A MOST GRATEFUL PROJECT

I know she must be grateful for the current project that Anak Arshad Architect has been monitoring as the lead consultant for design, construction and completion of a mosque at Bakar Arang Sungai Petani Kedah. As an architect an opportunity to design and see the completion of a mosque is an opportunity that comes not too often. When it does you can be truly thankful to Allah SWT.   Thankful and trusting that it could see the building being used in good time. AAA has designed and completed mosques before and the opportunity and trust given allows for creativity in line with the request and option of the owner or department. However in this case the design and construction of the mosque is sponsored by a single person who naturally bears the complete package of its cost himself. We know there are persons who take upon themselves to contribute for such construction. However meeting one ourselves and working in association with his hopes and commitment is another matter. Thankful that there was that trust and opportunity. Yes not always you get an opportunity to design and build a mosque together with the team of consultants, the contractor and especially the donor. 

A recent visit on site allowed for inspections, feed backs and comments of the project with actions to be taken by the contractor for immediate actions for completion by designated date. Surely the mosque committee and the jumaah want to see a quick completion so that they could use the mosque if possible during Ramadan. The donor rightly must himself be happy to realize that his objective has become true.

Though the pictures may show that the building looks ready for use there are other issues to be solved and completed before it can be commissioned. In the following weeks further inspections will be done to justify that all procedures are adhered  to. Much as many look forward for the new mosque to be opened for public use, the team of consultants too wants to see that the project would be handed over with blessings and satisfaction of the donor and the committee members of the mosque. However several other departments including Jabatan Ugama Islam Kedah have the last words.

                                                        

Main Hall   (Dewan Utama )

 

                                                         

second floor for Muslimah

                                       

The new Extension of Masjid Abu Bakar Al Sidqi Bakar Arang Sungai Petani with the old mosque at the right corner

 Signages

             Dewan Serba Guna ( Open hall on the ground floor)                  

                 

From the Open Hall on the ground floor can be seen the classes for (Tadika dan Kafa), ablution hall and 'dewan Urusan Jenazah'

(Upon completion and official opening of the mosque, a follow up will appear)

Kita sama-sama mendoakan yang terbaik dan mengharapkan masjid mendapat sambutan penuh daripada jumaah sekitar bakar Arang Sungai Petani dan tidak lupa syukur serta bertambah rezeki kepada perdermanya

SHAABAN NEXT TO RAMADAN

 As the days come closer to a much awaited month, we keep ourselves active in the normal way, meeting friends, visiting them where and when possible and in between  do what is possible to keep the momentum and be motivated. For sure an open house would permit friends and families to call at your place but it would not be possible to have open house all through the year. A solution comes naturally when we started and opened the restaurant. Much as we expected customers to visit and patronized, it hits the jackpot when friends and colleagues  come visiting too. Many of our friends have called and it has been a pleasure to meet them, unexpected mostly.  Neither we ourselves or them expected us to be in this business, though the business is managed by our son and his team. Unexpected it was when Dato Professor Abdul Halim Othman formerly of UKM and his family came for dinner last week.  It was an opportunity for us to introduce ourselves to each others family and struck the comradeship of our early youth and school days. Both my wife and I have enjoyed such meetings in the months passed and we are sure to continue meeting friends at our 'open house'.

 Abdul Halim Othman and his family

Gleneagle Hospital in Penang with a view from its 10th floor: a part of the sea frontage of Padang Kota Baru can be seen. The hospital is situated close to the Kelawai area, a busy hub with many high rise buildings around it. Below is a kiosk selling refreshment at the hospital. In the government hospitals canteen and such like kiosks would be away from the public zone.

Just behind the front apartment you see above would be one of the old Malay Kampong along Burma Road in Penang. Development that comes to this zone in the early 1960's has transformed the area into what it is now. I remember the Malays around this area would frequent the only mosque at Kelawai Road. Stopping at the the mosque after leaving the hospital I was surprised to see that the old wooden mosque has been pulled down and a new modern one built at its place. Certainly a far departure from what it was before, For the Asar prayer the jumaah was much to be expected for the constituent's position. Nevertheless I believe Friday prayers would get its full attendance especially as the 'Curry Kepala Ikan' restaurant is just a few yards away.

Having coffee at the Hospital's kiosk

        

In Penang you should try the 'Pasembor' served with fresh sea concoctions . The stalls at the corner of Kelawai Road and next to Padang Kota Baru have all kind of hawkers' food for your choice.

As the date shows, we seriously thought the days of seeing weddings as portrayed by P. Ramlee in his films have died. Imagine our surprise and pleasure to see a wedding function at Putrajaya graced by such display. The parents must have given the children their best

Wishing all visitors the best of Shaaban and more so in the month of Ramadan

STILL ON THE THRESHOLD OF DISCOVERY ....

It was a full moon evidence as it moved from behind the branches of the Angsana tree giving radiance to the Restaurant's compound.

Not that it was a quiet week because we actually moved many kilometres from north to the east , south and north again. This time touching Penang, Cameron Highland, Ulu Dong, Raub, Bentong, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and back to home  base Alor Setar. An event in Penang, saw a 'merisik dan pertunangan' session at a brother-in-law's place where I 'preside' at the occasion and being quite familiar with the tradition or ceremony it ran smoothly.  When normally the parent would request a representative to break the ice and be the spokesman on behalf of the 'young man' who seeks the hand of his chosen partner, here the father himself came to the fore. After the normal salutation, he politely asked if the young woman in question is unattached i.e in other terms available for the subject to be continued. Tradition takes it normal course and soon enough both parties are happy and the ceremony was over with the original objectives fulfilled. Now we await for the grand occasion when both would be joined in marriage.  

    Five trays of gifts were brought and presented. Similarly seven gifts were ready for the party to take home. All arranged and placed in the right order. It has always been in the odd number

The mother of the young man now betrothed placed the engagement ring on the young lady's finger.


Two days later we were on our way to Pahang via Cameron Highland. Departing Alor Setar in late afternoon, we reached Tanah Rata by nightfall and it was advisable not to continue on as the road via Ringlet to Kuala Lipis was new to me, unfamiliar with the terrain and rightly dark in the night. A stop over was a good break and in the morning there were opportunities to catch some interesting sites of the highland which we had not visited since several years.

The verdant jungle presented itself right across the verandah of our hotel room, a scene you will not get at any other place for that matter. A morning walk before breakfast exposed the colorful flowers found in the hotel's ground.

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Directly from the hotel dining room, we saw this house on the hill, unoccupied but stately. It once belonged to Jim Thompson and probably is still who vanished and have never been found when he went for a walk in the Highland decades ago. It reminded us of the Mas 370 which is in similar circumstances and surely more gripping and fathomable.

After breakfast we continued on our journey via Ringlet to Raub and continuing to Ulu Dong. It was certainly a long drive along a long stretch of quiet road until we reached Raub. It was good advise that we did not drive along the road at night. The visit to Ulu Dong was to pay  respect to the family who lost the father, just ninety days after suffering the loss of the mother earlier. We left Ulu Dong the next day for Putrajaya , stopping at Bentong for lunch

A wedding reception awaited us at Kuala Lumpur and opportunity to meet with family members and especially cousins was a reward by itself. Hj Hussein Hassan who had settled in Kuala Trengganu was there too with his wife.

A picture of the ceiling at Dewan Felda where the ceremony was held. I took the picture as it gives an out of this world feeling.

A return to Alor Setar made us stop at a friend's shop to see his collection of orchid plants. Then I saw his   collection of wooded  pieces especially for orchid plants. Mind you one of this pieces can fetch RM 10.00 or more. They are not collected in the country but imported from across the border. Mind you we have lots in our jungles, the seasides and at the river sides. Don't we see the value?

Perhaps the walkabout ended with a good end when I came across a collector who showed the beautiful kris. It's an old piece with a beautiful blade. Any offer?

FRUIT AND FLAVOUR OF THE TIME

When people are troubled by shortage of water, complaining having to cart buckets and of course not having the leisure and comfort of washing as often and with all luxury, here in the northern states especially Kedah and Perlis, the rain that came in early April 2014 offered relief as well as abundant delights in the form of the 'mango' families.  HARUM MANIS especially from Perlis now offer its best quality but with a high price. Yet it is a sure buy.

The tall tree you see in the above picture is by the side of our home. It too has fruits galore. No it is not 'Harum Manis' or any other mango kind but of the same family and known as 'Quinin'. In the last few days I have been stretching my neck and arms to bring down the fruits. Judging by the roof of the neighbour's house you will realize that the old tree is no less than a three storey high building. If the fruits are not taken after they have just ripen then they will drop to the ground and unlike the durian they will break easily. Therefore a contraption of a kind has to be designed less  we receive fruits with dented or broken skins.

At first I thought maybe I could take a good aim and bring each one of them with a good shot from my gun. That would be a good practice of marksmanship. Then the price of each bullet does not meet the cost of the fruits themselves. So it has to be a strong, tall bamboo pole. The one you see leaning on the branch of the third picture.   

Certainly you do not take 'Quinin' as you would 'harum manis' or any other mangoes but try eating it when blended with 'sambal belacan' with your plate of rice and curry you will then realize its perfection.  Sorry to have wet your appetite. 

 Well here they are ready on the kitchen table for the speciality that comes with the unique taste and smell of this fruit.     

BALI INDONESIA VISIT

We are at it again... traveling to places around the peninsular. This time to the island of Bali. No this is not our first visit to the island since there were two previous visits though the first one was more than a decade ago. However on this occasion I was the tour organizer for the thirteen pax in the group  made up of friends and seniors.

Yes it was another exposure to become an organizer, tour guide and involved in the  tourism business.I may say it has added more experience and know- how re organizing such a visit. The planning had been arranged at least three months ago with prior reservation and booking for the airline tickets thereby to get the best offer and contact for reservation of the accommodation facilities. With all expectations hopefully ready and completed the group departed from KLIA on 17 of March 2014 for the 4N/5D visit. Our flight on Malindo Air took three hours to reach Den Pasar Airport. 

I had expected to experience a long walk to the vehicles after clearing Immigration and Custom as we had found several months ago and was surprisingly surprised that a new airport terminal was ready to welcome visitors to Bali. Dato Baharuddin Marji and wife were members of our group and I had requested a wheel chair facility for him upon disembarkation. However that was not necessary as now it was only a short walk to the vehicle terminal. However our drivers for the requested vehicles were ready to assist. One vehicle was reserved for the luggage and bags and the thirteen of us climbed on the two other cars ready to take us to our next destination. It was to be another hour before we reached the place for our stay for four nights, not without stopping for lunch at a Nasi Padang Restaurant on the way. The noon arrival surely made everyone craved for a good lunch. I guessed the Nasi padang proved satisfaction because of the great array of dishes.

    The 13 pax group with senior Dato Baharuddin Marji and wife plus 8 former Kirkby friends, two neighbours from our Putrajaya home and the two of us. Seriously it was easy organizing this vintage group. It may be said that it was a Kirkby Group visit since Dato Baharudin and wife were Kirkby students as well though later he was our Malay lecturer.   

Our stay in Bali was not at the normal hotel sites, though there are plenty on the island offering all the facilities you would like to choose with all the comforts but I chose to stay at Siyut an area close to Ubud and north of Den Pasar close to the traditional and cultural centre of the island. Below you see part of the home and the swimming pool with its greenery and flowering shrubs.

It is not often you get to experience a stay as this especially in a  homely atmosphere with all the comforts and services. By a stroke of luck we have come to know Pak Jim and Ibu Paula ( both Dutch and Indonesian) in our earlier travels and they have allowed us to be guests at their home in Siyut, especially when both are away in USA and we had the services of their house staff to help when we were here.

                                       

        Part of the home with its garden, the swimming pool and facilities

 

   Hj Omar and Azudin did not miss to jump into the swimming pool

                                            
                 

  

               They dig into the breakfast dishes prepared by the girls at Villa Flora, a far cry from the normal hotel buffet in the morning.

  

 Our first tour for the day included the rice terrace at Tagalalang. Be prepared to meet large numbers of visitors or tourists at this favorite place

The home comforts more or less would like to tie you down rather than release you to travel out but since arrangements have been made and the drivers with the two vehicles have reported at the time designated we then proceeded on the the tours for the second, third and fourth day. Bali has many places to offer each challenging your time and endurance. So we need to choose what is best to see and visit. Good comfortable cars with two drivers who are tour guides by themselves are credits for the visits

 This clean footpath actually brought us to the coffee plantation where we had a taste of the ('musang') Luwak coffee and observed its processing as well as become introduced to the fertile volcanic soil of the area where fruit orchards and other plants grow at their best.

Hj Omar took a look at one of the cages, with the cockerels  ready to be taken to their destination for the fights of their lifes. Yes cock-fighting is one favoured past-time here though we did not meet up with its participation.

The Kintamani tour took us for lunch at the peak overlooking an active volcano and the lake. The large wooden table, a piece of a tree trunk  constitutes a common furniture at many outlets and one would like to cart one home if possible. Wonder whether it is possible to export one. 

You wonder what has happened to our quality tree trunks. Why not a semblance of it appear as dining tables in its natural condition and size! Small size furniture yes and even than good timber pieces are hard to find unless you cart home imported versions.

The next day tour included a visit to the village stage performance to see the traditional dance. Bali offered several traditional dances at locations that began their show at 10.00 am. The village folks including the musicians, actors and dancers presented a colorful show lasting an hour. Several premier hotels do similar shows which come with your dinner. 

The group on the elaborate stage after the show.

Bamboo  especially for furniture seems to be a favored choice. The auditorium for the stage show had seats made from bamboo. Our group was the first arrival and therefore had the front seats. 

 At Villa Flora similarly the garden furniture were from bamboo too

A visit to Mas Village met us with this craftsman who elaborately curved the object of a bird. The establishment distinguished itself with a large collections of wooden art crafts.

Craftsmen were around at work and you could stay if you like to observe them doing their pieces.


An accidental visit a day earlier to  "Bale Udang' a restaurant

that advertised itself in the local newspaper as being newly opened brought us here for dinner the next day. Specifically to see the building and its environment plus of course to savour the dishes served. Again the surprise to see the total construction of this establishment made from bamboo. It even has a second level. Set in a padi field environment, we were welcomed when we arrived with the majestic view of the setting sun beyond the padi fields and the western horizon.  

 

The main hall of 'Bale Udang'

 bamboos along the corridor

The setting amidst padi fields make us wonder why we do not realize this grandeur and don't we have padi fields too in Malaysia! Maybe it's a challenge. 

There are many tours that you can take to see Bali, either via tour agencies or by your own planning as we had done. Motor cars with their drivers can be arranged with the stipulated price. You are advised not to drive yourself when in Bali since regulations for accidents if happened can be heavy for the driver or even direct imprisonment.  We had two good friendly drivers who speak Bahasa and English and excellent guides too. My arrangement for the vehicles and drivers were made much earlier and 'Made' being their names waited for on our arrival with 'placards' at the airport and were with us throughout the tour.  

Your visit Bali would not be completed as part of the itinerary  of your visit unless you make a visit to the 'pasar seni' where crafts of the locals are sold at a bargain price. Besides clothing, paintings, various handiworks could be bought at a fair price if you bargain rightly.

Here I caught the lady placing the flower offerings as commonly seen almost every where while customers are welcomed by the shop assistants even before they enter the premise.

A sign which attracted my attention. " Kalau anda bukan orang sembarangan janganlah buang -buang sampah SEMBARANGAN" Though Bali is populated with 4 million people,  the people observed road regulations and cleanliness is a plus factor.

There was an interest to visit the beaches in Bali. Kuta being one but traffic into the area was heavy in the evening and we could only make our way to Sanur. With the hotels by the beaches and the tourists in its vicinity it was quiet and yet clean.  

Again I caught this picture of the table made from a piece of a tree trunk. A treasured piece if you could have one in your home. Guaranteed you will never get one again in years to come.

It was a good visit, exposing us to many aspects of Bali and especially allowing one to know the modes of planning and organizing a conducted tour and allowing oneself to travel as part of the team.Maybe getting someone involved in the business itself for an opportunity to visit places ..... 

You may be surprised to learn as we have that on the 31 of March 2014, the Balinese will observe a religious day called Hari Raya Nyepi Tahun Baru Caka, the day of total silence throughout the island. We are told there is no activity, no traffic at all on the roads and no fire may be lit for 24 hours . Notice were given that the airport is closed and no flights would land on that day in Bali. Visitors to Bali must come before that date or later. Now would you like to be there that day?