I came, I saw, I conquered... Japanese food

My first encounter with Japanese food was about seven years ago in Kuching. I just couldn't take in Japanese food at that time. Since then, there have been a number of occasions where I had to attend lunches and dinners at Japanese restaurants. On these occasions, I tried to "enjoy" sushi and sashimi, but failed. In the end, I would order things like nasi goreng kampung or go for tepanyaki instead.

Yesterday evening, my organisation hosted a farewell dinner for one of our associates, Dr Zulkefeli, who will be leaving to Japan for his postdoctorate. As most of the attendees were Japanese graduates, it was decided (not by me) that we should have our dinner at a Japanese restaurant. I wasn't too keen on the decision, and hesitated to attend. But since Dr Zulkefeli is a good friend, and this dinner was organised in his honour, I went nevertheless, albeit reluctantly.

I actually prepared myself for the worst. And the worst would be to embarass myself by ordering nasi goreng kampung while everyone else indulged themselves with sushi and sashimi.

For some strange reason, I had the urge to give the Japanese finger food another try yesterday evening. And to my surprise, I actually enjoyed sushi and sashimi. It has been a few years since I attended any function at a Japanese restaurant. Despite trying on several occasions before, this was actually the first time that I was able to eat - and enjoy - Japanese food.

I have no explanation for this. I disliked Japanese food before, but now I know that I have no problems with it. It's probably an acquired taste. I have finally conquered my dislike of Japanese food.

Borrowing and paraphrasing Caesar's "Veni Vidi Vici": I came, I saw, I conquered... Japanese food.

And now... leaking ceiling

Adding to the list of woes besetting Level 3 of my office is the newly-found leak on the ceiling in the Executive Chairman's office. When the contractor was called in, he found other leaks on the ceiling.

I wonder, what's next?

Towering accomplishment

I got to know Professor Dr Ahmad Fauzi Ismail when he was in Glasgow doing his PhD at the University of Strathclyde. His area of expertise is membrane technology. His research is revolutionary, and that is why he was made Professor at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia at a relatively young age.

His accomplishments are too long to list. And I am indeed happy to learn of his latest success when he won a platinum, two double gold and five gold medals at the British Invention Show 2008 for his inventions and innovations. BIS was held recently from the 15th to 18th of October. His achievement at BIS can be read here. [Also, quite a number of Malaysian academics won awards at BIS this year].

Professor Fauzi is an examplary researcher and academic who should be emulated by all. Of late, we have been talking about towering personalities. To my mind, Professor Fauzi is a towering scientist/technologist - a person that Malaysians should know about and be proud of.

Unfortunately, we seem to know artistes much better than scientists.

Return to the papers

I blogged over two years ago that I missed writing for the papers. Since then, I did actually write one or two articles for the papers, though never on a regular basis.

Well, I'm happy to announce that as of next week, Yayasan Ilmuwan will be contributing articles on a weekly basis to Utusan Malaysia. And to get the ball rolling, I will be the first to write.

On a related note, I am also in discussions with a few other newspapers, but we'll see how these go.

Kayel heat

Again, it was another hot night.
When it's humid, I find it difficult to write.
This global warming is living up its hype.
This heat is making my skin ripe.

Do what we can, no matter how trivial.
Contribute to the cause, no matter how little.
Just keep on creating awareness, no time to squabble.
To save this Earth, is really quite a struggle.

As much as possible, just stay inside.
Drink lots of water, that is right.
Don't overexert yourself as a guide.
We can't run away from the sun, there's nowhere to hide.

If we fail, the circumstances are terrible.
The future is doomed, that'd be horrible.
At the moment we've to deal with this heat, how unbearable.
Let's pray and hope that things will improve, is that possible?

Keeping global temperature down, now that's a fight.
Making people aware, that's a plight.
The world is burning, nowhere can we take flight.
Is the worse coming? No one knows, not quite.

An impromptu poem by Shaikh Mohd Saifuddeen bin Shaikh Mohd Salleh
- 29 October 2008

Pinch me

I feel like it's a dream. After linking up with Shamsul Anuar a few days ago, today I managed to reconnect with two more good friends from that same era, namely Shazali and Noraihan, courtesy of Shamsul Anuar and Yusrin Faidz respectively.

I just hope that this momentum grows and we could at least be in touch with most of the old gang from primary school.

If this is a dream, someone pinch me please.

Sweltering heat

Last night was perhaps one of the most humid nights that my family has ever experienced since we moved to this apartment several months ago. Both my sons were restless throughout the night, having difficulty to sleep because of the heat. Even when I took my shower this morning, the water felt warm.

I suspect we are heading into drier and warmer days.

Open (house) season

This is another long weekend that we're having because of the public holiday on Monday. As the month of Syawal is still in session, there are still a number of open house invitations from friends that need to be attended. I suspect this weekend break will be filled with more socialising and eating.

It's good for strengthening the silaturrahim, but with all the delicious and mouth-watering food being served, it's not good for my tummy.

[Mental note: Must remember to check my blood cholesterol level soon].

Ecstatic

I am still in disbelief actually for having being able to reconnect with a very dear childhood friend, Shamsul Anuar.

We managed to chat over Facebook earlier (around 1 a.m. Malaysian time). He is apparently working in London as a financial consultant. He has been in the UK since both of us bumped into each other near the old Malaysia Hall at Bryanston Square.

Ecstatic could best describe my feeling at the moment, but even that is an understatement.

I was actually hoping that Shamsul was in Kuala Lumpur, so that we could actually meet up. But I guess, that will have to wait for the time being. Our meeting will have to be when he's back in Malaysia for his holidays, or if and when I happen to fly to UK for whatever reason.

Until then, Facebook will facilitate our "reunion".

The world is small indeed

With information and communication technology, affectionately abbreviated to ICT, the four-dimensional barriers of the physical world are broken down. Physical distance is no longer an issue. Even people separated by time difference can communicate these days.

In fact, as I have experienced, we can even get in touch with people from our past. No, I'm not talking about contacting dead people - to me that's a load of nonsense. What I'm talking about is reconnecting the friendship between people who have not seen each other in ages.

Through Facebook, I have managed to trace back and get reconnected (as well as reacquainted) with long lost childhood friends. Since early September, I was able to be in touch with old friends like Yusrin Faidz, Sabeen Wasi and Adeline Er.

And thanks to an old picture put up by Yusrin Faidz, another good friend from the past, Shamsul Anuar, came in contact with me. I was in the same class with Shamsul in 1982 and 1983 before his family moved away. I lost contact of him, until we accidentally bumped into each other in the autumn of 1992 - in London of all places.

I was already in the UK at that time. I was in London during the short break before the start of university, and was walking somewhere near the old Malaysia Hall. A few Malaysian students walked pass me. A couple of seconds later, one of them turned his head back, and I, too, stopped and turned my head. There was an air of familiarity on that student. And almost simultaneously, the two of us called out each other's name.

After close to a decade, that was the first time I saw Shamsul since our primary school days, and unfortunately, it was also the last. We kept in touch using the traditional way - snail mail - but somehow, we got disconnected over the years. I received his wedding invitation circa 1998 or 1999 (can't remember now), but I wasn't able to attend. I gave him a call to congratulate him though, but again, unfortunately, that was the last time I managed to speak to him. [I had somehow misplaced his number, silly me].

But alhamdulillah, earlier this evening, I received a message over Facebook from Shamsul Anuar, who apparently managed to trace me. I am glad that I have been able to reconnect with an old friend again. This time, I will make sure not to loose track of him again.

What a small world indeed. And I am indeed thankful for it being that way.

Spoilt day

Just when I thought that the series of "bad luck" plaguing the office were over, another one crops up. Yesterday, I arrived at the office around 3 o'clock after giving a lecture at ILKAP in the morning. As I was nearing the office, I had already planned the many things I wanted to do when I get to the office. Unfortunately, I nearly blew my top when I found out that there was no electricity, again. This is the third time this problem has occurred. [Click here and here for the earlier occurences]. And this time, it is not a mystery. Someone forgot to pay the electricity bill.

This whole electricity problem, not surprisingly, just spoilt my otherwise good day.

Interactive session

It was an interesting session that I had yesterday when I spoke on biodiversity to a group of people with legal background. Interesting because there was interaction. When talking to a small group of people, I prefer to have a two-way interaction, rather than speaking on my own. This interaction actually makes things livelier.

All in all, a very satisfying experience at ILKAP yesterday.

Interesting challenge

It's nearly 2 a.m. as I write this entry, and I have just finished preparing my slides for a talk to be delivered at ILKAP tomorrow. For those who may be unfamiliar, ILKAP stands for the Judicial and Legal Training Institute. Before anyone asks, let it be clear that I am not one with a legal background nor am I in the law profession (or anything remotely near it, for that matter). However, there is a course on the new Biosafety Act organised at ILKAP, and the "custodian" of the act, namely the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment felt that I would be the right person to talk on "Religious Perspective on Biodiversity and Related Issues".

I have been involved with that topic for a few years now, and even edited a book on this subject for the ministry in 2006. It is indeed an honour to be invited to talk on the subject. The only thing that worries me a bit is the time allocated for my session. Believe it or not, the organiser has given me four hours to tackle the topic.

This will be the second time that I have been given four hours to talk on one subject. The first was a few years ago when I spoke on "Organ Donation from the Islamic Perspective" at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Back then, I had just over 100 slides and my audience was mainly doctors and nurses. In the end, I overshot the allocated time by about 15 minutes.

This time, I only prepared 40 slides and my audience are legal officers. Interesting challenge, this. Insya-Allah, I'll blog on what transpire at ILKAP in my next entry.

Not enough hands

So many things happening at the office and university at the moment. Not to mention some personal stuff too.

It is days like these that I wish I were like Doctor Octopus.

Stone on a Datuk's head

Not much time for blogging this past couple of days, but I just want to share this interesting quote:

If you throw a stone in Japan, it will hit a man by the name of Suzuki.
In Malaysia, if you throw a stone, it would hit a Datuk.

--- Anon

But I'd like to add another line:

And only in Melaka, a stone thrown would land on a Bollywood actor's head.

Shattered glass picture

As promised, here's the picture of the shattered slab of glass (courtesy of my colleague, En Mat Zailani).

Undeserving Datukship

When my father read the newspaper on Saturday, he was less than amused about the Government of Melaka conferring Shah Rukh Khan a Datukship on the occasion of the Tuan Yang Terutama Yang Dipertua Negeri Melaka's birthday.

When I heard from my father about this, I was less than amused.

And apparently, most people in the country are not amused either.

Whatever the reason the state government has for conferring the Datukship (which I feel rather shallow anyway), I believe there are many other Malaysians much more deserving.

If you want to honour an entertainer, why not give a Datukship to Melaka's very own Andre Goh, who coincidentally is only conferred a Darjah Seri Melaka (DSM) which does not carry the title Datuk? I notice most local entertainers are only honoured posthumously.

And what about Datukships to more deserving local heroes who conquered Mount Everest - M. Magendran and N. Mohandas? Are we to say that Shah Rukh Khan, who is not even a Malaysian, is more deserving than these two Malaysians?

The problem with some states is that they don't have a quota for Datukships to be awarded every year, nor do they have a strict rule on the conferment on the supposedly prestiged title. I only know Johor and Selangor as being the two states which are very strict on Datukships. Melaka has always been notorious (though not the only one, mind you) for being far too "lenient" on conferring this title. For only a small state with a small number of population, Melaka probably has the highest Datuk to population ratio, which is ridiculous.

Some people I know even joked that if you want an easy and early Datukship, get it from Melaka. In this day and age, when there are so many Datuks around, the prestige and honour that comes with this title seem to have been diluted. Throw a pebble into a crowd, and the chances that it'll hit a Datuk is high.

Nowadays, it is no big deal if someone is a Datuk. Just ask Shah Rukh Khan, I'm sure he'll just put the Datukship along with his other silverware that he has been honoured with - as paperweight.

Invitations

This year's Aidilfitri has to be one of the busiest for me. I can't remember being invited to so many open houses before.

Starting Friday until today (Sunday), I have attended seven open houses. I met a lot of old friends as well as relatives at these open houses.

And there are more open houses this coming weekend. I hope my stomach can take in that much food.

But seriously, open houses are not just about food. They're there to strengthen family ties and bonds of friendship.

And now... shattered glass

The way my office is designed is such that all the rooms for senior executives have glass walls. This is, according to the boss, to allow for a "transparent" working environment.

I don't have a problem with that policy. However, never in my mind would I ever imagine that one of the glass walls would shatter. But this is exactly what happened yesterday afternoon. Shortly after I left the office to run some errands outside, my colleagues on the second floor heard a sound akin to an explosion. They rushed up to the third floor where my office is located, and to their horror, found one of the glass walls of the room next to mine shattered into a million pieces.

The wall is still standing as I write this entry, but instead of a clean slab of glass, it is now broken into a million pieces, just waiting to crumble. The contractor has been contacted, and he said that there could be a few reasons that caused the glass to shatter. One reason is due to heat. Another reason could be because someone smashed or tried to smash the glass.

The first reason I find to be illogical, because if that was the cause, then all the glass walls in the office would shatter as well. Why only one of the glass walls? Or is this the first of the shattering of other glass walls? If so, then it is certainly cause for worry.

The second reason is unacceptable because I am the only occupant on the third floor at the moment. I certainly did not smash the wall, nor did anybody else. When I leave the office, I would lock the door. Only a handful has access to the third floor which is secured by a security camera. If anyone smashes the glass wall, it would be picked up by the camera.

The contractor did offer a third possible cause. And that is the glass wall had a small crack when they fitted it. That crack was like a time bomb waiting to explode. Many months later, the crack finally shattered the whole glass. I am more inclined towards this explanation. It is more logical and acceptable.

It is certainly strange because the third floor has been problematic many times over. I have blogged about the problems besetting the third floor before. The list of strange and sometimes unexplained occurrences at the office are listed below:

• Flooded floor
  
• Missing watch turning up at the office
  
• Missing electricity supply
  
• Blackout on Level 3
  
• Inaccessible entrance

And all these happened this year since we moved into the new office. While I believe that each occurrence has a logical and scientific explanation, there are those here at the office who offer a more supernatural explanation.

Whatever it is, I hope that these problems would not recur. Not only are these problems causing a headache, some incidents like this shattered glass incident could result in unwanted accidents and may cause injury if one is not careful.

[I will post the picture of the shattered glass wall as soon as I can].

Call for action

It took a while, but finally the United Nations (UN) has called for action against the Somali pirates who are terrorising the Gulf of Aden. The UN resolution was adopted unanimously by all members calling on "States with naval vessels and military aircraft operating off the Somali coast to use all necessary means against acts of piracy".

Normally, I do not agree with the use of military force. However, in this case, the surge of piracy in the busy waters of the Gulf of Aden, has provided a serious cause for concern. Attacks on trade vessels carrying civilians of various nationalities, hijacking these ships and putting the hostages at gunpoint are, to me at least, uncivilised and uncalled for. Not only are trading countries affected, but lives of these civilians who work on board these vessels are also at risk.

It is even more worrying when these pirates managed to hijack a vessel carrying tanks and weaponry. I hope that with this UN resolution, the threat posed by the pirates could be negated or at least, reduced. And more importantly, at the same time, the UN must also look at the root cause of it all. Lawlessness, poverty and lack of an effective government in Somalia should also be taken care of. Somalis turn to piracy in part because the activity is lucrative. Unless this is changed, I doubt we'll really see the end of the Somali pirates.

Full plate

When it comes to writing and editing, I practically have my plate full, so to speak.

I am currently editing a compilation of articles written by my former boss, Professor Dato' Dr Ismail Haji Ibrahim. This, I believe, will be his fourth book which compiled articles that he has written. I had the opportunity to edit his very first compilation of articles way back in 1999, entitled Isu-isu Semasa dari Perspektif Islam: Koleksi Tulisan Dr Ismail Haji Ibrahim. And I am particularly happy that he has once again entrusted me to edit his latest endeavour. If everything goes well, this new compilation (of which the title has yet to be finalised) would be out by the end of the year.

Another priority for me is to fast-track the writing of Fikri's memoir, Echoes of My Heart. I hope to be able to sit down with Fikri and his mother some time next week so that we could expedite the publication of this important memoir. Any book tackling the issue of organ donation should be seen as an important addition to the library of knowledge in our society.

Of course, aside from this work-related writing and editing tasks, I also have my PhD thesis to write. I will be submitting the first chapter to my supervisor this Friday. After which I will start with the second chapter. As I have most of the materials required for the thesis in hand already, I plan to speed up the writing process. My intention is to have the draft for the whole thesis done by May 2009. Ambitious, I know but I have to set my targets and datelines, lest I procrastinate.

And in between all of these, I am writing the sequel to Transgenesis: Bisikan Rimba. The basic plot is basically set in stone. But my only worry is that it will be too long. Frankly, after a number of rewriting exercises, I find that I can actually break that one story into three parts. Arghhh! I wish I have clones to write these novels for me. Anyway, in all seriousness, I am reassessing and relooking at what I have plotted and what I have written in order to rationalise on what to do. Some plot points may not see the light of day in the final version of the sequel. Some may have to be shifted to the third part of the trilogy. While others may (and this is "a big may") just end up in a spin-off of sorts. This, of course, could only be done if I have the energy to write.

There are several other tasks in the pipeline. I have one thick book to edit, two monographs to consider for publication, and a number of articles and working papers to write. But these are all for next week...

Nearly sold out

I am pleased when I was informed by the Sales Department of PTS Publications and Distributors that within a period of less than four months, my second novel Transgenesis: Bisikan Rimba is nearly sold out.

Truth be told, it is difficult to penetrate the market with a book with a different genre other than romance. Somehow, most novels that sell well in the country are romance-themed stories. The local science fiction segment is very much an untested and unchartered territory.

While it wasn't exactly a megahit when it hit bookstores last June, I am happy of the fact that my humble attempt at writing science fiction is well-received, if the online comments that the novel generated and the sale figures are any indication. Only about 140 copies are left in the store of PTS at this point in time (and this figure, I was told, is inclusive of returned copies from bookstores).

I hope that the publisher will decide to go for second printing. And in the meantime, I have promised to deliver the manuscript of the sequel to Transgenesis: Bisikan Rimba by January 2009, so that it'll make it just in time for next year's Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF).

Here's hoping for the best.

Back to business as usual

The week-long break for most people is now over. Most of us are back at work after the Aidilfitri break. My family and I returned to Kuala Lumpur on Saturday morning. In spite of the high number of cars on the expressway, the traffic was smooth. We arrived in the afternoon without having to experience the notorious holiday jam. However, I heard that the North-South Expressway was jam-packed in the afternoon. Apparently, a friend's friend took two hours to drive from Taiping to Ipoh.

Both my sons' health condition are improving. My eldest son seems to have fully recovered, while his brother is steadily improving. At least, no more bothersome cold and fever to worry about, just the occasional coughs. With the wet weather we're having lately, you never know what you're going to catch.

Nonetheless, in some ways, I am glad to be back at work. Strange as it may seem, I have been looking forward to working since last weekend. Probably, the Aidilfitri break gave me the much needed rest and succeeded in rejuvenating my spirit. Well, whatever it is, let's hope it stays that way.

It's business as usual from this week onwards.

Time to catch up

We are back in Kuala Lumpur. And strangely, while we have been away for one week, it's as if we never left.

We spent our Sunday visiting a couple of our close friends. First, we visited Kak Sabrizah - whom I blogged about before - to see how she's doing. She looks well for someone who underwent chemotherapy for colon cancer. And I'm personally happy to see her upbeat despite her illness.

Then we headed to Azri's house. Azri was my housemate in Glasgow, and I have been one of my closest friends since the Glasgow days. My sons seem particularly happy and cheerful to be at his house.

On a more personal note, I hope to be able to catch up with old friends whom I have not seen in a while during this Hari Raya period. One of the things I hate most is to lose contact with friends. While it may be difficult to meet up with friends on a regular basis due to various commitments and constraints, occasions such as Aidilfitri present us with the opportunity to catch up with one another. While these occasions may be somewhat brief, it is certainly better than not meeting at all. After all, it is the quality that matters, and not the quantity.

Hectic third day

If the second day of Aidilfitri was quiet, things on Friday were somewhat hectic. On Friday morning, my family and I visited an old friend from school, Nazaril. By the way, do visit his blog here.

After Friday prayers, we were at home as we were expecting some people to come over. First to arrive was one of the staff of Yayasan Ilmuwan, Megat along with his family. Shortly after, another old friend from my school days, Syed Razif dropped by with his family. And not long after, my mother-in-law and two of my sisters-in-law and their family came over. My only regret was that I forgot to capture pictures this time around. I should have my camera in my hand at all times.

Nevertheless, that Friday afternoon was indeed interesting. Too bad, we were leaving for Kuala Lumpur already in a few hours time. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure we would be able to catch up with more family members and friends.

Despite the relatively "short" Aidilfitri break this year, the spirit of Aidilfitri is ever-present with people visiting one another.

Quiet second day

Since my second son, Ammar Qusyairi, is not well, we took him to the paediatrician today. He is down with the usual concoction of cold, cough and fever. As such, today has been rather quiet second day for us. We decided to stay at home to allow Qusyairi to get some rest in the hope that his health will improve quickly. In the past, the second day is the day that we would usually go out to visit family and friends. But this year, my son's health has to be given the priority. No point going out when he is not well.

And since we didn't go anywhere, I took this opportunity to begin the optional six-day fasting in Syawal. However, I doubt that I'll be able to complete all the six days at one go like last year. Nonetheless, I hope to get the six days done as soon as possible in the next couple of weeks, insya-Allah.

Uniquely Malaysian culture

The days running up to Aidilfitri has certainly been wet. Some places were flooded spoiling the festive mood somewhat. It rained for more than 24 hours beginning Monday morning, followed by intermittent rain on Tuesday afternoon. Fortunately, the weather was kinder on the 1st of Syawal.

I spend my Aidilfitri morning at my mother-in-law's house. Unfortunately my two sons are both down with cold, cough and fever. This has somehow spoilt my sons' moods. In the afternoon, we went to my parents' place. [I'm fortunate as my parents and mother-in-law live in the same town. Their homes are less than 15 minutes apart].

Later in the afternoon, I was visited by Rizal who is one of the staff of Yayasan Ilmuwan, the organisation that I am attached to. Rizal's wife is also from my hometown, and they're spending their Aidilfitri here. [After chatting, I found out that Rizal's wife happened to be my junior from secondary school. Talk about how small the world really is].

A short while later, two old friends of mine from my school days, Chee Hong and Mei Ying, came by for a visit. It is almost a ritual for Chee Hong to visit me during Aidilfitri. He only missed this ritual of his when he was away in Australia for a few years. This, I believe, is the second time Mei Ying came over for Aidilfitri. The first was about a decade ago, if my memory serves me right.

From left: Chee Hong, yours truly, Ammar Qusyairi, my wife and Mei Ying

In any case, visits from family and friends certainly brighten up Aidilfitri. It makes Hari Raya all the more meaningful in spite of our different and diverse background (race, religion, belief, etc.). And I firmly believe that this is what makes Malaysians truly unique.

Syawal joy

My brother phoned my mother on the morning of the 1st of Syawal. His ship has safely made it across the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden. He is currently in Egypt en route to Europe via the Suez Canal. His ship and three others owned by MISC were escorted in a convoy by the Royal Malaysian Navy.

While the ships managed to get through, the Somali pirates certainly tried to hijack the Malaysian ships. However, the presence of the navy put them off. I can't write too much about the strategy employed by MISC to fend off the pirates, nor can I write in detail what happened (as told by my brother). This is because as the Chairman of MISC was quoted to say, "I cannot tell what we plan to do, then the pirates will know - they are very Internet-savvy."

It goes without saying that the situation is indeed tensed at the Gulf of Aden with the standoff between pirates and warships. Nonetheless, whatever plans that MISC put in motion did work this time around, and let's hope that things will improve in the troubled waters. My brother's phone call certainly brought shine to my family's Aidilfitri celebration.

On another related note, the news of the release of all the crew members of the hijacked ships owned by MISC on the run-up to Aidilfitri was certainly a happy one, especially to the family members of the hostages. This news certainly is something to be thankful for as we celebrate this important day in the Muslim calendar.