Previous Unloads:

1991 May: A Visit to Langkawi, the Land of Mahsuri

1991 Aug: Study tour to Medan, Indonesia

1994 May: First Asia Pacific Chitin and Chitosan Symposium (APCCS)

1995 Dec: Revisiting SAS

1997 Dec: Rally Nationwide Vision

1998 Apr MOU and Launching of Chito-Chem (M) Sdn Bhd

1999 Sep: The Officiation of Smart Technology Centre, UKM

1999 Sep 23: A Week on Leave

1999 Dec: Study Tour to Taiwan

2000 Jul: A MiniReunion of Class of 66

2000 Dec: Just An Unlucky Day

2001 Jul: 29th Covocation of UKM

2001 Dec: Digging Deep Into the Root: SKBT Revisited

2002 Sep: A Consequential Events from Feb 2002

2003 Apr: Reminiscing the Little Boy

2003 Nov: Reunion of Class of 66

2004 May: Cameron Highland Revisited

2004 Jul: In the Heart of Two Cities

2005 Jan: SAS Re-revisited

2005 Jan: Seri Puteri Eventually Visited

2005 Apr: In the Backyard (and Frontyard)

2005 Nov: Jalan Hale Revisited

2006 May: Kenyir, Here I Come

2006 Jun: Bidong Revisited

2006 Aug: Convocation UKM #34 2006

2006 Oct: The Faces of Ramadan


The Faces of Ramadan (Dated: 2006 Oct)
The serenity of Ramadan 1427 transgressed into two-thirds of Oct 2006.

On every eve of Ramadan meat is sold on the road side (similar scene on the eve of Shawal). The picture of "bubur lambuk" in Kg Baru Mosque is invoked. This year, traffic congestion in Sg Merab became more prominent at about the MPI junction, and is getting an issue. The drivers are getting more fierce and furious.

Ramadan markets were put up every where for the month. It operated from ca. 4 pm to the sun-set (iftar time). Normally up to 28th or 29th of Ramadan; very rare on the 30th. All sorts of foods were available. All sort of people converged; driven by the empty stomach, they spent on food more than they did during non-Ramadan time. No one left out in maximising the effort to extract the maximum possible amount while the mood is in the mode.

A kind of involvement, so that it could not be said to be unbothered; however routine every things was year in and year out for the past many years.

Ramadan means different things to different people. All are blessed with what they want, even with some they don't need.
The kind that worship "there is no god but one and only money". They are there ready waiting hours before the money start to flow. They did not bother to know the occasion. Like flies, as long as there are garbage. They play one and only way to get to permeate through, no matter how tough the sentry is. Not to mention the way they get the merchandise. But it is more interesting to note that the buyers could not differentiate the needs in ramadan and in non-ramadan.

The most intrinsic is the date which is more and more sophisticated, albeit all of them advertised as from Iran or Tunisia. More fresh, almost freshly picked from the trees. But still could not tell whether they are naturally sweet or simply sucrose/aspartame/saccharin-soaked.

All kinds of drinks in the colour the sellers think the buyers percieve so;

The main attraction still for the main dish which could be "preserved" for the following sahur;

'Nasi lemak' is theoretically self-contained; others are supplementary;

All sort of cookies; carbohydrate-sweet, or protein-sweet;

In-situ cooking;

On-site baking, frying and grilling;

More;

And more;

Not many of them do actually realise that Ramadan actually is a clock - a giant clock for a giant time - its one second is 31,557,600 seconds on our clock. The clock takes 2,592,000 of our second to mechanically swipe one second.