Unseen connection

It was both humbling and flattering to be told by someone that my blog had enlightened her as though I could read just what she had in mind at any particular time. This had happened not once or twice, but numerous times, that she found it to be quite amazing. To be honest, I was pretty amazed by her story too…

“For example, when I was thinking about finding formula for infant – you came out with an entry on it. Then, when I was busy finding out the documents needed for baby registration at the embassy, you came out with the necessary list. Just the other day, some Indonesian friends were telling me about nyuin joosan, the special subsidy for childbirth in Japan, and then you wrote about it too. And these were not the only times it happened – there were other instances as well. That’s why I make it a habit to check your blog daily, and several times too!”

It was not surprising that when we met in person, we hit it off well, chatting for hours as if we have known each other for ages instead of just meeting for the first time. Maybe there had been an unseen connection between us all along, after all.

To Aida-kyushu – it was a great pleasure meeting you. Glad that I have been of help, but I believe I also have a great deal to learn from you too. May this silaturrahim between us be blessed always…

Bad Muslim?

Whenever we went out with a bunch of non-Muslim friends, they would ask us;

"Why is it that A.Z. cannot eat this, but you do?", or

"Why is it that A.Z. cannot drink wine, can't even help us passing the glasses around, but you can drink?"

He would smile sheepishly and answered, "because A.Z. is a good muslim, and I am a bad muslim".

True, he has no qualms eating non-halal meat so long as it is not pork. He doesn't drink beer, but told me that he could handle his wine well. He prays when he feels like it. He is fully aware that these are all considered sins, but for him, it is a private matter between him and Allah.

On the other hand, he sort of portrays good image of Muslim to others. He is one of the best students in the faculty, getting mostly A+ in whatever subjects he took up. He is highly regarded by most sensei. He gets along well with many - not only he could speak English, Nihonggo and Bahasa well, but also is on the way of mastering Mandarin. And he is not 'kedekut ilmu', willing to share his knowledge with those who ask for his assistance.

He is a good husband and a great father - in that he shares household chores and childcare duties almost equally, if not more (since he only goes to school three days a week, while his wife works four days a week). He is a concerned friend too, as he would take care to ensure that Muslim friends and guests are only served halal meat whenever they visit him even though he normally eats non-halal meat bought in the local supa.

He labels himself a "bad muslim".

How I wish he is not...

Selamat Pengantin Baru

Selamat Pengantin Baru to my beloved brother, Abang and my new sister-in-law Sarah.

Alhamdulillah, they were pronounced legally wedded husband and wife at 4.22 pm on the 24^th of November 2007 in Masjid Sungai Batu, Serdang, Kedah.

In the words of Mark Twain,

“A marriage… makes of two fractional lives a whole;
it gives to two purposeless lives a work,
and doubles the strength of each to perform it;
it gives to two questioning natures a reason for living,
and something to live for;
it will give a new gladness to the sunshine,
a new fragrance to the flowers,
a new beauty to the earth,
and a new mystery to life.”

More importantly, I hope in the years to come, my brother (and all other husbands) will not forget that Rasulullah had once said:

"The most perfect of the believers in faith is the best of them in moral excellence, and the best of you are the kindest to their wives."

My doa is that the two of you will find long lasting love and happiness in, and with, each other.

“All praise is due to Allah; we plead Him for help, and we ask for His protection, and we seek refuge in Him from the mischief of our souls; whomsoever Allah guides, there is none who can lead him astray and whomsoever Allah finds in error, there is none to guide him; and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger. 'O you who believe! Be careful of your duty to Allah, by Whom you demand one of another your rights, and to the ties of relationship; surely Allah watches over you. 'O you who believe! Be careful of your duty to Allah with the care which is due to him, and do not die unless you are Muslim.' 'O you who believe! Be careful of your duty to Allah and speak the right word; He would put for you your deeds into a right state and forgive you your faults; and whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, he indeed achieves a mighty success”

- excerpt of a nikah sermon as according to a hadith

Chinzan-so

(This entry is especially for Lina - hope you'll get to enjoy this garden someday)

Perhaps one of the best methods to escape the hustle and bustle of Tokyo would be strolling through a traditional Japanese landscaped garden and Chinzan-so is a splendid garden to break away from Tokyo’s urban jungle.

I discovered it rather by accident. One afternoon last semester, the soon-to-graduate sempais in my zemi-group spontaneously decided to spend the last zemi session for tea instead of academic discussion. I reached our normal meeting room just in time to stumble onto other late-comers, so together the four of us tried to find our way to Chinzan-so, based on instruction given by one sempai over keitai.

After several hiccups, it took us more than the supposedly 10 minutes walk to finally reached Foresta Café in Chinzan-so. The tranquility of the garden really took me by surprise. It was so incredibly gorgeous - and merely 10 minutes away from Waseda University! Although it was summer, by just seeing the line of sakura trees aIong the Edo river on the way to the garden, I could already conjure up a perfect spot for hanami next spring insya Allah. I made up my mind there and then to re-visit the garden with my camera ready.

Thus one day last summer holiday, hubby and I bought a Toei one day pass each (700 yen for unlimited use of Toei 4 subway lines, Toei buses and streetcars) and played tourist in Tokyo. We went to several popular touristy attractions that day, but we first headed to the charming Chinzan-so.

I later learned that Four Seasons Hotel Chinzan-so is one of the most popular wedding venues in Tokyo – it was said that it could held as much as 14 weddings in a day. Considering Japanese obsession with punctuality and efficiency, it might not be a big deal, especially so since Four Seasons Hotel must be filled with all the respective professionals. Thus, those who want to experience some tranquility there might avoid going there on the weekend since it would be bustling with brides’ and grooms’ families and friends. On the other hand, some photography enthusiasts might welcome the opportunity of capturing shots of kimono-clad women in a traditional Japanese garden.

Anyway, hubby and I prefer the former - to just sit and enjoy the sight, smell and sound of the crickets, the trees and several water features. There was a mini waterfall, a water rock pond with giant stones shaped in turtles and dolphins, and another part filled with a watermill. The garden is full of history – 500 year old tree, three-storey Pagoda, an Inari shrine (with statues of foxes rather than dogs or lions on each side of the shrine’s entrance), various historical relics and artifacts moved from other places – all with carefully laid quaint-looking signs in both Nihonggo and English.

Oh, by the by, there were Shichi Fukujin (seven gods of fortune?) idols located in various sections of the garden, with descriptions of their supposed ‘specialty’ in Nihonggo and English, complete with small collection container. (Naughty me spied the various containers and it seemed like there were mostly 5 or 10 yen pieces. And there were a lot of 5 and 10 yen coins thrown in a small refresh spot at the hilltop, next to the 3-storey Pagoda too)

There are several eating outlets overlooking the garden – with prices ranging from 900 yen lunch at Mucha-an soba house (which closes at 3.30 p.m.) to 18,900 yen kaiseki dinner at Kinsui restaurant. Dynamic Tokyo Tour by Hato Bus in fact includes Japanese BBQ lunch at Mokushundo in Chinzan-so, and it’s possible to request for vegetarian BBQ too. Hubby and I did not give any of the eating outlet a try that day, but personally, based on my one-time experience, the cakes at Foresta Café are not too bad.

Anyway, we went there mainly for the garden and I must say that the serene garden was really a nice change from the ‘usual’ lively Tokyo – calmer, slower and cooler with fresher air.

Volunteers needed for public reading room in Kuala Krai

I am supporting this blogger's idea from afar.

Anybody up for this?

Virtually emptying his account...

Mohammad, 38, runs an Asian grocery store in Tsunashima, Yokohama. The Sri Lankan had 520,000 yen in savings, and was thinking of donating 300,000 yen towards the purchase of the mosque. He changed his mind and donated 500,000 yen, virtually emptying his account.

He says: "When you make a contribution to a mosque, God prepares a house for you in heaven. It's thanks to God that I've been able to make my way in Japan up to now. And God will continue to help me in future."

Full story here

Masya Allah...

Takaosan

It's not like we had not been warned - articles found online had already stated that Takaosan is a big hit with Tokyo no hitobito during the last two weekends in November. Nevertheless since this is insya Allah our last autumn in Japan, we try to make the most of it by trying to enjoy koyo (autumn leaves) in somewhere new to us. Or at least, to me (since hubby had already explored Takaosan once in April on his own, not long after I gave birth to Humaidi)

It was really crowded - took about 40 minutes to queue up for the cable car to ascend the mountain. Especially so since it was Momiji Matsuri - we were told that it took one hour to go there from Hachioji, which normally takes only 15-20 minutes. We met up with some friends for this outing- Basharan and Zau at Shinjuku and Hadyan in Takaosanguchi eki. Hubby knew that I had missed hiking a lot, and Zau too likes hiking, so the girls climbed up the mountain by foot while the guys took care of the kids and took the cable car. Hubby and I switched places afterwards, as he and Hadyan descended the mountain on foot, leaving Basharan, Zau and I to take care of the kids on our way down by cable car.

There were 6 trails going up Takaosan; Zau and I chose trail no. 1, the easiest trail. It had been long since I last hiked, thus I decided not to risk taking up a more challenging trail. However the easiest trail might as well be labeled the dullest trail. I've seen hubby's photos when he climbed the mountain in April, with some spectacular view - waterfall, dusky planks, rusty Shinto shrines - but he didn't know which trail it was. He said he just joined some people he saw going up the trail, so there.



However, what trail no. 1 lacks in terms of closeness with "alam ciptaan Allah", it sort of made up with opportunities for watching/observing people.

Zau and I sang praises for healthy and strong obaasan and ojiisan in their platinum years climbing with not much problem. I guess it is almost impossible to view a group of platinum-haired atok or nenek in Malaysia to climb up a mountain out of choice rather than necessity.

Then, there were a lot of children accompanying their parents climbing, yet another rare sight in Malaysia. Zau thought it is maybe due to lots of pantang that we seldom get to see young children taking up mountain climbing or jungle trekking. Hmm, maybe. But I thought maybe more parents should try taking their school age children hiking in 'controlled' forests like the one in FRIM, Kepong, just to introduce the wonders of alam ciptaan Allah. Too many kids had been spoiled by PS, Wii, the internet, etc that I think it might do some good for them to be re-introduced to 'basic' stuff such as enjoying jungle trekking.

Anyway, we saw a 3-year old girl (I asked her age when they passed by) complaining about her hurting feet halfway up, and her dad persistently encouraged her, "come on, you have eaten a lot this morning, surely you can do this, right?", seconded by her slightly older brother with words such as "okay, I'll walk with you, step by step. There, good job, good job". The mother though simply said "gambarou" and with that left the rest of the family behind. I was stunned.

Then, there was a pair of young Indian couple pushing their baby's stroller all the way up too. The mother asked the father to stop from time to time for a quick rest or a sip of water.

We even passed by a procession of Shinto followers coming downhill from two different shrines, all walking in rather rigid fashion, in almost straight formation. Very disciplined indeed.

And there were plenty of teenage/early twenties girls donning outfits more suitable for an outing in Harajuku or Shibuya than jungle trekking - leather boots, high-heels, mini skirt, fluffy woolly jacket and all - leisurely strolling all the way up. Yup, trail no.1 is THAT unadventurous.



I prayed Zohor not far from the cable car eki at the mountain. I would have loved to continue climbing until the summit, but since Basharan and Zau had promised to meet up with their friend that evening, Zau and I cancelled our plan. We promised hubby and Hadyan to meet at Takaosanguchi eki around 4.00 o'clock, so Basharan, Zau and I killed some time before we took the descending cable car. Huzaifah enjoyed playing with the coin operated kiddie rides even when I did not insert any coin. Basharan reported that earlier on Huzaifah had already joined some Nihonjin kids whose parents paid for the ride. I was appalled - but Basharan said that Huzaifah simply refused to leave one of the 'buses', so the Nihonjin parents just let him be a free rider. Besides, it's not like their own kid really cared about having freeloader - they just want to have fun on the musical, wheelie-wheelie ride and if someone else joined them, then so be it.

We prayed Asar in one "three-benched park" near Takaosanguchi eki. I usually pray in quieter places, and even when I prayed in a park before, I normally do it with hubby. This time around, we took turn praying alone, so it was the first time I witnessed perplexed look on Nihonjin who passed by us performing solat. Some even stopped for a while to observe the movement in solat. I asked Zau if the same thing happened when I was praying, and Zau confirmed it - perhaps, due to the relatively small numbers of Muslim in Japan, many of the Nihonjin passer by might have witnessed a Muslim performing solat "live" for the first time in their life.

Well, all in all, it was a good trip, alhamdulillah - although Basharan and Zau had to leave me alone with the kids since they were already late and there was no sight of hubby or Hadyan. In fact, in the end, hubby and I left even before meeting Hadyan, since it was already 5.00 p.m. and we were supposed to be back at Asakusa Mosque for a nikah by 7.00 p.m. (the nikah was postponed though, so we ended up having dinner outside, yatta!) I wish we could have seen more koyo - but was pretty satisfied with what was available. I guess we went there a bit early - or is it because autumn arrives later in Tokyo than elsewhere?

Next koyo/momiji watching trip is due in a fortnight, insya Allah. Nikko, here we come!

Sorry ye...

My dearest Abang,

Sorry for losing your precious long lens for your new Canon EOS Kiss Digital X. And your glasses. I don't know what came over me last Sunday, as I simply didn't realize when exactly we lost the blue-&-black sports sling bag containing your lens kit case. Might be in the Yamanote train we boarded from Nippori to Shinjuku; or the bag might had slipped down while we descended the stairs in JR Shinjuku eki; or someone might had stolen it while I was buying the train tickets for Takaosanguchi at Keio Shinjuku eki (although the latter does seem a bit unlikely).

We already tried asking Lost and Found office in both Keio and JR Shinjuku eki, but to no avail. Either bukan rezeki, or we lost it in turn for something better.

Whatever it is - I am sorry ye sayang.
Really, really sorry.
Truly, deeply sorry.
Gomen ne.
Nanti kita beli lain ye.
Our anniversary dah tak lama lagi...

Subsidy for childbirth costs in Japan

It is common knowledge that families taking National Health Insurance (kokumin hoken) can apply for and receive a subsidy to partially offset the costs of childbirth. Since October 2006, the subsidy is 350,000 yen in Tokyo, but in trying to encourage higher birth rate, some cities like Osaka offers even higher subsidy for the third child onwards. Given that the costs of childbirth range from 380,000 to 550,000 at ‘normal’ hospitals, the subsidy of 350,000 is greatly appreciated by many.

Still, often Malaysian post-graduate students know little of the existence of another bigger subsidy for childbirth apart from the above-mentioned one. For JPA students who could get reimbursements from JPA for childbirth, it might mean little, but for Mambusho and other self-funded students, this other subsidy means a lot. We learned about the existence of this subsidy from undergraduate students – as well as tips on how to get reduction to pay kokumin hoken, etc.

So, let me share the procedure on how to get this particular subsidy. However, this subsidy is only applicable to full-time students/ wives of full-time students, whose head of household is here under College Student visa, and do not have a source of income here in Japan – scholarship is not considered as source of income for this purpose. Both husband/wife must be registered under kokumin hoken to be eligible for this subsidy.

First, the wife must get her boshi techo (mother and child healthbook). This can be done by getting a “ninshin shoumeisho” from the doctor who confirmed the pregnancy, and exchanged for a boshi techo at the city/ward health center. The boshi techo is usually given with various supplement pamphlets, including two tickets for “free” check-up; one to be used in the first half of pregnancy, the other in the second half. Women over 35 years will also receive a free ticket for scanning the baby once.

Once this is done, consult the Child Welfare (not the Health Insurance) desk on how to get a subsidy for childbirth by student/spouse of student. This varies from city to city, but in my particular ward, the real application could only be submitted after 35 weeks of pregnancy. What we did first however was to confirm if we were eligible for the scheme (we were), to get advice on which Hospital to go which will accept payment using this scheme, as well as advice on documents we need to submit for the real application.

Normally, people using this scheme will be advised to go to government-owned hospitals. However, in my case, since there is no government hospital in the vicinity (Taito-ku or Sumida-ku) which provides maternity services, I was advised to go to San Iku Kai Byoin, a private hospital which collaborates with my ward office regarding this scheme. It is advisable to go for check-ups at the designated hospital earlier on, because changing hospitals at the last minute could be quite a hassle.

On the 35^th week of pregnancy, go back to the Child Welfare desk for actual application of the scheme. Normally one would be asked to bring:

• Daigaku shomeisho (student certification from the university), huband/wife;
  
• Gaijin torokusho (Alien card), for both husband and wife;
• Boshi techo;
• Hokensho (medical insurance card), for both husband and wife;
• Hikazeisho (proof of no income. Could be obtained from the Tax section of city/ward office by showing proof that you are a student under scholarship), for both husband and wife, or in my case, just the head of household;
• Passport, for both husband and wife.

There will be a simple interview, and then you will be asked to wait for a certificate of some sort which will be sent by post. This certificate, stating that the childbirth costs would be paid by the ward office, must be submitted to the hospital when you go there for childbirth. Having this certificate means that you only have to pay very minimal charges at the hospital.

In my case, I was asked for a deposit of 35,000 yen, and then 20,000 yen was returned upon discharge from the hospital whereas the actual cost for childbirth at San Iku Kai was about 400,000 yen. I was later asked to pay 35,000 yen at the Child Welfare division at the ward office – meaning I only have to pay 50,000 yen instead of paying 400,000 yen

On top of that, I was still eligible to collect the 350,000 yen subsidy mentioned in the first paragraph. All the Health Insurance division wanted apart from my hokensho before giving me a fat "congratulatory" envelope, was proof that I had already given birth as documented in my boshi techo. (In fact, once a friend whose wife gave birth in Malaysia, was also eligible to collect this subsidy. But that happened in Gyotoku, where the officers in charge are often less kibishi than in other city/ward offices)

In short:

Without special subsidy:

• Hospital charges: 400,000 yen
• (offset by) Normal subsidy: 350,000 yen
• Total spending: 50,000 yen

With special subsidy (only applicable at appointed hospitals by respective ward/city office)

• Hospital charges + payment to ward office: 50,000 yen
  (the bulk of hospital charges was paid by ward/city office)
• (topped by) Normal subsidy: 350,000 yen
  
• Total earning: 300,000 yen
  

"Bumblebees" at Tokyo Motor Show 2007

We went to Tokyo Motor Show 2007 on the last day it was held, 11 November 2007.
While others were obviously more interested in snapping pictures of the latest and most eco-friendly (the 'in' theme right now) models, I went photo-hunting for possible "Bumblebees" (since Bumblebee is yellow, surely it supports Bersih too, not?).

Here are some of the photos - there were more - Ford Mustang, Dodge Demon, but due to the presence of a'la 'Idol' (sexy girls) model next to the former, and hubby's lame effort with the latter, they could not be shown here. Yes, just like expected, the Tokyo Motor Show could had easily been mistaken for Tokyo 'Idol' Show, making me wish that more companies could follow Audi's foot step of using male models - and even their female model was seen smartly attired in business suits - looking slick, chic, successful, but not overtly sexy. Really cool.

Hubby had a grand day snapping pictures on his brand new Canon EOS Digital Kiss, Huzaifah had a pening day, trying to grab and look for his parents all the time, Humaidi slept peacefully in his stroller for most of the time we were in Makuhari Messe, and I was really tired from all the walking that I hit the futon right after Isyak and left the kids under their father's care for the rest of the night.

Many thanks to Zafran for ferrying us to and fro Makuhari Messe. Thanks to Shima for putting up with hubby's request to go to Tokyo Motor Show despite just returning all the way from Malaysia, with Aiman by her side, and carrying another baby in her tummy. Thanks too for the KFC. Honestly I am not a big KFC fan, but I guess partly because it's unedible here that made the cold KFC pieces extra delicious (hence why I managed eating 3 pieces in one sitting... ). Terima kasih!

Orang memberi, kita merasa...

We received a surprise last Thursday - a package from Malaysia, and one weighing almost 11kg.

I was shocked - but grateful nonetheless, since the arrival was quite timely. We were running out of stock on some dried goods (Maggi Mee and chilli sauce among others), so it was really a pleasure to discover these among the 'small treasures' we received.

The kind sender visited us a few weeks ago. We were advised by Ali-san, a friend of our friend Telat, that a Malaysian called Syahri or Sya'ari from PERKIM, would be visiting one Thursday noon, so I prepared some lunch. Hubby and I had no idea that our guest would turn out to be a leader of Regional Islamic Dakwah Council of the South East Asia and Pacific (RISEAP), an NGO based in Malaysia.

Lt-Col (R) Shahrir Hashim, was clearly happy to learn that there is a Malaysian imam in Tokyo. "Kalau tahu ada orang kita kat sini, baik saya tidur sini saja, bukan di Otsuka," he claimed after chatting with us for a while. He came accompanied by Ali-san from Japan Muslim Association (JMA), which has ties with RISEAP, thus acts as Colonel's host during his stay in Japan. Several JMA representatives had accompanied Colonel visiting several mosques and Islamic centers throughout Japan, and he was scheduled to go to Sendai the following day. Brother Abdullah, an ICOJ member who had been to Colonel's house in KL a few years back, came to see him at the mosque too. As it was already noon, Brother Abdullah invited everybody for lunch at Siddique restaurant, but I told him that I already prepared lunch for Colonel and that he and Ali-san are invited too.

Actually, I only prepared the lunch with one extra person in mind. Although there was enough chicken curry and vegetable soup for 4 adults, I didn't cook that much rice. I quickly fried some ikan masin and keropok while the men chatted, and cooked additional pots of rice, on high temperature mode (so that it get cooked faster). Mak said in time of doubt, selawat more and insya Allah whatever we had would be enough - and miraculously, that was exactly what happened. Somehow, the available rice was enough to feed all 4 men, and the newly cooked rice was not touched at all (but I felt secured having extra rice, of course).

The lunch was no big deal. Hubby and I are only too happy to share a main meal, be it lunch or dinner, every time we receive a guest from Malaysia.

Apparently, what we deem as 'no big deal' was interpreted differently by the kind Colonel. In his reply to our email thanking him for his generosity, Colonel boldly declared that after visiting over 17 countries in the world, he found that often Malays living overseas are arrogant and egoistic. He claimed that only hubby and I had offered him Malay cooking although he did not ask for it since he understand that everything is expensive in Tokyo.

I chuckled upon reading "Harga petai di Malaysia hanya RM5.00 untok 4 papan. Mungkin kos nya kalau Ustaz jual kapada orang Melayu di Tokyo RM500.00!!" I love petai - for sambal ikan bilis - so no hope of making easy profit from 'em. In fact, I was childishly happy to discover all the treasures that he thoughtfully included in the package - Milo, Kicap Cap Kipas Udang, lemongrass, cili api, kaffir lime leaves, turmeric leaves, instant nasi himpit, assorted ikan masin, ikan bilis, udang kering, belacan, dried chillies, assorted spices and instant sauces, kek lapis, agar-agar strips, and even a copy of The Star. Yes, we do read online news, but there's something natsukashii (nostalgic?) about reading good old newspaper...

He thanked us for our hospitality, claimed that he "tidak pandai simpan budi lama-lama", and promised to bring his wife along for the next trip before we return to Malaysia.

We look forward to receiving you again Colonel.
Terima kasih atas kiriman yang amat kami hargai!

Post open house...

By now, most who read this blog would know that I am a huge believer in "hikmah" behind everything. Those who have read my entry on our Open House, would know about the ‘incident’ involving a group of girls. Surprisingly, some of the readers responded with various emotions – anger, sympathy and so on. Truth is, I was not angry at them, more worried in fact, as to their future dealing with the community at large…

Well, last Friday saw me receiving two visitors. They came to apologize on behalf of their juniors. They came with explanations –

• that the seminar was organized by some juniors and the girl who said that they might help after the seminar was over at noon was present in the capacity of a “speaker”, not organizer;
• that they were both ignorant of the fact that I asked for their help (albeit half jokingly) on the phone; and later (quite seriously) when I was passing by near their congregation;
  
• that (perhaps influenced by Japanese well-know diligence,) they were so absorbed in their own program, trying their best to make the most of their limited time with juniors from far away, that it just didn’t occur to them to check if I needed any help despite knowing well that I was holding my open house the next day;
  
• that they were sorry some of their juniors who attended the open house did not greeted me properly before eating.

One of the girls confessed she felt so guilty that when she went to school on Monday, nothing seemed right and nothing went right. Friends at the lab were alarmed to see she, who is usually jovial, looking pretty much miserable. When asked what the problem was, she confessed that it is a ‘relationship’ problem, and she was quickly told to try fix whatever it was that bothered her because it is so unlike her to be down in the dumps. That was why she decided to see me at the end of her school week, accompanied by another fellow ‘senior’ friend.

I am glad that something good came out of the incident – that some of the girls were at least ‘awaken’ by the fact that they would never be in the safe ‘cocoon’ of their own limited company for the rest of their life. They said that part of the reasons they ‘terlepas pandang’ to check whether we needed any help that night was because they lack experiences in socializing with more ‘adult’ society. It somehow did not occur to them that with my two small kids and all, that I would most appreciate their help, even for a short while. Somehow they thought that I must had had all the help I needed, since I did not specifically ask them for their help.

What happened that night really opened their eyes – that there is a more ‘complex’ life outside their small usual ‘group’; that half of the religion – the hablumminannas part – could be actualized in simply helping out in the kitchen; that their doings or un-doings could speak louder about them than their words or beliefs.

Open house is not an end in itself. It is a means to an end. There is more to it than merely providing an avenue to eat and chat. Open house is a tool for silaturrahim, for ukhuwwah. It is a place to get to know others, to meet different people, to broaden one’s horizon as we listen, learn, exchange thoughts and opinions – and all these could be done not merely while eating, but also while dicing nasi himpit, stirring soup, pouring gravy into bowls, cleaning up used plates, even while holding up a baby for a tired mommy…

So, there was a "hikmah" behind the incident after all – at least some girls learned their lessons about socializing with more ‘adult’ community here in Japan, while they are still students, before they get exposed to a larger society back home in Malaysia. Like I said, they are good girls, with good religious background – so I really hope that their doings would not, in any way, cause ‘fitnah’ to others like them. “It is a lesson I would never forget,” one of the girls solemnly vowed.

Ah, but of course, since a true Mukmin is not bitten by a snake twice from the same hole...

It's basic human rights...

to be given the "four freedoms" - freedom of speech, of religion, from want, and from fear... Democracy is often believed to inculcate these elements of freedoms. Yet, election as a tool of democracy, could easily be thwarted, as described by one Human Rights textbook author,

"...countries may go through the notion of organizing elections, but they also possess many ways to ensure that these elections will be neither free nor fair. They can use public resources - funds, patronage, media attention - to outspend and divide their opponents. They can foment ethnic conflict to ensure chaos (or turn to popularations against moderates). They can adopt constitutions that serve the status quo, stack electoral commissions with cronies, allow very little time for opposition parties to organize, administratively harass opponents, threaten sympathizers with the suspension of clientelist benefits, and the like."

(reference: "Human Rights in International Relations", David P. Forsythe, 2006, Cambridge University Press)

Another author, Peter Uvin, stressed that,

"When people are deprived of their freedom, live in constant fear, cannot move as they wish... development has emphatically not taken place... there is no way to separate human rights from economic and social improvement; the terms mean nothing without each other and can only be meaningful if they are redefined in an integrated manner... the process by which development aims are achieved is as important as the actual products."

This is not a political blog - but I, like many others elsewhere, would pray for the safety of 100,000 fellow Malaysians who would join a peaceful rally calling for reforms in the Malaysian election system...

Here's praying hard that it will be peaceful...

Update (12 November 2007)

The rakyat had spoken...
International coverage could be read here, here, here and here; plus video here

According to friends and acquaintances, the "yellow wave" that flooded KL on 10 November 2007 was almost like a free advertisement for the telco DiGi (which incidentally uses tag lines such as "Masa Untuk Berubah" and "Kami Semakin Kuat" in their ads...)

One friend could not help chuckling when he overheard a non-Malay rally participant asking a Malay police on duty, "Saya rakyat Malaysia, setia pada Raja dan Negara. You orang setia pada siapa?"

Daulat Tuanku

Update 16 November 2007

Post-rally forum video - part 1 and part 2

Open House Eidul Fitri 1428H

Date: Sunday, 4 November 2007

Time:
Official: 2.00 – 6.00 p.m.
Reality : 1.00 – 9.00 p.m.

Menu: Nasi tomato (tomato rice), Ayam masak merah (spicy tomato chicken), Kari dalca kambing (mutton dhal curry), Mee bandung, Nasi himpit (pressed rice), Kuah lodeh (mixed vegetables in coconut milk), Sambal kacang (peanut sauce), Pulut tanak (glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk), Serunding ayam (chicken spicy floss) , Mixed fruits pudding

Chef: the first 3 items – Faizly, the rest – yours truly... (with exception of the serunding ayam, which was bought from Giant, Kelana Jaya)

Invitees: A lot, from all over Kanto area, but we expected around 80 people to show up. Around 80 people showed up, alhamdulillah. Thank you to all who “memenuhi undangan”, and thank you for bringing menu sampingan – karipap, wajik, various sweets, beverages, cakes, fruits, etc. Special thanks to Brother Telat Pasha, for 4 dozens of 1 liter Apricot Nectar juice from Turkey, and Brother Ehsan for sending them to us.

Photographers:
Official: Lutfy
Unofficial: Che Lee

Thanks a million!

Helpers:
Before: Basharan, Hubby, and 2 musafir from India, Hassif and Ajeed, who insisted on helping. Masumi Emi came earlier too, helped vacuumed my house and took turn looking after the kids as I bathed the boys and changed them into their respective Raya clothes. Arigatou ne, Emi...

During: Kak Pah, Kak Ita, Kak Zah, Baim and co. who helped cleaning the used pots and pans, Apid who helped with refilling, plus so many others who helped looking after Huzaifah and Humaidi

After: Shah Reza, Shahreeza, Dean, Lutfy, Zaimi (the last visitor, from Yokohama)

Thank you, thank you, thank you – may Allah bless and reward you for all your contribution. Special thanks for all who ‘tapau’ed stuff back home, for without them, we might have to eat the left over for 7 days and 7 nights…

Preparation time:
Started working from around 7.00 p.m. Saturday. Chef Faizly did not sleep all night long on Saturday. Basharan napped in the train when he went to fetch his ‘kawan’ from Haneda Airport early Sunday morning. Hubby too, slept at around 6 a.m. on Sunday morning. Yours truly napped for about three hours, 6.00 – 9.00 a.m. on Sunday.

Side notes:

• Brother Ehsan promised to bring the large rice cooker on late Saturday night, but he fell asleep and did it on Sunday morning around 9.30 a.m.

• Nasco sent our order in 2 parcels, but we only received the cold one on Saturday morning. We called them to enquire about the other box – containing rice, ghee and dry stuff. They said that they had already sent it and it should be arriving anytime soon. What about the beef (which I bought in another shop because they ran out of beef at that time, but asked them to include the beef in the parcel they were supposed to courier to me)? Oh, the guy who was supposed to do it forgot all about it – so could they send it to us later? It would reach me first thing on Sunday, they assured me. But the parcel containing rice and everything did not show up by the time we reached home (from Ichikawa Ono, where we attended Green Heights open house/open block) at around 6.30 p.m. After numerous calls to and fro Nasco, a guy from the courier called us up, saying that they were sorry, there seemed to be a mix-up, but since it was impossible to send the parcel that night, could they do it first thing on Sunday morning? Chef Faizly was like “Haaaahhhh? Sempat ke???” Since there was nothing esle we could do about it, we said okay. They kept their promise too – as the courier guy arrived even before 9.00 a.m., with both the dry stuff and the forgotten beef.

• There were about 15 girls attending a seminar on the 2^nd floor from Saturday to Sunday. When one of the organizers asked for permission to use the place earlier, I half jokingly mentioned that maybe I could use their help with the cooking, but the girl replied “eh, bukan jemput open house ajak kitorang makan je ke?”. A senior girl was a little bit more diplomatic; said that they would be finishing the seminar by noon on Sunday and they would assist me after that before the open house started at 2.00 p.m. They knew I was busy because I needed to rummage through the small kitchen in the 2^nd floor while they went on with their seminar. At one point, when it seemed like they had reached the last portion of their program on Saturday night, I mentioned loudly “kalau korang dapat tolong, amatlah dihargai”. Somebody replied meekly, “tapi kitorang dah bukak tudung…”

Their seminar did not finish at noon on Sunday, but around 2.00 p.m. The girls came up to attend the open house, but sadly, some did not even greeted me earlier before started eating (tak kenal tuan rumah ke?). Upon learning that Faizly and I did not sleep all night long (Faizly napped for a while on the train on his way back to Saginuma to refresh himself since he forgot to bring a spare change of clothing), some of the senior girls among the organizer came to see me, and apologized, “Kalau tak kerana program ilmu, kami mesti tolong Kak Azra punyalah”

Truth is, even when they did not help me, we still managed to do everything on our own – but the real loss is theirs. While Rasulullah s.a.w taught us the importance of knowledge, he put more emphasis on adab (manners). Adab with neighbors, adab with those who need help (like the Jewish granny as sung by Dawud Wharnsby), adab with the host. The girls were on the 2^nd floor while we were busy cooking on the 4^th floor; that made us almost neighbors for the night. They knew I was cooking for many, and it would possibly be more afdhal if the girls had spent one hour of their time to help out a bit, then went on with their program. There were 15 of them – one hour of 15 assistants could have meant a lot of difference to us back then.

It was sad really, what with these girls having quite good religious background. Maybe my expectation was too high, but this ‘elitist’ attitude – it will do them no good in the long run. There will be more encounters with neighbors/acquaintances who might need their help in the future; which might require them taking some time off from their “seminar/program jamaah/etc”, and I wonder how they would react then…

Wallahualam…

New hot water heaters

Alhamdulillah, finally we got new hot water heater installed in both the bathroom and the kitchen, yatta!

A friend asked me – why two sets of water heater? Well, I guess it’s because the hot water heater in the bathroom also is used to heat and re-heat the ofuro (bath tub), instead of just providing hot water. The tub is usually filled with cold water from a tap, then heated by the gas heater which also has a circulating pump to keep the water hot while one baths. The Japanese wash themselves with soap and rinse before they soak in the small tub, so normally the water in the ofuro is not changed daily, hence the ofuro heater. It was said that in the past, the old bath water was used to wash wooden floors since natural human body oils served as an excellent polish and sealant for the wood.

Instead of western-style hot water tap, Japanese kitchens are mostly equipped with a compact wall mounted unit of water heater known as kitchen shower, usually found above the sink. They are powered by natural gas, with indicator light resembling gas stove light blue spark, and are more energy efficient than traditional western style gas powered boiler or compact electric heater. To save water, user of kitchen shower could choose between using normal running water (suitable for washing dishes and pans) or showery flow (handy for washing fruits and vegetables as well as cleaning the sink since the handle is flexible).

Before:

The absolutely dangerous kitchen shower unit

It has completely stopped functioning

The 'makeshift' temperature dial

After:

The new kitchen shower, its flexy-handle with running water in showery flow

Easy control of the temperature - from tepid to almost livid

The previous hot water heater in the bathroom was in a really critical condition – not only it was temperamental and did not allow much control of the temperature (too hot or too cold, nothing in between), it was so old that even the ignition lever as well as the hook for the shower head were already broken. And I don’t have to comment much on the rust – the pictures can speak for themselves…

Before:

The pseudo-temperamental hot water heater

with broken ignition lever and broken shower head hook

which may seem not too bad with the aluminum cover on the top

but actually is so terribly rusty that even the aluminum cover has also been 'infected'

close-up of the rusts

After :

The new water heater in the ofuro (sorry for bad lighting - it was already dark by the time it was installed)

temperamental temperature control is a thing of the past...

look at that nice, smoothly turning lever...

and the shower head in its proper place too...

The water heater may look old-fashioned with the lever and everything, but it is more common than one-touch ‘modern’ water heater due to its far lower price. For the uninitiated, here’s how to operate it:

1. Check the gas tap on the wall whether it is ‘on’ or not – usually off in Japanese houses and on in Malaysians. (Any respectable living guide book would advise one to keep it off when not in use to decrease chances of hazard during earthquake, but, well...) If the handle is parallel to the gas pipe, then it is an ‘open door’, if it is perpendicular, then it’s a 'closed gate' blocking the entrance of gas.

2. Press down the ignition dial on top of the unit on the right to the ignition symbol, (口火). Hold it down and turn the ignition lever on the front of the unit to the right two or three times. Often you can hear the gas ignite, hold down the ignition dial for 5-10 seconds until in the indicator window on the front of the unit has shown a steady blue spark.

3. Release dial and turn it down to tap/shower setting, the second last line on the dial. The last setting is for heating up the ofuro.

4. Turn the water tap on - 90° to the left for the tap and 90° to the right for the shower. You can tell which is which by the simple pictures.

If you only want cold water then all you need to do is turn the water tap on - in this case 90° to the right for the shower or 90° to the left for the tap.

UPDATE
We have received donation from Malaysia (as collected by hubby's father) to help paying for and installation of the new hot water heaters with some balance for other stuff.
Jazakumullahu khairan kathira. May Allah bless and reward all those who contributed fi sabilillah...

Indah khabar dari rupa...

... that was the conclusion Faizly, hubby and I agreed on upon leaving Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama last Monday...

Will write a longer review when I have more time. Today I have to fold a mountain of laundry before the man from Tokyo Gas arrive to change the hot water boiler in the bathroom and the kitchen. The ofuro in the toilet is in 'critical' stage - it has been there for almost 30 years! We get a good discount for the ofuro (150,000 yen with installation) , and 'special support' from Tokyo Gas in installing the 'kitchen shower' because the current one is considered too dangerous. So, instead of paying almost 40,000 yen for new 'kitchen shower' and installation fees, we have been asked to prepare less than 10,000 yen. Tired of waiting for the ICOJ people to do something about it, (we had asked them to change these appliances more than a year ago) hubby and I have decided to use our own money first this time. Nevertheless Brother Ehsan, the 'big guy' of this mosque and Brother Harun, a restaurant owner who has been very generous with donations for this mosque, told us that they will try to refund us, so we'll see how it goes...

Maybe I'll post some 'before' and 'after' pics later...