My Trip to Japan 2012

It's been a while since my last post. I am currently in Japan for some laboratory works. So far everything goes smooth and steady, alhamdulellah. Here, I met a lot of new friends, which are mainly Japanese, followed by Arabs, Bangladeshis, Malaysians, Indonesians, and other nationalities. I never thought I will get the chance to practice Jordanian Arabic and Bengali here, two foreign languages that I'm moderate at.

I enjoyed my lab works. It is tough though, but I learn a lot. But let's not talk about lab works here okay... ;-)

Here I got the chance to explore some parts of Japan with the aid of my Japanese friends cum labmates. I visited Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, Tokyo-Asakusa, Tokyo-Shibuya, Tokyo Skytree, Kiyosato Highland, Yokohama City and many more. Here are some pictures taken within my one and half month stay in Japan...

With my friend Ken Osawa, queuing outside Tsukiji Market, Tokyo (4.20 AM, after Fajr prayer)

Fresh tuna auction is happening here every morning, around 6 AM

'Turret' - the popular three wheel vehicle for transporting fresh fish & sea products actively moving in an out at Tsukiji Market

Tokyo Skytree, the current tallest broadcasting tower in the world (as of 2012)

Under the Skytree

With my labmates, Kento (left) and Ken Osawa (right)

Breathtaking view of Mount Fuji

At Seisen-Ryo, Kiyosato Highland

Doryu Waterfall in Hokotu, Yamanashi 

With labmates during Summer Camp 2012

Outside Panorama Onsen (on the last day of our summer camp)

At the popular Tokyo-Shibuya. People move like ants here... they scrambled!

A few seconds before crossing Shibuya Crossing

There are so many things I like about Japan - proper & systematic, disciplined, politeness, dedicated, which makes me want to explore more and more. Language could probably the greatest barrier to effective communication. It is important to know Japanese language if we are to live for three months or a bit longer. You need to equip with the basic phrases if you want to go to some shops, restaurants or going places. If possible try to write and read Hiragana and Katakana, it helps in many ways. For myself, I'm still trying. Three months is too short for a new language but I hope one day I can add Japanese into my language box... I hope ;-)

By the way, so far I have experienced four earth quakes here, and last two weeks (October, 19th) could probably the strongest... what an amazing Japan! 

Before signing off, perhaps a little gratitude...

• Firstly, I would like to thank Mr Zaidi for taking me to Penang Airport.
• To Kayrol, thanks for your call just before my flight, I really appreciate that.
• To Aswad, thanks for paying my bill - My subscription should have ended by the end of September, I don't understand why Celcom still charged me in full - (Sorry Celcom I'm really not happy with you!)
• To bro Shams, thanks for taking good care of my car, I hope the battery is still okay (I think it's already two years now, might be dead soon, please let me know if it needs change).
• To Mr Abdullah Al-Afandi from Saudi Arabia, thank you for the Quran you gave me as a gift, may Allah gives you reward (I enjoyed my conversation with you during the flight but sorry for my bad Arabic, I'm very much influenced by Shami accent.. huhu).
• To Anas from Jordan, thanks for your call, your 8,800 km call feels just like a next door to me - truly one of the best conversations I had in many months.
• To my big brother Izam, mama and auntie Fariza, thanks for your weekly SMSes.
• To my brother Iziff, thanks for taking good care of mama.

Virus Protection for Netbook: Now I choose Avast! Pro

After years of experience and loyalty to Kaspersky, I finally switched to another brand. To be honest, it wasn't an easy decision. Knowing the fact that Kaspersky is one of the best performing antivirus in the world, why to choose another of lower rating?

Again, it is solely based on my experience. Antivirus in general works differently on different computer system, so does Kaspersky. KAV works faster in my Toshiba laptop (Core2duo, 2007) compared to my Acer netbook (Atom N280, 2009). By far, KAV 2009 was the best version of Kaspersky antivirus I ever had throughout my life as a legal user.

When Kaspersky introduced rootkit scan in 2010, which designed to neutralize attack on 64-bit on-line banking system, that's where the problem begins. I used to write about the issue in my older post [From My Desk: Kaspersky AV2010 Root Scan Issue: Solve it using KAV2011].

The question is do I feel secure with Kaspersky? Absolutely yes! I always feel safe even with increasing to-date cyber threats. However good performing antivirus sometimes consumes more CPU resources resulting in a slower-running computer. That's what happened to my Acer Aspire One Netbook after upgrading to KAV2010 and KAV2011, although my HD is 80% space free and frequently defragmented. Sometimes I have to disable the protection mode for my Words & Excels to work without interruption. Too bad!

When my KAV license almost expired last June, I quickly googled for alternatives. Panda, Avast and Avira were those in my quick list. Finally I chose avast! Pro Home & Student Edition due to the half price offer to students. It's such a mixed feelings though because I wasn't sure whether I made the right choice. Now two months have past, I feel that avast! Pro really suits my netbook well. No sluggish start up, no freezing, as if my KAV2009 is back to life. Furthermore, I like avast! Pro interface. It is so presentable and easy to understand. This is the first time I really feel that I have a total control over my computer.

My genuine antivirus collection

So if you are looking for an antivirus that suits your netbook (those powered by atom processors), nah... avast! Pro is the answer. I also recommend it to be used in older PCs. Try to look for Student Edition because it's worth your money. No point to have a super duper antivirus if it only slows down your computer. The most important is to HAVE A PEACE OF MIND and be in control over your own computer.

Attending al-Barmawi hosted iftar

Supposedly if one plans to host an iftar, he does not need to ask when he should organize the event, rather he will set the date at his convenience. However, my friend Mostafa did it in the opposite way. He asked me to decide the date based on my convenience. Perhaps, he considered the limited time I have as a working guy and the distance I would be traveling. Truly I felt honoured and believed this kind of kindness was another good example of Arab hospitality.

Mansef, that's the menu he told me. Oh yeah? I miss that. Actually I miss Arabic food. I have many Arab friends who cook, and Mostafa al-Barmawi is a new one that made up to the list. Actually, Mostafa and I are so new to each other but he treated me like he knows me for years. Thanks to Khalid Jabir, my Jordanian brother, otherwise I would not have known this nice person. 

What do you think am I looking at?

Joining me was brother Hadri, another Malaysian from Machang Kelantan. Perhaps I should call this "al-Barmawi Iftar special for Malaysians" hehe..

Whether it's for Malaysians or not, we really enjoyed the iftar, as much as we enjoy our friendship and brotherhood. And that's the spirit of Ramadan.

Date: 24 July 2012 (Tuesday)

Venue: Mostafa's room, USM 

Well, seems that I'm the one who do the cooking... Congratulations Az'ouz! Good acting... hehe

This is the real cook.. Mostafa, and our friend Hadri

Mostafa's version of chicken mansef - Taste better than its look

Sidewall puncture is conditionally repairable...

For so many years I embraced a belief that sidewall puncture is NOT repairable or very unlikely repairable. The reason is simple, unlike the tread area that consists of cap piles and steel belts, sidewall on the other hand is mainly vulcanized rubber with hard rubber apex and synthetic inner liner layered on it. So sidewall is relatively weaker compared to tread area, hence such defects either big or small may lead to sudden blowout and may also lead to other major failures. So I can understand why weren't so many Auto-Tyre personnel willing enough to take the risk or attempt sidewall repair when the general build in design of the sidewall was fairly understood.

General rules of for tyre repair

I'm just an ordinary user and as we know money doesn't come the way leaves fall from a tree. So when it comes to sidewall puncture, which happened twice in my to date experience, a right decision have to be made either to scrap it off and replace with a new one, or take the risk and save some money. In both of my cases, I was quite fortunate since it happened to my very brand new tyre (less than 10 days old), therefore I took the later option.

I was quite surprised seeing a 3 inches nail pierced firmly in the sidewall of my left rear tyre, which I only realized after traveling 320 km away from Pahang. Ironically the 110-120 km/h speed I drove on the highway that supposed to be unsafe for sidewall defects, turned out to be a safe one. Allah is great! I quickly drove my car to Auto-Tyre Garage and get it fix right away. As expected, the tyre personnel was reluctant at the beginning and has recommended me for a new tyre replacement. After noticing the tyre was kind of brand new, only then he attempted to repair.

My Michelin 175/65 R14 after months of sidewall puncture repair

Close up view of the puncture sealant - pretty ugly, eh?

Alhamdulellah, now almost 14 months have passed and my affected Michelin tyre still looks good like the rest three. I'm not sure whether this was the coolest decision I've made so far out of my driving experience. As far as safety is concerned I'm sure Michelin would have discourage me from the very beginning. Sometimes we just have to trust our basic instinct but of course don't do something stupid. I will definitely scrap my tyre off if the sidewall puncture involves bead tearing or cracking. For my case I didn't observe any tearing or deformation around the nail puncture and the tyre didn't go flat prior to repair. InshaAllah it's going to be fine as far as I don't drive the way Paris-Dakar rally driver does. Considering a bit of knowledge I gained from this experience, I think it worth more than 100 new tyres… huhu.

Those out there who have limited budget and want to save some money over a new tyre, hear my say. I'm not a tyre expert, I'll never be one. I'm just sharing my experience (twice so far) to prove that sidewall puncture is repairable, perhaps I should rephrase that one… CONDITIONALLY repairable. So please justify before attempting such repair.

My 4D3N Bali Vacation

I read many authors' review in various travel websites and magazines, which left me wonder why Bali always be among the top rated, although some did sound slightly over exaggerating. Now, after my short 4D3N Bali vacation, I felt so inline with most of the reviews. Superb and enjoyable, if it isn't too much to say. Bali is definitely one of my favorite holiday destinations.

Being a tourist as well as a practicing Muslim, though no longer strange, is not easy as it sounds. Practicing Muslims have to abide at their best possible particularly the obligatory prayers. And of their greatest concern of course is the halal food. Although Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country, Bali as a province unfortunately is not. Balinese are culturally Hindus. So practicing Muslims of my standard have to make a lot of research before visiting such places.

My friends and I arrived in Bali on the historical elevens, 11 November 2011 (I will never forget this date). I couldn't hide my excitement because we will be walking under the sea.. yeah, we are going to SeaWalker, the real underwater experience and also we will get the chance to view one of the world's best sunsets. I won't blow the chance to experience perhaps once in the lifetime opportunities. Bali Top 10 must see places such as Kuta Beach, the hilly Kintamani, the magnificent cliffs of Uluwatu and its beaches, Tanjung Benoa, Ubud... they are for real! I was just too excited, seriously! Besides, this was my first time flying with AirAsia. Not bad for the so-called 'relatively cheaper' airways.

Truly I have so many stories to tell, but like most storytellers, I will not be able to write in a single post, so let the pictures tell the rest of the stories...

Apple Model on the beach with casual wear... hehe

At Uluwatu beach under the blue sky

Uluwatu beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Bali

Waiting for the sunset at Kuta beach

Sunset at Kuta beach

The magnificent cliffs of Uluwatu.. beautiful, mashaAllah!

With my traveling partners, Nasha (left) and Hazuan (middle)

Near Hard Rock Hotel entrance

Oasis Hotel, Kuta - This was the hotel we stayed in Bali

Being underwater and walking on the sea floor could probably the most exciting experience, so we need to ensure the activity was sufficiently documented. We used Kodak Sport Underwater Disposable Camera for capturing the underwater images. It's difficult to snap underwater pictures, we need to overcome the strong sea current. Though the camera was a kind of low-end, we still managed to get at least 25% considerably good pictures.

'Syoknya' walking underwater

Hazuan (left) and Nasha (right) in their own style

My Bali trip was a success. I would like to thank Hazuan and Nasha for joining the trip. No doubt that Bali is a beautiful 'heaven', from the land to the sea, and its underwater world. I thank Allah our mighty Lord for giving us the opportunity to witness His beautiful creations. I hope this won't be my last, so jom Bali (let's go to Bali)..

Michael Sanguinetti - Thanks for your remark!

“I know I am not supposed to say this, but if you really want to know how not to get raped don’t dress like a slut.”

That was the remark made by Michael Sanguinetti at the Osgoode Hall that has sparked protest in Toronto Canada and some other parts of the world. What has went wrong? Was the statement so offensive until some students and staff of Osgoode Hall Law School demanded an apology?

To me, Sanguinetti's remark wasn't an overstatement. I believe it was sincere and truly from his years of experience and observations. His intention was to protect them just like most fathers and husbands do. It maybe harsh to some girls but agreeable to some others. Do you think your piece of advice will satisfy everyone on this planet?

My post has nothing to do with BATTLE OF THE SEXES. So don't get me wrong here.

I respect females as what they are. At the same time I don't like women to be viewed as sex objects by men. I think we would have been a lot better off by encouraging women to dress in modesty rather than revealingly. I know it's hard because modern girls are way daring than the traditional girls. Some of them are very prepared to do anything to 'please a boyfriend', 'get a boyfriend' or even 'steal other people's boyfriend'. It would be no surprise if they make themselves very flirty as well 'look hot and sexy'. It's such a shame when it end up a sad story. Therefore we, people of a civilized society have to reevaluate our responsibility.

I still remember, Princeton psychologist Susan Fiske, who presented her findings at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago on February 15, 2008 concluded that male behavior towards females is influenced by highly sexualized images of women. As a man, I totally agree with Fiske. Women's degree of sexyness to some extent does promote beast quality in men. Do you think everyman can control their desire and regulate their arousal?

So don't punish Michael Sanguinetti for his remark, and no need for SlutWalk. Although SlutWalk began marching the street about one and a half month later, majority of women didn't agree with the protest (I coudn't see one at my locality). I've seen the SlutWalk images. It's a lot filthier than I thought it was. SlutWalk was clearly a sexual harassment on men and it tarnished the reputation of good women.

I'm not strong enough to be in Sanguinetti's position but I do admire him for his words. Although I see no necessity for Sanguinetti to apologize, he actually did two days after his remark. I wonder whether it really came from him or his department. I guess no need to further speculate.

Those who against Michael Sanguinetti, think again, because this police officer is a lot wiser than you think he is...

Kitty says: Human can dress better than me... Meow!

As we always hear people say...
If you dress like a merchant, people treat you like a merchant.
If you dress like a beggar, people treat you like a beggar.

We don't need to be analysts to understand the above. We don't need any complex mathematics to prove or disprove the above. Just look at the logic, enough said.

So if you dress like a slut, don't expect people treat you like a Queen of England! Huhu... Meow!

When two person praying... which style is yours?

Being a Muslim is something one should treasure and be proud of, whether he or she is a convert or a born Muslim. It is a bless that I can hardly describe. I always heard that converts are better Muslims. I found no points to disagree with, in fact majority of them are. Converts are always more devoted and better in practicing Islam.

I am a born Muslim, alhamdulellah. Just like most born Muslims, the beginning of my religious practice was very much influenced by the folklore, which some were rather cultural than religious. I only started questioning some of those after observing differences in the religious practice among the practicing Muslims of the East and West. The question that has been looming in my mind is why must such practices be different since the original source is the same, i.e. Al-Quran and sunnah?

The question doesn't degrade my belief in Islam, rather it has expedited the whole process for me to search for the truth.

Take this simple question for example... Where is the position of the follower (makmum) if only two person are praying together?

Based on my experience, some people pray on the right side of the imam [A], some pray on the right side with one step back of the imam [B] and some pray on the right side with two-three steps back of the imam [C]. So which is the correct one?

Most prayer books of the 80s and 90s written by local authors portrayed style [B], the style that was observed by most Malaysian Muslims during my childhood. However I realized no such evidence (dalil) was provided for supporting the prescribed method.

I began practicing style [A] somewhere 2004-2006, which I learned from Muslim brothers from the Middle East. This is the method that I'm very comfortable with, which is well backed up with evidence of the most authentic.

In order to avoid bias, I provide in this post, source of evidence (books and internet database) in Malay language.
[1] Sahih Bukhari (Tranlated Version by JAKIM), Vol 2, page 226
[2] Solat Empat Mazhab (الصلاة على المذاهب الاربعة), page 327
[3] Bahrul Mazi (Versi Rumi), Vol 2, page 207-208
[4] Mutiara Hadis UiTM, Database of Sunan Sittah (The Authentic Six) in Malay language

Sahih Bukhari: Bab (Makmum) berada di sebelah kanan imam bersetentang dengannya apabila ada dua orang (sahaja)
Sahih Bukhari: Chapter (Follower of congregational prayer) be on the right side of imam just on the opposite side when there are two person (only)

Solat Empat Mazhab, page 327
Prayers of the Four Doctrines, page 327
If the follower is alone, he shall stand on the right side of the imam

Bahrul Mazi, Vol 2, page 208
When there is a man and an imam, he must stand on the opposite side of the imam

Mutiara Hadis UiTM (Search keyword: kanan imam)
When there is a man and an imam, he must stand on the opposite side of the imam 

In this post, it is not my intention to prove who is right or wrong, but it is good if such practices or claims are backed up with authentic evidence. I am just human and we all make mistakes, so please correct me if I'm wrong. May Allah guide us, inshaAllah.