Friday, August 29, 2008
In the Heat of Summer
Assalamu ‘Alaikum
In the Heat of Summer
There is summer in Riyadh? Yes if the cold season means you and family are surviving -1C then the hot season is summer. Peaks are 50C and 51C but midday in the forties are normal for August in Riyadh. What’s the heat like?
Well it’s less discernable now that we’ve been here over 2 years. The nearest description would be the heat you’d feel being too close to the fire when Uncle Ahmad is roasting his lemang. But then hopping from one aircond space (read: Office) to another aircond space (read; car) to another aircond space (read: home), the heat is momentary most times. However for Malaysians we’d notice one thing though, you do not sweat no matter how hot it is. For someone for whom heat usually equals sweat, this new experience is decidedly welcome. I must apologise to all the Mat Sallehs who I thought were mengada-ngada (being facetious) when they complained Malaysia is humid; now I understand what they mean. Riyadh is dry and KL is humid. To put it simply you can walk midday in any street of Riyadh and will not experience a droplet of sweat. However just take my word for it, don’t actually do it, because unlike KL it is not recommended to walk too long under the midday sun when the temperature readings are in the forties.
What do Malaysian expat families do in the summer? Well 50% are at home in Malaysia for the summer hols ; the other 50% already had their summer vacation at home and are now biding time for the Eidil Fitri flock back to KL. Barbecue pot luck is a favourite weekend pastime for many Malaysians in Riyadh. Wife and I did it a couple of weekends ago and invited Malaysian expat families from almost the whole of Riyadh. The formula is simple the host prepares the barbecue and a few main dishes, the other main dishes and desserts are brought by the other expat wives invited. These gatherings are good for sillaturrahim especially to get the new arrivals to meet the seasoned expat families in Riyadh. For the married bachelors in Riyadh i.e. those who haven’t got round to bringing the family yet, this is a chance for them to taste much missed home cooked Malaysian dishes.
Weekend trips for Umrah or visits to Madinah is also regular fare this time of year. The new arrivals are terribly excited as for most this will be their first trip to Kaabah. I still recall my first view of Masjidil Haram and Kaabah way back in 1996. It was a thoroughly emotional experience. With two other friends from the Malaysian Islamic Bank we were working for, we were invited to deliver papers at an Islamic Banking Conference in Dubai. We took the opportunity to make a quick detour for Umrah. I cried when I first saw Kaabah, the picture that was on my sajadah all this while is now in front of me. I could not believe my eyes. Leaving Kaabah after the first visit was also a wet eye experience, moving from pillar to pillar of Masjidil Haram looking forlornly at Allah’s House. Like the classic Hindustani film, it was a sad, long farewell for I really do not know when and if I will be coming back. I thank Allah swt that I am now in the country of Kaabah with wife and three children and Umrah now is just a weekend decision. Went for Umrah a few weeks ago and I’m happy to report there is now a Malaysian Restaurant at Safwa Tower not far from King Abdulaziz Gate. Although it wasn’t opened yet when we were there I am sure it is very welcomed by Malaysian pilgrims.
Talking about the summer heat, things are heating up some at home too huh? It’s amazing how the obvious is not so obvious to the ones who should really see. Its like they’re locked in a time warp, still singing Elvis Presley songs when everyone has moved on to Madonna and what not. Nobody says the issues they keep harping on is not important, just that we never gave them the license to rob the country blind. What is sad is not the people who enriched themselves but the followers who support them, the people who swallowed the spiel hook, line and sinker only to allow their idols to continue to rape the country. And these guys pay the same price for petrol as the rest of Malaysia do and suffers running inflation the same way the others do. I suspect my personal theory about people being divided into two psychological groups is possibly true. One group worries about everything; this is the group that will support tyranny if tyranny guarantees their life is safe. The other group is not so gullible they will fight all tyranny even if it endangers themselves and their future. Which group are you?
Looks like Shashi Kapoor in on course to be President of India (See my earlier article entitled “Politics of Being Abroad”). I care about the welfare of my race and especially those of my religion but it should not be at the expense of other members of the nation. They too are entitled to justice and fairness and a share of the economic pie. Poverty is not less painful in the stomach of another race.
Wassalam,
Zahid
In the Heat of Summer
There is summer in Riyadh? Yes if the cold season means you and family are surviving -1C then the hot season is summer. Peaks are 50C and 51C but midday in the forties are normal for August in Riyadh. What’s the heat like?
Well it’s less discernable now that we’ve been here over 2 years. The nearest description would be the heat you’d feel being too close to the fire when Uncle Ahmad is roasting his lemang. But then hopping from one aircond space (read: Office) to another aircond space (read; car) to another aircond space (read: home), the heat is momentary most times. However for Malaysians we’d notice one thing though, you do not sweat no matter how hot it is. For someone for whom heat usually equals sweat, this new experience is decidedly welcome. I must apologise to all the Mat Sallehs who I thought were mengada-ngada (being facetious) when they complained Malaysia is humid; now I understand what they mean. Riyadh is dry and KL is humid. To put it simply you can walk midday in any street of Riyadh and will not experience a droplet of sweat. However just take my word for it, don’t actually do it, because unlike KL it is not recommended to walk too long under the midday sun when the temperature readings are in the forties.
What do Malaysian expat families do in the summer? Well 50% are at home in Malaysia for the summer hols ; the other 50% already had their summer vacation at home and are now biding time for the Eidil Fitri flock back to KL. Barbecue pot luck is a favourite weekend pastime for many Malaysians in Riyadh. Wife and I did it a couple of weekends ago and invited Malaysian expat families from almost the whole of Riyadh. The formula is simple the host prepares the barbecue and a few main dishes, the other main dishes and desserts are brought by the other expat wives invited. These gatherings are good for sillaturrahim especially to get the new arrivals to meet the seasoned expat families in Riyadh. For the married bachelors in Riyadh i.e. those who haven’t got round to bringing the family yet, this is a chance for them to taste much missed home cooked Malaysian dishes.
Weekend trips for Umrah or visits to Madinah is also regular fare this time of year. The new arrivals are terribly excited as for most this will be their first trip to Kaabah. I still recall my first view of Masjidil Haram and Kaabah way back in 1996. It was a thoroughly emotional experience. With two other friends from the Malaysian Islamic Bank we were working for, we were invited to deliver papers at an Islamic Banking Conference in Dubai. We took the opportunity to make a quick detour for Umrah. I cried when I first saw Kaabah, the picture that was on my sajadah all this while is now in front of me. I could not believe my eyes. Leaving Kaabah after the first visit was also a wet eye experience, moving from pillar to pillar of Masjidil Haram looking forlornly at Allah’s House. Like the classic Hindustani film, it was a sad, long farewell for I really do not know when and if I will be coming back. I thank Allah swt that I am now in the country of Kaabah with wife and three children and Umrah now is just a weekend decision. Went for Umrah a few weeks ago and I’m happy to report there is now a Malaysian Restaurant at Safwa Tower not far from King Abdulaziz Gate. Although it wasn’t opened yet when we were there I am sure it is very welcomed by Malaysian pilgrims.
Talking about the summer heat, things are heating up some at home too huh? It’s amazing how the obvious is not so obvious to the ones who should really see. Its like they’re locked in a time warp, still singing Elvis Presley songs when everyone has moved on to Madonna and what not. Nobody says the issues they keep harping on is not important, just that we never gave them the license to rob the country blind. What is sad is not the people who enriched themselves but the followers who support them, the people who swallowed the spiel hook, line and sinker only to allow their idols to continue to rape the country. And these guys pay the same price for petrol as the rest of Malaysia do and suffers running inflation the same way the others do. I suspect my personal theory about people being divided into two psychological groups is possibly true. One group worries about everything; this is the group that will support tyranny if tyranny guarantees their life is safe. The other group is not so gullible they will fight all tyranny even if it endangers themselves and their future. Which group are you?
Looks like Shashi Kapoor in on course to be President of India (See my earlier article entitled “Politics of Being Abroad”). I care about the welfare of my race and especially those of my religion but it should not be at the expense of other members of the nation. They too are entitled to justice and fairness and a share of the economic pie. Poverty is not less painful in the stomach of another race.
Wassalam,
Zahid
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