Flight to Yogyakarta and Quantum of Solace.....

Last week I went for "jalan-jalan" to Yogyakarta in Central Java. The flight from Jakarta would only take about 1 hour.......

I could hardly remember when was the last time I managed to sleep soundly, as soon as I buckled my seat belts  ... and only to be disturb by the stewardess asking for my dining menu selection... during that time, we can opted for variety of food selection, even in domestic flight....The time when oil price was still cheap and I don't have to pay for my ticket flight with my own money (hehehe...)... 

Flight was consider among the safest transport for me... Until I watched the documentaries on aircraft disaster, the reason, the stupid mistake by the pilots, ground staff, the plane condition... and the weather itself... Thanks a lots Natgeo.... before that, taking a flight is like taking express bus at Puduraya for me....

The weather was not on our side that day... When the Captain mentioned we'll be facing turbulence due to the heavy rain and bad weathers above Adisucipto airport... my heart just seem stopped momentarily, my hand getting cold, and I just stared down the floor.... A typical sign of people expecting terrifying situation. To calm my anxiousness, I took the flight complimentary magazine... read the content with my mind unfocused....The passengers whose before this talking and laughing,... silent.....

I found short article on Bond latest movie "Quantum of Solace".. It's written here.....

What is a quantum of solace?....

It's actually mentioned in Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only. It's a debate Bond had with an ambassador at a party about relationships and when they break down and what moment there's no hope. Once that hope is gone there's nothing left. The quantum of solace is that last little bit of comfort when even at the darkest time in a relationship, you look at the other person and say you still love each other.  For Bond in the last movie he never had that. So this new movie is partly about him trying to find that.

Actually in the movie, Quantum is the secret organization head by Dominic Greene...I do not know what's the relation with the title...

The plane had to hover 15 minutes above the airport, to wait for better weather condition... Once the plane ready for landing.... I just prayed with all the passengers... probably one of my sincere and deep plead to the Almighty.....There's no need for me to describe the turbulence and plane rocking sideways..... sudden increase and drop of altitude... heavy rain.....

The plane finally touched down, and the reversed thrust activated immediately to slow down the momentum... the strip was known for it's short length....

When the air steward announced we have safely landed .... that's moment is my Quantum of Solace.....A moment of feeling grateful and joy for being safe and sound....Alhamdulillah...

Surau kedua Parit Amal Darat Muar Johor....

Salam sejahtera tuan-tuan, puan-puan dan saudara-saudariku sekalian. Syukur ke hardrat Illahi, atas izinNya dan sumbangan derma ikhlas dari para dermawan dan peluh keringat sukarelawan, Surau Kampung Parit Amal Darat, Muar, Johor telah selamat siap dibina..... kira2 90% siap.

Alhamdulillah, setelah hampir 10 bulan dari tarikh permulaan (awal November 2007)  kerja-kerja pembongkaran surau lama, yg diperbuat dari papan dan kayu.... Surau baru yg dibina dari konkrit dan simen selamat menerima jemaah pertama untuk Solat Terawih pada Ramadhan 1429H.  

Menurut AJK Surau, dana yg terkumpul adalah sekitar RM80,000+,  dan perbelanjaan utk kerja-kerja berkaitan pembinaan menelan belanja kira-kira RM75,ooo+. 

Menurut beliau, banyak sumbangan yg diterima dari penderma-penderma yg tidak dikenali.

Sumbangan material yang terdiri dari bahan-bahan binaan dari para dermawan memberikan impak yg besar terhadap terdirinya bangunan ini. Pada hari ucapan perasmian pembukaan, Imam surau sangat terharu.... menangis tak dapat meneruskan ucapan kerana terharu dgn kerjasama dan sumbangan yg diterima.

Tidak lupa setinggi-tinggi terma kaseh atas sumbangan keringat dan tenaga kerja sukarelawan, dari sekecil-sekecil mengangkat papan atau batu, sehingga sebesar-besar mengendalikan JCB... dari yang tiada kepakaran (mcm saya) membina sehingga kepada tukang kayu dan pandai rumah, dgn kepakaran mereka membina surau ini.

Di sini saya ingin mewakili kariah dan penduduk Kampung Parit Amal Darat, Muar, Johor... merakamkan setinggi-tinggi ucapan terima kaseh dan terharu di atas sumbangan ikhlas tuan-tuan, puan-puan dan saudara-saudari sekalian.... sama ada dari segi sumbangan kewangan, material atau tenaga kerja....

Semoga sumbangan dan jasa baik ini diterima Allah sebagai amalan soleh/solehah dan mendapat imbalan yg setimpal sama ada di dunia atau akhirat....

Jasa baik tuan-tuan, puan-puan dan saudara-saudari sekalian tidak dapat kami balas.

Nota: buat masa ini, Surau ini maseh memerlukan sumbangan utk sistem pembesar suara. Kepada tuan-puan yg berhasrat utk memberi sumbangan, sila hubungi saya.

Homemade Rozelle Syrup....

Last week I went to my kampung in Muar... and as usual I must pay a visit to the local market Pasar Parit Jawa, located about 8km from my house. Living in city like Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur, the meaning of sweet fresh fish or seafood is seem non existence... although there's a few places here where you can get decent fresh seafood supply.... Actually I am quite sceptical on the freshness, is it really fresh..... or any additional substances added ...such as formalin....

I was looking for ikan mayong, a not so far cousin of seawater catfish... For me and most Muar people, this is one of the best fish for asam pedas Muar style.... although some people may say, ikan pari (stingray) or ikan parang is better.... for me, ikan mayong is among the best....(almost same ranking with ikan sembilang).... especially the fish head....deliciously succulent, combined with the aroma and smooth taste of daum kesum...(Vietnamese coriander)

I remember when I was little boy, my late father used to buy ikan mayong as our routine source of protein.... that time the size was generous, almost half of my height...whenever we had fish dishes, 80% would be the mayong. Until there were times we all could not bear the taste. I did asked my mother about this.. why this fish became our family main menu... the answer was simple... mayong fish was among the cheapest during that time. Now I understand, to raise and feed 9 children's with income as rubber tapper....taste was non priority....

But don't be surprise today if you couldn't buy the fish at the local market..... the asam pedas restaurant and food stall have already book the fish,.... in fulfilling the local and outsider taste....And the price is not cheap now....

While looking for the fish, I noticed a stalls selling buah ribena (Rozelle) .... and the stall owner advertised that this Rozelle is good for syrup making.. I bought a few kilos. 

We firstly clean the Rozelle's fruits or flowers. Soaked in clean water and washed a few times..... separates the petals and the seed inside.....boiled together with water over a medium slow flame and add sugar slowly to add sweet taste. The raw taste is pure sour.......Boil until the syrup thicken and the taste is balanced, between sour and sweet. Put off the flame, and let it cool down. Sift the syrup and store the liquid inside bottle or any container..... the petals can be eaten directly and taste like preserved fruit....

Not much story about Rozelle syrup.... more story about mayong.....