New Orleans August 2001 - before 9/11 and Katrina

Am home again and it has been a restful Saturday so far after yesterday's hectic rush culminating in a buffet dinner with my staff and their families. A pleasant affair with nice food. I attempted my sister-in-laws Anis' ROJAK TAHU with very hot garlicky sauce and it was the first item cleared up! What a grand success.

Woke up rather early despite last night's late end. A marathon four-hour plus of Sharifah Aini, Cristian Castro, Luis Miguel and Russell Watson -The VOICE (listen to him sing Saylon Dola or Panis Angelicus - it'll make the hair on your back stand - O RES MIRABILIS! For someone so young he's giving the Three Tenors a good run for their money!! Look out Roberto Alagna, and Andrea Bocelli, eat your heart out ...), while I had my breakfast, flipped through my morning papers (more Fujimori witch hunt, what else ) and my new acquisitions of Architectural Digest, National Geographic, Deepak Chopra's latest book AND an updated English translation of the Koraan (all of which acquired at Houston George Bush Airport); did the rest of my unpacking, inspected the new growths in my garden, and just pottered around with darling Toby at my heel. Isn't that what being home is all about ?

I flew back Friday night after a most pleasant break in New Orleans. Just what I needed after months of awful weather here. Over there it was just like in Malaysia - hot, humid and it rained buckets most afternoons. I never knew I would welcome a change to such weather when in KL I would hate it. See what Lima can do to you!

I walked so much and did most things expected of visitors to New Orleans - did the swamp (bayou) tour and fed the alligators marshmallows and chicken meat. Visited an old plantation and felt like Rhett Butler strutting around in one of them grand ole wooden villas. Ate okra and chicken gumbos and seafood jambalaya and various Creole dishes, drowned with non-alcoholic daiquiris. Cruised down the Mississippi in a grand old paddled steam boat. Stayed up late and listened to endless jazz bands while I had my meals. Visited awesome, rather kitch cemeteries. Toured the posh old residential with them grand houses. Stayed in an elegant french-style courtyard hotel (the Maison Dupuy) in the French Quarters (that seved the most wonderful breakfast). Saw a contemporary French movie (with Gerard Depredieu no less!). Scoured the French and the flea market, real humid and hot there. Watched a jazzy funeral procession. Took pictures of the many live human sculptures everywhere (what an occupation pretending to be a statue!). And many more things including shopping of course! I even went to a dinner concert by one Danny O'Flaherty in an Irish pub and enjoyed it thoroughly and got an autographed CD at that. I really had a wonderful time in New Orleans, tired feet, rain and all. People were friendly and the mood was always festive .

I began my holiday with a one-night and full-day stay in Houston and that was most pleasant as well (but neither George Bush Senior nor the President was there to greet me on arrival! Their loss !!!). Houston was such a huge, modern cosmopolitan city not for walking so I was driven around by a Vietnamese who had spent time in the refugee camp in Pulau Bidong, an economic refugee from Ghana who ran off with my US$5 change, a bearded and 'fezzed' Pakistani 'brother' in full jelabah (!!) who insisted on driving me pass the local mosque, an Irish and finally an Italian-Croat.

During the one hour fight from Houston to New Orleans, our plane hit an air pocket and we took a huge dip. Passangers' drinks including my non-alcoholic Bloody Mary (Virgin Mary lah) landed everywhere including on the ceiling. My young and very, very vain Amish neighbour just could not get over his slightly soiled crisp cotton pants and mean haircut!! O VANITY THOU! Aero Continental was profusely apologetic (not their fault what) and offered everyone dry cleaning vouchers. Now that's what I call service .

I must have brought the sun back from Louisiana and Texas because yesterday was a brilliant sunny day and today looks like the same. I could have had a garden party yesterday. No plans for the weekend, there are plenty of food left from last night. Only a massage appointment and I should take my car out for a spin to warm the underused engine. Tomorrow I may scour the antique shops and look for an old Spanish wooden chest or a European commode that my new Architectural Digest had inspired me .

Nice weekend everyone, and please write soon.

I wrote this to my friends on 1st September 2001 while I was living in Peru, after coming home from a week's holiday in New Orleans, USA. Ten days later terrorists blew up the Twin Towers in New York. The world, and visiting the US have never been the same again since then..... And New Orleans had since then been totally devastated by KATRINA! Wonder what it is like today!

Video: Ancient Roman ruins & temples in Baalbek (Heliopolis) - Lebanon

I spent a week's holiday in Lebanon in December 2008 and one of the highlights was a visit to the ancient Roman ruins and temples in Baalbek, which is one of the most beautiful and probably under visited ancient Roman ruins anywhere.

Here's a video made from the photos I took, with accompanying music by Beethoven.

Sarajevo Soujourn

I just spent a most pleasant six-day break in Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina. What a charming city, with many places to see and visit within and around it as well as in other parts of the country. The weather was excellent except for an afternoon rain during my outing in Mostar, which did not dampen my visit to the place, especially the famous bombed bridge now newly rebuilt. The country had had a tragic recent history and is now consolidating itself with a myriad of problems. Let us hope it will succeed in becoming a successful developed nation. There are so many attraction in the country, not least the recent discovery the Bosnian Pyramids of the Sun which is now struggling to get international and UNESCO recognition. The ultimate recognition of these monuments will surely change world archaeological history as they are believed to be even older than the Egyptian and other pyramids in other parts of the world. I had the privilege of being guided personally around some of the pyramid sites by its hard-working and determined founder Dr. Sam Semir Osmanagih who is zealously working towards the excavation and recognition of these enormous moments.

I love the atmosphere of Sarajevo with its street cafes and quaint shops and Ottoman mosques and a very mixed of Islamic and Christian architecture. The Bosnians are an extremely good-looking lot of people, reserved and friendly at the same time. Once identified as Malaysian I often get a barrage of compliments what a great country Malaysia was, our people, our soldiers and of course our very dear Tun Mahathir. They truly acknowledged us as a country that came to their unconditional assistance during the difficult times. During Friday prayer at a mosque near Mostar I heard the imam mentioned 'Malaysia' in his sermon which was in Bosnian. My guide and driver Dennis later told me that the imam was quoting Malaysia's tough, unflinching stand on drugs possession/smuggling to the congregation! I was also glad to visit a mosque we built in Sarajevo.
Art were in abundance in Bosnia and I came home with six paintings including one by Bosnia’s most famous artist Mersad Berber, whose revered paintings I would be very hesitant to buy outside of the country because of their high prices. I also received a Chinese ink-brush painting said to cost USD1500 from a Malaysian businessman based in Sarajevo introduced to me by my host. Alhamdullilah! He must have been impressed by my zest for (and hopefully knowledge of) paintings and art!

My charming and generous host and hostess Zul and Hawa really took good care of me, providing a very wide-raging and interesting programme. I was happy to also catch up with my dear ex-colleague Jasmina with whom I had dinner twice in two charming retaurants

Sarajevo (and Bosnia) is really worth a visit. It took me a while to decide to visit because of the limited flight connection; it is only recently available directly from Zurich. Sadly, there were only 26 passengers out of Zurich in the 64-seat BH carrier, 16 got of at Banja Luka and only 10 including myself flew on to Sarajevo. My flight out of Sarajevo had 18 passengers and it picked up another 13 in Banja Luka making a final total of 31 passengers. No wonder the fare was comparatively high. I was told that in summer there are more visitors and in fact Sarajevo is a fast growing tourist destination and has been listed by Lonely Planet as the 43rd greatest city on Earth.
I really wish the country well.

An afternoon with Roger Federer

A Swiss company with an operation in Penang, of which Roger Federer is its ambassador, invited me to an afternoon with the world tennis champion today. Federer arrived in a white Rolls Royce and spent an hour talking to some 200 specially-selected fans about himself and his career. He spoke in Swiss-German and I only got glimpses of his story through my friend Heinz.

I declined to stay on for the photo, autograph-signing and mingling session though. The General Manager's wife promised to get me a personal autograph from Federer. Heinz stayed back to get autographs for the many people who had asked him to.

Federer came across as very friendly, modest and charming; probably rare qualities in world-class personalities of his stature. I may yet meet him up-front one day - I have a bet with my colleague in Madrid who gets to personally meet the current tennis champions, Fedrerer and Spanish Rafael Nadal, first. At the moment I am leading I think...

Hari Raya Aidilfitri Open House 2009

Some 150 people turned up for my Hari Raya Open House today. Hafiz made the perfect Laksa Johor, and Nasi Briyani with three complimentary dishes, all of which were greatly appreciated by my guests. Meor made cheesecakes and chocolate cakes for dessert complemented by Hari Raya cookies received from Malaysia (and Wan's famous kek lapis) and fresh fruits. Some of my Malaysian lady guests (Hazizah, Maya, Shidah, Sharifah, Nab & others) brought more cakes which really filled-up my dessert table! My Swiss guests broughts flowers and chocolates!
It was a pleasant, feel-good and heart-warming occasion blessed by the perfect weather. I could not have wished for a better Hari Raya get-together. Alhamdullilah.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri/Eid Mubarak

The Night of Lailatul Qadr (Ramadhan 2012)

In the name of God, the Benevolent, the Merciful.

1 Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Predestination.

2 Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Night of Power is!

3 The Night of Power has more blessings than a thousand months.

4 The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord, with all decrees.

5 (The night is) Peace until the rising of the dawn.

The verses above regard the Night as better than one thousand months. The whole month of Ramadan is a period of spiritual training wherein believers devote much of their time to fasting, praying, reciting the Qur'an, remembering God, and giving charity. However because of the revealed importance of this night, Muslims strive harder in the last ten days of Ramadan since the Laylat al-Qadr could be one of the odd-numbered days in these last ten (the first, third, fifth, or seventh).

There are some signs reported that Muslims should look for. It is not known whether these signs have been reported by individual astronomic observations, however Muslims have reported that these signs are present. These signs also help determine the date of the night as there are no reported hadith that mention the exact date of the night. There are different hadith describing when to look for the night. For example:
The Night of Al-Qadr is not specified to one fixed night throughout all the years. Rather, it constantly changes. So one year it could occur on the twenty-seventh night for example and on another year it could occur on the twenty-fifth night, according to Allah's Will and Wisdom. What directs us to this is the Prophet's :saw: saying: "Look for it (i.e. the Night of Al-Qadr) when there remain nine nights, when there remains seven nights, or when there remains five nights (i.e. 21st, 23 rd, 25th, 27th and 29th)."
According to a book, the following signs are evident

1. The sun rises early in the morning without rays.
2. Rain may fall either during the night or during the day of that night.
3. During night the sky will be lightly foggy.
4. The sky will be slightly lighted without reflections and without rays.
5. The angels and Gabriel all descend down onto earth for many purposes.

May Allah SWT grant all our doas and prayers. Amin!

In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, most Merciful

Undoubtedly, We sent it down in the blessed and valuable night,
And what you know, what the blessed night is?
The blessed and valuable night is better than a thousand nights,
Therein descend angels and Jibrail by the command of their Lord for every affair,
That is all peace till the rising of dawn.