tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41259913167355913952024-03-15T15:08:29.963+08:00REFLECTIONSForget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet and the Wind longs to play with your hair - Kahlil GibranKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.comBlogger514125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-54199401338147451772024-03-10T21:12:00.022+08:002024-03-10T22:00:32.874+08:00Yokohama trip 2017<p> Sarah had wanted to go to Japan with Neville and baby Arissa. So in March 2017, Repin, Neville, Shasha and I together with Arissa Rose went to Yokohama to fulfil her mummy’s wish. </p><p>We chose March because we wanted to see the cherry blossoms and also to experience early spring in Japan. It was really beautiful just as the time that we went to Osaka in 2015 with Sarah and Neville and Shasha. But this time we had baby Arissa instead of her mummy. Arissa was a really good traveler- in the plane she slept the whole way in the crib that the airline provided for infants below 1 year old . At this time Arissa was 1 year and 2 months old , still small enough to use the crib. </p><p>When we arrived in Osaka it was morning and she woke with a smile , cheery and happy. We got through customs easily enough and had breakfast at the airport while we waited for the train to Osaka. </p>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-49643322675086723492017-02-17T21:21:00.001+08:002017-07-27T07:08:35.515+08:00Family trip to Tioman IslandI had wanted to go to Tioman for a long time - ever since I was teaching in Jasin in the early 70s when a group of our teachers went. I could not go at that time because I was pregnant with Rizal and Repin would not let me go. Tioman is an island off the coast of Pahang but is easier to go from Mersing, in Johor. <div>The Repin family decided to go there in early September 2015, during the school holidays so that Rizal and his family could join us. Wan and Emma drove on their own from KL, Shasha came with us and Sarah and Neville went from Batu Pahat. We all converged in the town of Mersing and arrived there just before 12 pm. We had to wait for at least 2 hours for the ferry to Tioman. The journey was uneventful and took us about an hour. We arrived at the jetty by 4 pm and were taken to the Tioman Resort by a van. The resort itself was okay and our chalets were comfortable. Repin and me had a chalet a bit further from the others. The closest to us was Sarah and Neville; Wan and Emma was next to Shasha and Yati and Rizal's was in front of us. </div><div>We were in Tioman for 4 days and 3 nights and on the second day we took a cruise round the island as well as snorkeling. Well the kids went anyway - I was too scared to try. Sophie was fearless - snorkeling with all the adults. Even Shasha and Sarah went . I was a bit worried about Sarah because she was already 6 months pregnant at this time. But she wanted to try and did it for a while. </div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-w_UZ23zwPsuEtpUTmTKqEF_yhhb_-fwDlh3u3ux2USx6qUORcnbUKg1_RVYR2qD0ehvLifEsfWeQpfAkyF-umpkt18pUvGuh-pG2nGf6jfSMDPBBb3WChyUFCvX2-BhD9tvnovoulc/s640/blogger-image-1155819863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-w_UZ23zwPsuEtpUTmTKqEF_yhhb_-fwDlh3u3ux2USx6qUORcnbUKg1_RVYR2qD0ehvLifEsfWeQpfAkyF-umpkt18pUvGuh-pG2nGf6jfSMDPBBb3WChyUFCvX2-BhD9tvnovoulc/s640/blogger-image-1155819863.jpg"></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-w_UZ23zwPsuEtpUTmTKqEF_yhhb_-fwDlh3u3ux2USx6qUORcnbUKg1_RVYR2qD0ehvLifEsfWeQpfAkyF-umpkt18pUvGuh-pG2nGf6jfSMDPBBb3WChyUFCvX2-BhD9tvnovoulc/s640/blogger-image-1155819863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HOISPixuubL7jQWbCG3RZIqgytpD9xvzY8aTbbWiVfp1bUXZbhe7rweRxYiYZV2KHHVTUhD_lXRovknSYfzpsyyrWo9kBVHZg3KMHFmF1O6iAqH6ZvShg2V9vqdUWsmWXmxpnHJ1Vjs/s640/blogger-image-290086962.jpg"></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both;"> Going snorkeling </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font color="#0000ee"><u><br></u></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font color="#0000ee"><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSh6yxcJT8bIr7gC671cpMqvVAYxtnkP_cj9Ap3iD-GgSCy2x00bXTX9xsV18HJCw9mBrOJBh6vWmWevKfI54s5PVels4uBya4pOTW2LfCICXb1ccQokv5ZYnZOgkB6OCRNRtrSefzDw/s640/blogger-image--905485834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSh6yxcJT8bIr7gC671cpMqvVAYxtnkP_cj9Ap3iD-GgSCy2x00bXTX9xsV18HJCw9mBrOJBh6vWmWevKfI54s5PVels4uBya4pOTW2LfCICXb1ccQokv5ZYnZOgkB6OCRNRtrSefzDw/s640/blogger-image--905485834.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Wan and a fish underwater </div><br></u></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font color="#0000ee"><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-d3zG1XBkpU5kV5cSC05FGJpYbmsaAODPQ31DOBJfsRevzT8HgbJgcBTSFkN9LRaghyphenhyphen-a1Wlxux7Fr-Qg4vZl0yBKP5288MiM-dDSuVVx3b7CmASJyhxjzg7EnxTA7ss3HEmuPwiSkDQ/s640/blogger-image-2082423070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-d3zG1XBkpU5kV5cSC05FGJpYbmsaAODPQ31DOBJfsRevzT8HgbJgcBTSFkN9LRaghyphenhyphen-a1Wlxux7Fr-Qg4vZl0yBKP5288MiM-dDSuVVx3b7CmASJyhxjzg7EnxTA7ss3HEmuPwiSkDQ/s640/blogger-image-2082423070.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Above : waiting to go for the snorkeling trip </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbJKBSxppnHiUfYIDUfySBQlH-9O4eIqtmGGMCUxobj-JQR8YOWe9RA0zAt-xmeAEQ5w5_3_NgODoUlhzUlKXIkckr87EKTrg1cjlVMa9f47WV31Nj5ojvA8LiOdhM0rp-2uHBzoLgTc/s640/blogger-image-1076690239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbJKBSxppnHiUfYIDUfySBQlH-9O4eIqtmGGMCUxobj-JQR8YOWe9RA0zAt-xmeAEQ5w5_3_NgODoUlhzUlKXIkckr87EKTrg1cjlVMa9f47WV31Nj5ojvA8LiOdhM0rp-2uHBzoLgTc/s640/blogger-image-1076690239.jpg"></a></div><br></u></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font color="#0000ee"><u>Above picture : Rizal and Rania in the pool </u></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font color="#0000ee"><u><br></u></font></div></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-67474720863595148842017-02-17T20:38:00.001+08:002017-02-17T21:52:16.015+08:00Little Arissa my darling grand daughterIt's more than a year now that Sarah has left us. The pain has not subsided, if it ever will. But life has to go on, especially now that we have her child to look after. Looking after a tiny infant is not easy at our age, especially when the child is an orphan and has no mother to take over. After everything was over and Rizal as well as Wan and Emma had gone back to heir respective homes, Repin and myself were left with the baby so to say. Luckily for us Arissa is a fairly easy baby. In those early days she slept the whole time- nothing would wake her up. She didn't even cry for her milk - we had to wake her sometimes to get her to drink. Time flew and before we knew it she was already one month old, then she was 2 months and Repin and I had to go for our umrah. <div>Fortunately for us my sisters Sabariah and Jasmine came over to look after the baby while we were on our umrah. Neville was around too - he would come back during the weekend and so it was all well taken care of. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSS8kmmJoKa_aS4LabC8kVBsf5zB6Bpd6TCYVPt7b2vQNw5TQELavktc88ZDJdGG_n8bqIDDhZO8mE6x56liEoTtusgTrLsX25Ws6y-NwXpFS4iH4muPoANg14DkphnN1hh9_MMzfRGA/s640/blogger-image-361029237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSS8kmmJoKa_aS4LabC8kVBsf5zB6Bpd6TCYVPt7b2vQNw5TQELavktc88ZDJdGG_n8bqIDDhZO8mE6x56liEoTtusgTrLsX25Ws6y-NwXpFS4iH4muPoANg14DkphnN1hh9_MMzfRGA/s640/blogger-image-361029237.jpg"></a> Arissa at two weeks old</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzhmg7tDCTUmIij_jVNzb1foTDFdDPUxAB8GITdeELQS_636P5GF1GbqZSGyoYe9rjepBw7FyjihWYIWEM5Y592gwkCZG5vOrA-EHFwLMqu12vZ2uucoOrw0SvyQXcBWc3N4OJtye3GE/s640/blogger-image--2036469277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzhmg7tDCTUmIij_jVNzb1foTDFdDPUxAB8GITdeELQS_636P5GF1GbqZSGyoYe9rjepBw7FyjihWYIWEM5Y592gwkCZG5vOrA-EHFwLMqu12vZ2uucoOrw0SvyQXcBWc3N4OJtye3GE/s640/blogger-image--2036469277.jpg"></a> Arissa at one month </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-43vAIAmdNP_Y3-kowObGaaSWyOPI7ZX4PMSZXpmhwdZ3H1NrGlEXGa8yLiOoWIJGMEoiwO6WvNlMxHcKfSvfv45j-SSgy1y0lQNzZNolRErxcAiGc4Ae-pAJcwGlXVE_FW4b7fnSyDA/s640/blogger-image--1838433107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-43vAIAmdNP_Y3-kowObGaaSWyOPI7ZX4PMSZXpmhwdZ3H1NrGlEXGa8yLiOoWIJGMEoiwO6WvNlMxHcKfSvfv45j-SSgy1y0lQNzZNolRErxcAiGc4Ae-pAJcwGlXVE_FW4b7fnSyDA/s640/blogger-image--1838433107.jpg"></a> Neville and Arissa ( 2 months) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Our umrah was 12 days and while we were there we heard the sad news that my sister Laila, who had been in hospital since December 6 2015, had passed away. She had a brain tumor which was inoperable and finally after almost 2 months she too left us. Hardly 3 days after she died, another member of the Tahir clan, Imran, my nephew, had a bike accident. He too passed away that same day at the hospital. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It did seem as if the Tahir clan was being severely tested by the Almighty Allah SWT. Life as we knew it had changed so much. </div><br></div><br></div><br></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-81669316614420438472016-07-15T16:43:00.001+08:002017-02-17T20:32:59.351+08:00Just memoriesI have not written in a while. But actually a lot of things have happened - some so horrible I could not write about them. My lovely daughter Maisarah has passed away. She was just 28 - just a few weeks after her 28th birthday which we celebrated in a small way in Telok Gong, because she was working the next day and Neville was not around. Now when I recall the events that led to her death I realise that my heart was filled with anxiety and dread though I did not know why. I assumed it was because I was going for my umrah in late November and she was already at the late stage in pregnancy. But I remember my heart was filled with dread about leaving her alone for 10 days. I was sure something bad would happen. In the the end we decided to postpone our umrah till February, after Sarah's confinement. Never did I imagine that the dread I felt was going to be real and I would lose my darling baby girl. <div>On 11 th December, a Friday , Sarah went for her usual checkup with Neville. The lady Doctor Dr Nor Azlina, said that her cervix was already open even though Sarah wasn't due yet for another 2 weeks. Sarah and the doctor agreed to check in at the hospital ( Mahkota Medical Centre) to prepare for her birth. She was so chirpy and excited as she went, calling out to me not to come too early. We went anyway, Repin and I at around 10 am but she was still in the birthing room. I hadn't realized that she was on a drip, but that drip was to induce labor. Why induce when she wasn't due yet? I didn' think to ask then. </div><div><br></div><div>Repin and I went next door to Parkson to buy some essential baby stuff and went back to Mahkota to wait. We hAd a light lunch because we were not really hungry. At 12.05 I got a text from Neville saying she had given birth to a 3 kg baby girl and we Could visit her. I went in and she was lying there looking a bit pale and tired. I stroked her hair and kissed her and asked how she was. Tired she said. Then when Neville went out for a while she looked at me and said "it's so painful Ma". </div><div>"I thought you asked for epidural? " I asked her. "I did, but it's still painful" </div><div>Neville came in and said , " She lost a lot of blood Ma". I nodded thinking it was the usual amount that most women lost during pregnancy, not knowing that she had lost too much blood too fast and she still hadn't been given a blood transfusion. Now thinking of all this, I wonder if things would be different if she had been given a blood transfusion immediately. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>I went out and looked at the baby in the nursery. She looked so frail and tiny and the clothes looked too big on her. Then we went back to the waiting room and waited. Suddenly at 4pm Neville called to say that she had had a cardiac arrest. They had to do CPR on her and it seemed like hours. Then they took her to the operating theatre to check what was wrong. It seems they had to give her 10 pints of blood- she had lost so much that she went into cardiac shock. By 10 pm they came out to say that she was ok and she would be rested until the next day. The whole of Sunday she was unconscious, given a rest to recuperate, said the doctor. </div><div>Early Monday morning she woke up, with a sore throat and still blurry from the drugs they had pumped into her. But she was up! I sat with her and just held her, unable to believe that We had almost lost her on Saturday. The whole of Monday she was fine. She talked and wanted to see the baby so the doctor agreed to transfer her to a bedroom in the ward. That whole day she held the baby in her arms, nursed her for the first time and even took pictures with Neville. These were the last pictures they would take together. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsFHkLYbF0P22qJeCHJ3P7A4uJsgzT5u-uablHc4mZ9YexXcNJJ8KlSAD9Yh9jBVhe-rvt257iesYDo1xVo0Z8Wtt4OkEv7_U78Tyaa3-_rhMsYBffe0CLl-nzulquuwBfJ0K67BZrTk/s640/blogger-image--1363427500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsFHkLYbF0P22qJeCHJ3P7A4uJsgzT5u-uablHc4mZ9YexXcNJJ8KlSAD9Yh9jBVhe-rvt257iesYDo1xVo0Z8Wtt4OkEv7_U78Tyaa3-_rhMsYBffe0CLl-nzulquuwBfJ0K67BZrTk/s640/blogger-image--1363427500.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Looking at the picture who would have thought that she would slip quietly into a coma and leave us 10 days later? </div></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-89215817079873402942015-12-25T13:03:00.001+08:002021-06-16T16:46:44.908+08:00Kylemore Abbey<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfs4vUWtL5vvvzFsFLZHun6MmlgEtNYKdmm-aks3nMNqM8PSDJxEo8Xq7aeYvWRdfp0w6_36ACc-1Tvdk8LNwaHQ1j4T247BlN58LRRx_rDfNZ3bMZNd2k567tbJMnZLpNF3VHPbA1HGI/s640/blogger-image-108701106.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfs4vUWtL5vvvzFsFLZHun6MmlgEtNYKdmm-aks3nMNqM8PSDJxEo8Xq7aeYvWRdfp0w6_36ACc-1Tvdk8LNwaHQ1j4T247BlN58LRRx_rDfNZ3bMZNd2k567tbJMnZLpNF3VHPbA1HGI/s640/blogger-image-108701106.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This beautiful picture was taken at the roadside. The man was selling some stuff and he had his pets with him- 2 or 3 cats, a dog and a lamb, as well as a pony. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The bus driver kindly stopped to give us a chance to walk a bit and to take more pictures of the fantastic scenery. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftuEv_gRQEDexSPoM8XEluvTcjJOTMnJ1LPBswR3-rWLxT-xMDiO9awLvBQE3Ehti0up4pz9q8uMP__bd4feI4baJfMzYTckCGO41HXlnNLyWsTg2e1EoeL544U1DZ6PBYvs9IMFd4bk/s640/blogger-image--1583068735.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftuEv_gRQEDexSPoM8XEluvTcjJOTMnJ1LPBswR3-rWLxT-xMDiO9awLvBQE3Ehti0up4pz9q8uMP__bd4feI4baJfMzYTckCGO41HXlnNLyWsTg2e1EoeL544U1DZ6PBYvs9IMFd4bk/s640/blogger-image--1583068735.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Kylemore Abbey is in the background. Kylemore Abbey was a massive yet graceful castle built in the early 18th century by an American and his wife. He had fallen in love with the country when visiting it and decided to stay on and build the castle for his young and beautiful bride. It was a sad story however because the wife died just after the castle was completed. The husband grieving for his wife left it later and sold it. It was then bought by Benedictine nuns who turned it into abbey and much later was also used as a school for girls. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwbWFWCqLPPKs_WdMDDNIDKC4ifbUsyJ-uzO6HbUqRagxl1zw_qLLeb4-X9s9lqtuHz8uuguZWf4-H14K5JtVXDoqZtfoqEeNynRT8cCyL478W1CklBSdIjF4J8LCD8dns3l0JBKuUwM/s640/blogger-image--1093650581.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwbWFWCqLPPKs_WdMDDNIDKC4ifbUsyJ-uzO6HbUqRagxl1zw_qLLeb4-X9s9lqtuHz8uuguZWf4-H14K5JtVXDoqZtfoqEeNynRT8cCyL478W1CklBSdIjF4J8LCD8dns3l0JBKuUwM/s640/blogger-image--1093650581.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The beautiful Victorian Gardens at the Abbey. The gardens here are truly splendid and gave us a glimpse of a past where grace and beauty is the norm. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div><br /></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-62756259739285876922015-11-12T14:31:00.001+08:002021-06-16T16:32:57.171+08:00Ireland - from Dublin on to County Kildare and Galway3 October 2015<div><br /></div><div>Being on a tour means your time isn't your own. Granted in this way we could see a lot more of a country than we otherwise would. The Globus tour is actually one of the best there is. This particular tour for example would be partially active but not as hectic as many tours are. Today which is our 2nd day we would be visiting an Irish Stud Farm in County Kildare. Ireland is famous for breeding race horses and this farm is also a show house for Irish race horse breeding. We arrived at the farm around 9 am and were greeted by two ladies who would take us around and answer any questions pertaining to the farm. </div><div>It's a fascinating place- very beautifully landscaped with lots of trees around the paddocks, lakes and gardens. The horses were healthy looking and were kept mainly for breeding purposes. Sometimes horse breeders from as far as Australia, Japan and even Bahrain would send their mares here for breeding. Most of the horses were famous racers. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAiGQskDmmi0SOWMWfz8T9wqssxM4sI-VqGq5qnF_bBOS2MD-9NuIR0PVTAxvPOb7q-AmJwGodpCKYQDKI6_xfdRZW4L6gedmW2PZDUucapEFraUJxPREMftq0191xOr5uPliNL_zS20/s640/blogger-image--1979035629.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAiGQskDmmi0SOWMWfz8T9wqssxM4sI-VqGq5qnF_bBOS2MD-9NuIR0PVTAxvPOb7q-AmJwGodpCKYQDKI6_xfdRZW4L6gedmW2PZDUucapEFraUJxPREMftq0191xOr5uPliNL_zS20/s640/blogger-image--1979035629.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfad4gBKcWRUlDDLXA86B_Q8Av1JJfVAZ-d0RKgPMsZ4SycPxR46dETw_0rnW9L32rqFYq7yq74NzsBGPx37Y1Y4wNjsoxKqIw9__1jFNJ1eJFoxOMFyzPCnDnzImI_c0sNhGiMz4Kzg/s640/blogger-image--215634443.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfad4gBKcWRUlDDLXA86B_Q8Av1JJfVAZ-d0RKgPMsZ4SycPxR46dETw_0rnW9L32rqFYq7yq74NzsBGPx37Y1Y4wNjsoxKqIw9__1jFNJ1eJFoxOMFyzPCnDnzImI_c0sNhGiMz4Kzg/s640/blogger-image--215634443.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudP9e8UJXiT5TVg0Nc4HwrOW9-7N1XWA6Tfr1QRE8EQt-9MabQ2PjjH_CfAw4rLhxL-ZHgXOzzsKgZTVy7zK57zP4ZI6ADr_zOkHK3HH339rRxKJ9TJKXKb2G_g7UhgMFYZbeHmux3aQ/s640/blogger-image--1886666911.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudP9e8UJXiT5TVg0Nc4HwrOW9-7N1XWA6Tfr1QRE8EQt-9MabQ2PjjH_CfAw4rLhxL-ZHgXOzzsKgZTVy7zK57zP4ZI6ADr_zOkHK3HH339rRxKJ9TJKXKb2G_g7UhgMFYZbeHmux3aQ/s640/blogger-image--1886666911.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After the horse farm we next stopped at Glendalough , an old town famous for its centuries old church and graveyard . We walked around looking at the stone architecture of this 11th century ruins of what once had been a cathedral. Here too the scenery was stunning and peaceful. A small but deep looking brook wound along beneath the trees and there were lots of other tourists too. I saw groups of excited Japanese ladies chatting, a few headscarfed ladies who I presume to be Muslims too and also some Indian men in turbans. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After walking around the graves of past Irish poets, lords and ladies etc, Repin and I had had enough of it so we decided to go back to the cafe. There we had a quick lunch of a vegetarian quich and tea. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">By 2 pm we were back on the bus , going towards Connemara to visit an abbey an also the famous Connemara marble factory. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><br /></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-32006397505541240932015-10-28T15:45:00.001+08:002021-06-16T16:24:42.875+08:00Tour of Ireland (2015 Oct)<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>We landed in Dublin early in the morning of October 1st. A car was waiting Immediately after we left Immigration. We w ere taken to the Hilton Claremont, where we stayed for two nights. The hotel was within walking distance of the city centre and considered to be in the outskirts of Dublin, and it had a beautiful canal just opposite it. After a short rest we decided to go for a walk a long the canal. <div>It was a lovely day - cool yet sunny. There was a slight breeze which made it a bit cooler but this was still early on Friday morning. Most people were going to work and there were some who were running or exercising too. I saw a young mother pushing her pram and walking along the canal. There were ducks swimming- it all seemed so tranquil and beautiful. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq39M8w8ZTRA8w8Zj9aEVuW9nRVY4E6vNBzlGUyxbu8wxhVxhlS7VQp_UGK5wmfvnXni5FfJ98NSRf254Q4txCNLgdPCIQaKbo21sdl139pYkPD5PVestYxrmhjuU0Uo-kYI7GgIkODjo/s640/blogger-image--279052425.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq39M8w8ZTRA8w8Zj9aEVuW9nRVY4E6vNBzlGUyxbu8wxhVxhlS7VQp_UGK5wmfvnXni5FfJ98NSRf254Q4txCNLgdPCIQaKbo21sdl139pYkPD5PVestYxrmhjuU0Uo-kYI7GgIkODjo/s640/blogger-image--279052425.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq39M8w8ZTRA8w8Zj9aEVuW9nRVY4E6vNBzlGUyxbu8wxhVxhlS7VQp_UGK5wmfvnXni5FfJ98NSRf254Q4txCNLgdPCIQaKbo21sdl139pYkPD5PVestYxrmhjuU0Uo-kYI7GgIkODjo/s640/blogger-image--279052425.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVI48eZKs-syHdUPNc13rijfKdu2zhxJu_RUxUjfqWEzKm-5_faGTG_DhOsVrBIZu8w9Mfby8t9M5P-JPfZFtZltjtjTMfYhBOqV6yX8Uwhg9AdGHsJBXLPKBufVitzI9qAUYRA-0p1g/s640/blogger-image-1400656472.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVI48eZKs-syHdUPNc13rijfKdu2zhxJu_RUxUjfqWEzKm-5_faGTG_DhOsVrBIZu8w9Mfby8t9M5P-JPfZFtZltjtjTMfYhBOqV6yX8Uwhg9AdGHsJBXLPKBufVitzI9qAUYRA-0p1g/s640/blogger-image-1400656472.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After a bit, we decided to go back to the hotel - I was already feeling sleepy because I didn’t really sleep well in the plane. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Back in the room, we both decided to nap for a while but must have dozed off completely because when we woke up it past noon! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After a nice long bath and freshening up we went downstairs to look for some food but looking at the menu, decided to walk back into town instead. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We took the same path along the canal and stopped to admire some houses along the way. Ireland is a beautiful country. No wonder they call it the Emerald Isle. Everything is green and there are flowers everywhere. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We walked on towards the town but stopped half way when we saw a fish and chip shop. Buying some take away we decided to go back to our hotel. It was around 3.30 pm. The fish and chips would serve as our late lunch then. </div></div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-58316831097938743372015-06-07T06:52:00.001+08:002015-08-22T08:09:47.804+08:00A trip to Bandung, Indonesia<div><br></div><div><br></div>On the 26th March, Repin and I were off to Bandung by Air Asia. This trip had been planned since last year- in late August when Air Asia had a sale. We only paid for the flight over, the return flight was free! And we were supposed to celebrate Repin's birthday there. Anyway we arrived in Bandung in the late evening - our flight had been delayed by almost an hour in Kuala Lumpur so instead of arriving at 4.40 as scheduled we arrived at 5.40 pm. After checking in we decided to eat dinner at the hotel instead and have an early night, rather than go out. Pak Rosikin was supposed to come the next day anyway. <div><br></div><div>The weather in Bandung at this time of year is cool but slightly wet. According to the driver it has been raining almost everyday this past week but mainly drizzles. I hope it does not rain while we are here. </div><div>Dinner was simple but delicious. I had fried noodles while Repin had a soup ( ox tail soup) with rice and vegetables. That night we went to bed fairly early - around 9.30 pm and woke up the next day at 4 am for the early morning prayers. </div><div><br></div><div>The next day Wan and Emma arrived. We went to the airport to get them and then had breakfast at the coffee shop nearby. Good breakfast with pancakes and scrambled eggs, just the way we liked it. After checking in Emma and I decided to go the the Pasar Baru first for some shopping, then off we went to a few places for sight seeing. Rosikin told us about this nice place for families - where we can eat and relax. It was on the way to the Daun which is on the way to the mountains so we went there first. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeqhQdwSNKQiRGbLRAb7_kF3yXqedMP3dHvhcjLArOeeFR0SkfFEAcBoa7JzNMLM9qiA4uU6sQK8U9S_XIoETQhLEMfrd3Abb63efdFaUx_h8wTQgGEz5DP-jHXJWDUCXPmB7PXbpy9c/s640/blogger-image-2019552063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeqhQdwSNKQiRGbLRAb7_kF3yXqedMP3dHvhcjLArOeeFR0SkfFEAcBoa7JzNMLM9qiA4uU6sQK8U9S_XIoETQhLEMfrd3Abb63efdFaUx_h8wTQgGEz5DP-jHXJWDUCXPmB7PXbpy9c/s640/blogger-image-2019552063.jpg"></a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilw6moONbu-o7OrhBWs1qnqbnEuhrm3DEnOFylpyJ-uzg3GwCKZoiEfZwFrRuv-eve8H3uJ6e4qManj5IT6_FQrjq_l1XxC7epdE698QWTDT1-2WH-nWKTDT5Eex71fTEsGhiKd_-H_ms/s640/blogger-image--1157710261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilw6moONbu-o7OrhBWs1qnqbnEuhrm3DEnOFylpyJ-uzg3GwCKZoiEfZwFrRuv-eve8H3uJ6e4qManj5IT6_FQrjq_l1XxC7epdE698QWTDT1-2WH-nWKTDT5Eex71fTEsGhiKd_-H_ms/s640/blogger-image--1157710261.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhDvfdFNT4v_lCHNgYc5g0zdGKjKLr2e-KjzUhh8CwloMIUsK8-aZ5Mgnq1G3wPjXlg31HP0JLgBX2iQ2j-dyhsOb37BPvF8qtTrfC-WFAxrdP6khQeFyRyeE4moWfIe0HTQmg-MU91E/s640/blogger-image--1423484736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhDvfdFNT4v_lCHNgYc5g0zdGKjKLr2e-KjzUhh8CwloMIUsK8-aZ5Mgnq1G3wPjXlg31HP0JLgBX2iQ2j-dyhsOb37BPvF8qtTrfC-WFAxrdP6khQeFyRyeE4moWfIe0HTQmg-MU91E/s640/blogger-image--1423484736.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></div>It's a man made lake with a lovely garden around it and beside it one can see all the various plants which are found in the area. There is also a kind of herb garden with lots of herbs growing and even vegetables such as tomatoes, peas, cabbages, kailan etc</div><div>Later we went to the Daun, a restaurant that specialises in local delicacies set amidst lush greenery, complete with man made streams and even a waterfall. This is a popular place for both locals and visitors and one has to book in advance in order to eat here. Unfortunately for us it rained while we were there, and spoiled the view for us. But luckily, as always the food did not disappoint. </div><div> </div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-74138106372045832102015-06-07T06:36:00.001+08:002015-07-05T07:47:25.097+08:00Bandung<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Ggtbgs_XivmRbcg7y0ABVbs_swK4ePaO6FXs_29MBROUeCrkrupu8QKfPyI-QRzk8_EGvhk2zR0LF_fPAzB9XqZV3QNrfZilu6nV7TQFAPYgcT3xuzPvVlbWDm3Ge60GcQFtOktdOHA/s640/blogger-image-359075452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Ggtbgs_XivmRbcg7y0ABVbs_swK4ePaO6FXs_29MBROUeCrkrupu8QKfPyI-QRzk8_EGvhk2zR0LF_fPAzB9XqZV3QNrfZilu6nV7TQFAPYgcT3xuzPvVlbWDm3Ge60GcQFtOktdOHA/s640/blogger-image-359075452.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHXyrhCmDpcPFI0JvL6ZSy23WSu6PTx9ixavOmB6wbX_1xYKoofbHkRvRe0AiW0xwvX0z9vC8FNtd17DISRQUQRbKtnYxWItxkaHI-UJKGivy1gfD9esdv-fEuDGhyphenhyphenoKN7XQiWtWxWe8/s640/blogger-image--714196965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHXyrhCmDpcPFI0JvL6ZSy23WSu6PTx9ixavOmB6wbX_1xYKoofbHkRvRe0AiW0xwvX0z9vC8FNtd17DISRQUQRbKtnYxWItxkaHI-UJKGivy1gfD9esdv-fEuDGhyphenhyphenoKN7XQiWtWxWe8/s640/blogger-image--714196965.jpg"></a></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-81506547848836454002015-03-09T22:17:00.001+08:002015-10-28T15:41:30.718+08:00A nasty experience with online games<div><br></div>SHave you ever had somebody stealing and playing your game? . I'm talking of online games - such as Farm Story, Hay Day etc. These are the two games that I play and have been playing for some time. While playing Farm Story I made a number of good friends from US , The UK and also from China. Even though I have stopped playing Farm Story I still keep in touch with these friends I had made in the game. <div><br></div><div>Hay Day is another of these games - it's more challenging and fun especially once you are in a neighbourhood. Apart from actually 'planting, harvesting and making use of our produce' we can chat and enjoy ourselves with the people in our neighbourhood. But one day recently my farm was hijacked and all my produce that I had accumulated were stolen. It was the scariest moment - like your identity had been stolen. In fact since the game used our FB address, it is stealing our identity. I quickly changed my password but the hacker still could get in. All my coins were used up to buy things which were then transplanted to his farm. How did he manage to do this? It was my own fault - sheer carelessness. He came in the guise of an Fb friend and wanted me to add him as a friend. Like a fool I added him and when he asked me to go to a certain website ( to move to higher levels faster) I did. The website asked for my password and like the gullible fool that I was i filled in the password without a second thought. Immediately however I realised my mistake but it was already too late</div><div>. Within seconds he had my password and accessed my farm. In front of my eyes I could see stuff in my barn being put on sale for the minimum of coins. I felt helpless and angry. I switched off my tablet and proceeded to delete the account. However it was too late because in half an hour he had sold everything I had in my barn- things that had taken me months of playing. And if that is not enough he even passed my farm to some friends of his! I felt violated. I changed all my passwords and even my id. But to no avail. Right now I feel like a fugitive - running from group to group hoping he cannot find me. </div><div>Finally after much complaints to HD admin I finally could get my farm back. HD had updated the game and to continue one had to use one's password. From then on I felt slightly safer. Weeks passed and the intruder was never seen again. I had learned a valuable lesson in online security. </div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-75445951436006005732014-09-03T11:14:00.000+08:002015-03-06T22:56:00.318+08:00Going to Kota Bahru, Kelantan<div style="text-align: justify;">,The next day we started out around 10.00 am, after a leisurely breakfast of nasi lemak, scrambled eggs on toast and some salad at the picturesque beach side restaurant. Wan took some final photos of the surrounding area and then off we went on the way to KB. </div>
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Looking at the map, KB is at least 400km away so Repin decided to share the drive with Wan. He took the first shift and we drove slowly along the coast passing serene looking fishing villages, small towns and by 12.30pm we had reached the outskirts of Kuala Terengganu. Earlier we had stopped for a bit of a snack of keropok lekor (a fish sausage made with fish and flour) and eaten with a sweet and spicy chill sauce. The ones sold along the roadside seems better than the ones we buy at home, maybe because its freshly made on the spot and fried then and there. </div>
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We also stopped for some pictures along the way. This coastal road is really picturesque with lots of photo opportunities. </div>
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We stopped for prayers at one of the masjid in Kuala Terengganu and then stopped for lunch at a restaurant nearby where they sold nasi campur - rice with a mixture of fish, curry and vegetables. </div>
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Then off we went again, this time with Wan doing the driving. This is a very unfamiliar road because none of us had ever driven to Kota Bahru recently. In fact Wan had never ever been to Kota Bahru. This would be his first trip there. It's a pity that Emma could not come with us. It would have been more fun for Wan if his wife came along.</div>
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Anyway according to our guide/ gps WAZE we should be in KB by 7.30pm. However we made it there earlier by half an hour - we reached there by 7.00pm and was at the hotel by 7.30pm. </div>
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Wan was very impressed by the hotel - it has a luxurious lobby with a definite age-old charm and an ambience. Palm trees decorated the entrance with liveried bell boys waiting to help us with our luggage. After the registration were taken care off we went up to our rooms to freshen up and then went back downstairs for dinner at the Chinese restaurant downstairs. That night we decided to have an early night and went back to our rooms although Wan decided he wanted to explore a bit. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had a bad experience though in this hotel and I vowed never again to use this place. The next day after we had explored the town and visited the museum, I decided to try out their spa and facial. I made an appoint for the evening just after dinner. Thinking that this was Kelantan ( where people are supposedly more religious) I left my handbag unguarded in the facial room. After my facial I went up to my room and since it was already 10.00 pm decided to sleep early since we were going home the next day. In the morning I opened my handbag to look for my necklace and locket which I had left in it during the facial. I was shocked to find that it wasn't there. Thinking that I had forgotten where I kept it I emptied the bag and looked in every pocket and zipped area but it wasn't anywhere in the bag. I knew then that it had been taken. So I went downstairs with hubby to reception and told them but they said the spa was not operated by the hotel but was a private enterprise. They gave me the owner's name and number however and I called the owner and explained the problem. But even though she sympathised and made apologetic noises she maintained that her staff were all above suspicion and very trustworthy. If they were trustworthy how did my chain go missing? So that's it - never again will I go there! </div>
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Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-33721221300249015352014-08-30T09:53:00.002+08:002014-09-03T11:21:54.893+08:00Our East coast road tripThis trip had been planned by Repin since last year when he first got the Exora. In fact one of the reasons he wanted to go to the East Coast was because he wanted to test the car. When Yati went back to Indonesia and was detained at Surabaya Airport, we thought - there goes our trip! But luckily she managed to come back in time for us to still drive there, although we had to cut short the trip by one day.<br />
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So here we are in Cherating at last! We started out a bit late yesterday because we wanted to send Sarah and Neville to Sentral for their express bus yo Singapore. Then drove up to KL to leave Saru's food and finally picked Wan from his house in Ampang. However in spite of delays, we arrived in Cherating at 3.00 pm- just in time to check in.<br />
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It wasn't a bright and sunny day but the sea was beautifully calm, the breeze welcoming and cool to the senses and we had a pleasant tea break on the beach. That night we decided to try out the firefly watching which was on the River Cherating and run by a passionate nature lover, Hafiz, who originally came from Myanmar. He gave a short talk on the habits of fireflies and how we have to conserve it's natural environment, ie the mangrove swamps where they are found. </div>
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The boat ride to see the fireflies cost only RM25 per person but I think it was really worth it. The night was dark and at first a bit eerie but I enjoyed the breeze. There were about 15 people on each boat and 3 boats all together. At first we could not see anything but slowly as our eyes got used to the dark we saw tiny flickering lights. At first, just a few then there were dozens of them everywhere- mostly nearer the water's edge, just above the shore. Hafiz had mentioned that bright lights frightened them or kills them so nobody was allowed to take pictures. Even a small light from our phones could distract and confuse them according to Hafiz. And since light is their means of communication to each other especially when they want to mate, by flashing lights at them we would essentially be blocking them from mating and thus indirectly cause them to slowly disappear, which was what had happened in Kuala Selangor. Today there are so few fireflies there tourists no longer visit the place anymore. Also according to Hafiz, they are very susceptible to water pollution. If the rivers are polluted, the mangroves too will die and this too will endanger the fireflies. So he and his team will clean the river every once in a while- collecting plastics, tins and other rubbish thrown by careless people, to make sure the environment is clean.</div>
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At one point the mangroves looked like a fairy land- with the tiny flickering lights on the trees and they were so friendly these fireflies even flew down to our boats and landed on our hands and clothes. I felt awed and fascinated by these beautiful lighted creatures and was so glad we made a point of coming here to see them.</div>
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Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-89941430143450610232014-08-16T16:37:00.002+08:002024-03-06T07:47:03.671+08:00The Guest Cat, by Takashi HiraideTitle: The Guest Cat<br />
Writer: Takashi Hiaide<br />
Published by New Directions Publishing Corporation<br />
Translated by Eric Selland 2014<br />
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When a young Japanese couple, both writers, rented a house somewhere near the Shinjuku area in a quiet part of Tokyo, they are visited by a female cat, belonging to the small boy next door. Working at home the writer and his young wife allow the cat easy access into their home and their lives.<br />
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Slowly, without realising it, the cat entwines itself into the very fabric of their lives and every day affairs and into their hearts. The day becomes brighter, the hours more precious and their events more meaningful with the advent of Chibi, the cat. They even sometimes pretend the cat belongs to them, buying it special tidbits and enjoying its playful habits.<br />
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Without them realising it, a year had gone by and the young cat has now become an adult. Sometimes it would even sleep in their house and on their bed. However one day both husband and wife had to go to a dinner party in another part of town and did not come back for the night. The next day they realised the cat had not come to their house and through the next few days they didn't see it either. Both husband and wife became perturbed by the cat's disappearance. Finally the writer goes over to the neighbour's house to find out what had happened. They were told that it had died in an accident - apparently hit by a car. For a long time they mourned the cat's loss and even wanted to see where it had been buried but its owner, the neighbour, became aggressive and even angry when told the cat had visited them every day and even slept in their house sometimes.<br />
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Soon the couple moved away and bought their own house not far from the neighbourhood. But one day they were visited by a couple of kittens, a male and female which looked exactly like the guest cat which they had lost. Soon the kittens too visit the couple, now older and just like its predecessor settled in.<br />
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A beautifully written book by Japanese poet, takashi Hiraide, this book should be read by animal lovers everywhere, specially by cat lovers. It is about love and loss and love regained. The book reads like poetry, moving and subtly conveying deeply felt emotions of the writer and his wife concerning their guest. A lot of the writing is philosophical. I would definitely recommend this book and will give it a 5 star rating. A book that will change you and how you look at relationships.<br />
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My favourite line from the book is this lines from the first chapter:<br />
" I often remember the appearance of Chibi the cat and the scene in the guest house when she first came inside. It was in the late Autumn of 1988...<br />
There was a narrow space with an earthen floor for the washing machine facing the courtyard, which was a mere partition off from the spacious garden off the big house. One shining, sunny afternoon, through a crack ion the open door,four bright white feet stepped inside the the room's insulated drain bard and with a well-honed curiosity rushing through her entire body, Chibi quietly surveyed the meagre interior." This was the introduction of the book.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-34495759002425030702014-08-11T15:17:00.002+08:002021-06-15T14:15:12.283+08:00Idil Fitri 2014<div style="text-align: justify;">
After a month of fasting Eid is finally here. In fact it's now more than 10 days that Ramadan has ended. The siege on Gaza is given a respite - there is a 10 day ceasefire. More bodies have been identified from the plane crash. And when I really sit and think and feel... I just feel so hopeless and helpless. I can only pray and enjoy the day. What was that Latin phrase - seize the day! Can't remember the Latin words anymore. But sometimes I feel sick of the whole world - killing and maiming children and animals. You can't really run away from images of these on the internet. FB is full of them that I no longer read them. And yet it is Eid. Eid Mubarak world! </div>
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At home it is as usual very busy. Traditional foods must be prepared and served for guests. This year we have a very small celebration, in respect for the downed plane MH17. But my house was full of guests even then, specially in the morning of the first day. My sisters and brothers and their family all came over for the usual morning feast. This time however it was a quieter than usual affair - no noisy children running, no shouts from my brothers and no jones from my sisters. My bother in law Rahman, the husband of my beloved sister Laila, had passed away just a week before raya. It was sad but not unexpected because he had been ill for more than a year, and towards the end had had to be given morphine to stop the pain. He was a heavy smoker in his younger days and it had destroyed his lungs. I think after he retired instead of cutting down he smoked even more, mainly out of boredom. So in the end you can say that his lungs gave up on him - he developed COPD. </div>
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The best thing about raya or Eid is that all my children came home. Rizal stayed longer than his usual 2 days and even Wan came home a day before Eid. So all 4 of them and their spouses were here in Malacca for the celebrations. We even took a family photo in the garden. </div>
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As usual we held an open house on the first day, albeit a small one. Most of my friends and Repin's friends turned up and also the whole family - the Tahir family as well as the Ibrahim family. Then we visited my brother in law in Semabok. His open house was of course very grand. Lots of food - with the typical rendang and ketupat and lemang as well as nasi Bukhari or BukhariRice, which is a kind of pilau cooked with lamb.</div>
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Above photo - Rizal and daughter, Rania</div>
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Above photo - the guys in our family - from left to right ( Neville, Rizal, Repin and Ridzuan) </div>
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Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-72597970626844245762014-08-04T19:08:00.001+08:002014-08-16T16:09:16.391+08:00Ramadan and the chaos in the Muslim world<div style="text-align: justify;">
I don't know whether all this is a test on our faith - the whole Muslim world all over is in a chaotic state. So many things are happening and so many people are dying. First it was in Myanmar where just before the beginning of Ramadan the Buddhists went on a rampage, burning and killing the Muslim ethnic minority in Mandalay. Emma, my daughter in law's relatives are mostly in Mandalay. It's her mother's hometown so her aunts, uncles and cousins are all there. In fact, her cousin had to go into hiding because he had inadvertently strayed into Buddhist territory while visiting some school friends. Luckily his friends parents are open minded people and they helped to hide him from the Buddhists extremists. Why is it when it is another religion they are called extremists but if they are Muslims they are called terrorists? </div>
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In Syria things are getting from bad to worse with rebel groups trying yo take over the government. The same goes for Iraq, but the ones in Iraq I was told by a friend are extremely dangerous because they kill everybody in their way. This is the ISIS. </div>
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And in Gaza, the Zionists are pounding and shelling the tiny enclave every day, in the name of self defence! Of course with the tacit approval of the great US of A! It's okay to kill women and children because they are only Muslims after all. Kill one Israeli soldier and the big bully Israel kills back 100 women and children, and the whole world looks back in pretended innocence. Who dares go against Israel, except perhaps one tiny country many miles away which cannot even defend itself, if the Israelis decide to wGe wAr against us. </div>
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Every day we are bombarded with horrific images of suffering children. The Western media reports that Israel is only defending itself. Against what? Simple home made rockets and mortars that cannot even reach it's borders? Poor Israel, forever being bombarded by the big bad Palestinians with stones and rockets. After one week of heavy bombardment the Israeli casualty stands at zero and Palestinians had soared to more than 100. There is simply no where for them to go - the Zionists target schools, hospitals and even the UN compound. Babies, children and women are the main victims. Even boys playing at a beach are targeted. Why? Are the boys militants? </div>
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This is a form of ethnic cleansing that the world is ignoring. Yes there are protests but no one listens. </div>
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And finally our plane was shot down - and nobody would admit the shooting. 298 innocent lives gone in a poof . The pilot had no inkling it was going to happen, after all they were well above 33000 feet and the route was one well used by many airlines. Was it just bad luck or was it a planned attack. Are the Russians just a scapegoat? Two planes within a space of 4 months? Co incidence or what? A conspiracy? A Singapore Airlines plane was just 25 km behind our plane and an Air India plane was just ahead. Why us? Who would stand to gain ? So many questions unanswered. </div>
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Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-77118962750732885642014-05-21T18:43:00.001+08:002014-05-21T19:08:16.345+08:00A Japanese Alpine villageFrom Fukuoka, we were back on the Shinkanzen to Takayama. Takayama is a little town right up the mountains in Central Japan. Actually it is situated in a valley with the Japanese Alps all around it. It took us a little more than 5 hours from Southern Japan to Central Japan - a journey of more than 800 km. we had to change trains in Osaka because the only train that goes to Takayama is the limited express. <div><br></div><div>On the way we saw really beautiful scenery - crystal clear rivers , gorges that take your breath away, fields of spring wildflowers. Parts of this scenery reminded me so much of New Zealand - except that sometimes we would see cherry blossoms or the Zakura tree. We passed a number of small towns too that looked quite picturesque. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ryPQoFBUNFV9sDlXDAWMQvq5-_Ns2EVZl1yXl6n1xjwYPRUoBCiwQZbrUPXh_ux1puofPReObCBI3LHnSfsJA8B62KsLT62pN6iyCDOpeIMg_CdYGTWUCFd7KTXzGCVwg4boDZrtNuQ/s640/blogger-image-1934748027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ryPQoFBUNFV9sDlXDAWMQvq5-_Ns2EVZl1yXl6n1xjwYPRUoBCiwQZbrUPXh_ux1puofPReObCBI3LHnSfsJA8B62KsLT62pN6iyCDOpeIMg_CdYGTWUCFd7KTXzGCVwg4boDZrtNuQ/s640/blogger-image-1934748027.jpg"></a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpw8p5XGuMvA9gCMby4NGhNKmPKmCSdn9SnOA6QqZaQHTgXNUfaNPUAQCjdAvASz7PvL68q6QHlcxNkaNRhxBOijKw5wByqsdVBVtYu3Gs3zuPoAVHgKB2fDcaJ-ZwOQ_9jaqCDLQoMDA/s640/blogger-image-482680224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpw8p5XGuMvA9gCMby4NGhNKmPKmCSdn9SnOA6QqZaQHTgXNUfaNPUAQCjdAvASz7PvL68q6QHlcxNkaNRhxBOijKw5wByqsdVBVtYu3Gs3zuPoAVHgKB2fDcaJ-ZwOQ_9jaqCDLQoMDA/s640/blogger-image-482680224.jpg"></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9B22qoDIr4TvLVU3JKHn6HBMrn-XxiKu76R5oayL2mCzc9SnKZUDXzhfVnxueGpqx8DoBrcwTd0rVmZThmyDPEuZ4mxnqcrDlVvyNLWwRO8D0F9mnP1WguBqW02LwGtViObmPVoEisE/s640/blogger-image-1260769855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9B22qoDIr4TvLVU3JKHn6HBMrn-XxiKu76R5oayL2mCzc9SnKZUDXzhfVnxueGpqx8DoBrcwTd0rVmZThmyDPEuZ4mxnqcrDlVvyNLWwRO8D0F9mnP1WguBqW02LwGtViObmPVoEisE/s640/blogger-image-1260769855.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>In Takayama we stayed at a lovely hotel called .... Which was within walking distance of the railway station. The weather was cool and breezy - perfect spring weather! Our room too was fantastic - it faced a small stream running behind the hotel and we could see glimpses of the mountains in the distance. That evening we took an exploratory walk around the town and saw a lot of interesting things. First of all, Takayama is actually an old Meiji emperor town. Some of the shops in the town goes back to the 17th century and the roads are cobbled still. However there is also a modern part of town with a few high rises ( about 10 stories) . We passed an old shrine that looked as if it has stood there since the 17th century! Then we crossed the river - this is really a fantastic place. The river is so clear you can see the stones in it and there are Japanese carp or koi ! Imagine that. In Malaysia the koi is an expensive fish and is only reared in man made ponds but here they swim freely. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwTbY0NxJcIg2wKkf8lEadDaflPTPSYiWCCsaKbsK71LA4cEXapgb1QGZnOBnEz1IEkcStZY3TYZUKYgCbEMKt_5qJeNWLijubXmUgNfnov4E2hfbQT7sxrf3RZpBSV4w0JPwbTttTjA/s640/blogger-image-1232581333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwTbY0NxJcIg2wKkf8lEadDaflPTPSYiWCCsaKbsK71LA4cEXapgb1QGZnOBnEz1IEkcStZY3TYZUKYgCbEMKt_5qJeNWLijubXmUgNfnov4E2hfbQT7sxrf3RZpBSV4w0JPwbTttTjA/s640/blogger-image-1232581333.jpg"></a></div><br></div>The river we passed by. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8GQfMQWYUCJoJXj-D6xLxzhXJyIPfMA5Lp6d-zSR9trme9hKMeJyCRafkGdu65Bvi4sE5lzP8OIYW34FVVd-ca_STlg8FLRDdcZI5WwtBAh7-ZGSUtt9yxr8VUyUJx7paQsdHgmRtY8/s640/blogger-image--1615167154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8GQfMQWYUCJoJXj-D6xLxzhXJyIPfMA5Lp6d-zSR9trme9hKMeJyCRafkGdu65Bvi4sE5lzP8OIYW34FVVd-ca_STlg8FLRDdcZI5WwtBAh7-ZGSUtt9yxr8VUyUJx7paQsdHgmRtY8/s640/blogger-image--1615167154.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">That night I had a steam bath and slept like a log! </div></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-19091413011457036562014-05-12T19:53:00.000+08:002021-06-15T14:17:54.250+08:00Fukuoka<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
After Osaka we went to Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu. We were supposed to go by Shinkanzen but the tickets had been sold out - no tickets for seating places but we could take the non- reserved cars so we decided to take that anyway. However the earliest train would be at 1.50pm and we had already checked out of our hotel so we had to take whichever train that was traveling south that was earliest, and it happened to be the Hakata Express. Express is actually a misnomer. Once on the train we realised this was like a mail train - it would stop at every station, big or small, passenger or no. So it took us all of 4 hours and 30 minutes to reach Hakata whereas the normal Shinkanzen would have taken us only 3 hours. Anyway it was a good experience and we could see much more of the countryside.</div>
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Japan is really very developed and even though Kyushu, when we studied Geography in school, was an island off Honshu, in reality it was almost part of the main island of Honshu. We could not even see where Honshu ended and Kyushu began - it was all one smooth track, with lots of bridges and tunnels linking one island to another.</div>
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Hakata, or its old name Fukuoka was quite a large city. There are many canals linking different parts of the city and gardens. The hotel where we stayed was the New Otani, about 10 minutes away from the station. After checking in and refreshing ourselves we decided to take a look at the shopping centre which we saw was very near the hotel - just a stop away by subway. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The shopping centre was actually part of the subway - everything was underground and you could practically walk from one end of the town to another without getting out. And it was all shops along the way, shops, restaurants, cafés and even a small garden! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynfJY4GdrF1Vm9kE5HOt3kyJiqKIH-TQbh_JeakteYhDA-DFq1IlFUOS5jyPyAxBM2jpwxx7hY9aUZgZrsQ96qg_9qietuwW3yvUSVb1M51bDwAuHYpVAqdpvQdUIcEx523vLMpYSibc/s640/blogger-image-472978080.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynfJY4GdrF1Vm9kE5HOt3kyJiqKIH-TQbh_JeakteYhDA-DFq1IlFUOS5jyPyAxBM2jpwxx7hY9aUZgZrsQ96qg_9qietuwW3yvUSVb1M51bDwAuHYpVAqdpvQdUIcEx523vLMpYSibc/s640/blogger-image-472978080.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4C_Dyck-DuMr4451RCkmHxGGJ_Wk7RSblgWp8RxgCdrEOxhoD6FRdzcbsrbRBEjw6sOxFrKaShSWEB4z-RwerS6Xivnu2PZcNl8vhElhLysL-KY9Mo_9uwuj3RO7ZDR2LFG6h8wEDIM/s640/blogger-image-1860787740.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4C_Dyck-DuMr4451RCkmHxGGJ_Wk7RSblgWp8RxgCdrEOxhoD6FRdzcbsrbRBEjw6sOxFrKaShSWEB4z-RwerS6Xivnu2PZcNl8vhElhLysL-KY9Mo_9uwuj3RO7ZDR2LFG6h8wEDIM/s640/blogger-image-1860787740.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div>
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<br />Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-17640389856908500012014-05-06T07:01:00.000+08:002014-05-07T08:46:08.470+08:00Going to Japan<div style="text-align: justify;">
Tomorrow Repin and I will be going to Japan with our daughter Marisa. The trip was planned by Shasha (her nickname) since last year - she was the one who planned the itinerary and got the hotels etc, of course with the help of Miss Tan our travel agent.</div>
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I'm all packed and ready to go but with a bit of sadness because I'll be leaving my cats again. Mulan especially because she has just started to come back to sleep by my side. Ginger of course sleeps with me or on the bed, whether I'm there or not. But since I went to India in March, Mulan has been avoiding keeping me company. I think she is pouting - in Malay we say <i>merajuk. </i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghq4Jd_5GG42nI4kXuOaniOrA16hxeZaW6CxoqV6lJH5gONtfLs2b2f8iZVWy1QYVrPFA-eqSJ09YzhWdUgxGrjTK5r7fy0nMjuVmMqahPYEMTDIWXSnn0FMtICG75Kg03G2RuVTtMDXw/s1600/IMG_4017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghq4Jd_5GG42nI4kXuOaniOrA16hxeZaW6CxoqV6lJH5gONtfLs2b2f8iZVWy1QYVrPFA-eqSJ09YzhWdUgxGrjTK5r7fy0nMjuVmMqahPYEMTDIWXSnn0FMtICG75Kg03G2RuVTtMDXw/s1600/IMG_4017.jpg" height="400" width="298"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yukie looking pensive</td></tr>
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Yukie and her brother Tommy too are not so friendly anymore as before I left them. I have been going out of the country every month this year - India, my umrah and now Japan. At least June is a quiet month for me - no overseas trips except maybe to see my grand daughters whom I miss very much.</div>
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This trip to Japan will be different - we were in Japan in 2010 and 2005 but only in Tokyo. This time we plan to take the Shinkansen and go south to Fukuoka, then up to Osaka, Kyoto and Takayama and finally to Tokyo for the last two days. Takayama is a city but it has a number of traditional Japaneses villages which I am looking forward to see- most of them go back to the Meiji period which was in the 16 -19th century. In Kyoto we plan to visit them any beautiful gardens and other sights just outside Kyoto. It looks quite packed, this itenary but since we are doing it on our own we can of course rest as often as we like! </div>
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAfE2skb8wN5R9lcuGUDdGQ_kRaZ4LC-nQ0jH2cdNTPJ8eg8SL0ruEuEbEasZTlRqVCCnWbjT8NFC6nvIuOv3JNo9uU2F_lM_EGrR-G2bfsa8bvNn2vfoAfmRY5TcEWbIa2TVFx9KkUM/s640/blogger-image--1783308144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAfE2skb8wN5R9lcuGUDdGQ_kRaZ4LC-nQ0jH2cdNTPJ8eg8SL0ruEuEbEasZTlRqVCCnWbjT8NFC6nvIuOv3JNo9uU2F_lM_EGrR-G2bfsa8bvNn2vfoAfmRY5TcEWbIa2TVFx9KkUM/s640/blogger-image--1783308144.jpg"></a></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-72819683061965511182014-04-27T09:51:00.001+08:002021-06-15T14:21:35.780+08:00At our orchard<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlTVTmXu6yiN0l_M2pI8KTnGV2Ugiv6OBt9i1EPH-rxnSUn2P9cqQkP7NJB3D64_G7RHDLMrGVAKpRO_WopyqOXynl4ba5yREjrFV5HIaylsjuGrQnjYvRl6kqJdiA4wlfvtTXwia5BM/s1600/IMG_3655.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlTVTmXu6yiN0l_M2pI8KTnGV2Ugiv6OBt9i1EPH-rxnSUn2P9cqQkP7NJB3D64_G7RHDLMrGVAKpRO_WopyqOXynl4ba5yREjrFV5HIaylsjuGrQnjYvRl6kqJdiA4wlfvtTXwia5BM/s1600/IMG_3655.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Durian fruits<br />
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Last June Repin and I bought a piece of land at Telok Gong. Telok in Malay means a bay and this piece of land is very close to the sea. Its not by the sea but we can see the sea from the house there. The house is actually rather old and in need of repair and enhancement but it's quite solid, with 3 bedrooms, although they are rather small bedrooms.</div>
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Anyway the land is fairly large - an acre and a bit more with fruit trees already planted. The owner wanted to move away and wanted a ready buyer and we were quite thrilled to get it. There are at least 5 rambutan trees and a few durian trees. Yesterday we went over to clear the leaves under the trees and also from the house. The owners had left quite a lot of their household rubbish and it took Yatie and me 5 hours to clear it all, with Wan's help. But it was worth it. Just looking at the young rambutans hanging on the trees is enough. They should be ripe in June, insyaallah. We want to renovate the house and make it nicer, repaint it and add a few more bathrooms so that by the end of this year we can stay there or make it into a home stay to add to our income later on, insyaallah, or God willing.</div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8a6V_f98LLAs_nF2fs61yewOR19EOhyphenhyphennOpLrV1Hq-s0qsIE-VWw_WR446NiTz9HQAuc01vi35C9K_1oxEO-bBykUhpvsUEFuPDX_XJZxyVnE3GmFKGThyOuPS8QW8Pas5n3uwI42pYdI/s640/blogger-image-1599419079.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8a6V_f98LLAs_nF2fs61yewOR19EOhyphenhyphennOpLrV1Hq-s0qsIE-VWw_WR446NiTz9HQAuc01vi35C9K_1oxEO-bBykUhpvsUEFuPDX_XJZxyVnE3GmFKGThyOuPS8QW8Pas5n3uwI42pYdI/s640/blogger-image-1599419079.jpg" /></a></div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-17047968960648821902014-04-17T17:23:00.002+08:002021-06-16T16:13:21.982+08:00A pilgrimage to the holy cities<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkMMsdjYou-yH6YjzD0UXr4aM65tk8D8SPP0hB74mIHW4_WkACZiG-7HIpkFrycELLyZYCuFBJKKjGSrNyPIfmnRjuuMTU6lKs3SJR4_gvAVcW4KFFyNcqkchaedUthCkAxay_fY_8WM/s640/blogger-image-1443861858.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkMMsdjYou-yH6YjzD0UXr4aM65tk8D8SPP0hB74mIHW4_WkACZiG-7HIpkFrycELLyZYCuFBJKKjGSrNyPIfmnRjuuMTU6lKs3SJR4_gvAVcW4KFFyNcqkchaedUthCkAxay_fY_8WM/s320/blogger-image-1443861858.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Prophet's mosque </td></tr>
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On 5th April Repin and I flew to Madinah for our umrah or pilgrimage to the holy cities. It's been awhile since we last visited the two holy cities and I'm sure things have changed a lot. We arrived in Jeddah airport around 9.30 pm and after customs and immigration clearance we were transported by bus to Madinah, another 5-6 hours away by road. </div>
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The journey was long and tedious, and most of us were already tired after our 8 hour flight. Luckily the night air was cool and I drifted in and out of sleep. We stopped for a break at a rest area, and was given a simple meal of rice and chicken. After a half hour break we were back on the move, arriving in Madinah around 1 am in the morning. </div>
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Early the next morning we were up again to pray at the Masjid Al Nabawi, also called the Prophet's pbuh) Mosque because this was where he died and was buried. It is one of the holy mosques in Islam and prayers here are supposed to give a person 1000 times the reward of prayers in an ordinary mosque. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQH2op-q5NNcAM2Vjwa7L7CNx41VsdvXs2Hfd0DuifnwK54BYhjcBP98hAXugE6jTeN7dAdZ2cPHc9G-fV3hl_ZcSIv_qlEopJ5kzY1sq9wV29fZKtiOKznu2dsh63Y_uEKmik6ox_HdE/s640/blogger-image-1564922562.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8x5TSmivUcLt5-ETmxl6Kubb0MA0_bIx1gakTLpnhT7NRUTMgdna6KTYnTVYoO-zN3NcJlPzBQt_32cQuIK0LDPcPap8Oxb89JzJuve4KJLBSMj0rdqyLaSMqWs14gSD8Hp6Uq6MfZps/s400/blogger-image--431373356.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women coming out of the masjid Al Nabawi </td></tr>
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQH2op-q5NNcAM2Vjwa7L7CNx41VsdvXs2Hfd0DuifnwK54BYhjcBP98hAXugE6jTeN7dAdZ2cPHc9G-fV3hl_ZcSIv_qlEopJ5kzY1sq9wV29fZKtiOKznu2dsh63Y_uEKmik6ox_HdE/s640/blogger-image-1564922562.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></span></div>
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Days in Madinah consisted mainly of going to the mosque to pray five times a day, back to the hotel to rest and sometimes in the evening, walking around some of the shops. The city has not changed much - there are of course a lot more hotels than 5 years ago when I was here last. Basically though a lot of it is still the same. We stayed at the Mubarak Silver hotel which was about 500m from the mosque so it was easy for us. </span></div>
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">On the second day we were taken to view some historic sites - Mount Uhud where one of the worst battles between the Quraish and the Muslims took place. The mountains are barren and very very rocky. This was the place where the Muslims took one of their worst defeats and the Prophet' s (SAW) uncle, Hamzah was killed trying to protect their hill. It was said that after he was killed the Quraish mutilated his body and even carved out his heart and that Hindon, a woman who's husband had been killed by Saidinah Hamzah RA in an earlier battle, ate his heart. Urrhggg... Sounds gross! But the early Arabs were a rather terrible people - cruel in the extreme, vengeful and ferocious. My late father used to say that was the reason why Islam was sent to Arabia. Allah Subhannallah Taala wanted to change them and make them a better people. Of course this was only my father's opinion, not a fact. </span></div>
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">For this Umrah, I wanted to return home to Malaysia a better person completely. I want to be more patient, especially with my mother in law and others less fortunate than me. I want to be humble and more caring and I really hope I can be better. </span></div>
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Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-18221150121987506692014-04-15T16:29:00.000+08:002014-04-27T09:55:21.791+08:00Makkah Al mukaramahFor This year's umrah Repin and I managed to get a Hilton package. In Madinah we stayed at the Mubarak Silver Hotel but in Makkah we stayed at the Hilton Towers, and it was the nearest hotel to the mosque. We didn't have to rush to get to the Masjid Al Haram every prayer time. Our travel agent was Andalusia and the mutawif or Guide who took us was a very young man by the name of Amirul. He was very knowledgeable and a pleasant as well as sweet natured guy. In fact he was one of the best uztaz that we've had so far. So we managed to do 3 umrahs or circumbulating around the Kaabah while reciting certain prayers, with our Uztaz Amirul guiding us the whole way.<br />
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On the 3 rd day we were given a short tour of the various holy sites. I had been to these places before but it was more interesting with our mutawif because he told us stories related to the site's history. For example Jabal Rahmah which is a small hill outside of Makkah was the place where Prophet Adam and Hawa ( Eve) his wife met after almost a decade of not seeing each other. The story is that after Adam and Hawa were sent out of Paradise for disobeying Allah they were sent to Earth. But an Earth which had no humans on it. They were the first humans. But they were not sent together - one fell somewhere on Mount Arafat and the other fell somewhere near Yemen or even further. For years they both prayed to God to ask for forgiveness and finally God forgave them and let them be together again and Jabal Rahmah or the Mount of Mercy was where they met. So it is believed that whoever asks God for a partner or a child here that prayer would be answered. I don't know whether this is true or not but my brother in law did pray that his son gets a child here and that son has now 4 children, after 8 years of childlessness previously. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Mount Rahmah or the Mount of Mercy</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After doing our "tawaf" or walking around the Kaabah reciting prayers.</td></tr>
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Our young Uztaz Amirul and us after performing our tawaf. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People of all races doing the tawaf</td></tr>
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Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-90327478509830400252014-03-26T09:02:00.001+08:002014-03-29T07:28:06.467+08:00The worst air tragedy in the history of MalaysiaIt's been a heart breaking two weeks for Malaysians in general- our national carrier MH370 - on a routine flight to Beijing in China,suddenly lost contact with the control tower. There were 239 passengers on board, 152 of them Chinese nationals going home to China. At first everyone thought the plane had crashed in the South China Sea because that's where we last had radar communication with the plane. It was supposed to have arrived in Beijing at 6.30am. <div><br></div><div>After almost 24 hours of searching, the military finally admitted they had a blip on their primary radar around 2.45 am 8 March and it was flying west towards the Straits of Malacca. Even then they were not sure whether it was MH 370 - it could be any commercial plane since all the primary radar recorded was a commercial plane flying through its airspace. </div><div><br></div><div>Today is the 18th day. 26 countries are involved in the search and rescue effort. However until today all we know is that it veered west towards the Indian Ocean and then down towards the southern corridor where all you can sea is large tracts of ocean- an immense body of water, unbroken by land. The sea here is harsh and uncompromising and searching for the plane is like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. </div><div><br></div><div>There are satellite images of what seemed like debris spread around a certain area but so far nothing has been found. For one thing the weather is not being agreeable - rough waves of up to 10 feet or more with strong winds prevent the search ships to stay too long. If the plane had indeed crashed here, there would be no survivors. Apart from the cold the ocean here is just too remote, too deep to even send divers down. The depth of the ocean in this part is at least 2 miles or 4km. </div><div><br></div><div>The question that is on everyone's mind is - what happened to the plane? Why did it divert from its route? Was it a failed hijacking? Sabotage? An act of terrorism? Or simply an electrical failure that led to a fire in the cockpit, thus putting the two pilots unconscious ? <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In spite of help from the world's best aviation experts, satellites from so many countries, nobody knows what actually happened. We are as perplexed as the US, China and Britain . </span></div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile families are waiting in vain. The Families of the Chinese passengers react violently and angrily, accusing our government of hiding the facts/ truth or not being open enough. Some are seen crying loudly , shouting at the MAS personnel sent to look after them and even throwing water bottles at them. Emotions run high. It is understandable in a way. They are frustrated, after waiting for weeks to find an answer, yet there is none. One man just said, " We want to know where they are. If they are dead, we want to see the bodies." But what can we say? I put myself in our government's shoes and see there really is nothing they can do except go on searching, spending hundreds of thousands and maybe later, millions to look for this plane that has gone missing. Speculations abound. So many theories fly all over the social media, even some saying that it is pilot suicide. That was a suggestion from a most unlikely source- the US no less. But to me it is too far fetched and it looks like the investigators are grasping at straws! </div><div><br></div><div>Here in Malaysia, in the social media, words of condolences pour in. Finally on 24th March, Datok Seri Najib the PM announced that the plane ended it's journey somewhere in the South Indian Ocean, and that most probably there were no survivors. </div><div><br></div><div>Today's press conference just confirms that the satellite images showing hundreds of debris is the most likely area where the plane crashed . But even then not one debris has been identified properly. My heart aches every time I see the images of the passengers and crew. It is not a story one reads about in the news anymore. It is closer to home than I'd like. There are people my neighbours know and loved. A friend's daughter just confirmed that her best friend Dina and her mother was on that plane. They were going shopping in Beijing. She and Dina had met for a dinner date just hours before they went to Beijing and had talked about children. </div><div>My neighbour of two years, who lives opposite me at the corner house, lost her nephew and his wife. Their two children are now orphans. There are so many similar stories. One stewardess had a husband, also a steward on that plane. She is expecting her second child. Her first is 3 plus and she asked her mummy ,"Where is papa?" The mother answers with tears in her eyes that Papa went to work but Papa's plane rosak ( had trouble) and now Papa has gone to Heaven. The little girl asks again, " But I want to see Papa.." " Well, we have to pray hard so that one day we too can go to Heaven and meet Papa." </div><div><br></div><div>Watching this scene on the news I cry silently. </div><div>" Cry not for them...</div><div>They have gone away to a far away land</div><div>Where flowers bloom all day long</div><div>And the Sun and Moon are one. </div><div>Cry not for them...</div><div>They are lying at peace</div><div>Deep in the waves</div><div>And the cascading falls</div><div>Gently keep them in thrall. "</div><div><br></div><div>Kat 24/3/14 </div>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-72074186843093022812014-02-21T14:22:00.003+08:002024-03-06T07:19:09.483+08:00The drought is here<div style="text-align: justify;">
I can't believe it - just 2 months ago we were worried about floods. Now we are worried that it hadn't rained for so long - 2 months to be exact! The weather has been playing with us for some time now . In November, during the examinations season the prolonged rainy days brought on floods in almost every state. People had to be evacuated from their homes and schools were closed. Today there is a disquietening piece of news- some parts are so dry that fish are left struggling in the dry river beds and many have died. Padi fields are dry and turning brown in the northern part of Malaysia and some parts of Selangor already have water rationing taking place. There are news of bush fires everywhere. Yesterday when I sent to the tailor I had to pass a bit of forest reserve which I noticed was very dry and brownish in colour. There was a family of monkeys at the roadside. Usually you hardly see the monkeys near this road because there were enough fruit trees in the reserve for them. Now I guess they are looking for food - poor things. I didn't have anything with me otherwise I would throw some food to them. I wonder how they will survive if this drought is prolonged. I sure hope that it will rain soon.Right now I hear we are buying water from Johor, a neighbouring state which has many large rivers. Malacca is so small and we don't even have any real rivers or lakes! </div>
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We have had no rain at all for the last two months . For a country that is so used to getting rain every other day, this is unbearable. Not only is it hot and dry, my plants are dying and we are told to conserve water. I buy a huge container to store water , just in case rationing starts in Malacca. In KL water rationing has already begun.</div>
Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-69135807965998128332014-02-17T21:03:00.001+08:002014-04-27T10:08:19.509+08:00The Taj Mahal<div style="text-align: justify;">
I think most of us know the history of the Taj Mahal. According to our guide Taj means a crown and Mahal means Palace. So translated the Taj Mahal meant Crown Palace. It was built by the emperor Shah Jahan who was the grandson of the man who founded the Mogul empire - Akbar the Great . Shah Jahan had three wives and any number of concubines but his favourite was his beautiful first wife- the lovely Mumtaz, or sometimes known as Noor Jahan or the light of Jahan.Together they had 14 children. The King loved her so much that he could not bear to be separated from her even for a day, so the story goes. However at the age of 39, she died while giving birth to her last child. The grieving king himself was still in his early 40s but he never remarried and he vowed that he would house her remains in the most beautiful palace in the world. </div>
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And so the Taj Mahal was designed - as a palace to put his lovely queen. It was made completely of white marble obtained from a all over India and the architect was imported from Persia. It took him almost 22 long years to build it with thousands of workers from all over India and also from Persia and from Bukhara were hired to design and build this most magnificent palace for his wife as her final resting place. But the story did not end here, nor is it a beautiful story. In fact it was a very sad tale. </div>
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The King's third son, Auranzeb, angry at the wastage of public funds by Shah Jahan his father, deposed him and placed him under house arrest. The now sickly king no longer took interest in the kingdom anyway and spent his final years in what is known as The Red Fort or Lal Qilla , gazing longingly at his wife's mausoleum opposite his palace just across the Yamuna River. After the Taj Mahal was completed Shah Jahan planned to build a similar mausoleum for himself but this time using black marble as his own resting place. However his plans were never fulfilled. </div>
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The Taj Mahal itself is not just a beautiful building - there is simply no words to describe its splendor and it's magnificence. Built totally of white marble it's colour changes hue at different times of the day. We were there just about the time of the setting sun and looking at it one realises why it is called one of the 7 wonders of the world. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Taj Mahal </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">REpin in front of the Taj Mahal </td></tr>
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Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4125991316735591395.post-2205247253892127112014-02-17T20:40:00.002+08:002021-06-16T16:00:09.338+08:00Agra, and the most romantic gestures of all time<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Taj Mahal seen from the main gate</td></tr>
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( above - view of Taj Mahal from Northern gate) </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mosque on the east side of the Taj Mahal</td></tr>
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From Jaipur it took us more than 6 hours to reach Agra. Like the road to Jaipur, the road to Agra wasn't really a highway. It was slightly better in that there were fewer camel caravans on the road but it was congested nevertheless. We started out very early in the morning- it was very foggy and cold too. So foggy that there wasn't much of a view. In some places the visibility was so bad that you could only see about 50m ahead. There was much honking of horns as usual. We stopped at a rest area for a bit of hot chai - masala chai has now become a favorite of mine. Even Zaiton who wasn't really fond of tea became an enthusiast. </div>
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At 12.35pm we reached Fatehpur Sikri an ancient town built also during the time of the Mogul empire. It was a huge complex of buildings which included ruins of a palace, a masjid or mosque, a Dewan where the king held audiences and also a fortress. However our visit was spoiled by the dozens of ragged boys, young men and even women, young and old , trying to peddle goods. They carried bangles, fridge magnets, necklaces, and all kinds of wares and were so insistent and determined that it really spoiled my enjoyment of this ancient city complex. They followed us all around, pushing their wares at us even though we said No. </div>
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From Fatehpur Sikri it should have been a short drive to Agra but we had to make a detour because of some roadworks. By the time we arrived at the hotel in Agra, it was way past 4.00pm and lunch was long over. The cafeteria staff though were kind enough to prepare for us a lovely and sumptuous meal and we ate hungrily. It had been a long time since breakfast and even at the rest area we didn't eat anything. </div>
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The guide told us we would have to hurry to see the Taj Mahal as it closed its doors for visitors at 5.30 pm. So after a hurried meal and clean up we were taken to see the Taj Mahal. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcdU1I8Z8RoGZzRT1qt_CLR3eBA7C9jq_tAMW3mHag4A1BGCXv6kTxs6vciYI4eYOPFT6kWsY9sOvk2wxoMRl1RG1bLTsBYtGVi9FRn0qg9d_y6zcQ64sx38C8Wd5mM9DM4c2jWOrwhk/s640/blogger-image--603211494.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcdU1I8Z8RoGZzRT1qt_CLR3eBA7C9jq_tAMW3mHag4A1BGCXv6kTxs6vciYI4eYOPFT6kWsY9sOvk2wxoMRl1RG1bLTsBYtGVi9FRn0qg9d_y6zcQ64sx38C8Wd5mM9DM4c2jWOrwhk/s320/blogger-image--603211494.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Taj Mahal seen from the Western gate</td></tr>
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We arrived just before closing time. It was really lucky for us because there were easily thousands of people once we were inside. Traveling into the huge grounds was by electric tram. It deposited us just outside the gates and security was really tight. In fact there were 3 levels of security checks - before the entrance, at mid entrance and just before the gate itself. Even the gate ( there are 4 gates - east, west, north and south) was most impressive. It was really huge and once inside, the grounds were sprawling. In the distance, one can see fountains and reflecting pools, right in the middle of the Taj Mahal. </div>
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I think it is the most glorious monument I have ever seen in my life! Glowing white and pink in the light of the setting sun, here is this grand gesture of a love that is lost which has lasted for centuries. </div>
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Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06391430708117266742noreply@blogger.com2