Ten observations about Hamburg

This is probably my last post on Hamburg for a while. These are just some interesting observations I have on Hamburg, which may or may not be agreed upon by others:

#10: I have been informed that there are nearly 50 mosques in Hamburg! One taxi driver who drove one of the speakers to the hotel from the airport said that Hamburg is the place to be for Muslims. I managed to visit two mosques in the city centre, and I can say that Islam is thriving here. One mosque complex even houses a barber shop, a book shop and a restaurant. Aside from being a house of worship, it has the original spirit of the masjid during the time of the Prophet where it is also the hub of activities for the Muslim community.

#9: The Alster (picture at the top) is magnificent! Don't miss a cruise on the Alster Lake when you are in Hamburg. 'Nuff said.

#8: One of my major concerns before going to Hamburg was communication. As I can only speak Malay and English, I wondered if I would have problems communicating in a country which uses German as its main language. Fortunately, my concerns are unfounded because English, to my pleasant surprise, is spoken quite widely here. It is definitely much easier to communicate in Hamburg, compared to when I went to countries like Algeria, Egypt and Japan.

#7: As with most countries, the Germans are very passionate about football. When the German team won their quarter-final tie against Greece, you can hear, literally, their ecstatic cries of joy!

#6: It is quite easy to find halal food. Most of the halal shops in Hamburg are owned by Turkish migrants to Germany. However, there is one halal restaurant not far from the University of Hamburg and the hotel that I stayed in which is owned by a Pakistani. It is called "Balutschi" which serves a very nice chicken briyani dish. I would recommend it for anyone who has the opportunity to go to Hamburg. More information on the restaurant can be found at this link.

#5: Most shops close early. So it is quite difficult to buy things after 6 p.m. and even more difficult after 7 p.m. Then again, this is quite typical of most European cities. Only the Asian shops would close slightly later. When you come from a country like Malaysia, you need to adjust yourselves to the business opening hours in Europe. One cannot assume that every country is like Malaysia where it is easy to find shops that are virtually opened 24 hours a day.

#4: Generally, the city of Hamburg is very clean. The only down side to it is there are graffiti almost everywhere.

#3: Cycling seems to be an important way to get around in Hamburg. I just admire the way people in Hamburg, young and old alike, cycle. In fact, there is a service for people to use public bicycles which can come in handy.

#2: For some strange and unexplainable reason, I find Hamburg has a very familiar feeling to it. The city reminds me of Glasgow. The two cities are very different but somehow I find the air to them have some striking similarities, which unfortunately I cannot put a finger on.

#1: I have always had the perception (perhaps wrongly) that Germans are not friendly. However, throughout my experience in Hamburg, from the time I arrived at the airport until I departed from the airport, everyone I encountered were pleasant, friendly and helpful. The immigration officers at the airport were very friendly (unlike the ones I have encountered at Heathrow), the security officers were polite (unlike the stern and unfriendly-looking ones at most airports that I have been at before), and most people I came across on the streets would smile and say "guten tag" (good day). While I cannot generalise for the rest of Germany, I can certainly say that from my short stay in Hamburg, the Hamburgers (people of Hamburg) are very friendly.

There you go. Ten observations on Hamburg, a city I would not mind going to again if there is an opportunity. 

Destination Hamburg

Insya-Allah, if everything goes according to plan, I will be leaving for Hamburg, Germany in about 11 days time. This will only be a short working trip but I hope the trip will be meaningful. I will be participating in an international conference entitled "Health Related Issues and Islamic Normativity" organised by the University of Hamburg.

There are eight speakers from Malaysia, most of whom are people I know personally. So I guess I will be surrounded by familiar faces there. Nonetheless, I do look forward to knowing and networking with people from other parts of the world during the conference.

It has been a while since I participated in an international conference outside Malaysia. If memory serves me well, the last was a conference I participated in was the one in Cairo, Egypt in 2006. Since leaving the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia in late 2005, opportunities and invitations to conferences are very few and far in between. In a way, I am glad that I have more or less kept myself in the academic world. Otherwise I would have probably been very much out of touch with the academia.

Frankly, I feel that I should participate in international conferences on a more regular basis. It is one way to make sure that I do not lose that academic touch. Mayhaps I should just jump into the academia on a full time basis?

Research integrity - Part 7

Earlier this year, I met my very first boss of my working career, Dr Abdul Razak Abdullah, whom I have not seen in many years. He holds a D.Phil. from Oxford University. We had an interesting discussion covering many things. The discussion started to veer from current issues to my doctorate study. When he inquired about it, I told him that I was finishing up my thesis-writing. He was happy to hear about the progress and went on to make an interesting remark, "Some people who enrolled for PhD did not manage to cross the finishing line. They did all the review, data collection, analysis and writing. But they did not submit the thesis for examination." In other words, people who ran the race but did not cross the finishing line.

Dr Razak's comment got me thinking. I know of people who did three or four years of doctorate studies, but at the end of the day, came off it empty-handed. Some of them are my friends who, during their course of study, faced some unforeseen and unavoidable personal problems that affected their studies. These are usually sponsored scholars who were unable to extend their duration, and hence had to abandon their study after the expiry of the sponsorship. These, to me, are genuine cases. It is a pity that they were not able to finish because of certain difficulties that had befallen them. This is akin to an athlete who is not able to cross the finishing line because of an accident somewhere along the racing track.

Unfortunately, I have also heard of some who did not finish their PhD (for whatever reason) and yet were bold enough to use the doctorate title in front of their names. In the past, there were some similar cases that were highlighted in the media. In another discussion with another former boss of mine, Datuk Dr Abdul Monir Yaacob, I was told that in countries like Egypt, it is normal for PhD candidates to use the title "Dr" as soon as they enrol in a doctorate course, way before they actually finished their studies. This got me thinking, if for some reason, these candidates who are already using the title "Dr" fail to finish, do they still keep their title because people are already used to calling them with that title?

In any case, the norm in Malaysia and most other countries like the UK, USA and Japan, doctorate is conferred only upon fulfilling all the necessary criteria such as submission of thesis, viva voce and other criteria as set forth by the university (which may differ from one university to another). You don't call yourself "Dr" until and unless you receive a letter from the university saying that you have obtained your PhD. It is, without a doubt, unethical on the part of the person who uses the title "Dr" before being officially granted the esteemed academic qualification. To do so would mean to cheapen the value of the doctorate degree and is adds insult to those candidates who really earn the title.

I have no idea how many people out there who go around claiming to have a doctorate without actually properly completing their studies. This is just like athletes who cheat by not running the full course of the race, but instead suddenly appearing after the finishing line as if they had run the full race. None of us really checks if a person is really a "Dr" or otherwise. Most of us take people's claim in good faith.

But really, if these people are men of faith, they would not be claiming to have something that they in reality do not own.

Baggage handling at Narita

One of the things that impressed me upon arrival at Narita Airport could be seen at the baggage area. I am sure many of us are familiar with carousels that carry luggage or baggage of passengers who had just disembarked. So far, I have been to a number of airports - almost all airports in Malaysia, Padang in Indonesia, Rome in Italy, Cairo in Egypt, Algiers in Algeria, and Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Glasgow, Belfast and Cardiff in the UK. But Narita (and perhaps all airports in Japan) impresses me the most.

Passengers' baggage are all neatly stacked and arranged in a uniformed manner on the carousel. It looks as if all the baggage are lining up neatly to be picked up by passengers. It's a small thing, I know. Nevertheless, I am impressed. The Japanese airport workers took the trouble of arranging the baggage neatly on the carousel, rather than just putting the baggage on the carousel haphazardly.

Not only does this make everything looks neat and proper, it also gives confidence to passengers that their baggage are handled with care, and not being thrown around as if they were not important.

Sometimes, it is these "small" things that give us some peace of mind.

Say it as it is

People say that those born in the year of the tiger has a short temper. I was born in that year. When I was a young boy, I used to have a very short temper. I would easily snap at people and if I remember correctly, I was quite fierce.

Later, when I got into secondary school, I have learnt to keep my temper at bay. I don't recall ever losing my temper when I was in my teens.

Since my schooling years, I have managed, more or less, to control my anger. Yes, there have been occasions when I had to vent out my anger out of frustration mainly. But more often than not, many people who know me would probably have never seen me angry.

But I guess, things will have to change somewhat from now on.

Lately, I have been getting severe bouts of migraine almost every day. You could see the veins popping up on my forehead when I have these migraine attacks. When I checked my blood pressure, it is quite high. And I have been advised by my doctor that I should not hold back when something is bothering me.

I have seen many cultures in my life. Malaysians, in particular Malays, have always been "courteous" and unwilling to show their displeasure out of respect and out of fear that they would offend others. Americans are well-known to be direct and honest in giving their opinions. Arabs are almost similar. When I was in Egypt, I witnessed that if they don't like something, they will say it, but once they said their piece, they don't hold any grudge.

I have been advised to just say my piece. Never mind if others are "offended" or if they want to sulk later on. And I must admit, I am feeling slightly better after doing this. No more sugarcoating my words or trying to play diplomat.

From now on, I will say it as it is.

Too bad if you can't take it.

Have passport will travel

I don't travel much. I don't like travelling really. Most of my travels are work or study-related.

My first passport was made when I was 11. At that time, I was living in Johor Bahru and the school had organised a study trip to Singapore. So, I made my first passport in order to enter the Lion City.

My second passport was made when I was 17. This time around, I needed the passport since I was leaving for the UK to further my studies.

My third passport was made in 2003. I needed the passport because I was involved in meetings and conferences in Indonesia, Egypt and Algeria.

On Tuesday, my boss told me (before sending me home) that I should be prepared for a couple of overseas trips in April and May. I just said "okay" without thinking much about it. After all, it is part of my work. Then when I got home, I noticed that my passport is no longer valid. Looks like I have to make a trip to the Immigration Department very soon to get my passport renewed.

Akhir Sa'ah

When I was in the city of Kaherah in Egypt a few years ago, the students there brought me to a fast food outlet called "Akhir Sa'ah". I was informed that the meaning is "last minute" implying that the outlet could cater for food ordered at the last minute.

However, that's not what I would like to blog on today. One of the things that I find annoying is last minute tasks. I was about to leave the office at about 7 p.m. yesterday when I was asked to do something. The problem was the person who knows how to prepare the material is down with chickenpox. There is no way I could get him to the office in his condition.

I was fortunate that a couple of weeks ago, I actually sat down with the person to come out with the draft of the required material. It didn't dawn on me at that time that I would be using the draft under this circumstances. I am glad I actually got it done when in actuality, there was no directive or need for me to have it done at that point in time.

In any case, the proactive act paid divident today. I was told that the draft material "saved the day".

Lesson learnt today: Work well in advance.

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.

Close shave

A close shave for Malaysian vessel, Bunga Seroja Satu, when Danish warship, Absalon, helped thwart an attack by Somali pirates at the Gulf of Aden. Swift action on the part of both Bunga Seroja Satu and Absalon helped deter the attempted hijacking. Things do not seem to be improving as there has been at least four attempted attacks on trade ships in the past three days.

Should the situation at the Gulf of Aden does not show any sign of improving, shipping cost will increase as ships will have to ply an extra 3,501 nautical miles and add another 12 days by sailing around Africa to get to Europe (and vice versa). The Gulf of Aden is the passage to the Suez Canal. Unless and until the problem of maritime piracy is solved, chances are the Suez Canal would be relatively quiet - resulting in a loss of income for Egypt.

There is also a report that an unidentified warship has captured 14 Somali pirates on Sunday. Whether this will bring about a solution to the crisis remains to be seen.

I do hope that the international community tackles this piracy menace at the Gulf of Aden promptly and effectively. No doubt, the problem that occurred is a spillover from the socio-political problems plaguing Somalia. Aside from tackling the Somali pirates at sea, efforts must also be taken to alleviate the situation in Somalia itself.

From the rainforest to the desert

I'm not the kind of person who likes to travel. I'm more of the homely type. That's why throughout my stay in the UK for nearly half a decade, I didn't travel much. Only in my final months there did I do some travelling. Although I didn't go outside the UK, I managed to cover most parts of the country, including Northern Island, Wales and the Highlands of Scotland. And of course, I went to Old Trafford.

Any regrets for not travelling to other places? Yes, a little, but I'm quite certain in this line of work, I'll eventually reach other parts of Europe, as well as other parts of the world.

I've been back from the UK for a decade now. In this period of time, I've done quite a bit of travelling, mainly as part of my work. I've been to almost every state in the country. I've even been to Taman Negara in Pahang, doing things I never thought of doing like walking on the canopy walk 30-50 m above the ground (pic, above) and travelling by speedboat along Sungai Pahang. For somebody who doesn't travel much, these kind of things do bring a certain amount of excitement.

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I've been to countries like Algeria and Egypt. I got to see for myself the effects of civil war in Algeria, and how they're rebuilding themselves. I got to see how historically-rich Egypt is, and yet many of its people are economically-poor. I've seen the only surviving seven wonders of the world - the pyramids of Giza (pic, right). I've cruised on the River Nile.

All these experiences enrich one's life. At the same time, for me, these experiences humble me for I get to see the many creations and blessings of Allah. It also drives home the point that we in Malaysia are indeed very fortunate for the many blessings that are bestowed upon us.

I'll share more pics and comments on visiting other places from time to time, insya-Allah.

Of hailstones and golden rain

Remember the Malay adage "hujan batu di negeri sendiri, hujan emas di negeri orang"?

Realise how we often complain about how things are terrible and horrible here in our country?

Well, this is so often the case until and unless we see the state of affairs in other countries. I had the privilege to visit several countries in the past 3 years. Not counting the UK where I lived for 5 years, and not counting the countries where I stopped for transit (India, Italy), I have been to 2 North African countries (Algeria, Egypt) as well as the biggest Muslim country (Indonesia).

What I can say is that when you have been to these countries, you'll realise that we're indeed very lucky. Sure, we are not perfect. But that doesn't mean that we're in the pits. Things could be better, but it won't get better if we just complain.

I think once in a while we should take time out to count our blessings. Oft-times we only remember these blessings when we no longer have them.

Indonesia may be the biggest Muslim country. Algeria may be a country with a rich and colourful history. Egypt may be the cradle of civilisation. But believe you me, from where I'm standing, we are indeed more blessed compared to them.

Hailstones indeed...