Sacred Destinations

Many who have not been to Syria think that this is some kind dangerous country, an enemy of the mighty superpower USA. It is sad that this country has been ignored for so many years, its people living in ignorance and deprived of the development seen by many other nations. Nevertheless, in a sense it is good that the country is still quite untainted with modern development and you can pretty much see many sights in its original condition (ruins). It is a matter of time before the country will eventually open up and sanctions by the US stops. Meanwhile, you can enjoy the many untainted views of this country.

Although predominantly Muslim, the country is home to many Christian, Roman, Byzantine etc. monuments. The list is endless:

• Bride of the Desert - Palmyra (mentioned in the Old Testament)
• The Roman city of Apamea
• The mighty amphitheater in Bosra
• The only surviving Aramaic-speaking community of Maalula
• The "greatest crusader castle" of Krak Des Chaveliers
• The Dead Cities of Sherjilla, Al Bara, Ebla etc. which were once cities of the Byzantine era
• Qalat Sala'a'din which is said to be one of the most beautiful overlooking the Mediterranean Sea
• One of the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world - Aleppo
• Endless scenery of beautiful mountains and farms in the "green" north-west part of Syria (looks as if you're in Switzerland!)

The many sights make a tour of Syria truly a heritage tour and makes the visit sacred. So if anyone of you would like a crash course of world history and religion, visit Syria. You may visit the website of Sacred Destinations for more insights into what Syria has to offer - http://www.sacred-destinations.com/syria/.

On the way to Baghdad, Iraq!

The road to Iraq:And now on the way to Baghdad!!!

Bride of the Desert

Last Friday, I visited the Bride of the Desert - the ancient city of Palmyra. It is about 3+ hours drive from Jisr Al-Shogour but it was worth all the time and effort. Palmyra was said to be fortified by Solomon and was mentioned in the Old Testament. It used to be a major trading hub for the old east-west trade route. Ancient ruins of this site still stands as testament to the glory of the good old days!

For some tips on travelling to Palmyra, visit my Virtual Tourist web page.

Another Day in Syria

Another day in Syria. Life in Syria, especially in Jisr-Al-Shoghour is pretty routine. Time is definitely on my side - I have more than enough time to do my daily tasks, ponder about life, think about nonsense etc.

I wake up every morning around 6.30 AM. Initially, this was the toughest part of the day coz it was freaking cold in winter. But now in spring, it's much warmer. After a short bath, I will take some breakfast while watching the Al Jazeera news which would be broadcast from the Kuala Lumpur center. Good chance to update myself with world news, especially from Asia. You see, unlike Abu Dhabi, I can't find any English newspapers in Syria. It is ironic, I'm abreast with news from all over the world, but have no idea of what's happening in Syria. At around 7.45 AM, the driver will arrive to pick me and other colleagues to work. The plant is about 15 minutes away.

In the office, the friendly tea-lady Maria will start offering coffee while I prepare for the morning meeting. Thereafter, it's off to work. In between, I have enough time to check my emails, pay my bills, check out the latest happenings in Malaysia and chat with whoever has time to spare. Lunch time is actually home-cooked shared with a Filipino colleague.

At around 5pm, we start to leave the office. On the way, we may stop by at the Bukit Bintang, Chow Kit or Petaling Street of Jisr-Al-Shogour to buy some groceries or even do some marketing. Chickens are aplenty but fish hard to come by. Vegetables are fresh this time of the year. And at the local "supermarket" (we foreigners call it the micromarket), the storekeeper gives us complimentary nescafe packs each time, so that is one thing less to buy.

After that it is off back to home. Cook a bit of dinner, watch the TV. Only thing good is, there are thousands of satellite channels to watch. I have on my favorite list movie and series channel, some with good re-runs of old series like Frasier and Friends to keep me occupy. Hopefully by around 10pm, I will feel sleepy and go to bed. That is for me, another day in Syria!

2 Bukit, 1 Batang

It's really ridiculous that Malaysian politics have finally come to the stage of 2 bukit and 1 batang. Many people are saying this tri-elections would become a referendum for Najib's administration. But I think it's rather unfair to give Najib such a heavy baggage. After all, he can't change the sentiment of the Rakyat overnight.

Although I am thousands of kilometers away, I'm following the results of the elections closely via Malaysiakini. Unfortunately, the main stream medias are better than useless when it comes to getting updated information.

Regardless, it's practically known from start that Pakatan will catch hold of the 2 bukits while BN will retain the sole Batang. The fact we have bukits and batang is a joke. Basically, the status quo remains and nothing has changed. The balance of power in the parliament and state assemblies remain the same. But a strong win by Pakatan indicates that time is running out for BN. If they are still not geared for some real work (which I've yet to see any real sincerity and commitment), then Najib must start preparing to sit on the opposite side of the parliament 4 years from now. It's not that I like Anwar, but I guess with the state of things going on, I think Barisan is headed for certain destruction.

Malaysians, prepare for the change soon.... looks like we are in for it real soon... I can't imagine Malaysia without BN in power. But then again, we must accept that the only thing constant is change.

Jisr Al Shougour (جسر الشغور)

That is the name of the small little town I'm living in now, somewhere in the north of Syria. This small, obscure little place is hard to come by in the Internet. It is approximately 3-4 hours away from Damascus. The nearest city is Aleppo which is about 1+ hour away.

Located about 170m above sea level, the town is pretty mountainous with houses and shops built all around the hill side. Pretty a dead town although it has some shops for provisions and restaurants. But that is pretty much all there is here. There seems to be hardly any industry here. The only ones are a sugar factory (which looks like it's crumbling) and the power station where I work in. I guess the rest of the population is preoccupied with agriculture. They do have very fresh vegetables, fruits and meat here.

And by the way, summer daylight saving just kicked in on the 27th March in Syria. I had to advance my clock from GMT+2 to GMT+3. Feels so weird, first time I had to do this. It was on a Friday which is a weekend here. Thank God, otherwise it may have created some confusion. Or maybe it only confuses people like me who come from a place where there is no such thing as winter or summer - just plain hot weather all year round.

I am in Syria!

I'm blogging for the first time from Syria. Have been here since 16.03.09 and may continue to be here for the next couple of months. I'm staying in a small town called Jiser Al Shoghour, which is almost 4 hours north of Damascus. The scenery here is very beautiful - lotsa greens and the weather is now still cold as it is winter.

I've nothing in particular to blog about as I've just arrived here and still trying to fit in with a completely different culture. The people are nice and the environment really authentically Arabic unlike Abu Dhabi. Will blog more often with details when I find time.

What I browse for...

Web pages that I frequent the most (almost daily), besides e-mail:

1. Facebook - the place I get to know what's going on with my contacts! And I met so many old friends and classmates. (http://www.facebook.com/)
2. The Star - to know what's going on in Malaysia. (http://thestar.com.my/)
3. Malaysia Finance Blog - to know what's going on in our current financial glut. And also nice pictures of beautiful girls. (http://malaysiafinance.blogspot.com/)
4. Wee Choo Keong - my MP lah. Want to know what he's up to. He keeps an eye on the government and I shall keep an eye on him! (http://weechookeong.wordpress.com/)
5. Che Det - always nice to hear from the greatest leader of Malaysia. (http://www.chedet.cc/)
6. Gulf News - odd but I still have an interest to know what's going on in a place I've stayed for more than half a year. Also, it's sometimes interesting to read Malaysian news from an Arabian perspective. (http://www.gulfnews.com/)
7. Virtual Tourist - the holiday instinct in me. I want more holidays. (http://www.virtualtourist.com/)
8. YTL Community - what happens in YTL may affect me. (http://www.ytlcommunity.com/)
9. Some friend's blogs. Just want to kay-poh.
10. Some other blogs and websites not quite fit to be listed here!!! (http://.... oops I can't mention here)

I'm back in KL for the weekend and to clear some compensation leaves. But alas, my rest & relax plan is kinda shortened. Will be flying to Manila tomorrow for some work. My first trip to the Phillippines. And after that I need to go back to JB for more work. Seem to have lots of things to do and wondering how am I gonna get it all done in time. And not to mention, my Syrian bells may be ringing soon too! Aaaai..... working life, don't you miss those schooling years?

Busy on leave

Was on leave today but still kept myself busy running around town.

• Woke up at 9AM and had breakfast near my house. Had my favorite Roti Telor Bawang & Roti Kosong. Tried Teh C for the first time, not very nice. Maybe it's just the kopitiam.
• Went to HSBC Bank to settle my security device problem. I could not log on to my e-banking for the past few months because of the device. It seems that it was a 'synchronizing' problem between the device and the database! And while I was there I applied for telebanking and requested for a new PIN. A credit card with PIN is quite useful when I'm overseas and running out of cash.
• Then proceeded to Pensonic service center. I bought a vacuum cleaner last week, used it for a day and it was not working on the next day. Sent my sadly defective vacuum cleaner for a warranty claim. I want it fixed fast to do some cleaning of the ceiling and some troublesome spots.
• Then I went to JPJ office at Taman Daya to apply for a new International Driver's Permit (IDP). I may be going to Syria for a couple of months soon. So I just get an IDP just in case. I don't want to be immobilized in a foreign land! If only they issue IDP for more than 1-year duration! The staff at JPJ is really quite efficient nowadays. They are cheerful and polite. Gone were the days when it was a nightmare going to a government department. At least, something has improved in the civil service! For those who want to apply for an IDP, fill-up a form (downloadable from http://www.jpj.gov.my, present original and copies of IC & driving license (valid for at least one more year) & submit 2 photos. The price is RM150.
• Went to EPF office in the city center to activate my i-Akaun. Now I can check all my EPF details online. This was not in my plan but since I drove past the EPF building, I just turned in to get it done.
• Went to the State Library to return my two overdue books. Actually, I've not finished reading one of them but I got another copy from elsewhere and decided to return the book. I may take forever to finish my reading! It was an interesting book - 'The World is Flat' although I should've read it years ago. Better late than never.
• Went to the banks for some banking chores. And actually used an EPF kiosk at Public Bank to print my 2008 statement! Happy to see the fund grow in size but still a long, long, long way to go!
• Had lunch at Sedap Corner. Chicken paprik rice.
• Went to exchange a Matlab installer which didn't work. I got a trainee to do some calculations (numerical methods) for a protection function. She decided to use Matlab which I don't have in my laptop anymore.
• Went to develop some photos from the Lunar New Year, Mum's birthday dinner, Kuching trip and company's annual dinner.
• Went to the bus station to purchase bus tickets for this weekend's KL home trip.
• Came home and tried the new Matlab instaler. After an hour of trying it's still not working. I think I'll have to give up.
• Newspaper reading - wondering what crap we are having in Malaysian politics nowadays. The whole world is concerned over the financial crisis. But here in Malaysia, the people who should be concerned are busy with elections, toad-hopping and basically doing all nonsense at the expense of taxpayer's money. So much for Vision 2020!

And that was how I spent the day on leave! And next I should go for dinner before continuing with my 'The World is Flat' reading.

For those who have not seen how an IDP looks like. Well the pics are below. It's basically a 10-page booklet in various languages.

The leap forward & backward

That's what is happening lately in Malaysia. Frogs leaping everywhere from one side to the other and even back. But to name them frogs would be demeaning to frogs the world over. I would rather call them toads. Not sure, but toads seem to be of a class lower than frogs. Of course, the latest phenomena due to King of Toads himself who has been credited with carrying the biggest Toad Coup years ago in the Land Below The Winds. Remember also a toad with outrageous sideburns & moustache? This thus started the culture of hopping around. You see, these guys are really good at doing their job of hopping here and there. So much so, they are kept busy from doing other things they said they would do when we they ran around fishing for support.

So after the great leap forward somewhere last year, the King of Toads has been drumming up his leaping act with deadlines after deadlines. Basically, His Majesty made a joke out of himself. And this time it serves him right since he has finally bitten his own bullet or 'hop-pill'. Literally, it is padan muka! But this doesn't mean I support all this hopping. The act is morally despicable. They can say anything about 'forming a strong toad-kingdom' but the fact remains that these toads lack integrity and cannot be trusted for anything as simple as throwing the garbage out. They themselves are basically garbage!

And did I mention the King of Toad (some say he's involved in unnatural sexual acts) has now been dethroned by an aristocrat bald Toad? But beware that these latest acts may not be taken lightly and some punishment may be meted out in another 3-4 years! Oh yea..... some fun days ahead! Happy Toad Leaping!

*** The above story is pure fiction and has no resemblance to reality. Any similarity in character, events or toads are deeply regretable. And I mean no harm or discrimination to toads (or frogs).