Friends...

Salaam. Surprisingly, my last post seemed to draw more attention than the other previous posts, especially to some people who are genuinely close to me, God bless them. Actually, you know what...that post was written on the spur of the moment...when I was momentarily lost in my emotions...lost my cool, so to speak...and I was caught on the post! Hahahah...I guess those people suddenly saw a side of me they probably never saw before, and I don't know if that is good or bad.

Nonetheless friends, I am okay. As I said it was just a one-off event when I threw all caution and care to the wind. No big deal. But the response to the post showed me one thing though. When friends come up to me and say,"Hey..what is all that post about? You wanna talk about it? Are you okay? I am here for you okay..." it showed me just how true friends go out of their way to support you in moments when you just feel down and alone. They don't only leave it on the comment box, considering I only had 1 comment, but they call, and/or actually speak to me personally. That is great...and cool.

And in the end, it is the human relationships, human emotions, the nitty gritty events of everyday living, that strikes at the human heart, that brings people together - a shared moment, comrades in hardship so to speak.

But the real lesson that I get here is...wow! am I lucky to have some very good friends around me....thanks guys...you are a gem!

When things get too much...

Salaam, sometimes life simply sucks! Of people breaking promises to us, of people who do not mean what they say, of people betraying our emotions.

What does one do in moments of harsh reality like these? You feel like lashing out, but to whom? Nobody is there to listen to our lashings. You only end up in frustrated tears, and a heart that feels betrayed, hurt beyond repair.

But time heals, and God is always there. Sometimes, one just has to remember that it is He in the first place who puts all these trials before us...and it is only He Who can repair these damages. One just has to be patient as to when God decides to heal it all.

As for now...life goes on...and you know what, I think so should I...

Yeah...we made it!

Salaam, you know what? I am very excited to write this blog. Today, it was raining when I reached school at 7.30 am, a bit late, due to the extra heavy traffic jam because of the rain. By all accounts I was late, since I had to bring my Lower Secondary Science Team for the District Level Inter school Science Quiz. As soon as I made it to school, I jumped out of my car, dashed to the school foyer where my 3 + 1 team members were already waiting. They were Rahupathy, Ng Shang Ying, Arvinraaj and reserve, Pravin.

We had to go to Sm(P) Kapar, which was quite a distance from ACS, and with the rain and traffic jam I was worried I could not make it by 8 am. However, I comforted myself with the thought that other participants would be late too in this kind of weather; so they would probably start off the quiz at a later time too.

True enough, by the time we reached the school in the real downpour, we were obviously not the last. And my prediction that the quiz would start of later was true - it finally started at 9.15 am. So, whilst waiting, I sat with the boys and started asking Rahupathy who was seated next to me some general questions...like the virus which causes SARS, the meaning of SARS, the scientific name for man, the component of the blood that is used in the test for determining HIV, World Kidney day, number of human chromosomes and a few other. One or two of these questions I managed to forward to the other 3 students as well.

Once again, as in previous years, I was one of the marking team after the test for all participants ended 30 mins from its commencement. So, it followed that I got access as to which school would go to the finals. Previously, ACS lost out to a chance question when it tied marks with another school, and so was ousted from the 5th finalist line up.

Again, this year, I was apprehensive when the judges said there was a tie for the sixth place. O no! not again, I had specifiically hand picked my team members this year, really they were the creme de la creme of science in the school. And I had given them workbooks to do their revision and test their skills during the 1 week midterm break. I was determined this time not to be frustrated by sheer bad luck.

Thank God, it turned out that the 2 finalist involved were not from ACS. On the contrary, we had scored the second highest marks! I was hopeful.

Hurrying back to where my students were, I slowly let out the good news and told them we had scored second position. One of the team members was a bit jittery, so I told him we can beat the others and make it to the top. He turned around and asked me, "All I need to do is be relaxed, right teacher?". The poor sweet boy. It was no joke for him ...the idea of representing the school! I simply nodded and patted him on the shoulder for encouragement and moral support.

The team from SMK Kuang Hua, who was the leading team, was a real tough contender, obtaining a perfect score of 6. But then, so were the gentlemen of ACS. I was getting excited and anxious at the same time. It finally came down to a draw for us - once again, but this time a fight for 1st place. Each 1st member had answered correctly, then the 2nd member of the rival school managed to give an extra mark for her team. Then, our 2nd team member was asked, "What component in our blood is used to detect HIV?" O my God, I had asked the question to Rahupathy earlier on...but not to the other 2 members. Alas, he did not know the answer...and so we lost by 1 mark to SMK Kuang Hua...and came second.

But it was a good match, we were up against a worthy opponent. ACS has not won these past years, and I am so thankful, at least, my team members have retained our honour as one of the premier schools in this state. Coincidentally, whilst my team was out battling for the prestige and honour of ACS, in school a celebration was going on to celebrate the school's 115th birthday. A day to remember indeed.

And so, still in the mood of celebrating our victory, I took the boys for a treat at KFC, Teluk Pulai. They were good boys, and from my conversations with them, they all had parents who are caring and nurturing. These boys remind me of my own 2 boys... I hope that they too will do their school proud before they leave one day.

And so, next Monday, I will announce this good news during assembly. Well done boys!! Way to go ACS...

Taking a breather

Mevlana Nasruddin was supposedly a wise, but somewhat cynical religious scholar who the Turkishc people claim to have lived in Turkey. His popularity and wise words have had many nations to claim him as their once upon a time citizen. Anyway, here is something which I would like to share to show his wittiness and sharp mind.

Once Nasruddin was asked his age. He answered, "I am 40." The man who asked him that question, then said, "I thought you said that a few years ago?"
Nasruddin answered,"Yes that shows how consistent my answers always are"

I love his answer....hehehehehe

Unforgettable Turkey -Day 6: Cappadocia -Ankara-Bolu

Early morning, on 6th day, the sympathetic smile on Enis's face, left me despondent. It looked like the weather was not on our side. It was once again, finally confirmed that we wouldn't be flying the hot air balloon over Cappadocia. If that is the Will of God, then I accept that there must be some wisdom behind it. My only regret is that, I have been told that this hot air balloon ride is one of the cheapest of balloon rides over the world. O well...I wasn't going to let one disappointment (albeit a major one) bring my spirits down.

That morning, we made a slight detour. Instead of heading straight to Ankara, we went first to the Caravanserai that we missed 2 days before. Mashaallah! You know what, the place really brought be back in time, more like towards the medieval times (or maybe even earlier). And, strangely, looking back at the photos, I think I was even dressed for the occasion! Okay, a bit about this caravanserai...

This Caravanserai - The Aksaray Kayseri Caravanserai was one of the stops that was built during the Silk Route era, this one in particular was built in the Seljuk Dynasty. It served as a free stopover for weary traveling tribes, with each individual provided with 100g of meat for each of the 3 days maximum that he/she was allowed to stay over. Although it was built in the 14 century, but one marvels at the safety system of the place. The doors would open in the morning, and closed at night. The safety system insisted that each traveler wrote a report of all their personal goods to the officers in charge, and prior to leaving, all those items would be rechecked. Any damages to their goods would be redeemed. This particular caravanserai did not allow animals into the sleeping quarters, although there were some in which the animals bunked together with their owners - mainly for shared warmth. The place resembled some form of dormitory lifestyle - communal kitchens, conference room,a mosque(mescid in Turkish) in the centre. This particular serai could fit to about 100 individuals, which meant that if a tribe contained 25 strong, then at any particular point, there would be about 4 tribes stopping over.

I was really brought back in time, feeling myself pulled back into the times of those travelling tribes that once must have stopped at some point in this Serai. The relics were still in comparatively good shape, with pigeons making their homes there now. The cold wintry weather and the bleak grey skies added to my sense of imagination as to how those travellers appreciated this kind of stop over just to rest and recuperate, not forgetting to socialise; after spending days on the silk route. I was mersmerised, really getting a feel of the place as it once might have been in all its glory centuries ago...come share this moment with me to go back in time..

The signboard with a brief history of this Caravanserai

The bus stops in front of the caravanserai fort wall

The walls surrounding the caravanserai

the entrance to the Caravanserai

The walls surrounding the inside of the caravanserai

Certainly they were not as happy-go-lucky as this madam!

View from the archway

Presumably once used to wash the hands?

Mosque at the centre of the Caravanserai

Stairs leading to the Prayer Hall of the mosque

The separate sleeping quarters

From here on, we started our journey towards Ankara. I realised then, from looking at the map we were on our second half of our journey - homeward bound. But as yet there was still much to be seen and captured. I was certainly looking forward to visiting the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

Houses few and far between en route to ankara

Bleak empty vastland -wonder if much has changed from those caravanserai days

With vast open lands like this, a stop-over would be heaven sent!

Modern day amenities - stopover for petrol... and toilet!toilet!toilet!

In Ankara we stopped for lunch at a restaurant which was built in1961. After lunch, we headed for a nearby mosque to pray zohr/asr. The water was chillingly cold right to the bone. If I had never lived in UK before I would certainly have freaked out.

View of the restaurant where we had lunch in Ankara

The mosque in Ankara where we prayed zohr/asr

The surrounding, the weather, reminded me so much of Salford in late Autumn!

After prayer we went straight into Ankara, where we visited the Mustapha Kamal Mausoleum. The place was impressive; the museum portraying the various aspects of his life was educational. The picture gallery that portrayed his victory into transforming Turkey to what it is today, a fully secular muslim nation, tells the sad tale of the end of the Muslim Caliphate. Unfortunately for us, his success meant the End of the Glorious Days of Islamic Caliphate. Looking at the lifestyle of the caliphs and kings, it was understandable for Mr. Kamal to want to rid the country of their powers and influence. But unfortunately he went too far I think in totally wiping out the Islamic culture, up to having the Islamic alphabets changed to the Turkish alphabets, and having the azaan be recited in Turkish. His approach of uniting Turkey under one united nation seemed to appeal to the young, who adhere to his teachings (there is even a book for the youngsters to refer to - The Attaturk Doctrine so to speak) with no questions asked. This is such a pity, because Mr, Kamal, in his zeal to rid of the errant final Caliph, went overboard so as to totally overlook the true Islamic principles, which will not only unite the nation, but also has the potential to unite the world! And by prohibiting Islam to be practised freely, he has deprived the Turkish populace for so long from the opportunity to understand the beauty of fundamental Islam. At least this is my opinion. In trying to 'free' Turkey from the clutches of affluent caliphs, he had imprisoned the minds of the youngsters from understanding and opening up to the real beauty of true Islam. Well....at least that is what I think.
Anyway, looking at his tomb, and the heavily protected grounds of this mausoleum, I reach the conclusion that in the end, he too, was nearly as affluent as the last caliphs of the Ottoman Empire. Hmmm... Looking at the guards that protect his tomb, I pity Mr. Kamal, even in death he had to be protected...from whom I wonder? Alas, no pictures were allowed in the museum buildings.
Interestingly enough, we met fellow tourists from Ezmir and got the chance to snap some photos with the local people Turkey visiting the mausoleum.

Entering Ankara City - Attaturk 's City

Mr. Kamal's last words

A view from the outside

Real life guards watching over the entrance and exit - as stiff as dummies -except for the faintest smiles when photos of them were taken!

entrance

...exit

The tomb where Attaturk is laid to rest

The sober surroundings within the mausoleum

Hello...is this little Missy trying to liven things up a bit? hmm...

The view surrounding the mausoleum - museums and galleries

The mausoleum from outside

To give an idea of how vast the compound is

Inscriptions outside the mausoleum

Ancient Egyptian drawings decorate the walls outside the mausoleum.

Flowers arranged to make up the map of Turkey outside the grounds

Meeting up with some local tourists

Late evening we finally made it to Bolu, one final stop en route to Istanbul. That will be in the next post okay.

Unforgettable Turkey Day 5 - after lunch

Day 5 proved to be a long, fulfilling day, many places of interest to visit. I like it this way, we were spending 2 nights in Cappadocia, so there was at least one day of no rush visiting and sight seeing.

Anyway, after lunch, we were taken to visit a pottery family manufacturer which runs back to as far as 200 years ago. The guide who gave us the brief preview of his family business was Saim, and the ?potterer? was his brother Sadi, whilst the painters on duty when we came were Ibrahim and somebody whose name I simply missed. Very interesting insight to their family business, and Saim presented in a very friendly style. According to him, their family policy is ..."You break, you make". Cute...

Family pottery industry - underground factory

Interestingly, the potter factory is situated in a cave and when the clay is shaped, it is first left in the cave for 60 days, in cave temperature (completely missed the temperature). After that time, it is glazed at 200C for 16 hours. From then on, the designs are made, hand printed mind you. The more popular designs are tulips (popular because the flowers appear to be like the spelling of ALLAH in Arabic). The Tree of Life and butterfly designs are also popular.

Saim explaining while Sadi works on

Sadi showing off his expertise

A demonstration by Sadi

Ibrahim painting designs on a clay plate

The artists - unperturbed by our presence

Alas, these beautiful crafts are simply too expensive... ( and appear more so after the crazy gem shopping earlier). I don't think any one of us bought anything here. But the beautiful colourful vases are really a sight to behold.

Ornamental clay design - not just vases and plates ok!

They come in themes too - turquoise blue pottery...beautiful!

Proof that we've been here..okay?

The clay plates with an assortment of beautiful designs to feast the eyes

They come in frames too!

From the pottery house, we proceeded to Pasa Bag (pronounced with a silent/soft G - in Turkish alphabet it has a hyphen on top of the G). This is where you will find the open museum. The view - simply breathtaking. Very quiet little village, the open museum displays natural rock formation as is typical around Cappadocea. Simply unique - one just has to be there to appreciate its beauty. Honestly, I find it very difficult to express its beauty which complements its serene atmosphere. To me, it has a therapeutic feel to it - stilling and easing away all emotional tension and pressures, as you are slowly embraced by the silence and the majestic rocks that surround you. The long empty stretch of road, just makes you feel like talking that long walk at your own pace, leisurely...no hurries, no harrass. Personally, here was where I took time off from all mundane thoughts of the hustle and bustle of life. I think, looking at the photos, you will agree.

Breathtakingly beautiful - I am entranced!

Zelve open air museum in Pasa Bag

Picturesque view of the Open Air Museum grounds

And finally, it was yet another stop to witness the home carpet weaving industry. Unfortunately, I was so engrossed listening to the explanation as to how tedious it is to weave silk carpets, and the length of time plus energy spent on weaving a single carpet, that I totally forgot to jot the details down into my PDA. Anyway, I think the pictures taken will refresh my memories.

A brief introduction on how carpets are dyed for their colourful effects

A few samples of the dyed thread to be woven into carpets

The silk cocoon from which the silk thread are spun for silk carpets - tedious job!

Taking a much needed breather...

Intricately weaving carpet designs just from pictures as guide

A show of appreciation for their expertise and hardwork

Prof being graciously led to the Gallery Showroom

Strikingly beautifully hand woven carpet - let's not mention the price ok!

Exquisite? Well...so is the cost!

Take your pick madam, silk on silk? silk on cotton?

When we eventually returned to the hotel, it was drizzling, I was famished, and all in all, it was a totally unique Turkish sightseeing experience for me on this 5th day of my Unforgettable Turkey expedition.

Uniquely enchanting Cappadocea - forever engraved in my mind!

Tomorrow we head off to Ankara, but not after visiting the historical caravanserai stop; yet another site which just simply took me back in time...All that in my next post, inshaallah.