The Cold Stone Experience

Faizly has been telling me about this unique ice cream shop in Roppongi. “Best kak… Tak mahal pun, 500 yen je… Baik akak try” He personally suggested one ice cream with peanut butter mix-in, which appears on the page in which Cold Stone Creamery describes its’ “creations” (as against ‘flavors’).

Ok, what makes Cold Stone different from Haagen Daaz or Baskin Robbins is that one gets to mix and match different flavors into their order. Instead of toppings, they have mix-ins, because the additional flavors are blended in the ice cream instead of being a last minute topping.

So, last Friday, Ridzuan, hubby and I went to Roppongi Hills after Asar to try the ice cream at the Cold Stone Creamery. I had done some homework, so we went there prepared with the list of ingredients for our own crazy creations for hubby and I. However, upon reaching there, we found out that the ice cream selection in a Japanese outlet (currently they have 8 shops, of which 4 are in Tokyo area) is not as vast as in their USA counterpart. I was quite disappointed to note that no Bubble Gum, Cotton Candy or Cake Batter flavors were on the display, and even the mix-ins selection too is a tad limited. I guess it must be due to trying to cater to Japanese’s rather bland taste bud. Japanese like delicate flavors and flavors that blend well together; nothing too sweet, yet fresh and fruity. That explains why Strawberry Shortcake Serenade (sweet cream ice cream, strawberries, yellow cake and whipped cream) and Berry, Berry, Berry Good (sweet cream ice cream, strawberries, raspberries, blue berries) are popular here

Since I was given the task to do the ordering (because neither hubby nor Ridzuan wanted to stand in the long queue in the freezing weather), I decided to just add-in a little bit on their Original Creations – cute, creative and yummy-sounding names with matching taste, if you ask me. Ridzuan asked for Chocolate Devotion (chocolate ice cream, chocolate brownies, chocolate chips, and chocolate fudge) added with roasted almond. I chose Cheesecake Fantasy (cheesecake ice cream, strawberries, blue berries, Graham’s pie crust) added with raspberries and pistachio nuts for myself. Since they don’t offer Candy Land (cake batter ice cream, M&Ms, Snickers, Kit-kat), I finally settled on ordering Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip (mint ice cream, chocolate chips, brownie, fudge) added with M&M’s, Kit-kat and whipped cream for hubby.

The creations come in three different sizes -"Like It" (Small), "Love It" (Medium), and "Gotta Have It" (Really huge portion). I chose to pay additional 50 yen for the fresh-from-the-oven waffle bowls. The waffle cones and bowls could come plain or dipped in chocolate syrup, and I chose the latter.

Watching the crew prepared the ice cream was an experience not to be missed. The crew scoop out the ice cream with two scoops, put the ice cream on a flat granite counter (which immediately reminded me of the flat pan we use to make okonomiyaki or murtabak) to keep the ice cream from melting, then all the different mix-ins are added and blended together. It’s almost like watching somebody making rojak minus the mixing bowl. Finally, the mixed Creations are served in either regular Styrofoam cups or waffle cones and bowls.

Faizly did not experience this – but while waiting for my order, the whole crew sang the store theme songs. I later found out that they will also sing songs if a customer leave some tips in the tip jar at the cashier point – which could annoy some customers, but I found it kind of cute albeit a bit quirky.

I was surprised to note that the line had only grown longer as I returned to our seats – mostly made up of Japanese girls and gaijin. A girl handed out mini fleece blankets for us to warm our legs just before we started devouring our ice cream. The completed Creation looks very luxurious and delicious. The texture of the ice cream is very creamy and rich, and slightly to the lighter side, perfect for blending the additional mix-ins’ taste.

My Cheesecake Fantasy

I simply loved the Cheesecake Fantasy. It’s because I can choose between having strawberry cheesecake, blue berry cheesecake or raspberry cheesecake alternatively as I chose how to spoon my ice cream. The ice cream itself was to die for – it tastes better than Haagen Daaz’s cheesecake and I thought that was already awesome.

Hubby's Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip

Hubby’s Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip was not too bad – but he said it might taste better if I added in some nuts – macadamia, pecan, almond or pistachio – or Graham’s pie crust to balance the sweetness. I thought it was already good though – maybe it became a tad too sweet due to the additional M&M’s and Kit-kat (which hubby is fond of).

Ridzuan's half-eaten Chocolate Devotion

Chocolate Devotion however is strictly for chocolate lovers. I found it to be a bit overwhelming in taste. Even Ridzuan who is a self-professed chocolate lover could not finish his due to its over-chocolatey taste and size. But then again, hubby too did not manage to finish his, so I guess it’s recommended for the guys to go for the small size instead of medium. Leave the medium ones for girls and don’t even contemplate having a large order…

Huzaifah nibbling on the chocolate-dipped waffle

The price is slightly expensive (over 2000 yen for three medium-size servings), but it could be a great treat once in a while. Already we are contemplating a return trip – probably when Ridzuan’s wife arrive in Japan. She’s still in Malaysia and would be joining Ridzuan sometime in early 2007. The atmosphere is nice, the ice cream simply delicious, with friendly crews. Just hope that the queue is not that long – or else it could be quite frustrating to wait since the longer the queue is the less chance of you wanting a tasting spree before ordering so that you don’t infuriate other waiting customers.

Unfortunately, there is no Cold Stone Creamery outlet yet in Malaysia – but chances are they will expand there someday. When the time comes, go grab one dish and taste it for yourself.

Hijab only makes her faster...

Here’s to salute Ruqaya Al-Ghasara for showing the world that a Muslim woman, in hijab and full-body suit, can win a gold medal in a 200m race in the Asian Games without donning body-fitting and skimpy outfit.

And we thank her too for the short display of sujud syukur and raising her hands for a quick ‘doa.

She was reported as saying that the feeling was incredible. Yeah, just watching her winning amidst all those runners in ‘seluar spender' as hubby called it - we felt that way too…

Passing it on...

I must say that hubby and I are very much indebted to Ridzuan - who has been acting as our courier man twice already, bringing us packages from Malaysia. When asked what we can do as a way to repay his kindness (apart from treating him out at Deniz in Takadanobaba, our favourite Turkish restaurant), he quickly replied that no, he doesn't expect anything in return, that it has been his pleasure to be of help. “Friends used to help bringing packages for me when I was a student myself. Since I can’t repay them, why shouldn’t I carry on the gestures to others?” This – from somebody we never met in person when he first offered (by e-mail) to bring some stuff for us from KL to Tokyo.

His words reminded me of what Mak used to tell me – whenever possible, try to help others and don’t expect anything in return, because when you sincerely help others, Allah will help you in ways you never expected. It might not happen immediately, it might not happen soon – it often happens when you most need it and least expect it. And like Ridzuan said, when you have been the recipient of an act of kindness and you can’t repay the person who has been helpful to you, you might as well pass it on to others.

#####

Talking about acts of kindness reminds me of Kak Liza and Abang Bad – or maybe I should address him as Dr Badrol since he had already gotten his PhD and now a professor in UTP, Tronoh – who took me in their home one summer holiday a long time ago. I flunked some papers and had to re-sit some exams, and since the exams were held during vacation, I had nowhere to live because my dormitory was not yet opened.

Kak Liza welcomed me to stay at their home for the two weeks course, not asking for a single penny in rental or utilities. She even asked me to join her little family (there were Kak Liza, Abang Bad, little Iqbal and his sister Aula – but I’m quite sure the family has expanded since then) during meals. She always asked me if I wanted anything to eat or drink, and checking to make sure that I was comfortable. She didn’t allow me to do much housework, “Go study, it’s more important for you to pass the papers. Just leave the houseworks for me, no big deal”, she would have said. I didn’t want to impose but I also didn’t want to offend her by paying when she has implied that she did not expect me to do so. So, sometimes I bought cakes and some food for her kids – which of course, was nothing compared to what Kak Liza and Abang Bad must had spent on me. The accommodation, the utilities I consumed, the food I ate…

So, when a friend recently asked if he could bunk in at the mosque for maybe a couple of weeks before he leaves Tokyo next spring – I gladly told him that he’s welcomed anytime. It won’t be as comfortable as his current place, and he would probably has less privacy, but if it’s alright by him, then, by all means, he's most welcomed. I probably won’t be as hospitable as Kak Liza, but I guess it might be a chance of some sort for me to pass Kak Liza’s and Abang Bad’s kindness on to someone else…

Ni nen me no kinenbi

“Kakak ni nanti kahwin dengan orang yang berkaitan…” an old friend of my mom once remarked a few years before I was married. Not that I ever believe in superstitious stuff, but the word “berkaitan” rather perplexed me.

“Berkaitan macam mana Tok?”, I asked for further clarification. After all, at that time I was having a huge crush on a fellow DPA course mate – and surely belonging to the same institute at the same time could be considered “berkaitan”, right?

“Isy, susah aar Tok nak cakap, tapi pusing lagu mana pun, orang ni berkaitan la..”

Fast forward a couple of years later – and hey, what do you know – hubby turned out to be definitely “berkaitan” –
his “kaitan” with Ayah’s ustaz who first introduced him to us;
the “kaitan” through his uncle who has been our family friend for ages, who had in fact once helped Ayah and his brother pay some bank loan by mortgaging one of his properties;
the “kaitan” through his elder sister and younger brother who used to be my seniors in school;
his “kaitan” with my biological mother, sharing same old ancestors from Pattani.

After two years of being married, here’s hoping that our “kaitan” will only be strengthened for many more years to come…

* This is the first time we celebrated our anniversary together since last year I was in Tokyo while he was still in Malaysia. After remaining undecided between going to Takao for momiji or visiting the Sea World Park in Kasai for quite some time, we ended up actually spending the day playing tourist in Tokyo. Just paying 710 yen each for Tokyo Metro one-day ticket, we
- enjoyed momiji in Shinjuku Gyoen,
- played with yellow gingko leaves in Yoyogi/Meiji Jingu Koen,
- watched swans gracefully swimming as well as enjoying nice fountains near Imperial Palace,
- went up Sunshine 60 building as well as went gaga over a lot of stuff in Toyota showroom in Ikebukuro,
- prayed in Otsuka Mosque,
- sampled miniatures of different cakes/tarts and took a closer inspection of the latest Skyline model in the Nissan showroom in Ginza, and
- dined in our favourite Turkish retaurant which served halal food in Takadanobaba.

Oh my, it was indeed a very long day - but with the really sunny weather, not too cold temperature and Huzaifah seemingly enjoying the day thoroughly too, it was quite a memorable anniversary, alhamdulillah...

You know that you are sekufu'...

... when you got a huge teddy bear as a birthday gift;
and he got this (on his request) for an (early) anniversary gift...

* He started working on the model immediately after we arrived home and spent 6 straight hours to finish it...

Seriously, I am four months pregnant...

Alhamdulillah, my current morning sickness is limited to just one session every morning – a vast improvement compared to when I was pregnant with Huzaifah because back then it was repeated journeys to the toilet a few times a day everyday until the very morning I gave birth.

I have better tolerance towards smells too. I can now menumis – a big no-no last few months. Tried cooking rendang as requested by hubby last week. The trial went so well that I also cooked kuah lodeh that day – my first time cooking both rendang and kuah lodeh this Syawal. No nasi himpit though – too lazy to boil the instant packets that we brought from Malaysia.

I still don’t look 4 months pregnant – or so I have been told by everybody. In fact, during Open Houses (at friends’ places) some have commented that I look as if I had lost some weight. At school, most colleagues were shocked when they learned that I am four months pregnant. They say that I look tired, but I don’t look pregnant, which reminded me of a comment I got when I was 5 months pregnant with Huzaifah – ‘perut takdo, hongehnyo ado...’ The pale “tired look” could possibly be due to low blood pressure and low quantity of hemoglobin in the blood.

Yes, I’m a bit anemic, but nothing to worry about. That’s what the old and frail male gynecologist I went to see for my first checkup in Tokyo told me. Old and frail suited him well, I kid you not, since his hair is all white, he has even lost some of his front teeth and walk slowly. He cannot speak English, but his wife, also a doctor but not an O&G expert, could to some extent. So we conversed in a mix of Nihongo and English. The place I went is just a small clinic – so they are going to give me a letter of introduction to a bigger hospital for further checkup and delivery after my 20 weeks checkup. Hubby and I have set our sight on Joshie Ii Dai Byoin in Arakawa-ku as the place to give birth since it’s a Women Medical University Hospital, so chances are better of securing a lady doctor there compared to Bokutoh Hospital, a Tokyo government hospital in Sumida-ku.

The truth is I don’t really mind not looking pregnant yet most of the time – it’s only when I board the train that I wish strangers can tell that I’m pregnant so that nobody won’t think I’m wrongfully hogging the special seats reserved for the elderly, handicapped, pregnant mommies and parents with small children. I used to put a small pin-up button reading ‘Onaka ni akachan ga imasu’ (There’s a baby in my tummy) featuring a picture of mommy and baby on my school bag – but it became faulty, so I could no longer use it. Oh well….

"Changes in Pregnancy
- You are enjoying feeling better than you did last month.
- Because your placenta has taken over the production of the pregnancy hormones, you may feel a bit better in the second trimester.
- Some women will begin to have their bellies show at this point, though most women do not yet need maternity clothes
- Because of the extra blood volume your body needs during pregnancy, your heart will be beating more rapidly.

Emotional Mom
- You may be frustrated that you don't outwardly look pregnant to strangers on the street."

Extracted from this site

It's good, it's great - but we need time out too

“How do you feel about getting another baby?”, asked Emi, a Japanese girl who I first met during Waseda entrance exam last summer and now attending the Human Rights and Development class I’m enrolled in.

She asked that during lunch because I just wondered loudly in the class for everyone to ponder – why women in industrialized countries – despite their empowerment, despite being assured of ability to provide access to education, health services, immunization, safe water, bla, bla, bla – are not being encouraged by Human Rights group to have babies, where else women in the Third world – in spite of all their shortcomings – continue risking having more babies.

The children rights issue had everyone talking – from listening to Ali, an Afghan, sharing his thoughts on child soldiers, learning that our Cambodians classmates do not had any birth certificate until recently and that only 7 percent of babies born in Bangladesh are actually registered, pondering about the rights of parents wanting to have more than a child in China and to increase our awareness of children living in shadows everywhere. We were asked to read several chapters of Unicef’s report on “The State of the World’s Children 2006”, paying special attention to ‘excluded’ and ‘invisible’ children. Blame it on my raging hormones – but there were times while reading about misplaced children due to armed conflicts, girls forced into early marriages rendering them servants for the rest of their lives, illegally trafficked children involved in the underworld, homeless children and HIV-positive children facing torment – which touched me so greatly that made me shed a tear or two. It was an academic report – not a novel, and far from a movie – yet I was so moved by the plight of these children who have loss their childhood, who are most in need of care and protection, yet are often forgotten and excluded in many countries, societies and communities.

Coming back to Emi – “First, a baby is a gift from God, so of course I am happy to be the recipient of such a precious gift. Secondly, God willing, I am sure I am capable of providing all the basic necessities – health services, immunization, education, bla, bla, bla. More importantly, hubby and I will try to provide all the love and nurturing the baby needs too. It’s the world that he or she grows in that I have no actual control of – and that’s what scares me most.”

“But you have a child now, and you are studying for your Masters, are you sure it won’t be a problem for you?”, Piseth, a Cambodian friend who just got married in February to a 19 year old girl, questioned.

“Well, having a child could help strengthening my relationship with my husband. He helps with the household chores, he helps with the baby stuff that need to be done. It all adds up to make me appreciate and love him more. And I am well aware that not all husbands are willing to make the sacrifices that he does,” I answered quietly.

“You are one lucky lady, shining so brightly with happiness..Oh, I’m getting blinded sitting next to you” Emi teased.

#####

Yes, it’s true, having a child and raising him ourselves, spending almost 24/7 with him give us a test that not all parents are subjected to. My working friends send their children to nursery or day-care centres or leave them at home during office hours with their domestic helper. Hubby and I – we are almost stay-at-home-parents, although I am supposed to be a full time Masters student and he, the Imam of a mosque.

When Huzaifah gets his adik next spring insya Allah, his father and I will have to work more creatively on creating schedules to work around the two of them – multi tasking, organizing stuff for optimum effectiveness and so on. Right now, with Huzaifah being able to walk and climb dining table and oven yet still unable to appreciate that he should leave freshly folded clothes alone – it’s getting to be a bit difficult to remain sane at all times. Especially so when the father begin to lecture about keeping the house tidy when there’s an assignment due the next day.

That’s why I am thankful of Tuesdays and Thursdays (the days I have to go to school) – when I can take my breather away from my beloved son and hubby and messy house for a while, when I can stop thinking about the dirty sink or the smelly diaper or the thick pile of laundry waiting to be attended to. It’s not just about going to class and meeting friends and discussing world politics. It also means getting some private time for me to read novel in the train, to blog or bloghopping a little, to window shop sometimes, to get my monthly treat of tendon at Tenya, to sit in a park or just walk and indulge in people watching.

And I guess, hubby, like me, appreciates his Mondays and Wednesdays (when he goes teaching) for giving him some private time too…

Ramadhan that was and Eid... part 2

A little bit more that I should add：

- I think Faizly will make a fine husband to one lucky girl ine day insya Allah. For iftar on Khatam Quran day, he came to Asakusa to take care of a lot of things – preparing ayam masak merah and telur dadar mainly, and taking care of stuff otherwise including being Ujai’s babysitter every now and then. No thanks to me (who burnt the dish a little bit while Faizly was frying the telur dadar elsewhere) the ayam masak merah went a lil bit haywire – some said it looked like curry, others commented that it tasted like rending. But tengik or otherwise, it still tasted ok, alhamdulillah.

- The only time my family went out for iftar this year was when Encik Jasri, the current student counselor in Malaysian embassy came to take us out for a treat in Shagorika restaurant in Asakusa. Prior to that I had had my iftar outside a few times when I couldn’t be back home by Maghrib, but hubby had never had his iftar away from the mosque. Encik Jasri visited us a few days before Eid, to enable hubby’s friend, Ustaz Jalal from Jakim who was on one-month official duty in Japan, meeting us as well as to ask hubby for a favour. He asked if hubby could be the back-up Imam for Eidul Fitr prayer in the Malaysian embassy, which hubby had to decline since he was supposed to lead the Eid prayer in Asakusa. As for Eidul Adha, hubby would consult the ICOJ big shots and will get back to Encik Jasri later. Turned out that ICOJ actually managed to find a Pakistani imam to lead the Eidul Fitr prayer in Asakusa mosque – which we only learned about the night before Eid. Although a bit upset by the late revelation by ICOJ, hubby was relieved anyway, since the Eid prayer was done in accordance with the Hanafi custom rather than Shafie custom…

- Received one Nihonjin guest who wanted to pay Fitrah at 1 o’clock in the morning 2 days before Eid. She became a Muslim in Malaysia, when she was given the opportunity for a one-year overseas posting by her company. She is still in touch with her Malaysian adopted family who introduced her to Islam and even said that she wish she could live in Malaysia. But the exchange rate is not in her favour right now since she also has responsibility towards her parents. I asked her why didn’t she go and pay fitrah in another mosque not far from where she works, her answer was – the people there are not friendly, therefore she prefers not to go there. She said that the people there probed about a lot of things she prefers not to discuss, such as why is she not wearing the hijab, when is she going to pray five times a day at allotted times, bla, bla, bla…

- It wasn’t the first time I heard of such thing in Japan. Another Nihonjin friend of mine once remarked that the people at that particular mosque are rather “kibishi”　(strict, rigid), thus she doesn’t feel comfortable going there. I was surprised to learn that compared to born Muslims, sometimes, Nihonjin muallaf could be harder on their fellow muallaf. I thought, being new Muslims themselves, they should be able to understand the trials and tribulations their fellow new Muslim has to undergo, and thus be more understanding and supporting instead of the other way round. A sad thing really.

- Oh, by the way – that 72 year old pakcik mentioned in the earlier post – he has yet to return to the mosque. One of the regulars for terawikh in our mosque said he believed the ojisan would never return – he just wanted some instant easy cash… Well, we never know, kan…

- Hubby got plenty of duit raya this year, alhamdulillah. Huzaifah got 1000 yen and RM10 so far. I didn’t get any. What I got instead was an eye infection upon waking up on the morning of Raya kedua. It was so painful and my right eye sight became so bad that I had to wait until around 4 o’clock before I was confident enough to cycle to a clinic nearby. Since then, I had gone for another check-up and my right eye seems to do okay now, alhamdulillah.

Ramadhan that was and Eid...

Some of my personal highlights of Ramadhan this year:

- Completed one month of fasting with no break for the first time ever in almost 20 years time…

- Learned from Rukayne, an ethnic Kurdish with French-Turkish dual citizenship, that in Hanafi mazhab, Muslims are not allowed to eat seafood other than certain fish. That means no shrimp, crab, squid, octopus, etc – and that really limits her choices whenever her husband and her opt to eat out in Japan.

- Rukayne kept insisting that I should further my study until the highest level possible. She had gotten her PhD in France and she would love to see more Muslim sisters achieve what she had achieved so far. “It’s a must sister. Those who could, should prove to others that we Muslim women are just as good, if not better than non Muslim women”. Since I was feeling a bit anxious about raising a child and a baby while pursuing a Masters degree, her words was very refreshing

- Received some extra words of encouragement from a friend who used to do her PhD in Bristol, since she had been in the same boat – pregnant-with-another-child-while studying. She did it, insya Allah I could too…

- Received a 72 year old Nihonjin guest one Maghrib, who confessed that he now believed in Allah as One True God. Spent a long time answering his queries as he compared Islam to Christianity with limited Nihongo vocabulary. He kept stressing that one of the reasons he found Islam appealing is because Muslims are supposed to help each other, to give charity… At the end of the discussion, he asked for 10,000 yen from the mosque to help him settle some financial matters. We did not dare to use the mosque’s money without some go ahead of ICOJ superiors, so we just gave him a small amount of our own money. We invited him for dinner too, to have what had had for iftar. He agreed – and he amazed us by eating whole date unpitted. He promised to come back a few days after Eid for formal conversion to Islam – so we’ll wait and see…

- Received good-old-traditional kad raya from Malaysia – one addressed to hubby from his elder sister and the other addressed to me from Siti Jue. Yatta!

- Meeting friends, exchanging thoughts and opinions as well as swapping stories on this and that during few occasions such as Semarak Ramadhan 1 and 2 organized by AMIR, Khatam Quran ceremony and 2 other public iftar hosted at the mosque.

- Collected my boshi tetcho – maternal and child health handbook from the Health Department of the Ward Office. But yet to go for any maternity check-up here in Japan. Still undecided on which hospital to go to… And still undecided whether it’s better to have a woman doctor who cannot speak English or a male doctor who could.

- Managed to cook nasi tomato for last day of Ramadhan as well as supervised hubby to make ayam masak merah. We ate that as well as some instant ketupat with serunding for Eid breakfast this morning, alhamdulillah.

Selamat hari raya to all.
May Allah bless you and may you have a wonderful Eid wherever you may be.

p/s: I gave the 10.40 a.m. class this morning a miss and met the sensei just before I went for my compulsory weekly meeting with my academic advisor to explain the reason for my (and other Malaysian friends') absence. His response - "Yeah, sure it's okay. Cultural diversity comes first..."

One week to go...

Insya Allah next week we will be celebrating Eid.
Alhamdulillah so far I have not ponteng puasa. There’s a lot of headaches and vomiting but since iftar is at around 5.00 p.m., I found no real reason not to fast. If I get to fast for the whole month this year, it’ll be a first for me since I hit puberty, and that’s kind of cool.

But cool or otherwise, I haven’t khatam the Quran. I initially hoped that I could khatam twice this year seeing that I have no off-day from reading the Quran, but I guess I’m just too lazy kot… I definitely have been spending too many mornings under the blanket on the futon until near midday…

The Malaysian group of students who came for semarak Ramadhan on the 1st of Ramadhan had another semarak Ramadhan program last weeked. It was good to be around Malaysians, speaking Malay, eating iftar and sahur together, chatting and laughing. It was especially great being able to perform terawih in a group while Ujai was being looked after by some other girls. After endless nights of praying alone on the ladies floor, I must say that it definitely felt good to be in a jemaah.

This past month, there were a few occasions on which we had iftar with others. Rafi, a Pakistani working in an Indian restaurant in Ueno offered to cook on Fridays at the mosque. His cousin, Islam, too has his day off on Fridays, so he joined us having iftar at the mosque too.

Ella, an Indonesian married to Abdullah, a Japanese-American lives about 10 minutes away and just delievered a beautiful baby boy named Muhammad Raihan. They held a small kenduri kesyukuran during iftar the second Sunday in Ramadhan at the mosque. Then, last Sunday, as consolation for preventing hubby and I from attending an iftar invitation in another mosque, one of the regular attenders of the mosque called up his friend and cooked up some beriyani for iftar at our mosque. So there – those were the days when hubby get to have his iftar with something different from my usual iftar stuff. Usual means mostly porridges – bubur lambuk, bubur bilis, bubur udang, bubur sosej, bla bla bla. On one occasion when he requested to have nasi lemak for iftar, I prepared the nasi lemak, but he cooked the sambal, since I could not stand the smell of simmering oil.

Anyway, with the coming of Syawal, soon we will be seeing an end of the porridge time... At least I hope so...

Hisashiburi...

I know I have no real excuse for not writing... but hope this quick message will suffice for now :

I have registered as a first year student in Waseda GSAPS.I am going to submit my application for Mombusho scholarship extension soon. I can transfer 5 courses, so that means I have 6 more courses to finish, at least. I initially thought of finishing all 6 courses this semester - 4 in fall and 2 in winter, but now I am reconsidering this notion because of health reasons...

I feel happy and blessed because for the first time, I get to pray terawih led by my own husband who recites more than one juzuk of Quran each night in order to khatam before Ramadhan ends.

I miss praying terawih among a lot of people at the masjid though. We normally get just 3-5 guys coming and no ladies. Which mean Huzaifah and I conquer the whole ladies' floor almost every night except for the first night when a group of Malaysian students had their 'semarak Ramadhan' program here.

Huzaifah is not feeling all that well now - probably due to the changing weather.

I am not feeling all that well now too - due to a lot of reasons.

The main reason is because Huzaifah is getting an adik, insya Allah.

Please make doa for me that everything will be well...

I am scared, excited, stressed, worried but I think we'll manage somehow... Hubby has been lending loads of strength - cooking, massaging, taking care of household chores... Things are sure different now, and they are going to get a lot more different come April insya Allah, but we'll take a day at a time...

Back home - for a while...

I’m in Malaysia now, just arrived last night with Huzaifah and got a really warm welcome from Ayah, Mak and Lia, our helper – who rushed to hug and kiss a surprised Huzaifah. He was okay in the flight – not quite cranky like he was on his first journey by flight last March. I guess, it might have something to do with the fact that he enjoyed the spacious and automatic seat in the business class. No, I don’t normally travel on business class unless on official trip. But this time around, I bought the business class ticket because the economy class was full, or so I was told by the travel agent I dealt with. Huzaifah and I took a walk down the aisle all the way to the back of the flight, and found out that in fact there were many vacant seats in economy class… but I am not complaining because traveling alone with a child who has just learned to walk but not yet understand how to stand still for a while could be quite a harrowing experience. I know I definitely received a lot of glances from others while trying to fill in the embarkation forms for both Huzaifah and I right before we went through the immigration in Narita airport. Alhamdulillah, Daud and Sarina went back on the same day with me (but they boarded an earlier flight), so they could give me a lift to the airport, otherwise, managing both the luggage and Huzaifah could prove to be yet another nightmare… Not to mention that the side handle of the big bag was broken while hubby took the bag downstairs…

There’s a long list of things to do – getting replacement for MyKad, driving licence, getting Huzaifah’s one-year-old injection, making new passport, getting new visa for the new passport, paying debts and the usual stuff of meeting and visiting family and friends. Actually neither hubby nor I planned to return this summer, but hubby had to attend to some stuff pertaining to his official appointment as a government servant, so Mak and Ayah persuaded me to take Ujai back home too, to celebrate his first birthday here in Malaysia, insya Allah. Not that we are planning a big celebration, but at least they get to be with him on his first birthday. Lia, our helper too, has miss him a lot. Huzaifah has just been back for less than a day, but already he’s been pampered like a prince. Since the house is not baby-proofed, Huzaifah is more likely to be seen on either Mak’s or Lia’s arm, rather than being allowed to wander and roam all over the house. Mak made beef soup especially for him today, even fed him some Ferraro Rocher chocolate when she saw that he was not that keen to finish the bottled baby meal I brought with me. The slightest ‘eek’ or ‘uuh’ uttered in raised voice by Huzaifah was quickly attended to, even when it was, well, nothing.

Huzaifah is definitely going to be subjected to a reorientation of living with just his dad and I when we go back. Oh, his dad is still in Tokyo right now. Will only be back in Malaysia on 5th September and we will go back together on 20th September, insya Allah. I know – just four days before Ramadhan… Zannen… But I don’t have much choice since the registration for new students in Waseda had been scheduled on 21st September.

I’ll try to update if I can manage to while I am in Malaysia, since the internet seems to be working better this time around than when I came back last year. Till then, take care and have a nice day.

Not some blog-wash after all...

* A belated entry which had been sitting in my draft bin for quite some time...

I chuckled when I first heard the news from hubby. I just came back from the hospital, while hubby stayed home that day, not visiting Huzaifah because he himself was not feeling well.

“Ofis lama Haida kena pantau blog-blog pulak…”

Eh, eh, pulak dah…

Hubby was referring to a nwspaper article stating that the Malaysian Cabinet had directed KTAK (as in K.T.A.K, not ktak, or even katak - it used to be KTKM, which were often confused with KTMB, but when the Water related functions were introduced, became KTAK. There had been some efforts to change the abbreviation to KKTA or KKAT, but the request had been turned down by the Cabinet...) to monitor blogs. The Communications department of the Ministry functions according to the provisions of Communications and Multimedia Acts 1998. And Section 3 (3) of CMA 1998 expressly stated that "Nothing in this Act shall be construed as permitting the censorship of the Internet.” . So, why should blogs be monitored when there should be no censorship of the Internet... But I guess, this will be one of the tasks that would go under “lain-lain tugasan seperti yang diarahkan dari semasa ke semasa”…

The government is worried about the spread of rumours and lies by way of blog, or so I was told. If found guilty, identified blog owners would be charged, perhaps under Sedition Act, Printing Presses and Publications Act or even Penal Code. But not CMA – so why ask the Ministry to undertake an effort that the Ministry could not act upon. Hmm, maybe the stakeholders want the Ministry to cooperate and liaise with other government agencies. The police, perhaps, or the Internal Ministry, or even the Bahagian Keselamatan of the Prime Minister’s Department. I chuckled at the thought of liaising with the police force though, remembering how long it took to convince all telecommunications service providers to cooperate with the police in order to increase the efficiency of the emergency call system. Chances are, it would probably be better for the Special Branch officers to continue their own monitoring of identified possible hazardous blogs, rather than relying on the Ministry.

It is funny to think that the call to monitor blogs came not long after a national newspaper loudly pronounced blogs as hokum bunkum (with the cover screaming BLOG-WASH). On one hand the mainstream media are saying that blogs are just some craps not to be minded, yet on the other hand, the government think highly enough of blogs to be capable of influencing the people’s thoughts and opinions. Ah-hah.

But when the task of monitoring blog was awarded to the Ministry, I wonder who will undertake the actual task anyway when the Ministry has almost always been understaffed and overworked for the past couple of years. Probably someone from the Content division. Or maybe someone from the Regulatory division. I also wonder, why not delegate the task to Communications and Multimedia Commission - they certainly have more people there than the Ministry... But then again, they too are supposed to function in accord with CMA 1998, which brought us to my above-mentioned point...

I wonder what will be the Key Performance Index (KPI) for this task – perhaps, how many blogs should be monitored a year, or how many blogs had been taken action against (when necessary), or that blogs would be classified so that some would not be touched at all (the kind that rants on and on about on and on, but nothing of great importance so as to pose a threat to national security) but only a handful which fulfill certain criteria would be subject to close scrutiny.

At the end of the day, I pretty much envy the person who would be in charge of monitoring blogs. Imagine, spending all day long blog-hopping, possibly becoming addicted to some, and one can honestly say that he or she is just carrying out the assigned official duty…

Another new Muslimah

We received the phone call when we were in the middle of attending to our child when he was terribly sick.

It was a Yemeni guy, asking us about necessary documents for someone to convert to Islam, as well as trying to make an appointment for a new Muslim conversion. I told him that he could bring his friend for conversion anytime but right then the timing was a bit off because we had a sick child to attend to. Hubby asked him to come to the mosque the next day.

At that time it did not occurred to us that Huzaifah would be hospitalized. Thus, when he was, hubby asked me to call up more senior members of ICOJ to attend to the Yemeni guy’s request since we might be held up at the hospital. We called, but it seemed that nobody was quite free that night to cater to the Yemeni’s guy request. Hubby decided to leave the hospital earlier than me, to prepare all the necessary documents and gifts (Islamic books for beginners) in case the guy show up with his friend - “Orang nak masuk Islam tak boleh lengah-lengahkan, nanti kalau jadi apa-apa, kita nak jawab apa…”

I left the hospital at 8.00 pm, after Huzaifah had gone to sleep. (Alhamdulillah, he always napped right before I had to leave the hospital, making it easier for me to leave quietly without seeing him crying, protesting my going away) I noticed the two extra pair of shoes on the shoe rack, but I found hubby alone in the office. We went upstairs together, and only then hubby noticed that there were two people waiting in the mosque after all – the Yemeni guy and his Nihonjin girlfriend.

Turned out that they hadn’t been waiting long, just that they didn’t know where to look for the Imam. They first introduced themselves in English, but soon after that hubby began conversing in Arabic with Hadi, the Yemeni guy while I chatted in my limited Nihongo with Sonoko-san. I apologized for our late welcome since I myself had just returned from the hospital. (It had been a long day for me – what with having to register Huzaifah for child welfare in Taito-ku ward office in Ueno first, and they requested some documents I’ve never heard of before, making it a lot more complicated than it was back in Gyotoku… In fact, that day, I reached the hospital later than Huzaifah’s other visitors – Kamarol and Mizan and his family, who were kind enough to visit all the way from Chiba…)

Things went far smoother this time compared to our first conversion experience. Hubby had prepared his script beforehand, spoke in Arabic and Hadi acted as translator for Sonoko-san. I was impressed with Hadi’s Nihongo, because he was so fluent and there was little trace of Arabic slang if at all in his Nihongo. I later found out that he’s a teacher in Yemen who works part time as tourist guide for Japanese and that was how he first met Sonoko-san. He was in Japan on Sonoko’s family invitation, to visit Sonoko-san’s father who has been hospitalized for some old age-related problems.

Actually, I was not only impressed, I was also envious. To date, while I may not be fluent, most Nihonjin I’ve talked to, often remarked that my Nihongo is rather good for someone who has been here for less than a year. However, since Nihonjin are known to be extra polite sometimes, I’m unsure whether they were honestly stating a fact or just being polite. Since our move to this mosque, my priority in learning Nihongo has shifted from trying to understand Japanese dorama, to at least be able to explain basic stuff in Islam to others who are interested to learn. The truth is, I can understand TV programs in Nihongo up to some extend now, but my spoken Nihongo is still too poor for me to be able to explain even Rukun Iman or Rukun Islam… I could answer simple questions like what time is Jumu’ah prayer held in the mosque, or do we have Quran lesson in the mosque, but whenever we get some phone calls asking fiqh related stuff, I always had to direct the callers to call others. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and that was exactly we had been advised to do by ICOJ committee members, but I still feel that I should be able to do better than that…

Anyway, back to the conversion…

Sonoko-san’s interest in Islam was first generated as she toured in a few Muslim countries – Yemen, Syria, Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia, to name a few. She too has taken an interest in learning Arabic, and in turn was further encouraged to learn more about Islam by her Indonesian Arabic language instructor. Understandably, her decision to convert was not well received by her family, but the presence of her Yemeni boyfriend in person had helped her to get that extra boost of confidence to take the leap of faith.

Just before converting, hubby asked her some questions relating to her interest in Islam, and her understanding of Islam so far, as well as whether she has come to Islam out of her own free will. It seemed that she had found a good coach in Hadi, who has helped in explaining and answering her questions before this. She too had ‘rehearsed’ uttering the syahadah, so when the time came for her to declare herself as a Muslim, it went rather well, as her Arabic is rather jouzu for a Nihonjin. She chose an old Arabic name, Lamees, as her Muslim name (as opposed to Fatimah, Aisyah and Mariam, popular names for Muslim Nihonjin), even saying “Ismi Lamees” (”My name is Lamees” in Arabic) when hubby asked her what is her Muslim name. No, it is not compulsory to have a new Muslim name when one becomes a Muslim, (Rasulullah’s companions did not change their name after their conversion just for the sake of changing their name – Umar was Umar before he became a Muslim and remained Umar after he converted) it is just a custom to do so, but I thought Lamees is a beautiful name which suits her nicely.

Hubby then proceeded to explain to her the basic tenets – Rukun Islam and Rukun Iman – in Arabic which was translated to Nihongo by Hadi. Then, after she was done with filling in her details, with Hadi and I acting as witnesses for her conversion, hubby handed a copy of the new Muslim certificate over to her. She held it with a wondrous look for a moment just before I requested for permission to take a photo of her showing off the certificate. She looked happy posing for the camera. Hadi even clapped his hand as he muttered omedetou gozaimas (congratulations) to her.

I then promised to call up another Muslim Nihonjin who might be able to answer her questions better and have better knowledge than me regarding Islamic classes conducted in Nihongo held in other Islamic center and mosques. She would like that, because she really want to learn more about Islam. It’s a new start, it’s a new life and she looks forward to learning being a good Muslim.

She knows that it’s not going to be easy. It is never easy for many. Most Muslim Nihonjin take some time adjusting to their new faith – to stop their drinking habit, change their eating habits, start praying… She was aware that it’s going to be a tough challenge, and it may take her five, six, or even ten years before she could be a fully practicing Muslim I encouraged her to take her time. What is important first and foremost is her belief in Allah AlMighty. Everything else will fall in its places accordingly, insya Allah.

I was surprised to learn that she lived in Shibuya, not too far from a famous mosque. I wondered loudly why they did not go there instead of coming all the way to Asakusa for her conversion. Hadi explained briefly that when he called them up, stating his interest in bringing a friend for a conversion ceremony, the mosque’s response had been rather cool. Yet, when he called us, both hubby and I welcomed him warmly, sounding eager to assist in any way we could. Thus, they chose to come to us.

Shocked and sad – my expression must had conveyed what I felt right then to them because she immediately reassured me that it’s okay, it doesn’t matter where she does it right, because she is already a Muslim now.

She is getting married to Hadi soon, and insya Allah I will share more about their wedding ceremony because they had chose to get married in Asakusa too.

That one Halal Shop in Shin Okubo...

Sorry for not writing for so long - I was held up by a lot of stuff, including but not limiting to having to be extra attentive to my son who after being discharged from the hospital seemed to be need double assurance at all time that he's never far from his parents, and on-and-pff internet... We've never subscribe to any internet service provider thus are strictly relying on unpredictable access to some unsecured wireless networks nearby...

Anyway, if you are a Muslim staying in Tokyo or its neighboring area, and like me, is a fan of a particular Halal shop in Shin Okubo due to its low price… I’m pleased to let you know that we can now place our order to them through phone, fax or e-mail. An extra takkyubin (courier) charge will be added in accordance with our order’s total weight. The other day, my order was 31kg and we had to pay 900 yen for courier. It definitely beat carrying all those stuff ourselves since the courier guy dropped everything right in front of our footstep – on the fifth floor (with no elevator), no less.

The contact details are as below:
Nasco Telecom
Phone: 03 5337 1477
Fax: 03 5337 2183
Email: nasco786@snow.ocn.ne.jp

Payment should be made to their Yubin (postal) account no: 10160-50050221

And no, I’m not getting paid for this. Consider this as a public service announcement of some sort.

Not so good news

I was hoping to blog about last Saturday’s ladies night right after I was done with submitting the last term paper I had to do.

But that was not to be.

Because a day after I was done with submitting that particular term paper, my dear son was terribly sick. So sick that now he is spending the night in University of Japan Hospital (Nihon Daigaku Byoin) in Ochanomizu, Chiyoda-ku.

Huzaifah had running nose beginning late last night. Then his temperature slowly increased. This morning I gave him some left-over medicine prescribed for fever and cold which we got in spring. His father recited the ayat syifa’ for him, fed him some air zam-zam, some dates and some water mixed with honey. He refused to drink or eat anything. We fed the medicine and the small amount of zam-zam water in small feeds using a 3ml syringe.

Then he started wheezing.

I knew it was an asthma attack. Both hubby and I have asthma. But we both made the mistake of assuming that it was a mild asthma attack. Because we never had to go to a child clinic since we moved to Tokyo, we did not know where exactly to go to consult a paediatrician.

First, we went to Asakusa Hospital which is right behind our house. No, they don’t handle paediatric cases. Rather , they specialised in elderly care - no surprise there considering Asakusa is filled with aging society. The girl behind the receptionist counter made a photocopy of a map, and directed me to the nearest child clinic.

The nearest clinic was not so near after all, and we managed to get lost before we met a kind Nihonjin who directed us to the clinic herself. Only to find that the clinic was closed, as the doctor was away for a health inspection in a primary school somewhere. We were advised to go to another clinic in Imado. Only that we had to wait until after 2.30 pm because by then the clinic was already closed for lunch break.

Went back home, for lunch and Zohor. Then went to the clinic in Imado.

The doctor looked grave as he advised us to go to a bigger hospital since his clinic did not provide any treatment for asthma. Apart from that advice and some kiddy stuff for Huzaifah (no sweets, but a balloon, a sheet of stickers with a matching postcard to be used with the stickers), we got yet another photocopied map, directing us to Senjoji Hospital, at the back of the famous Senjoji Temple.

On the way to the big hospital, I suddenly realized that, after paying the fee at the clinic earlier (I haven’t register Huzaifah for child allowance in Taito-ku yet , so not only we haven’t receive any Child Allowance but we also have yet to receive the Medical discount card which entitled us to pay minimal fee for his medical services), I didn’t have that much cash so we went to the bank first to withdraw some money.

By the time we reached the Sensoji Hospital, it was nearly 4 p.m. I was so relieved that the doctor who attended to Huzaifah could speak English well. But my relief quickly turned to horror as the doctor told us that Huzaifah had to be hospitalized because he was going through a severe attack of bronchitis asthma. And guessing from the symptoms, he told us that he suspected Huzaifah might even be suffering from pneumonia.

He could not be hospitalized in Sensoji Hospital because there’s no such facility there. The kind Dr. Hiroshima called up a few other hospitals with ward facilities before he finally told us that there’s a vacancy at Nihon Daigaku Hospital, and that we would all go there in an ambulance. The Sensoji Hospital has no ambulance facility too, so he had to get one from Tokyo Ambulance service.

While waiting for the ambulance, Huzaifah was given some therapy first – a combination of inhaling nebulizer, IV drip infusion and steroid injection to expand his chest and made breathing easier. Since the oxygen rate in his blood was less than 96%, he also had to wear an oxygen mask, which I held close to his mouth and nose since he kept pushing the mask away when the nurse held it.

It was heartbreaking when the doctor told us that we could not stay with Huzaifah in the hospital since all visitors, including parents, have to leave the hospital by 8.00p.m. It was even more heartbreaking to hear Huzaifah wailing as the doctor put on the drip. And it had to be done twice because the first time Huzaifah struggled so violently that after the drip needle was inserted, it later became mixed with his blood since the needle was not firmly inserted or something to that effect.

The doctor boarded the ambulance too, accompanying us to Nihon Daigaku Hospital, checking Huzaifah’s heaving chest every few minutes, keep glancing at the oxygen level and pulse rate monitor throughout the 15 - 20 minute journey. The journey was shorter than normal trip by car because in addition to siren, ambulances in Tokyo are equipped with loud speakers, enabling the driver to politely but firmly requesting cars to move aside as they pass and to thank the drivers for their kind cooperation. We reached Ochanomizu at around 5.30 p.m.

As soon as we arrived at the hospital, a group of doctors immediately hovered around him. One doctor acted as the coordinator as the team was briefed by Dr Hiroshima. Right after that, I was interviewed in Nihongo – someone seeking explanation why we were late in getting medical treatment, then there was someone asking the basic history of Huzaifah so far – past record of immunization, where was he delivered, was it a normal delivery, his weight at birth, my health when I was pregnant, including whether I was hospitalized during pregnancy. I told them about my hyperemesis gravidarum episodes, and one doctor quickly ran to find the translation in Nihongo because no one among them knew what hyperemesis gravidarum is in Nihongo. Not surprising since we were at the paediatric unit, not O&G.

The doctor who was acting as the coordinator turned out to be the only one among them who’s good in English. He then explained every step of the therapy they suggested for Huzaifah. From the symptoms – high fever, coughing, wheezing - they tried to exhaust all possibilities – viral infection, bacterial infection, pneumonia - which would be ruled out by different tests.

If only listening to Huzaifah wailing was heartbreaking, it was even more heartbreaking to see Huzaifah struggling as he was subjected to a blood test. I leaned on hubby, usurping some extra strength from his presence as we saw Huzaifah being subjected to other tests – the x-ray, the extraction of some hanamizu (hingus) as they tried to check for and culture the virus. The doctor informed us that if Huzaifah’s condition worsen during the night, he would be given oxygen therapy using a tent, which they set up at the next bed, as a precaution. A nurse even showed a sample of a special cloth that Huzaifah might had to wear for safety purpose so as to ensure that he won’t fall from the bed where the tent for oxygen therapy was set up.

We prayed solat hormat waktu for both Asar and Maghrib. But we did not stop praying. Hubby continued reciting ayat syifa’, while I held Huzaifah in my lap after I was given the go-ahead by the doctor. The oxygen rate in his blood gradually improved from 96% to 100% as his pulse rate decreased from over 160 to 130 a minute and the wheezing stopped after he got his second 0.2 cc dose of nebulizer.

Sometime around 7.30 p.m, all the doctors assembled near our bed, this time with a new face I hadn’t seen before. Huzaifah had already went to sleep, and was not disturbed even when the new doctor, who turned out to be the Chief Medical Examiner, examined him.He consulted his notes before telling the English speaking doctor to tell me that Huzaifah was out of danger, that he would turn out ok, but since he had just went through a severe attack, they would like to keep him under observation for maybe up to five days, to ensure that there’s no repeat of such attack. I thanked the Chief Doctor, and thanked all the doctors for their efforts. Huzaifah got a viral infection which led to his asthma attack - not bacterial infection since his inflamation was not serious, and no pneumonia as proven by his x-ray.

I could not help feeling impressed with their level of efficiency – from the doctor to the nurses, all of them worked hard as a team to ensure Huzaifah’s quick recovery and comfort. The nurse who changed his cloth – I was glad that I brought a pair of change in his bag – even checked on his daily routine – what time he normally goes to sleep and wake up, how many times he feed on milk daily and how much per feeding, how many times he eat a day and what does he usually, how many teeth does he has so far (she checked them personally despite Huzaifah’s feeble attempt of restraint), what brand of milk does he drink, down to do I normally feed him when he’s sleeping.

Huzaifah was still sleeping soundly when his father and I left the hospital with heavy hearts. I pray that he will get well soon. I hope he will be discharged even earlier than the predicted 5 days. I wish he didn’t have to be left alone at the hospital, but I had no choice. I can only pray that he would be okay and that if needs arise, he would be comforted by the nurses – even if he had to listen to Nihongo lullabies rather than my usual recitation of selawat.

I know there’re wars going on right now everywhere. I know that I am going through nothing compared to what they are facing right now. But I hope that you, my friends, in between making do’a for our Muslim brothers and sisters who are affected by the ongoing wars, would be kind enough to insert a small prayer for my son’s health and quick recovery.

Ladies Night Out - Sumidagawa Hanabi Taikai

Calling Muslim ladies in Tokyo and its surrounding areas (including but not limiting to Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa prefectures…)

We are having a Ladies Night in Dar Al Arqam Mosque in Asakusa on the night of Sumidagawa Hanabi Taikai. Yes, I’m referring to the one of the largest firework displays in Tokyo. Yes, the major one which is shown on TV.

It’s happening this Saturday, 29th July. The fireworks start at 7.30 pm, therefore you might want to come before 7.00 p.m. so that we can pray Maghrib together. The ladies will view the hanabi from the rooftop with the kids, while the husbands/male colleagues may view it from the 3rd floor (the mosque floor) or they can go for a walk along Sumida River. Sakurabashi, the bridge where the platform for the fireworks will be erected, is only about 10-15 minutes walk from the mosque.

It’ll be fun, meeting and mixing with Muslims from different backgrounds. It’s a pot-luck thingy, so just bring a plate of food to share. It doesn’t matter if you just bring some 100-yen cookies.

Just come.

How to reach the mosque? Well, take the Ginza line to Asakusa. Then, take the Matsuya/Tobu station exit in Asakusa eki. There’s a bus going to Minami Senju stopping right in front of Matsuya (the depato, not the food stall). Take this bus (fare is 200 yen) and you can either stop at Imado or Higashi Asakusa. If you stop at Imado, turn right as you exit the bus and you’ll see the yellow signboard of Dar Al Arqam Mosque on your left in about 2 minutes time. If you stop at Higashi Asakusa, turn left as you exit the bus and you’ll see the signboard of the mosque after 1.5 minute.

We’ll pray Maghrib at the 2nd Floor and gather at the rooftop after that. Don’t forget to bring your shoes/slippers to the rooftop. I’m thinking of putting on my newly bought yukata that night. Any guests wishing to do the same are most welcomed. Don’t worry too much about what to wear though.

Just come.

Introducing Adan Photo

An old high school classmate is now a wedding photographer and has asked us, his old schoolmates, to spread the word around. So, here I am, doing my part to introduce his photo blog at http://adanphoto.fotopages.com/ and his business homepage at http://www.adan.biz

Some of the shots look pretty amazing. And I've heard that the price is affordable too - RM699 for videography can be considered a bargain judging from the pictures alone...

He might not be Kid Chan or Ikram Ismail (as yet), but his work seems promising. Really.

Thoughts on this and that...

In no particular order...

Mior Atiqulrahman’s case;
Am terribly disturbed by the fact that the judge mentioned Abu Jahal as a yardstick of people wearing the serban knowing fully well that the defendants wore the serban as a sunnah of Rasulullah. Like somebody wrote elsewhere – “serban nabi itu akan digunakan untuk memberi syafaat kepada orang yang kehendakinya di padang mahsyar esok manakala serban Abu Jahal, dimasukkan ke neraka dengan tuannya sekali”
.
Lina Joy’s case:
She and her legal team are being provocative, and they know it. If her case is given the go-ahead, it probably will open a floodgate of people renouncing Islamic faith openly, not limiting to just being part of over 2-meter-high stack of murtad cases pending in Mahkamah Syariah.

Muslim men cheating on their wives:
Jordan of Macvaysia contributed an article worth pondering in Rentakini.

Post World Cup 2006:
Here’s hoping that Zidane would not be stripped of the best player title by FIFA after all.
Hubby is pretty lucky because he married someone who would not fight for the remote to watch something other than a soccer match because I’m a fan of World Cup too. (I once watched a Brazil-England match during World Cup 2002 at the office, just because I could not wait to watch a re-run later on) World Cup has always been a big thing in my family – we would usually hang the World Cup planner courtesy of Berita Harian or Utusan Malaysia on the wall and noted every single match’s point till the end. Of course it’s a lot easier nowadays since we can always refer to the Net for updates, but sometimes, it can be more fun doing it the old style.

This year have seen World Cup allowing Christian to make headlines such as highlighting that the Pope cut short his visit to Spain to watch the World Cup final and his soccer loyalties was questioned when his native Germany lost to the Italians in Dortmund in the semi-finals, not to mention that SAT-7, a Christian satellite network, used the World Cup as a pretext to produce a series of programs about Christian sports heroes, dubbing them into Arabic to air in the Middle East and North Africa.

When I read how over-religious Mullah had asked someone to put down Brazilian flag from his shop’s window in war-torn Iraq and how two innocent men were gunned down in Somalia due to watching the ‘banned’ World Cup – it’s really sad. World Cup could have been a great opportunity to show that Muslims are everywhere and trying their best to achieve peace – like how the the Toure brothers in Ivory Coast team contributed towards stopping the Christian-Muslim conflict in their country. Or that Muslims are present even in European teams, not just in Saudi and Iraq teams, with Franck Ribery (France), Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rami Shaaban (Sweden), Robin van Persie and Khalid Boulahrouz (Holland). For good measure, maybe people should note that Bruno Metsu and Philippe Troussier – both French, the former, the coach for Senegal while the latter a former coach for Japan – are Muslims too.

Siti and Datuk K:
It’s her life, she’s an adult. If it is a mistake, let her make her own mistake.
Oh, by the way, this song dedicated to Siti and Datuk K is hilarious.

Summer break:
Two more papers to submit next week and then - Natsu Yasumi… Yatta!!!
By the by, yes Yana, with all the flash floods, mud-floods, land erosion and the continuous rain, it certainly doesn’t feel like Natsu after all, kan.

Umi No Hi

"A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching."

-Anonymous



It's public holiday in Japan today - umi no hi. "Hari Laut" in Bahasa. Wikipedia refers to it as Marine day, probably because Ocean Day or Sea's Day doesn't sound as good.

Below are some shots taken at the not-so-beautiful Kannonzaki beach in Kanagawa prefecture which we visited during Golden Week holiday last May.

By the by, there's this one nasyid, Secerah Pawana, that keeps playing in my mind whenever I visit a beach. Probably because it began with the sound of waves crashing on the shore. It's an old nasyid, sung by The Zikr, the group which later became known as Raihan. This was back in the days when they were still donning big serbans, colorful jubah and wore celak on their album cover, when the album itself could be bought for less than RM10. Mestica includes a new version of Secerah Pawana in their Layar Keinsafan album, but I still prefer the one done by The Zikr.

Secerah Pawana
Seindah sedamai pantai melambai gemalai
begitulah hati merindu kasih yang padu
bagaikan pepasir basah disimbah lautan
begitulah perjuangan ini
biar basah dengan iman dan ukhuwwah



kita ingin segalanya indah
sebersih pasir pantai memutih
seindah dan secerah pawana
berseri ukhuwwah dipupuk kasih



kita ingin segala terlerai
dengki dan dendam kesumat musnah
biar keikhlasan berbicara
di dada hati luas saujana



Seindah sedamai pantai melambai gemalai
begitulah hati merindu kasih yang padu
bagaikan pepasir basah di simbah lautan
begitulah perjuangan ini
biar basah dengan iman dan ukhuwwah

Women are like apples on a tree

Yet another lame e-mail spin- off entry. Jaja, this one is especially for you.

Women are like apples on a tree.

The best ones are at the top of the tree. Most men don't want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they just get the rotten apples from the ground that aren't as good, but easy...

So the apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they're amazing. They just have to wait for the right person to come along, the one who's brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.

Tanabata and Chugen

Huzaifah turned 10 month old on Saturday, so hubby decided to spend the whole day sightseeing and cancelled his Quran class. It so happened that Rika-san, the mother of the three kids was not well, so she received the news rather gladly.

Went to Shimbashi and bought one-day ticket for Yurikamome line, which had always reminded me of Putra LRT, except that they still have lots of seats in Yurikamome trains. First we went to Kokusaitenjijo-seimon. A lot of people were there to attend the Tokyo International Book Fair 2006 – incorporating, among others, Digital Fair, Gifts and Variety Fair and Education Book Fair. Unlike KL International Book Fair with no entrance fee, there’s an entrance fee of 1200 yen each for those who came to Tokyo International Book Fair without any invitation. Everyone is duly registered, by completing a long registration form and attaching 2 business cards. No, one does not have to be an executive to have a business card here since even housewives in Japan carry their meishi (business cards) in their purses. Many students in Waseda have business cards too, often self-made and printed by computer printers, rather than being made by a proper business-card printer.

Anyway, we only discovered that we needed to pay and submit our business card (non-existent at the moment) only after we had walked all the way to the halls where the exhibition was held, and since I was only hoping for a glance at the books with no intention of buying anything, we decided not to go inside after all. Anyway, we saw lots of people carrying goodie bags, but many of them were busy disposing a lot of brochures and pamphlets at the entrance, perhaps unwilling to carry unnecessary ‘garbage’ all the way back home (probably by train or other public transports.)

Prior to that, we went to Panasonic Center, the place where Panasonic showcases their latest products as well as educating the public on their innovations and their contributions towards maintaining a sustainable environment. I liked it. Hubby enjoyed it. Even Huzaifah was not easily bored since they had lots of different areas with different features and displays. We also happened to be there on the first day Panasonic decided to distribute some souvenirs of the Osaka Gamba, a soccer club receiving their sponsorship. So, after completing stamp marking the three forms at 4 different areas of the 2-floor hall, we went to claim our souvenirs. The muffler and the t-shirt looked pretty cool, but we only managed to get two note-books and a lousy eraser.



In conjunction with Tanabata, there were assistants in traditional yukata, distributing papers to be hung as both decorations and wishes on bamboo trees on the far-end corner of the spacious building. Tanabata, a celebration which originated from China, is supposed to be one of the most romantic days celebrated in Japan, and according to my Nihongo sensei, due to its history, in the old days, people used to hope for romantic wishy-washy stuff on Tanabata. Nowadays, the wishes written on paper strips hung on bamboo trees are for various purposes – safety, health, wealth, promotion, being accepted by university – to name a few. Kindergarten kids who were there were encouraged to make various decorations, with all the necessities – papers of various colors and sizes, glue, scissors, wet tissue, tissue – being provided. Mothers assisted and waited patiently by their children as they earnestly worked on their very own Tanabata decoration project.



We were keener on seizing the opportunity to take photos with the colorful oh-so-Japanese-scenic background. We even had two photo postcards printed there courtesy of Panasonic – and I really love the one with two Nihonjin girls in yukata, with me holding Huzaifah on the center making peace sign a’la Nihonjin pose. (Seriously – in Japan, people of all ages - from kindergarten kids to grandpa - just love making peace sign while posing for the camera). Too bad hubby didn’t snap that pose on our own camera.



From Kokusai Tenjijo, we went to Daiba, to Shell Museum. No, it is not a museum featuring sea shells, rather it features Shell-Ferrari F1 collaboration. It was closed on Saturdays (open everyday but Saturdays. Duh!), so we just took some pictures of what was visible – pictures on the wall, Schumacher’s hand prints, bridgestone tyre used at one of the F1 races in 2004, etc. No F1 racing car though on display though – that’s reserved only when the museum-café is open. Hubby was so engrossed in taking photos that he didn’t realize that he already went beyond the allowed area and set off the sensor alarm. An elderly Nihonjin Pak Guard on duty came to check what had set off the alarm and when he saw we were snapping some photos, politely advised us to be careful since the sensors in the area were rather sensitive. I was a bit embarrassed – yelah, baru gambar kadbod Schumacher je, bukannya dengan Schumacher in person pun dah excited tangkap gambar sampai bunyi alarm, heheheh…



Aqua City was our last stop, stopping at Deck’s on our way there. Many shops were having summer sale – Gap, Comme Ca Ism, Next - to name a few. No, I am not a brand conscious person, but if I can get a 600 or 900 yen items for Huzaifah at branded stores while they are on sale, I wouldn’t mind buying them compared to paying the same amount for items with questionable quality elsewhere.

We returned at dusk, bidding farewell to the Odaiba’s Statue of Liberty and the colorful nicely lighted-up boats with lighted-up Rainbow Bridge in the background. Our feet ached from all the walking we did, but all in all, I would say that we had fun. Even Huzaifah seemed to enjoy his day out very much.



Oh, by the by, I managed to snap some photos of summer gifts, also known as chugen, or mid-year gift. Wikipedia said that it's celebrated on July 15th, but I have been told that it started as early as late June and ends as late as early August. There’s a Japanese saying that claims “siblings are the beginning of strangers”, thus an anthropologist professor of mine claimed that, the chugen gift custom is a chance for people to make up for not meeting or calling relatives and friends often, yet still maintaining good relationship with them. A Nihonjin friend offered a simpler reason though – since summer is always blazing hot, everybody just gives everybody else some gifts to cool each other down. Yeah, that’s why a lot of Nihonjin send fruits, soft drinks, tea leaves and instant coffee powder in nicely decorated boxes as chugen gift. Sometimes they even send cooking oil as chugen gift – to fry tempuras or prepare yakisoba to be consumed together with cold drinks.





I was thinking of sending a gift to Kawaguchi sensei who wrote the recommendation letter for my Waseda application. However, since chugen gift receiver usually feels obliged to give something in return to the sender, chugen might not be the best time for me to send a gift to Kawaguchi sensei. Hmm, maybe I should get something from Malaysia as a simple thank-you gift. But what should I get him, huh?

Isn't that a blessing?

Dear Kakaq and Ahkak,

Went to UniQlo last week and one nice olive fitting t-shirt in the sale bin caught my attention. Its caption reads:

“I have a glorious life. I can do anything I want, go
where I want, be alone if I want, travel if I want
and sometimes I don’t want anything
Now isn’t that a blessing?”

I found it kawaii just like the two prayers.

While I know it doesn’t apply to me anymore (what with a 10-month-old baby who is going through a rather critical stage of separation anxiety – nak pergi tandas pun punyalah susah),
I bought it anyway.

Re: A Request - Denied

Assalamu Alaikum.

I am muslim.I was eagerly looking for a japanese muslimah.I did complete my Masters in Computer Science and just join in a company. I have found japanese people arevery polite and they have a very good hospitality.Sometimes I feel very sad why they still do not enter in Islam. Itwould be very great for them. In world japanese products are very famous and japanese people are doing hard to supply the good items. But why they are not receiving the most essential thing (ISLAM)??

Secondly, i have found many times converted muslimsare more pious than by born muslims. So, I am lookingfor japanese converted muslimah for my life partner.Would you please help me in this purpose...

May Allah bless you. Allah Hafiz

#####

Dear Brother B,

If you are interested in finding a Japanese Muslimah to be your life partner, I may not be the best person to introduce you to one. Honestly, I have never been quite successful in matchmaking people. More importantly I would NEVER introduce some stranger to a worthy colleague of mine . You might have a Masters degree, a good job and maybe even not bad looking – but this thing called ‘life partnership’ is not just about the above-mentioned. There’s this thing called ‘personality’, and there’s another thing called ‘compatability’ and yes, there’s also that thing called ‘the One factors’.

Personality includes traits such as kindness, honesty, trustworthiness, understanding, caring blah blah blah. Compatibility is where one looks at the chances of two being able to pull it through as a couple – their similar or differing opinions in outlook of life, hobbies, financial standing, family background, blah blah blah. As for “the One factors”, they differs for different individuals – but these are the major criteria they look for in their partner. Some may look for high education, good pay and good look while others look for charisma and a good sense of humor, while there are yet who simply look for a "good, religious person", whatever that may entails.

After having listened to horror stories of foreigner husbands – I’m sorry, but this is what I’ve gathered so far - mostly of Pakistani origin, I’m definitely not keen on introducing yet another to an innocent Japanese muslimah. What if you are just interested in marrying a Japanese to ensure you get spousal visa? What if you are just interested in marrying a Japanese for financial gains? What guarantees can you give that you are sincere in marrying a new revert? That once married, you will never abandon her, instead, love her with all your heart and soul and take good care of her until death do you part? I don't know you and therefore I'm not going to take any uncalculated risk...

Yes, I agree that there are many muslim reverts who more pious than born muslims. That’s why it’s scary sometimes to think how many born muslims have spoiled the chances of nurturing another good muslim by not properly educating nor setting good examples for their muslim-revert partners. What guarantee can you give that you will not fall into the same category with other born muslims I have seen who has not taken up the responsibility to educate their wife themselves, or to at least send their wife for proper education in Islam?

I am sure you have met many Pakistani friends here who have married Japanese muslimah. Perhaps you stand a better chance to seek a single Japanese muslimah through your connection with them. If you are indeed sincere in building up a life with a pious Japanese muslimah in this country, I wish you all the best and may Allah guide you and bless you in your endeavor. (Otherwise, I pray that Allah protect all single Japanese muslimah from any potential hazards)


Yours sincerely,
A.Z. Haida

One quiet mosque

“Jom solat kat bawah” means hubby wants me to join him two floors below, praying at the mosque. He seldom gets any makmum on working days. Normally there’s an Indonesian who prays Zohor and Asar here and, there’s a Pakistani at Isyak. That’s it – a total of two makmums in a day, sometimes just one, if one of them doesn't show up.

This mosque is nothing like a typical mosque in Malaysia. I mean, seriously, can anyone name a mosque in Malaysia which is located opposite a Sports Toto shop? As for us, we are getting used to seeing the long queues of obaachan and ojiichan buying Loto lottery ticket at the stall right in front of the mosque.

The jumu’ah prayer normally has less than 40 male makmums, but then, this part of Tokyo is not exactly buzzing with people. Asakusa is rather secluded, filled up with mostly elderly, living on their own, because it’s not customary anymore for the elderly to be looked after by their children. Note that I used ‘elderly’, not ‘old’ because in Japan, people neither get ‘old’ nor ‘fat’. Hence it’s normal to find obaachan (grandma), errr, I mean obachan (auntie), who dyed their hair garish purple, refusing to sit when a younger one offer his or her seat on the train for them. They try their best not to look frail in any way - 'nicely' made-up with thick layer of foundation and bright lipstick, wearing a'la Sophia Loren sunglasses with blouses and matching jackets that screamed ‘custom-made’. Even if they have to ride a tricycle instead of a bicycle, no they don’t exactly look ‘frail’.

Anyway, back to the mosque.
Did I mention that we receive weekly female congregation for jumu’ah? Oh yes, we do. New muslim sisters normally used to go to their jinja (shrine) to pray. Or even when they are at home, they used to have a special area for ‘spiritual’ activities. And since modern Japanese are not usually very 'spiritual', that means they are not used to praying often. The concept that one can pray anywhere, any place, at specific times day in day out used to be a foreign concept to them when they first discovered Islam. Some of them find it difficult to pray five times a day alone at home, so they make it a habit to at least come and pray once a week at the mosque. Of course, some of the sisters who attend the jumu’ah prayer do pray five times a day at their home, but at least for those who need morale support, this is where they come to every week.

Wassim, the Pakistani guy who tries to be at the mosque for Isyak daily, once told hubby that this mosque used to be rather popular about five or six years ago, but things changed drastically after September 11. Taking their cue from their ‘big brother’ in the US, the police in Japan raised their alert for any sign of ‘Muslim terrorists’ hiding in Japan. That meant increased police patrol near mosques areas. And a lot of people going to the mosques were stopped, their Alien Card checked and rechecked. Some were detained for further questioning upon finding that they had overstayed, others were simply harrased for simple stuff such as the ownership of their bikes (which they received from their friends who had left Japan, and thus they were not the ‘legal’ owner of the bike as recognized by the Japanese law).
The mosque used to have people coming from as far as Kita Senju, two towns away from Higashi Asakusa. But after September 11, after being subject to close scrutiny of policemen from the nearby Koban (police kiosk), people stopped coming ever since.

Hubby is trying to figure out how to imarahkan this mosque once again. Instead of going to Gyotoku, he’s thinking of holding a biweekly Islamic discussion (not limited to Fardhu Ain stuff only) here in this mosque. Yet at the same time he’s worried that people might not come since Asakusa is a bit remote. He’s been trying to invite others to make use of the BBQ facility at this mosque’s rooftop. He’s been trying to promote the usage of this mosque for any gathering or Islamic discussion, but has yet to receive any favorable response.

This is definitely one quiet mosque.

High Tea in Hilton

Kamarol called me Saturday at around noon, “Jom, pegi high tea kat Hilton, aku belanja.”
I just laughed at his feeble attempt of trick, since I was aware that the Malaysian Embassy would be organizing one such function in conjunction with a Minister’s visit. Kamarol was invited by Nafisah, the girl in charge of Human Resources at the Embassy, who asked him to invite others as well since there were still vacancies for the tables booked at the hotel.

Consulted hubby and he said ok. “Jumpa pukul 4.30 kat lobby Hilton. Jangan lewat. Jangan Menteri lak yang tunggu engkau,” Kamarol warned.

The thing is, I have known about this high-tea some time ago, but was not initially interested in joining because of two reasons – one, reluctance to bring Huzaifah to such function; two, because hubby has to teach some kids at 3.00 p.m, which normally ends at 4.00 p.m., and so I was worried that we might not be able to be there in time.

Just then, the mother of the hubby’s Pakistani-Nihonjin students called us, saying that she would like to have a change of schedule this week and is 10.00 o’clock Sunday morning okay with us? We said okay and I was glad that it seemed we would be able to be in time after all.

But at 2.15 p.m, the mother called again, telling me that oops, tomorrow is not okay, and they would be at the mosque at 3.00 p.m. today, as usual.

I got ready, preparing Huzaifah as well. Asked hubby if he brought any suit to Tokyo, he said no, and no, he wasn’t keen on wearing a suit although I advised him that the function would be a formal one. Hubby said he would take his chances by just wearing a black working shirt and if he’s not allowed to enter the function, then he’ll just return home. I know better than to further argue with him, after all I can’t help but agreeing with hubby’s claim that some people take all the trouble to dress up to meet orang besar but not caring much what they wear when they meet Yang Maha Besar.

We were late. At 4.00 p.m., hubby was in the middle of giving shukudai to the kids, and he hadn’t pray Asar yet. Huzaifah and I waited as he wrapped up the class and prayed Asar. At about 4.30 p.m., we boarded the train from Asakusa to Nishi Shinjuku, transferring once to Marunouchi line at Akasaka Mitsuke. Prior to that, I sent a c-mail to Kamarol, advising him to go ahead and join other people because I had no idea when we would arrive at Hilton.

We arrived at Nishi Shinjuku eki at about 5.10. Kamarol told us that there’s an exit to Hilton from Nishi Shinjuku eki but we used another exit by mistake. As a result, it took us 15 minutes to reach Hilton, and along the way hubby was busy snapping photos although I insisted on quickening our pace.

Yes, we were very late, and Datuk Seri Shahrizat had almost came to the ending of her speech as we were ushered to the far end corner of the ballroom. Hubby realized he was really the odd one out as every other guy in the ballroom seemed to be wearing either suits or batik, while he even wore casual slack. I almost said “I told you so” but decided not to. Let him learn his own lesson.

"Our students in Japan must have been the smartest, most brilliant, prettiest, gorgeous, bla, bla, bla.... (insert typical bodek by politicians)"

It wasn’t long before the MC declared “jemputlah makan” (instead of the more polite expression of “silalah menjamu selera”) and everybody made their way to the buffet table. Hubby and I opted to go straight to the snacks and dessert tables since we were both still full from eating my first attempt of beriani rice (using Maggi instant flavor) and Bombay beriani mutton (Ahmed’s spice) with the normal jelatah.

Huzaifah had lots and lots of pastry and cake (because it’s easier and less messy to feed him such food), while I had my fair share of satay, California rolls and strawberries. There was a chocolate fountain (instead of dip) for the fruit slices (melon, strawberries and pineapples – mind you, all these three are expensive fruits here though pineapples and melons are not that expensive in Malaysia), but I have never been a chocolate lover anyway, so it was not a big deal for me. Nevertheless I noticed a lot of girls appeared to be mesmerized by that chocolate fountain, leaving lots of the cake, pudding and tarts untouched to my delight. And I did not miss much for not taking rice, because according to Apid, the only tasty lauk was the ayam masak kicap, and I can cook a decent ayam masak kicap myself. I was really glad to see satay though since I have been missing them greatly due to the fact that yakitori is a popular summer snack around here.

With Hisyam, a postgraduate under UNIMAS Sponsorship and his wife Wani

Huzaifah was the only baby present and I was really glad that he behaved well throughout the whole evening. You can never tell with babies, they can throw tantrum in a matter of minutes and the cutest baby can turn into a frightful monster. Alhamdulillah Huzaifah chose to be rather quiet; perhaps a bit overwhelmed since he’s not used to seeing lots of people gathering in a dim place. Lots of people came to play with or hold him – including the Minister, some big shots, but mostly undergraduate students, both male and female. Huzaifah used to prefer playing with oniisan than oneesan, but nowadays, since he had gotten the separation anxiety thingy, he refused to be held by others for long.

Huzaifah being mugged with attention every now and then

I took the opportunity to look for other postgraduate student who were attending the function apart from Kamarol. Someone pointed out two girls, both named Ina - one doing her Masters and the other pursuing her PhD. Since the Ina who was pursuing Masters was busy taking picture, I asked to be introduced to the other Ina. And hey, turned out she reads my blog regularly and need not much introduction because she pretty much knew me already. Or my blogger self, anyway.

According to her, she’s been an avid reader of my blog for a long time. In fact she had seen and recognized me when I went for Aidilfitri prayer at the Embassy last year but was rather shy to say hi to me. Well, it did felt rather weird to hear a perfect stranger recalling what I’ve written on my blog in front of me, but coming from her, it sounded friendly as against frightening (“macam stalker” as Apid put it) Anyway Ina, hope you’ll keep on being my reader and yes I am going to find out your blog too soon. It’s a small blogging world after all. And though I am serious about the invitation for Hanabi session and Tobu World Square, I forgot to get your contact details amidst our chat, so please feel free to email me your details, okay?

One for the album - Ina, her two kohai, Huzaifah and I

I was looking for Pak Abas, a former SUB at my old office who is now the TKSU at Datuk Shahrizat’s ministry. Unfortunately he was not around, so I sent my regards to him through an officer named Hasnah, who used to study in Tokyo and lived in Ichikawaono. It would be good to meet Pak Abas – he was one of the fatherly figures we had in the office apart from ayahanda (Dato’) Nadzim, who retired as Deputy State Secretary of Perak. They both helped giving the office some positive ambiance with their generosity and I believe, despite their shortcomings, they would always be remembered kindly by those who used to work under their supervision.

Anyway, the high-tea ended with goodies being handed out – courtesy of Malaysian delegation. We each got a bag consisting a packet of keropok, serunding daging, and the integrated encyclopedia of the Holy Quran CD-Rom plus the unavoidable brochure of the Malaysian Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.

Hubby spent some time chatting with his own peers – those working under Education scheme. “Aku dah jumpa geng aku. Kau tak yah berlagak, kat sini takdak PTD.Kami semua DG,” Kamarol stated. They even took a group photo chanting “D-G” instead of the normal “chii-zu”.

"Dee Gee..."

"Gaya seorang penghibur jalanan"

All in all, a tiring day, but the less-than-a-thousand yen hubby and I spent to go there was definitely worth it.