Sixth sense technology

Blackout in Masai

A blackout hit my neighborhood on Christmas night. The lights dimmed for half a minute and then it was all black. Fortunately the lights are back in my apartment in an hour or so. But it seems that till afternoon the next day, some parts of Megah Ria, Kota Putri etc. were still not having any power supply.

Apparently, the Kota Putri substation caught fire causing the blackout which affected Masai, Seri Alam and Permas too. I could still see TNB workers working hard to repair the damages. There were several trucks of diesel generators providing supply. Today morning, I could see a few badly burnt switchgear panels lying outside the substation - must have been quite a bad fire. And for the first time, I saw a mobile GIS substation. Something interesting for electrical people like me!

Well... unlike the moronic Namewee, I would not be cursing at TNB just because of a power outage. I'm sure they have been working hard to restore power as soon as they were informed. But I wonder whether anyone is gonna get into trouble for poor maintenance or defective protection in the first place???

Red Ocean vs Blue Ocean

Am thinking of getting a new laptop as mine is becoming quite slow lately. Anyway, I'll perhaps only do it next year as I need to make good use of the relief in income tax.

Anyway, I went to the PC Fair at Persada Johor today to scout around. I almost thought I walked into the wrong venue when I was swarmed by broadband promoters. It could have been a Broadband Fair rather. The sea of green, blue, orange and black was incredibly overhelming. Promoters packed the entire entrance into the hall until the fair organizers had to draw a line where these guys can go or the fair itself would be jam-packed with broadband promoters (it is anyway already packed with visitors). I thought it was a bit too intimidating and annoying. Hey, stop pushing into my face (provider after provider) the latest best deals in town.

The aggressive fight for market share by Streamyx, Celcom, Maxis and P1 is indeed intensified. It really gives a new dimension to the red ocean theory. These guys are really pitting against each other, swimming in the red ocean. Blood may flow soon! And the damn thing is broadband in Malaysia is plain shit and if these guys don't get serious in providing quality service, they might as well all drown in the red ocean.

As for me, I am waiting for YTL's Wimax which is claimed to be distinct from the rest in Malaysia (read: blue ocean). Let's see what they will have in-store for us when it is launched mid-2010.

Flowery Cantonese

Profanities are quite common in all cultures. Being in a multi-cultural and multi-linguistic society that is Malaysia, we are blessed with the knowledge of multi-profanities as well! Most Malaysians will have some knowledge of swearing in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil! This can be pretty useful when frustrations overseas make it necessary to swear without offending.

As much as it is offensive, profanity is a form of culture as well. And some learned people have devoted some time studying it. Found a pretty interesting website on Cantonese profanity which some may like to check out (after all don't most of you swear in Cantonese now and then??)... Have fun (but you need to be able to read Chinese)

廣州話粗口研究網

宮心計 插曲 《風車》佘詩曼主唱

A soothing song... good for the kids. Maybe it's time to update the children music in schools. Rather than the horrific tales of London Bridge falling down, Georgie Porgie breaking his crown and Humpty Dumpty falling off the wall.

紅風車、轉一轉吧，福來我家
求豐收，雨點降下，花兒別怕
紅花開，笑一笑吧，福來我家
雲飄飄，聽風說話，娃兒別怕
月缺月滿順時
下雨下雪聽天
念卦像風箏不見面，有着綫牵
紅風車，轉一轉吧，福來我家
如分開，雨點降下，娃兒別怕

路近路遠未明，念挂着我看星
愿帶着你路，風似靜，變幻看清
紅風車、轉一轉吧，福來我家
如分開，雨點降下，娃兒別怕
爹娘念挂

紅風車、轉一轉吧，福來我家
如分開，雨點降下，娃兒別怕

1Malaysia 1Flip 1Flop

A search on wikipedia reveals several definitions of flip flop.

• In digital circuits, a flip-flop is a term referring to an electronic circuit (a bistable multivibrator) that has two stable states and thereby is capable of serving as one bit of memory.
• A "flip-flop" (used mostly in the United States) or a U-turn (used in the United Kingdom) is a sudden real or apparent change of policy or opinion by a public official, sometimes while trying to claim that both positions are consistent with each other. Often it will occur during the period prior to or following an election in order to maximize the candidate's popularity.
• Flip-flop, a role reversal between two men during a single sexual encounter.

The first definition on electronics is quite familiar with me and anyone who has done electronics subjects in school or university.

The second definition gained popularity in Malaysia ever since Pak Lah's infamous indecision over his tenure as PM. But just as everyone thought the era of flip-flop has given way to 1Malaysia, things had it otherwise. The first major flip-flop decision has just been declared. The recently announced compulsory fitness tests for vehicles above 15-year old age is now cancelled. That is yet another high flip and resounding thud of flop, that is typical of Bolehland. Looks like things haven't really changed much.

The third definition on sexual encounter is the first I've ever come across.

Tips on Management

1Stream?

Talks on a "single-stream" education system is making its rounds again in Malaysia. It's the "1" phenomena now, 1Malaysia, 1Toilet, 1MH, 1Stream... I for one have always been a supporter of the "single-stream" system over vernacular education systems. I've always dreamed a day when Malaysians will attend a common school where children are not segregated by religion or ethnicity. But the day when 1Stream becomes reality will probably not happen any time soon. Face it lah... we have way too many poliTIKUS who will prefer to divide everyone for their own gain.

There are too much politics involved not to mention the deep distrust between the ethnic groups when it comes to education. The Chinese and Indians have a point - they want the ensure their cultural end ethnic identities are preserved through vernacular schools. The fact that national schools are too slanted towards a particular race and religion remains a valid concern. Furthermore, we are still worried that "unity in diversity" may give way to "assimilation" through 1Stream.

I was a product of the national school, during times when it was still quite favored by the general population especially in big cities like KL, Ipoh and Penang. I have Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Punjabi friends. Malay was our medium of instruction in school while English was widely spoken. I cannot deny that I've less attachment to the Chinese language, particularly Mandarin though i've picked up on it over the years. We had teachers of different ethnic groups who are color-blind (do not discriminate race-wise). As far as I was concerned during my time, I did not feel my ethnic identity was threatened simply because I enrolled in a national school. I felt I understood better our compatriots of different race/ religion.

But times have indeed changed. Since "remove" classes were removed, non-Malay enrollment in national schools have declined. Vernacular schools have become the order of the day. As a result national schools are no longer "national", they are indeed Malay schools. Maybe due to practicality or overzealous school administrators, our "national" schools have become increasingly Malay- and Islam-centric in outlook and practice. Drive past any such schools and you would see Jawi scripts splashed across the walls. Which non-Malay parent would send a child to a school like that? Activities in these schools are also increasingly drawn on racial/ religious lines. It is the "murid-murid Islam dan bukan Islam". Kudos for segregating our kids. Things like you can't wear short pants for sports are common. I'm sure most have read in the papers about the gradual hijack of our national schools. If they are going to introduce 1Stream, they have to remove such unproductive practices in schools and build a truly 1Malaysia outlook.

Having said that, while I do not dare say that 1Stream is the best solution (maybe I have my distrust in government policies), but I am still a supporter of a single-stream education system. There is bound to be opposition to it. When LKY decided to go 1Stream in Singapore many decades ago, there was stiff opposition from the Chinese educationists. Nevertheless he pushed ahead and forced all schools to adopt a common stream of education. At the same time, he reinforced mother tongue language classes. Schools in Singapore are truly 1Singapore and Malaysia has lots to learn from them when it comes to implementing a truly single stream nationals school in a multi-racial society. (Ironically, Chinese educationists have been a headache when it comes to single-stream school in both Malay-majority Malaysia and Chinese-majority Singapore)

Implementation of 1Stream would have to be an eventuality. I am really not sure whether we are ready for it although I still believe it is the best policy versus our present divide-and-teach system. The problem is definitely "implementation". Malaysia is 1st class when it comes to horrible implementation. The policy fears being hijacked by overzealous administrators. Meanwhile, we just sit back and watch everyone debating something which I'm pretty sure will be forgotten soon. Malaysians are forgetful.

While we are in the subject of 1Stream, I've always wondered what on earth is the relevance of independent Chinese schools in Malaysia. I'm a supporter of 1Stream, I tolerate vernacular system as a practical reality but I could never ever understand why we still have an independent Chinese education system. Are these people still having allegiance to China/ Taiwan? Why are they exempted from the national curricula in favor of a China-centric education system? I was told these schools are emphasizing Chinese history over our Malaysian history! And when graduates of these schools were given the pass in university entrance (remember Namewee), they complain like hell though they know that's the fact from the start.

Marina Barrage

Visited Singapore's Marina Barrage today. To the uninitiated, the Marina Barrage is a project to dam-up Marina Bay to become a reservoir right smack in the middle of the city. Marina Bay used to be the point where Kallang River and Singapore River enter the sea. But after it is dammed up, the entire bay becomes a reservoir as the bay is now separated from the sea by 9 huge gates.

The project is in fact a flood-control measure which helps to alleviate flooding in the low-lying parts of the city due to tidal effects. Meanwhile, the desalting process is still ongoing, i.e. they are trying to remove salt from the bay in order to get fresh water which can then be used also be used for supplying water.

This is a picture of the gates. On the left is the reservoir (would-be fresh water) and on the right is the open sea.
The Marina Barrage area is also fast becoming a recreational area with water sports and picnic facilities. It is after all smack in the middle of the city and they can't just waste it all to store water!

This picture shows the surrounding view of the barrage. In the background, you could see ongoing construction works at Marina Sands Integrated Resort aka Casino.

Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum

Johor Bahru has just added a new attraction with the founding of the "Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum". The museum is owned by the Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Association which is made up of 5 main Chinese dialect associations - Teochew, Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka and Hainan. Apparently, the predecessor of JB Tiong Hua Association was the once influential Ngee Heng Society.

I decided to pay this new museum a visit as I am always quite fond of history. It was a small but nice museum depicting the origins of the Chinese community in JB as well as their contribution to nation-building. The Chinese apparently settled in JB through the "Kangchu" system which saw the opening of gambier and pepper plantations. Naturally, the Chinese were very dialect-centric and thus the formation of various societies and dialect associations. Ngee Heng was one of the Chinese societies which was extremely influential due to its good ties to the Johor royal family. The museum has exhibits of various Chinese wares, items and heritage stuffs. It is also has a showcase of how the Chinese fared throughout different periods of the Johor history - colonial period, WWII, communist insurgency and finally merdeka.

I would recommend any visitor to JB not to miss out this little museum located on Jalan Tan Hiok Nee.

If Only

Find more videos like this on video.filestube.com.

This is a famous Arabic song called Alawa (علواة) which my Syrian driver used to play almost daily in the car. Typically mid-eastern, very ethnic and kampung but with a catchy tune. According to Firaz, it was sung by a famous singer by the name of Melhem Zain (ملحم زين). Never knew the meaning of the song until today when out of boredom I searched the net for it.

Melhem Zein - If Only
If only, if only my lover would come back to me
He is my life and every wish
Why good is a heart that has no lover within it
It's like a stone sitting on the ground
If only we could go back the way we were
If only I could visit you and you could come visit us
Your dad would greet me and your mother would pamper me
Please put my heart out, my pain is burning (literally, melting) me

My hands miss your hands so much
And my eyes long for your eyes
I'm melting in my clothes and I'm a wreck
Pull me out of my misery and make me happy
Oh if only...

What were you coming to take from me?
Telling me how much you me so and that you're burning up
What changed you?
Your beauty took your mind
I never cross your mind and I can't get you out of mine

That was the English translation I found on the web.

Freak storm

A freak storm hit Seri Alam area today. I was at Tesco that time and suddenly it started raining heavily and winds were so strong I've never seen such fury in JB. I could not see anything in front of me and my car was almost rocking in the wind. Somehow, in between the heavy gust and made it out of the car and went into the hypermarket. Surprisingly I met two friends there. We decided there was no way we are going to get out in the storm, so we decided to have tea. The wind was so strong, that everyone in the hypermarket were just staring out from the safe confines of the complex.

We thought probably, the sidelines of typhoon Parma has hit us as rumored through SMS. I left, when the storm has died down. Trees collapsed on every corner of the township, signboards downed, bill-boards turned over and rubbish strewn around. Flash floods were everywhere, and the monsoon drains have basically burst with water overflowing onto the streets. The roads were choked with traffic and it was utter chaos. A freak have suddenly strucked us without warning (except for SMS rumors about Parma which the Met has vehemently denied). It started suddenly and ended quickly. Perhaps it's another sign of the world climate going crazy!

Surprisingly, it seems that the storm has only hit this part of Johor. Later, when I went down to JB everything seems normal and there were no signs of any major storm. Surprising how localized weather can get.

Scenic Drive to our Neighbor

Once upon a time, Dr. M had a dream. A dream to break down the causeway and build a 'Scenic Bridge'. It was a dream to build a bridge on our-side of the Johor Straits whether or not our friendly neighbor down south agrees with it.
Of course, what happened after that was history. Pak Lah turned the idea into rubbish. We kept the Causeway and Dr. M kept the word 'scenic' in 'Scenic Bridge'. Instead, we have a 'Scenic Drive' up the hill towards the new CIQ. Oh...not to mention, the weekend crawl is worse then even!And while we are at it, don't you think the 'Scenic Drive' looks exactly like an F1 circuit? We build our very own F1 circuit in Sepang years ago. Recently, our neighborly neighbor launched their street F1. But as usual, the spirit of 'Malaysia Boleh' ensures we will have 2 F1 circuits instead! One smack at the entrance into Singapore!Bravo! Malaysia Boleh! Sit tight, take a long winding ride up to the JB CIQ whilst enjoying a view of JB city. Oh... and hopefully no more tremors that will keep the CIQ shutdown for 40 minutes. Anyway, one last curve before reaching the CIQ.
Well, at least we don't have to put up with the filthy and disgraceful old JB Kastam. Btw, if you are tired of the long crawls and decide to use the Second Link, please be advised that toll payments can only be made using Touch N Go card effectively recently. No more cash payments! Didn't know about this until complaints appeared in the papers about poor publicity prior to going cashless. Hey, I stay in JB and didn't have an inkling about this new move until it's a done deal. Nvm-lah, I almost never use Second Link.

Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL)

There has been a frenzy of road-works going on in JB lately. One of them is the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) expressway which will link the PLUS highway at Pandan directly to the new CIQ in downtown JB. Scheduled to be operational in 2011, lets hope this new highway project will help to cut travelling time and overcome JB's traffic congestion.

Causeway was jammed in the old days too!

Seems like the traffic on the Johor Causeway as always been quite nightmarish since time immemorial! Judging from the water pipe location in the pic, looks like the crowd is headed into JB... weekend makan + shopping, perhaps.

And this is the crawl we see now in modern-day Johor Causeway. Must be the weekend crowd rushing back to Singapore on Sunday night. Sometimes I can't imagine the thousands of commuters who cross the causeway daily just to earn a living.

If only one day, Malaysia and Singapore do away with the immigration checks and allow hassle-free travel between both countries. Just like in the EU!

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

The "Festival of the Breaking of Fast" is called...

• Idul Fitri, Hari Lebaran by the Indonesians
• Hari Raya Pusa by the Malaysians
• Riyoyo, Riyayan, Ngaidul Fitri by the Javanese
• Boboran Siyam by the Sundanese
• Rojar Eid by the Bengalis
• Ramazan Bayrami by the Turkish
• Eid-e-Sayed Fitr by the Persians
• Choti Eid by the Urdus
• Ramazanski Bajram by the Bosnians

Wherever you are from, whatever your nationality... I wish you "Selamat Hari Raya Puasa", "عيد مبارك‎", " ঈদ মুবারাক"... Maaf zahir dan batin! Have a blessed festival and happy holidays!

Btw, above is an Eid Greeting postage stamp issued by US in 2001.

During years when we had Hari Raya together we Chinese New Year, we Malaysians celebrate Kongsi Raya. When Hari Raya is close to Deepavali, we celebrate Deeparaya.

Do you know by 2011, we would be celebrating Hari Raya on 31st August. Merdeka-Raya?

Old Vũng Tàu (Turbulent Years)

I have always been a fan of old photos. Found the above old photos of Vũng Tàu, probably in the 1960-70s (the turbulent years of the Vietnam War). Those were the days when Vũng Tàu was a R&R for combat troops. It is amazing that the Grand Hotel withstood the war years and is still in operation as part of Palace Hotel now. Must have been the grandest hotel those days. Still is now!

About Vũng Tàu

Vũng Tàu is a small city about 2 hours north-east of Ho Chi Minh City. It is a famous holiday haunt for Vietnamese as it boasts a long and beautiful beach, just outside of bustling HCMC. The most iconic landmark of Vũng Tàu is a large statue of Jesus Christ sitting atop a hill. It reminds you of Brazil's statue and is a must-see when in Vũng Tàu.

During the Vietnam war, Vũng Tàu is a popular R&R for the American troops (and some say Vietcongs too!). It was so popular that troops stationed in Vũng Tàu refuses to go for R&R elsewhere for fear that they will be transferred out. After the fall of South Vietnam, Vũng Tàu became a popular launching point for the Vietnamese boat people fleeing to other countries.

Modern-day Vũng Tàu is a beautiful and charming city. It has boomed due to the many industries sprouting around the province of Ba Ria - Vũng Tàu. Most notably are the power stations, fertilizer plants and O&G facilities. Many expats stay during the weekdays in Vũng Tàu and so the city is lined with many bars, cafes and good-quality restaurants. On weekends, it is packed with Vietnamese who date along the beach fronts.

Old Vung Tau

Found some pictures of old Vung Tau. The first one looks like the beach near Palace Hotel, facing the White Villa.

Vietnam again

Back to Vietnam after more than a year. This is one those charming countries with nice people, wonderful food and laidback environment. The airport landing visa counter is as chaotic as ever. The streets are still busy and heavy with traffic as bikes, cars and trucks jostle for limited space. The sound of horns is deafening. I think the traffic now is heavier than a year ago but maybe it's because of the timing of my arrival.

Vung Tau city hasn't changed much. There are some new shops but things have remained pretty much the same. The same people are selling their "wares" in front of the hotel and the same people are offering USD4/hr motorbike rides around town Sadly, my favorite Vietnamese restaurant has closed down. It has been quite tiring so far coz of the travelling time and seemingly endless routines of waiting and waiting. Work is quite relaxed... not much to do, like I said, it's lotsa waiting and waiting.

Fringe on Channel 5

They are screening the sci-fi series called "Fringe" on Channel 5. Now I can pick up from where I've left watching when I was in Syria. And I can even recap some episodes that I missed during the odd-chance when I went to Aleppo.

I just realized how winding the new slip road between the CIQ and causeway is, particularly the incoming into JB. Actually, it's the first time I took the causeway in the direction to JB since the CIQ opened. Simply horrible... and I notice ever since the new CIQ is open, the traffic crawl has appeared on the JB side back-flowing to Woodlands! And whilst, Dr M didn't get his "Scenic Bridge", Pak Lah definitely built a "Scenic Road" from the causeway to the CIQ. Or maybe he was jealous that Singapore is having their F1 night race. Thus, an F1 circuit as you enter JB!

What is wrong with Gulf Air?

Had a most unmemorable flight on Gulf Air. No wonder, this is the only airline from the GCC which almost folded...

• I had to wait for half-an-hour to check-in my luggage despite having only 1 person in front of me. The check-in crew was disorganized and she did not give me a seat-by-the-aisle which she has promised me!
• My first flight from Damascus to Bahrain was delayed for more than an hour. Nobody was around to handle the impatient crowd and an Arab lady almost fainted in the commotion.
• The flight from Bahrain to KL was even worse. It was operated by Jet Airways India. Apparently, the "flight attendant" button was merely a decoration on the console. None of the attendants bothered to respond to calls. In fact, I saw some just walking pass briskly ignoring calls from the passengers. I almost died of thirst trying to get a cup of water from them.
• As we almost reached KL, breakfast was served without drinks. And they started collecting the breakfast even before we dug in. Still without drinks.
• Flight attendants are generally not courteous, especially males. Reminds me of Qatar Airways.

GCC Airlines as ranked by me:

1. Etihad Airways
2. Emirates
3. Qatar Airways
4. Gulf Air

Goods and Bads of Syria

Having spent some months in the Syrian Arab Republic, I believe I can sum up some of the good and bad sides of Syria.

The Good Sides of Syria

1. Untainted - still relatively isolated from the outside world. The country is still untainted with modern development. Makes an interesting visit for those who likes to explore things as it is.
2. Heritage - never did realize the many historical sites in Syria until I visited this country. Definitely a must-see for those who are into ancient civilizations and history.
3. Hospitality - Syrians are generally helpful and they go all out to assist anyone that comes along. Only problem is they can't speak English.
4. Safe - Despite widespread poverty, Syria is incredibly safe with low rates of crime.
5. Scenery - North western Syria is green and beautiful especially in winter/ spring. If you just ignore the Arabic words and rundown buildings, the scenery is exactly like Switzerland.

The Bad Sides of Syria

1. Ignorance - Syrians have been (and pretty much still is) living in a cocoon and is therefore ignorant of the outside world. Many still think that the way things are done in Syria couldn't have been better! This couldn't have been farther from the truth.
2. Food - Arabic food is not exactly rich in diversity and in Syria, you hardly come across food that is not Arabic. Taste one, taste all!
3. Disorganized - Syrians are incredibly disorganized, whether in terms of driving or government bureaucracy. They definitely bring a new meaning to the "tidak apa" attitude of Malaysian civil servants.
4. Disconnected - Telecommunication and internet couldn't be worse in this country. Not to mention many web sites including Facebook, Youtube and "politically-sensitive sites" are banned.

All in all, Syria is nice to visit and holiday in for short periods of time. For a non-Arab, I wouldn't really like to stay too long in this country.

The Long Journey Home

It was a really long journey home from Syria. I woke up as early as 6 AM and I left Jisr Al Shoghour at 7AM. I headed to Damascus and was at the airport by 12 NOON. The queue was not too long but somehow the management of the check-in counters was absolutely chaotic and disorganized. This of course I've learnt to be a trademark of Syrians. Anyway, immigration clearance was smooth and I entered the duty free zone. There is a pathetic restaurant which only serves cheese sandwich. I just grabbed that with a glass of orange juice. Thereafter, I walked around. Nothing much of interest. The flight was delayed by an hour due to late arrival of the airplane. The crowd was impatient and an Arab lady almost fainted while waiting to board.

The airplane finally departed from Damascus at about 4.15pm. By the time we arrived in Bahrain it was dark. There was a sandstorm and everything was dusty. I changed the remaining SYP1000 into Bahraini Dinar. Shopped for some souvenirs and dates. Time flies and by the time I know it, I'm already on board the connecting flight to KL. Gulf Air aircrafts were quite good but I could not say the same for their flight attendants. Their service is horrible and they do not seem to attend to the passengers even after repeatedly pressing the flight attendant button. During breakfast time, they delivered the food minus the drinks. Before we even touched it, they were collecting it back again. I've always thought that Lufthansa was the worst in service but from now onwards the honor goes to Gulf Air. No wonder the airline almost folded some years back.

After a long 8 hour flight, we finally landed in KLIA. It was such a good feeling to reach back home. Bought some stuff at the airport, cleared immigration and customs. Took the taxi and by the time I reach home it was past 11am. Counting back, I spent almost 24 hours travelling from Syria to KL. The journey home was definitely not an easy one!

Fig season

The season of figs has arrived. I have never really seen fig before- looks like onions but it tastes sweet. Apparently there are two types..... yellowish green and black.

Up next: Grapes and then promegranates.... which will be in season in few months time. And according to the locals, it would be the last seasonal fruit for the year. But I won't be able to see them in Syria as tomorrow will be my last day in Syria. I will be leaving tomorrow from Damascus to KL via Bahrain. Can't wait to be back to tanahair tercinta.

Power cuts

The power cuts has intensified in Syria. From weekly, it has now become daily. Last Thursday, there was a 5-hour power cut in the day time (thank God I was at work). On the same Thursday, as we were preparing for dinner there was yet a 2-hour power cut in the evening. Yesterday, as I leave for work there was again another round of power cut.

Syria is severely short of power in summer when A/Cs are in full-blast and winter when heaters are also in full-blast. And there seems no respite for the time being. They couldn't plant up power stations fast enough neither are there many companies willing to work in power projects here.

Zuyao's guide to Arabic for survival

In an undeveloped Arabic country, the only language spoken is Arabic. And for a non-Arabic speaker from Malaysia, the best way to survive is to tembak some Malay words when you are at a lost of words. Chances are it may be correct. Some examples (Arabic in brackets).

Days of the Week
Ahad (Al-Ahad) - comes from the word wahid meaning 'one'
Isnin (Al-Ithnin) - comes from the word ithnin meaning 'two'
Selasa (Al-Thalatha) - comes from the word thalathi meaning 'three'
Rabu (Al-Arbia) - comes from the word arba'a meaning 'four'
Khamis (Al-Khamis) - comes fromt the word khamsi meaning 'five'
Jumaat (Al-Jumaah)
Sabtu (Al-Sabt) - comes from the word sabaa meaning 'seven'

Other Words Here and There
Mati (Mat)
Kerusi (Kerusi)
Musykil (Musykila) - used to mean problem
Arif (Arif) - used to mean 'to know'
Amal (Amal) - used to mean work/ profession
Majalah (Majalah)
Riadah (Riadah)
Akhbar (Akhbar) - used to mean news
Sebab (Sebab)
Tabib (Tabeeb)
Faham (Fahim)
Mungkin (Mumkin)
Sifar (Sifr)

Words not Related to Malay
Welcome (Ahlan wa sahlan/ Ahlan bekum)
Silakan (Fadalo)
Thank you (Shukran)
You are welcome (Afuan)
Chicken (Faruj)
Tomato (Panadura)
Potato (Batata)
Lamb (Karuf)
Fish (Samak)
Briyani (Kabsah)
Yes (Na'am)
No (La)
All (Kulu)
Tomorrow (Bukra)
Tonight (Alaila)
Fork (Shauki)
Generator (Mualid)
Rain (Matar)
Airport (Maatar)
Money (Masareh)
No Money (Mafi Masareh)
Sure (Akid)
Understand (Malum)
Old (Qadeem)
New (Jadeed)
Correct (Masbut)
I (Ana)
You for male (Anta)
You for female (Anti)
Crazy (Majnun)
Complete/ Kau Tim/ Finish/ Settle (Khalas)

A sugar factory

There lies a huge sugar factory complex just a few kilometers out of Jisr Shoghour. It is probably the biggest factory around this area producing a very important ingredient which is used much too liberally in Arabic tea and desserts. Basically they are not drinking tea with sugar, rather it is sugar water with tea. Despite the "importance of sugar" to the Syrian diet, the factory looks as if it has just survived a war. Definitely it lacks the dignity that should have been accorded to it. The entire building looks like it is going to collapse any time soon - rusty, dillapidated. Rusty trucks and buses lie abandoned in its compound. Almost half of the windows of the factory are broken. Wonder what they do when it rains (and it does rain quite a lot in winter) And somehow rather conveniently, exhaust pipes stick out of the broken windows billowing smoke of some sort. A sign that the factory is still in service. The only thing in the entire complex which looks in perfect order is the huge picture of the President mounted at the front entrance with some arabic slogan. Needless to say, the Syrians have incredible respect for their President.

But the most bewildering thing of all is the sugar factory is swarmed by trucks loaded with tomatoes every morning. Since when is sugar processed from tomatoes? Maybe this is some kind of Syrian innovation. Bring in the tomatoes and out comes the sugar. We have called it panadura shukar (tomato sugar in arabic). We have referred this incredible query to the locals and nobody has yet been able to respond affirmatively. Meanwhile, the mystery of tomato sugar continues in Jisr Al Shoghour...

Stay extended and it rained

My stay in Syria has been extended till the end of the month. It's only a few more days to go and I suppose I can bear with it although I'm dying to be back in Malaysia.

As if to mourn for my extension, the sky opened up and cried. It's been a long time since it rained. Summer is usually dry in Syria. So, it was a welcome to smell the fresh air as drops of water descended to earth. Only bad thing was my satellite TV reception was affected and I could not finish watching my weekly series of "Fringe". But as usual, the Arabian rain is nothing compared with the usual thunderstorms we have in Malaysia. It is more like a drizzle here...

So far, the summer has not been punishingly hot. It barely touched 40degC on only a few occassion. Most of the time, the afternoon heat is somewhat the same as in Malaysia (minus the humidity). The nights are still somewhat cool. But the wind is bloody strong. It is those kind of wind which will blow you off your feet! Thank God I'm not staying in the desert or surely the wind would've kicked up quite a severe sand storm. Nevertheless, the air in Jisr Shoghour is as usual dusty! It is amazing how much strength and tenacity the wind has. It has been blowing like this the entire summer with no sign that it will die down anytime soon.

Gonna go home soon

My stay in Syria will finally come to an end. Last Thursday, I was informed that I could be released from site. So what is left to do is just to clear up some stuff, handover some information and goyang kaki in the office. Meanwhile, I wait also for my return flight ticket to Malaysia.

Arabic food

We do have quite a number of Mid-Eastern restaurant in KL thanks to the influx of Arab Gulf tourists every summer. But I doubt many (if any) Malaysian make it a point to visit and dine in any of these restaurants. Therefore, besides kebab, I guess most Malaysians don't know much about Arabic food.

Therefore I decided to blog a bit about the Arabic food (Disclaimer: pictures are not mine, plucked from the web).

There is first shish taouk which is BBQ meat. It is usually chicken (but can also be lamb or beef). Sometimes it is the filling of a sandwich but mostly eaten like the following picture.

And there is also the kebbeh which is ground lamb meat mixed with some herbs and wheat.
Hommus is the sambal of Arabic food. It makes an excellent dip to go with the bread, salad and meat. There are two types... the original one is made from chickpeas. They have another type which is mixed with eggplant to give a coarse texture and darker color.

Another appetizer is the falafel. It is chickpea mixed with some herbs & spice and fried.

A typical appetizer would look something like this. Salad with kebbeh, hommus and of course the most important item - kubus (Arabic bread). The version here is quite small. Some of their kubus can be as big as a respectable table cloth.

Another popular dish is yabrak which is rice + lamb meat wrapped in some leaves. Sometimes it is also served in soup:

Actually, taking an Arabic meal is more like having a BBQ as everything is either grilled or BBQ-ed. Whilst I wouldn't say their food tastes bad, but personally I feel they lack creativity with food. Perhaps they have very limited ingredients here. And if you can't live without fish, Syria will be a challenge to stay in. Fish is almost non-existent and whatever fish they have is not fresh. And the only way to cook fish here is to grill, you can forget about steam. And come to think of it, the Syrians don't seem to have been acquainted with prawns, crabs or oysters.

All in all, the best food I believe still has to be Malaysian food. Can't wait to savor all those nasi lemak, char kuay teow, chee cheong fun, roti canai, asam laksa, dim sum, pan mee.... gosh the list of Malaysian food is endless. Malaysia Boleh! Malaysia Truly Asia!

Internet Connectivity

The speed of internet connection in Syria can best be described by the following comic which I saw on one of the office doors:

Imbecility

Found an article talking about the term "imbecile" in wikipedia.

Imbecile is used to classify a type of mental retardation. It is derived from the Latin word imbecillus, which means weak or weak-minded. It is ranked between idiot and moron according to IQ measurement.
IQ 51-70: Moron
IQ 26-50: Imbecile
IQ 0-25: Idiot

Sounds funny.... I thought "idiot" is mild compared to "moron" or "imbecile". Maybe my English is degenerating after months in Syria.

"Imbecile" quickly became a derogatory term, and it fell out of professional use.

Other definitions of imbecile:

• A stupid or silly person; a dolt
• A person of moderate to severe mental retardation having a mental age from three to seven years and generally being capable of some degree of communication and performance of simple tasks under supervision.
• A person of subnormal intelligence - changeling (what is this?), cretin, half-wit, idiot, moron, retard
• Simpleton, simple - a person lacking intelligence and common sense
• Mongoloid (what the heck???) - a person suffering from Down Syndrome

You may be wondering why I am suddenly researching on imbecility. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to divulge further information for the time being. Suffice to say, I found some interesting definitions of this term which I thought was simply an offensive word.

Earthquake in Aleppo

I just read from some blog that a 4.6 earthquake struck Aleppo 10 days ago. Aleppo is about 1 hour from where I am staying. It's surprising that nobody seem to talk about it at work and I wouldn't have known had I not been surfing the web aimlessly. And the most interesting thing was I actually felt the earth shaking abit about that time 10 days ago. Actually, I was preparing to go to work in the morning and was basically sitting on the throne in the toilet. Suddenly I felt the apartment trembled slightly. Actually, I was a bit scared initially but that only lasted for a few seconds. Then it was all normal. I later found out that my neighbor felt the same. I felt the same yesterday evening while I was taking nap. (Or maybe it was a dream).

The thing was... although I am staying in Syria, I am totally ignorant of what is happening around me. I know what is happening in Malaysia (thanks to Star). I know what is happening in Iran (thanks to Al Jazeera). I know MJ is dead (thanks to MTV & CNN). But I have no idea what is happening in Syria. And this is because the only Syrian TV channels are all in Arabic and I couldn't find a single English newspaper in this country. So I may be in Syria, but I have no idea what is going on. This is the first time I feel so detached from my immediate neighborhood.

Well the earthquake wasn't quite bad I suppose as there were no injuries or fatalities whatsoever. Perhaps this is why it went quite unnoticed by most people. But if you examine the standard of buildings in Syria, it doesn' take a genius to recognize the potential hazard these buildings present. A massive earthquake would decimate entire towns. I wonder if they even have any building code in this country. Houses seem to be built haphazardly on hill slopes. House extensions is not horizontal but rather vertical! All I hope is there is no major disaster in the immediate future.

After wheat, it is sunflower

Update 1: About Agriculture

The wheat harvest season is almost over. There is still a stream of trucks headed to the warehouse which stores Syria's one-year supply of wheat grains. And it seems that some of the wheat farms are now being replanted with a different kind of crop. The most obvious I could see is sunflower. And some of them is blooming brightly and cheerfully under the hot summer sun. They plant it for its seed - eaten like kuaci and also for oil.

Syria is a very seasonal country when it comes to agriculture. Fruits and vegetables are seasonal and different kinds are available at different times. When I first arrived, they had really huge cabbage (size bigger than a football). That soon went missing and spinach was aplenty in the market. Spinach did not last long as it is then the lettuce season. I have no idea what is next... It is the same for fruits. I've posted earlier about cherries being served in every house and office as it was the cherry season. And now the cherries are all missing as the Syrians await for the fig season. And by the way, what is fig fruit?

Update 2: About TV Shows

Have been following a show called "Fringe" on MBC Action. It is a sci-fi show about an FBI detective who "surrounds herself with a double-agent, a criminal and a lunatic" as she investigates various abnormal cases involving "fringe science" (cybernetics, rare diseases, teleportation, cryptids, transhumans and the likes). I didn't even know that "fringe science" is the term used to describe this kind of sciences. Not sure whether they screen this in Malaysia.but I thought it was quite an interesting series to watch and have been following it the past few weeks. Of course this is among other series like Simpsons, Frasier and occassionally Desperate Housewives. The AAB channel is also showing a Chinese series "Tang Dynasty". Sometimes, MBC Max or MBC Persia screen English-dubbed version of Stephen Chow movies which were absolutely ridiculous. Imagine Stephen Chow speaking English in Shaolin Soccer! And by the way, Syrians are great fans of Jackie Chan!

Update 3: About the Weekend

No plans for this Friday. The summer sun is getting stronger by the day and day is also getting longer. Sunrise is now before 5am and sunset is only by 8pm. Think the day time temperature is now about 38degC. Not exactly a nice season to do much travelling. Nevertheless I do have one more place on my list which I like to visit - Apamea, the Hellenistic/ Roman city famed for its Cardos Maximus (a long column-lined boulevard). Maybe I would visit it on another day. This would complete the list of places of interest for the time being. There are other places like the Dead Cities, Aleppo Citadel and the grand amphitheater of Bosra. But I doubt I'll have the time for those now as I expect my tenure in Syria will end in July. But then again, that is only a hope... There is a project meeting next week which hopefully will clear things up. Right now it is all a bit blurry for everyone. There has been quite a lot of upheavals and changes in the past weeks and things are getting abit messy.

Church of St. Simeon

It's a lazy Friday morning and you are in Syria. What can you do? Visit one of the many citadels that dot the country and get a lesson in history and civilization of mankind!

That's what I can think of anyway. And this time I visited the Church of St. Simeon which is about 1 hour out of Aleppo. This is the site where a famous hermit monk (St. Simeon) used to preach atop a tall pillar. It is special because most hermit monks prefer to live in a cave, but Simeon decided to live on a pillar. The only thing that remains of this pillar is its foundation. After his death, a church was built around this site and came to be known as Church of St. Simeon. Of course, the church that remains is more of a ruins but you can't help feel the grandeur that it must have had in the good old days. And it is always a wonder how they constructed such massive structures without the help of machinery and cranes. Mind you, it sits atop a mountain!

Other posting on places to visit in Syria:

• Palmyra
• Krak des Chaveliers
• Road to Baghdad
• Castle of Saladin

Castle of Saladin

Saladin is supposedly a great hero of the Muslims. He is the one who captured Jerusalem from the Christians. You would know him if you have watched the movie "Kingdom of Heaven". I watched it the week before I visited his Castle near the port city of Lattakia. Finding this castle is not so easy as signboards seem insufficient. The castle sits atop a mountain. The road leading up to it is winding (and they have 360 deg turns), steep and narrow with dangerous ravines. Obviously, the castle was quite strategic as it commands a view of its surroundings and all visitors will very unlikely to be missed by the guards.

Pretty much of what is left of the castle is in ruins. The view of the surrounding forest is nevertheless beautiful.

For pictures of other interesting sites in Syria:

• Palmyra
• Krak des Chaveliers
• Road to Baghdad

Anyway, my visit to Saladin's Castle was more than a month ago. Just didn't get to upload the pictures here. Tomorrow is again Friday... a weekend in Middle East. My itinerary tomorrow shall be "Church of St. Simeon" which is located near Aleppo. More on that when I return! Till then, happy weekend to everyone!

Damascus

Just decided to upload some pictures of some sightseeing tours of the past month or so. Let's start first with Damascus, the capital city of Syria. There seems to be nothing much of interest in this city. The popular spots are Umayyad Mosque, Old City and Souk Hamidiyeh. In fact, the only meaningful thing I did there was to visit some fellow colleagues who happen to be working near Damascus.

Personally, I prefer Aleppo to Damascus. Aleppo is a bit more compact but charming. Damascus, is well a city in the desert.

Harvesting Season

It is now harvesting season in Syria. The previously green wheat-farming fields have now all turned yellow. Actually, the landscape now doesn't look as beautiful as before. I prefer green. But after all, this is an important moment as the wheat is finally ready for harvesting. They plant wheat almost everywhere, even in front of Carrefour in Aleppo, even within the power station complex! (Oh... btw Carrefour is really a blessing coz I can actually find ikan bilis sambal paste!)

I do not come from an agricultural background - I don't even really know how paddy is being harvested and processed to rice. All I can describe about the harvesting process here is they use huge machines to 'tuai' the wheat. Then they are piled up in the field waiting for trucks to collect. You can then see long queues of trucks (those colorful trucks almost like what you see in India) sending the harvest to the processing plant (or maybe it's a storage). This has been a daily affair for the past weeks or so.

Correct me if I'm wrong.... wheat is used to make flour? And flour is pretty important here as the main staple is arabic bread which they call kubus. And again daily, you can see huge crowds storming the local kubus bakery as if they are distributing gold. It's kubus for breakfast, lunch and dinner here (Arabs are not really good in food variety!). Just get a huge piece of kubus (which is perhaps 1.5 feet in diameter), apply some olive oil, sprinkle some vege and chickpeas and it's a good meal for the locals.

I also get my kubus (albeit the mini version). But no chickpeas for me, I prefer my kubus with tuna or jam. I don't have a choice as sliced bread is hard to come by.

Oh... it's also the season for cherries. This fruit which usually sits atop the icing of a cake in Malaysia, is now available all over Syria and sold in huge boxes. All I need is to drop by at any of the offices of the client and there is always a tray filled with cherries which they always insist (practically force) that I savour some. And after that I'm always asked to join them for shai (tea). They are big tea drinkers here - I do wonder whether the 400 workers of the station comes to work or to drink tea?? Btw, 400 workers is almost 1 worker per MW. But I really have to make sure the amount of sugar they put into my glass. They are kind of sugar-inclined, 5 spoons of sugar into your tea, anyone?

Well... seems my post this time kinda scattery with a lot of diversions from the main line of story. Anyway, it's harvesting season in Syria. Soon the wheat will be completely harvested and they'll replant with a different kind of produce as summer is here and wheat don't go well with the heat.

Being a teacher...

This is me being a teacher to several engineers in a power station. Here we are, conducting a practical session in the workshop:
And here is me giving them an open-book examination: