In 1994, nearly 23 years ago, I (Khairul Hisham Hassan) graduated from The University of Sheffield in the UK with a Bachelor of Laws degree or LLB. And one of my core subjects was International Law.
Hence, together with my 3 Jakarta friends who come from Indonesian legal background and who graduated 15 years ago from Fakultas Hukum of Universitas Trisakti in Jakarta, I have set-up an international consulting firm in Jakarta which provides 'Consultancy on Doing Business in Jakarta' comprehensive services. Currently, most of our clients are Malaysian companies and factories which set-up their PT PMA branch company or Representative Office in Jakarta. These companies were referred to us by Matrade in Jakarta which is part of the Embassy of Malaysia in Jakarta. Having said that, at the end of the day it is purely and entirely up to those Malaysian investors to select or appoint any consulting firm or legal advisor of their own choice for their "Doing Business in Jakarta" matters.


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Sahabat-sahabat saya sekalian, tolong benarkan saya berkongsi dengan anda semua sedikit rasa gembira dan sedikit rasa bangga saya (Khairul Hisham Hassan) atas kurniaan anugerah darjah bangsawan "Raden Tumenggung" oleh Sultan Pakubuwono XIII dari Keraton (Istana) Surakarta, Jawa Tengah seperti dalam photo di atas. Sebenarnya selepas Indonesia merdeka, Sultan Keraton (Istana) Jogkakarta dan Keraton Surakarta hanya berperanan sebagai "Gabenor" di Jawa Tengah sahaja. Tapi Perlembagaan Indonesia tidak menghalang pihak Istana ini memberi anugerah darjah kebesaran kepada sesiapa yang Baginda Sultan mahu. Penyanyi Rossa juga ada menerima Darjah Kebangsawanan dari Sultan yang sama i.e Sri Sultan Pakubowono XIII pada 26 Jun 2011. (http://www.cumicumi.com/news/read/20596/rossa-senang-bergelar-bangsawan). Syukur kepada Allah atas anugerah ini.


Tapi yang penting ialah saya tidak pernah meminta-minta, tidak pernah melobi dan tidak pernah membayar kepada pihak Istana Surakarta untuk mendapat gelaran bangsawan ini. Sri Sultan Pakubuwono XIII berkenan menganugerahkan, maka saya terima sajalah anugerah bangsawan ini dengan rasa sangat berterimakasih kepada Sri Sultan dan rasa syukur kepada Allah yang takdirkan semua ini. Anda mahu lihat Mohor Diraja Tulisan Jawa Lama? Sila klik dan besarkan photo di atas. Kemudian sila anda lihat disebelah atas kanan foto. Anda mahu tahu siapa itu "Sultan Pakubuwono XIII"? Sila anda lihat: http://id.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasunanan_Surakarta dan juga http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/pakubuwana_XIII serta anda lihat http://www.karatonsurakarta.com/.



Saya beritahu isteri saya, di Malaysia kita ini biasa-biasa saja tapi Alhamdulillah di Pulau Jawa nama kita berdua secara rasmi ada di dalam "Senarai Bangsawan Istana Surakarta". Nenek-moyang saya yang ratusan tahun dulu datang dari Jawa Tengah pasti bangga dan gembira dengan gelaran bangsawan Keraton Jawa ini. Saya sering berkata kepada diri sendiri seandainya orang mengetahui siapa sebenarnya nenek-moyang atau leluhur saya, maka pasti mereka tidak merasa aneh kenapa saya bisa mendapat gelaran bangsawan Tanah Jawa ini. Hmmm... Namun semua ini tidak penting sehabuk pun bagi saya kerana akhirnya nanti saya akan berbaring di dalam liang lahad kubur seorang diri, tanpa gelaran "Raden Tumenggung" atau gelaran apa pun. Yang penting adalan amalan soleh saya. Period. Full stop.




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January 2015 photo of my 2nd DAUGHTER (Not my wife) i.e Intan Nur Qistina Khairul Hisham (Left) with my 4th kid, Mehmed Al Fateh Khairul Hisham (Right). Intan Nur Qistina is 20 years old now. She is now studying at University of Malaya (UM) after completing her SPM at an Islamic boarding school in Kelantan while Mehmed Al Fateh in this photo was 4 months old newborn son. Now Mehmed Al Fateh is a two years old active 'young man'





THIS IS MY LIFE PRINCIPLE
(KHAIRUL HISHAM HASSAN)
(A 47 YEARS OLD REAL MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALIST)
(i.e PROGRESSIVE, HONEST, HARDWORKING AND ROMANTIC MUSLIM)


As a Muslim I believe that the day will DEFINITELY come when my helpless dead body or jenazah finally will be carried away to the grave. As a Muslim I also believe that the day will DEFINITELY come when I will be in my Liang Lahad alone, dealing with Malaikat Munkar & Nakir. And that will be the day when anything else does not matter anymore except my good deeds, my amalan and my amal jariah that I have done when I am still alive. At the end of the day it does not matter anymore whether or not while we are living on this Planet Earth we have a big business empire or a beautiful wife or a big house or a big car or a high position in a big company etc. Does not matter anymore, my friend. Does not matter.




As a Muslim, I solemnly believe that: "The only true measure of my success in life is as to how far I have obeyed Allah's commandments, according to the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W". Ukuran kejayaan SEBENAR seseorang manusia itu ialah sejauh mana dia dapat taat perintah Allah, berpandukan kepada sunnah Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. Justeru itu,
kalau seseorang itu kaya-raya atau berpangkat besar atau berwajah cantik atau berumah besar atau berkereta mewah atau bergelar 'Datuk', 'Datuk Seri', 'Tan Sri' tapi dia lalai solat, tidak berakhlak Islam dan tidak amalkan apa yang Islam suruh, maka di mata saya orang seperti ini bukanlah orang yang berjaya. Saya langsung tidak hormat orang seperti ini. Orang seperti ini tidak ada nilai di sisi Allah dan juga tidak ada nilai sehabuk pun di mata saya. Apakah saya kagum dengan kekayaan dan kedudukan orang seperti ini? Jauh sekali. Am I scared of this type of rich and 'powerful' people? Never. Insya-Allah I am not scared of any human-being in this world. Not even for a nanosecond. In my eyes, he or she is nothing. Yes, nothing. Period. Tetapi saya sangat hormat, sangat kagum, sangat kasih dan agak gementar apabila berhadapan dengan orang yang sebenar-benarnya 'Orang Yang Berjaya' iaitu orang yang menjaga solatnya, membaca Al Quran setiap hari, berdisplin Solat Tahajud setiap malam, berakhlak Islam dan tidak pongoh, pemurah dan tidak kedekut-pahit serta cuba mengamalkan keseluruhan ajaran Islam dalam kehidupannya.




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On 28 January 2017 my age will be 47 years old. By the way, my eldest daughter is now 22 years old. She is currently studying at International Islamic University (UIA) Malaysia. My second daughter is 20 years old and she is now studying at University of Malaya. And my third child is a 13 years old son. He is now studying to be a hafiz at Pondok Moden Saadah Addaarain. Alhamdulillah after a gap of 10 years, my wife who was 44 years old at that time delivered our fourth child on 24 September 2014 (Photo Above). Well...I do not call myself 'The Descendant of Majapahit Palace Warrior' for nothing, right...? :-) Syukur Alhamdulillah my wife has a smooth and safe delivery. Actually I have told my wife that if our newborn child is a baby girl I will name her 'Intan Nur Iriana'. The meaning of Iriana in Greek is 'peace'. Iriana is also the name of the wife of new Indonesian President Joko Widodo. However, it is our destiny to have another son, not daughter. Hence, I name my newborn son 'Mehmed Al Fateh Bin Khairul Hisham'. Sultan Mehmed Al Fateh is the Muslim Chalip whom at the age of 21 conquered Constantinople which is the modern-day Istanbul. He also brought Islam to Bosnia, Albania and Southern Europe. It is said that Sultan Mehmed Al Fateh has never failed to perform Solat Tahajjud every single night throughout his life from the age of puberty (akil baligh) until the day he died on 3rd of May 1481. It is my wish and also my wife's wish that our son, Mehmed Al Fateh Khairul Hisham will be a brave and pious Muslim like Sultan Mehmed Al Fateh and will never fail to perform Solat Tahajjud each and every night. Amin Ya Allah.



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These are my two beloved daughters: (Left) Intan Nur Farhana Khairul Hisham. She is my 22 years old eldest child. She is the one who is now studying at International Islamic University (UIA) Malaysia. (Right) Intan Nur Qistina Khairul Hisham. She is my 20 years old second daughter. She is now studying at University of Malaya (UM). Yes, both are my lovely princesses! Or shall I say my Javanese and Kelantanese princesses because I am a Javanese warrior and their mother is a Kelantanese lady! I have 4 kids. Apart from two daughters, I also have two sons. Their name are Mahathir Khatami Khairul Hisham who is now 13 years old who is now studying to be a hafiz at Pondok Moden Saadah Addaarain and Mehmed Al Fateh Khairul Hisham who was born 15 months ago on 23 September 2014.




Kepada Teman-Teman Sekalian Di Mana Jua Pun Anda Berada: Saya Ucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri Dan Salam Lebaran Minal Aidin Wal Faizin. Saya (Khairul Hisham Bin Hassan) Adalah Seorang Manusia Yang Banyak Kelemahan. Maka Sempena Hari Raya Aidil Fitri Yang Mulia Ini Saya Memohon Agar Anda Bisa Memaafkan Saya Jika Selama Ini Ada Bicara Saya Yang Menyalakan Api Kemarahan Anda, Jika Ada Perbuatan Saya Yang Menimbulkan Kebencian Anda, Jika Ada Tulisan Saya Yang Menyinggung Perasaan Anda, Jika Ada Akhlak Saya Yang Berbau Keangkuhan Dan Jika Ada Jenaka Saya Yang Berlebihan. Sesungguhnya Suatu Hari Nanti Pasti Akan Tiba Jua Saatnya Saya Akan Bersendirian Di Dalam Liang Lahad. Dan Semoga Pada Hari Apabila Jenazah Saya Diturunkan Ke Liang Lahad Itu, Tiadalah Dosa Sesama Manusia Di Antara Saya Dan Anda. Amen..
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The above photo was taken by my wife near our rented house when both of us lived in Sheffield, north of England 24 years ago. I publish this photo here in my blog just to share my sweet memory with my dear blog readers only. Not to show-off whatsoever. That time I was doing my law degree at The University of Sheffield. It's Winter 1993. Being newly married I just wanted to impress my wife with some steps of my Pencak Silat during the snowfall. Maybe, just maybe, I was the first Malaysian man to perform Pencak Silat (an Indonesian and Malaysian martial art) during heavy snowfall in Sheffield. Well...I do not think Hang Jebat or Hang Tuah dares to perform Pencak Silat during -5 degree Celsius snowfall just by wearing their thin Baju Melayu. Yes, no doubt that Hang Jebat was a brave and hot-tempered man. Yes, he was also the only Malay who was not afraid to tell the cruel Sultan of Malacca more than 500 years ago: "Wahai Sultan Yang Zalim, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry". But I am sure this -5 Celsius degree snowfall will melt whatever spirit left in this great 'Incredible Hulk of Ancient Malacca Kingdom' who loved to run amok here and run amok there.


And...what about Gusti Adipati Handaya Ningrat? (For your information,
Gusti Adipati Handaya Ningrat was a Majapahit Palace Warrior who failed to assassinate Hang Tuah. He was also a hot-tempered Majapahit Prince with a significant high blood pressure problem who could not accept any slightest criticism on his style of leadership. His sister by the name of 'Gusti Putri Retno Dumillah' eventually became the legendary 'Puteri Gunung Ledang'. Legend has it that even after 500 years, Gusti Putri Retno Dumillah is still residing at Gunung Ledang in Malaysia although the Malaysian Immigration Department has never granted her any Expatriate Visa, Permanent Residency or even Spouse Visa). I guess Gusti Adipati Handaya Ningrat would easily win 'Mr Bean Of The Year Award' if he did perform his Pencak Silat here in Sheffield just by wearing his traditional shirtless Majapahit warrior's costume. But one thing for sure..., no matter how sakti this Gusti Adipati Handaya Ningrat was, the -5 degree Celsius temperature would make him shivering non-stop to the extent that the English people would think this shirtless Majapahit Palace Warrior was high on drugs or narkoba while performing his Javanese Pencak Silat!











Who's that guy in the above photo snapped by my wife during Winter 1993 when we lived in Sheffield? Is he Dicky Zulkarnaen The Indonesian Famous Actor? Wrong. Is he Si Pitung Macan Betawi? Nope. He is just 'Si Khairul Kucing Malaysia'! A blast from the past. Look at the background of the photo. Oh! I love living in England. For me, the Victorian style houses in England make it so picturesque. It's a romantic place to live especially in the northern part of England like Sheffield which is near the lake districts. That Winter 1993 was the most memorable winter because I just married in that year. So that Winter 1993 was the first Winter that I had a halal companion sleeping next to me, as husband and wife during long cold night. My wife said I was her 'Natural Winter Heater' that kept her warm and comfortable throughout very cold -5 degree Celsius Winter night.


Sekadar menggamit secebis kenangan lalu saja nih. Hmmm...selagi dinamakan manusia, kita nggak akan bisa melupakan kenangan lalu.
Pasti nggak akan bisa. Nggak seperti komputer yang kapan-kapan saja bisa di delete memory dalam CPU. Maka, apabila kenangan lalu tiba-tiba datang menjelma dan mampir di Inbox pikiran kita, tanpa kita minta, tanpa kita undang, tanpa kemahuan kita, sama ada kenangan itu kenangan yang manis ataupun kenangan yang amat menyedihkan dan sadis, sebagai seorang Muslim mari kita redha dengan Qada dan Qadar yang Allah telah tentukan untuk kita.
Seperti kata teman saya dari Surabaya yang ganteng, Bapak Firman Hadi Sukma Pratama (Pakar Kuasa Pikiran Bawah Sadar dan Founder Wahana Sejati): "Iya, nikmati ajalah..."


JUST MY SPECIAL NOTE: Mari kita tenang-tenang aja karena sebagaimana Allah bisa menjadikan apa pun untuk hal-hal yang sudah pun berlaku, maka sesungguhnya Allah juga bisa mentakdirkan apa pun untuk hal-hal yang akan datang walaupun kelihatannya mustahil untuk berlaku jika menurut logika akal. Bukankah dalam Surah Al Maidah Ayat 40, Allah berfirman: "Dan Allah Maha Kuasa atas segala sesuatu".










PHOTO: THESE BAMBOO TREES FORM A MIND-SOOTHING PANORAMIC VIEW AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE PONDOK PESANTREN AT DESA KERTARAHAYU. I SPEND EVERY WEEKEND AT THIS PONDOK PESANTREN; LEARNING TAFSIR AL QURAN, CONDUCTING MY FREE ENGLISH CLASS TO 'SANTRI & SANTRIWATI' AND MAKING A CONTINUOUS EFFORT TO BE A HAFIZ AL QURAN BEFORE I DIE. AMEN YA ALLAH...


No doubt I love every single minute running my own consultancy business from Monday to Friday at my Jakarta office located not far from the Embassy of Malaysia. BUT for me, the most beautiful thing about living in Jakarta is being able to spend my time every weekend at a Pondok Pesantren Tahfiz Al Quran at Desa Kertarahayu in Kecamatan Setu. This Islamic traditional learning place is located at a panoramic remote village which is a two-hour drive from Jakarta. This is my Paradise. This is my 'Heaven on Earth'. The Pondok Pesantren is located in the middle of a green aromatic ginger and sesame farm, surrounded by paddy fields and green hills. During my weekend stay at this Pondok Pesantren, I diligently learn in-depth about Tajwid and Tafsir Al Quran directly from a charismatic ulama by the name of Pak Kiyai Sarno who is very religious and very well-versed in Ilmu Fiqih, Tafsir Al Quran and Ilmu Hadith. Every single of his explanation is substantiated by the relevant verses in Al Quran and Hadith Sahih.










PHOTO: THREE BEAUTIFUL MUSLIMAH AND HAFIZAH OF PONDOK PESANTREN AT DESA KERTARAHAYU WHO WON THE “MUSABAQAH TAHFIZ AL QURAN SE-JABODETABEK" RECENTLY. THEY ARE ISTIQOMAH IRSYADIAH (LEFT) AND AMATULLAH ASSAATIRAH (YOUNGEST DAUGHTER OF PAK KIYAI SARNO)


Pak Kiyai Sarno is a Hafiz who has memorized 30 Juz of Al Quran and could recite the Al Quran verses from memory. His wife (Ibu Rachmah Julaeha) is also a Hafizah. And the 3 sons of Pak Kiyai Sarno are Hafiz Al Quran too. They are Mas Salahuddin, Mas Muhammad Al Fateh and Mas Mujahid. By the way, Mas Salahuddin and Mas Muhammad Al Fateh are now studying at Al Azhar in Egypt while Mas Mujahid is assisting Pak Kiyai Sarno to run his Pondok Pesantren. But Pak Kiyai Sarno plans to send Mas Mujahid to further his study in Sudan in 3 years time. Pak Kiyai Sarno's 10 years old beautiful youngest daughter (Amatullah Assaatirah) so far has managed to memorize 10 Juz of Al Quran.


Actually this is not so much about how many verses, chapters or Juz of Al Quran that a Muslim has managed to memorize. Having said that, it is indeed a proven fact that in order to succesfully memorize all 6,666 verses or 30 Juz of Al Quran, a Hafiz needs to observe his behaviour, akhlak and ibadah strictly based on Islamic rules and regulations. They must also lower their gaze. It is extremely unlikely that a person can eventually be a Hafiz or Hafizah if he or she is not humble. And for a Hafiz or Hafizah, patience is definitely a virtue. They also need to ensure that they do not use their mouth to talk bad about others or insult other human-beings or cause hatred among human-beings. These underlying principles which actually have shaped a Hafiz or Hafizah's behaviour or akhlak to be a very well behaved human-being or 'manusia berakhlak mulia' that makes our Planet Earth a better place to live. Since they have to put in practice in their daily life all the life principles outlined in the Al Quran verses that they have memorized, they ultimately become 'Al Quran Bergerak' or 'The Moving Al Quran'
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PHOTO: THIS IS THE VILLAGE ROAD OUTSIDE THE PERIMETER WALL OF THE PONDOK PESANTREN. FOR ME, THIS IS THE ROAD TO MY 'HEAVEN ON EARTH'. FRIDAY EVENING IS MY BEST MOMENT OF THE WEEK BECAUSE EVERY FRIDAY EVENING I WILL TRAVEL TO DESA KERTARAHAYU TO SPEND MY WEEKEND AT THE PONDOK PESANTREN.
FROM MY OFFICE, IT TAKES ABOUT 2 OR 3 HOURS TO REACH THERE. I CAN'T DESCRIBE TO YOU THE NATURAL SENSE OF HAPPINESS IN MY HEART WHEN I SEE THE ENTRANCE GATE OF THE PONDOK PESANTREN, THE PADDY-FIELDS NEARBY AND ALSO THE VERY MOMENT I SEE HIJAB-CLAD MUSLIMAH STROLLING AROUND THE PONDOK PESANTREN AREA. AND USUALLY 10 TO 15 MINUTES AFTER I HAVE ARRIVED AT THE PONDOK, THE MUSLIMAH OR HAFIZAH WILL SERVE ME DELICIOUS INDONESIAN VILLAGE DISHES. OH DEAR! I LOVE THE 'SUASANA AL QURAN' AT THIS PONDOK. I LOVE THE HEAVENLY BEHAVIOUR OF THE PEOPLE AT THIS PONDOK. I LOVE THE VILLAGE FOOD SERVED TO ME AT THIS PONDOK. WHAT CAN I SAY...I SIMPLY FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS PONDOK PESANTREN!


The truth is I am a 47 years old man. So, I asked Pak Kiyai Sarno whether it is too old for me to start memorizing all 30 Juz of Al Quran, slowly but surely, during my weekend stay at this Pondok Pesantren and Insya-Allah eventually become a Hafiz Al Quran. Pak Kiyai Sarno answered that no, it is not too old because he has seen a 50 years old man successfully memorizing the whole 30 Juz of Al Quran and became a Hafiz at that later stage of his life. This true story really inspires me. Yes, Monday to Friday I am an International Law Consultant who run my own consultancy business at the heart of Jakarta City Centre but that does not stop me to start learning to become a Hafiz Al Quran during my weekend rendezvous at this Pondok Pesantren. I told Pak Kiyai Sarno that no matter how challenging it will be and no matter how long it will take to become a Hafiz Al Quran, I will persevere and I will istiqomah because I want to die not just as a businessman. In fact I want to die as a Hafiz Al Quran. Yes, I do. This is despite the fact that I come from British law education background and not from Islamic studies background. Indeed this is my new personal ambition. Amen Ya Allah... By the way, to read the 12 benefits and prerogatives of being a Hafiz Al Quran please scroll your mouse to the bottom left of my blog. Each prerogative is supported by the relevant Hadith and verses from Al Quran.










PHOTO: THE MUSLIMAH AND HAFIZAH OF PONDOK PESANTREN ARE IN THE MIDST OF PERFORMING MURAJA’AH OF THE VERSES OF AL QURAN. THESE KIND-HEARTED MUSLIMAHS ARE BEAUTIFUL, SOFT-SPOKEN, POLITE, RELIGIOUS, OBEDIENT AND NO DOUBT THEY ARE SMART


Each time I am at this Pondok Pesantren, the Muslimahs ('Hafizah' or future 'Hafizah') who are learning Islam at this Pondok Pesantren would happily serve and cook for me very delicious Indonesian village dishes for my breakfast, lunch and dinner. These kind-hearted Muslimahs are beautiful, very soft-spoken, very polite, religious, obedient and no doubt they are very smart (what can I say, they memorize 30 chapters of Al Quran). These virgins have the discipline of performing Solat Tahajjud and Solat-Solat Malam every night. For me, it is an honour and a privilege to conduct my free English Class to them every Saturday and Sunday during my weekend rendezvous at this Pondok Pesantren, learning Tajwid and Tafsir Al Quran from their Guru (Pak Kiyai Sarno). And I must confess that by looking at their mind-soothing face alone is enough to make the work stress of my consultancy business in the heart of Jakarta City Centre from Monday to Friday simply gone with the wind. Oh dear...no kidding. And I am very sure this such a soft-spoken Pondok Pesantren lady can definitely make even an extremely violent man like Mike Tyson or Incredible Hulk purrs like a kitten. Yes, you hear me right, purrs like a kitten...


JUST MY SPECIAL NOTE: The purpose I disclose that I am now conducting free English class during my weekend stay at Pondok Pesantren is NOT to show-off or menunjuk-nunjuk. On the other hand, my ONLY purpose is I hope by sharing this story I can inspire all my other friends wherever they are, who have certain skills and specialization to infaq (donate) their skills for the benefit of others by giving their free services or free class during their weekend or free time. Pak Kiyai Sarno has taught me that infaq does not necessarily in the form of money or tangible assets only. Well...besides spending our weekend at Wet World, Taman Negara, Zoo Negara, Pantai Seri Tujuh, Genting Highland, shopping mall, restaurant or other entertainment centre, wouldn't it good if we can also do something and infaq our skills for the benefit of other human-beings during our weekend, right? Wrong? Of course 'right' lah, right...










PHOTO: IN FRONT OF THE 'KAMAR TAMU' ALLOCATED BY PAK KIYAI SARNO FOR ME AND MY KELANTANESE WIFE TO PUT UP DURING MY WEEKEND STAY AT THE PONDOK PESANTREN


Pak Kiyai Sarno has also allocated a comfortable Guest Room for me and my Kelantanese wife to put up during our weekend stay. What a romantic night at this Pondok Pesantren with extremely mind-soothing night breeze blowing from the nearby mountain and paddy fields. I always have a 'feel-good' feeling whenever I am at this Pondok Pesantren. It reminds me of the same feeling during the honeymoon time with my wife when we were newly married 20 years ago in 1993. At that time both of us were nothing but just a 23 and 22 years old young innocent couple who married at such a young age to get Keredhaan Allah. And what a feeling to have my bath here using very clean natural mountain ground water from the well. Oh Mammamia! Mammamia!


JUST KIDDING: But please do not have any slightest imagination of a gagah-perkasa man like me having a romantic private bath or bermandi-manda with a beautiful virgin Muslimah or Hafizah during my weekend rendezvous here. Sheesh...Tak elok tu.











PHOTO: THIS PONDOK PESANTREN IS LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF A GREEN SESAME FARM, SURROUNDED BY GREEN PADDY-FIELDS AND GREEN MOUNTAIN. INDEED IT’S MY GREEN PARADISE!



Furthermore, I can't find any word in any dictionary ever published on this Planet Earth to describe my happiness performing Solat Tahajjud and Solat-Solat Malam together with these 'santri-santri' each night when I am staying at this Pondok Pesantren. And what a satisfaction to conduct free English lesson class for them
every weekend at this Pondok Pesantren. The unique thing about this Pondok Pesantren is apart from Islamic studies, this Pondok Pesantren also teaches 'modern' subjects such as English Language, Mathematics and Computer Skills because for their school-age 'santri' they also sit for Indonesian Ujian Nasional which is similar to SPM Exams in Malaysia or O-Level Exams in the UK.










PHOTO: PADDY-FIELDS AROUND THE PONDOK PESANTREN MAKE THE VIEW HERE VERY PICTURESQUE ESPECIALLY DURING SUNRISE AND SUNSET. INDEED THIS IS MY ‘HEAVEN ON EARTH’



Perhaps it's worth mentioning that it's my dream and also my wife's dream to spend most of our post-retirement time later
in a Pondok Pesantren like this which is located in a beautiful Indonesian village surrounded by green hills. We also plan to contribute something to the Pondok Pesantren in term of our skills. I plan to continue teaching these 'anak-anak Pondok Pesantren' English Language and my wife can teach them Computer Skills. By spending our time at Pondok Pesantren, my wife and I plan to learn more about Tafsir Al Quran from the Pak Kiyai. It's also our dream to have the discipline to perform Solat-Solat Malam and Solat Tahajud each and every night together, as a husband and wife, at the Pondok Pesantren. And during day time we will enjoy doing some farming over here. No doubt, it is Heaven on Earth in whatever way both of us see it. Indeed it is.










PHOTO: THIS IS THE ACCOMMODATION BUILDING FOR THE MUSLIMAH AND HAFIZAH OF THIS PONDOK PESANTREN. THE SECOND AND THIRD FLOOR ARE STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION. PRAISE TO ALLAH, ALHAMDULLILAH I HAVE MANAGED TO GET MANY OF MY MALAYSAN FRIENDS TO TRANSFER MONEY TO THE PONDOK PESANTREN AS THEIR ‘INFAQ AMAL JARIYAH’. PAK KIYAI SARNO HAS TAUGHT ME THAT IN SURAH AL BAQARAH (VERSE 261) ALLAH HAS PROMISED THAT FOR EVERY 1 THING YOU INFAQ, ALLAH WILL MULTIPLY IT AND GIVE YOU BACK 700 TIMES. INDEED. ALLAH WILL NEVER BREACH HIS PROMISE. NEVER. NEVER. EVER.










PHOTO: THIS IS THE PONDOK PESANTREN MOSQUE WHICH IS USED AS THE CENTRE OF ACTIVITIES. I CONDUCT MY ENGLISH CLASS DURING MY WEEKEND HERE INSIDE THIS MOSQUE. AND EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT I HAPPILY WATCH ISLAMIC FILM INSIDE THIS MOSQUE BY USING PROJECTOR AND PORTABLE WHITE SCREEN TOGETHER WITH ALL THE HAFIZ AND HAFIZAH. WHO SAYS IN ISLAM WE CANNOT 'MENONTON WAYANG'? OF COURSE WE CAN. BUT WE MUST OBSERVE THE SYARIAH GUIDELINES. NO PROBLEM AT ALL. I CAN SEE THEY ENJOY 'NOBAR' AND THEIR WEEKLY MOVIE WATCHING SESSION...











PHOTO: I WISH M.NASIR, THE LEGENDARY MALAYSIAN SONG COMPOSER IS HERE WITH ME, SPENDING TIME UNDER A TREE NEAR THE PADDY-FIELDS AROUND THE PONDOK PESANTREN. THIS SCENIC VIEW MAY STIMULATE M.NASIR’S CREATIVE MIND TO COMPOSE MANY NEW ROMANTIC SONGS! OH I LOVE ROMANTIC SONGS COMPOSED BY M.NASIR SUCH AS 'KEPADAMU KEKASIH' AND 'SUATU MASA'. DO YOU REMEMBER THESE BEAUTIFUL LYRICS?: “BAGAIMANAKAN KU MULA, DAN APAKAH KATA-KATA, YANG INDAH UNTUK DIABADIKAN, TIAP WAJAH BERKISAH, TIAP MADAH BERERTI, MANAKAH ILHAMKU…, CAHAYA DI MATAMU, SENYUM DI BIBIRMU, MENGUKIR SERIBU TANDA PERTANYAAN, MUNGKINKAH KAU JUA DALAM KERINDUAN, DI SAAT BEGINI AKU MERINDUKAN…” (WELL...GEMUK-GEMUK SAYA PUN ADA PERASAAN JUGA..., SIAPA BILANG ORANG GEMUK NGGAK DIBENARKAN ADA PERASAAN 'JIWANG' YA...? NGGAK SALAH KOK..., APATAH LAGI PERASAAN 'JIWANG' ITU HANYA TERHADAP ISTERI SENDIRI. GITU...) BY THE WAY, SINCE M.NASIR ALREADY COMPOSED 'KERONCONG UNTUK ANA' SONG, PERHAPS IT’S A GOOD IDEA IF HERE AT PONDOK PESANTREN HE CAN COMPOSE 'KERONCONG UNTUK ANTA'. I CAN BE THE PENYANYI LATAR











PHOTO: THE PONDOK PESANTREN IS SURROUNDED BY PADDY-FIELDS ON ONE SIDE AND THIS JUNGLE GREENERY ON THE OTHER SIDE. BEING HERE IS LIKE SPENDING TIME IN OUR TAMAN NEGARA BACK IN MALAYSIA. DURING NIGHT TIME ALL SORTS OF MUSICAL VOICE OF INSECTS AND BIRDS CAN BE HEARD COMING FROM THIS JUNGLE. BUT I HAVE NEVER HEARD THE SOUND OF TIGER OR LION ROARING. THAT’S GOOD NEWS BECAUSE COMPARED TO 20 YEARS AGO; I CAN’T RUN THAT FAST ANYMORE. FURTHERMORE, I MUST CONFESS THAT I AM A MAN WITH 3 MONTHS 'PREGNANT' TUMMY. THANKS TO INDONESIAN DELICIOUS FOOD SUCH AS ES TELER, BEBEK KALEYO, PECAL LELE LELA, AYAM BAKAR MAS MONO, AYAM BAKAR WONG SOLO, CHICKEN STORY, SOTO GEBREK, PISANG BAKAR, AYAM KALASAN, MARTABAK BANGKA, KONRO DAENG TATA, AYAM GORENG MBOK BEREK, GADO-GADO BOPLO, SOTO BETAWI, SOTO MAKASAR, SATE SENAYAN, RAWON SETAN, TAHU PETIS KEDUNGDORO, BEBEK SONGKEM, SEMANGGI DEMPO, NASI KRAWU BU RIDA AND MANY MORE. IT SEEMS THAT UNLESS AND UNTIL I CONSUME 'ALPHA LIPID SLIM DIET 2', I WILL BE FOREVER PREGNANT....

















Mari Kita Tetap Rendah Diri Meskipun
Punya Wajah Cantik,
Karena Wajah Terakhir Kita Adalah Wajah Jenazah Pucat Pasi

Mari Kita Tetap Rendah Diri Meskipun Punya Rumah Besar,
Karena Rumah Terakhir Kita Adalah Liang Lahad


Mari Kita Tetap Rendah Diri Meskipun Punya Busana Mahal,
Karena Busana Terakhir Kita Adalah Kain Kafan


Mari Kita Tetap Rendah Diri Meskipun Punya Kulit Mulus Dan Kinclong,
Karena Kulit Terakhir Kita Adalah Tanah Kuburan


Mari Kita Tetap Rendah Diri Meskipun Punya Mobil Mewah,
Karena Kendaraan Terakhir Kita Adalah Keranda Mayat


Mari Kita Tetap Rendah Diri Meskipun Punya Minyak Wangi Bergengsi,
Karena Wangian Terakhir Kita Adalah Kapur Barus









"Ya Allah...Jika Dengan Terus Hidup, Saya Khairul Hisham Bin Hassan Akan Dapat Terus Beribadat Untuk Menambahkan Pahala Dan Akan Dapat Terus Berbuat Amalan Kebaikan Serta Akan Dapat Terus Memberi Manafaat Kepada Orang Lain, Maka Saya Mohon Tolonglah Panjangkan Umur Saya Ya Allah..."

"Tetapi Ya Allah...Jika Dengan Terus Hidup, Saya Khairul Hisham Bin Hassan Akan Hanya Menambah Berbuat Dosa Dan Akan Hanya Menyakiti Hati Orang Lain Serta Akan Hanya Memberi Mudarat Kepada Orang Lain, Maka Saya Mohon Tolonglah Matikan Saya Secepat Yang Mungkin Jika Mati Itu Lebih Baik Bagi Saya. Dan Matikanlah Saya Dalam Husnul Khotimah..."





Friday, June 19, 2009

How Would Hang Jebat React To Sandstorm In Sudan?

My 15 Days Old Blog

My first posting in this blog was on the 3rd of June and today is 18th of June. This simply means my blog is actually just 15 days old. But I am touched and motivated by many positive feedback that I received either sent directly to my e-mail (khairul@pro-versatile.com) or written at the 'comment' column. Some of my blog readers suggested that I wrote more frequent instead of once a week so that in any one posting I do not have to write too long.

Time Is Really Gold!

The problem is I simply do not have enough time since I arrived here in Khartoum. I have really devoted most of my time helping my Sudanese partner to jump-start my branch operations here promoting 'Doing Business In Malaysia' and the other 2 services that I have explained in my earlier posting. Too many things to do at a very limited time.

The Best Cook In The World

Even now, my busy schedule here in Sudan has made me lost at least 2 inches of my waistline just within 2 weeks time because I hardly had time to cook for my dinner. My Sudanese partner (Mr Abdul Jalil Abujjoud) has been very generous to me by providing a nice accommodation complete with kitchen and various utensils for me to cook my Malaysian dishes. Actually even a simple room is already more than enough for me to be the place that I can pray, sleep soundly and have a complete rest after working very hard throughout the day. Hmm...The truth is at this moment of time I really miss my wife's delicious cooking and dishes. For me, my wife is the best cook in the world, not Gordon Ramsay and definitely not Chef Wan. I believe most of the husbands in Malaysia will say their wives' cooking are the best in the entire universe. Regardless what others say, I will stubbornly say my wife is the best cook in the world, at least from my perspective. Not only she can cook mouth-watering variety of Kelantanese dishes, but also some Javanese traditional cuisine that she learned from my mother, from the irresistibly aromatic to the succulently sumptuous. If not, how come my waistline exploded and expanded from 29 inches when we just married to nearly 45 inches now? Numbers never lie! Fortunately her body figure does not become like mine and she has managed to maintain her body figure more or less the same like the time we have just been married.

How About 'Masak Lemak Tayar Kereta' or 'Kari Tombol Pintu'?

My obsession towards my wife's cooking made her once jokingly said to me that maybe if she cooks for me 'Masak Lemak Tayar Kereta' (Car tyre cooked in coconut milk and spices) or 'Kari Tombol Pintu' (Door Knob Curry), I may say its delicious too! Oh Mamamia!

Preparing For Appointment With GM of Giad Company

One of my main mission here in Khartoum is to capitalize on my 15 years working experience to train my Sudanese local staffs about those 3 services related to Malaysia. It's very interesting to teach this energetic and full of enthusiasm Sudanese staffs. Yesterday one of the staffs (Badreldin), my Sudanese partner (Mr Abdul Jalil Abujjoud) and I have had big meeting with the GM of Giad Sudan, a big conglomerate and diversified company in Sudan.


No Soldier In The World Put His Grenades Inside His Underwear!


Prior to the meeting I stressed so many times to my staff how important a good preparation is. I also pointed out to them the need to put all the marketing materials at the right place so that during the actual presentation, they can easily locate the brochures or the CD or the write-up to be passed to the client.

I told them when we go to do presentation we actually go to a 'battlefield'. The presentation materials are similar to the machine gun, bullets, grenades and bayonette. The machine guns must be placed at the right place which is at the hand of the soldier, so are the grenades which should be put at the waist-compartment. So when the time comes, it's easy to pull it out from different part of our body or 'briefcase'. I went to the extend asking him the following question:


"Have you ever seen any soldier (whether a US soldier, Gambian soldier, Timor Leste soldier or even the Taliban) putting his grenades inside his underwear, instead of at his waist-compartment? And if he ever puts the grenades inside his underwear, can you imagine the difficulty he may face to pull it out when out of sudden he is under intense attack?"


The moral of the story is we need to put all our presentation materials (our 'bullets', 'grenades' etc) such as brochures, company profiles, CD and write-up at the right places so that when the clients request during our presentation we can easily produce it within less than 5 seconds time! I believe sometimes we need to use creative analogy or example to get our message across our staff's mind.


The Gigantic Giad Group of Companies


Giad Company is perhaps similar to Hicom in Malaysia in term of its diversification and mega size. It has many diversified subsidiaries including Giad Shipping, Giad Motor which assembles Hyundai cars, and even Giat Automative which supplies armoured vehicles to the Sudanese army.


I Prefer Tractor to Military Tank

However my appointment yesterday was with the GM of Giat Tractors and Manufacturing Equipments. I think for my appointment to sound 'friendly and peaceful', it was better not to deal with all the tanks and military equipments first. After 2 weeks of hectic schedule let me deal with tractors rather than with military tank. Its better to put all this 'tank-tank' things aside first. My warrior-blood has got no appetite for this tank-related thing, at least for now.


Located within the compund of its own huge Giad Industrial City, the security is rather tight the moment we entered the Security Post at the entrance of industrial city. We went to this meeting by using Mr Abdul Jalil's car. Finally three of us managed to locate the right building within the Giad Industrial City for our meeting with the General Manager of the Giad Tractors & Agricultural Equipment.


Secretary or Security Man?


There were a couple of times I confused with my Sudanese staff's English accent. So yesterday when he uttered the word 'secretary' to me, I heard it wrongly and I thought he said 'security' especially if the person he was referring to did not resemble any typical personality of a secretary that I have had in my innocent mind.

Upon reaching the car park of the building I could see a Sudanese man wearing light yellow long-sleeve shirt (not tuck-in) waited for us at the car part area. In my mind, surely this another 'security man' because when I did my research prior to this meeting I know that on 29th May 2007, Giad Industrial City was one of the companies that US Administration has frozen all their assets within US jurisdiction and U.S. persons are prohibited from transacting or doing business with them.


That so-called 'security-man' accompanied & brought us to the room of the GM for our meeting. Sitting inside the GM room has made me forgotten that I am currently in Sudan. It was very comfortable and cold. During the meeting I was served with a traditional delicious Sudanese drink called 'Helba' which is the Arabic word for 'fenugreek' or 'Greek hay'.

In Sudan and Egypt fenugreek seeds are prepared as tea, by being boiled then sweetened.After more than an hour discussion I was presented with a souvenir by the GM as a token that I have visited Giad factory. And then the same very friendly but stern-looking 'security man' accompanied us to visit the factory production area.


Do You Have a 'Born To Kill' Face?

After that he accompanied us back to Mr Abdul Jalil's car. Only later inside the car I finally came to know from Badreldin that this man who I initially thought was a 'security man' is actually the 'secretary' of the GM that he has called to make appointments!

They all laughed when I said even though he was such a friendly man, he certainly did not stand any chance to be a secretary of a GM in a conglomerate in Malaysia. I told them almost 98% of the secretaries in big corporations in Malaysia dominated by very presentable lady. No offence to this very nice man 'Mr Secretary', but I told my Sudanese partner that for me, a man is the last person on Planet Earth that I want to employ as my secretary who I have to face everyday. I can't imagine if I pass a draft-proposal to my 'bad mood' male secretary to be typed, I may face the possibility that he will stare back at me as if he wants to rape me. Maybe, just maybe.

Please do not get me wrong. That 'security man' treated us very well that day but...what a day, the 'security 'man is indeed the secretary! I think it is normal for anybody to expect a typical secretary should be a lady with a presentable face like Beyonce, not a stern-looking man with a 'Born To Kill' face. Having said this, I must categorically deny that never in any way I am trying to insinuate that secretary of the GM has a 'Born To Kill' or 'Born To Bomb' face. Never. Anyhow, that's alright. We learn from different countries corporate culture. I guess in certain way, in Sudan everything is possible..


My Visit To Chicken Farm In Sudan

On the way back from this appointment, we stop-by at a very big chicken farm owned by one of my 3 Sudanese partners, Mr Mutasim Osman. In my first blog posting I did explain that I met Mr Mutasim in London in January this year initially to provide consultancy services to him for 'Doing Business In Malaysia' but later it turn out that we agreed to promote this same services to the Sudanese business community. That's exactly the reason as to why I am now in Sudan for 3 months secondment or attachment.


Mr Mutasim is currently in London managing his other business there. So when we arrived at his farm, we were greeted by his Farm Manager or Caretaker. His farm has got tens of thousands of chicken producing eggs to be distributed all over Khartoum and its surrounding areas. This kind of business is definitely a lucrative business here.


Where Is Actually the 'Road?


This huge chicken farm is located nearly one or two kilometre off the main bitumen road. In order to reach the chicken farm we have to drive along the so-called 'countryside road'. But what amazed me is this countryside road does not have a clear road delineation, unlike in Malaysia. It is like crossing a huge empty area like a desert. You can drive which ways you like. So there is very, very little possibility of an accident with other vehicle except the driver of incoming car has a very high tendency of committing suicide by directly ramming his car towards your car. The 'road' is so wide. If you want to drive in a zig-zag manner there is nobody going to stop you to do that on this extremely wide road. But should you do that, you may risk appearing on the front page of local Sudanese newspaper:"Mentally-challenged Malaysian Driver Driving Zig-Zag on Sudanese Countryside Road"


Chicken in Air-Conditioned Barns, Human-Being Under 50 Degree Celcius


There are tens of thousands of chickens in that chicken farm. I consider these chickens as 'privileged-few' in Sudan. Why? Because all these chickens are living in a fully air-conditioned huge chicken barns, whilst the Sudanese in general has to endure the extreme heat of 45-50 degree Celsius especially during April to June every year. It is a practice in the chicken breeding industry worldwide to equip their chicken barns with air-conditioner so that the chickens will not die due to overheating. The moment I came out from the car and entered the chicken barn, I felt as if I wanted to stay back inside the barns. It is undoubtedly comfortable. When I entered the chicken barn, all the Sudanese chickens started staring at me but I looked back at all those chickens in an envious way. Can you believe it. For the first time in my life, I felt chickens have received better treatment than me, a human-being. Oh Chickens! How lucky you are..

The Chicken said: "You Want Us To Produce Eggs, We Need To Make Love. You Want Us To Make Love, We Need The Air-Conditioner"

If you see the photo of the chicken farm factory boy who manning the egg paper-plates machine, it's very clear that he could not stand the hot weather, thus he took off his shirt while working. But it's not the fault of the factory management that this boy took off his shirt. If I work there, I will take off my shirt too. Its just a natural reaction to the hot weather. Guess what? At the time when our fellow human-being was working in a relatively hot condition, those lucky bunch of chickens comfortably making love inside an air-conditioned barn. As if the chickens proudly said:"Don't you learn Biology in school? There is no chicken in the world that can produce eggs without making love first. Never. So, if you want us to produce a lot of eggs for you, we need to make love very comfortably. In order to to make love comfortably, we definitely need the air-conditioner. No excuse." How rude this ungrateful chickens!

You Kill Me, No More Eggs!

Since these chickens are bred for producing eggs, they somehow are not worry to be slaughtered, unlike those who are bred specially for its meat. As if these chickens are all saying to me: "If you dare to kill me, there will be no more eggs for you!"


'Poor Man Refrigerator' on The Middle of Mini Desert

After spending nearly an hour visiting the chicken farm, we decided to drive back to office. On the way back from the chicken farm towards the main bitumen road, we passed by a 'desert-type' of empty land. That was the time Mr Abdul Jalil showed me something that he called 'poor man refrigerator'. These 'poor man refrigerator' is actually water containers made from clay and as the water inside evaporates, all the heat goes with it. But this clay is not an ordinary clay because it is normally made from soil found near the riverbank. It resembles our very own 'Labu Sayong' which is famous in Kuala Langsar but it is bigger in size.


Is There Any Bacteria Inside the Water?

So if you look at the photo I attached, this 'poor man refrigerator' consist of many clay water-containers arranged nicely in the middle of nowhere, a 'mini-desert'. Any thirsty driver, or traveller can just stop-by and drink it using a small pot. According to Mr Jalil the water is normally been constantly supplied or filled by anybody who wants to do 'amal jariah' (good deeds). On daily basis this unknown volunteers use their car or donkey to bring the clean water and filled into the 'poor man refrigerator'. They asked me to try and drink it. So I drank it. It was indeed very cold and refreshing.


However, after the water flowed nicely through my throat, I initially wanted to ask this silly question: "Is there any bacteria inside the water?" You know, this 'poor man refrigerator' are left alone unguarded in an unoccupied vast empty land sort of like in a mini desert. But fearing this question may offend them I kept quiet. I said to my self: "What if they get angry with my 'uninsured mouth' for asking an insulting question, and they may just leave me alone there to find my way out and drove to the main road without me on board . The moment I visualized myself alone stranded on a mini-desert made my mouth automatically shut-up and I behaved like a good boy.

But...my mind kept on asking what if there was a 'katak puru' (frog) sleeping inside that 'poor man refrigerator'? Probably that frog also wanted to cool down his body and I innocently drank the water from that particular clay water container. Sheesh....


Even Brad Pitt Face Can Change To Rabuan Pit Face Under This Extreme Dusty Heat

Maybe some of you who have known me well may think how come Khairul's face in the 'poor man refrigerator' above photo became so dark, 'chomot' and not as a macho as his normal face used to be? Well my friend, trust me, under that kind of extreme hot weather plus the dusty wind keep on caressing your face, I have no doubt even my good friend Encik Brad Pitt's face will definitely turn to Rabuan Pit's face at that time. I am not saying Rabuan Pit (our Malaysian 100m sprinter who used to be the fastest man in Asia when he got gold medal at New Delhi Asian Games in 1982) has an ugly face, but I think you know what I mean.
By using the same logic, no wonder my usual charismatic and macho face that many ladies said very much resembling President General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono looks very much different in the above photo.

Sandstorm in Khartoum

Until this morning, never in my life I experienced a mother nature phenomenon called 'sandstorm'. Basically, sandstorm occurs when strong dry wind blowing over the desert that raises and carries along clouds of sand or dust often so dense as to obscure the sun and reduce visibility almost to zero. The way I see it, sandstorm happens when sand and dust unleash their fury and 'run amok'. Mind you, this type of 'amok' is definitely not a 'play-play' amok. This is a very real amok.

What the Hell is 'Haboob' Sandstorm? Is it a Kind of Boob? Sheesh...

Locals here call this sandstorm 'Haboob'. This 'Haboob' is a sandstorm prevalent in the region of Sudan around Khartoum with the leading edges of which often appear as solid walls of dust as much as 5,000 feet or 1,525 metre high! The told me that we can see the sandstorm looks like a mountain of sand approaching the house until it covered it. Huge storms like this usually come once a year. Wow! Once a year. I am so thrilled to hear this. I hope I can get a chance to see this big sandstorm and if I do, I will try to take photo from inside my room
.

This morning (Thursday, 18th June) for the very first time in my life I walked through sandstorm when I went to the nearby grocery shop to buy my breakfast. The shopkeeper told me it is just a minor sandstorm as compared to the real sandstorm which is gigantic and huge in size.


I Nearly Naked This Morning. All Because of Minor Sandstorm!


Even though it is a minor one in the eyes of local resident, I can feel the strength of the wind blowing all over my body bringing a thick wall of dust. If I did not hold my long pant tightly, I'm sure Khartoum resident near Arkaweet area this morning may have a free show of 'A Naked Fat Sexy Man From Malaysia".

Even a Plane Crashed Because of Sandstorm!


The photo that I attached here is the huge sandstorm, not the one I experienced this morning. This huge sandstorm can be fatal. Your nostril will be filled with sand and you can become injured or incapacitated. In fact on 5 May 1996 a Sudanese passenger plane that was attempting an emergency landing during a sandstorm, crashed in a field, killing all 53 people aboard.


If you are caught in the middle of the sandstorm, no matter how strong you are, you will be helpless. Your visibility will be zero. In addition It will cause the drying of your mucous membranes.

How Do You Think Hang Jebat Will React in a Sandstorm?

Talking about 'strong man' I try to imagine what will happen if our Hang Jebat (the Malaysian ancient hero well known for his vengeful rebellion against the Malacca Sultan) is trapped in a sandstorm in Khartoum. You know'lah' Jebat...The only words he got in his life dictionary to resolve any problem is 'running amok'. For Jebat, there is no such thing as Nobel Peace Prize. I can visualize how my great Jebat run amok against this sandstorm and how he will try to stab every single solid walls of dust that keep on 'attacking' him. I am also very sure no matter how strong and well-built a bouncer from Kuala Lumpur nite club is, he will immediately be a 'scared little cute mouse' the moment he is trapped in 'Haboob', the infamous Khartoum sandstorm!

As for Hang Jebat, I believe his encounter with the Haboob sandstorm can be construed as the ultimate 'Battle of the Amok'. If Jebat is still alive today I will sponsor him to fly to Sudan. I will show him when the Sudan's sand and dust 'run amok', forming the formidable Haboob Sandstorm, his infamous 'Amok of Jebat' will look like just the amok of a kindergarten's kid!

Jumpa Lagi, Ma'as salaama, Salam, Permisi, Khoda Hafez, Pamitan, Bye For Now..
(My next posting will be my story regarding the uniqueness of houses in Sudan and about the normal practice of Sudanese sleeping outside their house 'open-air ' while enjoying the nice night sky with thousands of stars)

20 comments:

  1. Hi Khairul! Nampaknya you ni tak kering-kering idea. I really enjoy reading your blog! I cannot imagine what will happen if you really naked during the sandstorm, ha ha ha

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  2. Dear 'Lina', its good to read your comment again. As long as there is soul in our body I believe the idea will always there. It is up to us to 'stimulate' the idea. That's why we heard the phrases "bakat terpendam" which literally means our talent or idea are always there for us to unearth. Regarding what will happen if I really get naked due to sandstorm, let me respond this way: If I intentionally go to any Body Builder Championship and expose my body ('aurat') of course it is wrong according to the Islamic rules, but if it is done unintentionally, who am I to stop the Sudanese to see my 'sexy secretive' body design then. Thank you for your comment.

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  3. Hello Khairul, you never fail to impress me, man! Haven't I said before you got a very smart brain and you think differently from others? When you saw a factory boy manning the chicken-egg machine did not wear any shirt due to extreme hot weather and at the same time the chickens were all inside the air-conditioned barns (of course you are right, chicken has to make love first before producing eggs) immediately your brain know how to make a good, logic, funny, out-of-the box story related to that scenario. I am an old man compared to you (you are 39 right?) but I think you are smarter than me. Good..good..Keep on posting. God bless you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bro...hebat!...teruskan posting. Jebat Moden

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  5. Assalamualaikum Khairul...
    hmmm... cerita U memang seronok dibaca, buat I tersenyum sendiri, walaupun dlm kepala I serabut dgn byk benda..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear En 'Zamzuri', smiling is generally a manifestation or reflection of happiness except 'senyum kambing' (goat's smile?) which is more towards expressing cynicism. But undoubtedly I believe yours are 'senyum ulamak' and not 'senyum kambing'. Its indeed my greatest pleasure to know I have managed to make somebody happy. Take Care. Thank you for your comment.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear 'Anonymous',(Jebat Moden), jEBAT is definitely more hEBAT than Tuah. To Hang Tuah, this Hang Khairul wants to say: "Every human being is the same when we was born, when we die later and when we line-up in front of God on the Day of Judgement. So whether you are the King or author Stephen King, or even just a Burger King, we are all ultimately the same. Except Burger King, we are all accountable for what we did on this Planet Earth". Thank you for your comment.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear 'Michael KL', reading your comment has made me more determined to write better. When you said 'out-of-the BOX' , I automatically remember my dear old friend, Encik Forrest Gump used to tell me in 1994: "Mama always said life was like a BOX of chocolates..You never know what you re gonna get, Khairul". God bless you too, sir. Thank you for your comment.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Salamzzz sahabat

    Love your blog! It really reminds me of YOU! And I miss you too... and nope... like you, I am not a gay either! Ekeekekeke...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dear 'Adzam', I am humbled by your words of encouragement. During 39 years living in this world I'm sure we all have gone through sweet and bad memories. In 1988, the first time I met you during A-Level was indeed 21 years ago, not 21 days ago, not 21 months ago, but oh dear...it was a long 21 years ago. And this blog is the place we finally meet again. By the way, due to your "intellectual face-design", the first time I saw your face 21 years ago I thought you were a future scientist sponsored by NASA to study A-Level in Malaysia. Now after 21 years, I am still of the opinion that you have got an "intellectual scientist face". Fortunately not a face of a NASA scientist, but an Iranian nuclear scientist handsome-face with a new name "Adzamdinejad". Thank you for your comment.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Membaca sesuatu pengalaman baru yang di catat dalam coretan saudara mengingatkan cerita cerita pilu semasa melaksanakan overseas assignmentkira kira 10 tahun yang lalu. Kenang kenangan lama itulah yang membuat hati terus cekal dalam usaha melepaskan kesempitan menjalani liku liku kehidupan.

    Ada perubahan pada diri saudara , dah ada rambut dah. Perut tetap maintain. Adios nak hambat masa sebelum 30hb Jun.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dear En. "HISHAMUDIN", Don't feel sad at all, sir. Do you need a shoulder to cry on? If you do, I am the man although if you really cry on my shoulder, people may think we are such a romantic gay couple. Well..sir, everybody has gotten some good and bad memories in life. Confirmed. No exception. This includes our beloved Prophet who lost his favourite uncle and parents. You wrote that your sad memory ('kenangan pilu') was just 10 years ago, but if I have ever chosen to live in the past, this happy 'Khairul' that you know now maybe already dead, dead, dead back in 1991, which is 18 years ago (longer than your 10 years ago sad memory), at least dead 'in the spiritual sense'. But let's forget about it. By the way, Susan Boyle and Obama are the classic examples of two human beings who were ultimately nobody 5 years ago (not even 18 years ago). Oh Yes! Let's celebrate life, by appreciating each minute of our life by showing our great love towards God, Prophet and of course towards our beloved wife, children and parents too. Regarding my hair, last time almost once a week I would "send my hair to the laundry"(Hahaha, The truth is last time almost once a week I regularly went to the Indian Barber to be shaved by my official friendly Indian barber either in Manchester or Brickfields). Thank you for your comment.

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  13. well, you did it again man. For me, reading yr story is like watching DH Series, (Desperate Housewife). Like what's next and next till come the joke...now that's it!

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  14. Dear 'Azura', as a matter of fact I am also a "Desperate Housewife" (DH) TV series fan. I have with me nicely downloaded into my laptop Season 5 of DH from Episode 3 to Episode 20. Some of the episodes even have not been aired by Malaysian TV yet. The way I see it, DH's strength is the plot of the story. The jokes are also natural and not slapstick. There are a lot of lesson that we can learn from watching DH. The characters that I love most are "Lynette and Tom Scavo". Why? Because this business-minded couple really fight tooth and nail to save their restaurant business but to no avail. Another character in DH that I also admire is "Bree Hodge" or her professional name "Bree Van de Kamp". Although just a housewife and a caterer, she managed to write her book entitled "Mrs Van de Kamp's Old Fashioned Cooking". Guess what? This "Bree van de Kamp" character in DH really inspired me, so much so I am now slowly but surely in the process of writing my own book which I give the title "From Malaysia to Manchester: A story of Promoting Malaysia in J.W.W Birch Country". This is my story regarding my struggle and my endless effort (with my other partners) trying very hard establishing a business from scratch in the UK. Due to my busy schedule, I do not know when will the book finally ready to be printed but all the 'flesh' and 'ingredients' are nicely there and ready, it just need me to be the 'cook'. Its for sure. InsyaAllah. Thank you for your comment.

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  15. To DH fans (Long and Kak Zura), I have all the DH series from Season 1 till Season 5 (final episode - Episode 24). Will give it all to Kak Zura when balik kampung next month. Keep writing...

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  16. Dear 'azrienazin', Oh Yes! "Tak Hilang Desperate Housewives Di Dunia". I think if we translate DH series to Gambian language or Bhutan language it will definitely become an instant favourite TV comedy-drama there. To make a film like "Si Buta dari Gua Hantu" or "Panglima Harimau Berantai" I think you can ask Badul to do it. He surely can do. He is smart. But to produce an excellent piece of art like DH series with its smooth story-plot and natural comedy, it needs a genius to produce it! Thank you for your comment.

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  17. My dad n BradPitt muka sama ape...dorang kan adik bradik..hehehe...

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  18. Dear Hazwani Rabuan, I just realized that you have written a comment here because all this while I focus more on my year 2010 blog topics. BTW, yes...you are right about your dad (Encik Rabuan Pit) and Brad Pitt. Shall we say both your dad and Brad Pitt are indeed very unique celebrities. I have my genuine respect towards Encik Rabuan Pit. Your dad won the fastest man in Asia title in 1982 New Delhi Asian Games 100m final. That time I was just a standard six primary school boy and I still remember very clearly he really made all of us proud to be Malaysians! Please send my salam and best regards to your dad who is my great Malaysian hero, Encik Rabuan Pit. Take care Hazwani. Thank you so much for writing a comment in my blog.

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