and am very proud of it.....

The culture, the history,the people......Click here to listen to Oslan Hussein's rendition of Ayam Den Lapeh....and below is the lyrics...happy listening.

Ayam Den Lapeh

Luruihlah jalan Payakumbuah
Babelok jalan Kayu Jati
Dima ati indak karusuah
Ayam den lapeh ai ai… ayam den lapeh

Mandaki jalan Pandaisikek
Manuru jalan ka Biaro
Di ma ati indak kamaupek
Awak takicuah ai ai… ayam den lapeh

Sikucapang sikucapeh
Saikua tabang saikua lapeh
Tabanglah juo nan karimbo
Oilah malang juo

Pagaruyuang Batusangka
Tampek bajalan urang baso
Duduak tamanuang tiok sabanta
Oi takana juo ai ai… ayam den lapeh

Den sangko lamang nasi tuai
Kironyo tatumpah kuah gulai
Awak ka pasa alah usai
Oi lah malang denai

O hoi … ayam den lapeh

(Dipopulerkan oleh Gumarang/Oslan Husein)

From: http://laguminanglamo.wordpress.com/2007/07/30/ayam-den-lapeh/

JJCMasjid #5

I had been looking forward to this opportunity since a few weeks ago, but I was so busy going to Tehran then. This week, Shahab's closed for their annual Summer break. So, I was ready for the event.

Pak Payne picked me up at Lamcy plaza at 730am that Friday morning. Ikmal and Lutfi were also there and we went to the Green City Restaurant to have breakfast. After filling our tummies with parathas, puri, tosey etc.....and a glass of teh tarik.....we started our journey. There were 10 of us.....Pak Payne, Mushil, Hasnol, KP, Lutfi, Yusri, Ikmal, Nik, Halim and me. Destinations: the masjids around Dubai.

The masjids that we visited were the Jumeirah Grand Masjid and two other small masjids in the Jumaeirah area. We perform the Friday solat in the last masjid in Jumeirah that we visited. The Khatib gave the Friday sermon (khutbah) in English, which was a great thing for me as this was the first Friday sermon that I could understand since I arrived in Dubai exactly 3 months ago.

Before Jumaat solat, we had a small lunch at a small road-side restaurant, called Iskandaron restaurant, run by a Lebanese. We had fruit juices and some freshly-baked pastries......

The next stop was the Al-Raffa masjid....interestingly, it's my Kariah masjid....it's where I bring Apit every Friday for the Friday solat. And today, I experience my first Solar Eclipse solat (Solat sunat gerhana matahari). We performed a two "raka'at" solat with four "rukuk" and it took us about 40 minutes to complete it. It was lead by an Arab Imam.

Then, we went to the Za'abeel area, to the Za'abeel Grand Masjid. It was just in front of the Guest Palace of the Syeikh of Dubai (according to Mushil). I managed to stealthily took a snap at the palace.....We performed Asar solat at the masjid.

Our last masjid was the Rashidiya Grand Masjid. We had some refreshment at Hj Faizal's house just in front of the masjid. He's a Malaysian working with the Emirates airlines. We feasted on "keropok ikan", some mini curry puff and paus (dumplings) and mandarin oranges. Our host and his family had just returned to Dubai from his holiday in Malaysia. Pak Payne's two elder children joined us there.

We performed Maghrib solat at the masjid after a "tazkirah" session (we had the session at almost every masjid that we visited).

I had offered to treat them dinner that night at my apartment and my wife had been busy preparing for it since noon. We arrived at my apartment around 815pm.....Imran, Zakaria and ZBA had already arrived with their families. Amali came alone. I called in my Malaysian neighbours who's living on the 7th floor (I told them that dinner would start after 830pm....I didn't want them to miss the opportunity of meeting other Malaysians and dinner).

Photos and write-ups can be viewed here, here and here