Our Children

On Children
 by Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

You have to let them go sooner or later....

Afiq at 2 years old

Afiq at 18 years old at the hostel, KPM Beranang

,

a googled image

The youngest of my four children...Afiq wants to be an entrepreneur then where a better place than here to pursue his ambition...Insha Allah.

Ain at 6 or 7 months already in love with books

She wants to write a book

Ain's alma mater

No more sound of their voices laughing or bickering with each other at home since early September 2013.  No rocket scientists they will be but it will suffice for Abah and Mama seeing all our four children has Alhamdulillah passed their first hurdle in life with more higher hurdles to jump or cross with lots of our prayers to a successful and rewarding life.

Simply Delicious and Williams!

Meletop! Meletop! Meletop sungguh meletop kali ini dapat lihat yang hidup di depan mata. Selama ini dok tengok dalam TV jah. Serina telah mengundang kita semua melalui rancangan Meletop kekedainya Simply Delicious untuk makan Char Koay Teow.  Boleh tahan juga tapi kita rasa sangat tak patut kerana dibiarkan kita duduk di meja menunggu setengah jam tanpa notis tanpa maklumat. Serina sendiri kesana kemari sibuk nampaknya. Sungguh malang tiba tiba kita tengok pelanggan yang datang kemudian telah dihidang makanan. Rupa rupanya baru kita sedar kena pergi buat order di kaunter serta dikena bayaran masa tu jugak.  PENGURUSAN YANG AMAT TIDAK SETARAF DENGAN GLAMOUR... bergambar kenangan dengan anak cucu.  

Ini pulak cerita makan kat WILLIAMS di Kelana Jaya...dah dua kali ke sini.  Everything big portions here, boleh makan lima enam orang Nasi Goreng Ketam Lembut dan semua makanan dalam gambar-gambar ni.  Yang uniknya di sini pelayan dia boleh rattle off the menu makanan at top speed...dah hafal dalam kepala mereka agaknya.

Kat William ni jugak katanya ada jugak artis artis lepak makan-makan so masa first time pergi situ terserempak dengan hero drama 'Diandra' apa nama dah... cun jugok budok tu tengok hidup-hidup luar ni.

Bestnya Cheese Naan...all buttery with 3 different sauces to dip in!

Next time in KL boleh pergi lagi...

Irfan's Flights of Fantasy

As circumstances warrant it I was not able to attend Irfan's performance recently at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas on 17 and 18 August 2013 but my two sisters Tok Teh and Tok Su were there to lend and give our utmost family moral support to our grandnephew but it's ok Irfan still remembers his Tok Ngah and autographed the musical programme for me :)

 Steady on Irfan...as always no notes infront of him (pics from MPO albums)

With guest of honour that night Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah (pic courtesy of MPO)

As reviewed in NST on 24 August 2013...

Tengku Irfan easily wowed the audience with his expressive musicality.

Read more: Irfan’s flights of fantasy - Live - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/life-times/live/irfan-s-flights-of-fantasy-1.342839#ixzz2ctsUkfbm

Another article in NST which was published before the concert...

Piano prodigy Tengku Ahmad Irfan will debut his original work at a Gala MPO concert, writes Aref Omar

HE’S only 15 but Tengku Ahmad Irfan can melodically negotiate his way around the 88 keys of the piano like an old pro.

 The boy wonder started playing at 7 and debuted with Claus Peter Flor and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra in 2009. Since then he has collaborated with the likes of conductors Neeme Jarvi (Estonia), Darius Mikulski and the

Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra (Bangkok) and pianist Yoheved Kaplinsky at the Aspen Music Festival in 2012.

Tengku Irfan will perform at the Malaysia In Symphony: 15th Anniversary Concert at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, in conjunction with MPO’s 2013/2014 season.  The two-night concert begins with a special Gala Concert tonight  for subscribers and guests, and a public performance tomorrow at 3pm (see accompanying details).

The MPO, led by music director Claus Peter Flor, will perform a repertoire of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier Waltzes and a brand new composition by Tengku Irfan, titled Sahibul Hikayat Fantasy Overture.

The latter’s currently doing a double major in piano and composition as well as studying conducting at Juilliard Pre-College in New York. He is a Teaching Artist Intern for the New York Philharmonic Composer’s Bridge Program and is a High Honors high school student at the Professional Children’s School.

He recently won first prize in the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.2 Competition at the Aspen Music Festival 2013. He won both the ASCAP Morton Gould Award and Charlotte Bergen Award in 2012 for his composition String Quartet No.1.

His composition was recently performed by the New York Philharmonic.

In an email interview, Tengku Irfan talks about his experience overseas and his passion for music.

What’s your typical day like in New York?
During weekdays, high school takes up all mornings and afternoons, and homework occupies my nights. Two to three hours during late afternoons will be for individual lessons or self-work for piano, composition and conducting.

Events such as performances, academic tests and research projects may alter the schedule.

Saturdays are full days at Juilliard Pre-College where I have group lessons on ear training, theory, counterpoint, studio classes for both majors, etc., and also orchestra rehearsal and chamber coaching. Sundays are for catching up with whatever that needs to be attended to!

What do you like about New York?
Most, if not all, of the world’s best performers and orchestras come here to perform, so I get to stay in one place and yet, I’m able to attend so many great performances.

What are some of your favourite classical music pieces?
This is difficult to answer because I have so many favourite pieces by composers that I love, such as Beethoven, Mahler, Prokofiev, Corigliano and many more. Recently, I have been listening to Shostakovich’s Symphony No.4. I really love its complex structure. There are so many things to unravel as we analyse it.

What’s the easiest and the hardest pieces you’ve performed so far?
Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.2 is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult pieces for me to perform. It not only imposes extreme technical demands on the pianist but also requires musical depth. The piece is also demanding on the orchestra. This makes it even more challenging for both the soloist and orchestra to tie-up together nicely.

Another piece which is tricky in a different way is probably Catenaires by Elliot Carter. It is a fast piece with a continuous chain of random notes with no repeated motifs or pauses at all.

In terms of easy pieces, I don’t believe that there is actually one.  Even though a piece may be technically simpler, the performer will always be challenged by the need to deliver it musically.

What’s Juilliard like?
I love it there! My teachers are awesome. They keep on raising the bar to constantly keep me on my toes and are always willing to give extra lessons whenever needed. They’re also always full of surprises. For instance in conducting, I may be given an unfamiliar quintet which I have to simultaneously sight read, transcribe for two-hands and sing another part on the spot.

I’m also lucky to have a circle of wonderful friends from both the Pre-College and College divisions. We constantly help each other, for instance by being an accompanist when a colleague is entering a competition.

Tell us about your new composition.
Sahibul Hikayat Fantasy Overture is inspired by the elements of several different forms of traditional music. The listener is free to interpret the music from his or her personal perspective or even relate it to his or her own experiences.

What’s your creation process like?
When it comes to inspiration, there are good and bad days! I was about halfway done at one point when suddenly I changed my mind and had to start all over again, which left me only 2½ months to complete the piece.

How many compositions have you done so far?
I can’t say for sure but in the last two years, between 10 and 15 perhaps. These range from solo and chamber works to large orchestral pieces.

You like to improvise during performances. How did this come about?
I saw pianist Robert Levin continuing this tradition of improvising cadenzas. I thought that it was interesting and a fun approach and decided to do the same.

Why do you like the piano so much?
The piano somewhat represents the range of the orchestra, from the very low to the very high pitches. Since I love the orchestra, the ability of the piano to emulate it to a certain degree is probably why I like it.

Do you enjoy other genres of music?
I enjoy listening to jazz. Art Tatum and Chucho Valdes are amazing!

How do you spend your free time?
I love spending time with my siblings and friends. We may just hang out together or go to the movies, etc. I’m also very much into playing multiplayer computer and iPhone games with my friends, such as Asphalt 7.

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My sister, Tok Teh's narration...

In August 2011 a couple of days before  Ramadan, Irfan with his siblings n parents  were back in Kota Bharu to bid us farewell.  Before flying off to New York.. I remember his final goodbye,  in Malay, of course he seldom uses English to communicate with his grand aunts, understating his adage ' Irfan anak Malaysia sejati', ..' Don't worry, l won't change except growing up a few inches hahahaha.. That is Irfan who always laughs after stating something.

Well growing a few inches indeed, two years  later when we met him recently in August 2013, he has grown taller by more than a few inches, he  is now a 5 ft 4 inch lanky teen at 15 yrs old. Exactly what he had promised, he hardly change.. he is still humble and lovable. In fact he practically hugged me and my sister, who he affectionally called  Tok Teh and Tok Su, after his performance at the Gala MPO which premiered his composition Sahibul  Hikayat Fantasi  Overture and that evening too, he has also flawlessly tackled Prokofiev's piano concerto no 2, which has been described as a fiendish piece by most experienced pianists. There he was in front of us, his grand aunts, our cucu or grand nephew, just the same Irfan we know and love since he was a baby... Nothing pompous about him or no flaunting off accent with an American  drawl . He still sounds very Malaysian and keep on speaking in Malay! Praise be to Allah, His Most Mighty who keeps Irfan just as humble and keeping low profile as ever before.

Irfan and family did return to Kota Bharu for a day trip on 23 August 2013, stealing a few hours from their hectic schedule just to be with his grand aunts, grand uncles and cousins, l recollected  his father's words when we talked on the phone just as they arrived from New York on  Raya day this year,  "we could not make it last year (going back to Kota Bharu), and we feel our holidays back to Malaysia is not complete then but this year 2013, we make it a point in fact planned it from base, to fly back to KB..."  How wonderful  it feels to be remembered and appreciated  by our niece (Irfan's mother) and nephew in law, and of course enjoying total devotion from Irfan and his sisters.

Yes we do have great time with them, we infact held a little family feast, inviting relatives to welcome home  Irfan and family, which l think was a bit perturbing for Irfan's mother who l believe wanted to have quiet moments with her aunts. Anyway Irfan especially , maintain his usual humbleness, obliging requests to have his photo taken, he dutifully salam with everybody, stand by the door to bid our guests goodbye (which the Malays propounded as good manners to send off guests each time they left) and bears all questions without flinching a bit even some questions are a bit personal, yet I am proud to hear him answering in a matured way, far beyond his tender years,  for e.g. one relative asked him, ' do you plan to come home for every Raya? His answer was, 'Alhamdulillah, the last two years we could spend our hari raya in Malaysia. 'A very uncommitted answer yet it sounds gracious without hurting the feelings of the person who had asked.

A little feast of local Nasi Dagang and Laksam to welcome the New York family back in KB and of course the delicious and colourful trifle courtesy of our niece, Norry.

Enjoying playing board games with Tok Su and his sister, Hana..

Irfan, Hana and especially Iman (who dotes on cats) getting to know Kaka 

 Tu dia Iman dah dapat riba Kaka dan Irdina riba Lulu ..

A snapshot with Hj Aka's family who's wife is our second cousin

With Tok Lah, Tok Teh, Tok Ngah and Tok Su and and Irfan's Mak (our niece)

One outstanding change in Irfan is his profound love for music deepens more and more, probably without a piano on hand, he is sometimes restless. I saw him relentless stalking round our living room, 'Irfan, do you need anything? Food or drinks? I asked.... ' No no nothing, please don't worry Tok Teh, its just music, ' he laughed...  Oh  my dearest  cucu is thinking of his music, everytime, everywhere, most of the time. ... Piano will conjure up all the time in his mind!

 Took a peek at Irfan's blog  and saw this picture of him conducting..hope your Baba don't mind Tok Ngah paste it on her blog hehe...

Last but not least...

 The whole family with Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah (pic courtesy of MPO)

Bekas putih ni lagi...

Kalau seboleh-bolehnya I avoid my food being packed in this 'white' container...dah tau bahayanya so buat apa nak ambil risikonya kan...tapi entahlah memang tahap kesedaran warga-warga di negara ini masih di tahap minima tentang betapa bahayanya bekas ini.  Rata-rata berleluasa penggunaan bekas ni...di majlis kahwinlah, di jamuan-jamuan pejabatlah etc etc etc, semua orang dah malas nak basuh pinggan gelas cawan so ringkas, senang, cepat guna benda ni but they never think of the consequences... benda remeh temeh macam ni pun nak diblog jugak kah, sajalah sebagai peringatan kepada sesiapa yang mahu diingatkan (eleh macamlah blog ni ada ramai pengunjung!)

This is what I ordered this afternoon for lunch, mee goreng and it comes packed in this container lagi...cepat-cepat tukar ke dalam bekas di bawah

at least bekas plastik ni boleh masuk microwave kan....

It takes at least 500 years to decompose (bekas putih ni ler)

What happens when we add hot food or drinks to Polystyrene?

Polystyrene contains the toxic substances Styrene and Benzene, suspected carcinogens and neurotoxins that are hazardous to humans. Hot foods and liquids actually start a partial breakdown of the Styrofoam, causing some toxins to be absorbed into our bloodstream and tissue.

Polystyrene food containers leach the toxin Styrene when they come into contact with warm food or drink, alcohol, oils and acidic foods causing human contamination and pose a health risk to people.  Avoid drinking tea with lemon, coffee with dairy cream, fruit juices, alcoholic beverages and wine from Styrofoam cups. Red wine will instantly dissolve the Styrene monomer.  Do not eat oily foods from Styrofoam containers.

Most interesting is the degradation of food that contains vitamin A (beta-carotene). In packaged foods with the addition of heat (such as microwave temperatures), vitamin A will decompose and produce m-xylene, toluene, and 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene. Toluene will aggressively dissolve polystyrene. This renders polystyrene as an unsuitable package for containing or micro waving products that contain vitamin A....read more here.

ACTION PLAN: Petaling Jaya City Council has drafted a three-year strategy to ban the containers

PETALING JAYA: TAKEAWAY meals packed in polystyrene food containers may soon be a thing of the past in the city. 

The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) is pushing for a ban on the containers.

Read more: Polystyrene food container ban - Central - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/central/polystyrene-food-container-ban-1.315498#ixzz2cJMelqjO

Baguslah if this action plan really takes off.

I read somewhere this styrofoam container was referred to as a 'white coffin'! ...fikir-fikirlah demi kesihatan dan juga untuk alam sekitar yang selesa untuk anak cucu kita. 

The Controversial 'Abaya'

Since a couple of months back coming to office on Sundays proved to be a dilemma for a number of ladies (yours truly included) when 'Abaya' was introduced by the management as a 'corporate uniform' to be worn on Sundays.  Its not 'Monday Blues' for us but its  'Stressful Sundays' winning hands down! 

Apa itu maksud 'Abaya'? ....this is what I found in the wikipedia..

The abaya "cloak" (colloquially and more commonly, Arabic: عباية‎ ʿabāyah , especially in Literary Arabic: عباءة ʿabāʾah ; plural عبايات ʿabāyāt , عباءات ʿabāʾāt ), sometimes also called an aba, is a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, worn by some women in parts of the Muslim world including in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.^[1] Traditional abayat are black and may be either a large square of fabric draped from the shoulders or head or a long caftan. The abaya covers the whole body except the face, feet, and hands. It can be worn with the niqāb, a face veil covering all but the eyes. Some women choose to wear long black gloves, so their hands are covered as well.

The Indonesian and Malaysian women's traditional dress kebaya gets its name from the abaya (can anyone testify  this fact?)

The 'abayas' the ladies in the pictures below are wearing does not qualify the meaning of an 'abaya' which should be a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress such as this?  

Cedok dari Google

 and not like below?

sorry had to put up these pictures...untuk memperkuatkan lagi alasan kenapa 'abaya' ini amat-amat tidak sesuai sebagai 'baju korporat' untuk kita kalian.  So tidak peliklah kalau ada staf yang secara sukarela ambil cuti pada tiap hari Ahad..just to avoid wearing this piece of cloth.  It is just sad that I don't have that many off days till the end of the year and have to endure the pain (malu) wearing this 'abaya'. I am telling you on Sundays I would just get into the car and hopped onto the office stairs, sit in my cubicle, hope and pray I don't have to do lots of walking anywhere till the time to punch out!  I am no attention seeker and so do the other ladies who find it offensive wearing this abaya  Lainlah kan kalau body you tu mampu mengalahkan Miss Universe and don't have bulges here and there...

Matlamat yang pakaian ini mampu menutup aurat menyimpang jauh kerana rekabentuknya yang kembang di bawah dan ketat di atas dan amat tidak sesuai untuk dipakai oleh mereka yang berumur 40an dan 50an. 

Well, we can only protest and voice our disappointment over this ruling and really hope the admin will take serious notice and let us go back to wearing our baju kurung which is a lot more comfortable....just saying!

A Date With Irfan...

This announcement was put up in Tengku Ahmad Irfan's blog but I don't think classical music lovers here is aware yet of his upcoming performance with the Malaysia Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) for the opening Gala Concert  since it was not put up as a new post in his blog.  He will be back from New York for a while, besides it is the summer holidays there and with Raya Aidil Fitri also celebrated earlier in August, this concert coincides nicely. 

Irfan will be performing Prokofiev Concerto No.2 & world premiere of Sahibul Hikayat Fantasy Overture 

Irfan's orchestral piece, Keraian (Celebration), premiered by the New York Philharmonic last May 23rd 2013 at a High School Day concert.  It was such a great honor and experience as it is the best orchestra in the US.  They played Irfan and two of his colleagues pieces.

Truth be told I do not understand classical music but only a tiny bit and as it is my grandnephew who is performing it's a date for the grandaunts with Irfan...