my update before entering university ;o

away (again!!)

OK...I don't know what the hell has happened to the blog's so-called update, really...hahaha. sorry for letting things go into this..I don't know....turmoil? I should be punished for not updating on certain 'important' things..well...for now kena postpone dulu la the punishment, if available.

I'm proud to announce that the great holiday has ended....aww so sad is it? haha I'm kind of sad..SO MUCH MEMORIES MAN! for the last 7 months...life has never been so lively! I got my stupid times, the bad times, the happiest of the happiest times, the greatest moments, the lousiest moments...everything lah! I mean, it was bloody great!!! I met all kinds of people...............with so various and unpredictable perangai..weird behavior and such...and of course, I made new friends!! things have never been so good :)

I loved it all - the crazy stuffs we did (which will be too long to be listed, and 'we' stands for random groups of friends), outings...out of our heads...from the days of KTMs and LRTs to parking our cars in the shopping malls itself...the lavish gatherings, parties, bbqs......the UBER CRAZY vacationsss.......the train ride to Langkawi with silly kids, Zurich and Adelaide with family.......Istanbul with AB's family...........it's been greaaaaat!!! of course, PLKN at Sabah ...........with the freaky people....weird stuffs to do...new things explored...bloody awesome!

Well I did a lot, quite literally. Half of them are beneficial, well half of them, I think not. Not exactly half lah, but they're quite balanced. I was given the opportunity to not having my after SPM holidays by just sitting at home everyday and being lifeless, but explore the world, from the outside my houses' gates to across the open seas........the holiday is something to be cherished lah. :)

So right nowww......my packing is like 95% done kot...hmm...quite anxious and curious about tomorrow. fine I'm worried a lil bit. but I don't have the really, really great sorrowness like I did when I was to leave for PLKN dulu lah, that one was gila tension plak. haha.

I'll be doing my Ijazah Sarjana Muda Sains (Senibina)............ermm translates loosely to Bachelor Science in Architecture..comment me if I'm wrong, but it is NOT and DIFFERENT from Bachelor of Architecture..gile ape amek degree terus..heheh. I'm not doing a diploma. I'm placed in UiTM Seri Iskandar campus....it's near UTP (sedih gile, kne gune landmark U lain), not exactly in Tronoh...it's near to Bota somehow..but as far as I know (I always go down to Bota from Ipoh for Raya visits)..the location is OK lah.. and yes, Seri Iskandar's in Perak.

that's all I guess....sorry for the messy writing and update...haha sumpah nmpk cam blog picisan.. just informing. I'm deeply sorry for not updating pictures, words, and replying your messages here. this blog will run as far as it could run.....that means it will have updates lah, but in what way I don't know...OK...haha. erm well that's about it then......for those continuing studies....let us strive hard........be good...and ALL THE BEST FOR US! :)

and thank you, thank you to everyone...whom since last December 8 coloured my life for good. it's been absolutely brilliant...........I'll miss it! :)

Syukrishairi
Shah Alam Kuala Lumpur Petaling Jaya
Langkawi/Perlis Adelaide Zurich Kota Kinabalu/Papar Istanbul
December 8 2006 - June 30, 2007! :)

the final tahiyat

between the shadows of massive pillars,
at the corner of a mammoth space,
lush carpets spread like grasses trimmed,
glistening chandeliers drop from unreachable ceilings,
under the dome as high as the sky,
tasbih beads move slowly,
as faint as the sorrow air,
a tongue twisted with a language foreign to ears,
but sips smoothly in hearts.

though the stained glasses,
lofty tiles, and stairs tall,
outnumbered
the al-Fatihahs uttered,
and the takbirs raised,
the salams given,

it doesn't matter,
as long as he has his tasbih,
a sajadah worn out,
a kopiah he got from Medina,
and a little green Qur'an tacked safely.

and at the corner of a mammoth space,
he waits for the muezzin he knew,
to hear a voice familiar,
to resonate through the chills of empty halls,
empty spaces to be occupied,
empty hearts to be purified.

the tasbih beads paused,

he steps to a saf familiar
with breezes of the last wuduk,
soft mists flew as he fixes his kopiah,
old eyes look down,
wrinkled hands locked.

his flat forehead touches the ground,
his body reflects no sound.
to what he believe, but he visually didn't found,
but it doesn't matter,
as, as long as he believes,
and as the tasbih beads move,
the God he knows,
is always around.

and at the corner of a massive place,
he sits down, slanted,
testimonies said,
forefinger raised,
finishing what is final,
what is left to a life breathed,
and to a world full of greed.

fil alamina innaka hamidum majid.

the final tahiyat,
the last salam.

PLKN, the camp.

A scratch of where I spent most of my time for some 64 days of my life.

The camp was one of the first Khidmat Negara camps to operate in Sabah during the earliest days of PLKN. Situated on the banks of Sungai Papar, the camp distinguished itself from other PLKN camps by having the notable hanging bridge stretching over the river, being the only connecting way the camp has to the other side of the river. The Crocker Range is located at the eastern side of the camp, though they only consist hills and the lower grounds of the range. The camp is relatively remote, though well connected by roads and is very near to the local settlements.

The camp is a good 45-minute drive from Kota Kinabalu and 15 minutes from the town of Papar, where one would exit the main road for another 7.5 kilometers inland using the relatively well-paved Jalan Manggis-Kaiduan-Tampasak, before reaching Kg. Ovai; where the road is no longer paved, and one could make a right turn to a smaller road, greeted by local vegetable farms at the left and right side of the road before the view of the camp appeared slowly at the opposite side of the river.

At this point, one could be certain that they've reached Kem Wawasan.

As of May, 2007;

The camp Commandant (Kem Komandan), Deputy Commandant of Administration (Timbalan Komandan Pengurusan, TKL) and Deputy Commandant of Training (Timbalan Komandan Latihan, TKL) are from the Royal Malaysian Navy (Tentera Laut DiRaja Malaysia, TLDM). These officials must be addressed as tuan.

Location: Kg. Ovai, Papar, Sabah. Kota Kinabalu is a two and a half hours away from Kuala Lumpur by flight. All Malaysia Airlines flights land at KKIA's main terminal (which is currently under renovation) while all Air Asia flights land at the newer KKIA Terminal 2.

Weather: Cool mornings, occasional fogs, extremely hot at noon. Temperatures are not low at night, though it can be really briskly during early mornings. Bright sunshine and cloudless skies are the usual - not desirable during marching (kawad kaki) sessions. Sunrise and sunsets are usually admirable. It will usually rain in the evenings, but at many times there will be no thunderstorms at all. At all times downpours are short, you can actually wait for them to stop if an activity is conducted, but this is not guaranteed at all. Laundry can go wet for days if the sunshine is not out, so prepare for hard times caused by the weather. Like elsewhere in our tropical country, it is extremely humid.

Phone coverage:
Celcom *** Good at many spots in the camp, the best to be used. Prepare a Celcom number if you're visiting or attending, or else it would be problematic for most of the time. Best received in the higher grounds, i.e the Padang Kawad, areas around the office and Dewan Makan.
Maxis * Poor, only at certain places.
Digi None at all.
Two phone booths near the Dewan Makan using phone cards (TM's Kadfon) which can be bought at the Convenience Store, phones and fax services use wireless form of transmission.

Water: Moderate, water sources are of natural ones. Often, there is no water after a heavy downpour, due to natural causes of the river's water level. Though doubtful to hear for the first time, the cleanliness level of the water is acceptable, though sometimes there would be river sediments (soil, etc) that would make clothes, white ones especially, look dirty. Be well prepared for constant lack of water supplies, especially in toilets. A number of water coolers are situated at the Dewan Makan.

Electricity: Moderately-sufficient, the main source of the electricity is provided by a generator at the centre of the camp, should a blackout happened outside especially after a heavy downpour, the camp would still function albeit scarce amount of electricity. On a very hot day the generator would probably break down, so prepare for some very unbearable afternoons. There will be no phone coverage if there is no electricity - in other words, the camp would be virtually disconnected from the outside world.

Internet: There is one at the commandant's residence, though it would be probably some sort of a dial-up connection. Of course, access is restricted.

Food: Moderate. There are 6 meals for a day, without fail. Breakfast is at 7 am after Physical Training, with brunch at 10 am. Lunch is at 12 noon. Tea will be served after Physical activities at 4 to 4.30pm, while dinner is at 7 pm. Before roll call, supper is to be served at 10pm. Vegetarian meal is served upon request. Overall, the allocation for meals per day is RM 22 per trainee.

Rules: Relatively lenient. The rules imposed at the camp is often said one of the most lenient of all PLKN camps, though gender segregation still applies in many activities. Most rules are similar to PLKN camps throughout the country. All wira and wirawati are subject to the KKJ, Kontrak Kita Janji, a form of disciplinary oath every company (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta) makes and presents at the beginning of the training course. Basically if a trainee breaks a rule, it also means that they are breaking their own-made promises, thus the trainers (Jurulatih, to be called cikgu) will react to this by seeing it as a promise-breaking, which will lead to any respective punishment.

Disciplinary actions are of moderate ones, with occasional checkups done from rooms to rooms in the morning during classes are conducted. Every Sunday is an off-day. First and third Sundays are visiting days. Trainees can go out from the camp upon strong reasons during weekends, though this depends on the commandant's consent. Holidays will be announced and ruled out through the commandant by Jabatan Latihan Khidmat Negara, some holidays apply to all, while some applies to particular ethnics and those celebrating. The rule applies that the wake up time is 4.30 am in the morning, and by 10.30 pm all activity ends, and as of 11.30 pm all lights in the mess are supposed to be turned off.

Wednesdays and Saturdays are allocated for the Community Service Module (Modul Khidmat Komuniti), which commences as soon as the Character Building Module (Modul Pembinaan Karakter) ends, and the Nation Building Module (Modul Kenegaraan) begins.

Religious obligations: As religious issues are highly sensitive, careful precautions have been taken that everybody's religious needs is well taken care of. Basically religious adherence are up to an individual's options, though congregational prayer times are best observed. Friday noons are allocated for Muslim male, while Hindus are allowed to go to the respective temple in Friday evening. Some followers of certain Christian sects attend church on Saturday, while the others, especially the Catholics will go to service on Sundays, together with the Buddhists. Subuh generally starts as early as 4 am, Zuhur around 12 noon, Asar around 3 pm, Maghrib at 6 pm and Isyak at 7 pm.

Thursday and Friday nights are allocated for Spiritual Class (Kelas Kerohanian), where the Muslim class will often led by a KAGAT, an official from Armed Forces Religious Corps or Kor Agama Angkatan Tentera (to be called ustaz) or an Official for the Islamic Affairs or Pegawai Hal Ehwal Islam (PHEI). Non-Muslims will be separated to their respective religions and will be led by any respective religious associations from out of the camp. It is obligatory for Muslim trainees to attend Maghrib and Isyak congregational prayers at the Surau every night, though this is rarely observed by the majority of the trainees, which received high criticism by the ustaz and ustazah.

Miscellaneous:
The camp has its own MySpace page, and a group in Friendster.

According to a cikgu the camp is rated as a 4-star camp, which facilities could accommodate 300 to 400 trainees at one time. Currently for the third batch (kumpulan) there are only 87 trainees reporting. Separate that into 4 companies, there would be only 20 person for each company, and if the wira and wirawati are divided equal, there would be only 10 male and 10 female in one company. That's sad.

A part of the series of PLKN notes, still in completion process.

Syukrishairi.

clickr your way

there are little updates working down here at flickr...well check them out if you're bored..or hungry or feeling a little stressed out because of boredom and hunger.

update hari ini

Aus and Apit came over to my house after Isyak, all the way from Kg Melayu Subang with their motorbikes, haha. Exchanged some shocking news about the camp after I was gone, then gave them a look at some of the pictures captured during the heydays lah. Now it's my turn to pay them a visit.

I really loved the sweater I brought just now! AB & Joe suddenly turned to shopping freaks (which is kind of against their nature) so they dragged me together with AB's friend, Kari, to Bukit Raja after having our lunch at Nasi Ayam Pak Mal in Section 11 (not really a lunch for me, I had mine and just ordered ABC).

Then, it's the usual with Syafiq J at the surau for Isyak, except that I met Abduh (AB...budak ni la yg same mcm Kari tu) who also exchanged stories (it's the usual thing people do nowadays).

Teh tarik at Syed is always the best, but really the service there sucks. Happened many times - at all times - it took one of the mapley up to five minutes (that's long!) to take our order during our breakfast (Haziq, Izwan, Mad, Uzair, Edzmir - brunch for me), and if you sit at weird, isolated (relatively) places, it'll take longer before you start your waving and..anything else.

But for the sake of the delightful teh tarik, yeah you're forgiven.

I searched for a Turkish restaurant in town and found one - right down there smacked in Jalan Doraisamy in KL. Yeah, right. If it's worth it to drive all the way to have a scrumptious Firin Sutlac (rice pudding) similar to those found in, at least Beyazit, then I'm all set.

I'm really happy to be reminded (I nearly forgotten it, yes!) that I still have extra cash in Bank Pertanian, thanks to.........PLKN!! haha. hu huuu....

*lagu wira wirawati negara plays in the background*

that's it. off for now :D

mid-June update

I find it ironic to not having updates in my blog these days, I mean, seriously; time sekolah dulu bukan main, skrg yg bile dh ade abundant of time, xde plak ape nk tulis. We'll just give a 'haha' on that one.

I just received my PLKN certificate yesterday! Now I'm officially done with PLKN, leaving it behind as one of the most weird+unforgettable memory, ever of my teenage life. well.

I don't qualify my days these days as 'busy' - that would sound dumb as an SPM-leaver who is still not pursuing his studies, a general view of one could be 'duduk tak buat apa2 kat rumah' (though this doesn't qualify for me, at all) - I'll just say I'm preoccupied. with stuffs, you know. I mean sometimes I even got the only chance to check my MySpace/blog/Friendster/anything else by the end of the day. Or at some times, only in the beginning of the day. Or maybe not checking them at all.

the utmost important things to do right now, (behold, checklists again) are

1) to settle down the payment and fees for UiTM via Bank Islam,

2) to settle, basically, everything that needs to be prepared for my UiTM registration

3) to settle anything that needs to be settled. (wth?)

My room is in complete termoil, even bagpacks from PLKN and Istanbul are still around, with stuffs scattered nearly everywhere, with the only things that I will make sure placed at the right place are my watch, specs, wallet, and of course, handphone. I can't even find my MP3. and good thing the laptop is big enough. kalau tak, hilang jugak kot.

Together with Mad, Haziq and Uzair, I went to KLCC yesterday for the sake of checking out what's new. budak-budak ni dah pandai masuk Topshop, Marks & Spencer semua, senang sikit! God knows what were they doing for the past three months. And it seems that Gap is opening at KLCC, so, bye OU! The most important thing for me to buy right now, is, well..a pair of slippers sebenarnya. The need to buy one dates back to before SPM, but yet after 7 months I'm still wearing the same slippers - yg mmg lah sgt dh nk hancur. Tapi selamba je bwk gi Summer Splash then eventually masuk Pyramid hari tu, wakaka wth sey.

Keeping in touch with my PLKN friends is not easy. The other day I went to Fahim's house in USJ2 to check him out because people have been contacting him and eventually he's not giving a reply. In a sense, mamat ni 'hilang' la. Unfortunately when I bumped in, he's not around, so I left a note at his gate (using the trademark PLKN notebook paper). Thankfully the next day I got a call, so Fahim got his handphone broke down and lost all our numbers. So yeah. So far Aus wants to pay a visit, and I really want to meet others too! That's for the KL part - imagine those staying in Sabah, how hard could that be? So only numbers, MySpaces and Friendsters that can keep us glued, or else, things will go history.

PLKN is a silly thing because it brings people together by force, then the people in it will get mutual (not that mutual) and then after everything ends, it will drift people from another - also, nonchalantly, by force.

weird thing, I say.

I spotted some damn good books yesterday, some very, very good jeans and shirts and right now I want a really good jazz CD! and other new CDs too, argh. In need for a good event, too. No, not movies. A show la, ape2 ke. That'd be nice. & currently I have some other roadtrip plans in mind, to ________, _________ or ___________, haha. tp kne la tgk situation dulu & nk mintak restu dr big boss, that is ayah & mama.

nk kne hntr kereta pg service dulu la tp.

ok time's up!

the ogre failed to impress, this time.

There's nothing interesting about Shrek the Third in particular, except that I (accidentally) met Nazeri with (who I think is) his girlfriend after the movie has finished - apparently he was sitting right behind me for the whole movie and I didn't realise it at all! Nazeri was a friend from PLKN anyway which finished once and for all last Saturday.

As a Shrek fan myself, the movie disappoint me a bit. Not that there's nothing to be talked about, but for me this time Shrek slips down to a run-of-the-mill type of movie, ordinary with just little scenes of laughter (compared to the first and second movie). However strong voice contributors (Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Justin Timberlake) can keep this movie on and on in the cinemas, though I think as the school holidays has ended, the movie has kind of lost its target audience and will probably go downhill.

Quite surprising because as I always did, I set my expectations low. Anyhow it's lightly enjoyable, with the side characters there to save the day (by being funnier). Spoofs of fairy tales are not really working this time, anyhow. I just can say that, if Shrek the Third is a good movie, Shrek 1 & 2 are way, much better. So in other words, the producers failed to retain the much highly-appraised previous movies.

You've failed me, green guy!

Istanbul: Chart-toppers

Taste for the tongue,
1. Rice pudding (best eaten cold)
2. Apple tea
3. Baklava (very, very sweet type of dessert toppled with crispy bread at the top, honey and nuts at the bottom)
4. Lemon juice
5. Lokum (sweet marshmallow-shaped Turkish delight)
6. Kadayif (moderately-sweet, but sometimes tend to be sweeter than the baklava)
7. Kebabs
8. Fish sandwiches along Galata Bridge/the Golden Horn

Buildings
1. Sultanahmet Camii (the Blue Mosque)
2. Hagia Sophia
3. Topkapi Palace
4. buildings around Taksim Square and Istiklal Caddesi
5. Yeni Camii (the New Mosque)
6. Beyazit Camii
7. Grand Bazaar
8. Suleymaniye Camii
9. buildings around Sultanahmet and Old Istanbul

Shopping
1. the Grand Bazaar
2. the Spice Bazaar
3. Istiklal Caddesi

Price range
Light Coke YTL 0.95 to YTL 4
Rice Pudding YTL 3 to 4.50
Lokum from YTL 8 per kilo
Baklava from YTL 10 per kilo
Lemon juice from YTL 1
Building model souvenirs can be as low as YTL 6 for the minimum size
Entry to Hagia Sophia YTL 10
Entry to Topkapi Palace YTL 10
Entry to the Palace Harem YTL 10
Tram YTL 1.30
Taxi to/from Airport YTL 30 minimum.
Scarves can go as low as YTL 5.
Kebabs can go from YTL 1.50
McDonald's sundae ice-cream YTL 1

Essentials
1. Hagia Sophia
2. Blue Mosque
3. Topkapi Palace
4. Grand Bazaar
5. Istiklal Caddesi

Buy
1. clothing/fabric/silk
2. tea/spice/fruits
3. Turkish Delight
4. ceramic/glassware/antiques
5. jewellery/leather

there is no use of bringing tripods if you're visiting Hagia Sophia and Topkapi because visitors aren't allowed to do so. however, Turkish people love their picture to be taken, but you know the rules, just don't over do it. One of the best things to do in Istanbul during the summer months is people-watching, sit at any square and you'll see many, many, many faces - very unique and beautiful ones and if you have a pretty good lens, you'll never tired of clicking. :)

istanbul: updates

fourth day in Istanbul.

AB is forcing me to update something..but...I'm out of idea!

Hm , just a scratch.

Visited Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia on Thursday,

visited the Grand Bazaar on Friday morning, had my Friday prayer at Beyazit Mosque then went strolling around Taksim, Istiklal Caddesi (shopping street similar to Oxford Street, Champs Elysees, Bahnofstrasse, Bukit Bintang...etc etc, you get it) and Galata, then watched the sun set down to the Golden Horn, Maghrib at Yeni Camii (literally New Mosque) besides the Spice Bazaar, then more picture-taking at the Blue Mosque (again) and areas around Hagia Sophia and Sultanahmet.

After I had my first rice pudding experience at an eaterie near our hotel, we returned to our room because 10.30 PM is just late.

This morning we set off for the Grand Bazaar again, then down to the Spice Bazaar to buy loads of Turkish Delights of many flavors. Among other things such as headscarves, fabrics, ceramic stuffs etc etc.

Then here I am, updating. wee! ('malas' version of an interesting journey, really).

Mind you that I'm travelling under budget, so..souvenirs are most likely to be limited. There are loads and loads of beautiful stuffs to be bought especially at the Grand Bazaar and (sadly) Istiklal Caddesi, with 3,000 shops available at the Grand Bazaar itself, selling everything from jewellery to ornate carpets to the high-end shops at Taksim.

AB's Mom is very, very helpful. Shopping with her makes things easier (and cheaper) - she really knows how to shop and make the shopkeepers drop - her bargaining skills nailed every shopkeeper we met. Anyway, do look for bargains if you come this way to Istanbul, and know your Turkish vocab to make things easier, and yes, they will know if you're a Malaysian and eventually everybody will say that they've been to Malaysia before. Some even went as far as they just got here from a flight from Kuala Lumpur last night.

But the real Turkish people are very, very kind. They love their pictures to be taken, they love tourists, and eventually they love the Lira as much as we do. Turkish are stylish lot, everyone, a hijabi or not, young and old fits in the picture..and here in this crossroads of two continents and a bridge between to seas, everything translates as beautiful.

Well, as they say, time stops here in Istanbul.

Four more days to home, there is still much to explore in this rich yet humble city. The seat of the once great Ottoman Sultans, the Topkapi palace is yet to be visited, maybe tomorrow. Then I'll just say that my essentials of Istanbul has completed, though one's journey to Istanbul is never complete - one would come again here and yet again explore new things - which is why AB's family as been visiting this city at least once a year since 1997 (though the only one yg mmg nmpk excited is mak AB je sbnrnye)

I haven't taste the baklava yet..and maybe some of the fruits..and maybe some more of their tea (cay) varieties..and maybe...nargileh? (read: shisha) haha. kidding. I like the chocolate ice cream here too, even the McD ones are tasty..and the light coke is not so radical..well in a way..tasty lah jugak to be compared with ours.

That's it lah kot, AB and Izzat is trying out the new ubat jerawat we found out down at the Spice Bazaar..it's traditional..and it's kapur barus..our room right now smells as some hantu just passed by..scary.

I asked for a whitening one. That one scared off the girl shopkeeper.
"WHY?? why would you want to whiten your skin? I always want my skin to be tanned!"

"Like this?!" (I'm pointing to my arms at this part)

mcm2 hal lah.

Apparently my skin, which is the darkest skin complexion around (family AB semua putih) except when there's any Black tourists around, is the most desirable skin tone by the people here. Huhu!

The world's greatest lie would be that there is no pictures captured to accompany the babblings above. But as I'm updating from Izzat's computer and unfortunately I'm lazy, so editing the pictures at my computer, choosing the right ones, cropping them and then resizing them then transfer them to Izzat's computer seems too much for the moment, I'm recommend checking AB's blog for pictures from my camera and Izzat's camera. That's because AB is rajin enough to upload the very big pictures using a Turkish languange (yes) version of Blogger.

ok lah, dah habis. next time!

Syukrishairi.

Istanbul, Turkey.