Deported From Saudi Because Too Handsome!

it was reported that the three pak arab from UAE were about to attend some festival in riyadh when they were stopped by the religious police and later deported (ha?!) because “they are too handsome.”

handsome sangat ke sampai tak boleh masuk saudi?

well, judge for yourself – i present to you, one of the men – his name is Omar Borkan Al Gala. he is a photographer, an actor, and a poet! alahai! a poet!

 

 

“a festival official said the three Emiratis were taken out on the grounds they are too handsome and that the commission (for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices) members feared female visitors could fall for them," elaph, an arabic newspaper reported.

is this really true? well, this is the first time i heard men were deported for a crime of being too HOT! looking at omar borkan al gala’s pictures, I’m sure he IS guilty as charged! haha. *swoon*

click here for full story.

 

 

you can see from his facebook page, women from all over the world flocked to offer their compliments (and some, their undying love!) caucasians, arabs, indonesians, and some writings in chinese too! instead of preventing saudi women to ‘fall in love’ with this ridiculously handsome man, now this piece of news is the one sending every women to his facebook page to have a look!

he seemed like some kind of don juan too – romanticising his fb status with charminng quotes : like, “last night i looked up into the stars and matched each one with a reason why i love you. i was doing great until i ran out of stars.”

*melting*

and this : “if you're alone, i'll be your shadow. if you want to cry, i'll be your shoulder. if you want a hug, i'll be your pillow. if you need to be happy, i'll be your smile. but anytime you need a friend, i'll just be me.”

dah la handsome gile, romantik ya amat pulak! omar borkan al gala seemed to be the ULTIMATE man!

 

 

nways, few questions popped up in my mind :

1. who was it who first said, “hey, that guy looks too handsome to enter our country. stop him!”
2. is there a specific job description at the airport whose job is to spot handsome guys and stop them from entering the country?
3. has there been previous incidents involving women falling for handsome men that lead to catastrophe? hihi
4. based on this, am I to assume that if you were allowed entry into saudi, it means that… huhu

 

 

ok, so if you ARE allowed to enter saudi, ekhem – paham-paham je la. you’re not THAT handsome hihi. “let me see, hmm ok turn around. *look at your passport picture* ok you’re hereby considered NOT handsome. no saudi women will fall desperately in love with you. you may enter.”

 

 

ok ladies, I will leave you with this last picture of God’s beautiful creation. man, those eyes! omar, you can come to malaysia anytime! we won’t deport you! haha

all images from the magic of google.

My Nephew in TheStar Performing Action Song for Raya

my adorable nephew haqeem syahid is in an award-winning singing team in his school. it’s not just singing, it’s also a lot of movement, showing your emotion and expressing yourself through music. that’s why it’s called ‘action song’. it’s more theatrical and that’s why I LOVE it!

sigh. second child has always shown glimmer and glamour on stage…I was there once!

anyways, he was in the papers few days back -

 

my nephew haqeem is in the far left, in front datuk seri dr zambry

 

haqeem and his teammates from SK seri ampang performed their exuberant ‘action song’ during a hari raya celebration in my hometown ipoh, for groups of orphans of ‘akademi ikatan muslimin and maahad tahfiz’ and pakcik makcik from the old folks home of ‘rumah seri kenangan indah’.

their audience also include perak mentri besar datuk seri dr zambry abdul kadir and wife.

for full story at thestar online, click here.

Full Fuel Tank Can Burst During Dubai Summer?

summer is here in dubai. it’s hot. it’s scorching. it’s sticky. it’s sweaty. and between it all, there’s an email that has been circulating the middle east community – a warning about bursting fuel tanks :

“UAE - The Defence Ministry has advised all the car owners in the UAE not to fill the fuel tank full because for the next few weeks temperature will shoot up to 53-54 degrees and this can cause the fuel tank to burst. Please pass this message to all and off course to your nearest and dearest ones, as all of us here are habitual of filling our car tanks full.”

yesterday in gulfnews, the officials from the civil defence in dubai has issued a statement that this message is NOT TRUE and just a RUMOUR. 

 

 

i was really taken by the warning, and for once did not think that it might be a hoax. i even reminded mr. khairul about it. however, it turned out to be UNTRUE, and these are the FACTS :

• despite temperatures reaching into the high 40C, gasoline in a car’s fuel tank cannot be heated to the point of self-combustion
• and even when temperature reaches that high, fuel turns to vapour (gas) and the fuel tanks has vapour valves or vents which can release the vapour out when the pressure builds up
• cars have their own safety systems when it comes to petrol tanks
• so, it’s NOT dangerous to fill up the car’s tank no matter what the temperature is

also – in dubai, fuel is pumped by the staff at the gas station (bukan self-service macam kat malaysia, pak arab taknak kotorkan kandoora putih tu kot! hihi) so instead of a warning to the public, shouldn’t the warning go to the gas stations instead? anyhow, the warning is a hoax, so no worries!

click here to read full report at gulfnews.

 

* * *

 

forget the fake email, let’s just focus on the precautions that we can take with our vehicle during this hot summer time!

1. i know this might quite difficult, especially when you’re around deira-bur dubai-karama area, but try to park in the shade whenever possible. it will keep your car cooler
2. when there is no shade available, try to park so that the sun will be shining on the car’s rear window or passenger side for the majority of the time it is parked
3. use a sunshade that goes on the inside of your car’s windshield. you know how hot a steering wheel can get!
4. we often read about children being left in the car accidentally, at times with deadly consequence. (may Allah protect our young ones, and protect us from being forgetful!) be sure to put your child's diaper bag or other belongings on the FRONT SEAT WITH YOU so you will be reminded that your child is in the car
5. frequent oil changes and belt checks are a must. make sure fluids are full
6. try filling up at night to save money, because hot fuel turns to vapor and when you’re filling up during hot afternoon, you might actually refilling vapor!
7. after shopping, check your trunk carefully to make sure nothing has fallen out of the grocery bags. you really don't want to find the bottle of fresh milk or that bag of prawns a week later...

be safe, people!

Mr. Khairul on TV3 in Qatar

mr. khairul was on tv! *excited*

he was speaking to the reporters from tv3 about promoting malaysian products during this exhibition - 'project qatar 2012' in doha, qatar just this afternoon. *still excited*

"MSE (my sis-in-law screaming excitedly hihi) in a sense of creating awareness about our malaysian identity, our malaysian products. so such an event, i think, should be promoted globally, more frequently...coz i guess they know malaysia...and with this kind of event, it will help and further the interest of buyers."

my in-laws managed to capture this video of his interview on tv3 last night. what is it about seeing someone you know on tv that makes one so excited? well say what you want, but being on national tv was pretty cool! for them especially missing their son, and brother in dubai, and for me too - missing my mr. khairul who has been in qatar for the past one week!

i played that clip so many times that my boy khaleef has started complaining, "makkk, can you stop playing that? why you want to see bapak so many times?" haha. just missing you, handsome!

click this youtube video to watch the clip. pardon the *excitement* in the background. my youngest sis-in-law was too overwhelmed seeing her eldest bro on tv! owh, cammon admit it - you'd be screaming too seeing someone close to you appear on tv! hihi...

Fell Asleep on Metro? Fined AED300!

imagine you’re fined RM300 for falling asleep on the LRT. imagine.

of all the times i had to take the LRT from gombak station to taman bahagia, i admit dozing off a few times on the train. travelling from one end to the other is not a short trip, so memang letih! but in malaysia, sleeping on LRT is allowed right? right?

however, you read right – AED300 fine for sleeping on trains, in dubai!

it all started when an american student fell asleep on the dubai metro, missed her stop, and was fined when she reached the final station. kesian gile. tak pasal-pasal kena saman just because she was sleeping on the train!

this is downright weird. people sleeps on public transportation all the time. sometimes (or even most of the time) it can’t be helped. when you’re tired, you’re tired. or maybe you’re not well. or you’re pregnant and sleep is part of the cycle. at times people can’t wait for the train to arrive so that they can get into the air-cond space and catch a few winks before arriving at their destination.

hmm. a new way for dubai to make money? the powers that be of dubai, PLEASE if you want so badly to FINE people for AED300, you’re better off taking it on SMOKERS.

just found out that dubai is implementing fines on people chewing gum on metro – just like in singapore – so take that ‘fine’ example further and implement fines on smoking in public places too! that would be fantastic.

anyway, back to fined-for-sleeping – the funny bit was when a couple of attendants cleared it up by saying that “..if a passenger falls sleep and snores or disturbs others - by drooling or falling over on to someone else's space - that can invite a fine. as long as they don't disturb other passengers when they sleep on the train, then it's OK.”

lemme get this straight – so apparently is IS okay to sleep but no

• drooling - haha
• snoring – what, an officer will just stand beside the sleeping passenger, listening and fine him as soon as he starts snoring? agak kelakar di situ
• head-falling-on someone else’s shoulder – i admit this could really be a bother, but waking him/her up would be enough right? a fine is too much. after all, they’re not some perverts who are doing it on purpose!

there is a comment asking for a fine on people who “stepped on her clothes with their dirty shoes”. hellowww you’re in a PUBLIC transportation. with CROWDS. there are bound to be jostling of arms and knees. as long as they’re not pick-pockets and perverts taking advantage of closed space. tapi takkan ketiak passenger busuk pun nak report kat officer suruh dia fine orang ketiak busuk tu kan…

ok, so anyways, if i wanted to lentok my head manja-manja on my husband’s shoulder while on the metro, still kena fine ah?

to read full article, click here.

Just Ban Smoking!

"UAE approved warnings on cigarette packets with a graphic picture covering about half the packet...it also bans tobacco company from using 'smooth', 'silky' and 'light' or similar words to describe the product." - gulfnews today. click here for full report.

while i applaud UAE's effort in curbing the filthy smoking habit among its people, i can only snicker in sceptism at its effectiveness. tak jalan punya! this is not my way of belittling UAE's noble effort, but rather a scornful smirk towards the *incorrigible smokers.

*incorrigible : incapable of being corrected or reformed.

buat lah apa saja. rise the price of cigarette. put no-smoking signs. put pictures of blackened lungs on cigarette packs. have taknak campaign. ban tobacco advertisement on tv. create awesome no-smoking ads. under 18 cannot buy cigarette. cammon, tell me the truth - NONE is really working, right?

1. rising the price of cigarette - have you ever wondered why run-down flats in kl with owners who probably can't afford monthly insurance payment, managed to have astro satelite dishes mushrooming all over the building? same logic. mahal macam mana pun, orang yang tak berapa mampu pun will make it a priority, because they want to.


2. put no-smoking signs - i was there. at PWTC. there was a no-smoking sign. and this man still lit up a cigarette, without a care.


3. put ugly pictures of what harm rokok can do - smokers KNOW that smoking is harmful to them. they KNOW their health is affected. so pictures are just pictures. it's JUST the box. again, do they care? nope!

i'm sorry. it's just my sincere opinion. this is coming from someone who has lived with a smoker for her whole married life. and because of the same reason, i will tell you what REALLY works :

the ONLY way smoking can be deterred, or lessened, or eradicated totally - is to BAN SMOKING. the best example is our neighbour singapore. even as a non-smoker, i was surprised to see the long list of smoke-free places in singapore.

this includes so many, many places like carparks, playground, clubs and even hawker stalls! kat malaysia, hawker stall la tempat yang paling seronok nak merokok...

the best one was definitely 'no smoking within a 5 meters radius from ANY doorway. gile best. this means that even when you walk OUT of an air-conditioned, smoke free building, you need to make sure you're 5m away from the entrance before you light up a smoke, or else!

when we were in singapore last july, mr. khairul was restless as he searched for a place to smoke. it seemed like everywhere we go, it's a no-smoking zone. fantastic! whenever he felt like it might be okay to smoke, he was still cautious - can i? can't i? anyone watching? it was great to see him without smoking while we enjoy the holiday.

so you see, singapore makes it VERY DIFFICULT for anyone to smoke. also, singapore makes smokers feel like they've done something worse than armed robbery! as someone gets less and less chance to smoke each day, eventually they will come to their senses - hey, i CAN do without cigarette! it is possible. it can be done. i can slowly quit.

in this matter, i hope one day malaysia can emulate our neighbour, who is already famous for its squeaky clean image - ban smoking!

Sharks Sighting @ Jumeirah Beach?

'sharks spotted at jumeirah beach'? reading this news is somewhat shocking, and exciting at the same time (since there haven't been any fatal attacks or death). jumeirah beach is the long stretch of beach along dubai, and it's right by our apartment. jalan kaki je!

it was reported that the lifeguard spotted what looked like a SHARK, two of them in the waters - not just any shark, but a hammerhead shark. he gave out an immediate warning, rushing people out of the waters to avoid any mishaps.

funny thing was, the crowd went back into the water as soon as the beach patrol cars left the beach. aren't they afraid of shark attack? i'll tell you why later!

click here for full news from 7days.

'bruce' the shark from 'finding nemo', with his other shark friends - one of them is the hammerhead shark

hammerhead shark is the shark with the funny head, with eyes that can see both up and down at the same time!

now let me tell you why the crowd seemed undisturbed with the shark warning, and was not afraid to go back in the waters - it's a known fact that hammerhead sharks are the least dangerous type of shark there is.

hah?

a shark that's NOT dangerous to human? really? i didn't know that!

it turns out that

1. out of 9 species of hammerhead shark, only 3 are dangerous
2. hammerhead sharks rarely attack people
3. known to be the least aggressive of all sharks
4. this type of shark is least likely to harm humans unless provoked
5. favorite food is stingray! also eats crabs, squids and lobsters
6. can grow up to 4m long
7. the most dangerous sharks are the great white shark, the tiger shark, and the bull shark. stay away!

meanwhile, marine experts are excited with these reports, since hammerhead sharks are said to be under threat of being an endangered animal (their fins are larger, they're hunt for this expensive delicacy. stop eating shark's fin!).

they say that it's good that hammerhead sharks are spotted here because that means that the gulf waters are attracting marine life, and naturally predators too. a whole new environment is created somewhere down below.

* * *

just be careful and always on the alert when you're out swimming. if it's not shark, it could be sea-snake. if not that, then it could be the strong current and huge waves. we're the one going into their domain. we're swimming at their turf. it's THEIR home. seeing them there shouldn't be much of a shock, so we're the ones who must be cautious.

oh well, after all this talk - someone had actually said it could've been just a plastic bag floating in the water! click here.

Dubai : Boy Fell 8 Floors; Traumatized Mom Jumped Too

mom was waiting for schoolbus with 14 year old daughter. saw her 5 year old boy dangling at the window of their 8th floor apartment. went up to try and save him. he had already fallen. she came down. saw that he was dying, sister was holding his hand. her clothes soaked with blood. she went straight back up. and jumped too. she fell on her son. died instantly. her son died soon after. husband who was away on business rushed back.

i read the tragic account on gulfnews many times. i live in a high-rise building, and i have young children. it shudders me still when i write this, tears forming in my eyes. may Allah have mercy on their souls, and grant courage and strength to the father and daughter to go on; especially the daughter who had witnessed the whole tragedy.

this happened in a building at jumeirah lake towers, an area of high-rise buildings right by our place in dubai marina.

* * *

it was probably just like any other morning for the mother and her daughter. wait for the school bus with her daughter, and leave her son (who was probably sleeping) at home. little did she know it was going to be a tragic day for the iranian family.

only Allah knows what went through her mind when she made the decision to jump.

the boy fell 8 floors down, before mom went up and jump too

a few primary issues arise : the safety of the windows of high-rise apartments in dubai, and the negligence of leaving children unattended at home, even for awhile.

a lot of people are questioning dubai government on the safety standards of these high-rise buildings. even if they want to blame the mother for leaving her son unattended in the house, this incident could've easily happened even when she's busy in the kitchen, or in the bathroom. the question remains : how safe are the windows? how can the window be easily opened by a 5-year old?

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS :

• build a net around the building to catch any falling object
• build window that DOES NOT open wide, but just enough to put a head in
• locking system of windows and doors should be top-notch
• make the windows heavy, or tight - that no children would have the strength to open
• build small balconies under a window, like a flower box
• have grills on windows and balcony
• build iron bars below the windown for support, or stronger railings on balcony/window
• install door alarms on balcony door, so you'll know when it's opened or not locked
• building management should review building-safety and and identify any possible hazards, then put warning signs

i am a mother of 3 boys, so i know that it is difficult to keep an eye on our children ALL THE TIME. from long ago we as a family made it a point to close the bathroom doors and kitchen door everytime leaving these rooms. these two places are open to so many possibilities of dangers for my baby kazim. kahfi my 3 year old also has accustomed to this rule and alhamdulillah follows it.

from the moment they play near windows, deter them harshly from the beginning; so that a window or its surrounding will NOT be an area where they will play. living in the harsh weather of dubai, i keep the windows closed all the time, really.

safety awareness campaign with parents, and educate children on safety - we must be proactive as parents!

* * *

in light of this tragedy, i am thankful to be living on a lower floor, despite the less-attractive view.

my husband had wanted a higher floor. i agree it was a charming idea. great view from the window; we could see the marina, the boats docking, and of course the majestic view of the open gulf sea. beautiful. however, there wasn't any available floor that high, and we had to settle for the 3rd floor.

looking back, i'm quite relieved.

the design of our building is in such a way that the 2nd and 3rd floors have balcony, but there's no door - that means it cannot be accessed via door. and it's a very narrow balcony SURROUNDING our whole unit (dulu macam tensen jugak - ape ni, ade balcony tapi takde pintu nak ke balcony tu. tapi pikir-pikir balik kalau ape-ape hal - nauzubillah - selamat) BUT the higher floors have balcony ONLY around a few perimeters (macam balcony biase kat hotel-hotel), while the rest of the unit only have windows like this :

lebih kurang macam ni la window aku, tapi aku ade balcony sempit tu around my windows. kalau tingkat yang tinggi-tinggi, takde balcony kat window macam gamba bawah ni

absolutely no grill, no small balcony under window, no metal railing to hold on to

even so, with all the precautionary measures we may take to ensure safety of our children, there are risks of fire, theft, car accidents, kidnapping...the list is endless. we are only human, so from Allah we seek protection and care. may Allah protect our families from harm. amin.

to read the news in full, click here.