Istanbul Time Out......Nostalgia Time In

Nostalgia # 1

While it's Istanbul timed out, Nostalgia is certainly in for me now. In my last week at this tropical paradise, I have managed to 'make myself invited', rendevous, meet up and even bumped into people who had walked through my life previously. Today, I am not going to talk about Istanbul even though it remains dear to my heart, but of my short stay in this marvelous country called Malaysia.

CLICK HERE for Terengganu Tourism Info

Terengganu, at the eastern coast of Malaysia, remained beautiful and unpretentious till today. You will be surprised to know that Trengganu, even with its many oils wells (which generate the income or revenue for the country), still remain one of the poorest country in Malaysia. It bleeds my heart to see that the people of Trengganu are still as humble, sincere, honest and poor as they were decades ago. The finding of fossil oil and the eventual set up of the petroleum refinery complexes by the petroleum giant corporations mean that the cost of living in Trengganu has shot up many times over and at times are at par with that of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city. Unfortunately, the workers salaries and benefit packages are not rising fast enough! But...did they complain? Now, perhaps you would understand what I meant when I said that they still remain humble, sincere, honest and ......NICE!

there's a cruise boat going thru' this arch bridge...this is near to the spot where the Annual Monsoon Cup Festival is .. its almost midnight (during weekend) and the young people do not have many other places to go....

this Chinese village has been declared a Heritage site and is being preserved by the state government. It really is a beautiful heritage village...

closed-up view of the carvings on the screen....I was told that the craft-men went to Turkey to study the design and re-created this design motif here....its very intricate and nice...

would you believe that this is part of the market complex? I was told that the architect is the famous Architect Prince from Terengganu.....NICE !!

whenever the marketing makes you tired or you need some respite from the heat and the sun....

you can always use the pergolas to rest and watch the activities that was going on..

see..?? how nice and clean the market areas are......

would you believe that this is a market area? did they ever stopped for a while and admire the view and smell the flowers? Notice how serene the scenery is....as serene as the folks from Terengganu....

king of fruits...Durian. At night, this place would be jam-packed and you CAN be caught in a traffic jam as people shake and smell the Durians before buying them. 

two famous dishes from Terengganu...Laksa and Nasi Dagang.....you have not lived....if you have not tried these !!

what are they doing? well...the 'poor' lady in the middle is trying to split open the 'buah belinjau" after frying them in a dry sand. The trick is to eat them while they're still hot after being fried in the sand. The problem is...the 'poor' lady could not cope fast enough to meet the waiting palms of those 'vultures' ha ha.......just too many people waiting ... 

see the similarities here ??? he he...Oh Oh...I'll have to go into hiding, so if you don't see me.........photo copied from 

                                      http://theazon.com/2011/07/feeding-time-for-small-birds/

when we were small, the shells would then become our prized "manicured nails".......clever, huh?

Without sounding biased (since I had my schooling there), Terengganu has one of the most beautiful beaches in Malaysia (if not the world). Its people are really wonderful, cheerful and simple folks. My cousins remain true sisters and brothers to me till today. We grew up together and we understand each other without any need for  formality. Even if you disappeared for years without contacting each other, you will still be welcomed and treated no differently when you returned. Ever heard of the "love mean never having to say you're sorry"? Yes...you don't have to explain anything...they'll still love you just the same. Great ehh? But ..only in Terengganu.

The local folks like to say the phrase "it's ok...nothing to it". And to top it all, when talking to someone, they normally refer to themselves as 'hamba' (or slave)! For generations they have been implanting into their mind and soul....let it be...it's okay....don't bother! So....things rarely changed in Trengganu. No... let me re-phrase that....nothing's changed in Terengganu. While me and my cousins could still laugh (my daughter said that we sounded like "hyena") till the house trembled whenever we met....my heart still bleeds for my fellow Terengganu folks. But..if they are not complaining....why should I....No??

they're both teachers and claimed that they're very strict with their students... but wait till you see us together....we are just like a pack of hyenas......oouuuhhhhhhhh!!!! Thank you Ni and Na....Je'taime !! And thank you,too to Zah, Gee and the rest....!!

Nostalgy #2 : My English teacher says "YES"

Today, I bumped into my english teacher (when I was a sweet young  thing of 17!) at a local restaurant. It was really an honor when your teacher could still remember and recognise you after decades have passed on. Or could it be that I was without any make up (really...not even a lipstick) and was dining eau-naturel?

Ms. Satrina (formerly Miss Satwinder Kaur) was my favorite teacher and it was great to have bumped into her. And we were laughing our heads off recalling all the antics that happened in the class decades ago. She was an icon as she was young, pretty, fashionable and fun to have in the classroom. So much so that I had to confess to her that I purposely 'flunked' the 'class selection test' just so I could be in her class. It was worth it and I would do it again, if necessary ha ha. But...can you cheat for a second time? Why not...human has short memory,right? Beside...the other teacher liked to practice her high-pitched voice to see if she could break the window panes with her 'screeching'! Ah..ahh...not for me. Plus..."To be or not to be" (by Shakespeare) never excite me. I'm more of a  "Mills & Boons" and "Sydney Sheldon"..wink, wink! Well, I guess it turned out fine..I still got distinction for english, Yippee !! Though I still could not understand what "To be or Not to Be" is all about ??

Sorry for the quality of the photo..shot from my son's mobile phone. and he's probably nervous when he found out that both were my teachers....wow..double trouble! She coolly walked to me and asked if I were the lady who lives in Istanbul! For a moment there, I thought I was famous ha ha...turned out..she had read my Blog. Phew..I hope she didn't find too many mistakes...

Cikgu Shariff (her hubby) was our teacher. One day, he took some students to our National Park (Taman Negara) in Pahang and he never returned. I mean, to teaching.  He loved it there so much that he resigned immediately and got a job in the Park ! He remains active with the wildlife world till today and is now in the midst of setting up a zoo in one of the states. Bravo teacher....somebody has to protect our animals !!!

Seems that she has read my Blog and she said its "Okay". YES....if the English teacher said YES to your 'piece'...... then, I guess it is really okay. Phew.......i must remember to cross and dot all my t's and i's now...or even use the 'spell check' more often !!! Psst......do I need to behave myself now??? I was told that she left our school after teaching us for two years. Err...teacher...did we 'demoralise' you in any way? I mean, I know that we were 'naughty' but...... !!!

To Ms. Satrina and husband, Cikgu Shariff. (Singh!).....you helped to mold us to what or who we are today. We remain indebted to you for the rest of our lives and we hope that someday, we too could touch someone's life like you did. Thank you......from the bottom of our very hearts !!!

Kirpi - Wind's Melody

Thank you........we have touched 500 !!

I do not know if 500 is a big number but I am sooo happy today that we have touched 500 readers from the first time this Blog was published. For that...I am giving a bonus......to you.....a music video....with beautiful scenery of Istanbul and some other parts of Turkey.

Its a beautiful 'melancholy' song that will definitely touched the hearts of many out there. As it has touched mine.

I never thought that its possible.....but I DO miss Istanbul. However, I'm not complaining while I savor more delicious, strange and explicit cuisines from this mystical land of Indonesia! Wish you people were here....!! Its okay.....go on... you can hate me....I don't mind! Yum Yum !!!!

Enjoy the lovely music and scenery and muah...... muah..THANK YOU for following me and my journey.....!!!!!

Out Of Istanbul..Dolmabahce, Out Of This World !

While I'm out of Istanbul, I want to leave you with this beautiful presentation on the Dolmabahce Palace. This is one beautiful building...palace...monument....that sits majestically by the Bosphouros and you'll be awed and amazed by its beauty even if you have passed it for a thousand time. Its simply breathtaking and you'll never get tired or bored with its splendid architecture and a sense of romance surrounding it. I've always wanted to show its grand beauty but I thought that my photographs are too plain and do not do it justice until I was given a copy of this wonderful slide presentations. I would like to thank the authors (as per the presentations) and to congratulate them for these masterpiece which I hope to share with all of you readers out there.

breathtaking, isn't she ?? the Dolmabahce viewed from a Bospohorus cruise...

a picture paint a thousand words....!!

more views from the Bosphorus....watch the video to see more of these majestic and magnificient palace.....from all angles

if you think this is magical....watch the video and see the interiors....email me for a better close-up view of the interiors. i could not upload it here..due to various reasons....

Dolmabahce literally mean....Filled garden. Just as midye dolma means 'stuffed mussel'. What does it mean? Well...in an engineering term, its 'reclaimed garden'. That means, sands or (any) filling materials have been dumped onto the existing garden to maybe make the level higher or bigger. Its probably both. You can read the description in the slide presentation. 

Dolmabahce is now open to the public and you pay a small fee to enter the main palace and another fee to enter the Harem (living quarters...in case you men out there are beginning to get excited!) If you are a student, then you only need to pay TL1 (as I did). Thank you God! But silly me  forgot to buy the additional ticket to enter the Harem so I had to wait outside while my friends went in. There I was...sitting forlornly outside the harem, cursing myself for being so careless...when the guard suddenly beckoned to me and asked me to go in. Gee...thank you God, again! I must have looked sooo pitiful out there..... 

This is just one of the many instances to prove to you how friendly and nice the Turks are. They had on numerous occasions, waved away a bus fare, a change and even just gave away something they sell as hediye (present). Small gesture but meaningful, nonetheless. See...I did say that they are NICE people, didn't I?

Taking photograph in the palace is not allowed but many will try to 'steal' a shot. It is sooo beautiful that you just can't help it. But aha...I'm quite disciplined and I didnt take any shot, really!

Once you have completed your tour, don't forget to visit the "Clock museum" which is to your left as you approached the small roundabout after coming out from the harem. And....just when you thought your tour has ended....you'll be mesmerised by the wonderful collections of antiques and rare (mechanical) clocks. If you think that you've seen them all ( I mean the clocks), be prepared to be "stunned" by the collections. I was really mesmerised by the astrological clock that could even foretell when an eclipse was going to happen centuries later. The clocks will tick but some hearts might stop ticking.....it IS really awesome!!! I had to be dragged out of the tiny museum. And if the guard likes you, he'll signal to you to see the most 'special' clock of them all...ohhh..I have no photo to show but please....take my words for it and go see the CLOCKS!!! And then, tell me if I have misrepresented to with lies!

My postings would be a bit irregular for the next couple of weeks as I enjoy my tropical paradise.......he he...are you hating me already??? Its the sun, sea...and glorious food....Yee.....Ha.......!!!!

With 2 Lindas and a Madi, when they came to visit in spring. The simit was our breakfast for the day !! Yeah i know, I’m a terrible host,we were out of ‘gas’ and could not cook...what clever tricks, eh??

CLICK HERE - Dolmabahce Palace - With narration

CLICK HERE for more photos of Dolmabahce Palace

CLICK HERE - More on Dolmabahce Palace

( Email me for a close-up views of the interiors - in slide presentation)

Acknowledgement :

Thank you to Mr.Ting Men Choon, a fellow civil engineer and comrade for all his valuable and tireless  inputs and feedback on how to improve this blog and also for forwarding me this slides. Ting remain my true mentor and sifu which started when he taught me 'mind-mapping' a few years ago. The  "Coffee-Bean" cafe in Subang Jaya became our classroom. While he normally presented at a paid conference to others, I learned for free! Lucky me, eh? So, when I had the opportunity to do a mass-lecture at a local university, I too, did not hesitate to teach the students the 'mind-map' that Ting once taught me. In life, what goes around comes around and we must always pay forward, and hope that it will make a difference to someone.


Sorry Ting...can't do the Blog by 'mind-mapping'.....!!