QA: Photo Blog (3)

I have new phones.. not one but two :-)

Subject: New Phones

Date: January 7, 2007

Time: Afternoon

Venue: Sg Wang Plaza

Remarks: I bought two new phones as my birthday present. First time I bought M0t0r0la (L6 and V3x). This is my third time changing the handphone since I started using one in 1998.

~ M T @ Q 4 t 4 r

~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: About a Friend (1)

I got a friend.

A friend wants to be loved. But a friend is not looking for love. A friend is waiting for love.

A friend did not give love a map. So, how can a friend meet a friend's love?

Love can get lost somewhere without a friend knowing it. How would love know which way to take, which junction to turn if a friend does not give a guidance?

I do not know how to help a friend's love (if there is one) to get to a friend if I myself does not know where the love is now?

~ M T @ Q 4 t 4 r
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Petua (1)

Now, lets start a new section called "Petua". I have one issue here. Most of my working shirts (white and blue -> yeap, I only wear white, blue or mixture of these two colours shirts to work, no other colour) that I left for some time in the closet turn 'yellowish' on the collar. It seems that I could not get rid of it. It looks quite obvious whenever I wear them.

Does anyone of you know how to get rid of this 'yellowish' stain? Appreciate assistance.... :-))

~ M T @ Q 4 t 4 r
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Jalan-Jalan (3)

Today, Zals came out with a brilliant idea to jalan-jalan in Q4t4r. I guess he just worried he would not have time to go around Q4t4r while he's here. For today, Zals decided to go west of Q4t4r - towards Al-Shahaniy4 and Dukh4n.

We set off after "all u can eat meal for QR22" at the K F C nearby. [Just for the information, we brought our own M4ggi Chilli Sauce to the restaurant]. After 30 minutes of driving, we reached the Camel Race Track. There was no race for the day, but we managed to enjoy the view of the camels strolling along the race track. The race track was huge and long. There is a vehicle track side by side the race track to allow the 4WD and pick up truck to follow the camels during the race. I hope I would able to watch the camel race before I leave the country for good.











Then we proceed to Dukh4n. About 40+ km from the camel race track. The road was bad.. Some parts are under construction (by our local companies, G4muda and W C T). There is not much problem going there, but coming back after sunset was not as smooth as expected due to lack of street lights along the way and lots of pot-holes on the road.

This was my second time to the same area, and next trip would be north of Q4t4r. From what I read, northern part has more historical places to visit. In fact, the town claimed to be the first capital for Q4t4r is on the northern side.


~ M T @ Q 4 t 4 r
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Makan-Makan (5)

Last night, KM and Dom hosted a light B-B-Q at Dom's compound. I was told the event to start around 7.30pm, so be a good guest, I arrived on time. :-) However, once I got there, I found out that nothing was ready. The grill still in the box and I ended up assemble the grill with Dom. Dom just bought the grill a week ago and this was the first time using it.

There were only eight of us, hence "light" B-B-Q. The usual group. Other than me, there were Dom & KM work colleagues (also Msian), one embassy staff and his gf, who works as cabin crew with "Taking u more personally" airline. Zals joned a bit later since he got a dinner invitation from another Msian who just got back from Hajj.

Enjoy the slide show. This is my first time using the slideshow function. Quite cool, eh... :-)

~ M T @ Q 4 t 4 r
~~ Ibn Mahmoud, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Babai ZM [Terbongkar jua akhirnya.....]

That's ZM @ Kelakar Seram @ B......g... :-)) checking his email at my apartment. Together with Zals, we had a farewell dinner at Pander0sa. Itu pun selepas we paksa him belanja. ZM had a better offer from a company in the U A E. After around 16months in D0ha, I guess it is good for him to move on. Better package.

I first met him in the gym. I was introduced to him by one of the trainers at our gym. He revealed to me that he first thought I am very "sombong". Hehehehehe.... Dah dia tak ada badan ketul-ketul as my inspiration pergi gym, buat pe nak tegur-tegur :-P

We became good friends. Hang out at C0ffee Be4nery, had dinner together, invited him makan-makan and lots of other stuff...

Definitely going to miss his company. Do spend your quality time with yr wife and kids this week. You are embarking for another journey next week. Make sure you have your own apartment in Fuj4irah.... mana tahu tetiba I muncul kat situ :-)

Good luck dude... and all the best....

eh..lupa lak.. title tulis "Terbongkar jua akhirnya...." For this one, I think I better leave that for three of us only.. What I can say is just - this is a small world, even in the cyber-space :-)

~M T @ Q 4 t 4 r

~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Screwdriver?

Last night, had a dinner at Italian Job restaurant with Zals and SK. I had pasta, while Zals enjoyed his risotto and SK who did not know what to order at first settled with pizza.

For the drinks, not many choices available for non-alcoholic drinks. I always try not to order the same menu with my colleagues on the table; so when Zals went for Sandowner (some sort of mix punch) and SK wanted the fresh orange, I ordered (blunt) screwdriver. Either the waitress did not get it correct or I did not tell her properly (which I think the latter), at the end of the dinner, there was an item "Smirn0ff Orange" on the bill. And it is more expensive than my pasta!

Gulp!!!!! No wonder I tasted something strange during the dinner... :-p

[photo from www.phototakeout.com]

~ M T @ Q 4 t 4 r

~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Passion (1)

Passion.. Everybody must have at least one thing in his/her life that he/she loves to do. I have few and the top three are
- Traveling
- C [will blog about it later…]
- D [will blog about it later…]

Probably different from others, I do not like to make my passions as day to day affairs, i.e., get paid for doing so. My current job as a consultant is not something I really enjoyed. But at least it gives me some funds to live in this brutal world and a means to enjoy doing things that I love. The only reason I do not make my passions as my job is to avoid getting bored with it. Yes, I am a person who can get bored easily – and I am trying very hard to change this. I try to make my life more interesting in this not so exciting city. Thanks to couple of friends who surfaced after one and a half year of loneliness in the city.

Traveling has been a passion since I was a kid. I credited this to my obessesion with airplane and my interest in geography subject at school. I can still remember vividly drawing an airplane with my best friend at primary school. Every time a teacher did not come for the class, we drew a M A S airplane and compare to each other (yes, it was a M A S airplane since at this stage, I was not expose to any other airlines yet)… Remembering this makes me smile to myself. I wonder how my friend is doing now. Last I heard he was with M I T I and settled down at Buki+ Jelut0ng….

My traveling passion has brought me to many countries in the world. My first flying experience was in 1989, when I was a [early] teenager. It was a gift from my dad for doing well in the exam. It was just a short flight from my hometown to A O R. The only thing I can remember from my first flight was that I got panic for not knowing how to buckle the seat belt. The seat belt was different from the one I was used to, the car seat belt. And I was scared to ask the stewardess :-P Well, that was nearly twenty years ago….

I still want to conquer the other continents, i.e., South America, Africa, A N Z and probably trans-Siberian and Silk Route. InsyaAllah..one day… my passion will bring me there… And I will keep on dreaming. American humorist, Erma Bombeck once said, “It takes a lot of courage to show your dream to someone else”. I show and share with you my dream. Hope it will come true one day…

My passion in traveling is not only visiting places. It includes the journey getting me there. From planning (yeah…very tiring), taking and enjoying the journey until the end of it. Thanks to the advent of world wide web, information is easy to get. But I still prefer spending my time at Kin0kuniya or B0rders travel section browsing the travel books for free… :-) [wonder whether I will ever bump into another blogger at these two bookstores…]

When it comes to the journey itself, it is important for me to choose which airlines that will take me there. I am not fond of taking other means of transport. But if there are good reasons to enjoy beautiful scenary from land or sea, why not?. Apart from the airlines, the aircraft (type, registration), seating, and on-board services are the things I am looking for. I have my own log book for the aircraft details and flying information. So far, I have flown with 16 airlines of the world and will keep on continuing flying other airlines – I hope :-)

Groups traveling? Well, I don’t like traveling in groups, I mean big groups. Maximum would be four pax, if I really have to. I have backpacked with two other friends before for one month and it was not easy. I have also traveled domestically in Eur0pe via land transportation (driving and rail) with four people and it was not easy as well. I believe traveling reveals the true you. You will understand your partner or friends a lot better when you travel with them. So, those of couples/friends out there, take a journey together somewhere, and you will see what I mean.

Any readers out there share the same passion of traveling? Maybe we can share stories and travel together one day. As of today, I have two invitations to go to Egyp+ this February – one from blogger in Nigeri4 and another from Dvbai. The only constraints I face now are timing and affordable fare…. Let see how it goes…..

Till then….

~ M T @ Q 4 t 4 r
~~ Ibn Mahmoud, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Spam / Hoax / True?

Every one who is familiar enough with cyber world definitely familiar with the above terms - Spam and hoax. Am not going to talk about spam emails - for me, these unsolicit emails can be recognized from the sender as well as their funny titles/subjects. As for the suspect hoax email, it is a bit difficult, especially when the content of the email is beyond your knowledge i.e., medical related. Sometimes, when you receive that kind of emails, you will wonder whether the information is true or hoax.

Luckily, there are good samaritans out there who have plenty of time digesting and compiling these type of emails. I normally use this informative website to check whether the information is true/valid or simply a joke.

This email, which arrived in my mail box today (my company mailbox actually) is a (probably) mixture of valid information and fictitious.

=====

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters...S.T.R.

My friend sent this to me and encouraged me to post it and spread the word.
I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some
folks. Seriously.. Please read:

STROKE IDENTIFICATION: During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little
fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics)
and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up
and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid
went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called
later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at
6:00pm, Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they
known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us
today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this... A neurologist says that if he can
get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a
stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed,
and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR .

Read and Learn! Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may
suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of
a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple
questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. .
. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS..

NOTE : Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out
their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other
that is also an indication of a stroke. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of
these tasks, call 911 immediately !! and describe the symptoms to the
dispatcher. A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10
people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

And this is what the website said about the above email.

May be next time all of us can take proper steps before sending out email, especially when the information in the email, in our opinion, makes sense but there are questions that you cannot answered yourself.

Sometimes, all these are common sense. If you have doubt about the information, google it out. You definietly find something on the net (except the spider....hahahhahaa).

~ M T @ Q 4 t 4 r

~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Salam Ma'al Hijrah

Selamat Menyambut Tahun Baru Hijrah 1428.

~ M T @ Q4t4r

~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Makan-Makan (4)

When I heard that U EM is "phasing out" their existence in this country, I know I will miss some of my friends. So, today, I decided to cook for couples of my U E M friends. One of them, ID could not attend since he is leaving tomorrow and needs to do some packing. ZI and Boboi joined us for lunch.

As usual, KM and SKAR are our "a must attend" guests now :-) This time is my first time cooking "ikan masak asam pedas". This was a special request by SKAR, but then, he did not eat it :-( I also fried potatoes specially for him (and another reason is because he brought lots of potatoes and I don't know what to do with it) :-) What can I say, I am such a nice host... [masuk bakul angkat sendiri...] Personally I don't eat "asam pedas" and my first attempt was not bad :-) hehehehe ..... Unfortunately, majority of my guests did not eat "asam pedas" (half of us come from north-eastern state of Kelan+an).

Here what we had for lunch:

- Ikan Masak Asam Pedas
- Ayam Masak Kicap
- Pajeri Terung
- Telur Dadar
- Kentang Goreng Bawang
- Salad dengan Kuah Kacang


~ M T @ Q4t4r
~~ Ibn Mahmoud, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Plan Tak Menjadi

For the last few weeks, I have this plan to go to Dvbai (via Sharj4h). Although the reason justified for the trip is to see what Dvbai Sales Festival is offering, the main reason for me is to fly with the first low cost carrier in the Middle East, AirAr4bia.

This will add to my list of airlines that I have flown. Right now, I have flown with 16 airlines and AirAr4bia will be my 17th. airlines.

I have yet to book the ticket, so the famous blogger at Sharj4h tu, sabar-sabar lah dulu ye. Upon checking the website, the fare has gone up by QAR200 .. aarrgghhhhh...... so much of delaying to buy the ticket.

After a short discussion with my current travel partner, Zals, we decided to postpone our trip to Sharj4h...

To our dearest friend over there, a thousand apologise.... nanti Zals contact you.....

Hmm.... I already informed my MDs that I will not be attending the monthly meeting next Thursday - but now, I need to retract that email.... So much about planning.... :-(

~ M T @ Q4t4r
~~ Ibn Mahmoud, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: To SKAR's Wife :-)

Dear SKAR's wife,

Last December, I met with your hubby at K L C C. He was so excited to come to D0ha to work with one of the world's most talk about airlines, "Taking u > personally". We talked a lot about life in D0ha, weather, communities, and anything and everything.

When your hubby told me he will be arriving last Friday, I planned for makan-makan (nice ye I ni..) and invited few other friends in D0ha. The menu for the day was Nasi Ayam. However, he did not response to my call or SMS until nearly 3.30pm. Luckily, his hotel is just a stone throw away from my apartment.

I have told him that he can always come to my apartment anytime to use the internet connection, even if I am not at home. I have told the guards to let him in. He did come the next day just in time for a spaghetti lunch :-))

Today, with Zals, I went to assist your hubby to pick up his 92kg of cargo at the Q R cargo center. Now, all the five boxes are in my apartment. I was told that you did all the packing for him... Ye lah kan, isteri mithali.....

Right after our dinner at a chinese restaurant nearby, we came back to my apartment for an "opening" ceremony... :-) I let the photos speak for itself, but i do have some notes:

=> Garlic/bawang merah/bawang besar? err..... we have lots of it here...
=> Kentang? hmmm.......
=> Dapur? Kalau I tahu, I dah hantar my mountain bike with yr hubby
=> Sudu/senduk/mangkuk? :-P
=> Cadbury chocolates?
...........













Sampaikan salam kepada anak2 kat rumah ye. Your hubby is okay, sihat walafiat here... don't worry about tak cukup makan, I have promised him that if I cook, he will be invited... :-))

p/s: Your hubby has given me and another blogger the permission to write about this :-)


~ M T @ Q4t4r
~~ Ibn Mahmoud, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Why?

I think the one question we always asked ourselves quite often (or always) is WHY? Why is this happening to me? Why am I here? Why I look like this? Why ...why...why...

Yesterday was the day with filled with "?"... like Riddler's costume in Ba+man movie.

Photo taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riddler

=> Why this project keeps on building high rise on a shaky ground?
=> Why this project keeps on bringing more resources but no concrete tasks for them?
=> Why somebody gets luckier than me (in everything)?
=> Why everybody in the project wants to share car with me? There are two more cars available!
=> Why is this happening to a friend?
=> Why did that waiter explain in great length and details about male-aphrodisiac-roccola salad (leaf) to my married female friends in front of me? It was quite embarassing!!!!
=> Why did a colleague of mine wanted to go to K F C and decided not to eat there because K F C serves "fried" stuff? - well don't you know that K F C serves fried chicken???????
.
.
.
.
.
and lots and lots more questions on why????????

or maybe I should stop asking "why". Instead, ask "Is it me?"..............

~ M T @ Q4t4r
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Photo Blog (3)

I like this one....

The Sunday Star, January 14, 2007.

~M T @ Q4t4r
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Back Again... [sigh]

Landed in D0ha after 7hrs 50 mins flight from K U L - minus one of my luggage. Yup..one of my bags did not manage to get into the same flight with me - lupa nak dapatkan boarding pass kot.. hehehe. Apparently, it prefer to go to Bangk0k first and later to D0ha. So, let see whether it decides to come back to me or stay in Bangk0k... :-p It suppose to catch a Q R flight from B K K tonight.

The flight was over-booked and again, I got the (old) first class seat. It is a flat bed and managed to catch a good sleep that I have been missing previous night. The whole flight was uneventful.

I decided not to go to work today. First reason, no car available (read: lazy). Second reason, it was already late after I unpacked my stuff (read: lazy). Third reason... I think you already know.... :-P

Let see what in store for me this time around. Will go back again in March/April..... counting days :-))

btw, somebody gave me this when I reached my apartment.. thanks :-)

~ M T @ Q4t4r
~~ Ibn Mahmoud, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Eid Miladi

Happy Birthday to me....
Happy Birthday to me....
Happy Birthday to me....
Happy Birthday to me....
Happy Birthday to me....
Happy Birthday to me....
Happy Birthday to me....

~ M T @ Malays1a
~~ K0ta Bharv, Kelant4n

~~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~~

MY: Happy New Year

Selamat Menyambut Tahun Baru 2007.



Resolutions? Hmmm...... I don't really have specific resolutions. But generally, my resolution can be summarized as per Per0dua New Year advert (I could not find it on YouTube)... tak silap I, macam ni:

"To do more for others and less for yourself" -> macam gini lah bunyi nye.....

Again, to all of you readers (yang tak seberapa ramai pun.. :-)), selamat menyambut tahun baru.


~ M T @ Malays1a
~~ K0ta Bh4ru, Kelant4n

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~