Planet Rodong

Pictures say a thousand words

2006-12-13T06:02:00.000-08:00

I`m a lazy writer. So to make things easier, I`ve moved to photopages . So visit me there : hatira.fotopages.com

More Editor Work

2006-11-05T16:36:00.000-08:00

Actually Lily is trying to tiru her brother and sister doing the "V" sign. Unfortunately the third finger stubbornly jots out together with the rest.

I`m taking advantage of the daily 15 min rajin period. Duringt the weekend I edited a few more images in between raya visits.

Edited on Request

2006-11-02T16:09:00.000-08:00

War !!!

Shadow Dancing

Standard Format

Yesterday, very suddenly I felt very rajin and started editing the images. However it lasted for 15 minutes only and only 3 images made it for M Yamashita to view.

More Raya

2006-10-29T22:41:00.000-08:00

Only a few more images from my raya trip. The lemang Kijal, the multiple moods of Ikelah family from my camera, my family photo taken by P5 and of my little daughter Alissa.

Sorry: malas nak crop

Sorry: Malas nak edit

Malas nak edit dan crop : Very genuine moods

Masih malas edit mahupun crop

No 4 : Alissa Nur Latifa ( 2 months )

Cropping malas, edit malas, guna prop pun malas, buat soft box pun malas.

Just so you people can have a raya day commenting on the photos, no editing, no cropping, no what nots were done to the above images.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri

2006-10-29T20:32:00.000-08:00

Selamat Hari Raya dan Maaf Zahir Batin to all readers who have read my comments and felt that Paul Moss, Mat Derih and Aki Anjang need to apologise. They all minta maaf kerana kasar bahasa dan tak bertimbang rasa apabila memberi komen dan sebagainya. Bukan tak segaja tetapi sesekali terlebih ketika bersikap terlus dalam memberi pendapat sehingga terlupa mengambil kira sesisitiviti masyarakat pelbagai kaum, budaya, latar belakang dan jenis.
Well apologies whatever done for all the damages last year and now we can look forward for a better future. Better reasons for mintak maaf next raya so that the mintak maaf session will be more real and meaningful.
Meanwhile. here are some photos taken during my cuti raya mostly of the children in different moods. I admire Ikelah family photos where in a single composition various moods are displayed. So this Raya, the topic is people and moods taken throughout my raya journey covering over 1,600km from KL to Kuantan, to Kijal to look for lemang and then Kuantan to Kulai via Rompin and then to JB, Muar before returning to KL. No traffic jam for me this year alhamdulillah. I noticed my son picked up the loghat Pahang from his Aki. Pedas sangat became pedeh sanget.

No 1 : Muhammad Emir Ferhan

No 2 : Yasmin Nadya

No 3 : Lily Hayati

Private Water Theme Park

War !!!

Makang Ikang Dalan Pinggang

2006-10-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

Yep! I was in Trengganu last weekend for a short trip with some old friends back from the Turkey days. When it`s with some great friends, the trip was fantastic. We went from KL to Kuantan with my friends Waja Campro he bought a month ago which I noticed is a fuel monster eating up to RM50.00 for KL-Kuantan. We left our car at my parents place and changed into a brand new BMW320 for the Kuantan Kemaman-KT leg. I really felt the difference in power, speed and comfort and to my surprise it`s a fuel saver too.
What puzzles me is he bought the car for 280K and pays about 2,500 a month for 7 years. When it comes to house loan, why do we pay about the same monthly installment for the same amout of loan but the repayment is for 25-30 years. Why aaaa? I think when buying house, better don`t say for house but say for car or for kawin or anything else but house.
Anyway, we went to Kemaman, stopped at the market to buy berbuka stuffs to cook at this small six suite family challet.

This are the guys inspecting stuffs like meat, lung, spleen and perut for the gulai kawah. Ustaz Wan Alias ni terrer masak.

This is the chalet.

Waiting for berbuka.

There are the deserts of buah mempelam harumwangi, grapes, kueh entah apa, kueh pelita, kurma king solomon. Main dishes are gulai kawah, gulai ikan singgang tenggiri, kari ikan lemudok and lots of ulam including petai.

Caught stealing endangered telur penyu.

Berbuka the next day wasn`t as glamorous but still great with sata, air nira, ikan dagang cendering and pisang emas. This image is after I called Ikelah to inform I can`t make it to his house for berbuka. We stopped somewhere near Kemaman for berbuka.

It happened again

2006-09-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

I was very determined this will be a different year.It won`t be like last year or the year before that and the year before that also. It will be really different because I shall remember. Since January 1st 2006, I woke up every morning reminding myself not to forget. I have a method which I thought very good. I create a programme inside my mind that when I see such things, I will remember such things. So even if I forget in the morning, there will be clues everywhere to help me remember. Very smart.
But yesterday I was reminded of yet another thing. We can just plan but God decides.
It`s the first day puasa and I was going out of the house to PWTC to check on the MATTA fair there. In my mind I was already calculating the kueh seri muka RM1, Kueh lapis RM1, ikan keli bakar etc to bring back for berbuka. "Balik nanti beli kek yek" my wife gave her order. " Buat apa? " I answered. I like seri muka, why does she want kek? Dia tak posa. I thought. " Kek birthday " added my wife.
I only remembered her birthday about 3 seconds after asking "Birthday saper?"
Hahahaha nasib baik every year macam ni. Jadi dia dah faham sangat dah. I don`t even remember my own birthday. So happy birthday Salina.

Born Free - Merdeka!

2006-09-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

Waiting can be very tiring. I never liked waiting and I hate making people wait for me but I don`t really get mad if people are late and make me wait. If I don`t want to wait anymore, I just leave. That way I don`t have to wait till I get stressed up. I lived a healthy, cool and free life. That`s what I did before I get married and that`s probably why I get married rather late.
When I got married, I willingly let go part of the freedom. I let myself be colonised by the outside power. Being colonised gives you some privileges though. You get an additional id card, get educated, learn new ways, decode sms language and get to know new people.
When my son was born, I again let go more freedom. Then my second and then the 3rd and on the 28th August the 4th was born. She was supposed to be born on the 20th but made us all wait for a whole week doing nothing. Now that`s a good start. I left my family in Kulai and shall only pick them up next week insyallah. I have 1 whole week of freedom and now that I`m back in the wild, I am trying to reacquire the surivor skills I have long forgotten.

So introducing Alissa Nur Latifa. Alissa is the name of a flower. Nur Latifa means pure/fine light. Her first photo taken about 2 hours after birth.

Alissa`s elder sister Lily. Looks like me and as stubborn also.

I wish all the best to my son Emir in dealing with his 3 sisters and on the right is the story teller Yasmin. Should have named her Shahrezad.

What is SUMUT ?

2006-07-31T19:54:00.000-07:00

I was invited to the Sumatra Travel Fair in Medan held from the 21 - 24th Jul. The accomodation, meals and conference fees sponsored by the Indonesia Tourism and the air tickets and airport taxes by the company. Thanks for the sponsorship otherwise I wouldn`t be there if with my own money. There were 26 of us from the Malaysia delegation and we were greeted by the organizing commitee at the Polonia airport. The first time I came to Medan was 6 years ago and nothing much have changed. The same airport, the same angkut-angkut, the same Kijang except now they have the Kijang Innova which I believe looks better than our Toyota Innova and they also have the diesel version. I got a room all to myself at the Hotel Inna Dharma Deli, the oldest hotel in Medan with history way back to the Dutch colonial period. It`s old but throughout my stay there I didn`t spot any spooks. The food in Medan is better than Yogya or Solo but they are still a bit too sweet except for the dinner at the Governeor`s house. That dinner was great especially the mee rebus and there`s this fantastic fruit juice a mixture of air durian belanda and air nyior.
Every night there`s a dinner invitation, first at the governors house, then the ministry of tourism and the last night at a posh restaurant owned by the walikota or the mayor of Medan. All makan, tido, watch the dancers and performances, meet too many people impossible for me to remember the faces the next day. The girls in Medan are beautiful and to stay away from some accidents, I hung around with some umrah and haj friends. We ponteng convention on the last day and went to Brastagi to eat durians at one of the pondoks along the way just before pekan baru. Pekan baru is a small town before Brastagi and the main income is prostitution.
SUMUT is Sumatra Utara.

What`s this photo about? I didn`t crop and enlarge it. No time, so I`ll just say the yellow signage writes Panggang B1. On the way to Brastagi, you can see many such signage writing panggang B1 or B2. These are the Batak Karo area. They are non muslims. The muslim Bataks are the Mandalengs who usually carries the suku name of Lubis or Nasution. B1 is actually dog and B2 is babi. So, panggang B1 is they serve anjing panggang there. No wonder I can`t see any dogs there.

The tarian piring at the governors house.

The farewell dinner at Restoran Kenanga. These are the panyambut tetamu. Cun-cun macam ni dia pacak je kat depan pintu?

Mitra Family Day

2006-07-31T00:40:00.000-07:00

History was made on the 14th Jul 2006 when the company was generous enough to sponsor a 3 days / 2 nights family trip to Cherating Legend. We had games, we had fun, we had season in the sun and we had it all free. The resort is nice, the food is good, the sea is east coast sea which is very clean compared to west coast and the company staff were also great company although despite working in the tourism sector, some thought Cherating is in Trengganu which irritated me.
I took some photos and people wanted to download them free so I lower the resolution and if they want to print they have to buy from me. They bargained hard and I agreed to print for RM 0.60 per 4R. Very cheap, so no photoshop adjustments. Anyway, they won`t be able to tell the difference unless they see the other ones.

That outfit I wore won the best costume for the Gala dinner theme "Kampong". Bottom picture is my daughter. I won, she lost. Heheheh ...tu la nak bergaya sangat sampai tak ikut theme.

Extreme Photographer

2006-05-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

Who iz diz xtreme photographer?

We started shooting even before we landed in Solo and all the way to Yogyakarta we shoot at almost everything. There are so many interesting things here. It`s like travelling through bandar Mentakab in the 1970s with horse driven carriages everywhere. There are paddy fields here and there, farmers working the field with their hands and sometimes assisted by water buffaloes. People are very polite and friendly, the town very clean, trishaw everywhere and we can see volcanoes at a far. Ikelah`s eyes got locked to the volcanoes even from the day we arrived.

Mine were more on the sunset and just for the sunset I brought a tripod all the way from home.

The coconut was good. Tea? Bad bad bad.

We had dinner at a nice restaurant on the way back from Parantritis. The restaurant have individual huts but it`s for makan bersila only. The food especially the Gurame dish was too saucy for our taste. I didn`t like it. Overall if you are going to Yogyakarta and you are not so familiar with Javanese food, my advise is stick to Minang food. There are many Restoran Padang in Yogyakarta and Solo. You sit at the table and they fill your table with small plates of all sorts of dishes almost everything they have. However they only charge you for what you eat. We usually just choose the ones we like and sent back the rest to make some space on the table. Very exotic foods they have there. On the last day I ate goat brain masak lemak. Ikelah`s favourite is the limpa.

Ikelah is waiting anxiously for the famous teh tarik Borobudur.

We walked to the nearby town from our Manohara hotel in Borobudur to have dinner. The shops closes early but there were some stalls and a few small restaurants open. We didn`t opt for the Padang restaurant though and settled for a warung for nasi goreng. Bad bad bad decision. Ikelah asked for teh susu. Worse decision.

This is the team and there`s Anang our driver cum guide. Very knowledgable, read Hamka also.

I took this photo just before we part with Anang. This is not the last photo though. There`s still the happy beca ride photo of Ikelah and DITH. I realised I didn`t take many photos of ourselves. There were probably only 25 photos of us and the rest of about 200 frames I shot are of Parangtritis, Merapi, Kotagede, people, animals and other nice scenes but not of ourselves. Photo of myself? Only 4 in my camera with 2 of them silluette just to show people that I really did go to Yogyakarta and Solo.

Photo Makeover

2006-05-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

I have developed an interest in some post production work after I came across some award winning entries in the graphic art category organized by a photography magazine. Before this I never bother doing any post production works even the basic ones like enhancing colours, adjust brightness, saturation, hue or contrasts.

The photos are beautiful and very different. Some looks like oil paintings of Monnet, others resemble crazy works of Salvatore Dali and some looks unreal like animation figures. I started to ask how and now in the process of finding the answers poking around jabbing the tools inside photoshop.
So for the last two days I spent some hours to become familiar with photoshop functions and did some testing.

Probably this is how they do the Cuti cuti Malaysia brochures. It`s actually not very difficult.

This one is a bit complicated. I finished this last night.

Travel With A Purpose

2006-05-07T19:23:00.000-07:00

We got back from Yogyakarta last Saturday morning after 4 days of travelling. DITH got her backpacking dream come true. Ikelah got his back pain healed, Mrs Moss got to climb the Borobudur steps front packed, I was the fully geared packed back and front for the trip. Got some good shots and stories but I`ll leave the stories to DITH and Widhus Gembel to Ikelah.

Borobudur

It rained heavily the day we arrived in Borobudur. Stayed the night at Manohara and the next morning a thick mist surrounded the temple contributing to the poor lights.

( Nikon 18-55mm lens at focal: 26mm, ISO 800, f8, 1/400sec, manual )

The sky brightened up only after we got down from Borobudur. But we were already late for breakfast and we had an important appointment with Mt. Merapi.

( Nikon lens 18-55 at focal : 18mm, ISO 800, f8, 1/500sec. manual)

Prambanan Temple

It was a hazy day and the lights were lousy.

( Nikon 18-55 at focal 55mm, ISO 400, f8 : 1/320 sec, manual )

Sunset at Parangritis

This is a sight to remember. The rays shone straight to the clouds over Parangritis beach.

( Nikon 18-55mm lens at focal :28mm, ISO 400, f8 :1/5sec, manual )

Coconut tree in Parangritis

Paul Moss and M. Yamashita fought over this spot to capture that single coconut tree. M. Yamashita won but not before Paul Moss managed to catch a couple of shots.

( Nikon 18-55 at focal : 26mm, ISO 400, f8 : 1/5 sec, manual )

M. Yamashita Siluette

Captured M. Yamashita in the act.

( Nikon 18-55 at focal: 26 mm, ISO 400, f 8 : 1/3 sec, manual )

Burung Kakak Tua

The Javanese love for birds can be seen everywhere. They have bird market and all three hotels we stayed have birds.

( Nikon 18-55 at focal 55mm, ISO 800, f 5.6 : 160 sec, AF, TTL Flash )

Lastly thanks to Pang5 for driving us to the airport , Khin for picking us up and Anang our driver for the guidance.

Birthday Month Here

2006-04-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

This month many of my family members shall be celebrating their birthday including myself lah. So here I`m going to hint lah waht I would like to have as a present. Hope it`s not so obvious.
Images was taken between 10:30 am to 11:00 am, using Nikon D50 standard lens at focal length 55mm and minimum aperture possible, manual focus, 1/3 flash, 1 white A4 reflector and a tripod stand. Speed 500. No strong wind. Histogram excellent.
The images can be much better with a good macro lens. Then we can also see the pimples and the warts of the beetles.
A good macro can take better close up images where you can see the minor details.

Good landscape images will require a good polarizer filter like what Ikelah have. That`s why the skies look superb. I don`t have one yet but shall need one for my Jogjakarta trip this May. The sunrise at Borobudur and the sunset at Parangitis, I can already visualize the results.

Talking about the jogja trip, I`m getting worried. I found out Ikelah`s back will take sometime to get better. Now who`s gonna carry the bags?

I can`t carry all 4 person`s backpack and climb Borobudur?

Something About Cars

2006-03-30T22:56:00.000-08:00

Someone asked the public a naive question why semi naked girls are used to pose for car adverts. First thing that comes to mind is there`s a 70% possibility that someone is a female. Second, since it`s a naive question the other 30% shows that person is also naive about cars.
If you happen to walk near a fair ground and you see semi naked girls, most probably there`s a motor show inside. It can`t be a bicycle show or a furniture show or a cookery show or a pasar borong...never. It `s gotta be a motor show with sports cars, prototypes etc. Why? Because cars have always been associated with girls in every way. I won`t elaborate on that but it`s actually what inspired Ford to invent cars anyway. It`s not because there`s a draught and all the horses died of hunger, not because Ford joined WHO or any society for prevention of cruelty to horses, not because there a horse strike or the sort but because Ford wanted to be different and outstanding to lure the girls attention. I say again "cars have always been associated with girls". Why semi naked then? Why isn`t a single or even two naked thumb enough for God sake? The naive mind says to show a car is good, beautiful, fast and furious, a thumb up is enough. Not enough? Two thumbs up then. Nope! Thumbs are just the door handles of the car. Two thumbs up means that the door handles of the car are good and not like the Gen2 one. That`s not enough to explain the other part of the car. To be closely associated, the rule says they have to be almost the same. We have never seen a dressed up car before have we? And we can`t have totally naked girls in public can we? So to be fair to both the cars and the public, semi is acceptable. If the car is good, beautiful and sporty, a beautiful girls is chosen. If it`s a truck, still a beautiful but more heavily built girl is more suitable. What you see is what you get. Somehow Proton cars never use this concept. Usually the girls wear decent clothes. Yes, yes, very good. Thumbs also not so up in the air. It`s like they just cekak pinggang. So that`s how it started and goes and that explanation should have answered the naive question.

Asam Pedas Melaka

2006-03-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

I finally got a taste of the famous asam pedas Melaka at Hajjah Mona Asam Pedas. Yes the famous asam pedas which made Melaka famous or the other way round. Actually asam pedas is not foreign to me because I can cook asam pedas also and my arwah mom cook very good asam pedas only that I remember her calling it asam tumis instead. So yesterday after attending to some business in Seremban, I drove down to Melaka to see my wife who is there for 2 weeks attending a course and she took us to Taman Datuk Laksmana to have a try of the famous asam pedas at a popular place. We were given a plate of rice with cocumber slices and half portion salted egg. Then we can order the asam pedas and choose what type of fish. I chose ikan parang and my wife opted the tenggiri. Talking about salted eggs, I used to laugh at my Turkish friends for their watermelon and aubergine jam. I`m not sure of the spelling and too lazy to check but it`s jam terung lah. They laugh back at me for my ikan kering and telor masin and said when you can get the fresh ones why eat the rotten ones. Only scavengers do that. Anyway back to the asam pedas Melaka, actually they`re nothing. My arwah mom`s asam tumis is much better. My wife`s, mine and the warung Kak Ina downstairs is better also. They are not pedas enough and the taste is also not strong. Then why is it so famous? I have a few theories. I see half the customers are chinese. The chinese love the asam pedas Melaka. They probably are the ones making it famous. Theory 2 : The Melaka people are the heboh type. They have one small drum and can make very loud noise with it. Well, they do talk loudly. Theory3 : It must be someone from Perak who first wrote about how good the asam pedas Melaka is. I`ve been to Perak a few times and eaten at different places in Ipoh, Taiping, Kampar and also at the R&R Sungai Perak. The food looks good but tasteless. If I were to comment on Perak food, I`d say they lack salt, lack chilli, lack sourness, lack everything but looks. So asam pedas Melaka would be heaven for Perak people. I have an auntie from Perak and when she married my uncle two things I remember about her. I was still a child then in the 70`s. Low salt food and green decors. I think my first exposure to color matching for furniture is at her house. She`ve got green TV covers, green curtains etc. It`s beautiful compared to other homes where people just chose whatever they like and never bother about matching. Who would know about it in the 70`s anyway. So, these are the 3 theories on how Melaka became famous with it`s asam pedas or asam pedas is famous in Melaka. They also don`t have many varieties. I think the true authentic Melaka dishes are the Nyonya ones but they also doesn`t suits me. I still prefer the Negeri Sembilan dishes which is for me the best in Malaysia.

AN INVITATION

2006-03-15T01:03:00.000-08:00

Hold it gentlemen let`s relax for a while
Why are we in this maddening rat race
Straining our heart for what
Instead let`s develop double chins
Sit back and relax for a while

Whoever wants to stand or stalk let him
But let`s squat right here on the ground
First let`s open our mouths wide
Then stretch and relax our shoulders
And even roll over our eyes
Gentlemen let`s yawn for a while

Who cares if we make a couple of bucks
Instead let`s contemplete our navel
Turn a cold shoulder to work and thought
Or else no one would sympathize with us
While there`s still time kids and adults
Let`s doze off, let`s live in sloth
Gentlemen let`s snore for a while

Boogey and the Sea

2006-02-20T23:40:00.000-08:00

We shall always swim together in these blue waters
In this earthsea that resembles your face
Beating together both my pulse and yours
Will strike at death and denounce darkness

All the fish will chase us from the depths
Saying Boogey is here with his loved one
Like a gull swooping from the vast horizon
The wind will drop shafts of light like pearls

And the pearls will glitter around your neck
On your chest and arms like the words of my verses
Sand in your hair, between your fingers
Like rain, the stars will glide in your eyes

And our love shall make the blue moon sacred

Haj 1426H

2006-01-27T05:20:00.000-08:00

The arrival Terminal-Madinatul Hujjaj

For those who have performed Haj will surely recognize the images displayed here. These are the images of the Hujjaj coming from all over the world from different races, colours, languages, social status, ages, cultures all different and these different qualities provide a test to each one of them. Can we get along together or can we not. As we sat in the Masjidil Haram, someone step over us, as we tawaf, people push us roughly, hands touching our back. What is our reaction? Can we unite? Or will we tend to put certain conditions first making it a conditional unity?
So here are some images from my last Haj. There are lessons to be learned. This year I learned a new one. "Mina is crowded, the tents are crampy. If it`s not so, then it`s not Mina and Haj would have less meaning."

Nasi Mandi Feast

The morning Tarwiyah rush a day before wukuf

Little Hujjaj Going for Tarwiyah

Wukuf in Arafah

Wukuf coming to an end

The sky over Mina

Good spot to watch the rescue work at the collapse site

Land of Batman

2005-12-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

All through the years in Turkey I have never travelled out to see Europe. Despite Athens being just a few hours train ride away, Sofya capital of Bulgaria is just about 4 hours away by bus, Paris, Rome or London never caught my interest. Even when I won a free return air ticket to Zurich in a lucky draw, I passed it to a friend after keeping it for a week just in case the interest would come. I love travelling but to unknown places often without any detailed plan because even if I made advance planning, I would at a stage just let myself got carried astray in the middle of the journey to some more interesting places meeting people of strange cultures.
One such incident brought me to a place somewhere in Batman. Pronounced as spelt, Batman is an oil producing little province. The capital city is also named Batman so is the river. Quite rich but was very under developed mostly due to the Kurdish unrest in that region especially during that time. I drifted there following a Kurdish friend whom I had the pleasure meeting in Menzil, Adiyaman the centre of the Nakshibendi Tarikati in Turkey. We were talking about the different cultures in Turkey and Malaysia and I described to him about the Taipusam celebration in Malaysia and how the Hindus carry the Kawadis with metals spikes pinned to their bodies etc. He said he wants to show me something quite extraordinary unlike what I`ve seen or known but I have to follow him to his village and be his guest for a few days. I agreed without a second thought because I know that region have many interesting ancient ruins and culture besides I had ample time. I could spare a few days with him and then only go to Nemrut mountain to watch it`s magnificent sunset. So there I was again on the road with my not even close to glamourous second hand 1970`s aluminium ladder frame backpack.
It was on the second day of my stay as misafir of God at his house and he still hadn`t shown me anything apart from his village. His father was a muhtar or village head, very influentual and he have a large family of I don`t know how many uncles, brothers, aunties, in laws and most living in the village or the neighbouring villages. Big families are considered powerful families in the rural areas of Turkey just like in Italy. The villagers were very friendly and very respectful but the children were quite annoying. They would go into this Bruce Lee mode whenever they saw me probably thinking whoever have eyes like Bruce Lee would definitely be Kung Fu masters. So they were jumping here and there, chopping the air, kicking dust and dirt following me all the way to the toilet every morning and to wherever I went throughout the day and if anyone was looking for me, they could just look for this group of kung fu enthusiasts.
In Turkish culture, misafirs are honoured and protected by the host and the whole village. I was given the best bed, best food, my clothes washed and I was never left alone but still no news of what he had wanted to show me. So that evening after dinner, I called him aside and asked him when it`s going to happen. He said anytime after tomorrow because his father would scold him if he took me away before the 3 days misafir period is over. So fine, at least I know it was still on and on the 4th day we took off with his uncle`s old truck leaving the dusty village road into the dry rocky desert. It wasn`t a safe journey as there were still bandits in the hills, Kurdish rebels and Turkish soldiers but with Husin it should be quite safe. He`s Kurdish and his family is big so that should tame the Kurdish rebels and frighten the bandits but the Turkish soldiers might not be very happy to see a Malaysian in the middle of a Kurdish desert with a Kurdish local.
After about 5 hours and a few stops to rest our butts from the bumpy ride, we arrived at a small isolated village located in a dry valley. It looked like any other Kurdish villages and the people too didn`t look very different. In fact I felt I was the one very different to them and they were all staring at me. Husin told me not to give salams to anyone and so I just kept quiet and let Husin handle all the talking. I was introduced to the village head 'I can`t remember his name' who speaks only Kurdish so Husin had to translate everything back and forth.
Yes, this is truly an uncommon Kurdish village. It`s like entering the M. Night Syamalan village. The village folks wear the normal village shalwar clothes but all actually have rosary beads hanging at their waists and they all have tattoos. They aren`t Muslims. Not christians nor Jews. According to the village head, as their ancestors were, they worship Satan. Hearing that, I felt the creep but the way he said it gave some relief. He said it as a matter of fact just like a muslim said I'm a muslim. So it wasn`t that scary but I do worry if the place is keras and something should follow me back to Istanbul. Then I thought if I were to be disturbed, it doesn`t have to follow me all the way through the bumpy ride, it can just wait in Istanbul with the interdimensional travel technology they have. The village head was quite a talker and appeared quite proud of his cultural heritage. The religion was passed through the generation just like any other religion. Their ancestors originally were from somewhere near the Syrian border but many hundred years ago moved to the valley to escape oppression I guess. Being of a very different culture group from the other villages, the marriages is restructed to within the village community. The village have no schools and they buy things from other villages or visiting traders in exchange of I don`t know what but I saw some sheeps and women woving wools so maybe wool socks or carpets. Like many other small Turkish village, heating during winter is by burning dried dung tablets. They gather dung throughout summer and burn them in winter. Dung is also used to strengthen their houses and improve insulation just like cement. It's yacky but it`s effective and can also strengthten our body immune system. It only smells bad for a few minutes.
I wanted to see the rituals whether it`s like in the films with the goat head dress, black robes, black candles, daggers and so on but no luck. The village head was unwilling to share it. He just said they don`t have any rituals, pray or ceremony of any kind. I wanted to spend the night there but Husin was reluctant saying we need to pray later and we can`t pray here with these people worshiping Satan. Not wanting to argue further, we left the village and I remember it was already dark when we arrived at Husin`s house and his parents were very not very happy about us travelling at night. Under cover of the night Kurdish rebels would execute raids on vehicles and military garisons and Batman was actually one of the provinces declared as in the state of emergency and night travelling was forbidden. I knew that but during those years I wasn`t thinking. Not like now. Being married and having children I started thinking a lot. Thinking far and out seeing and worrying about things that might and might not happen. I started driving slowly, eyes darting here and there whenever the children opens the car door. Yes, I finally started thinking, and that`s the day I became a coward.

Istanbulu Dinliyorum Gozlerim Kapali

2005-12-19T19:54:00.000-08:00

Ortakoy was just an old fishing village by the Bosphorus some 50 years ago but with the fast expanding Istanbul, all the fishermen have left and now only the exotic old buldings and clobber stone narrow streets remain a favorite for artists and photographers like Paul Moss. There`s a beautiful old 18th century Ottoman mosque in rokoko style architenture standing witness to the changes and also the many pigeons in the area. Through the years Ortakoy have transformed into a sort of cultural centre frequented by artists, students, lovers, pigeons and photographers. You can see many interesting characters here, intellectual faces, poet face, musician and usually they are truly what they look like. Among them was me because for them I was the interesting one. On Saturdays there would be a flea market open selling various things from antiques, beads, braids, small small cute things girls love, Indian incense stick, old photos, drawings, sea shells and foodstuffs. On Sundays it`s rather quiet with some cafes open and old men fishing at the abandoned dock area. It was on such a beautiful Sunday I got to know Recep Amca a dear old friend who showed me Ortakoy from the ears of it`s resident.
I just had breakfast at one of the cafes with my best friend Yuksel an army captain I knew when he was still a cadet officer. We were sitting by the dock like children with our legs hanging and throwing small pieces of bread into the Bosphorus. Suddenly an old man sitting about 15 feet snorted angrily to us. " If you are going to feed the fishes with bread, then i`m an idiot expecting them to eat my plastic bait".
I was faster than Yuksel in coming up with an answer and immediately replied " Sorry but we are actually feeding the sea gulls".
" Seagulls have sharp vision but not sharp enough to see those breads from a mile away. You might as well say you are feeding the small fishes to lure the big fish here."
So that`s how we got to know Recep Amca a retired teacher who lives in Besiktas not far from Ortakoy. He would be there every Saturday and Sunday morning with his small fishing set and a book and in the afternoon he would be selling books at a small corner lot. He write poems and love telling about how much more beautiful Ortakoy was but what he love most was telling about his experience in the army serving as a airborne commando during the Cyprus war and the daily life in Turkey during the military rule. We became very close friends and through him I came to know some of the interesting characters of Ortakoy.
There was Hakan a spikey haired rocker who runs a rock bar club who talks about music with Yuksel, Kemal Abi sells doner kebab and talks about his village in Adana, Ayse and her friends were theatre students at the prestigious Mimar Sinan fine art University and sells those small small things but talks about ideologies, poet Cemal and his wife Ebru who refused to believe that Malay DNA do not have a poetry band and so tried hard to make me at least acknowledge the existance of difference in understanding clearly and understanding beautifully, Sinan a naive village boy working as a waiter at the cafe we frequent who often got a scolding from Recep Amca for staring at girls and many more.
Ortakoy is a small fishing village almost under the Bosphorus bridge and visible to those who have taken the Bosphorus cruise. From the ferry you`ll see the pigeons, the fishing rods, the small boats docked, the huge Acacia tree in the middle of the square and some cafes. From here, I hear the fishes and pigeons I used to feed, the narrow streets, the public toilet, the street vendors up to the main road behind the old buildings. I can smell the salty air, a slight sourish scent of yougurt and once a while a distant smell of fish grill. I can hear the sea gulls, the leaves from the Acacia tree, the ferry and ships sailing the Bosphorus the clatter from the Backgammon board and the small tulip shaped tea glasses.

"Istanbulu dinliyorum gozlerim kapali. "
That`s what Orhan Veli said in his poem.

I am listening to Istanbul with eyes closed
First a light breeze blows
Leaves on the trees
Quiver gently
Far away, far away
The incessant bells of the water sellers
I am listening to Istanbul with eyes closed

I am listening to Istanbul with eyes closed
As the birds fly by:
In flocks, crying aloud from above
The nets are being hauled in
A woman's feet touch the water:
I am listening to Istanbul with eyes closed

I am listening to Istanbul with eyes closed
The bazaar is cool:
Mahmutpasa is bustling:
Courtyards full of pigeons
The sound of hammering from docks.
Smells of sweat on the sweet summer breeze:
I am listening to Istanbul with eyes closed

I am listening to Istanbul with eyes closed
Still intoxicated with past revelry
A house on the sea with shadowy boathouses
In the murmuring of a relenting southwesternly
I am listening to Istanbul with eyes closed

I am listening to Istanbul with eyes closed
A pretty girl walks along the pavement:
Curses, songs, ribaldries
Something falls from her hand:
It must be a rose:
I am listening to Istanbul with eyes closed

Turkey, Pangkor or Cats

2005-12-15T00:59:00.000-08:00

DOTH have repeatedly asked me to write of my experience in Turkey and also about our legendary cat Kitty. There`s so much to tell I don`t know how to start. Although I`m known as "kuat auta" second only to P5, I`m not much of a story teller unlike DOTH. So now we know that great autas may not be good story tellers but good story tellers are definitely autas. Autas can also be easily be provoked. Later we can find out which of the statements will prove itself when we read the readers comments.
Last weekend for the first time ever I brought my family for a cuti cuti Malaysia vacation. Never before in the history of my almost 6 year marriage I take my family anywhere for a holiday. It have always been balik kampung to Kuantan or to Johor. So the kids were pretty excited about it knowing they`ll be staying overnight in a hotel. We didn`t do any preparation or planning. For someone who works in the travel industry who plans for other peoples travelling and vacation, I didn`t plan for my own. I never did never does. Not for my own travelling. I like it this way. It`s more exciting to not knowing what`s ahead not expecting anything and just go through it blindly. My wife asked me where are we going as we packed for the trip. I said let`s try Lumut or Pangkor Island. She asked me whether I`ve booked any hotels or chalet. I said no.
Then as any sane people she asked what if all the hotels and chalets are full? I said, then we`ll drive up to Taiping and see the night safari and Maxwell Hill. We are on vacation baybeh...so why worry about where to stay or where to go. We start with nothing, so every good things along the way is bonus and that will make us happy. So we asked our way up to Lumut because the signboard for Lumut or Pangkor only starts in Teluk Intan. In Lumut we parked our car for RM10/day and while my wife took the kids to the toilet, I scouted around for lodging. I couldn`t get any rooms at any Pangkor beach Teluk Dalam, Teluk Nipah or even Pasir Bogak but I managed to get a 2 room apartment about 250m from Pasir Bogak for the first night and 2 chalet rooms at Teluk Nipah for the second night. So we have a couple of check in and check out to do. So now when people ask me where did I stay in Pangkor, I can say I`ve tried both Pasir Bogak and Teluk Nipah and I recommend staying in Teluk Nipah.
Moving around in Pangkor is easy. If you get run down by a vehicle in Pangkor it`ll probably be one of those pink van taxis. They are everywhere and the fares are cheap. From the Jetty to Pasir Bogak is RM 4 per van and to Teluk Nipah is RM 10. You want to rent for a full Island tour is only RM 40 but actually there`s nothing much to see also. One thing you must do in Pangkor is the speed boat ride. It cost only RM 100 per boat and can carry 10 people. We bargained for the snorkels to be free inclusive with the ride and the kids just love it. It was a wonderful vacation. Is Pangkor beautiful? Yes it`s as beautiful as the scenery from DOTH house in Beserah. Is it happening? Yes in Teluk Nipah but maybe Cherating is more happening. Was I happy? Yes I was but I could be happier if I don`t see the rubbish left by our people at Gem Island which is the spot for snorkeling. Why aren`t our people educated on preserving beauty?
Was it relaxing? Supposed to be but with the children, not so. Conclusion? It was tiring but fun. Maybe we should go to Redang next year and if there`s no room in Redang, we hop to Lang Tengah or Palawan Island. If there`s no room also, we teach the kids some survival lessons Madagaskar style Alatemotemobit.
Sorry no pics.

2005-11-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

Your Birthdate: April 30

You have the type of personality that people either love or hate.You're opinionated, dramatic, intense, and very outspoken.And some people can't get enough of you - they're totally addicted.Others, well, they wish you were a little more reserved.
Your strength: Your flair
Your weakness: If you think it, you say it
Your power color: Scarlet red
Your power symbol: Inverted triangle
Your power month: March

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

What I did last raya

2005-11-03T15:12:00.000-08:00

I just arrived in Kuantan from Kulai last night after a 5 hour drive through Mersing. Tha`s the best route compared to the boring Segamat highway. Raya in Kulai was great with smiles, laughter and even tears for reasons I don`t quite understand but the womens seem happy enough doing it so let it be. I played bunga api with the children teaching them that rules can be broken and should be broken once a while or else life would be too boring. Just be careful not to get hurt or caught. Our next door neighbours have loads of fireworks to share. He`s not rich but better cause he`s with the Kastam Johor and they just busted 6 mil worth of fireworks. In the afternoon we drove to Kuantan via Kota Tinggi Mersing and Pang5 begged for a Felda Taib Andak photo. OK lah a short stop won`t do any harm. Actally we were supposed to visit our Mak Uda there for raya but we skipped to avoid any traffic jam at Mawi`s house which is just nearby.
After a 5 hour drive, I arrived last night and sat at Ikelah`s PC. No wonder DITH spelt berkhemah. This keys are stiff man. I had to use my elbow. This house is great. I can see the beach from here, it`s raing outside and the morning air is fresh but last night it was quite eerie. On TV was showing Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam and if there`s gonna be any hantu I won`t mind if it`s Maya Karin.

Despite claims that Paul`s comments are too sharp yesterday Ikelah asked for comments on his photographs in DITH`s blog. Pain do cause addiction it seems. However since I am entering the blog from his PC, I decided to be more considerate. It`s Raya time isn`t it. So instead of giving sharp comments, I chose to give blunt ones this time.

Jom Balik Raya

2005-10-30T18:58:00.000-08:00

Today after work, I am to take Emir and myself for the annual gunting rambut Raya session before driving to Kulai. All according to my wife punya plan la. On the afternoon of the first Hari Raya, then only we drive balik to my kampung in Kuantan. Knowing my mother in law, she wouldn`t allow us to leave so early and so i would estimate that we can only leave Kulai after 5 pm. This is how I have been celebrating for the last 5 years of married life. Quite fun. I try to make myself look seriously involved in the planning but actually I can`t really be bothered balik Kuantan or balik Kulai dulu. So...if I argue about it and finally agreed to her, it gives the impression that I am really concerned and the issue looks very important and geting me to agree is the first sweet feeling of Raya. As long as I can see almost everybody, even if they don`t say hi to me also never mind but as long as I can see them, it`s already good enough. The rest is bonus.
I said I actually don`t care Raya Kulai or Raya Kuantan dulu because as long as I can go to both places I am already satisfied. It`s already a blessing for me. It`s not only the place but with whom you spend time with. It can be during Raya or much after or before it`s already a blessing. Because before that for almost 16 years, Raya morning often meant starting the day alone with yesterday leftover bread, scramble egg and teh O. It`s not because there`s no other food in the house but the culture there is different. In Turkey, they celebrate Ramadhan and not Shawal. On the 1st Shawal they just go for raya prayers and then if the weather is good, take their family for picnics or to a nearby relatives house for a visit.
Sometimes rindu jugak raya sorang sorang makan salami scramble egg with bread, cucumber, black olive, feta cheese and fresh tomatoes.
Selamat Hari Raya and drive safely.

My BIG 7

2005-10-14T00:09:00.000-07:00

The BIG 7

7 BIG Wants :

1. Get a good camera like P5 and go out a few days on a photographic expedition.
2. Travel through the countryside of South America on a motorbike like Che`.
3. Open and run a chalet near Kuantan and 'carpe diem' by playing chess and pc games?
4. Build a house on an acre beach front plot in Kuantan.
5. Set up a paint ball team.
6. Invite all my old friends in Turkey to my home.
7. I want to know the secret of the universe.

7 BIG Can :

1. Cook very well.
2. Eat very well at buffets so can invite me.
3. Take very good pictures and comments even better... heh heh heh
4. Philosophy talk with idealists, radicals, socialists etc.
5. Play strategic pc games for hours or days.
6. Go to a formal dinner with worn down shoes with a hole on the top and not feel any shame.
7. Live with only 3 pants ( 2 for work and 1 for casual ). Takes 0.1 sec to choose what to wear.

7 BIG Can`t:

1. Can`t sing or play musical instruments. Tone deaf lar.
2. Berkemas. I am allergic to dust and the act.
3. Ride a motor bike.
4. Can`t dance at all but can hop. Hip no, hop yes.
5. Can`t understand many things but it never bothers me.
6. I have difficulty starting a conversation with people I just know.
7. Go shopping with women. When they want to buy a simple yellow blouse at SOGO, they start the search from the carpet shop somewhere in JTAR. My advise to men, there`s nothing to understand no rationale also, just don`t follow.

7 BIG Fears :

1. Being late and make people wait for me.
2. Forget important things.
3. Pondans. Seng Hup is the area to test courage.
4. Losing people close to me.
5. The unpredictable. I used to be very scared of girls. Jump through windows and so on.
6. Drowning although I can swin and have saved people from drowning 3 times.
7. To forget and be forgotten.

7 BIG Love:

1. Cats but not keeping any now at home because of space and children.
2. Ancient history. I`m good at Ottoman history.
3. Photography especially on people and life. Hope someone will buy me a D50 also. Then I won`t care if Paul Moss wants to burn me at the stake I`ll publish many nice pictures.
4. Green mountains. I'm not a rock climber but hiked Toros mountain, Elciyes , Bolu and half of Ararat. Was great. Everybody should do it when still have the strength.
5. Movies especially life drama like `Life is beautiful`, `Motorcycle diary` and `Taegukgi`.
6. Outdoor activities like camping and hiking but doesn`t have much opportunity to do so. Not much energy also nowadays.
7. Museums. Spent more than 2 hours even in the small Sarawak museum.

7 BIG Passion :

1. BMW M3.
2. Firearms.
3. National Geography.
4. Discovery Channel.
5. Siti Nurhaliza ? and my wife...etc.
6. Still photography.
7. LOST ( the TV serial)

7 BIG Dreams ( Most very stupid, some day dreaming):

1. Be an aircraft fighter pilot fighting dunno who.
2. Be a Kung Fu expert with magical power but eat noodles at halal stalls with Jakim logo.
3. Be a Malay warrior together with Mat Kilau fighting the British in Pahang but I have a M16.
4. On the very day Kitty died thousands of miles away, I dreamt of her coming to sit on my lap her tail as usual wagging high.
5. After all this years I can still dream being confronted by a ghost. Only difference now is I`m not scared any more.
6. Live around 1,000 years ago.
7. Dream of a dream of another dream and woke up in a dream also.

7 BIG treasures :

1. Old photos from childhood.
2. Not so old photos from younger days. (Never realised I was so handsome. No wonder lah.)
3. A Sundang . ( An old sword from great great grandfather )
4. Some belongings of my arwah mother.
5. A keris Mataram I bought in Indonesia.
6. An M16 A3 air rifle same as the one Maman own and shown in his blog.
7. Almost everything in the HD.

7 BIG Says :

1. Apa dia?
2. Kenapa buat gitu?
3. Weh!
4. Ho oh yek?
5. Nak ikut mana?
6. Lama lagi ke?
7. Apa kata...?

7 BIG Facts :

1. I enjoyed 16 years in Turkey, made many friends, hiked the mountains, cross the streams, jumped the waterfalls, stayed in villages, passed through Kurdish battle zones, know the people...My Turkish friends don`t consider me a Malaysian anymore.
2. When it comes to travel, I plan carefully for others but rarely for myself because I believe getting lost can be a great adventure. It happened before.
3. I love roasted lamb. Especially those not thickly marinated and cooked in sand.
4. I hate getting stuck in a festive season traffic jam especially at Senawang.
5. I`d love to go fishing and hope P5 will teach me how and buy me an ugly stick for starters.
6. The truth is I can be very happy with small things. Can be satisfied very easily. That`s why I can still wear my worn down shoes. Sometimes just for fun I act as someone with a different personality. People who know me well understand the joke but others may not.
7. I`m quite sentimental. It was pointed out to me bluntly some years back.

So those were my BIG 7. They may not be totally true and even the true ones are only true at the time of publish. The not so true ones are not really lies but a result of a condition called hypoglisemia + intermitten autapathic fever.

City Ride

2005-09-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

100_2639
Originally uploaded by mizanmacho.

Another fun but tiring weekend. After a whole week of perintah berkurung for the kids, we took the kids out for a ride to KLCC to have fun and release their energy. They have been hinting it for the last few days. "Kita pergi tengok Ateh di KLCC nak? Dah lama kan kita tak pergi KLCC tengok Ateh?". Emir have always thought that his Ateh is the important person responsible for lighting up KLCC during the night.
Once we arrived, all about visiting Ateh is forgotten. I took my camera and takes snaps to abadikan detik detik merdeka through the eyes of children.

Joy Ride

2005-09-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

100_2637
Originally uploaded by mizanmacho.

Beautiful is Life

2005-09-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

100_2606
Originally uploaded by mizanmacho.

What are they looking at?

2005-09-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

100_2615
Originally uploaded by mizanmacho.

Last Sunday I took the kids to Suria KLCC for a splash. What they did is explained in pictures.

100_2398

2005-09-13T03:13:00.000-07:00

100_2398
Originally uploaded by mizanmacho.

The guy in the blue shirt is the object of focus.

100_1176

2005-09-13T03:10:00.000-07:00

100_1176
Originally uploaded by mizanmacho.

A photo taken during my trip to Bali where I stayed for 2 nights at Nusa Dua Beach Resort for free. These Balinese are truly artistic people.

My First Post

2005-07-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

At last I`m having my own blog site where I can pour in and share my genius views, fascinating photos, philosophies and stupid ideas.

But for now, it`ll just be empty...just like my present state of mind.

Thanks.