Trip to Quran factory...

On the 16th of March, I joined other Petronita members in a trip to the Quran factory somewhere in Khartoum. When we arrived there was a bit of a confusion because the Sudanese guide kept asking about Mdm Siti, so I sort of very happily pointed out Kak Siti to him. Unfortunately, he actually wanted to speak to Ustazah Siti because obviously she could communicate in Arabic while we just 'open our mouths wide' aka terlopong...hehehe

While waiting for Ustazah Siti...

Sakinah...hehehe

When Ustazah Siti arrived, we were promptly whisked away to the first section of the printing factory. We were told that it was the second biggest Quran factory in the world after the one in Madinah (I was a bit skeptical because it looked quite small to me...wallahualam). If I'm not mistaken they produced about 8000 Quran a day. The first section was the designing area where they made the layout and the films for the printing section. We didn't miss the opportunity to have a photo op...hehehe

The whole group...

The Ustaz aka guide...

Ustazah Siti explaining that it was written by hand...

The particular design for Sudan...

The lay out...

After that, we went down to see the printing area. There were several machines in operation. It acutely reminded me of MPM actually...hehehe. I could understand the explanation because I've been to a similar printing facilities before... So, sometimes, I acted as the guide also...hehehe. Anyway, we went round the various stages of printing.

How they're made into films for printing...

This is like the newspaper kind of printing...

This is the photocopy kind of printing...

Those with mistakes are burned...

After that we were shown the binding section where the various parts were put together. I could see the spine mark on each part as another form of precaution. They used thread to put them together. The factory also produced or printed Quran for the Kuwaitis. It was beautiful and used better paper (very smooth and shiny).

Can slightly see the spinemark...

Good thread...

Stapling machine...

Kak Nor - The professional photographer for the day...hehehe

After that we were shown the showroom, well sort of...because they did not have a proper showroom or a shop where we could get the quran... a pity that. I did order, just for the sake of ordering as a momento actually of my visit there.

I was glad that I came because now I know that in producing the Quran, very stringent measures were taken to make sure that there's no printing mistakes. At the design stage, the first copy was written by an imam in Syria. Then it would be proof-read by tahfiz before it was scanned into the computer. Here there would be another proof reading.

During printing and after printing, there's other proof reading sessions by tahfiz. I was happy to see the careful steps in place because it's the Quran we're talking about here. And because of that, I'm confident with the end result. Now I wish I could go and see the Quran factory in Madinah, insyaallah.

Sand storm is not a deterrent...

View from the ground...

On the 18th of March, we woke up to the sound of the wind and when I looked outside, my suspicion was confirmed. We were in the middle of a sandstorm. It was quite a bad one because it continued for the whole day. Outgoing and incoming flights had to be cancelled because it was dangerous to land in such conditions. We had a very quiet day because there was the lack of noise from aeroplanes going in and out of Khartoum (the complex is actually in the direct path to and from the airport...hehehe).

In the complex...

But for Nani and me, the sandstorm was not a strong enough deterrent for us to keep us away from shopping...hehehe. We planned to go out to Souk Sya'bi and that was what we did. We went with Kak Adik, Kak Mek Na and Kak Ida. We had a spesific material in mind actually but we did stop at every stall selling curtain/cushion material. Nearly every shop in fact that I was quite exasperated...Adehhhh

No wonder I left shopping for these things at the last minute. I salute Nani and the gang who had the stamina to look for the materials that was 'just right'. Me? I would just grab anything that I fancy and I'll find the right concept when I got back...muahahaha!

I love 'red'...hehehe

I'll make this into a throw or whatever...

Souks in Sudan are normally made up of a big square and inside them you could find hundreds of little shops selling a variety of goods. From toys, curtains, cushions, materials, clothes etc. You just need to know where and have a good sense of direction. Me? Hehehe, not a chance! Put me anywhere and I'll get lost without fail...hehehe. I need a 'shop directory' to help me get around...muahahaha.

Buying in souks is definitely cheaper than buying in a shop, but be aware, you have to be good at bargaining. Another thing that I'm not good at. I'm hopeless because I always felt that the price quoted was low enough already...hehehe. And I 'pity' the seller quite easily...very, very bad in bargaining. So I left all the bargaining to Nani...hehehe

In one of the shops, while waiting for the others to bargain and choose their materials, I was busy snapping pictures (with their permission of course!). I even took several of the seller and he was 'bought' just like that. He was known for being very strict with his prices but because of the pictures, he 'melted'. Kak Mek Na who had been eyeing one beautiful material for about a year finally got to buy it at her demanded price, all because of the beautiful pictures...hehehe.

One of the shops...

Nani and the seller...

Kak Ida and Kak Mek Na resting...

Finally happy to buy her 'dream' material...

Kak Adik and the seller...hehehe

Walking back towards the van...

Nani resting...

Bales and bales of materials...

Velvety type of cloth...

Ni baru kata 'tersandar'...muahahaha

Visibility was very bad...

At the end of the day, we came out of the souk, very satisfied with our purchases. The visibility was still quite poor but surprisingly, it was very 'clear' inside the souk itself...hehehe. Or was it the madness of the shopoholic that gave our eyes extra strength?!! Whatever it is, I'll bring the memory of the day back with me to Malaysia and it was sweet indeed, especially when you're having fun with friends...

Boys and their toys...

We're going back on the 9th of next month, which is less than three weeks away. So, we asked Subalipack to start giving us several boxes, just to kickstart the packing. The first thing that I packed was the books on the shelves. I cleared the bookshelves and filled up 4 boxes. The packing was done after the kids went to sleep, so they were surprised the next day because they found the bookshelves empty.

Some of the boxes...

The books...

When the boys got back from school, Hadi asked me whether I've packed his toys or not. Of course, I said no, because you'll still have time to play with them. He got very upset and while I was busy preparing their lunch, I heard a loud sound. When I checked, I saw the boys 'pouring' their toys inside 2 boxes (literally, ok?!!). They worked together and carried all their toys in their respective containers and poured them into those 2 boxes.

It was hilarious! They were afraid that I might leave their toys in Sudan...hehehe. They were only satisfied when they've filled up the boxes. Now, they still play with their toys but they would put them back in the boxes at night...hehehe. Just look at the pictures.

They were working together...

Amir...

Their toys' containers...

One of the boxes...

The other one...hehehe

Cushion oh cushion...

Since I'm going back to Malaysia soon, I've been very busy...busy shopping...hehehe. Well, at first I was not very interested to buy cushions but after looking at Nani's, I was tempted. So, I followed Kak Maria and Nani to order the cushions at one of the souks. The cushions was so fluffy and they were stuffed with cotton. I went berserk and bought not a dozen but nearly 3 dozens in a variety of sizes...muahahaha

It didn't take long because a day later, the man called for us to take the finished products. Unfortunately, I was supposed to be in Amir's school at the time, so Nani was kind enough to get the cushions for me. When she arrived at the complex, she gave me a call. When I went downstairs, I froze when I looked at the van.

The van...

Full...

The bearer of cushions?!! hehehe

The van was full of cushions, most of them was mine actually...hehehe. Nani looked so tired...hehehe. But I couldn't help laughing because it was really funny. Actually it was not just one van, another load was with Kak Maria's pajero...hehehe

Fortunately, there was a general worker to help us carry all those cushions upstairs. Just enjoy the pictures and feel free to laugh at us...muahahaha

The van driver...

Nani trying to hold some of the cushions...

Me and some of my cushions...hehehe

Variety of sizes...

In my house...they occupied half of Hadi's bed...hehehe

Lawak of the day...

Today, when the boys came back from school, they were hungry. While eating, Hadi asked for a pet (a gold fish) for the umpteenth time. So I told him that he could get a pet if he would do his work neatly and promptly every time. If he doesn't, I'll cook his pet! Muahahaha! That made them looked at me quietly and unblinkingly...hehehe... Gotcha!

Hadi's 6th Birthday!

My boys...

Today's Hadi's 6th Birthday. Yeay! My boy's already 6 years old...Hmm how time flies...sigh

Last night, Hadi was wide awake when my husband got home. Early in the evening, he performed in his school concert so he was still not sleepy. My husband wished him Happy Birthday and suddenly I remembered! Hadi told me, Mak, you forgot my birthday! Oopss! Hehehe, then both of us sang Happy birthday in the middle of the night. The other two were fast asleep. After that he started asking about his cake?!! Aiksss! Hehehe

Today, I was involved in a treasure hunt and when I got back, Hadi was waiting. He was waiting for his cake! So, though I was tired and not feeling well, I baked a chocolate cake. I was happy because he seemed happy with his birthday cake...hehehe. Well, it was not that difficult to satisfy him, just add a little sprinkle of dinosaurs...hehehe

Well, it's not easy living with Hadi. He's stubborn and very set in his ways. He watched too much TV and made a lot of mess when playing but I still consider him a gem. Out of the blue he would come up with gems...hehehe. And he's very attached to me, to my husband's annoyance...hehehe. Whatever it is, he is my son and I love him dearly and unconditionally...Happy Birthday, Sayang!

Below are some pictures of Hadi, but the best one in my heart would still be the one of him at the beach in Trengganu. He doesn't like to be photographed, unlike his siblings. So, there's not many pictures to choose from. Enjoy!

He was happy...

Handsome boy!

He doesn't like to be photographed.

Cheeky...

With his friends...

What's going on?

Well, there's so many things on my plate right now, I'm unsure what to tackle first...sigh. I've kind of abandoning this blog for a few days because there's so many issues to be tackled. The biggest news would probably be our decision to go back to Malaysia earlier than planned. We've planned to go back at the end of the year but with the new OARP package, it's not viable to stay in Sudan.

We're still in the planning stage but most probably, the kids and me will be going back sometime in April...which is a month away...Erksssss. I have to start packing our stuff and hopefully it'll be done in time.

I've just started learning arabic actually starting in February and strangely enough, I kind of like it...hehehe. But, I might not be able to continue with the classes as I'll be really busy in the next few weeks.

I'm involved in the planning and execution of the Family Day 2010 which will be on the 12th of March. Preparations and practices for cultural shows's going as planned. Alhamdulillah. But, sadly this time round I lack the excitement in the involvement of the event...sigh

I'm also in the middle of organising the Badminton Tournament for Petronita members. The ladies doubles were a success but the mix doubles (with husbands) are postponed for this weekend.

I'll also in the process of organising an indoor games for madames and also for kids this weekend. I'm truly busy and just about to collapse of tiredness...sigh

Actually I have so many things to write about, but little time to spare... So, bear with me and I'll keep on updating you with current news...au revoir friends...