I am distressed right now - the lost wallet (and everything else that came with the territory), entering a new house alone, getting to know new Japanese neighbours after a bad start of moving in at 10 p.m., no internet connection at the house as yet, preparing for Masters entrance exam, hearing about my colleagues in Malaysia moaning about yet another price hike for petrol, hearing about some of colleagues from my batch hitting M48 post when I'm still stuck at M41, and I could go on and on and on.
But hey you know what - I'll be seeing Huzaifah in 16 days, insya Allah. Along with hubby, Mak, Abang (my younger brother who's keen on catching the Tokyo Anime Fair as well as a visit to Ghibli Museum) and my two aunts - Mak Ram and Mak Su.
The thought of seeing Huzaifah alone is enough to cheer me up.
I don't know when I will next get some access to Internet as well as finding time to update this blog. So, till then, take care everybody and please pray that everything will be all right whether or not the wallet is found (preferably found by a kind person who will return it to the Police with all the content intact, and I'm even willing to receive it with everything else intact but for the 12,000 yen)
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Moving and Lost
This is my last entry posted from Komaba International House. I've moved my stuff to Gyotoku yesterday and I'm going to bid my farewell to everybody in a few hours.
I rented a small lorry (they refer to it as truck in Japan though) yesterday, and Atoque, a friend from Waseda agreed to drive it. Yesterday was in a way an adventure for both of us – he got a traffic summon, while I lost my purse. And, no I haven’t receive any call yet to let me know if anyone have found it. Yes, there was quite a substantial amount of money in it, but more importantly, all my IDs are there – my Alien Registration card, my Health Insurance card, my Student card plus my ATM card. Then there were my Malaysian ID too – MyKad, Driving Licence, not to mention ATM card, Marriage Registry card and even PPTD membership card.
Like I said – it was and adventure of sort. We started at about 10.20 a.m and finally returned the lorry by almost 10.20 p.m. I first thought that we only needed to use the truck for about 6 hours – it turned out we used 12 hours after all.
The day was a bit cloudy and I prayed that it wouldn’t rain because the lorry did not have any cover. We were supposed to go to Shinagawa first to pick up the sayonara sale stuff I have agreed to buy from Khurrum and Iram Kham. Khurrum, who’s working for a software company just got assigned to Dallas, so they have decided to go back to India first and sell off most of their property in Tokyo. Iram, understandably, was a bit upset since she just came in September and have been buying lots of furniture and appliances since she thought they would be settling in Tokyo for quite some time.
Anyway, it wasn’t smooth sailing to Shinagawa. Thinking that there would be a Shingawa exit point, we purposely passed the Shibuya exit and instead drove up to Kanagawa prefecture – not far from Kawasaki, and had to make u-turn, which cost extra 600 yen in toll. We went back to Shibuya and started tracing our way from there. Alhamdulillah, since the main route was only Yamate Dori, which ran along a few wards in Tokyo – it was relatively easy to find our target area.
I got a decent deal for a 560 litre 3-door fridge, a 5kg load washing machine, a mixer/blender, remote-controlled fan, a single futon, a double futon, a coffee table, some big and small drawers – all for only 20,000 yen. Iram even threw in complimentary pillow, curtains, bed sheets, pillow cases, a wall clock, coffee mugs and decorative ornament. Iram told me that she got a fight with a friend who refused to pay a decent amount for her stuff instead asking for a lot of complimentary things. At first she wanted to buy a display showcase from Iram, but when Iram refused to sell her other electrical appliance for ridiculously low price, she called the earlier made deal to buy the showcase too. That explained why Iram asked me for a 7,000 yen deposit a few days back – just as a guarantee that I won’t back off from my promise.
The truck was almost full when we were done with loading the stuff I bought from them. Then, we made our way to Shibuya, to the Vietnamese Embassy, to pick up a 25 inch Sony bilingual TV which I have agreed to buy from one of Hien’s friend. The seller originally asked for 9,000 yen, but I guess because it was quite difficult to get a buyer for a big TV, she agreed to sell it for 5,000 yen. Which is a good bargain considering that even 14 inch bilingual TV are normally sold for 9,000 yen in a second hand shop.
But before we got to Shibuya, not quite out of Shinagawa area, Atoque committed a traffic offence – we were a bit confused by the traffic light and he moved when we should not. And it just so happened that a traffic police was nearby and saw us. So he got a 9,000 yen ticket for that and a demerit of 2 points (3 points demerit in a year means retaking driving class, 6 demerit points means the driving license will be suspended). I tried to plead for a lower fine or a lower demerit point – but the officer – friendly as he was – simply did not relented from his stand. Zannen. But then again, I have noticed that’s how most people work in Japan anyway – always by the book. Not much of human factors being considered – despite our explanation that it was Ghazali’s first time offence, and we were not from the area and thus unfamiliar with it, we were only students on scholarship and do not even have part-time job and all. Yes, he was friendly – but only on the surface, I would say. Unlike his counterpart in Malaysia, who may seemed a bit garang, but they normally let first-time offender off with just a strict warning.
So, there – the first traffic summon for Atoque in Tokyo. He even asked me to take some photos to record the memory.
After picking up the TV from Vietnamese embassy, we were supposed to go to Komaba, to pick my stuff. I have been told that it should only be a ten-minutes drive from the embassy to my hostel, Unfortunately, although I have a map, I got the wrong direction, so we were unable to get to the hostel although we were already in Komaba. We tried out several routes but failed to find a way to get there. It was so frustrating that at one point I felt like giving up and just go to Chiba. It was late. We were hungry. We already missed Zohor prayer and we just couldn’t find a way to get to the hostel.
I first referred to a map with direction which I got from a security guard from my hostel. Since he doesn’t drive, it was not surprising that he gave us the wrong direction. Then, I remembered that I have another map, with direction given by an officer. Suddenly, it made more sense, and yes, we finally got it.
Prayed, had our lunch/dinner combi meal (I prepared nasi goreng in the morning before I left for Gyotoku), prayed Maghrib and started loading my stuff on the lorry. Atoque got some help from John, my Filipino friend from Waseda. Somehow, they managed to cram everything in the already almost full truck with my additional luggage bags and boxes, alhamdulillah. My compliments went to Atoque, who was the mastermind in stacking everything and securing them using the futon as a cover and then some rope to keep everything tight and unmoving.
We left Shibuya at around 6.00 p.m – the time I thought everything would be over and done with initially. We asked for some advice on how to get to the nearest highway entry point and we did so within a few minutes after leaving Komaba. It was then when I first realized that I didn’t have my wallet with me. Thinking I might have left it on my study desk in the hostel, I just asked Atoque to loan me some money for toll, petrol and additional fees for truck rental. I thought we were okay – we already were on the highway, somehow Chiba wasn’t all that far anymore.
But things didn’t always go as we planned. Atoque took a wrong turn, and hence we had another bout of being lost in Tokyo. Normally it takes about 1 hour or so to drive from Shibuya to Gyotoku. But two hours after we left Komaba, we were still in Tokyo. It was almost as if we were sightseeing tourist – a drive along Shinjuku, Yoyogi, Harajuku, Shibuya (found another entry point to the highway – but it was closed), Roppongi, Otemachi, Ginza, Kyobashi, Nihombashi, Kanda, Akihabara and Ueno. We both complained about (and maybe even cursed) the bad signage for Highway entry points in Tokyo. It was really bad – the signage is not at all helpful like it is in Malaysia. No telling where we could find the entry point, not giving us any idea where one route really lead to - and made worse by the fact that we were not equipped by GPS navigator system. I won’t even start to compare the signage found in Japan with the signage in UK (which is far better than in Malaysia – one could rarely get lost driving in UK thanks to effective and efficient signage). I tried calling some friends for help on direction – but I could not get any of them on line. Finally, we stopped at the Police station in Ueno, and I went to ask for direction from the officer in charge.
I must say that knowing a little nihongo comes in handy in such situation. Although the officer in charge tried to explain things in English, it made more sense to me when he explained things in Nihongo. He was very helpful – providing me with copies of several maps – Ueno, the Highway map, and Ichikawa map (where Gyotoku is located). Still, due to the bad signage we fumbled for a while before we got it.
Called up Pokcik to get some help with the unloading. It had been a long day for Atoque and we were both glad to know that Pokcik manage to get 3 other guys agreeing to assist with the unloading. We arranged to meet in front of a 100 yen shop, but upon arriving there, we realized that it wouldn’t be possible for us to park there due to some repair works being carried out.
Thus, I waited near the area. I even walked around the vicinity a few times, just to make sure that they were not waiting nearby, but to no avail. About 20 minutes later when I was chilled to the bone, I saw Pokcik coming, and only then we made our way to my new house.
I felt guilty about moving at 10.00 p.m. – when my new neighbours were probably already on bed, but it wasn’t like I planned to do so. Anyway – the gentlemen did everything rather efficiently and by the time I came back from returning the truck with Atoque – they were almost done. I thanked them and I promised to one of them that I’ll try to have a makan-makan session in the near future (as a thank you gesture, a common practice around here when one receives such assistance). After everything was unloaded, I then returned to my hostel.
I seldom sleep in the train, preferring instead to read, a habit many Japanese have. But last night I was so tired that I dozed off during more than half the journey home. But I got all alert and awake when return and realizing that my purse was not on my table – or in may bag, or in my drawer, or in my coat’s pocket, or in my pant’s pocket – I just could not find it.
I called the rent-a-car, asked them to check in the lorry. No, nothing there. Called Atoque’s house, just in case he remembered me putting it somewhere, but he wasn’t home yet. His wife, Kak Ida, consoled me though – and that helped a little bit. I guess I just needed someone to tell me everything will be all right.
So, instead of sleeping well on the last night where I have the luxury of a bed – I slept fitfully – thinking about a lot of things that could go wrong if my purse is not found. The Alien registration card in itself is pretty tricky since I’m moving to Gyotoku and is supposed to just get my new address written at the back of my card rather than making a new card. Then there’s the ATM card that had to be stopped. Then there’s the 60,000 yen receipt for reikin from my house owner which I’m supposed to submit to the Malaysian Embassy for a refund. Not to mention the 12,000 yen I had inside the wallet. But I was more worried about all the ID and the ATM card than the money itself.
I already have my ATM card stopped. But there’s still a lot of things to be done… I just hope and pray and wish that my wallet had been found by someone nice and kind enough to send it to the Police or to the hostel. I had a strong feeling that I might had dropped it somewhere in Komaba, when were trying to ask for direction from some passerby.
Well, so this is my last entry posted from Komaba International House.
I rented a small lorry (they refer to it as truck in Japan though) yesterday, and Atoque, a friend from Waseda agreed to drive it. Yesterday was in a way an adventure for both of us – he got a traffic summon, while I lost my purse. And, no I haven’t receive any call yet to let me know if anyone have found it. Yes, there was quite a substantial amount of money in it, but more importantly, all my IDs are there – my Alien Registration card, my Health Insurance card, my Student card plus my ATM card. Then there were my Malaysian ID too – MyKad, Driving Licence, not to mention ATM card, Marriage Registry card and even PPTD membership card.
Like I said – it was and adventure of sort. We started at about 10.20 a.m and finally returned the lorry by almost 10.20 p.m. I first thought that we only needed to use the truck for about 6 hours – it turned out we used 12 hours after all.
The day was a bit cloudy and I prayed that it wouldn’t rain because the lorry did not have any cover. We were supposed to go to Shinagawa first to pick up the sayonara sale stuff I have agreed to buy from Khurrum and Iram Kham. Khurrum, who’s working for a software company just got assigned to Dallas, so they have decided to go back to India first and sell off most of their property in Tokyo. Iram, understandably, was a bit upset since she just came in September and have been buying lots of furniture and appliances since she thought they would be settling in Tokyo for quite some time.
Anyway, it wasn’t smooth sailing to Shinagawa. Thinking that there would be a Shingawa exit point, we purposely passed the Shibuya exit and instead drove up to Kanagawa prefecture – not far from Kawasaki, and had to make u-turn, which cost extra 600 yen in toll. We went back to Shibuya and started tracing our way from there. Alhamdulillah, since the main route was only Yamate Dori, which ran along a few wards in Tokyo – it was relatively easy to find our target area.
I got a decent deal for a 560 litre 3-door fridge, a 5kg load washing machine, a mixer/blender, remote-controlled fan, a single futon, a double futon, a coffee table, some big and small drawers – all for only 20,000 yen. Iram even threw in complimentary pillow, curtains, bed sheets, pillow cases, a wall clock, coffee mugs and decorative ornament. Iram told me that she got a fight with a friend who refused to pay a decent amount for her stuff instead asking for a lot of complimentary things. At first she wanted to buy a display showcase from Iram, but when Iram refused to sell her other electrical appliance for ridiculously low price, she called the earlier made deal to buy the showcase too. That explained why Iram asked me for a 7,000 yen deposit a few days back – just as a guarantee that I won’t back off from my promise.
The truck was almost full when we were done with loading the stuff I bought from them. Then, we made our way to Shibuya, to the Vietnamese Embassy, to pick up a 25 inch Sony bilingual TV which I have agreed to buy from one of Hien’s friend. The seller originally asked for 9,000 yen, but I guess because it was quite difficult to get a buyer for a big TV, she agreed to sell it for 5,000 yen. Which is a good bargain considering that even 14 inch bilingual TV are normally sold for 9,000 yen in a second hand shop.
But before we got to Shibuya, not quite out of Shinagawa area, Atoque committed a traffic offence – we were a bit confused by the traffic light and he moved when we should not. And it just so happened that a traffic police was nearby and saw us. So he got a 9,000 yen ticket for that and a demerit of 2 points (3 points demerit in a year means retaking driving class, 6 demerit points means the driving license will be suspended). I tried to plead for a lower fine or a lower demerit point – but the officer – friendly as he was – simply did not relented from his stand. Zannen. But then again, I have noticed that’s how most people work in Japan anyway – always by the book. Not much of human factors being considered – despite our explanation that it was Ghazali’s first time offence, and we were not from the area and thus unfamiliar with it, we were only students on scholarship and do not even have part-time job and all. Yes, he was friendly – but only on the surface, I would say. Unlike his counterpart in Malaysia, who may seemed a bit garang, but they normally let first-time offender off with just a strict warning.
So, there – the first traffic summon for Atoque in Tokyo. He even asked me to take some photos to record the memory.
After picking up the TV from Vietnamese embassy, we were supposed to go to Komaba, to pick my stuff. I have been told that it should only be a ten-minutes drive from the embassy to my hostel, Unfortunately, although I have a map, I got the wrong direction, so we were unable to get to the hostel although we were already in Komaba. We tried out several routes but failed to find a way to get there. It was so frustrating that at one point I felt like giving up and just go to Chiba. It was late. We were hungry. We already missed Zohor prayer and we just couldn’t find a way to get to the hostel.
I first referred to a map with direction which I got from a security guard from my hostel. Since he doesn’t drive, it was not surprising that he gave us the wrong direction. Then, I remembered that I have another map, with direction given by an officer. Suddenly, it made more sense, and yes, we finally got it.
Prayed, had our lunch/dinner combi meal (I prepared nasi goreng in the morning before I left for Gyotoku), prayed Maghrib and started loading my stuff on the lorry. Atoque got some help from John, my Filipino friend from Waseda. Somehow, they managed to cram everything in the already almost full truck with my additional luggage bags and boxes, alhamdulillah. My compliments went to Atoque, who was the mastermind in stacking everything and securing them using the futon as a cover and then some rope to keep everything tight and unmoving.
We left Shibuya at around 6.00 p.m – the time I thought everything would be over and done with initially. We asked for some advice on how to get to the nearest highway entry point and we did so within a few minutes after leaving Komaba. It was then when I first realized that I didn’t have my wallet with me. Thinking I might have left it on my study desk in the hostel, I just asked Atoque to loan me some money for toll, petrol and additional fees for truck rental. I thought we were okay – we already were on the highway, somehow Chiba wasn’t all that far anymore.
But things didn’t always go as we planned. Atoque took a wrong turn, and hence we had another bout of being lost in Tokyo. Normally it takes about 1 hour or so to drive from Shibuya to Gyotoku. But two hours after we left Komaba, we were still in Tokyo. It was almost as if we were sightseeing tourist – a drive along Shinjuku, Yoyogi, Harajuku, Shibuya (found another entry point to the highway – but it was closed), Roppongi, Otemachi, Ginza, Kyobashi, Nihombashi, Kanda, Akihabara and Ueno. We both complained about (and maybe even cursed) the bad signage for Highway entry points in Tokyo. It was really bad – the signage is not at all helpful like it is in Malaysia. No telling where we could find the entry point, not giving us any idea where one route really lead to - and made worse by the fact that we were not equipped by GPS navigator system. I won’t even start to compare the signage found in Japan with the signage in UK (which is far better than in Malaysia – one could rarely get lost driving in UK thanks to effective and efficient signage). I tried calling some friends for help on direction – but I could not get any of them on line. Finally, we stopped at the Police station in Ueno, and I went to ask for direction from the officer in charge.
I must say that knowing a little nihongo comes in handy in such situation. Although the officer in charge tried to explain things in English, it made more sense to me when he explained things in Nihongo. He was very helpful – providing me with copies of several maps – Ueno, the Highway map, and Ichikawa map (where Gyotoku is located). Still, due to the bad signage we fumbled for a while before we got it.
Called up Pokcik to get some help with the unloading. It had been a long day for Atoque and we were both glad to know that Pokcik manage to get 3 other guys agreeing to assist with the unloading. We arranged to meet in front of a 100 yen shop, but upon arriving there, we realized that it wouldn’t be possible for us to park there due to some repair works being carried out.
Thus, I waited near the area. I even walked around the vicinity a few times, just to make sure that they were not waiting nearby, but to no avail. About 20 minutes later when I was chilled to the bone, I saw Pokcik coming, and only then we made our way to my new house.
I felt guilty about moving at 10.00 p.m. – when my new neighbours were probably already on bed, but it wasn’t like I planned to do so. Anyway – the gentlemen did everything rather efficiently and by the time I came back from returning the truck with Atoque – they were almost done. I thanked them and I promised to one of them that I’ll try to have a makan-makan session in the near future (as a thank you gesture, a common practice around here when one receives such assistance). After everything was unloaded, I then returned to my hostel.
I seldom sleep in the train, preferring instead to read, a habit many Japanese have. But last night I was so tired that I dozed off during more than half the journey home. But I got all alert and awake when return and realizing that my purse was not on my table – or in may bag, or in my drawer, or in my coat’s pocket, or in my pant’s pocket – I just could not find it.
I called the rent-a-car, asked them to check in the lorry. No, nothing there. Called Atoque’s house, just in case he remembered me putting it somewhere, but he wasn’t home yet. His wife, Kak Ida, consoled me though – and that helped a little bit. I guess I just needed someone to tell me everything will be all right.
So, instead of sleeping well on the last night where I have the luxury of a bed – I slept fitfully – thinking about a lot of things that could go wrong if my purse is not found. The Alien registration card in itself is pretty tricky since I’m moving to Gyotoku and is supposed to just get my new address written at the back of my card rather than making a new card. Then there’s the ATM card that had to be stopped. Then there’s the 60,000 yen receipt for reikin from my house owner which I’m supposed to submit to the Malaysian Embassy for a refund. Not to mention the 12,000 yen I had inside the wallet. But I was more worried about all the ID and the ATM card than the money itself.
I already have my ATM card stopped. But there’s still a lot of things to be done… I just hope and pray and wish that my wallet had been found by someone nice and kind enough to send it to the Police or to the hostel. I had a strong feeling that I might had dropped it somewhere in Komaba, when were trying to ask for direction from some passerby.
Well, so this is my last entry posted from Komaba International House.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Good old friend...
I first came to Tokyo in 2002, attending a 2-weeks course organized by KDDI Engineering and Consulting (KEC). That was when I first fell in love with Japan. Prior to that, I never harbored any interest to further my study here.
Anyway, back then, I was the only Malaysian participant in that course and one of the youngest in the class. Out of the 17 or so participants, I was rather close to two – Khamla from Laos and Odgerel from Mongolia. Since I was the only female in class and a foreigner with almost no knowledge of Nihongo apart from saying greetings, either Odgerel or Khamla or both would always accompany me wherever I went to. They would do such things as carrying heavy bags for me, securing a seat for me when we traveled by train and basically acted like my bodyguard of some sort wherever else we went to.
Anyway, back then, I was the only Malaysian participant in that course and one of the youngest in the class. Out of the 17 or so participants, I was rather close to two – Khamla from Laos and Odgerel from Mongolia. Since I was the only female in class and a foreigner with almost no knowledge of Nihongo apart from saying greetings, either Odgerel or Khamla or both would always accompany me wherever I went to. They would do such things as carrying heavy bags for me, securing a seat for me when we traveled by train and basically acted like my bodyguard of some sort wherever else we went to.
Odgerel, Khamla and I, Akihabara, 2002
I have kept in touch with both of them – we have kept tabs on each other every now and then. Khamla had visited Malaysia twice since our first meeting and I had visited him and his family in Vientiane once in 2004. While I’ve yet to visit Ulaanbaatar, I’ve kept in touch with Odgerel via email and instant messenger. He won a scholarship by World Bank to do his Masters in Yokohama in 2003, brought his family to Japan six months later and just went back to Mongolia in April 2005.
Khamla and I, Laos Presidential Palace, Vientiane, 2004
He got promoted upon his return to Ulaanbaatar, and this year, he was asked to give a presentation in Shinjuku on Mongolia ICT development. Since Shinjuku is not that far from Waseda, we agreed to meet a day after he arrived in Japan.
Odgerel and I, Tenya, Takadanobaba, 2006
We had dinner together at Tenya – which he insisted on paying and reminded me of the old good time when he was acting as my bodyguard of some sort. It was good to see him again and I got to see latest photos of his son, his wife (who he claimed to be better in Nihongo than he is because she picked up on Nihongo while working part-time while he was too lazy to take any Nihongo class) and some snapshots of Ulaanbaatar.
It would be great if we could have a reunion of some sort – Khamla, Odgerel and I – in Japan. Sometimes, it just felt good to meet up and do some catching up with friends, despite not knowing each other all that well. We just clicked with each other – and the friendship has lasted all these years although we seldom talk or email each other. Yet, whenever we meet, it doesn’t feel awkward, as if we have just last met about a few weeks ago, instead of years ago.
Meeting Odgerel again somehow made me miss a few old male friends, who had been kind to and left lots of pleasant memories for me. There’s Sidan, who’s currently being assigned in Prague. There’s Syah, who’s somewhere in the Middle East. And there’s Fadzli, who I’ve lost touch with since 2000.
The truth is, I’ve tried to track him down via Google, but to no avail. In fact, I posted my wedding invitation card to his old address (his mother’s house). I even wrote hubby’s address (because we used different cards for my family’s and hubby’s receptions) just to give him a choice whether to attend the one held in Seremban. I did not see him though.
Fadzli was the one who introduced Jeffrey Archer to me in 1990. Since then we had discussed and traded lots of books with each other. In fact he once called me all the way from Newark, Delaware, just to let me know that he was reading the then newly released “The Fourth Estate”. When I saw “False Impression”, the latest book by Jeffrey Archer, I immediately thought of Fadzli, wondering whether he has gotten hold of this book, whether he still read a lot now, whether or not he has children to whom he can read to, how is he faring right now and so on and so forth.
Well, in case anybody knows a particular Ahmad Fadzli Sharip, who graduated from Delaware University, alumnus of Sekolah Tunku Ampuan Durah (SPM batch 1992), married in 1999, used to live in Taman Paroi Jaya and then moved to Melaka (and I don’t know where else) – will you please let him know that he's being missed by an old friend?
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1... Tagged!
Tagged by Zyrin. Again.
I know this was supposed to be done in 5 minutes, to make it a spontaneous thing… but being old forgetful me, I stumbled here and there, thus it took me more than 5 minutes
10 FIRSTS
first best friend: alamak – can’t remember. Probably Ajim, when I was 5 or 6 years old, but he was more like my Paksu’s best friend. Or Ismarita Ismar, Std 4.
first item you stole: some money from arwah Tok Ayah’s pocket to buy Chickedees at kedai Makji Nah next door
first pet: again, can’t remember. But most cherished would be Bulat and her litter – Cumi, Ciki, Comel and Comot. (Mak had even named some of our cats Baghdad, Najaf, Tikrit…)
first piercing: never had any
first school: Tadika Kemas, Kampung Syed Syeh, Kelang Lama, Kulim, Kedah
first house location: Kg Syed Syeh, Kulim, Kedah
first crush: Standard 6 – on someone who is now working in CIMB, married with one kid
first kiss: Yeah, I have to go with the common one on this - by my parents on the day I was born ;-)
first car: Green Kancil, WHC 6341 (which now is an orange sporty Daihatsu Mira look-alike driven by my sister-in-law-to-be)
9 LASTS
last time you smoked: never. Amaran oleh Kerajaan Malaysia: Merokok Membahayakan Kesihatan
last food you ate: Strawberries
last movie you watched on dvd at home: Madagascar
last movie you watched at the cinema: Star Wars II (because Celcom gave me free pass for its preview. I don’t normally go to cinema)
last text message: (c-mail actually, which is more common in Japan) to Hien, asking her to remind her friend to e-mail me details of a 29 inch Sony Bilingual TV she’s interested to sell for 9,000 yen
last music video u saw: ‘Wish’ by Arashi
last song you listened to: ‘Mr Traveling Man’ by Tokio
last words you said: “Oyasumi nasai” to Kylie as we departed from the lounge, right after Desperate Housewives was over
8 HAVE-YOU-EVERS
dated a best friend: Nay, don’t think so, unless people consider my ex to be my best friend
been arrested: Not yet so far.
been on TV: Briefly on Malaysian TV news and briefly on Japan TV, as part of Kawaguchi sensei’s class when he was featured in one documentary
eaten sushi: Sure! I love sushi!
cheated on your BF/GF: Not that I remember.
been on a blind date: Nay
been out of the country: Yes, as a student, as well as on job assignments
been in love: Yes, and hope to remain being so...
7 THINGS YOU ARE WEARING
1. Earth coloured sweater
2. Long johns
3. Contact lenses
4. Wedding ring
5. Engagement ring
6. Headphone-and-mic
7. Vaseline on my chapped lips
6 THINGS YOU HAVE DONE TODAY
1. attended International Negotiation class
2. acted as HR manager in an "unhappy at work" negotiation scenario
3. fasted
4. bought Nelson DeMille’s The Gold Coast for 100 yen at a used bookshop
5. closed a deal with someone who’s leaving Japan to buy her household appliances for 17,000 yen
6. watched Desperate Housewives
5 FAVORITE THINGS
1. Huzaifah’s baby smell
2. ice cream (just tried the new Haagen Dazs Cheesecake ice cream yesterday – yummy!)
3. falling leaves in autumn
4. all shades of blue
5. Syawarma kebab in front of the smaller Kamdar at Jalan TAR
4 PEOPLE YOU TRUST THE MOST
1. Mak
2. Hubby
3. Mak Tam
4. Masni
3 THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE
1. Performing Hajj/Umrah with hubby
2. Paragliding or hand gliding or parachuting at least once
3. Clearing all debts
2 CHOICES
vanilla or chocolate: chocolate
rock or rap: err… pop?
1 PERSON YOU WANT TO SEE RIGHT NOW?
Huzaifah
Okay, and I hereby pass this tag on to:
Jaja lagi
Ahkak lagi
Kakaq lagi
Dakwanie (yang dah lama tak berbelog)
Dr Boring (come on doc - this is not so bad whattt...)
I know this was supposed to be done in 5 minutes, to make it a spontaneous thing… but being old forgetful me, I stumbled here and there, thus it took me more than 5 minutes
10 FIRSTS
first best friend: alamak – can’t remember. Probably Ajim, when I was 5 or 6 years old, but he was more like my Paksu’s best friend. Or Ismarita Ismar, Std 4.
first item you stole: some money from arwah Tok Ayah’s pocket to buy Chickedees at kedai Makji Nah next door
first pet: again, can’t remember. But most cherished would be Bulat and her litter – Cumi, Ciki, Comel and Comot. (Mak had even named some of our cats Baghdad, Najaf, Tikrit…)
first piercing: never had any
first school: Tadika Kemas, Kampung Syed Syeh, Kelang Lama, Kulim, Kedah
first house location: Kg Syed Syeh, Kulim, Kedah
first crush: Standard 6 – on someone who is now working in CIMB, married with one kid
first kiss: Yeah, I have to go with the common one on this - by my parents on the day I was born ;-)
first car: Green Kancil, WHC 6341 (which now is an orange sporty Daihatsu Mira look-alike driven by my sister-in-law-to-be)
9 LASTS
last time you smoked: never. Amaran oleh Kerajaan Malaysia: Merokok Membahayakan Kesihatan
last food you ate: Strawberries
last movie you watched on dvd at home: Madagascar
last movie you watched at the cinema: Star Wars II (because Celcom gave me free pass for its preview. I don’t normally go to cinema)
last text message: (c-mail actually, which is more common in Japan) to Hien, asking her to remind her friend to e-mail me details of a 29 inch Sony Bilingual TV she’s interested to sell for 9,000 yen
last music video u saw: ‘Wish’ by Arashi
last song you listened to: ‘Mr Traveling Man’ by Tokio
last words you said: “Oyasumi nasai” to Kylie as we departed from the lounge, right after Desperate Housewives was over
8 HAVE-YOU-EVERS
dated a best friend: Nay, don’t think so, unless people consider my ex to be my best friend
been arrested: Not yet so far.
been on TV: Briefly on Malaysian TV news and briefly on Japan TV, as part of Kawaguchi sensei’s class when he was featured in one documentary
eaten sushi: Sure! I love sushi!
cheated on your BF/GF: Not that I remember.
been on a blind date: Nay
been out of the country: Yes, as a student, as well as on job assignments
been in love: Yes, and hope to remain being so...
7 THINGS YOU ARE WEARING
1. Earth coloured sweater
2. Long johns
3. Contact lenses
4. Wedding ring
5. Engagement ring
6. Headphone-and-mic
7. Vaseline on my chapped lips
6 THINGS YOU HAVE DONE TODAY
1. attended International Negotiation class
2. acted as HR manager in an "unhappy at work" negotiation scenario
3. fasted
4. bought Nelson DeMille’s The Gold Coast for 100 yen at a used bookshop
5. closed a deal with someone who’s leaving Japan to buy her household appliances for 17,000 yen
6. watched Desperate Housewives
5 FAVORITE THINGS
1. Huzaifah’s baby smell
2. ice cream (just tried the new Haagen Dazs Cheesecake ice cream yesterday – yummy!)
3. falling leaves in autumn
4. all shades of blue
5. Syawarma kebab in front of the smaller Kamdar at Jalan TAR
4 PEOPLE YOU TRUST THE MOST
1. Mak
2. Hubby
3. Mak Tam
4. Masni
3 THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE
1. Performing Hajj/Umrah with hubby
2. Paragliding or hand gliding or parachuting at least once
3. Clearing all debts
2 CHOICES
vanilla or chocolate: chocolate
rock or rap: err… pop?
1 PERSON YOU WANT TO SEE RIGHT NOW?
Huzaifah
Okay, and I hereby pass this tag on to:
Jaja lagi
Ahkak lagi
Kakaq lagi
Dakwanie (yang dah lama tak berbelog)
Dr Boring (come on doc - this is not so bad whattt...)
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Komaba International Student House – a personal review.
I found my answer to Lomo’s questions regarding my current dormitory, Komaba International Student House to be rather lengthy that I decided to post a whole entry on it.
The Jasso's introduction to the dormitory could be found here. I don't know much about any other dormitory except that they are often a lot more expensive than what I have to pay ;-)
Travel from Komaba to Waseda daigaku is about 50 -60 minutes, door to door. This includes a short walk from the dorm to Komabatodaimae eki, boarding a Keio Inokashira train to Shibuya, a short walk to JR eki in Shibuya, boarding a JR Yamanote train to Takadanobaba and a 20 minutes walk to Waseda daigaku.
What do I think of Komaba International House? If you have been following this blog long enough (or care enough to dig the archive) I think it’s quite obvious that I am quite fond of this place. It’s convenient.
It’s just 2 eki away from Shibuya, and not that far from Shinjuku. It’s a lot more convenient to be placed in Komaba than Soshigaya, the other Jasso dormitory. If you are lucky like me, you won’t get the room next to the railtrack (which I find very noisy), but even then, friends have told me that after a while they get used to the sound of trains passing by
The fee is just about 35,000 yen monthly with 24/7 internet connection. Utilities fees are paid depending on one’s own consumption. I normally pay only 4000 – 5000 yen for water/electric/gas combined.
The room is cozy for single occupancy. Own toilet & bathroom, with bed (bed is almost a luxury in Tokyo), air-cond/heater, reliable internet connection, fridge and spacious closet and racks. Laundry for pillow cases, bed sheets and blanket covers are provided about 3 times a month.
While it’s not permitted to let others stay overnight, it’s okay to entertain friends. There are plenty of common rooms with TV (one at every fllor in Building 2), large spacious kitchen with dining area and for quiet moments – there’s a large study hall and private meeting rooms that can also be used as study room.
There are a lot of activities for residents – Nihongo class, Go (Japanese chess) class, Karate, Aikido, Taekwondo, futsal on Sundays. Then, there are activities jointly organized with KIND, Komaba International Friendship Club, such as mochitsuki, cultural day, tea party, bazaar, free service for mending clothes. And there’s a koen nearby, in case one needs to unwind and take a walk during the weekend or after a long tiring day.
It's easy to make new friends from all over the world here, most of them Mambusho students too. (Just the other week, I was exchanging notes with a Korean friend and a Chinese friend about Korean dramas, conversing in a mix of English and Nihongo. I also met an Israeli for the first time here in Komaba) There are Japanese Resident Assistants to seek out for little assistance, and the dormitory even provides monthly professional counsellors's service.
The staff are friendly and understanding too. I didn’t pay my room fees until about a month after my arrival because of lack of funding and they were okay with that. And everything was catered for upon arrival – a Jasso officer waiting at the airport, free transportation to the dorm, smiling staff waiting for me to enter the nice room and rest right after arrival.
Would I recommend it to any other Mambusho student?
Absolutely.
The Jasso's introduction to the dormitory could be found here. I don't know much about any other dormitory except that they are often a lot more expensive than what I have to pay ;-)
Travel from Komaba to Waseda daigaku is about 50 -60 minutes, door to door. This includes a short walk from the dorm to Komabatodaimae eki, boarding a Keio Inokashira train to Shibuya, a short walk to JR eki in Shibuya, boarding a JR Yamanote train to Takadanobaba and a 20 minutes walk to Waseda daigaku.
What do I think of Komaba International House? If you have been following this blog long enough (or care enough to dig the archive) I think it’s quite obvious that I am quite fond of this place. It’s convenient.
It’s just 2 eki away from Shibuya, and not that far from Shinjuku. It’s a lot more convenient to be placed in Komaba than Soshigaya, the other Jasso dormitory. If you are lucky like me, you won’t get the room next to the railtrack (which I find very noisy), but even then, friends have told me that after a while they get used to the sound of trains passing by
The fee is just about 35,000 yen monthly with 24/7 internet connection. Utilities fees are paid depending on one’s own consumption. I normally pay only 4000 – 5000 yen for water/electric/gas combined.
The room is cozy for single occupancy. Own toilet & bathroom, with bed (bed is almost a luxury in Tokyo), air-cond/heater, reliable internet connection, fridge and spacious closet and racks. Laundry for pillow cases, bed sheets and blanket covers are provided about 3 times a month.
While it’s not permitted to let others stay overnight, it’s okay to entertain friends. There are plenty of common rooms with TV (one at every fllor in Building 2), large spacious kitchen with dining area and for quiet moments – there’s a large study hall and private meeting rooms that can also be used as study room.
There are a lot of activities for residents – Nihongo class, Go (Japanese chess) class, Karate, Aikido, Taekwondo, futsal on Sundays. Then, there are activities jointly organized with KIND, Komaba International Friendship Club, such as mochitsuki, cultural day, tea party, bazaar, free service for mending clothes. And there’s a koen nearby, in case one needs to unwind and take a walk during the weekend or after a long tiring day.
It's easy to make new friends from all over the world here, most of them Mambusho students too. (Just the other week, I was exchanging notes with a Korean friend and a Chinese friend about Korean dramas, conversing in a mix of English and Nihongo. I also met an Israeli for the first time here in Komaba) There are Japanese Resident Assistants to seek out for little assistance, and the dormitory even provides monthly professional counsellors's service.
The staff are friendly and understanding too. I didn’t pay my room fees until about a month after my arrival because of lack of funding and they were okay with that. And everything was catered for upon arrival – a Jasso officer waiting at the airport, free transportation to the dorm, smiling staff waiting for me to enter the nice room and rest right after arrival.
Would I recommend it to any other Mambusho student?
Absolutely.
8ight Points of A Not-So-Perfect Lover
Tagged by Zyrin. So here goes nothing.
A. 8 Different Points of a Not-So-Perfect Lover*
(and alhamdulillah I found him in my hubby ;-) )
* since according to DrB, we are only human kan...
1. Pious practising Muslim. Maybe this has something to do with my upbringing and being a former student of a religious school – but yes, previously I’d always fallen for guys who could be considered ‘ustaz ala-ala’. I ended up marrying a real ustaz though. Talk about dreams come true
2. Offers me a lot of love and affection… to borrow Robbie Williams’ lyric. And not shy to be open about it. Unlike my Ayah who once scolded Mak for kissing his cheeks at the airport when she bid farewell before she went overseas, hubby has no qualms about PDA. He kisses my forehead or cheek in public all the time. We both enjoy holding hands and sometimes, he even hugged me in public. Yes, if not for Huzaifah, some people might have mistaken us for being unmarried dating couple.
3. Biggest critic yet strongest supporter. He has to be able to tell me where I went astray and guide me to the right path. Criticism is not necessarily a bad thing – we all need to be reminded from time to time of our own weaknesses. On the other hand, I also need him to respect, understand and support me – which so far he’s been doing rather well, alhamdulillah.
4. Intelligent, inspiring and all other universal qualities of leadership, making it easy for me to look up to him as my numero uno hero.
5. Shares a lot in common and enjoys our differences. Too similar is duh, dull. Total opposites on the other hand could be lethal. So, we should have enough in common to enjoy each other and enough differences to learn from each other. And yes, like many, I agree that it is vital for couples to share common goals in life.
6. He makes me smile. Yes, even if he sometimes has to resort to goofy lame jokes - the bottom line is - he makes me smile. He lighten things up when I need lightening up. He makes my day with his compliments and praises. Some days, he makes me smile just by grinning at me via the webcam.
7. He gets along well with most people. "Boleh dibawa ke tepi ke tengah", or that was how my friend Sue used to describe it. He knows how to carry himself well - be it when dealing with superiors or subordinates, friends or foes.
8. Attractive. Like Rin, I (used to) have a weakness for tall guys. Maybe because I am often considered tall for a Malay girl and just to prove to my Tok that it’s not impossible after all finding a taller Malay ‘gu’ (partner) for me. So yes, I love the fact that not only is my hubby taller than me, but he is also so very huggable – with his broad shoulders, cute butts and all. In short – he’s yummy and he’s mine, heheheh…
B. Sex of Target
100% male. Tulen bang, tulen.
C. Tag 8 Victims
1. Jaja (bulan kene tag semanjang, heheheh)
2. Ahkak
3. Kakaq
4. Dr B
5. Marinadelrey
6. Fatihah
7. Sabah
8. Keng
A. 8 Different Points of a Not-So-Perfect Lover*
(and alhamdulillah I found him in my hubby ;-) )
* since according to DrB, we are only human kan...
1. Pious practising Muslim. Maybe this has something to do with my upbringing and being a former student of a religious school – but yes, previously I’d always fallen for guys who could be considered ‘ustaz ala-ala’. I ended up marrying a real ustaz though. Talk about dreams come true
2. Offers me a lot of love and affection… to borrow Robbie Williams’ lyric. And not shy to be open about it. Unlike my Ayah who once scolded Mak for kissing his cheeks at the airport when she bid farewell before she went overseas, hubby has no qualms about PDA. He kisses my forehead or cheek in public all the time. We both enjoy holding hands and sometimes, he even hugged me in public. Yes, if not for Huzaifah, some people might have mistaken us for being unmarried dating couple.
3. Biggest critic yet strongest supporter. He has to be able to tell me where I went astray and guide me to the right path. Criticism is not necessarily a bad thing – we all need to be reminded from time to time of our own weaknesses. On the other hand, I also need him to respect, understand and support me – which so far he’s been doing rather well, alhamdulillah.
4. Intelligent, inspiring and all other universal qualities of leadership, making it easy for me to look up to him as my numero uno hero.
5. Shares a lot in common and enjoys our differences. Too similar is duh, dull. Total opposites on the other hand could be lethal. So, we should have enough in common to enjoy each other and enough differences to learn from each other. And yes, like many, I agree that it is vital for couples to share common goals in life.
6. He makes me smile. Yes, even if he sometimes has to resort to goofy lame jokes - the bottom line is - he makes me smile. He lighten things up when I need lightening up. He makes my day with his compliments and praises. Some days, he makes me smile just by grinning at me via the webcam.
7. He gets along well with most people. "Boleh dibawa ke tepi ke tengah", or that was how my friend Sue used to describe it. He knows how to carry himself well - be it when dealing with superiors or subordinates, friends or foes.
8. Attractive. Like Rin, I (used to) have a weakness for tall guys. Maybe because I am often considered tall for a Malay girl and just to prove to my Tok that it’s not impossible after all finding a taller Malay ‘gu’ (partner) for me. So yes, I love the fact that not only is my hubby taller than me, but he is also so very huggable – with his broad shoulders, cute butts and all. In short – he’s yummy and he’s mine, heheheh…
B. Sex of Target
100% male. Tulen bang, tulen.
C. Tag 8 Victims
1. Jaja (bulan kene tag semanjang, heheheh)
2. Ahkak
3. Kakaq
4. Dr B
5. Marinadelrey
6. Fatihah
7. Sabah
8. Keng
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Some nice treats
Nice vanilla pudding bought in Shibuya by Tomomi-san, a nihonjin volunteer who joined my Nihongo Ichi classmates and I during our small party on Saturday evening. The taste and texture of the pudding is almost akin to the vanilla custard filling of Beard Papa's cream puffs.
Nasi goreng and mango pudding in pineapple syrup with pineapple slices, my contribution for the party
The first bunch of flowers received in Tokyo, from Tomomi-san - as a token for being the hostess of the party. The first flower I received since the last bouquet Juz gave me for my graduation in 1998. I didn't receive any during DPA graduation in 2002, and despite some hints, hubby has yet to give me even a single stem of flower.
My first lavish meal at a 5 star hotel in Tokyo (thanks to the generous Pak Ginandjar)
Nasi goreng and mango pudding in pineapple syrup with pineapple slices, my contribution for the party
The first bunch of flowers received in Tokyo, from Tomomi-san - as a token for being the hostess of the party. The first flower I received since the last bouquet Juz gave me for my graduation in 1998. I didn't receive any during DPA graduation in 2002, and despite some hints, hubby has yet to give me even a single stem of flower.
My first lavish meal at a 5 star hotel in Tokyo (thanks to the generous Pak Ginandjar)
Sometimes things just don't work out the way we want them to be
Sometimes things just don’t work out the way we want them to be
Sometimes the unforeseen could happen.
And when it happens, earlier plans sometimes need adjustments.
Some changes are inevitable.
I am supposed to make a deal with a sempai, buying his things upon his return to Malaysia. I haven’t been buying much household appliances and furniture since I arrived because most essentials are provided at the hostel – the room is equipped with a bed (with pillow and blankets – with almost weekly laundry service for the pillow cases, bed sheets and blanket covers), a study desk, a fridge, a closet with my own bathroom and toilet. I can watch television at the common room and there’s a common use kitchen, so there’s no need to buy any gas cooker. There’s a coin laundry which is quite cheap for Tokyo standard (150 yen for 4kg of load, 100 yen for 30 minutes dryer cycle). So, yes, initially there was no need for me to buy much household appliances and furniture.
Nevertheless since my family will be joining me to stay here insya Allah in March, I have to move out because the hostel only allows single occupancy. No one is supposed to stay overnight apart from the registered residents.
Finding a new apartment in itself was an adventure. At first I thought of just moving in the same apartment my sempai is staying once he moves out. However, I started having second thoughts when I heard that the person staying at the apartment below him could not tolerate noises and had been knocking on his neighbour’s door all the time because she thought the neighbour was too noisy. According to the neighbour though, it wasn’t like he was having wild parties all the time, the elderly obaasan downstairs could not even tolerate some music from the radio meant for one person’s entertainment. I could not imagine her tolerance for baby’s cries at night and I certainly do not want to be subject to being hit by a broom like a blogger had almost been subjected to, merely because the neighbour claimed that her footsteps were noisy.
Then I became further discouraged as I discovered how freezing cold the house could be during winter and there was no toilet bowl, merely squatting toilet with tiled floor which could make a winter morning trip to the toilet a horrendous experience. Not to mention that the fudo-san (real estate agent) was quite fussy. I’d only met her once, but even a quick deal with her was rather unpleasant compared to dealing with my current helpful and attentive fudo-san.
Searching for an apartment within my relatively low budget of 60,000 yen a month was no easy feat. I went to several real estate offices and on few occasions when I thought I had found suitable ones, I had always been told that the oya-san (house owner) preferred not to have foreign students as their tenants.
And then one day about a month ago, I found a suitable one – a mansion, not an apato, which charges suitable rent. (Apato refers to apartments built of wood or prefabricated. Mansion, on the other hand, refers to condominium made from brick, not a huge manor.) I liked it almost instantly – it was snowing and yet the house was not all that cold upon entry. I asked for a new air conditioner-cum-heater to be installed, as well as a water heater at the sink since I don’t want to do my dish washing with freezing cold water. The fudo-san told me the next day that yes, the oya-san had no objection to a foreign resident being his tenant and he also agreed to install a new air-cond as well as the hot water for the kitchen sink.
In Japan it’s customary to pay a lump sum of money before taking up residence. There’s the reikin (key money), the shikikin (deposit) and chukai tesuryo (real estate agent’s fee). It is common to pay un-refundable reikin equaling 1 or 2 months of rent, just as it is common to pay shikikin (refundable but often not refunded due to funding repairs of the premise once a tenant moves out) equaling 1 or 2 months rent. So yes, it could take a lot to pay upon entering a house. Considering it’s common for one to pay about 6 months worth of rent for fees, I guess I’m lucky having to only about 3 1/3 months worth of rent upon entrance - one month of reikin, one month of shikikin, one month rent on advance, no chukai tesuryo and 9 days rent as my tetsukekin (booking money).
But apparently luck does not follow me when it comes to buying household furnishes and appliances.
Like I said earlier, I was supposed to be buying a sempai’s old furniture and appliances – fridge, hot carpet, cabinet, sofa bed, study desk, etc. I asked around and people had given me estimate figures of all the things he offered to sell to be around 20,000 to 23,000 yen. He however wanted to sell for 30,000 yen. First we agreed to meet halfway at 25,000yen, but he increased it to 27,000 yen, saying the extra was for the bicycle. I was a bit reluctant, knowing that I was paying more than I was supposed to, but because I thought I could still afford it, I agreed to it.
I had wanted to move the things on this coming Friday, the 24th, but because I have a class scheduled to end at 4.10 p.m. that day, I won’t be able to sign the agreement with the oya-san that day. The oya-san have asked me to sign the agreement on Sunday, the 26th. Nevertheless since the sempai is due to attend a seminar elsewhere on Sunday, I tried to get the oya-san’s permission for me to move my sempai things to my new apartment on Saturday, despite not signing any agreement as yet then. After a few discussions mediated by the fudo-san over the phone, the oya-san finally agreed to let me store my things at the apartment even before signing any agreement.
I had made arrangements to rent a small lorry to be driven by Is, a helpful friend who is also very fluent in nihongo since he’s been staying here first as an undergraduate student and now as a working adult for a total of almost 8 years.
And then, the unforeseen happened.
My husband told me excitedly last Friday that there’ll be a rombongan cik kiah to visit me in Tokyo. Instead of having just him, my baby and my Mak, I’m also to prepare for my younger brother and two aunts, Mak Ram and Mak Su, coming. That sounded great, of course.
But it also means that I have to re-assess my budget. And a change in plan.
And so I told the sempai that I was having second thoughts about buying everything. Previously he had told me that he had other prospective buyer if I did not want to buy his things, so I asked him to detail out the price for each stuff, so that I can select and choose what I really wanted and let him sell the rest to someone else. I could no longer afford paying 27,000 yen for everything, so I thought of re-prioritizing, buying essential stuff first, perhaps up to 20,000 yen and postpone buying other things until later.
I certainly did not expect a harsh reply.
Instead of calmly and transparently letting me know the estimate price for each item, what I got instead was a reprimand, being told off for not keeping true to promises made, labeled as someone who “menyusahkan orang” and he even said that he would rather give away all his stuff for free than dealing with someone like me. It’s a matter of his pride, or so he said.
I was stunned.
I thought about what he said – tried not to be hurt by the harsh words he used – and when I failed to get him on the phone, I wrote an email, stated my request once again in a more rational argument. Reminded him, how initially I never made a big fuss when we came to a price more to his liking than mine because I did not think that I would have a budget constraint. Told him how sincere I’d been all along, since I’d already made the arrangement to get the house key even before I sign any agreement, and how I’ve arranged for a lorry to transfer the stuff. In fact, I even told him that if he wanted to sell the things I might decide I do not need, I wouldn’t mind sending that stuff to the second hand shop available in the vicinity.
So, I asked him to reconsider, to find a solution that’s workable and a win-win situation for both of us. We both know that he won’t be getting as much if he choose to sell his things to the second-hand shop, and I have to pay more to buy brand new stuff. I was hoping that he would agree to meet me halfway
No, he was adamant. Either I take all or nothing. If I don’t want to take them, he wouldn’t mind taking all those things back home to Malaysia or even giving them away free to others.
I was flabbergasted.
So, just like every other time I found difficulty in making up my mind, I consulted my husband.
After explaining everything to him, I asked him whether or not I should take the offer and pay 27,000 yen for things some friends said are not worth that much anyway.
Hubby’s answer was short and simple – “Tak payah”
“But we have to pay a lot more to buy brand new stuff,” I told hubby.
“I would rather we pay more for brand new stuff and cut our expenses elsewhere than dealing with someone who could not show any compassion”
And thus, I conveyed the message to the sempai through instant messenger, dreading more awful statements. He took it well enough though, saying that he just wanted confirmation whether or not I wanted to go on with the deal earlier decided. I said no, the deal was off. I said sorry a few times though as I could not help feeling awful about how things ended. Yes, the way he hurled words like “tak pegang janji”, “menyusahkan orang” and how he said that he would rather give things away for free, and would rather bring things back to Malaysia (where of course, there is no use for such things as heater and hot carpet) rather than dealing with me – hurt. Still, I wished things could end up differently.
But then again, sometimes things just don’t workout the way we want them to be
Sometimes the unforeseen could happen.
And when it happens, earlier plans sometimes need adjustments.
Some changes are inevitable.
But some people are just too obstinately fixed with their own so-called ‘principle’, making it difficult as well for others to make adjustments.
Sometimes the unforeseen could happen.
And when it happens, earlier plans sometimes need adjustments.
Some changes are inevitable.
I am supposed to make a deal with a sempai, buying his things upon his return to Malaysia. I haven’t been buying much household appliances and furniture since I arrived because most essentials are provided at the hostel – the room is equipped with a bed (with pillow and blankets – with almost weekly laundry service for the pillow cases, bed sheets and blanket covers), a study desk, a fridge, a closet with my own bathroom and toilet. I can watch television at the common room and there’s a common use kitchen, so there’s no need to buy any gas cooker. There’s a coin laundry which is quite cheap for Tokyo standard (150 yen for 4kg of load, 100 yen for 30 minutes dryer cycle). So, yes, initially there was no need for me to buy much household appliances and furniture.
Nevertheless since my family will be joining me to stay here insya Allah in March, I have to move out because the hostel only allows single occupancy. No one is supposed to stay overnight apart from the registered residents.
Finding a new apartment in itself was an adventure. At first I thought of just moving in the same apartment my sempai is staying once he moves out. However, I started having second thoughts when I heard that the person staying at the apartment below him could not tolerate noises and had been knocking on his neighbour’s door all the time because she thought the neighbour was too noisy. According to the neighbour though, it wasn’t like he was having wild parties all the time, the elderly obaasan downstairs could not even tolerate some music from the radio meant for one person’s entertainment. I could not imagine her tolerance for baby’s cries at night and I certainly do not want to be subject to being hit by a broom like a blogger had almost been subjected to, merely because the neighbour claimed that her footsteps were noisy.
Then I became further discouraged as I discovered how freezing cold the house could be during winter and there was no toilet bowl, merely squatting toilet with tiled floor which could make a winter morning trip to the toilet a horrendous experience. Not to mention that the fudo-san (real estate agent) was quite fussy. I’d only met her once, but even a quick deal with her was rather unpleasant compared to dealing with my current helpful and attentive fudo-san.
Searching for an apartment within my relatively low budget of 60,000 yen a month was no easy feat. I went to several real estate offices and on few occasions when I thought I had found suitable ones, I had always been told that the oya-san (house owner) preferred not to have foreign students as their tenants.
And then one day about a month ago, I found a suitable one – a mansion, not an apato, which charges suitable rent. (Apato refers to apartments built of wood or prefabricated. Mansion, on the other hand, refers to condominium made from brick, not a huge manor.) I liked it almost instantly – it was snowing and yet the house was not all that cold upon entry. I asked for a new air conditioner-cum-heater to be installed, as well as a water heater at the sink since I don’t want to do my dish washing with freezing cold water. The fudo-san told me the next day that yes, the oya-san had no objection to a foreign resident being his tenant and he also agreed to install a new air-cond as well as the hot water for the kitchen sink.
In Japan it’s customary to pay a lump sum of money before taking up residence. There’s the reikin (key money), the shikikin (deposit) and chukai tesuryo (real estate agent’s fee). It is common to pay un-refundable reikin equaling 1 or 2 months of rent, just as it is common to pay shikikin (refundable but often not refunded due to funding repairs of the premise once a tenant moves out) equaling 1 or 2 months rent. So yes, it could take a lot to pay upon entering a house. Considering it’s common for one to pay about 6 months worth of rent for fees, I guess I’m lucky having to only about 3 1/3 months worth of rent upon entrance - one month of reikin, one month of shikikin, one month rent on advance, no chukai tesuryo and 9 days rent as my tetsukekin (booking money).
But apparently luck does not follow me when it comes to buying household furnishes and appliances.
Like I said earlier, I was supposed to be buying a sempai’s old furniture and appliances – fridge, hot carpet, cabinet, sofa bed, study desk, etc. I asked around and people had given me estimate figures of all the things he offered to sell to be around 20,000 to 23,000 yen. He however wanted to sell for 30,000 yen. First we agreed to meet halfway at 25,000yen, but he increased it to 27,000 yen, saying the extra was for the bicycle. I was a bit reluctant, knowing that I was paying more than I was supposed to, but because I thought I could still afford it, I agreed to it.
I had wanted to move the things on this coming Friday, the 24th, but because I have a class scheduled to end at 4.10 p.m. that day, I won’t be able to sign the agreement with the oya-san that day. The oya-san have asked me to sign the agreement on Sunday, the 26th. Nevertheless since the sempai is due to attend a seminar elsewhere on Sunday, I tried to get the oya-san’s permission for me to move my sempai things to my new apartment on Saturday, despite not signing any agreement as yet then. After a few discussions mediated by the fudo-san over the phone, the oya-san finally agreed to let me store my things at the apartment even before signing any agreement.
I had made arrangements to rent a small lorry to be driven by Is, a helpful friend who is also very fluent in nihongo since he’s been staying here first as an undergraduate student and now as a working adult for a total of almost 8 years.
And then, the unforeseen happened.
My husband told me excitedly last Friday that there’ll be a rombongan cik kiah to visit me in Tokyo. Instead of having just him, my baby and my Mak, I’m also to prepare for my younger brother and two aunts, Mak Ram and Mak Su, coming. That sounded great, of course.
But it also means that I have to re-assess my budget. And a change in plan.
And so I told the sempai that I was having second thoughts about buying everything. Previously he had told me that he had other prospective buyer if I did not want to buy his things, so I asked him to detail out the price for each stuff, so that I can select and choose what I really wanted and let him sell the rest to someone else. I could no longer afford paying 27,000 yen for everything, so I thought of re-prioritizing, buying essential stuff first, perhaps up to 20,000 yen and postpone buying other things until later.
I certainly did not expect a harsh reply.
Instead of calmly and transparently letting me know the estimate price for each item, what I got instead was a reprimand, being told off for not keeping true to promises made, labeled as someone who “menyusahkan orang” and he even said that he would rather give away all his stuff for free than dealing with someone like me. It’s a matter of his pride, or so he said.
I was stunned.
I thought about what he said – tried not to be hurt by the harsh words he used – and when I failed to get him on the phone, I wrote an email, stated my request once again in a more rational argument. Reminded him, how initially I never made a big fuss when we came to a price more to his liking than mine because I did not think that I would have a budget constraint. Told him how sincere I’d been all along, since I’d already made the arrangement to get the house key even before I sign any agreement, and how I’ve arranged for a lorry to transfer the stuff. In fact, I even told him that if he wanted to sell the things I might decide I do not need, I wouldn’t mind sending that stuff to the second hand shop available in the vicinity.
So, I asked him to reconsider, to find a solution that’s workable and a win-win situation for both of us. We both know that he won’t be getting as much if he choose to sell his things to the second-hand shop, and I have to pay more to buy brand new stuff. I was hoping that he would agree to meet me halfway
No, he was adamant. Either I take all or nothing. If I don’t want to take them, he wouldn’t mind taking all those things back home to Malaysia or even giving them away free to others.
I was flabbergasted.
So, just like every other time I found difficulty in making up my mind, I consulted my husband.
After explaining everything to him, I asked him whether or not I should take the offer and pay 27,000 yen for things some friends said are not worth that much anyway.
Hubby’s answer was short and simple – “Tak payah”
“But we have to pay a lot more to buy brand new stuff,” I told hubby.
“I would rather we pay more for brand new stuff and cut our expenses elsewhere than dealing with someone who could not show any compassion”
And thus, I conveyed the message to the sempai through instant messenger, dreading more awful statements. He took it well enough though, saying that he just wanted confirmation whether or not I wanted to go on with the deal earlier decided. I said no, the deal was off. I said sorry a few times though as I could not help feeling awful about how things ended. Yes, the way he hurled words like “tak pegang janji”, “menyusahkan orang” and how he said that he would rather give things away for free, and would rather bring things back to Malaysia (where of course, there is no use for such things as heater and hot carpet) rather than dealing with me – hurt. Still, I wished things could end up differently.
But then again, sometimes things just don’t workout the way we want them to be
Sometimes the unforeseen could happen.
And when it happens, earlier plans sometimes need adjustments.
Some changes are inevitable.
But some people are just too obstinately fixed with their own so-called ‘principle’, making it difficult as well for others to make adjustments.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Diari minggu ini
Khamis – 8.00 mlm. Makan di kedai tabehoudai (all-you-can-eat) di Shimokitazawa. Kena bawa CD Hana Yori Dango (lagu Wish tu boleh tahan kawaii), buku Digital Fortress (Faizly nak pinjam) dengan buku American Gods (nak pulangkan kat Apid)
Jumaat – 12.00 tghari. Makan tengahari di RIHGA Royal Hotel. Tak pernah lagi makan kat hotel sejak datang Tokyo ni. Visiting Professor, Pak Ginandjar nak belanja semua student (yang rajin sangat ambil Winter course masa orang lain tengah seronok cuti). Pak Ginandjar ni pun bukan calang-calang orangnya – Pengerusi Dewan Perwakilan Daerah, Republik Indonesia (ala-ala Speaker Dewan Negara la) dan pernah jadi Menteri pun.
Sabtu – 10.00 pagi. Ada tea ceremony sempena Ume Matsuri di Koen selang 4 eki dari asrama. Sensei yang ajar nihongo di asrama yang jemput. Nak pergi ke tak ke, tak pasti lagi. Bunyi macam menarik jugak. Hmm...
5.00 atau 6.00 ptg. Kawan-kawan perempuan Nihongo Ichi nak datang. Makan-makan. Sembang-sembang. Dah lama tak jumpa. Kelas dah habis tiga minggu sudah. Rindu jugak.
Ahad – Puasa lah kot. Asyik-asyik makan je keje. Macam takde bende lain.
Jumaat – 12.00 tghari. Makan tengahari di RIHGA Royal Hotel. Tak pernah lagi makan kat hotel sejak datang Tokyo ni. Visiting Professor, Pak Ginandjar nak belanja semua student (yang rajin sangat ambil Winter course masa orang lain tengah seronok cuti). Pak Ginandjar ni pun bukan calang-calang orangnya – Pengerusi Dewan Perwakilan Daerah, Republik Indonesia (ala-ala Speaker Dewan Negara la) dan pernah jadi Menteri pun.
Sabtu – 10.00 pagi. Ada tea ceremony sempena Ume Matsuri di Koen selang 4 eki dari asrama. Sensei yang ajar nihongo di asrama yang jemput. Nak pergi ke tak ke, tak pasti lagi. Bunyi macam menarik jugak. Hmm...
5.00 atau 6.00 ptg. Kawan-kawan perempuan Nihongo Ichi nak datang. Makan-makan. Sembang-sembang. Dah lama tak jumpa. Kelas dah habis tiga minggu sudah. Rindu jugak.
Ahad – Puasa lah kot. Asyik-asyik makan je keje. Macam takde bende lain.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
5 Months and 5 Days
That was how old Huzaifah turned yesterday, alhamdulillah.
My boy had a taste of the first picnic by the seaside on Sunday when my parents and hubby took him to PD. Hubby reported that our son loved playing in the sea, but somehow seem scared of the pool. Mak said it was probably because the pool seemed deeper. Anyway, I hope Huzaifah will grow to enjoy water because I intend to teach him how to swim from a young age. Both hubby and I cannot swim, so we don't want our baby missing on one of the essential skills in life (apart from being able to drive and use a weapon. I know I still need a lot of practise before I can be a good shooter, but at least I know how to use a gun or an M16)
He was already asleep when hubby called me last night, which was rather disappointing because I'd been calling all evening, missing him and wanted to take a look at him. I don't get to see him everyday, but it seems obvious that my boy is resembling his father more and more with each passing day - but everybody tells me that he got his big expressive eyes from me. (Yeah, I know they are not that big or expressive now - but that was how they used to be when I was Huzaifah's age - or so I'd been told.)
Alhamdulillah, he woke up at 10.00 p.m., so I got to see him after all. It's kind of funny playing peek-a-boo via the webcam, but somehow he always responds better when he can see me. If he just hear my voice on the headphone (we used PC-to-PC call), he normally seems stunned, sometimes furrowing his brow as if it really puzzled him. If he sees me, normally he will smile and make happy babbling sound too as I play peek-a-boo with him and talk to him.
Mak said that he insisted on being held even more now. Mak suspects it's probably because rolling around and ceiling watching - his main activities everytime he's put down - could be dull after a while. He's also good at picking up hints when someone is going out. Everytime he sees either Mak, Ayah or hubby wearing nice clothes before they go out, he would raise his arms, almost begging to be picked up. He now has preference too over who he wants to pick him up, but has yet to show any sign of separation anxiety with those he's familiar with. I really hope that he won't develop that until later on, when he's with me here in Japan. When the time comes for Huzaifah to be able to show anxiety and upset at the prospect of being separated from someone, I hope that someone would be either me or hubby. It's heartbreaking enough to think that I've only been spending time together with him for about a month out of his five...
Still, he makes me happy. It makes me happy just to think about him and his antics, and happier everytime I get to see him. Not as happy as being with him of course, but I try to make the most of what little I have now.
If I don't, then I might run a serious risk of letting go of my sanity.
My boy had a taste of the first picnic by the seaside on Sunday when my parents and hubby took him to PD. Hubby reported that our son loved playing in the sea, but somehow seem scared of the pool. Mak said it was probably because the pool seemed deeper. Anyway, I hope Huzaifah will grow to enjoy water because I intend to teach him how to swim from a young age. Both hubby and I cannot swim, so we don't want our baby missing on one of the essential skills in life (apart from being able to drive and use a weapon. I know I still need a lot of practise before I can be a good shooter, but at least I know how to use a gun or an M16)
He was already asleep when hubby called me last night, which was rather disappointing because I'd been calling all evening, missing him and wanted to take a look at him. I don't get to see him everyday, but it seems obvious that my boy is resembling his father more and more with each passing day - but everybody tells me that he got his big expressive eyes from me. (Yeah, I know they are not that big or expressive now - but that was how they used to be when I was Huzaifah's age - or so I'd been told.)
Alhamdulillah, he woke up at 10.00 p.m., so I got to see him after all. It's kind of funny playing peek-a-boo via the webcam, but somehow he always responds better when he can see me. If he just hear my voice on the headphone (we used PC-to-PC call), he normally seems stunned, sometimes furrowing his brow as if it really puzzled him. If he sees me, normally he will smile and make happy babbling sound too as I play peek-a-boo with him and talk to him.
Mak said that he insisted on being held even more now. Mak suspects it's probably because rolling around and ceiling watching - his main activities everytime he's put down - could be dull after a while. He's also good at picking up hints when someone is going out. Everytime he sees either Mak, Ayah or hubby wearing nice clothes before they go out, he would raise his arms, almost begging to be picked up. He now has preference too over who he wants to pick him up, but has yet to show any sign of separation anxiety with those he's familiar with. I really hope that he won't develop that until later on, when he's with me here in Japan. When the time comes for Huzaifah to be able to show anxiety and upset at the prospect of being separated from someone, I hope that someone would be either me or hubby. It's heartbreaking enough to think that I've only been spending time together with him for about a month out of his five...
Still, he makes me happy. It makes me happy just to think about him and his antics, and happier everytime I get to see him. Not as happy as being with him of course, but I try to make the most of what little I have now.
If I don't, then I might run a serious risk of letting go of my sanity.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Preparing for the PTD Examination?
I’m not sure whether my fellow PTD bloggers like Kit, Dakwanie or Zyrin get asked all sorts of questions just before a PTD examination or PTD assessment is due to be held. But boy, I sure get a lot of questions – from friends who are asking on behalf of themselves, their friends or families or from total strangers. I have shared some tips in preparing for PTD Assessment before and I think they are still relevant.
As for PTD examination, I can’t say that I know much – after all it’s been quite a while since I sat for my exam 6 years ago. Nevertheless, as yet another ‘public service’ of some sort, here’s what little I can share:
There are 5 papers - on General knowledge, IQ, Administration, Comprehension and Essay (betul ke ni? tak ingat lah…) - all to be taken within one day
* For the general knowledge paper, try to get some background reading on Malaysia and the administration of Malaysia. ‘Malaysia Kita’ published by Intan or any STPM level Pengetahuan Am book normally helps one to get basic understanding on this and that.
* Reading the newspapers and magazines such as Newsweek, Time or Slate (online) might help clueing in on the current issues. Try to remember some details of important world events and who's who of the world organizations. (In 2000, we were asked who won the World Cup 1998 and who was the Sec-Gen for OIC)
* For the IQ paper - skip the difficult ones and get the easier ones done first because normally there's not enough time to finish all the questions. In fact – so far I’ve yet to meet anyone who managed to finish all the questions. (We suspect that it’s probably one of the ways for people at JPA/SPA to test how the examinees manage their time under stress).
* Administration paper is to be done according to common sense.
* Brushing up on writing skills in both English and Bahasa might be a way to help with scoring the essay paper. Normally an examinee can choose one out of 3 topics - one on economical issue, one on political issue and another on social issue.
To those who have decided to sit for the exam, don't fret too much – contrary to the rumours that claimed them to be very difficult, they are actually not all that bad. Trust me, some had even passed the exam without much preparation. (But then again, many have passed the exam without making it to the service because they either flunked the assessment and the interviews. Oh well...).
All the best.
As for PTD examination, I can’t say that I know much – after all it’s been quite a while since I sat for my exam 6 years ago. Nevertheless, as yet another ‘public service’ of some sort, here’s what little I can share:
There are 5 papers - on General knowledge, IQ, Administration, Comprehension and Essay (betul ke ni? tak ingat lah…) - all to be taken within one day
* For the general knowledge paper, try to get some background reading on Malaysia and the administration of Malaysia. ‘Malaysia Kita’ published by Intan or any STPM level Pengetahuan Am book normally helps one to get basic understanding on this and that.
* Reading the newspapers and magazines such as Newsweek, Time or Slate (online) might help clueing in on the current issues. Try to remember some details of important world events and who's who of the world organizations. (In 2000, we were asked who won the World Cup 1998 and who was the Sec-Gen for OIC)
* For the IQ paper - skip the difficult ones and get the easier ones done first because normally there's not enough time to finish all the questions. In fact – so far I’ve yet to meet anyone who managed to finish all the questions. (We suspect that it’s probably one of the ways for people at JPA/SPA to test how the examinees manage their time under stress).
* Administration paper is to be done according to common sense.
* Brushing up on writing skills in both English and Bahasa might be a way to help with scoring the essay paper. Normally an examinee can choose one out of 3 topics - one on economical issue, one on political issue and another on social issue.
To those who have decided to sit for the exam, don't fret too much – contrary to the rumours that claimed them to be very difficult, they are actually not all that bad. Trust me, some had even passed the exam without much preparation. (But then again, many have passed the exam without making it to the service because they either flunked the assessment and the interviews. Oh well...).
All the best.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
What V Day?
When I went out last Friday, I noticed huge crowds at chocolate shops everywhere. And these crowds were made up of mostly women. It took me a while to realize that these women were busy shopping for Valentine’s Day.
In Japan, it’s customary for women to give men gifts of chocolate. Apart from buying honmei (prospective winner) choco for their love interests, women usually buy giri (obligatory) choco for their male colleagues and superiors as token of appreciation. So yes, I saw women with large bags, perhaps containing 20 or 30 boxes of chocolate emerging from chocolate shops, like E-Royce in Shibuya Tokyu departmental store. And I suspect that it’s a time for chocolate producers like Meiji, Lotte and Glico to be gleefully happy with all the increase in their sales.
Since modern obligated Japanese males would like to reciprocate their female colleagues’ thoughtfulness without being seen as sissies who buy chocolates during Valentine’s Day, they wait until a month later, to return the favour on March 14th, popularly known as the “White Day”. The same custom of men giving women gifts of white chocolate or candies in white box are also practiced in South Korea and Taiwan.
I smiled to myself as I looked at girls of all ages standing in queues and staring at the fascinating display of all kind of chocolates (the Japanese are well-known for their skills in arranging stuff to make them really attractive), thinking how lucky I am as I am not obliged to spend my money needlessly on all those chocolates.
After all, like many Muslims around the world, I have never celebrated Valentine’s Day for religious reasons. Those who claim that there’s nothing wrong for Muslims to cherish their loved ones on this particular day perhaps should do some background reading on the origin of this day. (Ask Yahoo could be a good place to start.) Besides, I also believe that those who sincerely love another do not need just one day in the whole year to remind their loved ones of their heartfelt love. They should be free to express their love at all times, on all occasions.
As far as I am concerned, the only significance of February 14th is that it happens to be my friend Saliah’s birthday. And this year, as always, I wish her lots of joy, laughter, happiness and blessings.
In Japan, it’s customary for women to give men gifts of chocolate. Apart from buying honmei (prospective winner) choco for their love interests, women usually buy giri (obligatory) choco for their male colleagues and superiors as token of appreciation. So yes, I saw women with large bags, perhaps containing 20 or 30 boxes of chocolate emerging from chocolate shops, like E-Royce in Shibuya Tokyu departmental store. And I suspect that it’s a time for chocolate producers like Meiji, Lotte and Glico to be gleefully happy with all the increase in their sales.
Since modern obligated Japanese males would like to reciprocate their female colleagues’ thoughtfulness without being seen as sissies who buy chocolates during Valentine’s Day, they wait until a month later, to return the favour on March 14th, popularly known as the “White Day”. The same custom of men giving women gifts of white chocolate or candies in white box are also practiced in South Korea and Taiwan.
I smiled to myself as I looked at girls of all ages standing in queues and staring at the fascinating display of all kind of chocolates (the Japanese are well-known for their skills in arranging stuff to make them really attractive), thinking how lucky I am as I am not obliged to spend my money needlessly on all those chocolates.
After all, like many Muslims around the world, I have never celebrated Valentine’s Day for religious reasons. Those who claim that there’s nothing wrong for Muslims to cherish their loved ones on this particular day perhaps should do some background reading on the origin of this day. (Ask Yahoo could be a good place to start.) Besides, I also believe that those who sincerely love another do not need just one day in the whole year to remind their loved ones of their heartfelt love. They should be free to express their love at all times, on all occasions.
As far as I am concerned, the only significance of February 14th is that it happens to be my friend Saliah’s birthday. And this year, as always, I wish her lots of joy, laughter, happiness and blessings.
Sushi and Cream Puff
I missed fasting on Hari Asyura this year because I couldn’t. That of course did not deter me from missing Mak’s bubur asyura. Hubby took lots of joy in lavishing praises on it just to make me green with envy.
It’s not like I can’t make any bubur asyura here. (In fact I’ve already bought some sweet potatoes last Friday) But the prospect of making it and eating it alone makes it unappealing. Earlier today I made some mango pudding – and already I’m dreading having to finish the whole medium bowl alone. As for the sweet potatoes – I ended up having boiled sweet potatoes for tea.
Still, last Friday, I really had a craving for bubur asyura. So, when I learned that Daud – a sempai who has been really helpful from the moment I got to know him and his wife - just got his second child earlier that day, I decided to go out and buy a gift for his baby as well as buy some ingredients for bubur asyura.
After spending a long time window shopping and finally purchasing a cute sweater for Daud’s newborn child, I decided to have tendon as dinner at Tenya. Someone had told me to be careful with Tenya since he was told that the miso soup at Tenya contains sake, the Japanese rice wine. I decided to check on it and when I asked if there was any sake in the miso soup, the waitress was quick to answer back “zenzen zenzen…”(never). Alhamdulillah, since I’ve always been a big fan of Tenya’s tendon, I was assured that there’s nothing to worry about it then. I missed Tenya so much so that I had dinner at Tenya on the day I returned from Malaysia last month, and I normally have dinner at Tenya once in a week or a fortnight.
It’s not like I can’t make any bubur asyura here. (In fact I’ve already bought some sweet potatoes last Friday) But the prospect of making it and eating it alone makes it unappealing. Earlier today I made some mango pudding – and already I’m dreading having to finish the whole medium bowl alone. As for the sweet potatoes – I ended up having boiled sweet potatoes for tea.
Still, last Friday, I really had a craving for bubur asyura. So, when I learned that Daud – a sempai who has been really helpful from the moment I got to know him and his wife - just got his second child earlier that day, I decided to go out and buy a gift for his baby as well as buy some ingredients for bubur asyura.
After spending a long time window shopping and finally purchasing a cute sweater for Daud’s newborn child, I decided to have tendon as dinner at Tenya. Someone had told me to be careful with Tenya since he was told that the miso soup at Tenya contains sake, the Japanese rice wine. I decided to check on it and when I asked if there was any sake in the miso soup, the waitress was quick to answer back “zenzen zenzen…”(never). Alhamdulillah, since I’ve always been a big fan of Tenya’s tendon, I was assured that there’s nothing to worry about it then. I missed Tenya so much so that I had dinner at Tenya on the day I returned from Malaysia last month, and I normally have dinner at Tenya once in a week or a fortnight.
No surprise there, I’ve always like tempura anyway. I like sushi too but was initially worried about sushi containing mirin – sweet sake – so, I only bought my first sushi after I’ve learned enough nihongo to query whether or not a sushi contains mirin. That particular stall where I bought my first sushi in Japan apparently got their supply of sushi elsewhere so when I made my query, the girl behind the counter had to make a phone call to check on it. Unfortunately, I was able to buy only one type because she only asked about the particular box of sushi I was holding and nothing else. At that particular time I was rushing because a friend was waiting so I just bought the sushi and went on my way. I’ve since learned to ask for mirin-neki sushi (sushi without mirin), so that I have a wider option before purchasing any.
In the end, last Friday, instead of bubur asyura, I treated myself to a bowl of tendon followed by a later indulgence in one of those perfect Beard Papa’s cream puff.
Yes, I know, I've sang praises for Beard Papa's cream puffs before. It's not like I'm getting paid for doin so. It's just that I think they are sinfully delicious for seemingly innocent looking puffs.
Crispy shell yet filled with cold, luscious, fresh vanilla custard cream fillings, with a final touch of just enough powdered sugar to make them look like the decadent treats they truly are.
Yummy!
Friday, February 10, 2006
Ichigo
I miss a few things I used to do during winter in UK now that I am experiencing my first winter in Tokyo. I especially missed having a mug of hot chocolate while covering myself with a duvet sitting in front of the heater. The air-conditioner in my room is dual-functioning as a heater during winter, and there is not much can be said about the quality of either chocolate powder or dairy product here (yes, I miss good old Cadbury hot chocolate made with fresh dairy milk), and of course, having a hot cup of ocha (green tea) on a cold winter night just doesn’t feel right…
Apparently I had also been conditioned to other things when I was in Leeds - like accepting strawberries and all kind of berries as fun summer fruits. In Japan though, the high season for strawberry is from late January to late February. So yes, since it’s freezing right now, I don’t fancy a tall glass of home-made strawberry milkshake (a small container of fresh strawberries, a cup of fresh dairy milk, two spoonful of fresh cream, a little sugar, a few ice cubes – all mixed and blended using electronic blender).
Still, be it winter or summer, my love for strawberry - or ichigo as they are known in Nihongo - doesn’t diminish at all. There are all kind of strawberries in Japan with different qualities. As a rule of thumb, I’ve always preferred the big fat juicy ones when I was in UK – but here, people are spoiled for choices. Size is no longer a major role in determining the sweetness of these ichigo – sometimes, the small dark red ones taste a lot better than larger ones.
There’s the fusanoke ichigo, high in sugar and similar to taste of peaches. There’s the akihime, longish and watery soft yet seldom taste sour. There’s the sachinoka, harder body with sweet and sour taste. Then, there’s tochiotome, softer body yet the taste does not differ that much from sachinoka ichigo. The price ranges from about 300 yen a punnel to 2000 yen – depending on the quality and taste of the ichigo. It goes without saying that I normally would wait for discounted boxes of 300 yen (normally these were originally priced at about 500 yen) to be on display before buying any.
Apparently I had also been conditioned to other things when I was in Leeds - like accepting strawberries and all kind of berries as fun summer fruits. In Japan though, the high season for strawberry is from late January to late February. So yes, since it’s freezing right now, I don’t fancy a tall glass of home-made strawberry milkshake (a small container of fresh strawberries, a cup of fresh dairy milk, two spoonful of fresh cream, a little sugar, a few ice cubes – all mixed and blended using electronic blender).
Still, be it winter or summer, my love for strawberry - or ichigo as they are known in Nihongo - doesn’t diminish at all. There are all kind of strawberries in Japan with different qualities. As a rule of thumb, I’ve always preferred the big fat juicy ones when I was in UK – but here, people are spoiled for choices. Size is no longer a major role in determining the sweetness of these ichigo – sometimes, the small dark red ones taste a lot better than larger ones.
There’s the fusanoke ichigo, high in sugar and similar to taste of peaches. There’s the akihime, longish and watery soft yet seldom taste sour. There’s the sachinoka, harder body with sweet and sour taste. Then, there’s tochiotome, softer body yet the taste does not differ that much from sachinoka ichigo. The price ranges from about 300 yen a punnel to 2000 yen – depending on the quality and taste of the ichigo. It goes without saying that I normally would wait for discounted boxes of 300 yen (normally these were originally priced at about 500 yen) to be on display before buying any.
Still, I must admit that eating strawberries bring a lot of sweet summer memories of long ago. Strawberries remind me of the time when I was traveling around Europe as I enjoyed big juicy ones in Germany; when I was working as a factory operator during summer break in Leeds as I would stop to buy a few punnel at the market on my way back home; when I was working in a confectionary in Manchester as my friends and I enjoyed a box or two when we returned home after a long day at work.
And yes – I craved for strawberries when I was pregnant with Huzaifah. I remembered asking my yet unborn child, just before I purchased that RM24.00 box of strawberries, why was he asking me to have some expensive strawberries, and not sweet-and-sour star fruits, which would have costed me just RM2.50 per kg.
Looking back now, it almost seemed like my son knew better all along. Last year I wondered why on earth I had a craving for strawberries in February, thinking I knew full well that the high season for strawberries would be in summer. Now I learn instead that in Japan, February is the high season for strawberries...
Let it be a peaceful one
I feel for those innocent Danish diplomatic officers whose office had been torched doen by zealots. I am a PTD myself, if I were to be sent working overseas, and if somebody back home in Malaysia does something idiotic enough to cause the local people’s rage and fury, I certainly hope I won’t be the one having to pay for that. Especially if I do not agree with that particular offending act myself.
Therefore, I hope when Malaysians take their turn voicing their protest in front of the Danish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur today – it’s going to be a peaceful protest. (Of course, like everything else Malaysians do tend to be a bit slower in picking up cue from their Muslim brothers elsewhere, but) I pray that it’ll remain a peaceful show of protest till the end of it.
Therefore, I hope when Malaysians take their turn voicing their protest in front of the Danish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur today – it’s going to be a peaceful protest. (Of course, like everything else Malaysians do tend to be a bit slower in picking up cue from their Muslim brothers elsewhere, but) I pray that it’ll remain a peaceful show of protest till the end of it.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
On the cartoon controversy
(* This post is dedicated to my hubby, who had expressly asked me to write my take on this issue despite knowing full well that I normally refrain from making public comment about current issues.)
Frankly I must admit that I feel that those who published the offensive cartoons have crossed the line between practicing freedom of speech and spreading hate. Right from the very beginning, the offence was not entirely unintended by the Danish newspaper editor. That's why most of the 40 cartoonists invited to send in their interpretation of the Prophet by Jylland s Posten refused to do so. They had wisely foreseen it as an intentional provocation act, what with the editor writing that Muslims in Denmark “must be prepared for insult, mockery, and ridicule”. And yes, I think the ‘support’ shown by other Western publishers could be considered as calculated act of provocation and insult, hidden behind ‘freedom of speech’ as a blanket defense. After all, the right to free speech does not exist in isolation from other values, such as respect, empathy and self-censorship.
Having said that, personally I don’t support violent reaction. Like many, I believe in more effective, peaceful acts of protest such as boycotting which at least got the Arabs an apology (albeit an insincere one) from the Danish newspaper. Nevertheless I can understand those who feel offended so strongly that has led to violence.
Consider this - how would one feel if people make fun of their loved ones? Say if one draws your parent or your child resembling a detestable figure – how would that make you feel? Remember those fights some kids have at school when others taunt them for their loved ones’ shortcomings – real or imagined?
So the display of such cartoon depicting our beloved Prophet Muhammad, the last Messenger of Allah, who we have been taught to love more than ourselves – in another writer’s words – “was nothing less than emotional torture, untamed verbal violence and intellectual terrorism.”
While we can understand that western societies do not believe in Islam, and some do not believe in God, we feel that at least they should know how to respect others. If it had been any other figures – yes we have seen Osama and other Muslim clerics been ridiculed – but it wasn't the same. We are talking about the Muslim's Rasulullah here. Rasulullah through whom Muslims learned about Allah, the One Almighty God. The chosen Messenger who had been allowed to descend up the heaven to meet up with Allah in person. Rasulullah who had then went up and down the heavens to plead for lesser quantity of mandatory prayers a day to make things easier for his followers. Rasullah who had worried about his “ummat’, his followers, till the end of his time on earth. It has been written in history that each time he came back from battles defending Islam, mothers would not asked about their sons but rather checked on Rasulullah’s condition first.
So yes - it's a very emotional issue. And as emotional creatures, people tend to be less rational when they are insulted. What more when their beloved one is insulted. And despite our weakness to live the life as good Muslims in strict adherence to the Quran and Sunnah in this modern time, apparently many still rushed blindly to do anything, even putting their own lives at risk, in order to defend Rasulullah's honor.
Some have questioned the Muslim’s sense of humor, comparing this incident with cartoons unfavorably depicting other religious figures. Still, to Muslims, insulting any prophet is a great sin – that’s why despite some daring to draw numerous anti-Semitic or anti-Christian cartoons, no Muslim will publish anything mocking Moses or Jesus, as they are also revered as prophets of Allah in Islam. One cannot attack the prophets of Allah without attacking Allah, that’s why such cartoons are unheard of among Muslims, because it’s a serious matter to Muslims.
There is no compulsion in Islam. We are not forcing others to believe what we believe in – but we do want others to respect what we believe in. Muslims could not accept any type of defamation or humiliation of any prophet and messenger. This is why we are disturbed and angry at what the Danish newspaper had published. It is Muslim’s duty to react to such denigration, as our just and fair right of defending our beloved Prophet.
But it is also Muslim’s duty to invite others to understand us, to invite others to study the life and history of our Prophet, and learn why an attack on Him is considered as an attack on Muslims, on who we are and on what we believe. That is why I feel that more dialogues and discussions should be encouraged, and for violence acts of protests to be subsided under control.
I don’t condone violent. But I can understand the rage and violent felt at those cartoons – just like I would have understand a kid punching another who insulted not him, but someone he loved dearly.
Frankly I must admit that I feel that those who published the offensive cartoons have crossed the line between practicing freedom of speech and spreading hate. Right from the very beginning, the offence was not entirely unintended by the Danish newspaper editor. That's why most of the 40 cartoonists invited to send in their interpretation of the Prophet by Jylland s Posten refused to do so. They had wisely foreseen it as an intentional provocation act, what with the editor writing that Muslims in Denmark “must be prepared for insult, mockery, and ridicule”. And yes, I think the ‘support’ shown by other Western publishers could be considered as calculated act of provocation and insult, hidden behind ‘freedom of speech’ as a blanket defense. After all, the right to free speech does not exist in isolation from other values, such as respect, empathy and self-censorship.
Having said that, personally I don’t support violent reaction. Like many, I believe in more effective, peaceful acts of protest such as boycotting which at least got the Arabs an apology (albeit an insincere one) from the Danish newspaper. Nevertheless I can understand those who feel offended so strongly that has led to violence.
Consider this - how would one feel if people make fun of their loved ones? Say if one draws your parent or your child resembling a detestable figure – how would that make you feel? Remember those fights some kids have at school when others taunt them for their loved ones’ shortcomings – real or imagined?
So the display of such cartoon depicting our beloved Prophet Muhammad, the last Messenger of Allah, who we have been taught to love more than ourselves – in another writer’s words – “was nothing less than emotional torture, untamed verbal violence and intellectual terrorism.”
While we can understand that western societies do not believe in Islam, and some do not believe in God, we feel that at least they should know how to respect others. If it had been any other figures – yes we have seen Osama and other Muslim clerics been ridiculed – but it wasn't the same. We are talking about the Muslim's Rasulullah here. Rasulullah through whom Muslims learned about Allah, the One Almighty God. The chosen Messenger who had been allowed to descend up the heaven to meet up with Allah in person. Rasulullah who had then went up and down the heavens to plead for lesser quantity of mandatory prayers a day to make things easier for his followers. Rasullah who had worried about his “ummat’, his followers, till the end of his time on earth. It has been written in history that each time he came back from battles defending Islam, mothers would not asked about their sons but rather checked on Rasulullah’s condition first.
So yes - it's a very emotional issue. And as emotional creatures, people tend to be less rational when they are insulted. What more when their beloved one is insulted. And despite our weakness to live the life as good Muslims in strict adherence to the Quran and Sunnah in this modern time, apparently many still rushed blindly to do anything, even putting their own lives at risk, in order to defend Rasulullah's honor.
Some have questioned the Muslim’s sense of humor, comparing this incident with cartoons unfavorably depicting other religious figures. Still, to Muslims, insulting any prophet is a great sin – that’s why despite some daring to draw numerous anti-Semitic or anti-Christian cartoons, no Muslim will publish anything mocking Moses or Jesus, as they are also revered as prophets of Allah in Islam. One cannot attack the prophets of Allah without attacking Allah, that’s why such cartoons are unheard of among Muslims, because it’s a serious matter to Muslims.
There is no compulsion in Islam. We are not forcing others to believe what we believe in – but we do want others to respect what we believe in. Muslims could not accept any type of defamation or humiliation of any prophet and messenger. This is why we are disturbed and angry at what the Danish newspaper had published. It is Muslim’s duty to react to such denigration, as our just and fair right of defending our beloved Prophet.
But it is also Muslim’s duty to invite others to understand us, to invite others to study the life and history of our Prophet, and learn why an attack on Him is considered as an attack on Muslims, on who we are and on what we believe. That is why I feel that more dialogues and discussions should be encouraged, and for violence acts of protests to be subsided under control.
I don’t condone violent. But I can understand the rage and violent felt at those cartoons – just like I would have understand a kid punching another who insulted not him, but someone he loved dearly.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Halal Food Shop in Tokyo
I must admit that I was surprised to learn that Adi, a Bruneian girl I met briefly just before sitting for Nihongo class placement test a few months back, found my blog during her internet search for Halal food shop in Tokyo.
So, I thought as a “community service” of some sort, here’s the guide on how to find the halal shop(s) in Shin-Okubo.
Shin-Okubo is in Shinjuku-ku, and is located between Shinjuku and Takadanobaba in the JR Yamanote line. It’s a small eki, with a single exit. There are three Halal Food shops within 3 minutes walking distance from Shin-Okubo station. There’s even a Halal restaurant within the same distance.
Right after exit, cross the road. Turn right after Matsumoto Kiyoshi pharmacy. (There’s one Halal shop on the second floor of the building on your left)
Then turn left after Family Mart convenience store. There’s Rose Family Store – a Halal food shop on your left, on top of Rung Ruen, a Thai restaurant owned by a Muslim Thai serving halal food. A few meters ahead, there’s a branch of Nasco Halal shop which also specializes in selling International prepaid calling cards. A musolla (only for men) is located at the 4th floor of the same building where Rose Family store and Rung Ruen are located, but it’s only open for men. When I needed to, I sometimes prayed at Rose Family store, whose owner allots a single place for ladies to pray at the back of the shop. But I normally shop at Nasco, which usually offers better price.
But of course, there's always the online Halal shops to consider - apart from Rose Family Store, there are;
Azhar, where one can get Tempe and rempah Adabi
Piyopiyoland, another place where Adabi stuff can be found
Sejahtera, yet another place to look for tempe
Sonali Halal Food
Tukina
to name but a few...
So, I thought as a “community service” of some sort, here’s the guide on how to find the halal shop(s) in Shin-Okubo.
Shin-Okubo is in Shinjuku-ku, and is located between Shinjuku and Takadanobaba in the JR Yamanote line. It’s a small eki, with a single exit. There are three Halal Food shops within 3 minutes walking distance from Shin-Okubo station. There’s even a Halal restaurant within the same distance.
Right after exit, cross the road. Turn right after Matsumoto Kiyoshi pharmacy. (There’s one Halal shop on the second floor of the building on your left)
Then turn left after Family Mart convenience store. There’s Rose Family Store – a Halal food shop on your left, on top of Rung Ruen, a Thai restaurant owned by a Muslim Thai serving halal food. A few meters ahead, there’s a branch of Nasco Halal shop which also specializes in selling International prepaid calling cards. A musolla (only for men) is located at the 4th floor of the same building where Rose Family store and Rung Ruen are located, but it’s only open for men. When I needed to, I sometimes prayed at Rose Family store, whose owner allots a single place for ladies to pray at the back of the shop. But I normally shop at Nasco, which usually offers better price.
But of course, there's always the online Halal shops to consider - apart from Rose Family Store, there are;
Azhar, where one can get Tempe and rempah Adabi
Piyopiyoland, another place where Adabi stuff can be found
Sejahtera, yet another place to look for tempe
Sonali Halal Food
Tukina
to name but a few...
Friday, February 03, 2006
New Year (and Setsubun)
The good thing about coming from multi-ethnical country like Malaysia is that I'm used to lots of expressions in different languages. Many of my Chinese friends in Waseda were surprised albeit very pleased, when I wished them "Xing Nian Yu Kwai, Gong Xi Fa Cai" (or San Nien Fai Lok, Kong Hei Fatt Choy in Cantonese). But since I'm in Tokyo and not working in Putrajaya I didn't get any free mandarin orange this year. A colleague reported that they got so many this year - from the Minister, this officer, that officer, blah blah blah- that she claimed anyone could have easily gotten stomachache from eating those oranges.
But what I do get this year - is lots and lots of roasted soybeans in packets. Well, Japanese are so fond of New Year that they actually celebrate three New Year. There's the Big New Year (Oshogatsu) on January 1st, the Small New Year (Koshogatsu) on January 15th and then the Setsubun, the beginning of Spring, which this year falls on February 3rd.
So, yes, I get free roasted soybeans at the Center of International Education Office in Waseda. I also get free roasted soybeans at my hostel. And yes - the Setsubun kits can be found everwhere - from large supermarkets, convenience stores and even 100 yen shops. The setsubun kits consist of a demon's mask and a bag of roasted soybeans.
As a muslim, I ushered the 1st of Muharram 1427 recently by reciting the doa awal tahun three times on the new year's eve. My baby Huzaifah had another cukur session earlier that day. Of course, that has nothing to do with ushering the new year. It just so happened that some hair has started to grow on the balding spot, commonly known as cukur bantal, on his head. So my Ayah Tam had decided to make Huzaifah's hair grows evenly by shaving his head again. Later on, I took turn chatting many cousins - all who congregated at my Ayah Jang's place in Putrajaya for a BBQ feast. Even my parents and Huzaifah were there too that night. Unfortunately there wasn't any webcam nor microphone there - so while they got to see me in my kaftan and listened to my voice, I only got to read their messages and descriptions of this and that. (To date, I have yet to see my son's new hairdo since the internet connection in Kampung Tunku is pretty bad, so hubby hasn't been able to show it off via the webcam to me.)
Anyway - here's wishing all of you a happy, prosperous and blessed new year.
But what I do get this year - is lots and lots of roasted soybeans in packets. Well, Japanese are so fond of New Year that they actually celebrate three New Year. There's the Big New Year (Oshogatsu) on January 1st, the Small New Year (Koshogatsu) on January 15th and then the Setsubun, the beginning of Spring, which this year falls on February 3rd.
So, yes, I get free roasted soybeans at the Center of International Education Office in Waseda. I also get free roasted soybeans at my hostel. And yes - the Setsubun kits can be found everwhere - from large supermarkets, convenience stores and even 100 yen shops. The setsubun kits consist of a demon's mask and a bag of roasted soybeans.
Setsubun usually involves Mame maki - a rite of throwing beans to dispel evil. It almost corresponds to the Chinese belief of making noises to chase away the demons - so I was not that surprised when I read somewhere that the Mame maki originated from a custom found in China a long long time ago. There are several stories relating to the origin of Mame maki - but I kind of like the version which involved a disguised ogre and a greedy old widow. The plot goes something like this:
One day an ogre disguised himself and went to the house of an old widow. With his magic mallet, he produced a beautiful kimono. The old widow succumbed to the beauty - and plotted to steal both the kimono and the mallet away from the ogre by getting him drunk. Surprised by the old widow's greed, the ogre revealed his true self. Stunned and scared, she got hysterical and starting throwing the first thing handy, a bunch of beans she had on hand. They must have hurt, because the ogre immediately fled away, leaving the widow without her greedy desires but nonetheless wiser and healthier.
So, now, it's common for the head of the family to don a demon's mask, and gets pelted with beans while everyone else chanted "Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi" (Demon out, Fortune in). Families with small children especially enjoy Mame maki due to the fun of chasing the demon around, throwing beans and gleefully shouting for the demon to go away. After that, family members will then eat the number of beans that is equivalent to his or her age, to bring good luck in the coming year.
This year, I also received a lucky bag from a Korean friend n conjunction with the New Year. The bag is filled with roasted red beans - which are to be cooked with rice and eaten for health and fortune, or so she advised. While of course the idea of eating roasted soybeans on Setsubun and roasted red beans for good luck is something that I won't buy - I enjoy eating them anyway. Think of roasted soybeans as a nicer version of kuaci minus the hassle to get rid of the skin - that's how delicious they are. As for the red beans - I'm thinking of buying more and make some bubur with them.
As a muslim, I ushered the 1st of Muharram 1427 recently by reciting the doa awal tahun three times on the new year's eve. My baby Huzaifah had another cukur session earlier that day. Of course, that has nothing to do with ushering the new year. It just so happened that some hair has started to grow on the balding spot, commonly known as cukur bantal, on his head. So my Ayah Tam had decided to make Huzaifah's hair grows evenly by shaving his head again. Later on, I took turn chatting many cousins - all who congregated at my Ayah Jang's place in Putrajaya for a BBQ feast. Even my parents and Huzaifah were there too that night. Unfortunately there wasn't any webcam nor microphone there - so while they got to see me in my kaftan and listened to my voice, I only got to read their messages and descriptions of this and that. (To date, I have yet to see my son's new hairdo since the internet connection in Kampung Tunku is pretty bad, so hubby hasn't been able to show it off via the webcam to me.)
Anyway - here's wishing all of you a happy, prosperous and blessed new year.
Wishes
First of all -
Happy (belated) New Year!
Salam Maal Hijrah
Gong Xi Fa Cai
Next – belated birthday wishes for:
Adik, who turned 25 on 22nd January this year
Syifa’, a dear cousin who turned sweet 15 this year,
Aidil, a dear high-school friend (who at one time had been Mak & Ayah’s benchmark of dutiful daughter whom I could never live up to), and
Uda @ Pak Mus, a friend-and-big-brother (not by birth but by coincidence)
who all celebrated their birthdays on 26th January
Farid, another cousin who turned 15 this year, on 31st January
Atiqah, yet another cousin who turned 15, on 2nd February
(Note: Tok got 4 grandchildren in 1991 – another being Ammar, who will turn 15 in March, insya Allah)
Wishing all of you sunshine and smile
Lots of love, joy and laughter
May all your dreams and wishes come true
And yes – the routine wishes:
Semoga dipanjangkan usia, dimurahkan rezeki, dikuatkan iman, ditingkatkan taqwa, diletakkan dalam jalanNya yang benar, dirahmati dan diberkati Allah sentiasa.
Happy belated birthday.
Happy (belated) New Year!
Salam Maal Hijrah
Gong Xi Fa Cai
Next – belated birthday wishes for:
Adik, who turned 25 on 22nd January this year
Syifa’, a dear cousin who turned sweet 15 this year,
Aidil, a dear high-school friend (who at one time had been Mak & Ayah’s benchmark of dutiful daughter whom I could never live up to), and
Uda @ Pak Mus, a friend-and-big-brother (not by birth but by coincidence)
who all celebrated their birthdays on 26th January
Farid, another cousin who turned 15 this year, on 31st January
Atiqah, yet another cousin who turned 15, on 2nd February
(Note: Tok got 4 grandchildren in 1991 – another being Ammar, who will turn 15 in March, insya Allah)
Wishing all of you sunshine and smile
Lots of love, joy and laughter
May all your dreams and wishes come true
And yes – the routine wishes:
Semoga dipanjangkan usia, dimurahkan rezeki, dikuatkan iman, ditingkatkan taqwa, diletakkan dalam jalanNya yang benar, dirahmati dan diberkati Allah sentiasa.
Happy belated birthday.
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