Apple Pie

This one is simple, I've learned when I was 17 years old with my neighbor, we did it together and it was very easy.

Sauce:

• 6 green apples
• corn flour 3 table spoons
• sugar 4 table spoons

Pastry:

• sifted flour 300g
• buttercup 150g
• some ice cubes

The pastry is similar as in pumpkin pie. For the sauce, you can also add other additional ingredients like cinnamon ground etc or just pure apple taste. I usually got difficulty in handling the pastry, it's much easier when it's cold. Some people like to eat it hot and some people like it cold, you can also try eat it with vanilla ice cream, fresh savoring...

Pumpkin Pie

Because my holiday is going to end, I will not hesitate to put some of my favorite recipes that I've tried throughout my 1 month holiday after finished medical school. Mostly it involved baking coz I like to bake!

This recipe of Pumpkin Pie was actually given by my mother's friend who learned it while she was studying in US. So here are the things u need to have:

Pastry:

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 butter cup (250g)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon cold water/ice cubes

Mix all the ingredients and then put in refrigerator for awhile

Pie:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground gloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups of milk (fresh and evaporate)
• 2 cups of pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup of melted butter

Steam the whole pumpkin (unpeeled) first and then take out the puree
Mix well all the ingredients and then put inside the pastry, no need topping.

Pumpkin pie may be not as famous as apple pie and not sound as delicious too but trust me, the taste is YUMMIE :)

My Family Trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand

This post is originally created by my youngest 12-years old brother, but of course after I corrected the grammars and sentences. Clearly, he only could only recall few names of many places we've been to. Kids...so I 've decided to add some extra information. In conclusion, Chiang Mai is not a bad place for family holiday :)

Before my school holiday began, my mother was planning to have a family trip to Chiang Mai, Thailad. Few days before departing, we had already packed our clothes, 3 big trolley bags. There were 7 of us and we went to the airport LCCT to take our flight to Chiang Mai by Air Asia.

On our arrival at Chiang Mai International airport, we met our tour guide, Abang Shukri. He is a Muslim, came from Narathiwat and already lived in Chiang Mai for 4 years. He can speak in Thai language very well.

We then brought to have a look around the city by a van and then went to our hotel, which is located at he famous Night Bazaar. After performed our solah, we went to have a short tour around the city by van and Royal Flora Park.

Chiang Mai is located at the north of Thailand and has 3 main seasons: hot, rainy and winter (but no snow). It was rainy when we were there. The people are so nice and the toilets are clean too. Most of the citizens are Buddhist but it was not difficult for us to search for Halal food coz there were also many Chinese Muslims from Yunan. We had tomyam in every meal with delicious dishes, yummy...

Shopping in Chiang Mai was fun. There are many cheap things but also expensive ones. You need to bargain before buying in the market place. My mother bought 2 LeSportSac bags with less than RM100 only.

There were many interesting and exciting places we visited throughout our 5 days stay in Chiang Mai. We also went outside the city to Chiang Rai and Maesai. I felt so happy to spend my school holiday in Chiang Mai with my family :)

At Golden Triangle, here we can see three countries at a time: Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
Amir at Mae Kajam Hot Spring

Aziz was struggling nausea and vomiting after several hours in the van went up the hill
Going up the hill with truks, cool, like in the 'twilight'...

In front of Wat Rong Khun Temple, very modern, got Star Wars picture inside it, hehe
Omar and aziz posing in front of the umbrella centre
At Doi Tung Palace Hill, sweedish like garden
The 'soldiers' troup of the trip

The Family picture: Ayah, mak, amir, omar, pii, aziz and me.

SYRIA - JOURNEY TO THE PAST (PART 8)

15/05/09 (Saturday)

Today is our last day in Syria. As for that, we pay our last visit to the Jami’ Umayyad and nearby places like the Mausoleum of Saladin. We waited for the mosque’s gate to open as we would like to avoid traffic with the Arabs especially at the Mausoleum of Prophet Yahya and Hussein. Alhamdulillah we got chance to have our last look at the place undisturbed; don’t know when we will ever get the chance to come here again.

As for me, this trip is considered as a lifetime experience. I’ve learned to more appreciate and like history and more or less got to know the nice Syrian people. Thanks to the Malaysian students who spared their time and accompanied us for the trip to Aleppo and Bosra. May Allah bless you in the alreade barakah place of Syria; the place of history, glory and ruins…a journey to the past not to be missed.

SYRIA - JOURNEY TO THE PAST (PART 7)

14/05/09 (Friday)

Today we were not just sitting back or relax in the hotel after yesterday whole day journey. Yet we continued our quest to the south of Damascus to Bosra, which is located at the north of the current Syria-Jordan border. This time we were riding a smaller van, with a well known driver among the Malaysian students there: Yassin.

In Syria, the Malaysian students called the male students as Syabab while the female students as akhawaat. The – are encouraged to wear hijab covering their face except their eyes as to avoid seduce and sexual harassment by the unethical outsiders.

The journey to Bosra only took about one and a half hour. We first took a walk around the citadel, which was still remained the old buildings (though remnants left) like houses, mosques and hammam manjak.

This place was initially built by Rome, which influenced its architectural buildings, like the underground bazaar, Arch of Victory and al-Kalybe (the bed of the King’s bed).

There is also famous Church of Bahira, the monk who met with the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when he was a kid, on his journey to Bosrah. Bahira gave him the glad tidings of his prophet hood and embraced Islam since then.

After Islamic ruling to the city, there are many mosques with names of related to the Prohet Muhammad (pbuh) like Umar al-Khattab (the oldest mosque in Syria and the fourth oldest mosque in the world) and Saidatina Fatimah. Masjid al-Mabrak is claimed to be the place of the Prophet’s camel kneeled down during his visit to Bosra.

The amazing thing I found here was that I could see people still leaving in the area with the past, happily and comfortably. The kids are playing at the historical remnants of buildings and rocks while most other kids nowadays are playing with computer games and play station. Two separate different world I suppose…

There is also a theatre in Bosra, whisch is much bigger than in Aleppo. It was buil in the 2^nd century A.D. and is considered as the only complete theatre in the world that still preserves all its sections and structural elements from the Roman era. It can accommodate more than 10,000 people and split into 3 levels separated by walkways consisting of 37 steps. It was soo curam that I felt so gayat while being on the topmost stairs. I was not dare to walk down the stairs to the main stage.

After had an adventurous day in Bosra, we went to Daraa, the place of Maqam of Prophet Ayub and his son. We then stopped by at Maqam Imam Nawawi at Nawaa. MashaAllah, a large tree grew on its own above his grave and he is well known as Prophet Muhammad Hadith compilers but died at early age of 40s and not married. It is said that his work of writings are more than the number of his age when he died. Subhanallah, may Allah bless his soul.

Today lunch was a fiest. We were warmly welcomed by the van driver to his home at Nawaa. We were served with trays of mountainous rice and lambs. A lamb was orderd to be qurban for our lunch on that day. There were about three people for each tray and I can say that as we ate, the dish seemed not changing, still many. Very very full…

Source:

• Bosra History and Ruins by Suloeiman al Shahma

SYRIA - JOURNEY TO THE PAST (PART 6)

13/05/09 (Thursday)

We continued our trip today with quite a hectic day. In the early morning, we started our journey to the north of Damascus to Aleppo by a coach with some other of my mother’s friends and the Malaysian students studying there. This trip was lead by Dr. Kamaruzzaman, UKM lecturer who had been in Syria few years back during his sabbatical leave. Thanks to him that we had a very good explanation throughout the trip.

Aleppo is also known as ‘halab’ in Arabic, which means milk. I took 4 hours drive to the place and we were glad to have a comfortable drive and good drivers too. I think the only place that you can see an English man/woman to speak in Arabic very well is in Syria coz their faces are very look alike with the Americans or British, also called as ‘mat saleh’ by the Malays.
We had an Arabic breakfast that day, which was not bad and very healthy (with many salads). There were still many beautiful big roses could be seen in the yard even the summer has began.

We stopped by at the Holy Mashhad. It is the place of the stone where Imam Hussein’s (the Prophet’s grandson’s) head being temporarily placed following his martyrdom in Karbala (61 Hijr) before it was buried in Jami’ Umayyad at Damascus. It was considered as a sacred place especially by the Shiites. I could see the male were crying sadly while praying and looking at the designated place.

Then we went to the famous citadel of Aleppo (12-16 Masehi). We could see building remnants and rocks inside the citadel, hammam (place of bath, with series of steam rooms of increasing temperature), underground prison (creepy) and the theatre. There is also the tomb of Prophet Khaidir inside the citadel.

For lunch, we had special serving at nearby restaurant, which I considered as the smallest serving I ever had during my stay in Syria, a small bowl of rice and two chicken drumsticks. Tasty, nyum nyum…While in hot summer, it is thirst quenching to have some drink of tamar hindi, a traditional juice taste like tamarind juice, not so sweet nor sour, just nice.
Besides the historical building, Aleppo is famous for its souq (bazaar) as the clothes and hand crafts are cheaper because it is the place where the products come from. We bought many cheap jubah there, with the help of Fathiyah (Malaysian student studying there), who was very good in bargaining. She also taught us one trick in buying…The Syrian is considered as among the most polite Arabs and they won’t be angry if you come and only have a look at their sell products. Before you agree with their price, get away first as if you don’t want to buy coz later they usually will call you back and give cheaper price. If you are good, you can even get half of the original price…easy? Practice makes perfect…

There is also a Jami’ Umayyad here in Aleppo, similar name as in Damascus. But in this mosque, there is Mausoleum of Prophet Zakaria a.s. The doors are not only located besides the road at the entrance but also located between the shops in the souq. This shows the importance of accessibility of praying place even among the busy life of trading in the souq, so that everyone can perform their obligatory prayers.
During our journey back to Damascus, we also stopped by at Hama and Homs. Hama is famous for its oldest watermills. The ancient watermills also known as norias and produce weird noise. But behind the calmness of the river, there’s a black history of blood-shed occurred here during The Hama massacre (Arabic: مجزرة حماة‎) on February 2, 1982. The Syrian army bombarded the town of Hama in order to stop a revolt by the Muslim Brotherhood. An estimated 7,000 to 40,000 people were killed, including about 1,000 soldiers.

A Homs, we went to pray at Jami’ Khaled bin al-Waled; the place of Khaled al Waled’s tomb rest. He is well known as the only Islamic warrior who never failed in any battles that he participated. But he was very disappointed coz he won’t be able to die as a martyr in battle but on his bed. As a Muslim, we know that we can thrive in our doing but in the end, the final words will be in the hands of Allah s.w.t. the All-Knowing.
One hour before midnight, we save arrived in our cozy hotel, very tired but contented…

Source:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hama_massacre