Istanbul Hop On Hop Off 2.wmv

Guest writer - Suspicion

Suspicion

Maggots crawling

The numbers growing … fast

The stench reeking

Drawing more flies

Making  more maggots

That crawl

Grow in numbers

Give out a stench

 And draw more flies

That make more maggots

Killing all other smells.

Nothing good escapes

This onslaught of filth.

Once started

Nothing can be done

To restore the ravaged,

To what it was before.

It takes a trust so strong

To fight the flies off

To kill the maggots

One by one

Till they spring up no more.

Few take this path of resistance

It is always easier to ignore

And move on …

                          

          By Satrina Satwinder Abdullah ‘2011

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many thanks to Ms. Satrina Satwinder..my former english teacher...(edited for page format)

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 !!

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....

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.