We truly are lucky creatures - Part 2

I was late in arriving home due to the crawl on the road. Thats very Istanbul.....Istanbul is not Istanbul without its famous traffic jam. You could obtain a double major degree if you spend time studying during the time you spent while in the traffic jam! Thank god for all those iPad, iPod,3G and whatnots....after sometimes, you hardly noticed the crawl and will continue being lost in your own world. Old fashioned me still prefer to look out and enjoy the scenery and going-ons.

Istanbul is one city where you can't leave home without a camera. Leave the Mastercard or the Visa (plastics) if you want but never the camera. There are simply too many beautiful, abstract and unexpected things that could happen along your way. The other day, we had this Audi TT car in front of us stopping in the middle of the road. For a brief moment we thought he must be having an engine problem when we eventually realised that he was talking to an incoming Mercedes sports, right smack in the middle of the road. He finished his conversation with a handshake with the other person in the next car and drove away! If only I had my camera with me at that moment....it would've been priceless!

Now....back to part 2 of my story. Pazartesi (monday) is fresh market day in my neighborhood. I always made a point of going as its a wonderful way of testing my turkce (turkish language). Believe me, when its a matter of Liras, you'd made sure you know your Turkce. Pazar (market) days in spring always have an air of festivity in it. There are more traders and the goods are more interesting and best of all.....kiraz (cherries) are now in abundance! I have been having kiraz for kahvalti (breakfast), ogle yemegi (noon meal) and aksam yemegi (evening meal). My pyrex bowl is forever filled with kiraz and I don't mind as I've been told that the season is normally short. Over here, when the season is finished, that's it, you have them no more. Even for fish...which stops from June till September...crikey!!

As I pulled the trolley behind me to walk home, I saw something that mortified me. Its a scene out of a movie and I never thought that I would see it with my own eyes. Across the road was a woman with a little boy, the boy barely seven years old. That is nothing strange but what caught my eyes was that...they were rummaging into this big council litter bin and trying to salvage some papers and things. And the boy was picking up a remnant of an ice-cream and wanted to eat it before the woman yanked it away from his hand. I was stunned as I knew how the boy must have felt. I love ice cream,too. The weather is now warm and having an ice cream or ice lollies is heaven on earth.

Without thinking I gestured to the woman to me as my feet was rooted and I could not move. And then....the picture became worse as I saw her hurried towards me. Her right leg is actually just a piece of wood! But let me tell you this.....she can walk faster than a person half her age, that I am sure of. When I handed her some Liras, she was just as stunned as I was.

First, a man crawling on all fours and now a woman with a stick for a leg? And all in one day? Is God really trying to tell me something? What is it? I already said my gratitude all the way home in the bus. What next? This sighting reinforce my deduction on the determined Turkish. They might be down on luck but they still exhibit the uncanny determination and integrity that I had witnessed twice today. And the best part is...the rest do not ostracize  them, rather they accept them as one of them. The tolerable and kind society allow and let them continue with their lives honorably and with full integrity.

I was made known that every evening, the shops selling bread or any food items would discreetly place their products outside their shops so that the less fortunate could go and take them for consumption discreetly. I was told,too that if you didn't have money, you can just go to any shops and they will give away food to you free of charge. They are really charitable and I had on many occasions got a free ride on the bus because I was out of coins or I seemed lost to them.

I believe that these traits are ingrained in them since kingdom came. I really must find out how the people started this traits or if it was brought in from somewhere or someone. Meanwhile, I'll just enjoy the hospitality that Istanbul has to offer me.

We truly are lucky creatures....

June 6th. 2011.

Sometimes....in going through our busy daily lives, we tend to overlook many blessings accorded to us and even forgot to stop and smell the flowers. Its spring time in Istanbul and the although its a bit late in coming, its a wonderful change after all those cold and wet days (and nites).

After the colorful tulips have wilted, its now blooming of great, colorful and biggggg roses. White, pink, red, yellow, magenta...you have them all here. Its crawling everywhere its tendrils can get a hold on to. Its on your fences, on the road divider, beside the swimming pool, in the garden, on the balcony....just beautiful! How wonderful to be in Istanbul at this time of the year. Many a times, i couldn't resist the temptation and just jump out of my car and went down to smell the roses. If they think i'm crazy...well, being a Yabanci (foreigner) do have its privilege !!

Today, something caught my attention, twice ! I think God must be trying to knock some humility into me and ambushed me with these two very significant happenings.

The first event took place in a very busy street where I was waiting for my 29C bus to go home after spending sometimes shopping at MetroCity. The three o'clock bus stop is always jam packed with people when a bus drew to stop in front of us. Suddenly....everything and everyone went quiet and you could hear and feel the thoughts that would be on everybody's mind.

There, coming out from the bus was a man. Maybe in his 40's and medium built in striped shirt and black pants. So, what could be so strange about a man alighting from a bus? Well....for a start, he's not walking. He's crawling out of the bus, on his own, unassisted. Picture this....he's crawling on all fours, with his legs and hands. He had a slipper (or slip-on) on his two hands to protect them from the road or whatever.

He crawled away from the bus, oblivious to us staring at him albeit speechless (how impolite we all were) and inched his way to wait for another bus. I am not sure about the rest but for me, I only saw one thing.....and that was the determination and 'calmness' on his face. He was lucky as he didn't have to wait long for his bus. He got it immediately he reached the other stop. And just as how he stunned us with his crawling out of the bus, he also fascinated us with his crawling onto the bus with no assistance as if thats the most natural thing for him to do. After that, we could see the excitement on the bus where someone gave up his seat to him.

Needless to say, I was deep in thought throughout my whole journey back and I started to count my blessings and thank God for everything that I have. What is the significance of this event again? Well.....for one, thats's how the Turks are. They are really determined people and very very resilient and innovative. Not to mention, helpful and kind people.

That man was not in rags or tattered clothes. Far from it. He was dressed properly and I won't be surprised if he was on his way to work. He was not any different from the rest and he had on him the same determination and dignity that any average Joe even failed to have. He could be somebody's husband, father or son and I am sure that they are proud of him for being so 'normal' in our prejudiced and stereotyping mind. He is such a 'strong' man even though he was only inches from the ground as compared to our towering heights. How lucky we are that we don't have to find out if the air is fresher 6 inches from the road or pavement.

WE truly are lucky creatures !!!

Will tell you about the second event in my next posting. Gotta rush out to buy some ekmek (bread) for my cleaner lady who's cleaning the my units today.

Iyi gunler !!!

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Should I give you, my dear readers...a good hint?
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Erdoğan Bey Lütfen ...ikiye benim İstanbul kırma (please don't break my Istanbul into two)

Merhaba... and may peace be upon you, always.

I simply must write today, I am sooo heart-broken over what's going on in Istanbul, as we speak. It's so devastating to see Istanbul shrouded with tear-gasses and water-canons and to witness such atrocities in such a beautiful city. I pray that it will stop very soon....

Whatever they do.... i'm being apolitical here.. please please do not destroy any of those beautiful, magnificent and historical buildings, monuments and centuries-old whatever! don't forget, your Ottoman Sultans took pain to restore and kept everything intact for us to see and learn, centuries later! They were great conquerors but they never destroyed buildings, churches or mosques or other things. We should learn from them.... it's so easy to destroy something, just one blast and all will be gone....

Although i know that I'm an Yabanci (outsider), I feel so strongly for Istanbul that if you hurt her, you hurt me too!! Pleez.... can't you just sit down and settle things as how a family would at their dinner table? Don't prolong it, 'cos the longer you let it simmer, the worst it's gonna be. Yours is a remarkable nation that withstood many charges and onslaught from all directions but you managed to stand tall as giants in this ever changing world. The tectonic plates have shifted ecologically and economically but I pray that 'earthquakes' are the only shifts that will result out of it for Istanbul.You are just too beautiful to change....

When the Turks are angry, it's a very dangerous thing to happen. Why... have you seen them in a fist fight by the roadside because someone had just crashed into their  new shiny Range Rover or Harley? Remember that I once posted in this blog that ALL males in Turkey have to do their National Service for two years? Can you imagine the consequences if all those 'fully-trained soldiers' out there, who believe that they are fighting for whatever goodness for their people, country or lives... decided to fight it out? Heaven forbids.... if this clashes are not resolved amicably...

The Turks are brave and ferocious soldiers and were feared by many centuries ago and you'll be shocked to know that many modern-day military procedures originated from the Turks. The military march (bands) were copied from the Turks. There's even a song called "Turkish March". But the Turks used the march as a prelude or warning to the people of the towns or villages that they were going to  conquer. Few days before their armies start their siege, they'll send out groups of musicians with their neys (flutes), drums and other instruments blaring around the town at full blast twenty-four hours continously for couple of days. They'll have a three shift group to make sure that the music continue throughout the whole day and night. When one group take a rest after 8 hours, another group will take over. So... this must have been the beginning of a three-shift policy initiated during the Industrial revolution decades ago.

So eventually.. if you were the people in that village or town, after being hounded and psyched by the shrieking music and sights of the huge, fierce and no-nonsense uniformed players.... would you bother to fight back? See... half of the battle was already won!! Guerilla warfare at its best. Music has been known to soothe and heal but who would have thought that it can also be used to strike terror... without even you realising it..how clever !!! The Turks knew.... centuries ago !!! And.. don't let me start on their connection with the creation of Draculas. I'm sure you all have watched and cried after watching that vampire (and dracula) movie! But do you know that draculas (and vampires) started with one ferocious Turk who drank the blood of his enemies? Aha... betcha didn't know that... sure ....  you just love the romance in it.. LOL !!

Mehter at the Topkapi Palace. The Turkish Military march was enacted at Topkapi Palace to explain to the tourists of the significance of the march. It was really an interesting event to watch.

The event was done in full ceremonial robes and uniforms for the best impact.

Now... would you argue with these people??  I know I wouldn't. I'm too young to die... boo hoo....

Watch these videos if you're keen to see more :

Mehter Marsi Dolma Bahce

Ottoman Janissary Military Band

Mehter at Topkapi Palace

And..let me tell you this incredible but true story. If you didn't believe me, go out and buy the CD for the movie "Fetih 1453". It tells the story of how Fetih (the Conqueror) conquered Constantinople (now Istanbul) from Constantine. For me, there were two significant scene that really amazed me. The way that Turks conquered Constantinople and the final scene where after conquering Constantinople, Fetih liberated everybody irrespective of their religions and allowed them freedom to choose and observe their religions. The then non-muslims actually feared that they would be killed after Constantinople fell and had gathered in Hagia Sophia, trying to seek refuge for the last time. So... we can see how tolerant the Turks (Ottomans) were even when they had the power to do otherwise. How very cultured, democratic and contemporary..... way ahead of their neighboring counterparts.

Now, when Fetih wanted to conquer Constantinople, his battle ship  could not pass through the Golden Horn that separated Constantinople from the mainland. Tried as he might, he just could not pass through due to the stone wall surrounding Constantinople with its seven gates. And his surviving people were already either dying or beginning to lose their morale. They had earlier on, fabricated huge  metal chains that they later on tied to the two kale (castles) on each side of the Bosphorus, rendering Constantinople helpless and traumatic as help and supplies could not pass through this chains to reach them. Constantine's ally could not reach him on time but at the same time Fateh was still not able to pass through The Golden Horn. 

The kale (castle ) on the European side that held the big metal chain running across The Bosphorus so that Constantine could not get access to help and supplies from his allies.

Though the chain is long gone, the kale is still there.....

The magnificent kale that protect Istanbul from further attacks coming from the Bosphorus

Magnificent, isn't she?

So..what's a Conqueror to do? He did something unimaginable and unheard of at that point in time. But something that was later on adopted at The Suez Canal but with a twist! He literally took his battle ship out of the water, put it on logs as "sleepers" and pushed the battle ship UP the hilly terrain and put it back where it was to face the weakest spot of the stone-wall  for their attack. And the rest, they say....... is history! 

Determination? Innovative? Fearless? Remarkable? A combination of all could turn out to be very lethal. And I see these traits in Turks all the time. Plus the fact that they are also very competitive, passionate and principled. But sometimes passion could make you do 'strange and dangerous' thing. 

Part of the stone wall that protected Constantinople from direct attacks. These walls surround the whole city with strategically located seven gates. And this wall made it impossible for attacks to come from the Marmara Sea.

The wall that stood against the test of time. There are evidence of them being hit but it was not entirely destroyed and are still standing among other newly completed buildings around it.

See how intact these walls are, even after centuries of weather, earthquakes and assaults by men. Some buildings are still being used as part of Turkish normal dwellings or shops. You can still see some samples of magnificent building materials used in building them which enable them to withstand all those assaults.

Old and new.... vintage against contemporary... it is there for all to see and reflect on life before and after us....

They walk amidst historical environment and I sometimes wonder if they are aware of the significance of their surrounding. Maybe not to the young generations but the older group would not hesitate to tell you all over a cup of chai...

See how well-preserved they are....

The Bosphorus, Marmara Sea and the Golden Horn intersection. Can you see the high stone wall in the fore ground? These walls stopped many sea or marine attacks from all those suitors who would love to conquer Istanbul at that time.

But Fetih could not siege Constantinople using this route, so he had to push his battle ship along the Golden Horn to get to his strategic spot, Constantinople's weakest point from the stone wall.

The intersection where the Bosphorus, Marmara Sea and the Golden Horn (Halic) meets. It is now a center of a very busy port with most vessels taking and using the Bosphorus to go to Russia and the Balkans via The Black Sea or using the Marmara Sea to go to other African and European countries via The Mediterranean.

Fetih 1453 movie thriller (with english subtitle)

Fetih 1453 Full Muzik

My Life For My Flag - Fetih 1453 song

My wishes for today... I hope the people of Turkey (especially Istanbulites) could read my writings and open up their eyes to the outcomes that might turn up worse if they didn't close the gap. Talk talk talk and negotiate negotiate negotiate till you reach agreement. It is not impossible. Your history has shown that nothing is impossible in this world. Just open up your heart... and do what's right for your little Istanbul. And please..... don't break my Istanbul into two....

Let me leave you with this haunting Song by Bruno Mars... hmmm... we  are all guilty of taking our loved ones for granted .... yeah.. we are only human....... just don't make it a habit,ok? 'cos you don't wanna know how painful a broken-heart feels........ 

Err Bruno...forget the flowers... can I have your aviator? Cool.......

When I was your man - Bruno Mars

Learning Turkish language, Turkçe

Ohh..cool...we touched 17,897 pageviews today!! I love number 17. My jersey (for Volleyball and Softball) was 17. And it always brought good luck to me and my team, Yee Haaa !! Stay tuned...I shall write on Turkish Belly dancing in my next Post... Ahaaakkkk.....

Thought I'd write about Turkish language today, lest I forget, after leaving her for sooo longgggggg.

Turkish language, Turkçe is not an old language. The language that you hear them speak today was actually 'created' by Kemal Ataturk. It was a gradual change that Ataturk painstakingly undertook and ended with a 'new' 90,000 new vocabularies. After borrowing and modifiying from the French, German, English and some Arab languages, finally in about 1934, a new Turkish language was born, as so was surnames.

Thereafter, all Turks must use and adopt this language, irrespective of their ethnic origins. Any other languages are to be undertaken privately if anyone so wish but a Turk must only speak Turkçe and nothing else. The Turks are aware that Turkish language is one of the most difficult languages in the world and they would be really happy and appreciative if they see that you, a foreigner, can speak Turkçe. You get brownie points...and might get away with many many things. Trust me on this...I'd managed to get out of some sticky situations by simply conversing in Turkçe with them.

 Apart from the usual 26 alphabets that we have, Turkçe has an additional 6 characters that warrant special mention and require special Turkish keyboard, which I did not have. So, most times, when I wrote something in Turkçe it is not exactly right without these special 6 alphabets. But they are not difficult to comprehend, it's just a matter of pronouncing them properly.

For a tourist, just remember that there are 2 types of c,g and s. Normal g,c and s is pronounced as'g',  'k' and 's' respectively. However, whenever g,c and s become 'soft g, c and 'soft s' ( ç,ğ ş )  with an additional subscript below it, it becomes "ch" and "sh" respectively. While the g become silent and would enhance the sound of the preceding alphabet. It all sounds 'Greek' to you? C'mon....it's not all that bad... really !!

The difficulty arise in making  sentences because all the nouns are brought to the front, followed by verbs and adjectives. As such, you can't simply translate from Turkçe to English and vice versa using Uncle Google. What this means is...when they talk, you'll have to listen until they finish the whole sentence to know who did what and why! My Swiss-German friend said that this is also the case with German language. And...according to her, that is why Turkish (and Germans) are good listeners as compared to the French or Italians! She said that, you can interrupt a French or Italian talking because you can already guess what they were going to say from the beginning of the sentence. Hmm? Good point there, eh?

Don't ask me why because that's how it is...I've even argued with my tutor who simply could not understand why it was done that way,too. Ohh my tutor....yes...I think I tortured her enough during the class but she was a good tutor. Thank you Duygu! Though we are still trying to figure out why the Turks say "drinking cigarette' instead of "smoking cigarette". I suspect it went back to the nargile or 'shisah" era.

Turkçe do not have any reference to male or female. Nonetheless, it's a very interesting language. Sentences are normally long and if you watched the news on the telly, you can see how breathless the newsreader became after reading the news. To catch up for time, they had to speak very fast.

For me, I think I can ace a written Turkçe examination but when it comes to oral and practical test, I'll fail miserably. The Turks speak in a very harsh and deep voice and they they tend to swallow the words when they speak. A recipe for disaster for 'hard at hearing" me. Boy....they do have big and deep voices. Even their children have deep voices and do not shriek like normal kids. So in the end, I just told the Turks to listen to me and not the other way around. After all, they're supposed to be good listeners, yes ???  

OK...more on Turkce in my next postings. I shall leave you with my archive (collections) of Edirne, the city where Fetih The Conqueror started from on his journey to conquer Constantinople (now Istanbul). I will write about that too...so do stay tuned !!!!

The magnificent Selimiye Camii in Edirne. This is one of the masterpieces by Great Mimar Sinan (Sinan the Architect)

It's amazing to note that, even though there are more than 70,000 mosques across Turkey, the wonder of each and every mosques are so unique and is always being appreciated by the locals as well as tourists. The locals love their mosques very much and it forms a big part of their lives, not just a place to worship Allah but also as a place to share a picnic with their family members.
Selimiye Camii, Edirne

As the post rightly says, this is not a graveyard. rather, it's an exhibit of various forms of tombstones that could be found all over Turkey. Historically, headgear played a very important role during the Ottoman era. The position and status of an officer is evidence by his headgear. That explains the various designs of headgears that could be found during the Ottoman period. Likewise, a tombstone (of an officer)  in Turkey, is a replica of the headgear of the said Officer. So, it's quite easy to identify the rank of the owner of the tombstone just by looking at it.

Interesting and intriguing tombstones of officers of past era...

A Graveyard replica beside The Selimiye Camii, Edirne

Inside Selimiye Camii. The hanging lights and the red carpet would remind us of The Blue Mosque. However, the tiles here are not as blue as The Blue Mosque. But it still is as spectacular! Just as the Blue Mosque, The Selimiye Camii is still being used until today, centuries after it was first constructed !!

A wonderful detail on the  main quarter dome of Selimiye Camii.

Another view inside Selimiye Camii with its distinctive red carpet.

At first we didn't know what this was. But we did noticed that many people were going towards this little corner and at times, it caused quite a commotion inside the mosque

Turned out that, this is a place where people (believers) would drink up the water from this little 'cistern' while they make a wish. It was believed that if you drank the 'sacred' water while making a wish, your wish will come true. I did not try it so I didn't know how far true are this. But anybody is welcomed to visit, go inside the mosque and drink (and make a wish) from this cistern. May all your wish come true.....

If you took 15 minutes, sit down and just look around you while you are inside this mosque, soon enough you'll begin to understand and appreciate what a great architect, Sinan was.

Captivating and mersmerised..... who knows  what you will find here ?????

Beautiful...... don't you think so? 

Ohhh.... look at those tiles..... it's even nicer in real life, this photo do not do justice to it. I'm so sorry about that !

Sadirvan, the place to take ablution, or you cleanse yourself before you pray. This is right in the middle of the courtyard of the Camii. And the structure is made of natural marble. Incidently, Turkey is famous for its yellow, brown and gold marble as well as multi colored Onyx. The marble and Onyx of Turkey are prized possession and it's not uncommon to see them in huge panels adorning walls of great hotels all around the world.

The Sadirvan

Edirne in my hands