Gambar Raya hari tue...

Nie gambar pada 1 Syawal 1431 bersamaan dengan 10 September 2010..Lawak betul tengok gambar Hafiz. Tue, bukannya muka sedih sebab abah takdak..tapi muka sedih sebab berebut camera dengan mama....

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri untuk keluarga ku yg tercinta....

Vacum Bag

These are my pillows in original condition

......after 5 minutes inside vacum bag.

Smart solution isn't it..??

Open House

Celebrating Raya this year has been totally different from any Hari Raya celebration I ever had. In the country where Muslim is minority, you’ll miss the sound of azan after sometimes because there is no masjid in here. Therefore, I can only perform Sunat Tarawikh in my room the whole Ramadhan month. I know there should at least a surau here but I just couldn’t find the location. I also know that for special event like Solat Sunat Hari Raya, people in Jinhua will gather in an open area to perform the solat and listen to the khutbah.

My Chinese language is lousy so information is not that up-to-date. I thought Friday is Hari Raya and with confidence, I asked the muslim restaurant about the venue to perform the Solat Sunat Hari Raya. To my surprise, Jinhua already celebrates Raya on Thursday. My wife laughed at me when I told the incident. Ceh..!!

Anyway, my Malaysian friends plan to have a potluck as a replacement for open house. It just only 8 of us but it were fun and we really had a great time together.

Please don't mind the Tiger can...it's Desmond's house.

After we had our dinner, we were fooling around with my camera and flashgun. The result …. STUNNING….hahahhahaha… we got a few good shot to share and laugh. Experiment and experiment.

Doing something different can paint color in our life. My friends here really help me to ease the feeling being away from my family. I really do not have anything to complaint about. Comparing myself with the Pakistani that have to celebrate their Raya without house and food because of the flood. If we also take consider the never ending story of Somalia, Darfur and Palestine.. I can say I am in a far better condition compare to them. At least, I still have a cozy house and variety of food to enjoy during Hari Raya. I should be thankful to all that.

This the best picture....hehehhehehe

Penghujung..

Dah pukul 9 lebih dah nie. Mesti orang-orang kat Malaysia tengah tunggu pengumuman dari Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-raja. Esok, sehari lagi untuk berpuasa. Esok Maghrib, tinggallah Ramadhan dan muncullah Syawal. Kalau umur panjang, mungkin ada kesempatan untuk bertemu lagi di tahun hadapan.

Buat kaum Ibu, sempat lagi nak buat kuih raya  nie...hehehheeh..Di kesempatan ini, nak mengucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri kepada semua. Maaf Zahir dan Batin. Wassalam

Hangzhou, a tourist place

I went to Hangzhou (Hanjo is the pronunciation) last weekend. If we browse inside Airasia website, Hangzhou is among the popular destination offered by Airasia. You can get a flight ticket from LCCT to Hangzhou as cheap as RM400 one way.

Hangzhou is a famous tourist place. It’s just about 2 hours journey to Shanghai and Hangzhou can offer a lot of traditional place to visit. There is a Chinese say “Above there is heaven, below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou”. I’m not going to elaborate on the history of this area but Hangzhou used to be a re-treat place for Chinese Emperor during winter. Winter in Beijing is harsh but winter in Hangzhou is acceptable. Plus, Hangzhou can offer some brilliant and beautiful scenery during winter.

There are two things about Hangzhou.

1.) The silk industry
2.) The legendary Chinese tea

If you somehow plan to go to Hangzhou next time, never forget about the two important things above. Hehehehe….

Hotel is very cheap. You can get a decent 4 stars hotel in just around RM180 – RM250 per night. I came at the wrong time as Shanghai Expo really spoils the hotel price. But I managed to get a decent hotel with just RM100 only it’s just a bit far from the main attraction, which is The West Lake.

There are a lot of small green booth that we can find easily around 3km radius from West Lake. We can rent a bicycle for RM1 per hour. The best part is, you can return the bicycle at any of the green booth that you want. If you rent it from booth A, you can always return it at booth Z eventhough the two booth are so far away from each other. Only that, you need to put RM150 as a deposit and passport number before you can proceed.

 Here, Lotto has its own boutique. Even Bata also is so expensive that they say it's was made in Italy.

I went to Hangzhou with a Malaysian Chinese friend but he just surrender to wake up as early as 5.30am..so, I went to West Lake alone that morning. The picture was taken at 6.00am. The high Pagoda at the back called Leifeng. Picture can be beautiful if the sun shine that morning....urghhh...

You have to pay a small money to go inside these two places. The place open at 7.30am.

Shoalin are offering their prayer. I thought I'm gonna see some Kung Fu stuff here...but I was wrong.

This a statue of Bai Suzhen (a White Snake Princess). It got its own story.

This is what I like. I climbed the highest level of Leifeng Pagoda. The Pagoda that we see today is a result from re-building activity by the govenrment. But the Pagoda sit on the same original place. The re-built Pagoda has the same height as the original one.

This is inside the highest level of the Pagoda.

View from the top facing the road. The sky was quite hazy that day so, picture are quite dull in the sense of colour.

This one I took it on my own with the West Lake as a background.

Of cause, the Pagoda's shape is hexagon. At level 4 inside the Pagoda has a wood carving (it looks like wood, I'm not sure what it is but have seen the similiar 3D carving in Bangkok) at every corner. It is a story about the White Snake Princess . This is panel number 2, similiar to the statue that we saw earlier.

Then I took a tour (on feet) around the West Lake. The lake is so huge that it is like you're looking at open sea. In the middle of the lake, there got a causeway that cross the lake. The picture above is somewhere at the middle of the causeway.

Scenery accros the lake is pleasing. Only that, they are so many people with so many activities that in the end, there is no privacy in enjoying the scene.

Well, this Auntie seem to be disagree with me...But we share a common thing which is, Hangzhou is a clean and nice place to visit.

I always wanted to go to Hangzhou. Since I finally reached here, I think I have completed my journey in China so far. I have no wish to go anywhere else. Anything that come after this, will be a bonus for me. Lovely

Nothing Much (part 7)

Ramadhan dan Rindu

Pejam celik, pejam celik..tinggal lagi seminggu ja lagi nak sambut Hari Raya. Tak terasa masa berlalu begitu pantas. Mula-mula waktu hari pertama puasa, rasa macam lama sangat nak habis bulan Ramadhan. Tapi bila dah hujung-hujung nie, baru sedar rupa-rupanya sekejap sangat masa meninggalkan kita. Moga kita ambil iktibar sebanyak yang mungkin buat pedoman untuk hidup.

Tahun nie terasa Ramadhan sedikit panjang. Sebabnya, duduk berjauhan dengan keluarga. Dari sehari ke sehari terasa lambat sangat masa berlalu. Bila masa terasa lambat, maknanya diri sedang merindui isteri dan anak-anak laa jawabnya….nak buat macam mana, hidup bukanlah miskin sangat tapi hati kaya dengan kasih sayang..hehhehehe...

Bila dikenang balik, rasa macam tak terbalas pengorbanan seorang isteri kepada suami. Betapa mulianya seorang isteri bila diwajah nampak biasa dan redha terhadap kepergian suami. Sedangkan dalam hati hanya Tuhan yang tahu. Itulah sokongan yang aku dapat dari isteri aku. Diwajah dia penuh senyum waktu aku nak ke China sepanjang Ramadhan. Tak sikit pun berganjak memberikan sokongan kat aku supaya aku dapat terus fokus pada kerja sedangkan dia melayan anak-anak bertiga tuh tanpa mengadu pun kat aku. Tak terbalas…sangat tidak terbalas.

Hati tersentuh bila Hadi dah pandai urut belakang Mama bila waktu tengok tv. Hazwan plak, pandai mengurut kaki Mama. Paling tidak, letih Mama jadi kurang disebabkan ihsan anak-anak. Hafiz seperti biasa, suka mengemas rumah. Seronok dengar cerita telatah anak-anak dari mulut isteri. Rasa nak pulang secepat mungkin ke Malaysia.

Takpa, 2 minggu ja lagi…

Rindu kat Mama

Rindu kat dua orang nie...

Last sekali, rindu kat budak bulat nie...hehhehhehe

Perkembangan terbaru, anak-anak aku dah pandai video call dah...bagus jugak kan..

Fu Tien, Yiwu

I went to Fu Tien last weekend. It’s a mega huge shopping complex in Yiwu. First, we took a taxi to Tung Chan (RMB 7). Then we took a bus to Nan Fang Lien, Yiwu (RMB 16). The journey took about 1 hour or so. From Nan Fang Lien, we took a taxi again to Gate A, Fu Tien (RMB 17).

I got my own reasons to include all the figures and places along the journey. Simply because I think I can start a business if I bring back lots of goodies from Fu Tien to Malaysia. Like I said before, Fu Tien is super huge and from my perspective, its like 5 or 6 times the size of One Utama in Malaysia. Inside, they are a lot of things that you can buy in bulk from as simple as hair comb till as complicated as machinery hardware.

In here, the deal will always in Chinese language. If you are a foreigner, you need to hire an agent to get the deals done. The agent can be found anyway in Fu Tien. Look for any Chinese that can speak fluent English with business card in his hand, then that should be your agent. This agent will help you with all the translation and negotiation but don’t trust him 100%. The agent also will find a shipping company for you to get your goodies back to Malaysia. When the goodies have arrived in Malaysia, then you need to have another plan to collect the goodies from Port Kelang. As for now, my information is limited due to my experience. I put all this information in this entry for my future reference.

At he front gate : Gate A

The is where I was at the Gate A. Just look at the whole area stretch to the back. So huge..

These are among  things that we can buy here. Believe me, all the stuf here is so cheap that I'm having a hard time to convince myself how cheap it is..

The educational toys

The robot.

The silver jewel for women

and of course, the camera shop as well

My friend almost bought this beautiful sword.

Pictures that I uploaded are among thousand of goodies that I can find in Fu Tien. There are many more pictures that are still in my keep.

I found a malay friend from Malaysia when I visited Yiwu a few weeks back. She was with her husband and a daughter. She was there to buy "few things" for her wedding boutique in Ampang. When she said she will use a container to bring all the stuff back to Malaysia, immediately I know that her transaction that day couldn't be less than RM50k but she said, the profit from the business is enormous. I wish, I could have my own business in the near future.

10 malam terakhir

Dah masuk 20 Ramadhan dah...tak lama lagi, bulan mulia nie akan meninggalkan kita. Mungkin kalau kita ada rezeki, tahun depan kita jumpa lagi. Bulan yang memberikan banyak gandaan pahala untuk kita. Ampunan, rahmat dan pelepasan dari api neraka.

10 malam terkahir nie ada satu malam yang ditunggu-tunggu oleh mukmin. Lailatul Qadar...malam yang lebih baik dari seribu bulan. Kalau dikenang-kenang balik, Ramadhan kali ini aku tak consistent dan jauh dari suasana ibadat. Yang penting, jangan putus mengharapkan rahmat Allah dan teruskan usaha. Insya Allah, adalah balasan baik dari Dia.

Life in Holy Month

Celebrating Ramadhan in Jinhua is not that bad at all. Surrounded by Malaysian community, which is just so close from one another making it, all feel like Malaysia again. Weekend will be the time when we all get to join and Iftar together. Sometimes, at one of the Malaysian house and some other times, we just have it at halal restaurant.

Kalau dah Malaysian, mesti nak makan masakan Malaysia gak

Semua orang ada..tak kiralah Cina ka, Melayu ka asalkan Malaysian...kita makan sama2

There is no masjid in Jinhua therefore, the Solat Terawih feeling is not that strong but we can always perform it at anytime from Isyak until Subuh. Iftar start at 6.30pm. By 8.00pm, we already performed Solat Isyak so, if we start Terawih as early as 8.00pm, we can finish it by 8.45pm. After that, it just up to us whatever we want to do.

Kengkadang, makan kat restaurant jugak

I think, it’s autumn now. The outside temperature is cozy and just like Malaysia. The first 2 weeks of Ramadhan, it was like 39 – 40 degree everyday. Now the temperature is 29 – 30 degree. It makes fasting easier now. I’m not sure when winter will come but when autumn is here, winter is just around the corner. I hope I can make it to Malaysia first before the winter comes here in Jinhua.

Latest me...(sapa la yg pandai2 pegang camera aku nie..?? nak kena nie)..hehehe

With this weather changed, I’m now seeking any opportunity to bring my camera outdoor. Early morning will be nice. The time after the sun just a few minutes appear from the horizon. Problem is, that particular time is 5.30am in Jinhua. Comparable to Malaysia, that particular time is normally somewhere around 7.15am or so…I did try to realize the plan this morning, but I couldn’t resist when my cozy bed is calling. Mission failed again….

Nothing Much (part 6)

Ramadhan in China

This year, I’m celebrating Ramadhan in China. Such a huge different from previous Ramadhan that I ever had in Malaysia. The hot temperature, the food different, the time zone…it just something too new for me.

The first 2 days was a challenged. I can’t stand the heat that I almost wanted to break my fast. But after that, I began to adapt to the surrounding. It becomes easy and easy everyday. Alhamdulillah, praise to Allah to all the strength and will that He gave me.

Work is the same weather its Ramadhan or not. After all, this is not a Muslim country. In fact, most of them don’t really believe in religion anymore. Thanks to the so-called “The Creator of New China” President Mao Zedong.

I have one assignment from my boss. He asked me to have a supplier visit in Suzhou (“Sucho” that’s how you pronounce it). From what I heard and learned, Suzhou is among a beautiful place to visit. Having that in my mind, I'm just so eager to get my camera into action. I’m expecting something different. Probably something that have Chinese soul in it. Jinhua is nothing but a ‘rock jungle’ for me. I need something else.

The journey took me like 7 hours to arrive at supplier’s place. There is no visit during the first day, we just straightaway checked in to our hotel. Only then I learned that we are actually far for Suzhou. We are actually at Kunshan, a very secluded small town but lots of buildings. No nice view, no lake, no Chinese soul…just plain and heartless buildings.

5.20 am from my hotel's room. I think, the skycrapper further at the horizon is Shanghai.

The second day was hectic. Being surrounded by people who never know about Islam, it just another challenging day for me to stand with what I believe most. But Allah is merciful. He knows what He is doing to His humble servant and I don’t have to worry.

The meeting took the whole day till night. I have to stay another night at Kunshan. For me or for anybody in Malaysia will say that 7 hours is a long journey but to the local Chinese, it’s just nearby.

This picture taken from the factory window. Just to show how close the factory and houses area.

This is the meeting room. I don't think I will ever forget about this meeting in my entire life.

I have to onboard this fast train twice and this things can go more than 200km/h. How in the world I'm going to believe than Kunshan is near to Jinhua when I have to travel in this train for 7 hours?

Kalau tersasar, bertaubatlah kawanku....

Bila sampai di China nie, macam2 kelakuan boleh kita tengok. Bila jauh dari Malaysia dan berada di sebuah negara yang majoritinya bukan Islam, kita tiba-tiba rasa tidak terikat dengan agama. Suasana bagaikan merubah kita padahal kitalah yang sepatutnya membentuk suasana.

Aku kesal dengan sikap beberapa orang kawan yang aku kenali. Sungguh tak sangka kerana bila berada di China, cara hidup tiba-tiba berubah. Kehidupan yang dulunya berlandaskan agama, tiba-tiba jadi sebaliknya. Jadi seperti orang yang tidak ada agama.

Dan yang sedihnya apabila dalam keaadaan mabuk dan hilang kewarasan diri, kawan aku boleh bercakap pasal agama dengan hebat sekali. Bercakap pasal perbezaan mazhab dan syariat. Akhir kepada perbualan itu, dia mengeluarkan fatwa yang membolehkan dan membenarkan tindakannya meminum arak. Aku amat sedih bila itu berlaku pada seorang manusia yang aku panggil sahabat aku.

Semestinya dengan perbuatan mungkar itu, dia akan ditemani kawan aku yg memang azali lagi bukan Islam. Kawan aku yang bukan beragama Islam sangat menyukai fatwa yang berlandaskan logik ini. Fatwa yang memberikan kelonggaran dalam beragama dan mendahulukan nafsu.

Kita ini di cipta oleh Dia. Hari ini kita gah bercakap umpama kita ini tidak ada hubungan langsung dengan Pecipta kita. Seolah-olah di akhirat kelak, kita mampu berunding tentang seksaan dan nikmat yang bakal kita perolehi. Alah, setakat siksaan sebab minum arak anytime jer boleh tanggung.

Hidup ini terlalu singkat untuk dipersiakan. Tak salah kalau kita berterusan membuat kebaikan ataupun menjauhi kejahatan. Bukankah dalam Al-Quran Allah sebut berkali-kali..setiap perbuatan akan dibalas walaupun sebesar zarah. Jadinya, kenapa kita tak berusaha untuk buat kebaikan dan meninggalkan perkara sia-sia. Sesungguhnya Allah tidak zalim tapi kitalah yang zalim terhadap diri kita sendiri.

Aku pohon pertolonganMu Ya Allah semoga Engkau redhailah hidupku dan keluargaku. Pimpinlah kami ke jalan yang benar dan jauhkanlah kami dari seksa api nerakaMu.

Hari ini mungkin kita rasa gagah melakukan kemaksiatan tanpa sikit pun rasa bersalah. Tak mustahil anak kita akan mengikut jejak langkah kita suatu hari nanti kerana hidup bagai roda. Tak selamanya kita di atas.

Manners and Policy

In China, they are several things that different from Malaysia. In here, they don’t care much about road safety. They just drive and they will honk if something got in their way.

The traffic light at junction is just merely a standing lamp with colours. Nobody care to stop when its red. The first time I got into a taxi, my leg can never stop from pushing the floor as it’s like I’m the one who’s driving. But what amazed me was, even if they disobey all kind of road regulation, I hardly seen any accident. And even if accident did happened, the traffic will not jam instantly. Everybody will just get on with the life, as simple as that.

The other things about China, they blocked certain website such as Facebook, Blogspot and Youtube. I’m not sure why, I have to find out about it very soon. So, the very first week I’m here is not a lovely experience at all. Although the internet connection is so fast compare to Malaysia, but imposing restriction to certain website is just not an ideal thing to do.

Then my housemate introduces me to the real cyber world. I call it real cyber world because I don’t have the knowledge about it before. He showed me about VPN (Virtual Private Network)…err not quite sure what it is but thing is, I have to subscribe and pay a small amount of dollar to “cheat” the China server so that I can avoid any sort of restriction. So, now I’m glad that I can update my blog. At least, this is one of many other ways to communicate with my wife in Malaysia. I know, she's always read my blog.

Internet is just so great here. Almost everywhere you can get Internet access. Using WiFi or Plug In, it just so convenience. The connection is fast that you just streaming to watch movie. Whenever I feel like I want to watch news, I just go to TV3.com.my and stream the news from there. When I want to watch English Premier League Live, I just use SOPCast and I can watch it live like using Astro.

Now with video call available, it just so easy to watch my kids jumping around in the house. Some other time, I can just call my wife handset using my Laptop without any lagging in conversation.

It just great to have this kind of technology nowadays. It just makes the world small and reachable at anytime.