Happy New Year 2006

14 minutes to go!! What a weird feeling to be spending the occasion in the room, writing blogg and listening to an Urdu song. Well, this is Islamabad. We arrived from Karachi about five hours ago after a two hours flight on the C 130. Whilst on board we were told that the it was raining heavily in Islamabad and we might be diverting to Lahore. Goodness, that will be something!! Spending New Year's eve at Lahore airport, as I am sure if we do really divert, there will be not enough time to forewarn the local establishment to arrange for our accommodation. Nevertheless, our prayer were answered when we actually landed at Chaklala at 1820. It was indeed raining, but not that heavy. Upon reaching the college, I suddenly realised how hungry I was, as I missed lunch at Karachi. My tummy was upset the whole of the previous night and I actually lost my appetite. Me and my colleague managed to get a car and we went to the local Chinese for Chow Mien dinner. The crowd was getting thicker at F7 as I guessed they were there to usher in the New Year. I was tempted to stay and watch the event and see how the locals celebrate. However it was drizzling and the night was rather cold and miserable. We left after buying bread for tomorrow's breakfast.
Just announced on the local station, that we have just crossed into 2006. HAPPY NEW YEAR and may the new year brings happiness and good health.

New Paradigm in National Security Policy

I picked up this report from Bernama which I thought is very appropriate to our study in National Security. It was very timely for Pak Lah to promote the paradigm in formulating the Policy in the wake of changing world order and environment. The U.S. National Security Strategy of 2002 is very hawkish and centred around the strategy of preemption and currently is showing its vulnerabilities in the handling of Iraq. The world need a change in the U.S. approach; one that is more with "moral order" and not just "security order". We have seen enough disorder and misery.
Pak Lah's approach is worth serious consideration.

December 16, 2005 23:43 PM

Muslim And Non-Muslim World Must Work In Tandem For Peace, Says PM
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 (Bernama) -- The Prime Minister Friday night called on the Muslim and non-Muslim worlds to work in tandem to close the chasm between them which has become more profound today.Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said to do so, Muslim leaders and scholars must succeed in reviving the true spirit of Islam and its teaching, while the international community must remove its "Islamophobia"."The Muslim Ummah acting alone will not be able to achieve total success. Islamophobia must also be removed at the same time. The International community must take a stand to stop actions which contribute directly or indirectly to the perpetuation of injustice, oppression or aggression against Muslim countries, anywhere and everywhere."The international community has a clear duty to disallow the marginalisation of Muslims and instead enable them to take part in influencing and setting the international agenda," said Abdullah in his keynote address at the Perdana Global Peace Forum gala dinner here.The Prime Minister said that at the same time the Muslim world must also shed its thinking that the West was a singular entity with a singular voice and agenda as many countries in that region had different approaches in dealing with international problems and they preferred inter-civilisational dialogues over the use of force.This kind of approach, said Abdullah, could be established at the international level involving the two worlds, provided each world was willing to discard its prejudices against the other.The Prime Minister urged the Western community to hold such dialogues with members of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) as they were important not only in international politics and diplomacy but also international economics and finance."It is estimated that the financial surpluses of Arab and other Muslim countries, in the US and other Western banks, are around US$800 billion. The OIC members provide 70 per cent of the world's energy requirement as well as 40 per cent of global raw material exports."The West can therefore look upon the Muslim world as a partner for development and prosperity, certainly not as an adversary," said Abdullah.He also suggested that the first step to take in holding such dialogues was for everybody to adopt a paradigm shift in thinking and in the formulation of security policies by nation states.Abdullah listed five fundamental shifts, the first being a "moral order" that must accompany "security order"."It must be a fundamentally ethical order. The rule of law must prevail, protecting every man, woman and child without distinction as to race, religion or wealth. All states, large and small, powerful or weak, shall be entitled to equal security and an equal say in common security," he said.The Prime Minister listed absolute centrality of people welfare as the second fundamental, stating that the welfare of people must lie at the heart of our struggles."Third, there are needs to shift focus from narrow national interest to enlightened national interest," he said, adding that by doing so the states could discover common interest and seek common cause with the others.The fourth fundamental, according to Abdullah, was a shift from a conflict approach towards security to a cooperative approach towards peace."When the states begin to perceive that their security cannot be attained at the expense of each other but with each other, it will then follow that they will pursue peace through cooperative rather than conflict approaches," he said.The fifth fundamental, said Abdullah, would need a shift from narrow pre-occupation with military security to a wider concern for comprehensive security."In essence, security encompasses the security of all the fundamental needs, core values and vital interests of the individual, the society and the state," he said.The Prime Minister also touched on Malaysia's Islam Hadhari (Civilisational Islam) approach, which was consistent with the objective of creating a stable international world order.The approach, he said, was not to pacify the West or to seek approval from the non-Muslims for a more friendly and gentle image of Islam, but an approach to make Muslims understand that progress and development were enjoined by Islam."We do not pretend that Malaysia has all the answers to the many problems of the Muslim world. We are also aware that different countries need different solutions to their problems, but I do believe that Malaysia can be a showcase of what it is to be a successful modern Muslim country," said Abdullah.Also present at the dinner were Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamed Ali.-- BERNAMA

17 December

Had a busy morning, rearranging my room due to the `environmental' impact. Now I have the study table away from the glass window and the wall. At least now I am not feeling the coldness, which previously has been eminently present. More space has also been created in my room.
Today we have another briefing on National Security Policy, as a sequel from the one done yesterday. This time round all of us were given the opportunity to listen to all the three syndicates. It was indeed an intellectual session, especially the one given by the Murukuland syndicate. The exercise was on methodology, but opportunity was given for us to explore on the contents, thus the ever presence of intellectual debate. My only regret is that, we in the First syndicate was not given much opportunity to contribute, as earlier reported. The comdt invited us for question him on the exercise and I took the opportunity to point out my thoughts on the situation between Capatiland and Murukuland. In my mind, I knew that the house will be divided on this issue. True enough, during the tea break, I was approached by some of the participants, some to complement and some to express their disagreement with my opinion. I took it in good spirit, after all that is the beauty of this course.

16 December

This morning we had the briefing on National Policy exercise to the faculty. I was in the syndicate led by a local officer. All along, I knew that I am not going to learn much from this exercise as our participation was minimal. Most of us the allied officers were kept in the dark about the plan and this exercise was actually done by a three or four local officers only. Something fishy must been going on, but we do not complain but only wonder and speculate. Most of the time, the group prefer to converse in urdu. Anyway, we do try and participate in the discussion with the DS. During the briefing today it was apparent during the Q&A, the leader did not have the full grasp of the subject matter. His answers to some questions were not to the mark. Anyway there were some comments for consider before the final briefing to the Comdt tomorrow. We will see how it goes.
Went to Friday prayer at college mosque, after which went to mess for a quick lunch of made up of the normal fare of chapati and "dull".
In the afternoon, managed to do jogging. I felt good today, so I just stretched the distance a bit, putting about an extra 2 kms. The temperature was very pleasant this afternoon. After jogging, did some work out at the gym. After maghrib, went to the bakery with my Omani colleague for some sandwiches and roll.

Von Voyage!

Dear Mama, safe journey and see you in Islamabad. Enjoy the flight and do remember the check list.

15 December

Yesterday evening my Saudi Arabian colleague and I had a wonderful dinner at Kabul restaurant downtown. Of course as the name suggest, it was an Afghan setup with kebabs and nan bread as the mainstay meal. We ordered, mutton kebabs, nan, eggplant, afghan rice and a whole roasted spring chicken, and green tea. The food was not too bad and the meat was very fresh. It was cheap too, as we only fork out Rp 580 (RM 36).
Miss jogging today as I ran out of daylight. The group finished our final rehearsal quite late, for the final day tomorrow. Managed to do a bit of work-up at the gym. Lunch/Dinner for me is Vegetable Briyani. The rice was cooked at noon by one of the kadams. Somehow, it was not to my expectations. It was not as good as I used to have. As such, I plan to have another go and will only write the recipe when the briyani turns out ok. Be patient. Wassalam.

Teori Sayur dan Ayam

Kenapa depa tak suka makan sayur? Di mess pun jarang sekali ada sayur dan kalau dapat jemputan jamuan kat rumah depa sayur memang jarang sekali menjadi hidangan. Yang menjadi kegemaran ialah ayam, ayam, ayam dan kambing. Walhal, sayur kat sini banyak, seperti cabbage, cauliflower, peas, beans dan tomatoes, dan harga amat murah sekali.
Saya ada satu teori. Sayur harga murah dan dikaitkan dengan gulungan orang bawahan dan ayam dan kambing hanya mampu disediakan oleh gulungan elit dan orang atasan. Jadi, mengikut kemampuan sayur hanyalah khas untuk orang bawahan sahaja.

Pure Honey

Pure Honey. At roadside stall on the way to Kashmir.

The sign says, Pure Honey, Rupee 10,000 to those who can prove

that this honey is not pure/original

14 December

Lecture
Today we have a guest lecturer from the French Navy. He talked about the French Forces and roles in the Indian Ocean. I managed to ask him a question, about the French presence in the Straits of Malacca, vis-à-vis its roles in maintaining peace and security. The lecturer firstly admitted that he just visited Langkawi for LIMA 05. Nice place, he commented, with nice golf courses. The lecturer adequately responded to my question by saying that the French respected the genuine willingness of the three littoral states in maintaining peace and security. He added that he was very much aware about the three partite agreement between the states and will respect this organization as exercising the sovereignty of the concerned states. However, France will assist and cooperate if required and offer to share her own experiences.

Fadzlan's Request
Ini cerita Sarjan. Minggu lepas, masa nak goreng keropok, saya panggil Sarjan untuk tunjuk apa dia keropok dan macam mana digoreng. Dia datang dan nampak excited. Minyak dah panas, tapi masih belum cukup panas. Saya kata, kita kena tunggu minyak betul,betul panas. Sarjan, dengan cepat terus masukkan jari telunjuk dia dalam minyak. Tak sempat saya nak tahan dia. Tak silap saya ada terdengar bunyi "cheet" bila jari dia masuk dalam minyak. Dia dengan nada perlahan cakap "oh...hot". Saya bantu untuk sapu mentega kat jari. He moved away smiling while I shake my head in disbelief.

Azan by Yusuf Islam

Name: Azan
Recitor: Yusuf Islam
Type: Azan
Language: Arabic
Format: MP3
Duration: 1.38 Mins
Size: 385Mb
Listen in Realplayer
Listen in Windows Media Player
Download

Earthquake

Jolted out of bed this morning. Look at the clock, it was 0246. Another earthquake!!! It was stronger than those aftershocks we have been having last month. Outside, the temparature is in a single digit. Not fun at all. Went back to bed and sleep it off.
A news clip from yahoo this morning says;
KABUL, Afghanistan - A strong earthquake struck remote northeastern
Afghanistan' and shook neighboring Pakistan, the scene of a devastating quake two months ago. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.7 quake was centered in the remote Hindu Kush region of northeastern Afghanistan. It stru1104ck shortly before 3 a.m. local time in Pakistan, shortly before 2:30 a.m. in Afghanistan.

Fighter

FIGHTER is the name of our chili plant. This bright red chili is fighter's first effort of satisfying our craze for good kick in our sambal belacan. Well done, fighter!! Keep up the good work.

Amos

This is the not so famous "AMOS". He is 4 years old and became the darling of our household after Fadzlan achieved great results in his UPSR.

Celoteh Nasi Briyani

Met my steward friend on the way from work (from my earlier posting). He greeted me and said "I am not happy today, because of what you said the other day". I gave no reply and thought "Hmm.... at least I got him thinking". On the move, saw the school bus arrived, dropping off the kids from school. One little girl, maybe about 8, alighted, drop her school bag and water bottle on the grass and ran off with her friends. Her Kadam nonchalantly picked them and headed for home. "hmm...there goes another generation", I thought. Arrived at the apartment, Sarjen is waiting with a hot steaming plate of briyani rice. I said no as I have just eaten. He look bemused and insisted, as though it was my request. I directed him to put in the fridge. You see, two days ago I asked him to teach me to make briyani. I insisted on watching him preparing the briyani. He agreed and this morning before I departed for work, we agreed that the assignment will be done at 1430 today. So when he presented me with that plate of briyani, either he misunderstood my instructions or he must have thought what the hell this Brigadier Saab need to know how to make briyani. He just asked for it... Wassalam..

Five Useful Tips

Saya petik article ini untuk pedoman diri sendiri.
1. FILL UP ON MORE SENSIBLE FOODS Foods that are high in fiber or water fill you up quickly and help keep you from overindulging on the "bad" stuff. Take an extra scoop of vegetables and fruit when filling your plate, and by the time you finish, you won't have room for the other foods which are higher in calories and more likely to cause you to gain weight.
2. EAT SMALLER PORTIONS No doubt, everything at the table looks good, and it's all you can do to keep from filling your plate 2-3 times so that you can sample everything. An easy way to combat this urge is to simply take a smaller portion than you normally would of those dishes you're most interested in, especially belt-bursting desserts. Split a piece of pie or cake with your spouse, child, or another family member who may be watching his or her waistline.
3. DRINK AROUND, DURING, AND BETWEEN MEALS Drink a fair amount of water or other unsweetened beverage before each meal, as well as during and between them. The liquid in your stomach will help trick your mind into not feeling as hungry, which reduces the tendency to gorge yourself on potentially fattening foods.
4. POSITION YOURSELF AWAY FROM THE SNACKS If you take a seat within an arm's reach of the snack table, you're going to have a tough time keeping yourself from unconsciously grabbing handfuls of party mix, candies, and the like and picking at them all day. By sitting on the other side of the room, getting to the snacks involves a conscious effort into getting up and walking over to get at the snacks.
5. TAKE AN EXERCISE BREAK If the weather permits it, go out and take a quick walk around the house or block. If your celebration is taking place in a colder climate, you'll be more inspired to quicken your pace and burn a few extra calories in the process. If the weather is bad, do 10-20 squats, stretches, or other brief exercise each time you go to the restroom. You only want to do just enough to elevate your heart rate, but not break out into a sweat. Chances are, no one will know what you're doing, and you won't have to feel self-conscious about trying to maintain your figure. Finally, if you still manage to put on a few extra pounds, don't stress over it. If you've been following a sensible diet and exercise plan, the chances are good that any weight you do gain is going to come off shortly after the holidays.

Work Smart

Today, as I walked out of the mess, one of the steward (one with reasonable command of english) that I have befriended asked me “How are you sir?” I said to the negative as I am on my may to the clinic as I am having stomach upset. He continued asking me point blank. “Do you like the people of Capatiland?”. Without hesitation I said “Since you asked directly, I will also answer directly; NO”. He was surprised and after regaining his composure, he continued by saying , “Why? We are hardworking people”. And I said, “Yes, they work hard but not smart”. He is off course a bit confused, but since he has the time I continue with the explanation. So happen there is some work going on at Block F4 and can be observed from the mess. I said “See that work. It is going on almost 2 months. In Blueland, that work will be finished in 10 days. They work hard, but by not working smart, they do the same job two or three time over” “They threw the loose bricks and debris form the top floor to the ground, creating dust and inconvenience and of course that will be another job for them to pick up”. I said “In Blueland, we got rid of the debris through a chute and straight to big container that forms part of a truck. The next time a truck will just come, pick-up the container and cart it away”. “That is to work smart”. I made my points, as he smiled and moved away.

Golf Joke

Four men went golfing one day. Three of them headed to the first tee and the fourth went into the clubhouse to take care of the bill. The three men started talking and bragging about their sons. The first man told the others, "My son is a home builder, and he is so successful that he gave a friend a new home for free. Just gave it to him!" The second man said, "My son was a car salesman, and now he owns a multi-line dealership. He's so successful that he gave one of his friends a new Mercedes, fully loaded." The third man, not wanting to be outdone, bragged, "My son is a stockbroker, and he's doing so well that he gave his friend an entire portfolio." The fourth man joined them on the tee after a few minutes of taking care of business. The first man mentioned, "We were just talking about our sons. How is yours doing?" The fourth man replied, "Well, my son is gay and go-go dances in a gaybar." The other three men grew silent as he continued, "I'm not totally thrilled about the dancing job, but he must be doing well. His last three boyfriends gave him a house, a brand new Mercedes, and a stock portfolio."

Sandwich

Another picture that I like very much. Again I shot it at Skardu, from the lawn of Shangri-la hotel. The picturesque mountain in the background was really captivating. It began to snow that morning.
This evening was a real waste of time. We are suppose to meet at 1800 to discuss on our presentation. However, the guys start to trickle in one by one and by almost 45 mins we have only 3 guys. I decided to leave. Borrowed the Mehran and drove to town for some bite. Drop by at one of the bakery at Jinnah Super and grab a sandwich and a loaf of bread. Back to the room, had the sandiwch with the iceberg lettuce that I have been saving. Hmmm.. it was really nice. Been a long time since I have a decent sandwich. The roti will go well for my breakfast tomorrow. I plan to have it spread with some honey.

Dear Wife

A'kum. Jamil (the travel agent) came round just now and we discussed about our tentative program when you arrive here. We plan for Tuesday 20 Dec 05 to go Peshawar abd Khyber Pass (I have applied for my leave). That will take us the whole day. The next day, he will take you to Texilla museum and Arts centre. Lastly, on Saturday, 24 Dec will be our trip to Muree (hill resort - hopefully it snows). The rest of the days, will be on our own. We will depart in a group to Karachi on 25 Dec 05. Love.

Celoteh Capati

Hi, ini celoteh saya yang pertama. Di Capatiland, dealing dengan orang dia memang sakit kepala. Tak tahu samada nak ketawa atau nak menanggis. Actually, mereka the common folks memang have low I.Q. Itu pun orang mereka sendiri yang mengaku. Experience saya setelah 5 bulan kat sini memang penuh dengan cerita, kalu nak tulis satu hari suntuk pun tak habis. Yang paling ketara ialah pasal attitude, work culture dan work ethics. Kat sini sebagaimana kita faham, semua giling kepala. Kalu `ya' giling, kalau `tidak' giling dan faham tak faham pun dia giling kepala. Kat sini dengan common folks, kena tanya soalan yang betul, sebab macam mana pun mereka akan jawab. Tahu tak tahu, faham tak faham dia akan jawab `ya'. Lagi satu, sebab sini ramai penduduk, kerja yang boleh dilaksanakan saorang, dua atau tiga akan membantu. Contoh, kalau nak menggelap cermin, kena ada tiga orang. Sebab satu tukan menggelap yang dua lagi memegang tangga. Hari itu saya ada perhati mereka membancuh semen dengan memakai spade. Saorang memegang batang spade yang diikat dengan tali dimana saorang lagi kawannya akan menarik tali tersenut, kononnya untuk mengurangkan beban.
Sekian...akan disambung

Trip to Skardu

Hi, the picture was taken through the glass window of the restaurant at Shangri-la Hotel, Skardu. I love this picture so much, I just like to share it. It shows the mountain landscape in the background and the reflection of the structure on the water resembles it as hanging on a cliff. There a lot of nice pictures that I have taken when we went to Northern Area for our group visit. I will share them in time to come. I personally enjoyed the trip, at it gave me a chance to sample the freshness of the mountain air and the unspoiled beauty of the place. The folks are friendly but very reserved though. One thing that I am glad to see, is the awareness for the need of education, which is something worth appreciating in this part of the world.

A Day at College

Hi, it was a slow moving day. I was up early and after performing my subuh obligation, I did some work on the computer. Kadam Erfan cam in on the dot at 0730 to do my bed and later I shared breakfast with him (for the first time). We had some roti kapit with cheese (it was a first for him). Can see the glow on his face while chewing the roti. Feeling generous, I pass him 50 rupee. That certainly made his day. Later, A/Cdre Sadiq's kadam came to download my work for Sadiq. Have a casual check with Ma to spice up my day. Went to ND Hall to be with the hoons and later went round with Zul to F-8 to have a look at our future accomdation. By then, I felt the urge to do some physical, so got into my gear and hop to the gym. It as a bit chilly, so I skip jogging and went straight to the gym. Did my work out for 45 mins and quite happy to discove that I am about a kilo and a half off my target. Back to the appartment, fried some keropok and semosa and wash-up before heading to ND Hall for Syndicate discussion. Casual phone conversation with Ma as the cool crsipy evening breeze caught my attention. In the hall till about 2200 and here I am back in the apartment, writing this. Expect to hit the sack in an hour. Goodnight.p/s By the way, my tummy seems to be ok now, after the ubat akar kayu prescribed by my Paki friend

Humour in Uniform

MILITARY TIME

On some air bases the Air Force is on one side of the field and civilian aircraft use the other side of the field, with the control tower in the middle. One day the tower received a call from an aircraft asking, "What time is it?" The tower responded, "Who is calling?" The aircraft replied, "What difference does it make?" The tower replied, "It makes a lot of difference. If it is an American Airlines Flight, it is 3 o'clock. If it is an Air Force, it is 1500 hours. If it is a Navy aircraft, it is 6 bells. If it is an Army aircraft, the big hand is on the 12 and the little hand is on the 3."

MILITARY TALK

One reason the Services have trouble operating jointly is that they don't speak the same language. For example, if you told Navy personnel to "secure a building," they would turn off the lights and lock the doors. Army personnel would occupy the building so no one could enter. Marines would assault the building, capture it, and defend it with suppressive fire and close combat. The Air Force, on the other hand, would take out a three-year lease with an option to buy.