Le Corridor de Sentier

MELBOURNE

2008-12-02T04:28:00.001-08:00

I left melbourne on 28th January 2001. It was a long time ago, last night I had a very strange dream that I was jogging in a park near the Shrine on St.Kilda road... I want to go back!!!

Had that once for my dinner
(the walabi not that naked guitarist on Bourke Street)
Yarra River in the eve
Yarra River
Elizabeth Street
Red tram
Green tram
Town Hall
St. Kilda Street
Flinders Station
Bourke Street Mall
Collins Street

2008 WHITE PARTY

2008-11-25T21:30:00.001-08:00

2008 WHITE PARTY @ Q FOR THE BIRTHDAY BOY!!!!

I’m always looking forward to 25th November every year to throw a fabulous party for Karim’s Birthday. 2007 White Party @ SIRASARI was a big success. Thank you to Albert and his crew members. Last year’s invitation list was not as long as what we had for this year because we can’t accommodate as many guests as in Q. In order to make this year’s White Party more significant then last year, I have to get Albert to run it again. I know he is extremely busy but he is the best in town to handle it. He understands I wont take “NO” for the answer when it concerns White Party. Bert u r booked for 2009 White Party; thank you.

I have to express my greatest gratitude to ALBERT (Chief in Command) who have been pushing every single soul under his fingers & keeping me calm down 4 hours before the party started, RICKY (Event Organizer) for his creativity and have been working so hard, CHEF HAM for his marvelous dishes (the meat ball & cake were dreamingly delicious!), ALFRED for downloading the music and keeping eyes on the glasses, DUNSTAN (Club Supervisor) who keeping me update with the amount of drinks being served-thanks for watching after my credit card, dear. WALTER (The Dj) who have chosen the numbers to be played through out the party and to the DIVAs for the fantastic show sorry I should have given the songs much earlier but girls, u’ve done a great job!!! And of course to all my friends who have supported me; THANK YOU SO MUCH for coming, we’ll see you again at 2009 White Party; do mark that date in your 2009 organizer.

HALLOWEEN 2008

2008-11-03T20:54:00.000-08:00

31st October comes and goes, each year new faces parade in their best costumes to the annual party @Q. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any that could represent the horror part of me the best. I bought a huge hairy black spider- the closest to my definition of horror this year,and i went to the party without it :(lucky tht i've found a dagger to stick on my head as i arrived there. Anyway, here are some of the fab pics from the party. We had such a wonderful time-the pics speak for themselves!

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2nd Day of Aidilfitri 2008@SIRASARI

2008-10-08T23:09:00.000-07:00

2nd day of Hari Raya was the Raya Open-House @ SIRASARI.
There were around 30 invited guests who came in from 4.30 – 10.00pm. As usual, I had to be in the kitchen from morning till noon preparing chicken rendang, lontong, shrimp sambal, satay sauce and keep the satay warm. Never had Raya Open-House on my own before and for this first time I was trying so hard to distinguish between the Raya Open-House @ SIRASARI to Party @ SIRASARI; they are actually the same.
Friends arrived in half surprises and in full as well. Exchanged handshakes, hugs & cheek-to-cheek. Some brought bouquet of flowers; some brought cakes; while others with new friends if not their hand phones. Stories are shared and rumors are spread. What a day to have all the close ones together under one roof.

1st Day of Aidilfitri 2008 @ SIRASARI

2008-10-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

It was different yet pleasant how I celebrated my first day of Hari Raya this year. As planned, Khalil and Johnny arrived at 11 for a simple meal and we suppose to adjourn for a Raya Luncheon at Lena’s in Penampang. But before we could make our way, we had to wait for Albert who seemed to be a little bit late than usual. Finally, he arrived 2 hours later and not long after that, Jayne and Howard dropped by with a huge Hari Raya hamper.

Change of plan; we all sat around the table and had lunch. We ate, we ate, and ate and ate; we drink and more drink and some more drink and drink again…. Time for tea, we moved from the dining to the lounge. We had tea and cookies, another cup of tea and more cookies… another fresh pot of tea came in and another set of cookies joined in. We talked, we laughed, we talked some more and we laughed lauder… Dinner time! “oopss what do I have left in the kitchen?” The left-over from the lunch! Gosh…! I never failed my guests… “coffee, anyone?” We had some more cookies for supper too… passed mid-night, said to say good bye.

It was fun and we really enjoyed every bit of the moment; talking about so many things from ‘world peace’ to ‘nightingale’ ahh… gossiping too, about the living(s) and the dead(s)…ouch! I know…

Mixed Fruits Cookie

2008-10-05T00:49:00.000-07:00

Mixed fruits cookie is always be my favorite. I have it for my breakfast, tea or even dessert with chocolate ice cream. Not so crunchy and dry because the oatmeal given it soft and chewy pleasure.
One thing good about this cookie is, it is so easy to prepare even for the first timer. Although one should pay a little bit attention to the consistency of the cream butter smoothness. The tip is; the colour of the cream must be in light yellow before add in the sugar and the rest of the ingredients.
Please feel free to give it a go and enjoy the pleasure of having it with your love one and friends. I've even baked it for the Aidilfitri to enjoy it with my guests.

Mixed Fruit, Nut and Oatmeal Cookie
Ingredients:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of almond essence
1 cup dried fruits
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup blanched almonds
1 ½ cup oatmeal

Directions:
Preheat oven to 160 C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a mixer bowl, cream butter until smooth. Add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time until combined; beat in vanilla & almond essence.
Add the flour mixture all at once and cinnamon powder, beat on a low speed until combined.
Add dried fruits, raisins, cherries, almonds and oatmeal; beat until combined.Drop batter 2 heaping teaspoons at a time onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches
Baked until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes on a middle rack with top & bottom heater.
Remove from the oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack before keep them in the air-tide jar.

MY FIRST AIDILFIRI IN KK - THE PRAYER AT THE CITY MOSQUE 01.10.08

2008-10-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

After the prayer

My first time celebrating Aidilfitri in KK since I moved in here in 1991. The situation at the mosque is not much different from my hometown.

People are dress in their best; try to get the best available parking space for their cars, trucks or bikes; try to get a good spot in the mosque-if not in the main prayer hall. Some leave right after the prayer and rush to their cars while others wait a bit longer to exchange hand shakes and ask for forgiveness and what not since it is the day to forgive and forget.

Besides missing my family members, and friends that I've never missed to visit for more then three decades ago, I still enjoy the 1st day of Syawal. Perhaps a little bit different from what I used to, or is this the change that I want to - away from the ritual settings but not too far from the norm in which I'm familiar with.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI

2008-09-27T06:26:00.001-07:00

Selamat menyambut kedatangan Syawal

dengan kegembiraan.

Salam Syawal dari

Aminuddin Ibrahim Lastar

SIRASARI, Signal Hill Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

What Happened to Mr. Prado

2008-09-26T21:48:00.001-07:00

Can’t say much about what happened that night. It was my bad for not paying too much attention on the road, I suppose…( Shouldn’t say that )… “What!? Suppose?!” Sorry, I didn’t pay attention on the road that night.

Spent the whole day in the Uni and had only a large French Fries at McD drive-thru for dinner cum fast break. (don’t take this as my excuse)

I left the Uni after dismissed all my students at 10pm and drove back. Nothing much was in my mind except thinking of a good Jacuzzi session before bed and deep fried chicken from KFC. To some, it was’t just ‘nothing much in my mind’. I know…

As I was about to make my turn at the roundabout in Likas Bay, I knew that I just hit to something; funny I didn’t even know what it was until I saw a car which was badly damaged in front of me about 30 second after I heard the big bang. To my relief, he was not injured at all.

What else could I say to him, “ Sorry, it was my bad… I honestly didn’t see you…” ? Yes, that was what I said. I felt responsible for what had happened and did my obligation accordingly.

AUGUST 2008 PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE -as seen from my bedroom

2008-09-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

17 August 2008 - I received a text sms from a friend regarding the moon eclipse, I was about to go to bed when I thought that I should atlest witness the phenomenon for just a little while. So I did and upon seeing the magical changes of the moon, I started to picture it for every single minute which at the end took me for almost 2 hours standing and watching at the moon like an owl longing for its princes.

The first picture was taken around 3am and the last one was about an hour later.

AUGUST 2008 PATIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE - north asending node

2008-09-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

Partial lunar eclipse

A lunar eclipse occurs whenever the Moon passes through some portion of the Earth's shadow. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. The type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Moon's location relative to its orbital nodes.

A partial lunar eclipse occurs when only a portion of the Moon enters the umbra. When the Moon travels completely into the Earth's umbra, one observes a total lunar eclipse. The Moon's speed through the shadow is about one kilometer per second (2,300 mph), and totality may last up to nearly 107 minutes. Nevertheless, the total time between the Moon's first and last contact with the shadow is much longer, and could last up to 3.8 hours. The relative distance of the Moon from the Earth at the time of an eclipse can affect the eclipse's duration.

The Moon does not completely disappear as it passes through the umbra because of the refraction of sunlight by the Earth's atmosphere into the shadow cone; if the Earth had no atmosphere, the Moon would be completely dark during an eclipse. The red colouring arises because sunlight reaching the Moon must pass through a long and dense layer of the Earth's atmosphere, where it is scattered. Shorter wavelengths are more likely to be scattered by the small particles, and so by the time the light has passed through the atmosphere, the longer wavelengths dominate. This resulting light we perceive as red. This is the same effect that causes sunsets and sunrises to turn the sky a reddish colour; an alternative way of considering the problem is to realise that, as viewed from the Moon, the Sun would appear to be setting (or rising) behind the Earth.

Balinese Shrines

2008-09-15T19:14:00.001-07:00

Many believe that, Balinese existence evolve around their shrines. Every house comes with at least a family shrine located within the compound. Every small community has a community shrine and every village has its own village shrine. The district or precinct shrine plays a very important role in the Balinese ritual and daily lives. It is where the Banjar and the head of the community council gather and have their meetings, discussions and spiritual processions and prayers.

Banjar is a council, which the members are among the elders and wise married men. They hold the position of determining the forms of taxes and collections from the villagers and entrepreneurs who live and work within their vicinity.

The taxes and collections or donations are their source of income. Nevertheless, a portion of the fund is allocated for maintenance works and social affairs for the needy.

A family shrine in Kuta &
a community shrine in Ubud
Family shrine is unique and different from one to another. It is more personal with distinctive figure and decorative elements. This extraordinary feature is like spices that made this Mystical Island of The Thousand Gods is incomparable and at the same time exquisite in its special way.

Let's Haiku

2008-09-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

Learn to see the world through “Haiku Eyes”

Haiku is not just the world’s shortest poetry, but a fun and simple way to share our discoveries about the world. It has becomes one of the most popular form of poetry today. Haiku isn’t fancy poetry but poetry for everyone.

Haiku is – simplicity, that is simple noticing. Haiku is simply noticing, noting and recording moments that are happening around us all the time – moments that make us wake up and see and appreciate the world around us more.

Capturing these little Haiku moments in words is what makes a Haiku, and the creation depends on how open our eyes are to the world around us। It is a matter of seeing with clear and open eyes what is in front of our nose right now।

Butterfly-
What’s it dreaming
Fanning its wings?

2008-08-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost – 1915

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both,
And be one traveler,long I stood,
And looked down one as far as I could,
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there,
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh,I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I...
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

ABOUT THIS POEM:
The literal meaning of this poem by Robert Frost is pretty obvious. A traveler comes to a fork in the road and needs to decide which way to go to continue his journey. After much mental debate, the traveler picks the road "less traveled by." The figurative meaning is not too hidden either. The poem describes the tough choices people stand for when traveling the road of life. The words "sorry" and "sigh" make the tone of poem somewhat gloomy. The traveler regrets leaves the possibilities of the road not chosen behind (?). He realizes he probably won't pass this way again (?).

There are plenty literary devices in this poem to be discovered. One of these is antithesis. When the traveler comes to the fork in the road, he wishes he could travel both. Within the current theories of our physical world, this is a non possibility. The traveler realizes this and immediately rejects the idea. Yet another little contradiction are two remarks in the second stanza about the road less traveled. First it's described as grassy and wanting wear, after which he turns to say the roads are actually worn about the same (perhaps the road less traveled makes traveler turns back?).

All sensible people know that roads don't think, and therefore don't want. They can't. But the description of the road wanting wear is an example of personification in this poem. A road actually wanting some as a person would. However: some believe this to be incorrect and believe "wanting wear" is not a personification, but rather older English meaning "lacking". So it would be "Because it was grassy and lacked wear;".