Meme: Music Repertoire

Ms. AZ Haida tagged me this meme about a week ago. Due to time constraints and lack of internet access back then, I couldn't comply as fast as I would have wanted to.

And you're right AZ, this meme is quite hard to do! 25 in a list! That's tedious, even for a detailed person like me.

However, with my propensity to be long-winded, I see it as a challenge and have rigorously applied myself to this monumental task while tweaking its rules at the same time. One, I vary the length of the lyrics and two, I provide helpful hints. Since I've cheated anyway at AZ's, I figure I might as well modify some of the requirements. ;-)

Here are the rules again:

"Shuffle your music.

* Take the first 25 songs that come up and post a line or two of lyrics from each one. Try not to make it too obvious by posting something from the middle of the chorus or that has the name of the song in it.

* Post it to your journal and let your friends try to guess the songs. No one likes a cheater, cheater pumpkin eater.

* When a song is correctly guessed, strike it out and put the title and artist next to it."

Oh yes, I don't mind if you do cheat - as long as you give me the right song and artist name. :)

Without further ado, these are the lyric snippets from some of my favourite songs:

1. You helped me find the reasons why
   It took me by surprise that you understood (Hint: Mrs Ritchie, with two kids) (Artist: Madonna (Blabs/Zyrin)) (Song: Secret (Zyrin))



2. If I dont need you then why am I crying on my bed?
   If I dont need you then why does your name resound in my head? (Circa 2003-2004, British male) (Artist: Daniel Bedingfield (AZ Haida/Nina)) (Song: If You're Not the One (AZ Haida))



3. Lover's in love, and the other's run away,
   Lover is crying 'cause the other won't stay. (Bespectacled, pixie-like, American) (Artist: Lisa Loeb (Snafoo/Nina)) (Song: Stay (Snafoo/Nina))



4. Over and over I fall
   When I hear you call
   Without you in my life, baby
   I just wouldn't be living at all (Disbanded Boy Band, one member 'came out' last year :) ) (Artist: N'Sync (AZ Haida)) (Song: This I Promise You (AZ Haida))



5. I felt all flushed with fever, embarrassed by the crowd,
   I felt he found my letters and read each one out loud. (Diva, soulful, R&B) (Artist: Roberta Flack (Blabs)) (Song: Killing Me Softly (Blabs/Nina))



6. I'm still recalling things you said to make me feel alright
   I carried them with me today, Now (Circa 1993-1994, ballad, American female, Damn!) (Artist: Sophie B.Hawkins (Adibah)) (Song: As I Lay Me Down (Adibah))



7. I will not break the way you did
   You fell so hard
   I learned the hard way, to never let it get that far (AI winner (female)) (Artist: Kelly Clarkson (MamaSarah) (Song: Because of You (MamaSarah))



8. Now you want to be free
   So I'll let you fly
   'Cause I know in my heart
   Our love will never die (Ex-Mrs Tommy Motolla) (Artist: Mariah Carey (AZ Haida/Zyrin)) (Song: Always Be My Baby (Zyrin))



9. I just gotta get out of this prison cell
   Someday I`m gonna be free, Lord! (British male, remake from a 'Group' hit, also featured in Happy Feet) (Artist: George Michael featuring the Queens (Yiyik/MamaSarah)) (Song: Somebody to Love (Yiyik/MamaSarah))



10. My heart is full of endless gratitude
    You were the one, the one to guide me through
    Now I can see and I believe
    It's only just beginning (AI winner too!(male)) (Artist: Taylor Hicks (MamaSarah/Nina)) (Song: Do I Make You Proud (Nina))



11. Another dissident
    Take back your evidence
    It has no power to deceive (Alternative rock group (with Christian leaning)) (Artist: Live (Nina)) (Song: Heaven (Nina))



12. I believe it's meant to be, darling
    I watch you when you are sleeping
    You belong with me (Late '80s, female group) (Artist: The Bangles (AZ Haida/Blabs) (Song: Eternal Flame (AZ Haida/Blabs))



13. Now nothin' can take you away from me
    We've been down that road before
    But that's over now
    You keep me comin' back for more (Mid-80s, American male) (Artist: Bryan Adams (MamaSarah/Nina)) (Song: Heaven (Nina))



14. Looking back as lovers go walking past
    All of my life
    Wondering how they met and what makes it last (Tootsie) (Artist: Stephen Bishop (Nina/Purple Cat)) (Song: It Might Be You (Nina/Purple Cat))



15. I know that you are something special
    To you I'd be always faithful
    I want to be what you always needed
    Then I hope you'll see the heart in me (2005, Teenage appeal, Boyish, American) (Artist: Jesse McCartney (Nina)) (Song: Beautiful Soul (Nina))



16. I'll love in the sunshine, lay you down in the warm, white sand.
    And who know, maybe this time, things wil turn out just the way you planned. (Mid-90s, sleepy hit, easy listening, male) (Artist: Joshua Kadison (Mint)) (Song: Jessie (Mint))



17. Your eggs are over easy
    Your toast done lightly
    All that's missing is your morning kiss
    That used to greet me (Early 90s, Afro-American female) (Artist: Karyn White (Blabs/Nina)) (Song: Superwoman (Blabs/Nina))



18. And the boys all look, but no, they can't touch
    But the girls want to know why the boys like us so much (Sampling a song from The Sound of Music) (Artist: Gwen Stefani (Nina)) (Song: Wind it Up (Adibah))



19. In the silence of your room
    In the darkness of your dreams
    You must only think of me
    There can be no in between
    When your pride is on the floor
    I'll make you beg for more (Morbid, British female duo, early 90s, Song Title similar to one of the First 3 Songs in List) (Artist: Shakespeare Sisters (Zyrin)) (Song: Stay (Zyrin))



20. Some find it in the face of their children
    Some find it in their lover's eyes
    Who can deny the joy it brings
    When you've found that special thing (British boy band, circa late 90s) (Artist: Westlife (AZ Haida/Nina)) (Song: Flying Without Wings (AZ Haida/Nina))



21. And if I should falter would you open your arms to me?
    We can make love not war and live at peace with our hearts
    
    I'm so in love with you
    I'll be forever blue
    What religion or reason could drive a man to forsake his lover? (British male duo, pop, early 90s) (Artist: Erasure (Purple Cat)) (Song: A Little Respect (Purple Cat))



22. If this world makes you crazy
    And you've taken all you can bear
    You call me up
    Because you know i'll be there (Eccentric, Crazy Hair, American female, mid 80s) (Artist: Cyndi Lauper (Zyrin)) (Song: True Colors (Zyrin))



23. Oh love I've been searching so long
    Ive been searching high and low
    A little love is all I ask - a little sadness
    When you're gone (Old, but still good looking, British male, once a teenage idol in the 60s) (Artist: Sir Cliff Richard (Purple Cat/Nina)) (Song: Ocean Deep (Purple Cat))



24. I was going down for the third time
    My heart was broken, I was not open to your suggestions
    I had so many questions
    That you just kissed away (British male, gay, circa 2003-2004) (Artist: George Michael (MamaSarah)) (Song: Amazing (MamaSarah))



25. Ku tahu kau tak pernah setia (kasih)
    Ku tahu diriku tak bererti (Malay female, with luscious, full lips, strong vocal chord) (Artist: Ning Baizura (Nina/Zyrin)) (Song: Selagi Ada...(Cinta) (Zyrin))

Let's get cracking on these lyrics and duly inform me of the answers!!!

I hereby tag anyone who would like to undertake this meme.

note: comics taken from here and here respectively.

Soiree and Lunchie

Last Friday night, one of the Masters committee members and fellow adviser to hubby, Mr. Christian Bos hosted a dinner for the Masters programme participants (and spouses/family) as well as two guest lecturers and one committee member. His house is in Scheveningen, about five tram stops away from our hotel's location.

The house – a quaint cottage – is surrounded by a series of low fences, with an equally tiny swinging wooden (and rustic, I might add, with no lock!) gate from which all of us had entered. The gate itself is fringed overhead by a thick shrubbery that forms a part of iron-wrought latticework.

A variety of flowers on the ground and in pots greeted us after we crossed the threshold. The place evokes an air of quiet contemplation. Hushed silence in this suburban sanctuary beckoned me to meet its proud owners. Mr. Bos came to the door with a huge, welcoming smile and ushered us to the drawing room where tidbits and snacks awaited. Save for these snacks and salads, most of the food were catered with roasted Halal chicken as the piece de resistance.

While waiting for the entrees to be served, Najo – the other Malaysian participant – and I chatted with Isabelle and Vibeke, two out of the three Norwegians in the Masters programme. Sadia was outside playing with her dad, on the sprawling grass that runs alongside a lovely patio complete with a table and chairs. Mr. Moataz, the serious-looking Egyptian who works with BP in London came out of his shell and played enthusiastically with Sadia, much to my husband’s surprise. I wonder if he has any salacious details about the Lord Browne’s abrupt resignation. Hehe.

After scarfing out a side salad, three bread slices and cocktail shrimps, we asked Bos for a room upstairs to nurse Sadia. She was over-stimulated by the new surroundings and needed a quiet place to cool off (and hopefully doze off). However, the room of Bos’ daughter proved to be another interesting domain to explore.

In the end, we took turns to eat the vegetarian quiche downstairs. I sat at the dining table indoor with Isabelle, Najo, Bos and a visiting lecturer while the rest had their repast alfresco.

After hubby finished his turn to eat, we decided to call it a day. The quiche was quite filling and so were the hearty portions of bread. I thanked Bos profusely for the lovely dinner invitation and we left on the next tram to town.

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In the middle of last week, hubby decided to invite the other participants for lunch at our humble abode. We’d already planned to come back anyway during the weekend to do laundry and change for a new set of clothes. Hubby had wanted to invite them over during the last session in Delft in February but scheduling conflicts worked against the plan.

The last time we hosted a group of people was during Sadia’s first birthday party. It’d be a challenge to prepare food for 9 hungry adults, with diverse gastronomic backgrounds.

The lunch menu comprised nasi ayam (chicken rice), mango salsa, mushroom lasagna, apple crumble, and bubur kacang (sweet bean porridge). We made sparkling lemonade for drinks. Najo and PakYai also brought cans of longan, rambutan and lychees. The lasagna was for Jairo, the only vegetarian in the group who hails from Venuzuela. It’s refreshing to find such a person from a region that is famous for its quality sirloins and tenderloins. ;) Jairo is a spitting image of Antonio Banderas, minus the buffed-up physique. He believes in Hindu philosophies and even named his twin daughters, Sathya and Gowri!

Despite the heavy showers midmorning, they arrived promptly at 12:30 in the afternoon. I requested them to open their shoes outside the main door so as to free up the limited space of the hallway. Traditionally, Malays open their shoes before entering a house that I even committed a faux pas by taking mine off at Bos’ on Friday! It’s been ingrained, that’s the only explanation I can give.

Najo was asked to teach them to eat the nasi ayam – what gravy goes with what and so forth – and they loved the chicken rice so much that the Norwegian ladies asked for the recipe! And Moataz was contented to be able to devour home-cooked halal chicken.

Robert, the only Canadian and youngest of the group, brought his wife, Stephanie for this round of classes and would be leaving for their summer holiday right after the session ended. We made the discovery that Robert had undergone an ICL (Implant Contact Lenses) surgery to correct his eyesight. Unlike the LASIK variety, ICL avoids cutting the surface of your eyes and permanently places instead a lense-like substance underneath your cornea. Moreover, it’s supposedly to be more expensive than LASIK.

But I’m digressing.

All of them tried the bubur kacang, the canned fruits and crumble. Robert also asked for his first ever Senseo -brewed coffee and I indulged him and wife with a demonstration on how to make the coffee. Both loved the coffee but I think he secretly still prefers his Canadian Tim Horton brew. :)

Sadia took an instant liking to Aunt Vibeke and played feed-her-current-favourite-soft-toy game at the dining table. Later on, Aunt Marit, the ebullient Norwegian entertained Sadia with a game of stacking up plastic glasses. I’ll teach her to be an Engineer, Marit exclaimed. My husband and I replied in unison, ‘She’ll be the first for both sides of the family!’

After Isabelle and Vibeke used the bathroom upstairs, most of the folks decided to check out the loft bedroom as well and lauded its spacious design. I confess that I’d love to have one in Malaysia. We’ll see how things pan out!

Two hours later, they returned back to Den Haag’s hotel on the tram for they too had to continue working on their thesis and such. Sadia cried incessantly when they were out of her sight of the street down below. She thrives on attention from others. Wait till you meet your cousins again!

We followed suit to Den Haag much later after putting Sadia down for her nap, feeding her dinner food and cleaning up the living area.

Oh yeah, they even brought along Sadia’s belated birthday present, consisting of two cute ensembles. Thanks a lot everyone!

Feed Me Seymour!*

Earlier in the week, while lounging in the hotel's bed, I learned from the BBC Breakfast Show that a legislation is currently being drawn up in the UK that will give women the legal right to breastfeed in public.

The news came as a shock to me since I had recently travelled to the UK and indulged in some public acts of nursing whenever the time urgently called for it.

I even briefly nursed Sadia in Harrod's cafe when she noisily signalled for a 'fill-up'! However, she was too distracted by other patrons sitting at the adjacent tables to complete the nursing session.

I wonder now what would happen if I had continued nursing her at the table. Since the waitress who came by to deliver our grub didn’t bat an eye at me, I presumed all were hunky dory. Else, she had been properly trained to handle all sorts of situations and remained the ever so professional Harrods personnel. Or perhaps, if she were to stop my nursing, we would have caused a ruckus and left the place abruptly without paying! :)

So when I told my cousin, Lindsey, whom I later met the same night, about my public nursing ‘stint’ in Harrods café, she was aghast at my nonchalance in flouting the rule. Huh? I had thought she was just winding me up. On hindsight, considering her legal academic background, she must have been serious. Sorry Lindsey for taking it lightly!

Statistics reveal that about 52% of breastfeeding mothers in the UK feel embarrassed to nurse in public at some point in their maternal lives. Another figure shows that only 20% of UK women breastfeed exclusively for the first six months as recommended by WHO. These percentages are quite staggering coming from a fully developed country.

And it was ONLY in 2005 that Scotland passed a law that allows women to nurse their babies in public places. In fact, it is considered an offence to stop a woman from doing so.

Why so strong a stigma attached to public breastfeeding? I think it all boils down to the culture and local customs. Contrary to some beliefs and despite the fast accessibility to all kinds of smut, the British lot is more conservative compared to their European counterparts.

In the Netherlands for instance, the exposure of a person’s derriere on television ads are commonplace and culturally acceptable. At times though, some ads pushed the envelope and showed some ample bosoms for as long as five seconds! Anyway, since liberal-mindedness is synonymous with the Dutch society I guess they do not have any qualms about public nursing at all.

In other words, if it were not for the smoke-infested restaurants, cafés and many other establishments, I would be more than happy to nurse Sadia. (Side note: when will the Dutch government going to implement a blanket non-smoking policy in public areas?!)

Conversely, decorum, countenance and all things proper rule the day in good old Britain. The long, irreproachable history of stuffy conservatives must have a hand in perpetuating this societal aversion towards what should be a natural ‘womanly’ conduct.

Likewise, tv ads in the UK follow a similar traditional route where immoderate bodily exposure is universally frown upon. (I think the US also errs on the side of caution with respect to tv commercials, save for those being aired on cable channels)

One ad that stuck in my mind is Sanex – a ‘douche gel’ (shower gel) – whose storyboard centers on a sea of naked men and women. The glistening backs of these models are prominently featured in the commercial, undulating in harmony like the ocean waves. In the UK, these back shots were zoomed very close to the bodies, thus ensuring no slip-ups of any sensitive body parts. Contrarily, the Dutch version generously shows haunches of different colors and peeks at the sides of some mammary glands.

How about Malaysia, you would ask? When I first tried nursing in public there, I was both self-conscious and awkward. As time went by, I became more confident in nursing Sadia thanks to the aid of big nursing rooms in most Malaysian malls that I patronized. I became dependent on such cavernous spaces that I was peeved with the lack of proper facilities here. Therefore, when push comes to shove, I have adapted to the local culture and nursed my baby whenever the need arises.

Based on my 6-month Malaysian experience, nursing publicly is not as prevalent as compared to the Netherlands due to the presence of reliable nursing rooms and the general modest mindset of Malaysian women. This, however, does not translate to any societal disapproval towards breastfeeding in public. Also, I might add, the roving eyes of some loutish males contribute to the hesitancy to immediately giving into your nursling’s request. As someone once said to me, “Only perverts want to take a look. Decent guys would avert their glances.” Well put.

No one stares when you nurse in public areas in the Netherlands. Probably the prevailing national customs that include legalized prostitution and marijuana consumption foster this casual attitude towards public acts of nursing. Maybe, unlike those nosy Asians, they just couldn’t care less. ;)

One tudung-clad, traditionalist friend, Khalina is such a noteworthy figure in this public nursing realm. I once bumped into her nursing her baby away in the common seating area facing Watson – a local pharmacy store – located on the ground floor of Mid-Valley Megamall. And during our outings, she wouldn’t think twice about suckling her baby.

On the condition that one remains fairly discreet while nursing, I believe no one in his right mind should have any diabolical, selfish reason to stop a grown woman from nourishing her growing baby. I am more than relieved that the UK is finally taking that important step to remedy this trifling situation.

"Go into any newsagent, you see a variety of breasts on display on the counter there and yet a woman who's breastfeeding - very discreetly - a six-month-old baby can be told to leave a cafe"

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*That's what Audrey Junior (or Audrey II), the blood-thirsty alien plant implored her owner in the off-broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors.

Quicktake: The Perfect Fête and Fit

After jostling with our bags and stroller in and out of the train to Den Haag Centraal, we checked in into our room at the hotel near Centrum area. We were famished and exhausted from packing and cleaning the house prior to leaving.

The next day – Sunday – was hubby’s birthday! Following breakfast (‘ontbijt’) at the hotel’s brassiere, we proceeded to the Malaysian embassy for a taste of local fare at the weekend ‘Food Fair.’

The embassy was located close to the Peace Palace from where we got off the tram and snapped some photos outside the Palace’s compound. Other early-bird tourists also posed at this historical site. I was interested by the presence of some banners and makeshift booth at the left corner of the compound. Also lining up the same corner were five or six people of Asian and European descent, sitting lotus-like on the concrete pavement. It was apparently a peaceful sit-in, to demonstrate against the so-called human atrocity, the lack of democratic process and its ilk in China.






We were wondering as to why the Palace was closed from the public. Was it because we chanced upon it on a Sunday? The Palace’s expansive gardens, purportedly spectacular and breathtaking, surely must be open for public viewing, we presumed. How much is the entrance fee, I thought aloud to which Hubby quipped that a ‘Peace Palace’ shouldn’t charge a fee! That would indeed be a travesty! ;-)

With our track record of getting lost again, we ambled cautiously towards the direction of the designated road on which the embassy stood. Upon hearing and smelling the familiar Malay music and aromatic Malay cooking respectively, it is duly confirmed we are on the right track!

We purchased coupons – a minimum of Euro5 for each set – in order to buy the food and beverage on offering at individual booths. Since Nasi Kerabu was off the menu this year, we settled for Nasi Dagang which was quite good. Authentic to the last grain of pulut rice.

Roti canai and curry gravy as well as kuehs such as karipap, ketayap and koci followed suit. With Sadia’s tearfully signaling for her nap, we took the cue and left for the hotel. The food was a nice departure from our everyday menu and made for a great transition before we scooted off back to Malaysia. Oh yes, we were busy scarfing down the food that we had forgotten to take any photos of the premise. Darn it!

Later in the day, I treated hubby his birthday gift that came in the form of a new pair of jeans! He was of course on hand to select the suitable style and cut! We’re practical like that.

My hubby thereafter had to spend about four hours slogging away with the rest of his teammates for a group thesis presentation. He then excused himself for a dinner date with his ‘two girls.’

We decided on Dudok café with a cozy, relaxed atmosphere, and none of those pretentious, formal trappings. It is like my answer to the absence of TGIF or Chillis in The Netherlands. The entrees – ‘garden’ (vegetarian) burger and grilled fish – were of generous portions and the nutty cappuccino tasted like Ferrero Rocher chocolate!


And Sadia’s face lit up when her Donald Duck Head encased strawberry-vanilla flavoured ice cream arrived. Like a typical tyke, she however lost interest after a few spoonfuls.

To help burn off the calories, we sauntered the Paleispromenade after dinner, looking at some interesting clothes being displayed on the windows of long-established shops.

It was a pleasant change to be able to stroll on the relatively empty cobblestone streets, as if the whole place belongs to us. We could immerse in window-shopping, gawking and scrutinizing for as long as we want. The boisterous Sadia also had fun exploring the wide, seemingly endless, open space.

Just the ideal ending to start off a two-week session of classes and presentations. All the best dearest!

Che Guevera*

My soulmate turns 33 this Sunday.

Originally, I had wanted to publish this by the time the clock strikes 12 midnight on Sunday just for that obligatory, schmaltzy effect. Nevertheless, it is wiser to post it now lest some hiccups at the hotel might ruin this crucial timing altogether. Better be safe than sorry!

The term soulmate might induce some folks to either let out an incredulous snort or emit a barfing sound. But I think soulmate is the most apt description that I'd gladly confer my husband.

As I collected my thoughts to write down this entry, it dawned on me that I have known my husband for 15 years.

It was a scorching day in June 1992 when we arrived at the collegiate preparatory center in California under the wing of our respective government/semi-government sponsors (actually, my batch arrived two weeks earlier). 18-year-olds, fresh out of high school, the one-year programme entailed applying to universities of choice as well as sitting for exams - mock and real - such as TOEFL, CBAT and SAT.

According to the Language Centre Pacific ('LCP'), this programme was necessary since most U.S. universities or colleges do not recognise a five-year worth of secondary education like the one being practiced in Malaysia (In the U.S., students normally graduate from high school at the age of 18). I don't know whether that was a bunch of hokum but I was eager to learn what we already learnt back in Malaysia but now with English as the preferred medium.

Back then, my hubby and I were just friends. We were not even platonic friends - whatever that means. But somehow feelings developed along the years, in line with the amount of time we spent together. This was made possible despite attending different universities with Chicago, the Windy City witnessing our blooming pseudo-relationship.

Throughout the 'formative' years, we had known each like the back of each other's hands. We could finish each other's sentences and could, more often than not, accurately anticipate the other's next move. One of my friends even remarked, "He is very fond of you."

I was not sure if that was enough an incentive to move beyond our friendship. Nor do I have the audacity to risk it for something more...well, concrete. Young and alone, we had counted on one another - a helping hand, a listening ear, a sounding board - whilst away from our homeland.

Alhamdulillah, back in Malaysia, the present climate - work, disposable income and familial support - proved to be in our favour. Yet, circumstances became too complicated for us to stay together.

However, as the Malay adage goes, "Kalau ada jodoh, tak ke mana" (transliterated as "If it's meant to be, it's meant to be).

So you see, soulmates do not always equate to a smooth sailing courtship. Sometimes you need time-off to figure things out. Or to grow up. Or to realise what really matters in life.

The 15-year long of friendship-turn-relationship-turn-nuptial is filled with many unforgettable memories that teach both of us about humility, tolerance, compromise, communication, trust and above all respect.

My hubby is a witty (or sarcastic, take your pick :D ) sort of fella, a man of few words and a jack of all trades. These trades are best exemplified in the following: an alpha cook ;D , a Maddie-aficianado ;) , a painter (wall and canvas variety), a singer, an interior designer, a gastronome, and an antique enthusiast (French provincial anyone?).

Outwardly taciturn, he has surprisingly many things to say once you engage in a conversation with him. At times though, he can be perceptibly opinionated and strong-willed which grouses me exceedingly. Heh heh.

On the flip side, his patience in dealing with my antics is exemplary. However, when someone does irk him, he'd lash back, throw one of his zingers, remain insouciant or turn a deaf ear (literally and figuratively). The desired response depends on his mood and the type of people and/or issue involved. :)

Amongst the many traits that I find endearing one stood out like a sore thumb. He always has my best interests at heart. In every possible way. Although the expressions may be wanting (it's a man thing!), his actions speak louder than the proverbial words. For that, I feel blessed and thankful to God.

Nowadays, it's hard not to be cynical what with the rise in perfidious cases in marriages and the alarming divorce rates among my age group. Experiences from far and near could have easily compelled me to tread carefully, or worse indifferently, on marital grounds. And yet, I refuse to tow the line and let any insignificant others cheating me out of my own happiness.

I owe that much to my hubby to treat him with respect, kindness and amorous delight!

Once you decide that you want to be happy together, you will constantly have that goal in mind and live your existence accordingly. A dollop of doas (supplication) and iman (faith) to guide the both of you, God willing, you will savour a lifetime together.

As always, a proviso still applies, at least to me - our best laid-out plans, endeavours and conducts notwithstanding, God knows best what is even better for us.

On that note, I truly am grateful for the gift of a soulmate whose positive energy ignites every corner of my passions and whose maturity keeps my childish excesses in check ;) . Most importantly, whose unconditional love continues to shine in his deep brown eyes.

Happy birthday my dearest soulmate!



* Hubby's likeness to this political icon is uncanny, as conceded by hubby and my 'other' other half.

A Frolicking Farewell for a Fortnight

(bet you can't say that fast enough in rapid succession?)

This weekend marks the starts of another two-week intensive session for my husband's Masters programme. The last one was in *uurgghhh* Groningen.

Unlike the last session, we will be in the familiar territory of Den Haag! Yippee! Our weekend playground. Our favourite haunt.

And I found out two days ago that the hotel to which we are staying is within walking distance to Centrum, the shopping arcade of Den Haag. Most importantly, from the hotel's website, I relished the fact that each room is Wi-Fi-equipped! At last, a total turnaround from the archaic services at the Groningen hotel. It'd better be - being in Den Haag AND the height of summer season. And the room rate is higher compared to the other places owing to those two facts.

Logistics aside, we have to bear in mind Sadia's welfare where food and recretional outlet are concerned. As far as personality goes, Sadia is a bona fide homebody. She craves familiarity and whenever we venture outside of Delft during our free days, she will get antsy if we were to protract the outing beyond her level of comfort. Of course, the aforesaid comfort level sways according to her royal highness' mood.

That's my Sadia for you. One minute she can make my heart aflutter, and in the next, she can melt my heart by calling me 'Mama' in repetitive succession.

Despite these worries, my husband and I are excited that Den Haag was chosen for this last session and not Scheveningen, a seaside town, as originally planned. Due to the nightmare, err, I mean encumbrances - distance from restaurants, shops and other amenities - faced whilst hosting the Masters students in Groningen and the possibility of history repeating itself in Scheveningen, the administration decided to change the venue to Den Haag. A wise move, I might add.

Also, Den Haag's close proximity to Delft means we are able to go back during the first weekend, do some laundry and change for a new set of clothes! How lovely.

I might want to check out the local attractions like Het Binnenhof, the Peace Palace, Gemeentemuseum, so on and so forth.

If I'm less ambitious, I'd just cosy up in a cafe with a relaxing ambience and catch up with my fictional readings. Provided Sadia is fast asleep in her stroller and out of my hair!

Till then, I'll be blogging next from Den Haag, by hook or by crook!

p.s. there's a Food Fair at the Malaysia Embassy in Den Haag this weekend - Saturday and Sunday from 12 pm to 6 pm. I wonder if Malaysians get to eat for free. Wishful thinking!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

Addendum at the end
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(on to more cheerful notes)

Tomorrow, fingers crossed, I will be able to clutch the much sought-after Resident Permit ('RP') card in my hands. (It'll be Monday by the time I publish this)

Yippee! The previous mishap involving my RP is finally being put to rest.

I received the notification letter from Gemeente Delft (Local Municipality or 'LM') last Friday informing this felicitous news.

At least, that's what I thought it meant. Actually, I had already given up hope on receiving the 'right' RP card until a few days before we leave the country since I didn't hear a peep out of them following the April 10th incident. Almost two months after I gave LM a new passport-size photo, a letter finally dropped into our apartment's pigeonhole.

Ironically enough, on the same day we also received three separate A4-size envelopes from IND or the Immigration Office ('IO') which we must get some Dutch person to translate all of them for us.

This Mac notebook does have a Language Translator widget but unfortunately, the Anglicised words are very much transliterated. This in turn renders most of the sentences incomprehensible. Or worse, a bunch of gibberish.

At a glance, the content of these letters reads like some questionnaires which we have to complete before our respective RPs expire this September.

Until I see the 'correct' RP with my own eyes, I would be saving my Snoopy Dance after we trekked over there tomorrow morning for the pick-up.

Till then, here are some photos from our outing today, a Koopzondag (or literally means 'Buy Sunday') where most shops choose to be open for business on the first Sunday of every month. On other Sundays, shops remain close save for those in big cities such as Den Haag (yay!), Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

It was a scorching hot day. On the spur of the moment, we stopped for ice cappucinos (Douwe & Egbert's full-bodied concoction) and strawberry ('aardbei') pancake ('pannekoek') at one of cafes flanking the Delft Square (or the Plaza). It was our first time slaking off our thirst at this touristy promenade. A Sunday market filled up a section of the Square with items ranging from antiques to lingerie! And a mini-carousel and sidestalls with soft toys as prizes also made their lucrative appearances.






A leisurely walk around Delft's old town on such a beautiful day was just what we needed to unwind. Water lilies already popped out onto their pads, decking the canals with white floral patterns. Summer is finally here, I hope!


p.s. At long last, exactly at 10.25 a.m. I obtained my RP! Woohoo!!! I broke into a Snoopy Dance, just outside of the LM building. Luckily, it was relatively early in the day so people were either still dazed or couldn't be bothered (hey, it's a Monday!) Here's a snapshot for posterity ;)

Of Joy and Renunciation

Caution: This post might contain materials that are sensitive to a certain demographic of blogreaders.


Many conflicting, politically-motivated, or emotionally-charged views following the Federal Court’s decision on the Lina Joy’s case had me trolling the Internet for answers. At last, I found solace after reading this Q&A segment, as well as other pertinent commentaries on apostasy from the Islamic point of view, dug deep from the archives of Arabnews, a Saudi-based daily newspaper. Since these Arab writers have the advantage of learning the Qur’an in their first language, they earn both my respect and trust. Their credibility, in my books, is undeniable.

Friday, 28, February, 2003 (26, Dhul Hijjah, 1423)
On Apostasy…
Adil Salahi, Arab News Staff

Q. I find it difficult to understand two things in Islamic law. The first is the punishment of apostasy, which is death. I cannot reconcile this with the Qur’anic statement that there is no compulsion in religion. Surely people are free to believe what they want. How can this be reconciled with inflicting the death penalty on a person simply because he left Islam to some other religion? Please explain.
N.Y. Chundrigar

A. Certain offenses carry mandatory punishments in Islamic law, which means that when any of them is proven according to Islamic legal requirements, the punishment has to be enforced, and the offender cannot be pardoned. Many scholars consider these offenses to be 7 in number, and such scholars include apostasy as one of them. However, a number of highly reputable scholars have questioned this, and concluded that these offenses are only four.

Apostasy is not among them. However, all scholars, past and contemporary, agree that no person is questioned about their faith, which means that a Muslim who converts to some other religion and keeps this to himself, or within his immediate contacts, no one will ever bother him. It is a person who publicizes the fact to encourage others to do likewise that commits a punishable offense. Here you should compare this action to someone who tries to undermine the constitution of the country he lives in. No country allows that. In fact, most countries prescribe very severe punishments for such offenders.

Besides, an apostate must be given a chance to reconsider his position. This is an important Islamic requirement agreed by all scholars, without exception. He is called upon to revert back to Islam, and his views are discussed, and his doubts cleared. If it is a question of beliefs only, this process may continue as long as necessary.

This means that the apostate should only keep his beliefs to himself in order not to incur any punishment. However, if he does not, the punishment is discretionary. What we know for certain is that neither the Prophet, nor his two immediate successors inflicted the death punishment on any apostate, although there were cases under each one of them.

To recap, here are some germane points that I have managed to ferret out:

1. Apostasy is NOT one of offenses, under Islamic law, which carries a mandatory death punishment.
2. However, some Islamic countries may elect to practice a form of discretion in punishing those who publicly renounce Islam. In this case, the ‘last-resort’ punishment is death.
3. Prescribing a discretionary punishment to apostates does not contravene the constitutional and legal principles that guarantee freedom of belief.
4. A person accused of any offense, including the offense of apostasy, cannot be considered guilty without a public trial before an ordinary court of law.
5. This discretionary punishment of apostasy therefore repudiates the view held by a majority of ill-informed scholars which ‘considers an apostate as having no self-immunity which protects him from being killed.’
6. In an Islamic state, a person declaring publicly his renunciation of Islam is likened to undermining ‘the constitution of the country he lives in.’
7. An apostate is given a timeframe to reconsider his position through a series of counselling sessions with an upstanding Islamic scholar where ‘his views are discussed, and his doubts cleared.’

When these conclusions are applied to the case of Lina Joy, the only logical solution that I could offer her is to leave the country immediately. Unless the possible fatal outcome sentenced by the Sharia court doesn’t deter her from her frivolous stance, I suggest she removes herself from all these unnecessary misery and heartaches and take permanent residence in a country that embraces freedom of speech and religion in the truest of spirit (is there such an utopia?). Even the U.S. was embroiled in racial hate crimes up to ‘60s.

The Malaysian constitution that declares, among others, Islam as the official religion of the country was passed by The Federal Legislative Council which comprised representatives from the Malay, the Chinese and the Indian communities. Probably the non-indigenous races were currying favour to the Malay race. Perhaps, assenting to this declaration is their way of showing respect to the Malays as the indigenous race of this country. A healthy sign of tolerance. Who knows what was going through their minds? As such, this proclamation does not in any way contradicts freedom for religion, as accused by skeptics, fan-flamers and human rights activists alike. Other races are free to practice their religions with the recognition of Islam as the official religion. Religious freedom is therefore subsumable under this Islam-as-official-religion edict. They are in consonant with one another.

So for Lina Joy to demand the official change to her creed in a de facto Islamic state simply runs against the basic Islamic principles in dealing with apostates. It creates havoc in the multi-cultural and multi-religious society in which she is a citizen (and the nosy-parker world for that matter). If her case was approved, a string of other Lina Joys will follow suit and expect certain other privileges to be on their plate. The rippling effects are insurmountable.

It’s better to part company with Malaysia, Lina Joy. It’d do most of us, peaceful Malaysians, a whole lot of good.

They (the scholars) cite cases of people who changed their faith after adopting Islam during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his two immediate successors, Abu Bakr and Umar, and none of them was executed. It is to that early period of Islam that we look for practical guidance in understanding Islamic rules. Had the death penalty for apostasy been mandatory, none of them would have refrained from enforcing it.

For noteworthy blogs on this issue, please read this and this.

Gorilla in the...Cage

(Now back to our regular programming...)

To celebrate the submission of hubby's first complete draft of his thesis, we traipsed over the Rotterdam Zoo (also known in Dutch as Diergaarde Blijdorp or 'Blijdorp' for short) on mid-morning Wednesday. Since the beginning of the new year, we had always wanted to make the zoo trip. However, the habitually cold weather dissuaded us from hopping outdoors.

As our sojourn is gradually coming to a close, time is of the essence to cover all places of interest. (Summertime is relegated for museum-hopping in Amsterdam!) And the forecast spelled out a sunny day, for a change. It was slightly nippy as we waited for the Rotterdam Centraal-bound train on the platform. I wished I brought along my outer jacket as well on top of the cotton cardigan.

After asking for directions to the zoo at the Rotterdam Tourist Information Center, which was located near to the Centraal station, we walked briskly to our destination. According to the website, the zoo is approximately 12 minutes by foot from the Centraal station. My foot! It was more like 20-25 minutes, at least for bipedal Asians.

Thankfully, temperatures rose by the time we arrived at the zoo's frontgate. Sadia had already fallen asleep when we got our tickets. Much to my initial surprise, the place was packed with screaming kids! Alas, my ears are hypersensitive to external stimuli now that a toddler is in the picture.

After a quick bite of kaas broodje (cheese-filled bread) and hot Chocomel, we proceeded to make our rounds. The timing was good as well since Sadia predictably and abruptly woke up from her kip when the squeal of children playing cranked up a notch.

Sadia enjoyed viewing, watching and gaping at the animals in their respective paddocks, pens and cages. Brief coffee and ice-cream breaks notwithstanding, a substantial part of our 3-hour in the zoo was strolling (more like pacing) through the entire zoo compound.

The highlights of this field trip, I must say, are the sprightly otters and cliquey penguins in the Oceanium and the palm-sized prarie dogs at the 'Zuid America' (North America) enclave.

At times, our excitement got the better of us and we wondered out loud whether the trip was primarily for us or Sadia. From the looks of it, it's a win-win situation.

Back home, I also solved the mystery as to why the glorious gorilla pen was left empty with the whole clan transplanted to a spacious area of indoor cage. Turned out, an attack by one male gorilla by the name of Bokito only three weeks ago - May 18th - prompted the zoo authorities to enforce more stringent measures of these imposing mammals.

On hindsight, my husband's words "Mighty Joe Young scary" alluding to the secluded jungle trekking of the Gorilla enclosure portends to this maiming incident. Save for the din from the large playground complex close at hand (imagine if the gorilla is to escape and run amok there!), the rickety wooden bridge, the thick shrubbery and the heart-pounding stillness mimicking the African wildlife experience all fed into our suspense.

Our virgin viewing of the gorillas was quite brief due to the massive crowd congregating in front of their cage. And no photography was allowed - at least, that's what I thought from the signages plastered all over the pillars.

Despite this ill-timed scuffle, a trip to Rotterdam zoo - this year is their 150th anniversary - is highly recommended for those who adore animals. Correction, those liking animals AND do not have any qualms about seeing animals in captivity. For those who take issue on captive animals, my only advice is to stop eating MEAT!

Photos are in chronological order:

At the front entrance

Regal penguins greeted us upon entrance

Stock internet photo of red panda

Gigantic giraffe

Zebras galore

Towering Ostrich

Mongoose Malaise

Sunbathing!

Close encounter with a Sumatran tiger

Malaysian tapir

Languid rhinos

Donkey ride anyone?

Deer-sighting

The only male of the pack

A type of gibbon

Colobus monkey jumping around

The name escapes me

The antics of prairie dogs

This one standing guard

North American bisons

My favourite: playful sea otters

Sadia enjoying her cheese and dip

A dessert squirrel

Penguins in the middle of Oceanium

Humongous tree-based rodent

Stingrays!

At the floor-to-ceiling aquarium

Californian sealions

A lonesome kangaroo

A macaque

A river otter waiting for food hand-outs

Lionesses taking a siesta

Overbearing hyenas

Gay flamingos?

Cornetto by the flamingos

Pygmy rhino (and baby submerged in water)

A giraffe in 'detention'

Asian elephant

Baby elephant nursing