A day in Yokohama

I’ve been itching to blog about this for quite some time…

However, there was a paper on International Politics that I had to submit last week.
Then, there were two papers on Globalization of Culture and Asia that I had to submit last Tuesday.
One more paper to go – due to be submitted by next Tuesday, so I’ve decided to take a short break now and blog a little bit (mind you, I have taken breaks in between the three papers – finishing Sophie Kinsella’s “Shopaholic and Sister” and Iris Johansen’s “The Ugly Duckling” – resulting in me finishing my papers at the very last minute… I know, I have a bad sense of priority…blergh...)

I had a two-week break in late December until early January. Told hubby that it would be a great time to do some travelling since I was feeling rather fit and we still only had to take care of one baby… So, we considered some options – including going to Niigata, or Hiroshima, or Kyoto/Osaka using JR’s seishun 18 kippu (dirt cheap train tickets to be used during certain periods of the year). As it happened – hubby was not quite free during these two weeks though. First, he had to prepare to be the Imam for Solat Eidul Adha in the Malaysian Embassy. Then, he was invited to be a guest speaker at a Seminar Keluarga Muslim organized by AMIR a few days after that. Not to mention that the mosque was visited by people from various groups for various programs during the two weeks. And on the last Sunday before school re-opened, there was that wedding I mentioned earlier, between Mariam-san and Jehan-san.

I think it was partly because he felt guilty for not taking me anywhere and partly because he too wanted to discover some new place, hubby suggested going to Yokohama on Monday, the last day before school re-opened. I was not keen on the idea because I had to go to school the next day and we often return home late whenever we go out for such excursion. Hubby persisted, did all the homework on Yokohama (finding the fares, the interesting places to visit etc on the Net) that in the end I just didn’t have the heart to say no.

So, that Monday morning, I woke up earlier to prepare breakfast and lunch (nasi goreng), got Huzaifah ready and off we went. Unfortunately, I realized that I had left my wallet at home as we were about to enter the train station. Alhamdulillah hubby carried some cash with him too, so we decided to just go ahead without having to go back and pick up my wallet at home. Yup we travelled all the way to Yokohama without me carrying any ID or ATM cards (it’s important for gaijin to carry our IDs with us all the time because there’s no telling when we would be asked to produce our alien card by some patrolling policeman who has nothing better to do). Tawakaltu a’lallah ajelah…

Since I did not do any reading on Yokohama (like I did with Hakone), I decided to let hubby led the way. But he didn’t seem to be all that well-versed like I hoped, so in the end, I had to do lots of the “navigation” while we were there.

Anyway, we both decided that Yokohama is much prettier than Tokyo – cleaner, more organized (no messy electrical/communication wires overhead and we did not see any ‘under construction’ signs on the road during the day) and the people are a bit friendlier. We took a 45 minute ride on the Sea Bass (perhaps to differentiate it from the Tokyo Sea Bus) from Yokohoma Bay Quarter to Yamashita Koen, stopping by Minato Mirai and Aka Renga.

Huzaifah obviously enjoyed the ferry ride, running back to front numerously – which got me worried but his father said to just monitor him, and not stop him from enjoying himself, so long as he did not disturb others. Alhamdulillah we didn’t get any dirty look from other passengers and the ferry itself was not filled to the max, so Huzaifah had plenty of room to run about, sometimes with people mumbling “kawaii” as he passed them…

Yamashita Koen was another place where Huzaifah had a great time running here and there. He’s getting pretty fast now, so it wasn’t easy to keep up with him, what with the extra weight that I carried and all... I worried about him running into a cyclist, or a bigger kid, or a dog… but alhamdulillah none of that happened. I guess sometimes a mother just can’t help worrying a tad too much…

We took photos of the recently closed-to-public Hikawa Maru and Marine Tower. Once called the "Queen of the Pacific", Hikawa Maru used to be a luxury cargo-passenger ship, operating between 1930-1960, connecting Japan with Seattle and Vancouver. Due to a decrease in visitors, it was closed to public beginning 25^th December 2006. Marine Tower, the largest on-land lighthouse in the world, another famous landmark of Yokohama, was also closed on the same day, due to similar factor. The Yokohama City Office had taken over the management of Marine Tower and it is expected to be re-opened in 2009. Although there is a plan for Hikawa Maru to be re-opened too, the date is yet unknown.

Then we walked to Chukagai, the biggest China Town in Japan. Since it happened to be a public holiday, the place was so crowded that I asked hubby to go ahead and take photos on his own while Huzaifah and I waited at one of the four entrance gates. From what I could see, the place was lined with mostly Chinese restaurants and Chinese snack stalls – mostly selling pork-filled dumplings. So, I guess I didn’t miss much by not exploring it thoroughly.

Next, we took a train to Minato Mirai – the central attraction of the new, modern Yokohama. Minato Mirai is, among others, home of Landmark Tower (tallest building in Japan), the yacht-shaped Intercontinental hotel, the Queen's Square shopping mall and the Cosmo World amusement park.

We walked along Queen’s Square, bought some drinks and buns at a konbini there and then strolled to the neighboring Cosmo World. There is no entrance fee for Cosmo World, and although I would have loved a roller coaster ride or two, my condition did not permit me to do so. Thus we ended up taking just one ride – on Cosmo Clock 21, which stands at 115m, and reputed to be one of the tallest ferris wheels in the world. Even then, hubby insisted on waiting until nightfall before taking the ride, “baru pemandangan cantik sikit,” or so he claimed. Alhamdulillah the queue was not that long when we boarded the gondola, but 15 minutes later as we exited it, the line had grown considerably long – made up by mostly teenagers and couples in early twenties.

Huzaifah yet again had a wonderful time during the ferris wheel ride, jumping excitedly as he took in the wonderful sights – of not only Yokohama city, but the sea as well as sun setting behind Mount Fuji. I later told Mak how excited he was, showing no sign of fear of height in the gondola, and Mak’s response was maybe we should consider training him as a jet fighter pilot one day as it is difficult to find Muslims who are trained to be high-precision pilot and all. (Oh well, sometimes I think Mak watches too much Discovery/National Geographic channel…)

We bought a souvenir photo of our family taken just before we boarded the ferris wheel. As it costed 800 yen, hubby was a bit reluctant to buy it, but I insisted on it anyway because we bought no other souvenir to mark our first trip to Yokohama (we intend to have a repeat trip – maybe to Hakkeijima Sea Paradise,Minato Mieru Oka Koen, Aka Renga and Motomachi/Yamate).

Then we walked to Sakuragicho eki to take the subway to go to Azamino, to visit a newfound acquaintance’s place. More click-clicking of camera as there were some interesting places along the way. I let hubby did most of the snapping as I pushed Huzaifah's baby car towards the Queen's Mall indoor passageway to avoid the cold wind. Saw a Cold Stone Creamery outlet in Landmark Tower buidling, and thought it would be a better place to have ice cream than the store in Roppongi because it was warmer inside the building.

It took us about 30 minutes to reach Azamino on the subway, but when we arrived there Soffian, who had so kindly invited us for dinner at his house, was already waiting for us with his son. We had never met before - in fact hubby just learned about Soffian from one of his Indonesian neighbors who attended one of the programs held during winter break in the mosque – but apparently Soffian had already known hubby since he attended the Solat Eidul Adha in the embassy. He made a remark somewhere along the line that the recent khutbah was rather refreshing and relevant to the audience – and I was glad to hear that, to know that at least someone actually paid attention…

It was easy to hit it off with Farah, his bubbly wife. She looked so familiar that I thought we might have met before, but she said she got similar remarks a lot, but no, she didn’t think we have ever met before. I learned a thing or two about maternity care in Japan from her and was rather impressed with the way she communicated with her two kids. Abang, her 5-year-old first born, is fluent in Nihongo but not BM, so he spoke more to me than hubby. His knowledge on trains in Japan was so impressive, that I thought if there’s such a thing as an episode of Kid TV Champion on trains, he might be a strong contender. He collects lots and lots of train models, and even the calendar under the transparent dining table cover featured different trains in Japan.

We finally said goodbye at around 9.00 p.m., inviting Soffian’s family to visit us in Asakusa. Farah said that her parents might be visiting them later and if they go to Asakusa, maybe they can visit us in the mosque.

Soffian sent us to take the Den-en-toshi line train from Tama Plaza, and we changed to Ginza line at Omotesando with little difficulty (because Den-en-toshi/Hanzomon line and Ginza line shared the same platform at Omotesando eki). We reached home around 11.00 p.m., exhausted yet glad that finally we got to travel someplace other than Tokyo during my school break…

(A small) Theft in Tokyo

I could not believe my eyes.

I just left my bike for less than 5 minutes and the two plastic bags I left in the front basket were gone.

Vanished.

Well, I just did some grocery shopping, left the bags in my bike’s basket and went to the store next to the supermarket to get a few more stuff. It did not took me longer than 5 minutes to grab a carton of milk, some yogurt and a tray of egg and paid for them because the shop was not busy.

So, imagine my surprise when I saw the empty basket.

Hubby was holding Huzaifah as he witnessed me arranging the two bags in my basket. I told him I wouldn’t be long as I rushed to get some stuff from the store next door, but he chose to follow me into the shop. I don’t blame him – we never thought somebody would take our stuff just like that. This is Japan after all, where the people are supposed to be decent, trustworthy, honourable… I mean, they were just two bags of groceries, not like we were back from shopping in Takashimaya, Matsuzakaya or Mitsukoshi…

I’ve done multiple-place-grocery shopping before – in Tokyo and in Gyotoku - leaving plastic bags in my bike’s basket for a short while as I entered other shops to get some stuff, but they had never disappeared just like that. And this is different from the lost-wallet-episode I had last year because last time I had dropped the wallet somewhere and it might or might not be found by anyone. But this – this was blatant theft! In broad daylight too.

Hubby tried to look around for the bags, but nobody appeared to be carrying our stuff. It wasn’t that much – carrots, cabbage, shiitake mushroom, shimeji mushroom, cooking oil and some ice cream. The total cost was a little over 1000 yen – not much, I know, but still… When hubby suggested me to go inside and buy more to replace what had been stolen, I was still so upset with the incident that I just refused to do so. We ended doing our alternative shopping elsewhere, buying different items (except for ice cream – I had a craving for it) because it just hurt to buy similar stuff at higher price when I knew I had a bargain at the first supermarket. When we reached home, I confessed to hubby that if I were in a more rational state, I would’ve gone and just buy stuff to replace what was lost at the supermarket – but when I was there, the frustration was still too raw…

When we told him what happened, Ridzuan, who used to live in Japan for quite some time, admitted that “memang ramai orang buat kerja tu… orang tua-tua pun buat…” Yup, as it happened, that particular supermarket was filled with mostly senior citizens when we were there as it was still midday (the yuppies were not back from work yet to do their shopping. That’s why there are plenty of 24 hours supermarket/food store in Tokyo – to accommodate yuppies and their grave hours)

Well, so there, a lesson for us never to be too laid-back or too trusting (or careless) again – even when dealing with the so-called honest Japanese…

We hope it's going to be a girl...

People have been telling me over and over again that no two pregnancies are the same, and I can’t agree more. In my case – the first and second pregnancies are a lot different, so much so that I hope the gender will be different too this time…

Alhamdulillah, the vomiting stopped after the 4^th month – a big change from last time because with Huzaifah, I was vomiting almost throughout the whole 9 months, including the morning I delivered him. I don’t get tired that easily too now, which is good, because I do need my energy to keep up with Huzaifah.

However, now I am experiencing other previously-not-experienced pregnancy related pains - leg cramps (which could really hurt, especially in the middle of a winter night on a futon) and constipation. Tried stretching before bed and taking more calcium (drinking more milk, eating more yogurt) to overcome the cramp thingy – but doesn’t seem to work all that well. I drink plenty of water regularly, and eat prunes to overcome the constipation problem - again, with not much difference. Currently I am consuming lots of green tea, just to see if it will make any difference…

I also sometimes feel guilty – to Huzaifah because he’s getting an adik even before his second birthday, and to the adik, because I am not taking the same care with this pregnancy like I did with the first. With Huzaifah, I used to read more Quran (now I just listen to Quran recital on the PC occasionally), drank plenty of soya milk and bird’s nest (not much soya and no bird's nest this time around, in fact I even drink kopi kampung sometimes - not good, not good), took my prenatal vitamin religiously (stopped taking folic acid after 4th month this time) and communicated daily with him (now I only ask adik to stop moving around so much when I am trying to get some sleep). And apart from some bodysuits on sale in Gap, I haven’t bought anything new for the adik. I am counting on Mak to bring Huzaifah’s old stuff from home when she comes here in March, but Mak also have asked me to buy some new stuff. Baby stuff are not cheap – even more so in Japan where nothing is cheap.

Now that I have to take care of Huzaifah, with his never ending unexpected stunts (the oven is sealed because he kept climbing the oven to get to pans and pots on the stove, the chairs are located not at the dining table because he kept climbing the table using the chair as a ladder of some sort, a lot of dinner wares had been transferred to the mosque’s kitchen since he kept rummaging through the lower cabinets and took out glass wares to play with them), I feel like I am a bit emotionally distant from this pregnancy. Hubby too, seems to take less interest in this pregnancy – probably because he too is drained with taking care of Huzaifah.

Not that I love this yet unborn adik any less. It’s just – different. But I hope it’s going to be a girl. And if the old wives’ tales are to be believed – there are plenty of signs that it’s going to be a girl…

The signs?

I am carrying high – it’s still unnoticed to some although I will be entering my seventh month next week.

Hubby is not gaining weight along with me.

I am craving sweets – not just ice cream and cheesecake, but also chocolate, and I am normally not a chocolate person (more an ‘asam’ person actually)

I crave for fruits too – persimmons, strawberries, pears

I don’t get headaches

My nose doesn’t change its shape

My chest development is pretty dramatic

My belly resembles a watermelon more than a basketball

Plus, Huzaifah loves playing in the kitchen and with kitchen wares. He is happiest when he’s allowed to play with ladles although he has a trunk full of toys suitable for his age. Sabah confessed that his mom told him that he used to love playing in the kitchen and with kitchen utensils when he was a toddler – and he got a baby sister…

Not to mention just a few days ago, I craved to read chick lit. Maybe I was influenced by Kit, maybe it was the “50% off chick lit” signboard that was put outside my favorite used bookstore, or maybe it was just my raging hormones – I bought not one, but three Shopaholic books in one go (for less than 1000 yen). I have heard about the Shopaholic series 2 or 3 years ago from Afaf, a colleague at work, but never tried buying, borrowing or reading it until now. And being more of a Sheldon/Koontz/Grisham/Archer/Dan Brown reader – yes, chick lit is not my usual cup of tea… So, what else but girly hormones that would drive me to buy chick lit, huh?

Oh, by the by, another reason why hubby and I hope for a girl is that so we can put all those dresses, girly bodysuits, tops, pants, shoes, socks and what-nots bought in 2005 (when we thought our first born was going to be a girl) to good use…

Happy Maal Hijrah, Congratulations and Condolence

Why when you know you should be concentrating on writing at least one of the four term papers that are due, you just have this voice at the back of your mind nagging you to update your blog. It’s not like you update your blog regularly after all, but the voice just wouldn’t stop – so there…

Happy Maal Hijrah 1428. Hope this year is going to be a good one. I don’t have any new year resolutions – I think the last time I made up some was when I was in high school. I guess I’m one of those who make up new resolutions when we feel like we could commit to it, regardless of the beginning period.

Hubby led the recital of doa akhir/awal tahun in Rusdi’s place in Ichikawa Ono yesterday with a small potluck feast after Isyak. (I didn’t bring anything, and was quite embarrassed to note that even 9-month pregnant Kak Mai, Pokcik’s wife who is due to deliver anytime now, contributed some pudding.) I especially enjoyed the pulut prepared by Nor, Syah’s wife with the spicy sambal, the apam (with anonymous contributor) and the mee goreng prepared by Siti, the hostess. We seldom get to go to Hijriah new year party in Malaysia because most people read the doa akhir/awal tahun privately at home or at the mosque – so I kinda enjoyed the opportunity to attend one such party here, even though I was the only female guest (it was an all-male small kenduri actually, but hubby took Huzaifah and I along just so that I could recite the doa together with him)

Oh, by the way, I would like to offer my belated congratulations to newlywed Roza & Meor - and thanks Ahkak for sharing the wedding photos at your blog. I am sure, what with Meor being a photographer himself, they must have loads of gorgeous wedding photos, but even normal photos were enough to prove how radiant Roza looked on her big day. I am happy for her – I will always be indebted to her for being the one who helped telling someone (rather nicely) to stop bugging me a few years back. Roza, Ahkak and Ira were also the one who acted as my make-up artists on my wedding, and I could never thank them enough for being there for me…

I take this opportunity to also congratulate Jehan and Mariam-san – (the fifth actually, but) the first couple to be wedded by hubby this year in Asakusa. The bride shed a few tears when she uttered the shahadah. They didn’t bring any witnesses along, but alhamdulillah the mosque at that particular time was used by a group of Indonesians for some religious meet, so 4 kind guys had agreed to act as the witnesses – 2 for Mariam-san’s shahadah ceremony, and another 2 for the wedding.

On a more sober note, my condolences go out to Shireen – the same one I’ve mentioned in two recent entries - who had just lost her dear dad 2 days before Eidul Adha. I didn’t know about it until a few days ago when she replied my e-mail, thanking me for sending her (long due) photos taken in Tokyo. I remember thinking what a nice daughter she is as I accompanied her buying souvenirs for her parents – a lovely ‘beg surau’ for her mother and a cool jacket from UniQlo for her father. I am not sure whether or not her dad had a chance to wear the jacket, because Shireen even missed Roza’s wedding because of her father’s critical condition (due to cancer). Poor girl is still trying to cope with the loss, missing her daddy so much… My prayers are with her and her family – and Al-fatihah for her dad…

This one is for you Kakaq

Dear Kakaq,

You asked for some photos, so, here they are...


This was taken during Eidul Adha in the TYT Dato' Duta's residence as he was introduced to hubby by your 'Abang Jas'.


This shot of Sabah - who helped a lot with taking care of Huzaifah last Eidul Adha - was taken in Encik Jasri's residence, with Encik Jasri at the back, offering hubby (the photographer) more mee kari...

Oh, this was the Raya family shot that came out okay last Eidul Adha, taken in the Malaysian Embassy


A six-month pregnant mommy feeding a 1-year-and-4-months old toddler home-made nasi goreng in Yamashita Park, Yokohama

Another recent shot (taken on 8th January 2007) of that six-month pregnant mommy with her eldest son in Yamashita Park.

Youkoso Nihon e

Shireen was on an official trip to Tokyo last November – took 2 days leave, stayed at a friend’s place and came to see me a day before she went back home. She’d been in Asakusa before, so I didn’t get to be much of a tourist guide. I brought her to our house though, insisted on it in fact, because I’d cooked some ayam masak merah with acar just for her. After more than a week of eating Japanese food, Shireen seemed to really appreciate Malaysian food. And she got to meet Huzaifah in person too.

Fee Cheng visited Tokyo last month – not on any working trip, but strictly for holiday. She used up her Enrich points to get free MAS ticket to Tokyo and stayed with her ex-room-mate in UM, a Japanese-Chinese who’s now married to a Japanese and has decided to make Japan her home. Fee Cheng’s friend arranged quite a schedule for her while she’s in Tokyo, so she had to arrange to meet me a few days before we actually met.

It was good meeting the girls and having girl talk just like the old days. We used to work in the same ministry back in KL, but since then Shireen has been promoted and got a transfer to another ministry while Fee Cheng is currently on study leave. She decided that she needed a break from the working atmosphere and now is pursuing her (second) Masters degree in UM.

Sharing some interest in Japan, both Fee Cheng and I applied for Mambusho scholarship when we were in the same office. We used to have breakfast and lunch together all the time, including treating ourselves to Japanese cuisine once in a while. Sometimes, we even watched Japanese drama together (using PC/laptop) during long lunch break on Fridays. It’s been long since we last met though – “masa last kita jumpa, you belum kahwin pun, sekarang dah nak masuk anak dua dah,” was how Fee Cheng described it.

Hubby was sporting enough to bring Huzaifah to Kaminarimon just so Fee Cheng got to meet him in person and took some photos together. And then he left Fee Cheng and I for some girlfriends time, taking Huzaifah with him back home.

I got to be more of a tourist guide for Fee Cheng since she didn’t get to roam as much as she wanted the first time she came to Asakusa. Assisted her in buying some rice crackers (senbei) and Japanese candy, and then treated her for a tempura snack in Tenya.

Tenya, being a chain restaurant is a far cry from the likes of Kiku Zakura or Spring Hatsuhana where we used to dine in KL. Fee Cheng did not complain, but I apologized anyway for not taking her to a nicer restaurant. Anyway, the tempura in Tenya was as delicious as always, and what mattered more was that we finally got to eat tempura together in Tokyo, and that’s something we used to dream about a couple of years ago. Of course, the restaurant in our dream was a finer one – with dimmer lights, cosier chairs, top-quality ceramic dishes, and better ambience. But Tenya was all I could afford – and thankfully, Fee Cheng didn’t mind one bit (partly I think, because she got to enjoy the finer restaurant anyway whenever she dined out with her yuppie friend, who seldom eats at home).

Fee Cheng said at first she was unsure whether or not to let me know that she would be coming – and I immediately told her that if I were to learn later that she had been visiting Tokyo without my knowledge, I would be very upset and she would never hear the end of it, ever. Fee Cheng said she thought so too, that was why she made it a point to meet up with me while she’s in Tokyo. Heheheh…

Today, I just learned that yet another friend will be coming for a short course in Tokyo. Amy and I were quite close back during our DPA days and I couldn’t wait to meet up with her (if possible). From our exchange over Yahoo Messenger, she seemed rather anxious although excited about this coming trip. It will be her first encounter with winter – and she’s far from keen to experience freezing temperature. But then again, there’s always a first time for everything, kan?

Solat, jangan tak solat

It is interesting to note that both Shireen and Fee Cheng - the former visited me in November while the latter in late December - queried me about it; where do I pray when I go out?

Solat time changes frequently here – in accordance with the season changes, that sometimes it is just not possible to perform all five required solat at home. Asar currently begins at around 2.30 p.m., but will begin from around 3.30 p.m. in late May. Maghrib’s beginning time ranges from 4.30 p.m. in winter to 7.00 p.m. in summer.

I must confess that while I am not the most disciplined of all to perform my solat immediately with the arrival of its time (I have my share of subuh gajah or subuh dinaosaur more than I care to admit), I do try my best not to miss performing them on their prescribed time no matter where I go. And since Tokyo is not like Kuala Lumpur where most malls and public areas have surau facilities, one must be rather creative in finding a suitable place, preferably a rather quiet and peaceful place.

It’s not like I am ashamed of performing my solat in public – I don’t care if anybody stare while I stand, bow, sit flat or prostrate, it is just that somehow it is easier to concentrate on communicating with Allah in a quieter place.

So, where do I perform my solat when I go out? In GSAPS, Muslim students normally pray at the end corner of the 8^th floor which has little chances of being disrupted by casual onlookers. When we go out, hubby and I normally bring a qiblah compass along. And we have prayed at various places – from performing ‘solat hormat waktu’ in trains, to praying properly in public parks, near staircases in various train stations and shopping malls, at the back of Muslim-owned shops, in Muslim-owned restaurant’s kitchen, in storeroom, near parking areas, in nursing rooms… I never use telekung when I pray outside – I pray with whatever clothing I had on, sometimes adding a ‘hand stocking’ when my sleeves are a bit short, so it’s compulsory to wear what is acceptable for prayers when I go out (suitable tudung, socks with no holes, long blouse/sweater, loose skirt/pants, etc) My similar experience of finding suitable place for solat in UK helps too – because some basic stuff remains (it’s usually quieter at the top floor, the end corner, and the back staircase)

I usually make use of the larger toilets normally reserved for handicapped and mommies with baby to perform ablution because it’s easier to do so in these toilets. Besides, since it’s spacious enough to bring Huzaifah’s baby car inside the toilet, it saves us from having to take turn looking afer him when both hubby and I need to perform ablution.

There are certain people I know who prefer to qadha’ their solat later at home rather than performing it anywhere else when it’s not convenient for them to do so. I normally would remind the person – unsolicited, but I did it anyway out of my responsibility as a fellow Muslim – how important it is to tame our ego in order to serve Allah. If we only pray when we like to pray, where we prefer to pray, then we are still serving our ego since our convenience and comfort should not be the consideration in our solat. It is compulsory for us to pray – at prescribed times in a prescribed manner - and the only consideration is our total submission to Allah.

Sometimes, non-Muslim friends and colleagues ask – why 5 times a day? To simply say ‘because Allah asks us to’, usually wouldn’t satisfy them, so sometimes it is easier to tell them that in the morning we wake up to thank Allah for waking us up and giving us another day to live and the rest of the day to continue saying thanks and being mindful of His presence. After all, Allah has only order 5 prayers - a few minutes out of 24 hours that we have been given daily. So, really, it is not asking for much considering He has given us life, our health, families, our rezeki and countless other bounties, ye tak?

Eidul Adha 1427H

About a month before Eidul Adha, hubby checked with the president of ICOJ if he can be released for one day on Eidul Adha since he had been invited to lead the solat sunat raya in the Malaysian Embassy. The president told us that it would be rather tough to find a substitute imam since many Pakistanis are going for hajj or spend their year-end holidays in Pakistan. The president himself would be spending his Eid in Pakistan with his family, and so hubby has to liaise with Brother Jamil.

As it turned out, one Syeikh Al-Hafiz happens to be on a short visit during Eid season, so Brother Jamil arranged for him to be the imam in Asakusa for Eidul Adha. But his visit was only confirmed on Thursday, 3 days before Eid itself. Nevertheless, hubby was so glad that he doesn’t have to perform solat sunat raya in according to Hanafi, and that he could deliver the sermon in Bahasa Melayu.

The sermon text faxed to us by the embassy was almost 20 pages long. “It’s too long, please make it shorter,” advised Encik Jasri, the current student Counsellor. It wasn’t just too long, it was also too wordy yet the content was rather uninspiring. “Find some points which the audience could relate to – and the audience would be mostly students and officers,” I commented after reading the sermon.

He worked hard on summarizing and improving the text – constantly reworded, revised and made changes here and there. He finally cut it down to just 9 pages – with some new inputs, thanks to Mak. Mak was in the Ministry of Education for over 20 years plus she is now an active member of the mosque’s organizing committee back home – just the right person to consult on a short notice.

Mak’s main points were – 1) we must be willing to sacrifice for R&D although the payback is not immediate, in order to become the leader and not merely adopting and adapting because by doing so we will forever be a follower and 2) in spite of being the leader in any field, what we must focus more is on increasing our iman, because it takes more than just being master of technologies to make us great leaders. Too many Malaysians are infected by ‘sindrom selesa’ – feeling so content and comfortable with what we already have that we do not pursue to do more. That’s why some of us, if not all, need to ‘sacrifice’ more time and effort to come up with research results that can enable Malaysia to become leaders. The payback would not be immediate – it takes a lot of time and effort to come out with such result, and it may take decades for returns in monetary terms, but it is something that someone must be willing to sacrifice for…

Unfortunately, I am not sure how many of the jemaah paid close attention to the sermon – the only time the praying hall was really quiet was when hubby read the final doa during the second sermon. Still at least we tried to make the sermon relevant to the audience – I’ve heard of many complaints about sermons which drive people to sleep easily, that’s why we tried to ensure that hubby’s is one that the audience (or at least those who pay attention among the audience) can relate to.

The good thing about hubby being invited to become the imam for Eid prayer meant that we were fetched by the Embassy’s car. We have both met the chauffeur, Hasegawa-san when we ‘tumpang’ the Embassy car last Eidul Fitri since the imam back then happens to be hubby’s friend in Al-Azhar. The drive from Asakusa to Shibuya took only about 20-25 minutes, so by 8.15 we had reached the Embassy – otherwise a one-hour journey, if we were to take the train and bus on our own. Hasegawa-san too was a pleasant driver (despite having to work on his day off – not to mention that New Year is a really important event for most Japanese), attending to our requests and answering our questions courteously.

The Embassy is the place one can count on meeting acquaintances and making new friends – and this time was no exception. Two encounters that stood out from the rest was meeting another blogger who heard about me from an outstanding blogger in Okinawa and a silent reader of this blog who happens to be a friend of two other friends of mine. Kak Hani and Ida, it was nice meeting you ;-).

I didn’t cook any rendang this time, hoping to have some at the Embassy – zannen deshita. No rendang to be found at the Embassy either – instead we were treated to rice with kari dalca, fried chicken and jelatah timun-nenas. The attendees were more then the staff anticipated, so they had to cook a lot of extra while people were lining up. Some complaint of being served such a small portion – but then again, the volunteers who helped serving had not much choice when they had a serious shortage in food, especially rice. They initially cooked 12 large pots (kawah) of rice, but halfway through, they had to cook additional 4 pots (kawah). Kesian the volunteers – mostly undergraduate students or teachers undergoing Nihongo training.

Hubby and I managed to avoid lining up because right after the solat, Encik Jasri invited us to one of the officer’s room and asked one of the volunteers to prepare two plates of nasi for us. Encik Jasri himself did not eat with us, instead he continued monitoring the ongoing activities in the main hall. Poor Encik Jasri – it’s not easy being a student Counsellor, especially when a feast had to be held on the day all the Japanese staff in the Embassy were on their year-end/new year holidays.

We took the opportunity to take a sneak peek of the Ambassador’s residence. The current Ambassador, Dato’ Radzi is a friendly Penangite with an equally friendly Datin as his wife. So friendly they are that for the first time, students are allowed to enter their residence during Raya. In fact, last Eidul Fitri, Dato’ Radzi himself gave a tour of his residence to the students. This time around, hubby had quite a long chat with Dato’ while I had a short chat with Datin, who seemed to be impressed on learning that there is a Malaysian who becomes an Imam in Tokyo. “You must arrange for us to go for a visit there,” she asked one of the staff nearby. “The next time someone visits from Malaysia, I can show them the mosque led by a Malaysian – that would be something different from the same old, same old…” I welcomed her to visit us anytime, but also warned her that Asakusa mosque is not quite ‘proper’ like the Tokyo Camii or most mosques in Malaysia.

Encik Jasri did not held any open house session this raya. His wife, Kak Linda is seven-month pregnant, so that is perfectly understandable. They still organized a makan-makan session for the volunteers who helped serving and cooking though – so they invited hubby and I over as well. Kak Linda prepared mee kari – spaghetti kari actually, but she added turmeric while boiling the spaghetti so it resembled the mee kuning. We exchanged some mommies talk in the kitchen. She is just as friendly as Encik Jasri, so I found it easy chatting with her. Besides, preggie mommies usually could find a lot to share – and this time, I ended up promising to fax some zikir for preggie mommy since she is worried about her placenta praevia condition. (uri di bawah) and since every little effort counts, so she would like to start reciting the zikir too.

We left Encik Jasri’s residence at around 4.00 p.m. Instead of heading back to Asakusa, we asked Hasegawa-san to send us to the nearest Tozai line station, which happened to be Iidabashi. We thanked him profusely for working on the day he was supposed to be on leave and we sent our best to his wife and family in Yokohama. Such is the professionalism of the Japanese, Hasegawa-san kept smiling and being courteous to the very end – no ‘tarik muka’ episode like could be expected from a typical Malaysian driver who has to work on his day off.

Ridzuan joined us on our ‘beraya’ excursion to our friend Syahril’s place in Myoden. It turned out to be a ‘jejak kasih’ episode for them since Ridzuan and Syahril used to live in the same house about 8 years ago. We spent over 4 hours at Syahril’s place – what with Ridzuan obviously enjoyed sharing his thoughts with the juniors who visited while hubby had a discussion on the world affairs (Saddam’s hanging) with the more adult guests (government officers on study leave).

We finally reached home at around 11.00 p.m. Exhausted – but all in all it was a nice Raya although there was no rendang and we were not clad in matching color costumes (hubby and Huzaifah in purple baju Melayu, me in turquoise maternity dress with grey cardigan).

Anyway, if it is not too late – Eid Mubarak and Happy New Year.

The Cold Stone Experience

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Cheesecake Fantasy

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

Hubby's Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip

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

Ridzuan's half-eaten Chocolate Devotion

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

Huzaifah nibbling on the chocolate-dipped waffle

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

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

Hijab only makes her faster...

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

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

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

Passing it on...

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

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

#####

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

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

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

Ni nen me no kinenbi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You know that you are sekufu'...

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

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

Seriously, I am four months pregnant...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Extracted from this site

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#####

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

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

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

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

Ramadhan that was and Eid... part 2

A little bit more that I should add：

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ramadhan that was and Eid...

Some of my personal highlights of Ramadhan this year:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

One week to go...

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

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

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

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

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

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