October 21, 2007

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The falling leaves drift by the window
............The autumn leaves of red and gold ..........
.......................... I see your lips, the summer kisses ...........................
........The sunburned hands, I used to hold ..........
....... Since you went away, the days grow long .......
............................ And soon I'll hear ol' winter's song. ......................
............. But I miss you most of all my darling, ............
When autumn leaves start to fall.

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(Johnny Mercer, lyrics, Autumn Leaves)

October 20, 2007: My Saturday!

Hi everyone,

My Saturday started early today. After webcam chat with Herb, I headed to train station as early as 9.30 am. My destination ..... Borders bookstore at Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur. I had with me a list of 8 titles of books that I would like to read in preparation for my new job in February 2008:

1. Assessing for learning: building a sustainable commitment accross the institution by Peggy L. Maki

2. Assessment clear and simple: a practical guide for institutions, departments and general education by Barbara E. Walvoord

3. Assessing academic programs in higher education by Mary J. Allen

4. Quality and performance excellence in higher education by Charles W. Sorensen

5. Continuous quality improvement in higher education by John Robert Dew

6. Higher education in the world 2007: accreditation for quality assurance: what is at stake? by Global University Network for Innovation

7. Prioritizing academic programs and services .... by Robert C. Dickeson

8. Understanding faculty productivity .... by Michael F. Middaugh

~

I was so confident that I could find these titles (at least few, if not all) at Borders since I have checked Borders webpage and all of these titles are in stock at Borders US. And not to forget that Borders' bookstore at Berjaya Times Square is not only the largest bookstore in Malaysia but also the largest Borders' bookstore in the world occupying 60,000 square feet!

~

BUT ................ to my surprise, NONE of the books available in the bookstore!! I can't place an order either because these titles are not in stock at Borders KL! Did I mentioned that this is the largest Borders' bookstore in the world!?

Hmmmm .... it looks like I have to buy it at Amazon (these titles are in stock at Amazon.com) .... and pay the extra cost for postage!

~

Anyway, I can never leave a bookstore without buying anything . So I end up buying the following books:

1. I am Muslim by Dina Zaman (local author)

Below is the synopsis by Dr. Farish A. Noor, Political Scientist and Historian of Political Islam:

" I am Muslim is a selfish journey of faith. Dina meets shamans, nationalists, moderates and gets into all sorts of scrapes, to discover what Islam means to Muslims in Malaysia. Heartbreaking, angry and downright funny.

Dina Zaman's articles about being Muslim in Malaysia today captures the multifaceted aspects of difference and alterity in normative religios life better than many academic studies... "

~

2. The Secret of Secrets by Hadrat Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani

"This book considered as one of the greatest works of classical sufi mysticism and interpreted here for the first time in English by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al Jerrahi.

The Secret of Secrets reveals in a brief compass the very essence of sufism, showing how outward practices such as prayer, fasting and almsgiving contain a wealth of inner dimension which must be discovered and enjoyed if external actions are to be performed in a manner pleasing to God ..... "

And also another cook book :

With that I headed towards Starbucks for my favorite

caramel machiato and marble cheese cake. But, something is missing ........ Herbie is not here! Who is going to help me finish the cheese cake as well as caramel machiato?

~

Before headed home, I stopped by at the hair salon for one and half hours henna treatment.

~

So, how's your Saturday or what have you planned for your Saturday?

Love - Larra

October 18, 2007: Book Tuesday on Thursday!

Hi everyone,

I haven't been writing on BookTuesday for quite sometimes! Does it means I have been a lazy reader lately?

Anyway, yesterday I finished reading a book by Orhan Pamuk "Istanbul - Memories of A City" that I bought while at Manchester Airport last September.

I heard about the author from an Estonian friend of mine who is in the publishing industry. Orhan Pamuk's books have been translated into more than 20 languages, and typically deal with clashes between civilisations and Islam's relationship with secular nationalism. He has won the 2006 Nobel Prize for literature, has earned international acclaim for his writing while also generating controversy in his native Turkey. His best known works are the novels Snow and My Name Is Red. (which are now in my list of books to read)

Reading this memoir giving me the 'urge' to visit Istanbul and to 'walk through the book' ..... Turkey, a product of Ottoman Empire and Ataturk's revolution ..... has always been a'mystery' to me .

" Pamuk's achievement in ''Istanbul'' is to show the human damage done by Ataturk's revolution without succumbing to the benighted nostalgia of many Turkish Islamists. He is appalled that many secular Turks (including, presumably, Pamuk himself) must ''grapple with the most basic questions of existence -- love, compassion, religion, the meaning of life, jealousy, hatred -- in trembling confusion and painful solitude'' but he offers no solution. "

(Christopher De Bellaigue - THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, 12.6.2005)

Happy Thursday! "Reading to the mind what excercise is to the body."

Love - Larra

October 16, 2007: Woman's Wishing Well

Have a fun Tuesday !

October 15, 2007: A Gem of A Friend

. Precious, rare and hard to find .... That's what your friendship is! Here's wishing you a very H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y PIA!!!! ~ ~ from LaRRa & HeRBie

October 14, 2007: Some Fill With Each Good Rain

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There are different wells within your heart.
Some fill with each good rain,
Others are far too deep for that.

In one well
You have just a few precious cups of water,
That "love" is literally something of yourself,
It can grow as slow as a diamond
If it is lost.

Your love
Should never be offered to the mouth of a
Stranger,
Only to someone
Who has the valor and daring
To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife
Then weave them into a blanket
To protect you.

There are different wells within us.
Some fill with each good rain,
Others are far, far too deep
For that.

~ Hafiz ~

October 12, 2007: Memory of 'Malam Raya' - the Brightest Night

Hi everyone,

'Malam raya' (Eid night) is among the awaited moments especially for children. When I was little, this is the only night that mother would allow us to play fire crackers (even though it might had been bought few days before). We (my siblings and I) will be waiting anxiously and checking the firecrakers like 20 times every night until the 'malam raya' arrived.

Other than firecrackers, during 'malam raya' we will also light 'pelita' (oil lamp). I have mentioned the background of 'pelita' in my previous blog. However for the children , we love malam raya simply because it is the most brightest night in the village - all neighbours will have their own set of pelita.

The pelita is either hanged in rows or own its own around the house. This type of pelita is sometimes called 'pelita ayan'.

Those days we can't afford to have all 'pelita ayan' around the house. So normally mother will light only few pelita, while the rest of the area will be brighten by 'pelita buloh' (bamboo lamp) made by my brother!

Not just that we will also burn coconut shells. During the whole month of Ramadhan (sometimes even few months before that) we will be collecting coconut shells around the village and kept it in a dry place. On malam raya the coconut shells will be arranged horizontally on a long wood (special type of wood need to be used so that it won't burnt along with the coconut shells). Then we will start burnt the top part of the coconut shells - it will be left the whole night until all the coconut shells burnt. Unfortunately I couldn't find the picture - maybe people don't do it anymore.

BUT tonight, no pelita ayan, no pelita buloh ..... Only this - candles on my balcony - to brighten my malam raya in the city .....

Goodnight everyone!

Love - Larra