Segalanya Bermula Di Hati

I got this in the email. It was short, straight to the point with no frills and just goes right to where it should. Hati.

8 tips mudah untuk membersihkan hati dan membuang sikap-sikap negatif di dalam diri -
1. Bersyukur dengan kurniaan Tuhan
2. Beribadat dengan benar dan seikhlas hati
3. Berakhlak baik
4. Menimba ilmu tanpa henti
5. Bekerja keras cara bijak
6. Bersederhana dalam hidup
7. Ringan tangan membantu sesiapa sahaja
8. Memaafkan orang lain

Baca pun mesti dengan hati. Kalau baca sekilas lalu aje, tak juga jadi apa-apa pun.

*****

Of This & That

The thought that came to mind this evening is that I should rear some chicken. That way none of the food that alas, unfortunately has got to be thrown are actually "wasted". And I think I may have food in the kitchen that can last us for a month - if not more, considering the bilis and sardines and other dried stuff.

I am reminded of a story of a poor woman with her two small daughters who went to see 'Aisya ra and asking if she could spare them some food. Unfortunately there is only one date in Rasulullah's house which 'Aisya gave to the woman.

Itu muqaddimah.

Hello darlings. It has been quite some time since the last update - 3 weeks to be exact. I have been very busy. Didnt have much inclination to crank up the brain cells to write about anything.

But things have been very quiet anyway apart from the work load. Met up old friends from the toxic office for dinner the other day; as usual that was fun. We went to Basil; the tomyam was good (Zana, we missed you. We were thinking you didnt come because you are afraid we'll ask for gifts from Bali that you didnt get for us!) There was also a going away luncheon get together at Paya Serai. The food was rather bad; not quite like Paya Serai in the old days. So dont think of having meals there. And we also went to Saba again for lamb for mother's day. Funny thing is the meal was on me. And I tried nasi lemak Tanglin. I cant say I understand what the fuss is all about. Had nasi lemak cikgu also in Kelana Jaya. Cant say I like it much either. Nasi lemak resoran Haslam lagi sedap, if you ask me (but more often than not you will bump into someone you know there).

Mother's day was quiet too this year. On that Sunday Ilyas said he's still looking for a present for me (amboi, lama nya cari hadiah; sampai hari ni pun tak nampak lagi hadiah tu!) He had been pet-sitting for many friends lately. We had a cat named Tigra (garang bukan main as its name). Now we have two cute kittens called Sushi & Fishy (funny names). We had a sugar glider named Skinner previously. I told him he should consider opening a pet sitter or something. He's taken up running too lately. So most weekends he'd be running in some race or another.

I took Luqman for his interview the other day. He looked out of sort in his tie and polished shoes. And sported a short hair cut too, unlike his usual Indie like style (Indie is a favorite word at this time. Like Yuna in a way). Anyway. Luqman said he might have flunked his interview. Rezeki Allah yang tentukan, yang; I said. Doa banyak2. Which reminds me of the kids that I interviewed the other day for YTM scholarship. There was a girl who had completed her foundation. She was sweet. Funny. Smart. Pretty. Articulate. Bashful. Creative. Brainy. Have good ideas. Sopan. Simply a joy to talk to. Rezeki masing2.

Last Sun the world seemed to tilt at a strange angle; and it spin somewhat. The doctor prescribed me tiny pills that made me yawn. And sleep. And sleep. I cant keep my eyes open for 2 straight days. After a couple of mornings like that I read the names of the pills and commit them to memory - so that I will never ever take them again. Then I threw them into the trash. I wasted two days sleeping.

After 3 weeks of not typing anything it feels sluggish now to write something. I need to catch up.

*****

Yahya Hj Shafie : A Memoir (Part 1)

(I am writing this because I am afraid that one day I might not remember anymore the tales that mum tells and at that time nobody can tell these treasured stories anymore. I hope to have many more posts like this thus this is the first of many more precious stories to be told.)

When I went home to my mum's the other day, she told many tales of my late father. One of the things I like to do bila balik is to listen to her stories - melayan sembang mak, I always say - dengar je mak nak cerita apa. And laugh and nod. Kadang2 cerita mak kena kat batang hidung sendiri. Hmm - tu tak best. Tapi that afternoon, mak cerita pasal arwah je.

Mak is as old as Dr M and arwah ayah a couple of years older. According to mum arwah keras hati, kalau dia nak buat apa-apa dont anybody say anything; and sungguh kuat bekerja. Mak kata, kalau nak tengok ayah dulu macam mana, tengok si SAY (that's my adik - his initials. Wahai adik, if you are reading this I will translate that as degil - haha - although mak didnt say it quite like that.)

According to my mum, arwah and my late grandfather do not necessarily see things eye to eye. That is why she said, after a couple of months being married and staying at the in-laws my father decided to move to a house of their own. Bukan jauh pun rumah tu mak kata, it is still within the school compound (both my father and grandfather were teachers.) As expected my grandfather wasnt pleased my mother was moving out sebab tu mak kata they did it in the middle of the night! (We both gelak besar at this point - me because I cant believe my mother would do something so out of character like that; what it is to be young..)

Mak kata arwah suka football (I didnt know that. I only knew he liked watching wrestling on our b&w tv.) Kalau pasal bola, mak tak boleh kata apa. Boleh berkelahi she said. The other thing she had no say is about his smoking. Marah sangat mak kata kalau mak sebut.

Once my mum was due to deliver my sister (mak cant remember which - haha - mungkin sebab ramai. I always forgive mak for not remembering things like this. I have only five of my own and I sometimes cant relate which contraction to which child either, much as I love each of them..) and arwah insisted to watch a match in KL. Jauh tu. Mak kata nanti kalau nak deliver macam mana? Arwah kata takde nak deliver lagi tu. Tapi just in case, dia akan tinggal pesan pada Kadir to get the bidan (Kadir is an Indian Muslim who owns the kedai runcit across the road from our house. Mak kata ayah bukan main baik nye dengan Kadir tu) Jadi kalau mak nak deliver mak has to send any of the older kids pergi bagitau Kadir. Sure enough memang mak tak deliver my sister (whose identity will remain forever anonymous) pun.

Mak kata kalau arwah pergi tengok bola, he will leave home malam Sabtu and will arrive home again Subuh sepe'i hari Isnin. He will bathe, pray and leave for school. Kadang2 lutut to menggeletar nak pergi sekolah tu, mak kata. Mak gelak lagi.

Once arwah niat nak sembelih kambing (lupa nak tanya mak niat apa). He tied the kambing bawah rumah and pesan to my mum that night, esok kita bangun awal sebab nak sembelih kambing tu. Masa nak sembelih tu, dia kata kat mak - pegang kuat2 macam ni. Haha - mak gelak & said, apa yang ayah tu tak buat.

My mum's house sits on a piece of land very close to the trunk road. Mak kata they bought the land for RM1,600. Later a part of the land were taken to widen the road and they were compensated for that same amount. Mak kata macam dapat tanah tu for nothing. But it was a swampy piece of land; mak cerita kawan dia kata, kalau tanah tu orang bagi free pun aku tak mau.

But my dad was a patient man. And resourceful. Ada plan. He slowly brought in pasir and tanah merah; tambak tanah tu. Mak cerita ada sekali tu arwah beli lapan lori tanah which were dumped at the corner of the land. Mak suruh dia upah orang tolong ratakan tanah tu. He said he will do it himself. Tiap2 hari lepas sekolah he will rest a while and then turun pergi ratakan tanah tu. Punye lah teruk nye kerja mak kata sampai kena panggil Pak ? (I dont remember the name mak mentioned) alah orang Jelutong tu, tak ingat? mak tanya. I said I was born in CJ I dont know anybody in Jelutong (Jelutong is a small kampong where my parents used to teach and live. A place with lots of durian, close to Bukit Gantang. A place where most of my older brothers and sisters grew up) anyway - sampai mak kena panggil tukang urut untuk ayah. Pakcik urut tu marah mak kata, he said hang ni Yahya jangan dok buat kerja teruk tu, in between arwah's groans of pain. Mak kata tu lah lucu nye ayah kadang2. Dan rajin nye.

Arwah passed away young, at 56 (ke 58? I need to confirm this) He was in the hospital for 12 days, kata mak. He came home after that, stayed home for 7 days and then passed away. Mak kata selama duduk rumah tu arwah murung. The day before he died he asked mak mana dia duit yang saya suruh simpan tu? Then dia bilang and bagitau mak tak cukup ni. Mak kata mak tanya, tak cukup nak buat apa? Mak kata rupa nye dia kata tak cukup untuk siapkan jenazah. "Takut" bila mak cerita pasal ni; takut kalau mak menangis (my mum's version of menangis is teary eyed). But my mother has always been very strong.

He went on a Thursday afternoon. In his last moments he told mak that dia dah nak pergi dah. Sempat mak mengajar shahadah. Mak kata arwah meninggal senang. The rest of the evening and the next day I remember well and I dont think I will ever forget.

Yahya @ Yahaya Hj Shafie. 1923 - 1979

Al-Fatihah.

*****

Books, Books And More Books Part 26

And I finally finished this after all. It took me ages - with a few pages read each evening. I'd recommend it if you are looking for something good to read. Ada part yang slow, invigorating and makes you want to get up and just do things; or parts that will bring tears to your eyes. Too many lessons to be learnt.

While deciding what to read next, I picked up Dr M's memoir from the coffee table, took off its plastic cover and began reading. I wondered if it is something worthwhile to read (sebab ada orang kata dia "tauk buku tu kat belakang almari" after finishing a few pages) or if I am just wasting precious time.


I've only finished 4 chapters - maybe forty pages or so - and already had an argument with my husband over what was written. There are still like 800 pages to go and I am now wondering how many more arguments we will have along the way till I finish reading!

Or maybe I wont finish the book. I need to get an alternative one fast.

ps - In between reading these I also read a couple of not-worth-mentioning novels. I also shelved Sense and Sensibility (I find it too slow, mundane..) - I think my timing in reading that isnt right. I know I'll continue reading it again soon; I seriously want to read all the classics.

pps - I am taking things slow today. The orthopaedic gave me the day off to rest. But to tell you the truth, even lying down ached.

*****

My Commitment Towards Excellence

I noticed he was staring into the blank page of his exercise book.
Me : Why are you staring at your book? Homework apa ni?
He : Karangan - tajuk bagai aur dengan tebing. Tak tahu nak tulis macam mana.
Me : Alah, cerita je pasal hidup berjiran. Sama-sama tolong.
He : (silent)
Me : You better start writing. I will come back in 20 minutes to check what you have written.

After 30 minutes or so later I came back to check on him.
Me : So have you finished the karangan?
He : Tengah buat ni.
Me : Boleh mama baca?
He let me have his book and I read.
Me : Mana adik dapat cerita ni? (He wrote about these two kampongs that fight each other but later was attacked by a third)
He : Eirfan pikir la.
Me : Adik ambik cerita Merong Mahawangsa ye?
He : Tak de lah.

Anyway, I thought the cerita is long and winding; not getting fast enough to the aur & tebing part. But I wondered if I should squelch his enthusiasm for the writing. Or tell him to just get to the point of the karangan quickly. And then his abang came in.
Me : Abang, cuba baca karangan adik and see what you think.
His abang read and laughed.
Abang : Ini cerita Merong Mahawangsa eh?
I laughed (because that was exactly what I thought too; deny it as he will.)
He : Mana ade! (He was adamant, but his abang and me laughed again)
Me : So what do you think?
Abang : Meleret-leret (well, he is never as nice as his mum)
Me : Why don’t mama koyak je page ni? Sebab dari sini yang meleret tu. Page yang sebelum ni ok je. Adik sambung terus je dengan conclusion kat sini.
He : Tak mau la. Dah letih dah tulis semua tu.
Me : Takpe, kalau koyak lagi senang nak habiskan karangan tu. Lagi cepat siap.
He : (buat muka tak suka)

I paused for a minute thinking what I should do. Then made up my mind and tore the page.
Me : Kita buat kerja mesti yang bagus. Kalau mama dengan abang rasa karangan ni boleh jadi lagi bagus kalau yang ni tak ade, might as well kita buang je. Adik terus je tulis pengajaran kat sini.

I wont tell you what his reaction was. But I can tell you that he was beyond upset. The next morning I checked his book and turned out he hadn’t continued the karangan then.

The moral of the story is, committing to excellence is never an easy task (no matter how trivia the example given is). You can make an enemy even of your own..

*****

Gems

These I found when reading a chapter on Keutamaan Solat Malam.

1.
Pada zaman Nabi saw, manakala orang telah mengambil tempat tidur dan memejamkan mata, seorang lelaki bangun dan solat, membaca al-Quran dan berkata : "Wahai Tuhan, jauhkanlah aku dari Neraka." Hal itu diberitahukan kepada nabi saw, kemudian beliau berkata : "Jika demikian, tunjukkan di mana dia." Kemudian Nabi saw datang kepada orang itu dan mendengar munajatnya.. Nabi saw berkata : "Mengapa kamu tidak meminta syurga?" Orang itu menjawab : "Wahai Rasulullah, aku tudak layak untuk nya. Amalku tidak cukup untuk mencapainya." Tidak lama kemudian Jibril datang dan berkata : "Khabarkan kepada si fulan bahawa Allah telah menjauhkannya dari Neraka dan memasukkannya ke Syurga."

2.
Rasulullah besabda kepada Abu Dhar : "Bila engkau hendak pergi, perlukah engkau bawa bekalan?" Abu Dhar menjawab : "Ya." Beliau besabda : "Bagaimana engkau menempuh jalan Kiamat? Tidakkah kau ingin, wahai Abu Dhar, aku ceritakan sesuatu yang bermanafaat bagimu pada hari itu?" Abu Dhar menjawab : "Ya." Rasulullah bersabda : "Puasalah di hari yang amat panas untuk hari kebangkitan. Solatlah dua rakaat di kegelapan malam untuk keganasan kubur. Dan berhajilah untuk hal-hal yang amat agung. Bersedekahlah kepada orang miskin, atau dengan kalimat yang benar yang engkau katakan, atau pula dengan tidak mengatakan kalimat buruk."

3.
Rasulullah saw bersabda : "Wahai Abu Hurairah, inginkah engkau mendapatkan rahmat Allah ketika hidup dan mati, dikuburkan dan dibangkitkan? Bangunlah di tengah malam dan solatlah! Bukankah engkau ingin redha Tuhanmu, wahai Abu Hurairah? Solatlah di sudut rumah mu, maka nur rumahmu di langit seperti cahaya bintang bagi penghuni dunia."

Try substituting those names high-lighted with yours - it'll give a whole new perspective to the hadiths.

*****

T.G.I.F.

Yeay.. it is Friday. What a bless.

TGIF reminds me of Mary Pascall - an instructor from my English class days - who had asked if anybody knew what it is. I answered. And then she said, how do you know that? I saw it at the cinemas. Oh, she exclaimed, you saw that at the movies! (I cant decide if a-she thought we dont have any English movies to watch; b-we dont have cinemas or c-we couldnt possibly know what it means).

Anyway. What are your plans this weekend? I think somebody is taking us out for lunch tomorrow. Yeay. I also plan to walk and walk. And maybe window shop a bit at Jalan TAR. Then maybe make some chocolate cupcake with gooey chocolate ganache for friends.

For now I've got some photos from last weekend makan-makan at my sister's. She had served gorgeous lamb rib racks (did that come out right?) and loads of basketful of durians. And lots of other stuff. And then gave us like a week supply of food for take-aways too! Semoga lebih murah rezeki, Insya'Allah.

As usual, I had to put in my trade mark of collages - makan, makan dan makan lagi; all that's left of the lamb (there is no sign of the ribs); durians, durians; amongst those plants is her "tak tanam pun pokok cili tu - dia hidup sendiri..)

(Some of) my niece and nephews. I like this; they were so sporting and all look so sweet here. I have this plan to put everybody's (in the family) smiling face on my blog someday (I have a few for a start but never anywhere near completion sebab kadang2 gambar tak lawa. Takkan nak letak kan. Marah pulak tuan nye).

It was indeed a great weekend to meet up the family (and eat). Oh, and one last thing - we were also given the memoir of Dr M each. Mine still sits on the coffee table at home in its plastic wrap. But I do plan to read it. Sometime.

*****

Of True Love

I found this whilst reading.

Abu Hurairah berkata : Aku bertanya : "Ya Rasulullah, apa itu sangkakala?" Beliau menjawab : "Ialah tanduk dari nur."

Aku bertanya lagi : "Bagaimana ia?" Beliau menjawab : "Bulatannya amat besar. Demi Zat yang mengutusku, dengan hak sebagai nabi, besar bulatannya bagaikan lebarnya langit dan bumi. Dia meniupnya tiga kali; pertama untuk dikejutkan, kedua untuk pengsan (mati) dan ketiga untuk dibangkitkan kembali. Lalu roh-roh keluar bagaikan tumbuh-tumbuhan memenuhi langit dan bumi, ia masuk dalam jasad dari lubang hidung."

Kemudian Nabi bersabda : "Manakala Allah menghidupkan Jibril, Mikail dan Israfil, mereka lalu menghampiri kubur Nabi saw dengan membawa burak dari syurga. Nabi melihat lalu bertanya : Wahai Jibril, hari apa ini?" Jibril menjawab : "Inilah hari Kiamat, inilah hari malapetaka yang menggetarkan hati, inilah hari hak itu." Nabi bertanya lagi : "Wahai Jibril, apakah yang diperbuat Allah terhadap umatku?" ... (There is more to the hadith but I'll stop here.)

I am always amazed everytime I read of how Rasulullah asked about his ummah. Sebak setiap kali membaca. Kasih sayang yang tiada sempadan it seems, in the name of Allah. And then wondered if there is half as much love for him in me; or even sebesar biji sawi sekali pun?

*****

A Super-Duper Trip

We went on a family get-away to Kuching last week. Saja nak tukar angin sikit. Budak2 pun letih sekolah / kerja.

The trip was rather fantastic actually. The accommodation was good, the rented car was brand new (and drove like a dream) and we did almost everything that are on the itinerary. And came home with the (coveted) souvenirs.

We stayed at a very modest (please read that as cheap) lodge called Furama. It was basic; but very clean and within walking distance to the Waterfront (but we, of course drove there). Lilian, the sweet proprietor, was apologetic because one of the 4-bedded rooms we booked was out of order (and gave a refund). If anything, I'll give the place a 9.5 for friendliness, cleanliness and keeping customers happy.

We found bla-bla-bla on the gps. I said, ni mesti GPS tak jumpa apa-apa. As it turned out, there IS a place called exactly that - bla bla bla - right in front of our hotel.

We spent the afternoon walking (aimlessly - sebab masih mencari bearing) along the Waterfront. And had dinner at TopSpot, a busy foodcourt-like seafood eating place. We tried umai (fresh fish salad with sliced onions and lime juice) and pansoh manok (chicken cooked in bamboo ala lemang) and the lauded Midin (which is actually the Sarawak species of pucuk paku). Yes to the umai and midin; not to the pansoh.

(clockwise from top left) There is only one Muslim seafood outlet here; the umai; he was sick (but funny how healthy he looked in the photo..); and the midin goreng belacan.

We went to Bako National Park; a great place to get back to nature. You need to take a boat there and that boat ride depends on the tide. Co-incidently it was low tide when we got to the pier and had to wait a couple of hours before the boats are ready to resume their services.

(clockwise from top left) The Bako terminal, about 45 minutes drive from Kuching; and off all the boats go when the tide came in; the local fish market and the boys who were bored waiting at the pier.

(clockwise from top left) The pier on the park - at low tide the boatman will drop passengers off on the beach not the pier; you need to register upon arrival; there are miles and miles of nature to explore; and you definitely need a map to move about.

Beautiful view awaits at the end of the trails; the park has many trails to follow. City dwellers as we are, we chose the easier ones - we didnt even get to the end of our trail - although the children did.


That's the mystical Mt Santubong hidden in the clouds (beautiful, dont you agree?); photo taken by the kids at the end of the trail they followed. We, on the other hand waited for them on wooden planks in the quiet and peaceful forest. It was cool within the trees and very hot once you step out of the forest shades.

We watched Korean tourists walked by and they oohed and aahed over the biawak that swam across the stream. I told my husband, biawak lagi besar dari tu pun ada kat belakang rumah kita. A group of French tourist came by after that and did the same (saya dan suami berkongsi senyum kambing..) But I was impressed with their guide who said he is from Sentul and spoke fluent French. Ooh-la-la!

There was of course that biawak. There were monkeys. And we also saw this wild boar when we got off from the boat and walked up the beach.

There should have been birds and iguanas too although we didnt notice any (maybe we had scare them off with our labored breathing..)

(clockwise from top left) The children completed the trail to Tanjung Paku; park map; and (more) signboard - just so nobody gets lost I suppose; Iman kata menyesal ikut adik2 who said she slowed them down; be cautious of sea creatures (the man in the signage look like an alien to me); lunyai - the children came back and reported letih giler.

But Bako was a worthwhile trip.

We spent our night at the Permai Rainforest Resort at Damai, maybe half an hour drive from Kuching. There are no words to describe the place - even breathtaking, best sangat or amazing cant do justice to its awesome-ness (which surprised me as it always showed up last on my google list).

(clockwise from top left) Permai Rainforest Resort; this beast takes care of your luggage to your door; that building in the tree shades is the reception; we get the novelty of walking everywhere up and down lanes and planks and bridges across small streams on the resort. In fact, the car park is located outside the resort main gates (it is guarded of course). You can only drive as far as the gates to drop off your luggage.

The resort is located in a forest by the sea. The way the accommodations are built whilst preserving the green forest is beautiful. The resort prides itself for embracing the green concepts from their no vehicle policy to forest preservation and everything else in between.

(clockwise from top left) We stayed in a 2-bedroom cabin; that's our cabin, deep in the forest - dont you just love it?; the view of tall trees from our verandah - you can see the sun shining on the water between the trees; if you look closely that is a view of the moss-y river bank, we were on our way to breakfast.

The resort is quite sizable but all employees walk. The are no motorbikes, no buggy. And bicycles are for patrons' recreational purpose only. Amazing. It comforts me some to think that although I am wallowing (konon) in the comfort of the resort, I am still doing my bit for the environment.. (Delinn ~ you may go yeah, yeah here)

(clockwise from top left) The cafe looked warm and inviting in the evening; breakfast (we were lucky that breakfast comes with the room - a roti canai costs you RM10 (!) here, my friend; Eirfan on the cafe balcony which has this vast view of the sea; the menu (do enlarge to see that nasi goreng costs RM20 per plate); more view; he stared and squinted at the (unbelievable prices on the) menu - you can see the sun setting in the trees at the back.


(clockwise from top left) We also had a map for the resort; we surely need that as we were on foot all the time to everywhere; I like the no nudity signage!;the trees in the photo has a tree house in it- do you notice that? The tree house is amazing too (but rather pricey for our group stay).

This is a larger view of the tree houses - arent they marvelous? They face the sea so you get all that view at tree level. The mat sallehs all stayed in these. I told my husband it's so cool and nice and shady that it feels like walking in a Canadian forest (I know - whaaat?)

There is a beautiful, unbelievable and amazing jungle pool with cold (yes, cold) water in the tree shades over those wooden steps; and we had diving competition, jumping competition and shouts in the jungle pool (I like the sound of 'jungle pool' - almost like jungle book and at any moment you might just see Baloo or even Shea-Khan!) The children definitely enjoyed this unexpected treat.

We followed the route to the beach. It was through more trees dotted with pretty flowers. The beach was long, clean, with white sands and decorated with clear blue skies (I wish we could have stayed longer at the resort).

We visited the Cultural Village too (although we think the tickets are very expensive). But I came here in the 80's. I liked it and wanted the children to see it too. Bila lagi? We watched the cultural show; which is rather interesting actually. And then we walked and walked and walked; and walked some more, in and out of the long houses.

(clockwise from top left) You are given a passport - when you visit the long houses you can get the passport stamped there; you get a sticker too (like when you are in any amusement park); more signage; a walk on the bamboo bridge - a popular attraction; this tall long house belongs to the Orang Ulu; Mount Santubong at the back of the village theatre.

The Melanau long house (and I always make the children do ** interesting ** stuff).

At the rumah Melayu we found a swing which reminded me of my parents' house in the old days. We took photos and then the kids had a go on the swing. Someone fell down thus the big laugh.


We also spent a night at a place called Basaga. It looked gorgeous on the internet; and is actually quite lovely too (but unfortunately nothing can compare to the resort nestled in the rain forest).

.. even the orange juice tasted better at the forest..

It actually is a lovely place.

We went to Serikin, a border pasar with lots of Indonesian stuff on sale. We didnt buy much. But baju sulam Indon and telekung are aplenty. The locals sell these colorful iguanas, called 'potet' locally, in plastic containers. Kesian. Do they have to?

We also visited the museum and other Kuching must-sees.

At the museum - the boys are always up to something good, funny, maddening etc etc.

(clockwise from top left) The Astana - the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak; the Square Tower - built in 1879, originally used as a prison, it even had dungeons; the new Sarawak state legislative assembly building behind us; and the old court house.

While shopping for last minute goodies to take home at the Waterfront, I asked where to get the yummiest kek lapis Sarawak. The lady recommended kek lapis Dayang Salhah - seberang sungai je, naik bot tambang tu pun 40 sen je (we had to take the challenge).

(clockwise from top left) We went looking for the boat tambang at the pier in front of the Hilton; the boatman must have thought we are the most peghak tourists ever!; this boat has got attitude, I'd say; looking out to the other side.

The kek lapis house is a busy place rupa nye. Tourists in buses came to buy cakes that are specially packed for travel. And there are lots of flavors to choose from. Chances are if you can name something that you like, they would definitely have the cake for you. The tasting area is like a feast during hari raya; no kidding. We bought a few and got out quickly of the busy place.

We actually did have the most wonderful time in Kuching.

But after all said and done it is always a pleasure to be home. The hotel air-cond can be too cold at times. The pillows are too fluffy. The quilt too downy. The linen too soft and smooth (like puffy cotton blowing in the air!) The (drab) things at home are just simply perfect.

*****