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So much has happened since I last posted : There was Mother's Day - a day in a year to remember mothers!,... the heat wave in California - the day our house air-cond chose to breakdown!,... the ruling legalising gay marriages made in San Francisco - the day signifying doomsday is approaching fast!... it took place the same day as the heatwave - not surprising, eh!? and ... as you can see.. the day our Malaysian Astronaut - Angkasawan Malaysia, Dr Sheikh Muzhafar Shukor chose to land in San Jose!. Nadia & Sarah handing him the Congratulations Card. Just look at Nadia's adoring eyes looking at the fine-looking doctor, restaurant owner & also model...:-) 
The event was organised by M.C.A at the Convention Center in the Masjid. Dr Sheikh came alone that Friday afternoon, gave his speech and left for L.A the next morning. I think he underestimated the response that he would get in San Jose - especially from the children, and mothers!. His audience were not only us Malaysians but all other nationalities who knew a Muslim Astronaut was coming - the Convention Center was packed up to the hilt! Although not the 1st Mus
lim to go to space, he mentioned the 9th, I think he is definitely the youngest and maybe the handsome-est ! ;-) Eager boys greeting him at the door of M.C.A .His speech was eloquent enough.. I believe he has done & rehearsed it many times for the road-trip. I read somewhere he was previously in Dubai before coming to the US and will be going to who knows where next... Only just 6 months coming back from space, he must be tired out. But, looks 
like he is loving every minute of it! Dr Sheikh described how he spent his 12 days in the International Space Station (ISS) ...how he performed his solat, how he break his fast (puasa). He also showed how he did some scientific experiment there. He should write a book by now! Michelle introducing Dr Sheikh on stage. Accompanying him on stage is Pak Mat. Rasa-rasanya Pak Mat & family lah yang paling lama tinggal di US compared to any other Malaysians here. 
The children asking questions. One question was : How do you go to the bathroom? Bagus tu...tak terfikir kita nak tanya. 
Part of the audience at the Convention Center. In front, leading them is Dr Bakri, .. busy taking notes for his blog, maybe..?
There have been quite a few emails I received before, concerning the status of Dr Sheikh 'astronaut-ship' or 'angkasawan', him being just a 'space-flight participant' instead. He denies it of course, describing what he had to go through in comparison with another person from another country ( I forgot the name..), who secured a ticket by just paying a lot of money! Apparently we got our seat when the 
Malaysian government bought one point something billion worth of aircrafts from the Soviets. I heard murmurs of " OOoooo.... " when he mentioned that to the audience. Macam technology transfer through free training laa.. which is a norm thing to do in any contractual procurements. Well, I am not sure pulak of any other 'in-kinds' that might have taken place.. mesti ada tuu! :-o
On top, Dr Sheikh wearing a Batik shirt and spinning the gasing in space..Performing the solat ...he had to tie his leg so that he won't float!
Performing a scientific experiment..
Taking a 'sip'.. buka puasa...
With Malaysians and half-Malaysians...Dr Sheikh was selected among thousands, undergone rigorous training - in Malaysia, Russia and even in Siberia! - , endured the pain & sacrifice and finally he qualified. Body and Soul! He said, it has been his passion to go to space since he was 10. Constantly having to watch his health and be physically fit. Cannot even have a single scar on the 
body! He used to do model-ing... selain angkasawan, juga peragawan ! The rest of the crowd at the Convention Center...
Me and a few sisters here....debating on where to place the 'fruit bouquet'...:-)Whatever the controversies are on naming him, to me he is an 'Angkasawan' - a man who has gone to the 'angkasa' and back! With all the fame and attention he is getting now, I don't think he should be traveling alone..... Get yourself a Manager! Dah jadi macam artis pulak... Pity him, tapi kesian lagi looking at a few children's faces yang tak sempat nak bergambar dengan a man who has gone to space! Bukan senang nak jumpa. Kalau dah ada Manager, tahu la orang kalau nak makan ker, nak balik ker, nak tidur ker...dah letih ker.. ! :-)
Finally, one with my children... Pak Aji tak ada..balik Malaysia!MAY ALL OF OUR DREAMS COME TRUE....too!
April 22nd is Earth Day. I thought everyday of the year should be Earth Day.. Just to proof that I am an 'earthling' , I have recently made some contributions towards it also. Of course not the roses, they are already here when we first moved in. Normally whatever I plant will just wilt and die away... I am convinced that my fingers are not 'green' ... and they are also 'hot' ! I have always admired people with cool 
and green fingers.. anything they plant will just flourish. My mother-in-law is one of them; and I managed to convince her about my 'hot fingers' too ! She would willingly plant whatever green there was in my garden back home, weed and repair them whenever she comes visiting! Always having gardening advice for me : The best baja is 'chicken shit', siram tak boleh tengah hari, gembur kena selalu. Believe me I tried ! But, they never turned out right, like the way her garden 
grows. Thank goodness she never complained ( well, none that I know of..so far ) nor compared me to her other 'menantu' whose fingers are as green as the 'rain forest', and have a garden the envy of her neighbours. At least I am comforted knowing that my mother-in-law acknowledges the fact that not all of her sons - especially my hubby ! - inherit her 'green fingers' or have the gardening passion that she has....Now that I have aaalll the time in the world ( I keep saying that...he..he..he ), I thought I could un-convince myself of my own hypothesis with the help of proper watering system in the backyard and 'perfect' California weather. 
No, I didn't plant this....
nor ...this...
Not even this pokok sambung hayat .. which was planted by Rahim ( Rusminah's hubby ) from a tiny, dried up twig which they risk smuggling for me in their luggage when they were here holiday-ing. True to its name - panjang sungguh hayat pokok nie..
My chillies in the 'Made in Malaysia' pasus, basil and mints on the ground in front... hoping not to die.....
My tomatoes... notice the wire climbers, they are terbalik!.. :-)
The San Jose M.C.A (Muslim Community Association) organised an International Nite at the Banquet Hall last Saturday 23rd February, featuring China and South East Asia. Frankly, I did not expect the turn out to be so great since I heard they have done it before a few years back. However, the large number of guests surprised me! First of all I must congratulate the organisers especially sister Michelle Lee and her committee for their tremendous efforts in running the event smoothly -
filled with activities fun for kids and adults! Even the 'sampled' food were plenty to go around for the 300+ guests. Looking at the buffet table, one would think otherwise! Bringing food to guests instead of them 'attacking' the buffet table did the trick. Alhamdulillah, the committee was never short of volunteers that night to assist in putting 'samples' of food on paper plates and serving guests at their tables. As the request was only to prepare some 'kuih', the four of us ( Jina, Nani, Faridah & me ) came up with bengkang ubi (cassava) and agar-agar for Malaysia's contribution. Jina & Nani are the experts in making kuih-kuih Melayu so they made bengkang ubi and left the easier agar-agar for Faridah & me 
to tackle with. People say one can never go wrong with agar-agar .. Jina's words of " alah kalau tak jadi, masak balik jer Kak Ainal " kept ringing in my ears when I did just that! Though a bit on the sweet side, ( which I am told prefered by the Middle-easternes ) my 'agar-agar gula jawa berkepala santan' turned out quite okay in the end. Faridah came with the 'pandan' version. Rupa-rupa nya we are never far from our neighbours when it comes to food. The International Nite saw macam-
macam warna of agar-agar... kuning, merah, jernih, berkepala, tak berkepala...! I am never good at making 'kuih' so I brought along a pail-full of 'air bandung' to make up for it. My two girls have become experts in making the delicious concoction which became the 'much sought after' drink of the night!. Anis says that the 'drink committee' had to hide the container for awhile upon seeing children coming for 
seconds, thirds & fourth rounds before the adults even got a taste of it. Mak - Mak Arab pulak asyik tanya jer resipi! We decided to name it Malaysian Rose Drink because we ourselves are 'confused' on its original name. Air Bandung...Bandung Drink.. no that cannot be! Maybe due to the short notice only China, Indonesia & Malaysia had items for the cultural & heritage display corner. Alhamdulillah, within a few hours we managed to grab - from walls & cabinets of our homes... :-) - 
quite a number of items to show: Sarong Batik & Pelikat (ensuring first that they're not from our neighbour across the straits!), Papan Rehal, Congkak, Recipe Book of Malaysian Cuisines, Miniature Twin Towers, Pewter Mugs, Wooden foot Massager, Pasu Sarawak, Fan of a painted kampung scenery, The Wau, and Paintings of our traditional houses. The paintings were from one of Telekom Malaysia's yearly calendars. I am glad I got them framed! Did I miss out anything!? Oh yes, and The 
Wau we borrowed from MPBA's ( Malaysian Professional & Business Association ) store. Thank you, Haniza! Display items from Indonesia & China pun tidak kurang hebat nya. I haven't seen that kind of angklung for quite some time now. It still makes good music though! All countries taking part that night had to do a presentation on Islam in their homeland. Thank you Amir for preparing the slides on " Islam in Malaysia " and by virtue of being the most 'veteran', 
my hubby did the presentation. I must say it went quite allright! :-)The night continued with a cute " dragon dance " by 6 & 7 year olds from Granada Elementary School. Seronok tengok the teachers so involved in getting them ready for the act. I suppose an International Nite is not complete without a fashion show, to show-case traditional clothes and national costumes. Honestly, we weren't prepared for it but som
ehow things worked out our way when Sarah & Yunus, who are not siblings and from different parents, happened to be wearing 'sedondon' and after much persuasion the cute couple were willing to represent their mother-land. It only takes a step forward and a bit of courage. A pat on the back for both of them! The committee also arranged for a presentation on Tai-chi & Tae-kwon-do by a local martial arts operator. It would have been perfect if we 
got someone to do the 'silat' for us! I don't know what exactly is the role of Tourism Malaysia's office in L.A but I am told they did turn down request for assistance a few years back indicating this sort of event is too 'small' for them. Well, at least a tourism video or some brochures would be nice... Although not 'big', the International Nite at MCA last Saturday was very successful indeed. Guests had fun exploring the ancient traditions, the rich history, and the modern life of Muslims in the land of China and 
Southeast Asia! Sarah Amani Amir and Yunus Chang courageously introducing themselves to audience.
Two fashion show participants from Indonesia...
A 'brother' from Russia who graduated UIA a few years back. Currently earning his living in San Jose. Appreciating his love for our 'Baju Melayu'.
Not surprising if the Martial Arts Center registered many customers that night...
We hear its crab season this time of year. Atiqah pun 
memang dah banyak kali sebut nak makan ketam. Despite her allergies! And these few days dia demam pulak. Having anak2 yang dah besar ni some people say senang, but when they are sick they'ld act like 4 or 5 year olds! Tu belum bapa nyer... lebeh dari anak dia kalau demam...he..he.. Whenever Atiqah eats shrimps or prawns both her eyes will be itchy and swollen. However, she has no problems with lobsters & squid 
(sotong). But, we haven't tried her with crabs. When Jina & Eddie wanted to do a cook-out of crabs at their home, it was like pucuk di cita ulam mendatang. Shafinaz, Aziz and Eddie's roles were to go crabbin' kat Half Moon Bay...tempat fishermen unload their catch. Pergi beli ketam bukan tangkap ketam.. I think Shafinaz got them at less than 4 dollars per pound.. she's quite a negotiator! :) and I haven't seen ketam2 yang gemuk2 and banyak isi macam tu. O... e
xcept for the King Crab that has 'limbs' more than a foot long! The two couples were almost done cutting and cleaning those fresh smelling crustacean when we reached Jina's home. They divided them into 3 portions - one portion for masak lemak cili padi, the second for barbeque, and the third for sup ketam. Ahaa.. tak pernah masak ketam buat sup? Yours truly pun tak pernah...tapi Chef Shafinaz kita masak sup ketam hari tu 
memang sedaap! Itu lah dia rahsia selama ni... Ms Shafinaz kita pandai masak. Senang la nanti in our next get-together.. :) Jina's kuih keria was also a hit. I think she also made karipap.. banyak sangat makanan sampai tak ingat. Well, I just came with ayam goreng salut tepung.. O ya... selain crab season, it's also flu season.. We missed another family (Nani & anak2) sebab semua nya demam! Salbiah & Faizal had visitors from San Francisco & Stockton. 
Faridah & family couldn't make it either.. Oleh kerana dapur Jina tinggi sangat, terpaksa lah Chef Shafinaz guna 'stool'... he..he..
Eh...Eh... nampak macam model la pulak... :)
Outcome of our findings? - Atiqah is also allergic to crabs... !
Hmm....nasib laAt first the idea was to share the total price of the catch among us, but thanks to our new Haji & Hajjah (Eddie & Jina) yang murah hati we left only with heavier bellies... Next time dah tak boleh...kita kena share the load.. :)Thank you also for their grand hospitality. May they receive abundant blessings from Allah always ...
Last 2 weeks Nureena, her baby Afrina and her parents (En Muhammad and Puan Norma) visited us from San Francisco. She's working with P.N.B and now seconded for a few months at a Venture Capital company in San Francisco. Her husband is holding fort at home with their other three children. It's good getting to know ladies like Nureena - very determined, very sharp, not easily intimidated and has good communication skills. Her experience studying in US before helped. I guess 
P.N.B chose the right person to represent the organisation. Seronok berborak dengan her parents too! They are here to help in looking after her 2 year old. This ex-army veteran banyak cerita... Just a few hours with them terasa macam dah kenal lama. Too bad her working stint is just for a few months or else we could get to know them better. InsyaAllah, umur panjang kita jumpa lagi........ 
Five ladies extended their stay and flew over to San 
Jose to pay us a visit after their official trip to the CES (Consumer Electronic Show) held in Las Vegas. My hubby also attended the 5-day show ....... and me, wishing I could have tagged along to Vegas. Instead, jadi driver for my daughters who have started classes. Anyway, the 5 ladies Shakila, Wahida, Wan Nor, Fakhriah and Ada were our guests for only a night. They touched 
down on Sunday morning from L.A. Sempat gi shopping in Gilroy and the next day visit San Francisco. I hope they had a nice time in SF considering they had only a few hours before having to leave for the airport. Seronok jumpa balik Ada since our last meet in March of last year. She was my ' friend in DC ' mentioned in my 
posting of that month. Ada and Hashimi's hospitality memang tiada tandingan. Needless to say about her cooking. Simple as it might look, her ayam masak lemak cili padi memang sedap! , As I have mentioned before US domestic flights allows 2 bags per person. Each bag has to weigh less than 50 pounds or else you'ld be charged with excess baggage weight fee. So watch your bags' weight..mahal jugak tuu... :o
4th of July last year we huddled together along Charles River to experience the Independence Day fireworks in Boston. Read more of it in my previous posting... Boston ranked 3rd among the best fireworks show in US and lasted one whole hour. Usaha tu dalam sejuk-sejuk nak pergi tengok.. he..he.. This year it is extraordinarily hot in California on Independence Day - record temperatures everywhere, almost 700,000 acres have been burnt by wildfires, many have lost homes due to 
the fire and foreclosures, and almost everyone is complaining about the rising oil prices and the downward turn in the US economy - well, maybe excluding Bush and his administration who are still in denial! If homes are lost and oil prices are burning pockets, I think there is not much these days for any Californian to be proud of being independent. Except for living in one of the states to appro
ve licence for same-sex marriages!! Shiiishh... Allah nak turun bala sekejap jer... Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco says the same-sex marriage industry brings in a lot of money to the city. That's really funny! I think he's just re-enforcing his support to his own idea. The fireworks show in Cupertino took place at Cupertino High School - lasted for only about 30 minutes. What is it with fireworks that captures people's hearts !? Ramai jugak Cupertino residents lining the streets....
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