Photo taken at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai, Johor, Malaysia.
Universal Packing List
Ever had that nagging feeling that you forgot to pack something for a very important trip? You’d go through that slip of paper where you’ve hurriedly scribbled your list of stuff to pack, check your bag a couple of times, sit down and think for a while what it is that you could have possibly forgotten to pack… and still not remember what it was. So you’re left with no choice but rush to the airport with that gnawing feeling in your heart getting worse by the minute. As the plane takes off (or lands at your destination), BOOM! That’s when you finally remember. You forgot to pack your contact lens cleaning solution. Or your universal plug adaptor. Or the charger for your mobile phone.
Sounds familiar? Well, fret no more because help is at hand. Introducing The Universal Packing List…
First, you enter the dates of your trip, then enter the maximum and minimum temperatures of your destination.
Rainy Days & Mondays
I love the rain. It brings back so many fond memories of my childhood. I love the earthy smell of the soil as it soaks up the rain. I love the sound of the raindrops on the roof, especially when it rains in the middle of the night. I love the cool breeze that it brings — such a balm to the body and soul.
Photo taken with a 3G iPhone
But I also hate the rain. As anyone who lives in KL would attest to, the intensity of the traffic snarl is directly proportional to the strength of the downpour. And because it’s the rainy season, with a heavy downpour almost everyday, you can imagine just how much I suffer during my hour-long commute home.
Photo taken with a 3G iPhone
The sad thing is, because Malaysia’s soil is clayey and with many mountains made of limestone, coupled with heavy — and heavily-criticised — real estate development on hillsides, the heavy rains often lead to landslides. And so, with the rains, comes the dreaded landslide season.
Hari Raya Aidiladha
Today, Malaysia, just like the rest of the Muslim world, celebrates the biggest Eid of all – Eid ul Adha. Locally, it’s known as Hari Raya Aidiladha or Hari Raya Haji or Hari Raya Korban. Even though the celebration for Hari Raya Aidilfitri tends to be on a grander (and prolonged) scale in Malaysia, technically, it’s Hari Raya Aidiladha that is the bigger and more important Eid.
The ‘haji‘ part of the term ‘Hari Raya Haji‘ comes from the fact that the celebration is observed after the conclusion of the Hajj, or the Muslims’ pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ‘korban‘ part of the term ‘Hari Raya Korban‘ comes from the practice of sacrificing cows, goats or sheep on that day. Interestingly enough, ‘korban‘ is not just a Malay word; apparently it is Hebrew, as well.
Hari Raya Aidiladha is actually the commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, for the sake of God. [NB: Ibrahim is Arabic for 'Abraham'.] Muslims — those who can afford it — are obliged to donate their share in the slaughter of a cow or goat. The amount varies from year to year, based on the market price of the animals, I suppose. This year, for instance, it ranges from about RM225-RM290 per portion of a cow.
Muslims celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha by going for special prayers in the morning, then proceeding with the sacrifice of the cows and/or goats.
In the surau near my house, you can see a couple of cows tied up in the premises a few days before the big day. On the day itself, the menfolk help each other out digging holes in the ground (for the blood from the neck), tying up the cows and holding down the cows during the slaughter. Certain practices are observed prior to the slaughter — such as making sure that the knife is very sharp but keeping it away from the animal’s sight, as a gesture of kindness to it. After the slaughter, the community work together in skinning the cow, then cutting up, portioning and packing the meat in plastic bags.
The community shares in the meat, with priority given to the poor. In the more well-to-do areas in KL, there have been cases of people not taking the meat, thereby forcing mosque volunteers to go around and distribute it in the neighbourhood. As a result, some Malaysians prefer to give their donations for the korban to organisations that organise the slaughtering of the animals in places like Cambodia or Mindanao, Philippines, where the people are more needy.
The only difference between the Islamic and Christian versions of the story of Abraham’s sacrifice is the son who was to have been sacrificed. While the Christians believe that it was Isaac, the Muslims believe that it was actually Ismail. The Qur’an does not state specifically which son it was, but right after the story of the intended sacrifice, there is mention of another son for Abraham (“And We gave him the good news of Ishaq – a prophet – one of the Righteous” 37:112), hence it can be deduced that it was Ismail who was meant to be ‘sacrificed’. The Bible, on the other hand, specifically mentions Isaac by name in Genesis 22:1-19 (“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Mori’ah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”).
I’m Quirky
Inspired by Caryn of Sari-Saring Kulay’s post on 10 weird and random things about her, I thought it would be fun to share with you 10 quirky things about me. (These are not arranged in any particular order, by the way.)
1. I like keep the boxes of stuff that I buy. The box for my 3-year old laptop, my D40 camera and 18-135mm lens, my Tefal Justine electric kettle. The blister pack for my Dopod 838 Pro’s leather case and some long-forgotten acne treatments. They’re all there, gathering dust in my attic. I’ll throw them out…eventually :P
2. Whenever I eat with a spoon and fork, I do my best to get a matching pair. Somehow, I feel very disturbed when I’m forced to eat with mismatched cutlery. It. Just. Bothers. Me.
3. If you peek into my wallet, you’ll see how I’ve arranged my bills from smallest to biggest, i.e. RM1 notes in front, followed by RM5, RM10 and RM50. It helps me keep track of how much cash I have left, especially since I keep a minimal amount of cash in my wallet.
4. I eat sandwiches from the outside in, i.e. I nibble on the sides first (especially if there’s crust), slowly working my way to the centre. I like to save the best for last ;)
5. I absolutely cannot stand the sound of cutlery scraping against each other. It makes all the hair on my body stand on end. Now you know how to torture me. (I’m so grateful blackboards are no longer in vogue. The sound of a fingernail scraping against a blackboard gives the same effect on me. *WINCE*)
6. I’m more partial to cold drinks because, well, hot drinks make me sweat. It’s hot and humid enough in Malaysia and hot drinks just make it worse. (But when I go to cold places, hot chocolate and tea are my best friends!) Once I’ve finished my (cold) drink, you will see me munching happily on the ice cubes. Yes, you read it right. Munching. Like people munch on potato chips. And my kids all take after this habit :)
7. Sometimes, I find something that I’ve written a few months/years back and I’d find myself saying “I wrote that?!”.
8. I always carry a nail-clipper in my bag. Sometimes, I get so busy that I forget about the smallest things, like trimming my children’s nails. And the only time I get to do it is in the morning, en route to school, in the car. Yep, I can trim nails in a moving vehicle!
9. I love to play computer games. Ever since I first discovered 3D Tic-Tac-Toe as a young girl at the Engineering Department of the university where my mother used to teach, I got hooked…and never got over computer games after that. ‘The Sims’ stole a significant number of days from my life when it was newly launched. Now, I never touch the stuff any more (or any RPG games for that matter) because I know how addicted I’d be. I also play ‘Tetris’ or ‘Bejeweled’ whenever I need to think. Somehow, my hands clicking away at the pieces clears my mind and actually gives me ideas. And the less I think about the game, the better I do at it. The moment I start thinking about how I should clear a particular level or reach a certain score, that’s when it all goes downhill. Oh yeah, and I like to play ‘Spider Solitaire’ whenever I’m on the phone and am put on hold.
10. I take photographs of anything and everything. I’ve got photos of a pair of shoes, a bleeding lizard, and pics of car accidents and burning taxis, in addition to the usual sunset pics. Just to name a few.
There. Now y’all know me better.
What about you? Do you have any quirky habits, too?
Enjoy your weekend, everyone!
About Me:
Selamat datang (welcome)!
I am Mimi -- mother, careerwoman, incidental world traveler, photography enthusiast, self-confessed gadget geek, and aspiring linguist (7 languages to date).
I'm a Filipina married to a Malaysian. Kuala Lumpur has been my home since 1993.
You may reach me at mimi[at]sleeplessinkl.com.
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