Hari Raya Aidilfitri (also Hari Raya Puasa, literally "Fasting Day of Celebration") is the Malay term for the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr. Hari Raya is also known as Lebaran. Muslims in Malaysia and Singapore celebrate Eid like other Muslims throughout the world. The term "Hari Raya" literally means "Day of Celebration" — it is also occasionally used to refer to Eid ul-Adha in the form of "Hari Raya Aidiladha". The main greeting used by Muslims in Malaysia and Singapore is "Selamat Hari Raya" which means "Happy Eid" in Malay. Another greeting is "maaf zahir dan batin" which translates loosely to "I seek forgiveness (from you) physically and spritually", for Hari Raya is a time to reconcile and renew relationships with others.

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I went to my boss' Open House yesterday. Wow... it was damn crowded (that shows how popular is my boss!) Most of my friends are there.

How did I go there you'd ask? The ever creative and generous Dicky (my colleague and friend) came and picked me up! That's so generous of him!

The Rendang (Rendang is a dish which originated from the Minangkabau people of Indonesia. It is one of the characteristic foods of the Minangkabau culture, and it is served at ceremonial occasions and to honor guests. It is also very popular in Malaysia and Singapore, Rendang is traditionally prepared by the Malay community during festive occasions.) that Su (my boss) cooked was so far the best I have ever eaten. The beef is so tender and the gravy was like "Fuaahh~!"

Eating the rendang with Lemang (Lemang is a traditional Malay food cooked in bamboo stick which can be found especially during Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Hari Raya Haji. It is made of glutinous rice and coconut milk. A little salt is added for taste.) made me feel like in heaven!

Not to mention the Fried Chicken (kalah KFC ler~!). It's so juicy and delicious.

Then after the meal, we sat down and chat for a while. It was kinda embarassing in the middle of the conversation when they start to talk about "Andrew not having a girlfriend"... Oh My God, you should have seen them talking so happily about that topic... hahaha...

We said goodbye and left Su's house with a bloated stomach. Dicky sent me home that day.

Diwali, also called Deepavali (Sanskrit: दीपावली) is a major Hindu festival that is also very significant in Sikhism and Jainism. Known as the "Festival of Lights," it symbolises the victory of good over evil, and lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind. The festival of Diwali is about harvesting. Celebrations focus on lights and lamps, particularly traditional diyas (as illustrated). Fireworks are associated with the festival in many regions of India.

Diwali is celebrated for five consecutive days at the end of Hindu month of Ashwayuja. It usually occurs in October/November, and is one of the most popular and eagerly awaited festivals in India. Diwali comes exactly twenty days after Dussehra. Hindus, Jains and Sikhs alike regard it as a celebration of life and use the occasion to strengthen family and social relationships. For Jains it is one of the most important festivals, and beginning of the Jain year. Jains celebrate Diwali to mark the time when Lord Mahavira achieved Moksha. It is also a significant festival for the Sikh faith.

In 2006, Diwali occured October 21, 2006.
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I went to my friend's house for Deepavali Open House Dinner. It was fun especially because i get to see my friends and of course the wonderful food served!

Going to an open house is a very meaningful thing. An Open House (or "rumah terbuka") is a Malaysian concept whereby people celebrating various holidays will invite friends to drop by for festive snacks and fellowship.

I get to joke around with my friends (as usual) but too bad many cant really make it as it was held at night.

I hope to go again next year V(^_^)V

SUBANG JAYA: In an odd choice of weapon to use during a road rage incident at Seri Kembangan last Thursday, two men used a bottle of chilli sauce and a rod to attack a couple.

The view of a very hazy Petaling Jaya New Town from atop Menara MBPJ on Monday.

adopted from thestar.com.my

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The API for today rated at 139 for Petaling Jaya. Above is a picture of Petaling Jaya (area surrounding Amcorp Mall). You can hardly see what's beyond that building!

In Subang Jaya (as you can read above), road bullies used chili sauce to attack people. What has gone wrong with the society today?! Dont they (road bullies) have other better things to do? I rather seeing them 'lepak' at the park, outside Menara Maybank or shopping complexes. At least it is more comfortable to be there 'cos they are air conditioned!

Today is holiday for Selangor state. I woke up at 11am today cos i slept at about 4am this morning. My colleague and I went to Red Box (The Curve) last night and we were singing out throat off until 3am. It was VERY FUN cos this is the first time me singing since 2.5 months before. Ahh... I still remember the last time I sang, it was in the basketball court singing new songs with my A cappella team. It was fun as well.

Hope to sing again !

HAZE SITUATION: (Oct 6) Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said there was only so much the Government could do in combating the haze, and Malaysia was dependent on Indonesia to stop the problem. “The hotspots are in wide areas and it is dependent on the wind direction,” he said. The air quality in Sri Aman, Sarawak, reached very unhealthy levels with an air pollutant index (API) reading of 221, the highest recorded since the haze began. The Meteorological Services Department said there could be temporary relief this weekend for Peninsular Malaysia with an impending change in wind direction.

The above was quoted from thestar.com.my.
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How can the government not do anything? This morning when I read Sin Chew Daily, Indonesian Government said they can do anything as well.... What is happening? Haze is causing many people to get sick, it might also cause havoc the tourism industry, and even accident at night when it's too hazy.

The API (Air Pollution Index) these few days are just terrible. The API of the place where I work (Petaling Jaya) went up from 33 to 90 in less than 24 hours! We are glad that it rained last Friday evening. The sky was clear for the first 12 hours on Saturday and here comes the haze again.

Hotspot everywhere? Make it cold then! Artificial rain will not put off the heat, it will only clear the air for the next 8 hours... How to put off the hotspots? (Tips: direct water from nearby river or water source to them... soaked the hotspots with water!) Ok, saying is easy... I aint got the budget but i think that should do the work well...

Enough about all the stories of haze. It kinda pissed me off.


"How's work?", you might ask? Well, as usual, it's kinda hectic... im still trying to get use of the fast pace here in the city... yeah... I said i was going to get used to it last week... but it seemed that im not good in adapting in 'speed'... 'fast speed'...

So, it is all the same again... day by day... week by week... hopefully there is change soon...