A Little Accident

I had a little accident the other day. It was really a minor one, but the other car had some damage on it's tyre fender. This is my first accident here. It involved the police, report and argument and all that.

I have taken the liberty to sketch the scene for you just because.



I am in the red car, reversing out after sending Jack to school. Looking at the photo, you can say that I am at the wrong side, since I hit a car when I was reversing.

But I was found not guilty, and the other car had to pay some fine and got himself 2 demerit points.

After the bang, I cursed myself of course. How can this happen? I was looking for oncoming cars and how did I miss this guy? After making calls to the police, my thoughts ran wild analysing the situation. Then I realised something which later became a point to why I was found not guilty.

First you have to understand that in this country we drive on the right side of the road, meaning the driver seat is on the left. refer to my entry HERE. To make it easy for you, here is another sketch. The pink arrow is the car direction.



So when I was reversing, it was natural for me to look to the right first to check for any oncoming car. What I usually do when I reverse is to check the rear mirror and both side mirrors for blind spot then look right, quickly to the left and right again. I was going to drive following the side of road I was on.

While I was looking to the road on my right, then bang the accident happened.

This perplex me really for how did I miss this car.



I hope this third picture will shed some light for you as it did for me (when the thought came).

What happen was, this guy was coming from the opposite direction. In his haste to park in front, and I mean really really in front of the school's gate, he made a swerve and got in my side of the road. And that was when I (or he) hit me.

That was the exact point I told the police. I said if you (the driver) had more sabr,you would have stick to your side of the road and park at the open space. I actually use the word sabr with the appropriate arabic accent. Sabr (Sabar) means patience.

The police, the one who can speak english looks like Morgan Freeman, were perhaps impressed with this word that they immediately agreed with my point and found the man guilty. Oh the driver protested alright, only to get a good barking from Mr. Freeman.

It was a short argument and I decided to go to my Arabic class despite being one hour late. My arabic teacher hugged me Ya habibti are you ok. Then she asked me to explain what happen.

I drew the sketches like the one I drew for you here minus the second picture because they already know which side of the road we should drive.

Somehow I don't think my teacher bought what I said. This is indeed a borderline case. In general rule, those who reverse should be wrong. But because the driver swerved his car to the wrong side of the road, I was right. Technicality I would say.

Then my teacher said, as long as you are telling the truth then it's ok. Remember that one day all of us would be judged in front of Him and that matters most. I nodded.

But I couldn't think straight after that. I was so unstraight that I decided to skip my fiqh lectures and went home. I thought about what she said. i frowned and I thought.

Did I exaggerate?
Was I found not guilty because I was far more eloquent than the driver?
Did I take advantage of my position as a woman knowing that they accommodate woman better?
Did I actually press the accelerator?
Did I really look at the car?
Did I twist the facts here and there?

I certainly believe that was what happen. Even if I were to be found guilty, I would still say that the driver was too hasty.

But I do not have the answers. I pray that I did right.

I had a headache that day.

Forwarding

I received an email the other day. The email was apparently forwarded to the sender and was also a mail of a long list of forwarders and forwardees. With the name of the previous senders and receivers and all that. And a lot of this sign >>>>

I had to scroll down a loooonnnngggg time to get to the actual message.

And when I finally got down to the actual message, it was a photo. The email didn't warn me that the photo would be gory. It was a photo of a man squashed down under a huge block. Only his head peeked out from under the block, with eyes popped out and flesh splurt everywhere.

Oh correct me. It was not just one photo but many photos at different angle of the poor man. They were bloody pictures.

You must be thankful that I am not colourful with my adjectives, otherwise you would be visualising the picture as much as I am now.

Please clean up your forwarded mails of the long list of previous senders and receivers. And please warn people when a gory picture is coming up. Eeiiiiiii!

Let's enjoy ths kek batik instead.

Musim Panas, Musim Sejuk

Aku dah merasa musim panas yang panas disini. Aku juga dah merasa musim sejuk yang sedap-sedap disini. Kalau suhu menunjukkan 50C di kawasan bandar, di padang pasir suhunya lebih panas dari itu. Dan kalau suhu musim sejuk ialah 8C, percayalah di padang pasir dengan angin dan kawasan terbukanya, suhunya jauh lebih rendah.

Orang arab pada kala dahulu, menggunakan keadaan cuaca ini to their advantage. Dikala musim panas terik, mereka pergi berniaga di kawasan utara yaani AshShams dan Gaza sehingga ke Iraq dan Persia. AshShams tu kalau kawan-kawan nak tau ialah Syria, ibu negerinya Damascus. Di kawasan ini, musim panasnya pleasant sekali. Dari observation akulah rasanya mungkin mereka berniaga barangan kulit dan barangan jahitan. Sebab menurut member aku yang dah pergi Syria, barang-barang kulit murah kat sana. Aku sendiri pulak beli barangan kain yang banyak dari Syria. Dan mungkin juga buah-buahan yang enak dari kawasan Gaza. Tapi dulu tak ada fridge, so mungkin bayak barangan kering dan barangan peram.

Di kala musim sejuk pulak, mereka berangkat ke negara selatan. Dari pembacaan aku masa nak pergi Oman dulu, kawasan selatan ini mengalami suhu tropika masa musim sejuk. Air banyak sekali. Wadi-wadi dilimpahi air sampai ada yang ada air terjun. Sebab itulah aku tak pergi Salalah dulu. Ada rezeki aku nak pergi masa musim panas.

Orang Arab ni berniaga sampai ke Yemen hingga ke AlHabshah. habshah ialah Eithopia sekarang. Mungkin mereka berjual-beli spices, frankincense yang nilainya bagai emas waktu dulu. Lagi buah-buahan, barangan emas dan perak.

Who gave the Quraysh their talents for the arts
Of peace, for trade and commerce, and for journeys
South and north at proper season
And made their home inviolable in Makkah?
Surely they, if any, should adore their Lord
And listen to His Message of Unity and Truth

Dari surah Quraish 106: 1-4

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious Most Merciful

(Its a great grace from Allah) for the protection of the Quraish, (And with all those Allah's grace and protections.
We cause the (Quraish) caravans to set forth safe in winter (to the south) and in summer (to the north without any fear).
So let the worship (Allah) the lord of this House (the Kaabah in Makkah), (
He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear.

Masa zaman dulu dengan keadaan tak selamat di kawasan Peninsula Arab, tribal war sana sini, penghormatan sebagai penjaga Makkah menyebabkan Kaum Quraish mendapat perjanjian keselamatan oleh negara lain seperti Syria, Persia dan Yemen.

Nabi Muhammad S.A.W pun seringkali mengambil upah mengikut ekspedisi ini. Nabi Muhammad S.A.W sangat terkenal dengan sifat kejujuran sepanjang baginda berniaga. Baginda di gelar Al-Amin (the trust worthy - the honest, the truthful).

Sebelum kelahiran Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. lagi, Makkah menjadi titik pertemuan penting bagi ekspedisi-ekspedisi berniaga ke utara selatan ini. Selain dari berniaga dia orang ni juga perform pilgrimage di situ. Walaupun mungkin kebanyakannya ialah pagans.

Ada juga orang jeles tau dengan kehebatan dan majunya Makkah ini. nak nak Abrahah, Raja Yemen. Yemen pun masa tu tak kurang hebatnya. Abrahah dah buat satu gereja besar kat Sanna, ibu negara Yemen. Siap ada gold gold segala, nak suruh orang beribadat kat situ. Nampaknya tak berapa menjadi. Atas peristiwa orang Arab Quraish telah membakar gereja itu, Abrahah pun cari canlah nak hancurkan Kaabah.

Di kumpulnya segala gajah. Entah mana dia dapat gajah ni, sebab peninsula Arab mana ada gajah. Most likely dia ambik dari Afrika. Semangat sungguh. Tapi macam kawan-kawan semua tau, these armies of elephants were destroyed. hancur terbakar dek balingan batu oleh sekumpulan burung.

Al-Feel (the Elephant)

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious Most Merciful

Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the people of the Elephant?
Did he not render their treacherous plan futile?
He let loose against them flights of birds
Which pelted them with stone of Baked clay
Thus he made them like chewed dry Grass.

Allah lagi hebat! Teringat doa Nabi Ibrahim, agar Makkah di jaga kemakmurannya.

Masa Nabi Muhammad S.A.W mula mengembangkan ajaran Islam di Makkah, orang-orang Quraish tension betul. Bukan sahaja ajaran Nabi Muhammad ini bakal merosakkan tradisi nenek moyang dia orang, tapi anggapan mereka juga, habislah bisnes di Makkah ni. Masa tu banyak berhala di Kaabah. Dan orang buat pilgrimage sambil berniaga. kalau semua dah sembah mengikut ajaran Nabi Muhammad S.A.W., macamana dengan berhaka-berhala ni semua? Dan juga kalau Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. semakin kuat pengaruhnya, anggapan mereka, hilanglah kuasa mereka di Makkah tu nanti.

Masa dia orang tau Nabi Muhammad nak berhijrah ke Madinah, atau dalam buku sejarah kita dulu tulis Yathrib, pun dia orang risau gak. As much as they want to get rid of nabi Mohammad S.A.W, tapi penghijrahan bermakna lebih luas lagi pengaruh Islam. Kita perlu ingat, culture Arab, siapa kuat pengaruh dialah raja. Macam-macam jalan mereka nak halang Nabi Mohammad S.A.W. dari keluar dari Makkah.

Tapi Allah itu amat berkuasa.

Kalau semua nak tau, orang Arab suka tidur tengahari sampai ke petang. Jadi walau di kepungnya rumah Nabi Muhammad S.A.W, Nabi di ilhamkan untuk keluar bolos waktu ini. Kuasa Allah juga, dia orang ni tidur tak sedar diri.

Nabi Muhammad S.A.W dan Saidina Abu Bakar ambik jalan jauh pergi ke Yathrib. Instead of the normal trade route yang jauh lebih mudah, mereka ambik coastal road. yang bergunung-ganang dan jauh pulak tu. Subhanallah. Macam-macam cara orang Mushrikin ni nak buat, Allah tetap melindungi Nabi.

Lagi satu benda yang orang Quraish ni bosan gila Nabi Muhammad pergi Madinah Al Munawarah ni sebab Madinah ni ialah titik utama trade route ke utara. Nak pergi ke utara kena lalu Madinah.

Banyak juga perang kecil selepas Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. berhijrah ke Madinah. Tapi perang besar yang pertama ialah Badr. Perang ni start sebab orang Quraish telah merampas harta orang Muslim yang mereka tinggalkan di Mekah. Mereka menjualnya di utara as a sign of mockery. Menurut buku "The ATlas of the Quran", the muslims left AlMadinah to intercept a caravan that was led by Abu Sufyan. meanwhile another group of Quraish left Makkah to intercept the muslims. This resulted in the Great battle of Badr.

And Allah has already made you victorious at Badr, when you were a weak little force. So fear Allah that you may be grateful. (Quran 3:123)

Perang ni penting sebab kaum Muslimin mendapat kehormatan as a military force dari penduduk Arab. Pastu orang Quraish mendapat pukulan teruk dari perang ini. Bukan sahaja dari segi kewangan dan nyawa, tapi dari segi morale.

Walaupun makin ramai yang menganut Islam selepas itu setelah mendapati kehalusan Islam dan juga akhlaq nabi dan para sahabat yang tinggi, tetapi masih ada lagi desas desus antara orang Arab ni yang mengatakan bahawa sekiranya Nabi Mohammad adalah benar pesuruh Allah, sudah tentu dia dapat menawan Makkah.

Mari kita refer Surah Al Nasr (kemenangan).



In the name of Allah, Most Gracious Most Merciful

When comes the help of Allah and the Conquest (of Makkah),
And You see the people enter Islam in Crowds,
So glorify the Praises of your Lord, and ask for His forgiveness.
Verily He is the One Who accepts the repentance and forgives. [An-Nasr: 1-3]

Sedihlah kalau baca surah ni. Surah ni diturunkan masa Nabi Muhammad S.A.W beri khutbah terakhir. Dengan turunnya surah ini Nabi Mohammad S.A.W. tau his time is nearing. It was indeed the pinnacle of a whole host of events and it was one which crowned the end of the prophetic mission which sought with great struggle and endurance to make the message of Allah dominant.

Eh melalut pulak story. Dari cerita musim panas musim sejuk dah jauh pulak saya.

Saya mintak ampun jika ada fakta yang salah. Yalah, yang buruk dan tak elok, semuanya dari saya. Yang baik, semuanya dari Allah jua.

The Locals at their Best

You may have heard me complaining about the crazy drivers HERE and how much they like to honk HERE. Not to mention how I abhor their arrogance and rudeness and impatience and queue cutting.

However, I do find them a helpful lot. And they will go at length to help you when they do. Especially when it concern cars. (And probably other things, which I am yet to encounter)

I hear stories how they would help you if your car get stranded by the road. Perhaps because my friend is female. But helped they did and got their clean white thope dirty. And one thing they don't like is getting their thope dirty.

When my lover got stuck in the mud in front of our house, one guy even tried pulling our car using his sedan which of course will not work. He then called up his freinds who came with powerful landcrusiers. Mind you they don't speak english and neither does my lover speaks arabic.

The first time we went to the dunes, my clever lover who for one reason or another did not want to deflate the tyres. You need to deflate the tyres when you get on the sand, otherwise you'd get stuck.. As expected we got stuck. A local guy saw us and immediately helped us. We were quite deep buried in the sand. the tyres I meant. With all his might, he helped pull us with his modified Nissan Petrol.

Last weekend we went to the dunes. It was a day trip. On our way back home, we had difficulty getting up on the steep slope. Since there were 11 cars and some of us are newbies, we knew this would be a tough ride. I have been to the dune so many times, I am beginning to be able to tell the difference between the routes now. And I know this one is quite hard because it has bumps on the slope breaking the momentum as we ram up. Look at the photo. can you see the bumpy ride as the car go up the slope?



Anyway the sand was slightly wet and the slope was overused. As we gathered there looking at Mr. Zulu Leader attempting to go up the slope, a few locals drove by. One in a hummer and the other in Patrol. It was dark. The only light was from our car and their car. They passed us many times and went off. The next moment they were up on the dune. We were on a flat land surrounded by dune at that time.

In the dark, their headlights look like the eyes of lions watching us. Except that the hummer had a lot of spotlights on its roof. They kept circling us.

After a while there were a group of Quad bikers. They definitely look like roaming hyenas ramming up their engine as they ride by. they kept circling us too. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that we are in deep trouble. But somehow I didn't feel that way. The locals here are never known to be of violent type. AT least as far as I know.

Sometime later we found out that they were actually scouting for better route for us. Later we followed him climb up the better route. Wahdah wahdah, he said. The only problem with this new route is there is a sharp turn to the right and if not careful we might fall into the ridge. Apparently the group of bikers parked themselves at the sharp turn and put up their lights and make a lot of noise. Just so you know that they are there. We made noise as we pass them too.

They are young, those two locals who helped us. In their early 20s. Know shuai shuai english. They even ask whether we want them to guide us out, which we said we are ok.

Correct me, but somehow I am getting skeptical with our young malay males. Especially the one who perhaps in our country can be equate to mat rempit. My view is that they are a menace to society, who would go at great length to show that they are boss. Why don't they use their skills to something beneficial to society beats me. Surely after modifying their bikes, the would know more about repairing them for instance. Alas we are society who like to be users and not learners. We find it hard to take pride on know-how and hands-on.

With them roaming in our housing areas, you would think they would scare the robbers away, but they are the one who we are afraid of. They somehow take pride being a group of kids that are scary to society, rather than taking pride as a group who can help.

Can calling them Mat Cemerlang change their purpose in their life?

Anyway as usual some photos of the latest trip. The weather was nice. Later in the evening, the sky was overcast, the inland sea looks nearly like Lake district or the Loch. It was really nice. View it HERE.

The Key

It must be the coldest time in Qtar at the moment. It was 7C at 7 in the morning when I sent the kids to school yesterday. It was biting cold. I heard some part of Saudi is snowing. Tehran which has not seen snow for a long time snowed as well. Tehran is in Iran.

From last weekend it has been raining, adding to the cold.

I love rain. i really do.

For a desert country like Qtar, rain is a real blessing. It comes only for a week or two every year. And it only comes when the weather is at its coldest.

I love rain. I really do.

But like I have mentioned before HERE, there is no drain in this country. So water just stay there and floods the road. Every year the same thing happen. The city crawls. Some cars break down. But Qtar has a solution for the trapped water. A cheap solution, but not necessarily efficient. They use small lorries with tank at the back to pump up the water. Its definitely cheaper then digging for a drainage system. Especially when rain comes down only for a few weeks in a year. The problem is the rain comes down continously for a few weeks (or days) raising up water everywhere.

I love rain. I really do.

They are still digging the road in front of my house. I live smack on a paddy field now. And because they are still digging, I have to wade myself across the paddy field to my car, get my mud laden shoes in the car. Despite the papers on the car floor, the kids still manage to smear mud everywhere.

My car looks like an excavator now. Its dirty and you could hardly see the plate number.

I love rain. I really do.

My front wall is made of gypsum board. The rain has soaked it up. Now my waiting area is flooded. Ya Allah seksanya rasa.

I love the cold too.

For some scientific reasons, I always find it hard to lock/ unlock my front door during the cold season. Sometimes I couldn't even unlock it from inside. I had to use the back door, and unlock the door from outside. And when I manage to lock/ unlock, I can't take the goddamn keys out of its lock. This is so frustrating. Especially when you are carrying so many umbrellas and things outside trying to get in, freezing in the rain and the kids want to pee so bad.

I can get so pissed with this and many times felt like kicking the door. Kengkadang nak nangis aku duduk rumah ni. Macam duduk setinggan tau. Jeles aje tengok orang duduk compund. Kaki tak kotor. Kasut berkilat aje. Tak berpalit lumpur pun. Rumah tak berair!

I love the rain. I love the cold.

Oh oh oh. One time I wanted to get in the house. I can't. Because I had been using the back door so much, I must have left the main keys inside. So I can't open the gate. Cursing and cursing in the car, i waited for my neighbor to come home and open the gate. (we share gate. another thing I hate.) Thank god, it was only half an hour wait. Got in the house, take off jacket and heard jiggling from the pocket. Cit! The keys are in the jacket. Jarang pakai jacketlah katakan.

Sometimes when I couldn't find my car keys, I remembered..oh the jacket. But sometime it's not there either. ohh now it's in the jeans. Sometimes its not there either! Ohh in the handbag.

But one day it's not anywhere. Not in the jacket. Not in the jeans. Not in the handbag. Checked three times. Not there! Not there!

Not on the dining table. Not on the TV. Not in the drawer. Not anywhere in the house.

Perhaps its in the car?

Went out. Wade through the paddy field. The car is locked.

God its cold!

Went back to the house. Searched everywhere again.

Went out again! Wade through the paddy field.

God its cold!!

Then I saw it. Buried in the mud. Right next to the car.

My life would be lonely without all these drama.

Happy Happy Happy

PrimaryBasic tagged me. It's a simple tag really. Put up three recent photos of the things that had made you happy.

So here goes.

This is a picture of Sya and Jack "helping" me doing kek batik. This is actually my third attempt, in the two years I am here in Qtar, doing kek Batik. The taste in all attempts are really good. Seriously miloish chocolaty good. But my first two attempts turned out a big to splodgy (is there such a word). It was difficult to cut. So I had to cut in a big square, but it still turned out like a blob of textured mud.

And today, on my third attempt, it turned out quite good. Easy to cut, and it actually come out to the shape I want. I altered the recipe a bit. :D. Or perhaps I should be patient stirring the chocolate?

I brought it to someone's house for lunch. And to have the cake cut in front of everyone, with the cake turned out easy on the eyes and lovely in the mouth was a joy. Sedapnya..siapa buat ni, orang tanya. Happy happy Happy!

Err too bad I didn't have a picture of the kek batik though.





Haziq and Sya had karate exam today. I felt proud looking at Haziq performed. He certainly had gone out from his takut-takut and lack of confidence and blur days to someone who can be serious and know what he is doing boy. Well at least for his karate.

He had definitely gone far better than during his silat days two years ago. And for the improvement I see in him, I must say I am proud of him.

That's the way to go Haziq! Ibu happy happy happy.

Haziq is the one far back in the silat photo. He was seven then.

For pictures of his silat days go HERE.

Look look who has a new brown trench coat. Ohh don't I just love cold season.

Happy! Happy! Happy!

And with that I would like to read your happy happy stories in photos. Thus I tag Elisa, Dory and Zaza. And the rest of you who like to do the same.

I Succumbed

I use to snicker at those ladies who wear gloves when they drive. Takut sangat hitam. Siap bersalut pakai baju the other way round tu takut lengan hitam. Pakai ajelah long sleeve tu betul-betul.

And now look at me.

OKlah oklah. Ketawa! Ketawa!

After driving here under the scorching sun in the mid day, when the sun is at its most cruel mode, in a country infamous for its heat, for two years, my hands has tanned. Pitch tanned! I suppose i don't mind it being tan so much, but it has also aged!

Old wrinkled up. Ugly lines. I smeared intensive hand lotion now. But I am taking further action to maintain at least a middle aged hand. i wear gloves when I drive.

And I also think I want to only wear slip on shoes next time. No more those sandal with wedgies in between my toes. Just so I can wear stockings, because my feet is also aging. Eii I hate stockings actually. Sungguh rimas. And don't suggest me those colourful socks which fits your toes as well. I am a goddess ok. I cannot go out with stilettos and those colourful stripy socks.

But this needs to be done. I can feel my feet burning up when I walk to pick the kids up. A good 15 minutes walk, and that is only for Haziq. Under hot hot sun ok.

If before I dare to take pictures of my feet on the beach. Now? It would look like two coal objects, wrinkled up.

Ketawa. Ketawa.

Tengoklah tangan dan kaki sapa cantik nanti.

Dah 9 days dah pun

I predict year 2008 would be another busy year for me. In terms of daily schedule particularly with the kids.

Soccer Mom

I just enrolled Sya in Karate class which guarantees lost of three evenings for me. It's the worst time of the year now as there will be an exam this coming Saturday. i am ferrying both of them to the Karate class. Sya at 3-5 Haziq at 5-7. It will be ok when exam is done.

Goddess Role

A week before year 2007 end, Mr. and Mrs. Periuk Besar wanted me to marinate some beef for bbq at their place. The exact recipe I made (in a smaller scale at one of the crabbing bbqs). Mr. Periuk sedap loved it so much that he wanted 6kg of it. In fact he wants another round of it in a few weeks time.

That was an honor and in a way very motivating. I hope to garner more ideas in terms of cooking this year. When I try one recipe I like, I like to make similar ones and add something else and use it on something else. So far new recipes have came out and the outcome was scrumptiously delicious. So farlah. In fact the marinated beef strips is a mix and match of recipes. OKlah. Sedap jugak.

Photography

I enjoyed taking photos when I was with the ASS. I introduced the MALAYSIANINQATAR site for my collections of photos of the malaysians living in Qatar. I notice there are many more DSLR enthusiasts here. Or perhaps not enthusiasts, but users. Some ask my opinions on the photos they take. I find it hilarious actually because I am far off from knowing anything about photography. Perhaps just a little here and there.

So, I initiated a small group to do a little project. Nothing much actually. We will collectively roll out possible themes of pictures and post it up on a blog. There should be discussions on technicalities and so forth. I hope to tap ideas and knowledge from them and perhaps dispense some of mine. It's a nice feeling to be able to share especially if you are in the same language.

So far there are only the three of us and we have only started introducing ourselves and our tools. I hope this group will be beneficial. That reminds me, I need to invite another two to the group.

Living in Qtar

I am not saying I will stop whining about my ugly house. What is Lollies without her drama? But I am doing something just to make the house feels somewhat mine. I decided to paint some part of the house. We have started with the living room. And when time permits, we will continue to do the majlees. Perhaps sometime this year we will do the kids room too. Sya and Haziq are busy discussing the possible colours, but I am not promising anything though.



I heart for a better looking curtain and an upholstery. A better looking carpet to boot. But that perhaps will have to wait due to budget constraint.

Reading

I really want to try to read more. I have been reading this book, The Malay Trilogy for two months now. Isk isk isk. Should I put a dateline for each book? Like Kejora? Or should I strike it out and play it by my own ear or time?

The Real Deal

I am glad that I am in this Arabic and Tajweed circle of friends. I am constantly forwarded with great articles on Islam. At least I am on my toe on what the sunat ibadahs are. Ashoora is coming my friends.

I hope to learn even more and oblige to my own KPI on ibadah. Tapi seganlah nak cerita. Sikit-sikit atas tujuan mintak tunjuk ajar je lah ya?

I hope 2008 will continue to teach me to be a wholesome person, in every sense. I want 2008 to be a year of learning and discovering.

Khobar

The vision I had about Kh0bar is that it is a small arab town with nothing much to offer. But as I entered Khobar,after a slight jam at the checkpoint, the road widens and the road system is excellent. When Mr. Taufik took us for rounds in Kh0bar, I can see there are many big names for shopping. There are Zara (sales! sales!), NEXT and many malls which I am sure house many goodies. i wouldn't know since I didn't go. Like as if these are benchmarks for great cities.

In S@udi you probably need to get use of the presence of soldiers everywhere. We were surprised at the numerous checkpoints along the way. But there are more later. Entering Elisa's compound you will find armies guarding the place complete with guns with names like AK47 and some combination of letters and sounds like M16, C3PO, R2D2, RO51 and the likes. There was the tank like car, and a small hut supposedly a ready sniper sits there aiming at you. The group of men complete with uniform and looking like the middle east soldiers you see on TV. It was almost intimidating.

But if you know S@audi, you'd probably appreciate how much secure the compound residence would feel with the presence of extra guard. My kids are happy at Elisa's place. Compared to where I am staying now, which is not a compound, they'd prefer Elisa's anytime. haziq, rode the bicycle like he has never seen one for ages. err which is quite true actually.

And when he had a chance to play the quad bike (ATV - all terrain vehicle), he went ramming with glee. We let them loose for a while at the Half Moon Beach. Is it Shatarul Nisful Qamar?



In Khobar I ate alot! My goodness. there were invitations everyday. On top of that Elisa took us to all the places that she frequent. I dare not go up the scale up till today. Takkuuuttt! And stuff are so cheap in S@udi (compared to Qtar). The S@udi government, in the effort of combating inflation, subsidise the basic groceries which are logical for such a rich country like them. Ramai rakyat Qtar sendiri keluar ke s@udi pada hari minggu untuk membeli barangan runcit. Tak taulah ni legal ke tak memandangkan hak keistimewaan subsidi barangan runcit adalah untuk rakyat dan residen S@udi. I myself bought a few things.

Oh Elisa took us to this one great place to buy Arabian look stuff. You can check out the website at Desert Designs. I bought a few things. You know simple stuff like coasters, fridge magnets, a little table-stool, and a wooden tray. Elisa bought her prized kilim rug. he he. Eh I bought this little woolen bag, like the one that they hang on the camel's saddle. But I am too lazy to take photo. Plus its not hung yet.

But as I was looking at that thing, the owner came (I think he is the ownerlah) and explained that it is actually a bag that they put on the camel, so you can put stuff in there. I replied since I don't have camels, I shall just put it on the wall. He said, oh yes. We all still hang it on our camels. They are all parked outside at the parking lot. Buahahahahha.


The pots are bought in Qtar though. Haggling to 5 Riyal each on the basis that they are saghir (small).

I think this must be our most relaxing holiday ever. We lazed about in the house and chat till late night. Stuff ourselves with masakan Elisa. She even broiled us crayfish(?) and prepared in advance her famous panacotta.

I end this with a big thank you for the warm and wonderful hospitality. We had a good time.

The only picture in S@udi is the children playing ATV HERE.

B@hrain has Forts too

The last thing I expect of B@hrain is to have a fort of its own. I was proven wrong!

We went to a fort on our way back to Khobar. The fort is on the route.



Apparently B@hrain has always been an important trading point even in the older days. Because of its location along the sea trade routes linking Mesopotamia (modern day iraq and southern Turkey) with the Indus Valley Civilization (modern day north of india), B@hrain developed in the Bronze Age, from ca. 3000 BC, into one of the greatest entrepôts (word copied exactly from wikipedia) of trade of the ancient world.

The Dilmuns,(sometimes transliterated Telmun) is an ancient civilization usually associated with archaeological sites on the islands of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf and the nearby coast, including Qatif. Qatif is a small town in Saudi, in case you are wondering.

It just made me wonder, B@hrain and Q@tif and Ir@n and many Ir@qis (older days of Mesopotamia) are mostly Shias. through trading, import export, ideologies are shared and used and assimilated. They probably did not bother with Qtar since, what I know, Qtar has more pirates than anything else but I am not sure the period of time. Shias in Qtar is also a minority.

Anyway, if this area has become important, it is logical that there is a need to protect it. So there was a port facing the northern Persian Gulf, called Qal`at al-Bahrain, Fort of Bahrain. Due to once upon a time importance and it has been serving as the capital of the Dilmun Civilisation, but later became a Portuguese (lagi lagi dia orang ni) it is now under the UNESCO World heritage 2005.

About 25% of the site has been excavated revealing structures of different types: residential, public, commercial, religious and military. They testify to the importance of the site as a trading port over the centuries.

It was gloomy and cold when we went there. The wind was blowing hard. the kids were freezing and Jack was in a bad mood. I should not let this interfere with taking photos of course, but it did. So gambar pun melepas batuk di tepi tangga aje.



More pictures HERE