Monday, August 8, 2011

Iftar in Istanbul

That is the "breaking of fast during the Ramazan " in Arabic. Since about 98% of Turkey's populations are Muslims, there is a very noticable difference to the city as compared to normal days. Understandably, it is rather quiet and the streets are surprisingly empty. Its almost miraculous to see the street not jam-packed and traffics are smooth flowing...if only Ramazan could be here longer!!

Since Turkey practices secular Law, there really is no rules or law stating that you can't eat or drink in public places during the day time. However, everybody is advised to show respect and tolerance to the Muslims who are fulfilling the 3rd pillar of the Islamic requirement. Although the cafes, restaurants and other eating places are open during the day, mostly people would just sit for a chat or to play tabla, their backgammon. Its rather strange to see them standing outside their shop without the usual tulip cay (tea) cup in their hands! And...to be honest, I could swear that the the drivers are more tolerant and there really was less hooting at the traffic light and elsewhere. Its amazing what Ramazan can do in Istanbul. Apart from the hunger and thirst that they must endure, they too must exercise more self-control in their behavior, thoughts, speeches and to increase good deeds.

Iftar starts at about 8.30pm and the Imsak ( when you can't eat anymore) starts at 4am. Bosphorus (my neighborhood) was my first stop for the Iftar and I was in for a very pleasant surprise !! Okay...less talk from me and more pictures for you.....

one of the cami (mosque) in my neighborhood...all ready  for the azan (call for prayers)..

almost all bread shops would be full with people queing...bread is their staple food and they will wait in line to get the freshest bread..hmmm....can you smell the freshly baked bread?

you can also have your iftar in one of many kebab shops....its a shame that this blog is not 4-D because at this moment, the whole neighborhood smells of rose-scented water...its sweet smell permeating everywhere and it really lift your spirit up...after almost 17 hours of no food or drink. I still see people smoking 'tho...i must find out whats their 'take' on smoking during Ramazan..??

next time...I'll join the line...maybe they have special breads for iftar....or..maybe they give out the bread for free ?? i won't be surprised if they did that. on normal days...they'll give out free breads to people late at night or they'll just hang them outside for some people to discreetly take them away...and you can still smell the rose-scented water.....

by the Bosphorus...its about 5 min. to iftar time and the die-hard anglers are still trying for the 'big' one !! this is a normal scene by the Bosphorus now (now that its warmer) and they now bring their family along so that they can have their iftar together in between waiting for the 'BIG' ones!!...

don't know why this part is deserted..maybe the fishes won't bite here....noticed the building in the background? thats the newly-completed Grand Tarabya Hotel.....its about the only hotel built exactly by the Bosphorus ....


its actually iftar time...but the anglers are still not budging.....but some are already putting away their rods (for a while) while they break their fast by the Bosphorus with their families.....


while the adults sat down to eat..the children will continue playing..after all, it is still school holiday...


noticed the people sitting on the lawn? they are all having a picnic by the Bosphorus for iftar.....its fun to watch as they have their feast with families and/or friends....while the children are oblivious to the fiasco..

noticed the 2 men to the left? they're busy attending to their mangal (BBQ) while the rest wait for the smoked meats and veges.....right smack in the middle of a 'Public Park'! In fact..there is a a sign board somewhere that says that 'Mangal' is prohibited but somehow for Ramazan...the rules are relax. In fact...you will see people having their mangal everywhere and they all have their iftar in their garden....outdoor. The weather is superb now (ave. 23C at night and 28C during day time) so..its almost a sin to have your iftar indoor.   Almost all my neigbors have their iftar in their garden or patio. i must be the only one sitting indoor and watching the telly while i eat.....sigh....

mangal (BBQ) by the pavement in the park....its serious business, i saw what they were BBQing....and they do look very delicious.......isn't that fun? all your families together, breaking your fast and by the beautiful Bosphorus as an added bonus! guys...if you want to envy somebody, envy these people..they do know how to live...in their simple and practical way....

quite a rare sight here.. a man with a skull head .....only during Ramazan.....Kemal Ataturk had banned the wearing of a Fez previously....and the wearing of scarves in the University and Public offices have only been been allowed recently..

noticed something here?? yes..as I've said previously, the MEN do all (well, almost) the cooking here..the men will prepare the food and they will do the cooking as well....how wonderful for the women of this country...anybody want to marry off your daughters to a Turk? or..even marry one yourself ?? you don't have to do the cooking,isn't that great ????

this family even invited me to join them for iftar....shhsh..i should have at least tried the yummy-looking meats...and forget about carcinogenic for once....they are really friendly and were sincere when they invited me....cok tessekuler...

brewing turkish cay (tea) by the pavement...what a beautiful tea pot or whatever. its stainless steel and looks like it has seen many generations before....now, i must try to get one of those..its soooo classic !! 

this group was lucky to have 'possession' of the benches for their iftar....what a wonderful family get together...

another family having their iftar......


of course...for those who prefer to have a normal iftar, these restaurants are just across the road...you still have the option of breaking your fast in an old ,boring, traditional manner....but where's the fun....????

now...would you rather have a picnic by the Bosphorus for your iftar with the yummy smell of the grilled meat......or would you have 'seafood' in a nice restaurant and instead look out to all those people having fun outside..??



Next Posting :  Iftar at Sultan Ahmet and The Grand Bazaar neighborhood !!







Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Nostalgy #3 - Five Years of Bonding

Imagine the scenario. You were twelve years old and were thrown into a remote place with no room, no TV or no moral support to call your own. Imagine too......spending the next five years of your life in this "God forsaken" place with only short holidays in between the torturous years. However, I won't ask you to imagine the horror of the horror... the bathrooms cum toilets that you have to share with hundreds other students with unimaginable conditions.

With these brutal scenarios, you least expect to forge anything meaningful in your life,right? Wrong....the friendship you fostered and nurtured in this atmosphere would later on turn out to be the most meaningful relationship one can ever hoped for. You will realise that after all those rat-race, corporate ladder pushing and business menovere, the friends you had during those five 'torturous' years remain the only people who could really understand and still accept you.

They already knew your faults and shortcomings and you don't have to hide or pretend with them. In other word...you are at ease wit them because you can let your hair down. That is...if you still have hairs by then! When you lived in a fully residential (boarding) school, you will almost always end up with the same friends who shared the same 'tortourous' years with you.

I was fortunate in meeting some of these friends from the boarding school  and  I guess you could tell from the photos.....how happy, loud and cheerful we were and its good to know that nothing and nobody has changed.  To all SAJOHANs......here's looking at you, kid!!!! Be Cool........

you could have changed your name, your job or even the color of your hair but everybody knows that deep down, you are still the same old person. you can't fool them by being what you are not. even if you're the richest person on earth, we would still treat you the same....so please leave your ego, your attitude (problem) or your arrogance at the door.  
We survived the most torturous part of our lives and nothing could be any worse.....right?You DID GOOD guys (and gals).......keep it up !!


till we meet again.....hos cakalin ......au revoir..........adios.......cao.........!!
remember, remember, the summer of 2011....

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

OUT OF ISTANBUL - NOSTALGY

Right Click and Listen to this beautiful piece by Richard Clayderman while you read the post.
Many things can trigger our senses and bring us to the world of Nostalgy and the composer created this beautiful masterpiece to accompany us as we travel back to time. It's a Nostalgy moment for me today as I reflect on my life on this wonderful birthday of mine.

Richard Clayderman Nostalgy

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.


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....!!