2014 / 1435H Waktu Solat & Imsak - Kuala Lumpur (KL) & Putrajaya

Salam Ramadhan Al Mubarak 1435H.

Sharing July and August timetable for solat & imsak, take note that this is for Wilayah Persekutuan & Putrajaya only.

For whole 2014 / 1435H solat timetable, please click on this link HERE to download.

For travelers out there, please click Islamic Finder World Prayer Times or IslamiCity World Wide Prayer Times. Feel free to share if you have any link other than this that can be useful.

** Sumber Almanak Falak Syarie JAKIM 

* Dikeluarkan Oleh : Pejabat Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan 

* www.muftiwp.gov.my

Bangui Wind Farm of Ilocos Norte, Philippines

Wanna hear a stupid story?
As usual lah kan, every trip of mine bound to be one silly incident that we will talk over and over again. Kalau tak da, tak sah dalam trip I. Hahhahhahaha...

We took a bus from Batac City to Bangui enroute to Pagudpud. As usual, the plan was simple, stop in Bangui to check-out the wind farm at sunset. But hey, what fun is it if nothing interesting happen on the way there, and by interesting I meant those 'weird-funny-silly-stupid-scary-dangerous-almost died' experience.

So, this is how the story goes...

We took a bus, an old squeezy bus playing great 80s numbers, (the bus driver really know how to make a journey fun and entertaining) driving at moderate speed, stopping at small barangay (maknanya kampung ler tuh) to pick-up passengers.

Everything went well until.... jeng jeng jeng.

At one of the stop, one woman screamed in tagalog which made those sitting behind screamed in unison and rush out of the bus. Obviously Anna and I don't understand a word and all we did was just plainly staring at them, then we heard Edgar said 'Quick, get down! The bus is on fire!'. Giler apa, 'ON FIRE'!?!?!??!! Apa lagi, tak cukup tanah we all lari keluar, nak terjun kot tingkap tak celuih, yea lah, badan kan sihat-sihat dan embam-embam (drama giler dak idup I?)

As we got down, we saw the petrol was leaking but no fire lah. Panic sampai semput kot tadi, ngucap tak sudah-sudah. Nevertheless, we can't take the same bus anymore, half an hour later another bus passed by and almost all boarded the bus except us. We all look at Edgar who was talking to a few locals not far from where we were standing (dah macam kerang busuk dok tersengih-sengih), wondering what is the plan now. Then we saw him waving and calling us, asking us to come over. Hemmm.... apakah?

He said, this 'uncle' agreed to send us four to the nearest town to catch a bus, plus a quick stop at Bangui Wind Farm. We all ok kan je lah...

So yah! This was our mode of transportation for the next one hour or so, korang mampu? Hahhahhaha... Berkat kegigihan serta ketawakalan yang tinggi lagi jitu, we arrived safely at the Bangui Wind Farm. Alhamdulillah.

You probably wondered how does it feel riding a motorbike with a sidecar (ah... ituler nama dia, sidecar [google dalam setangah jam jugak lah nak cari nama dia keh keh keh]). One word to describe = VIBRATION/GEGARAN. I honestly and seriously believe that if we were to do a 2-3 hours trip on this motorbike-sidecar thingy, I can easily loose 1-2kg, like seriously. Think about it.

Oh yah! The first glimpse of the windmill, we all went 'Ahhh.... ohhhhh.... Look! Look! Sunset!!! Ahhhh.... ohhhh....'. At one point, I almost feel like the Optimus Prime gonna jump down and take the blade to fight some sea monster or something. #wildimagination #over

Nothing much happened after that, we ran everywhere and at every direction to take some perasan-lovely shots. Memang agak jakun lah jugak, besar kot kan. Sekarang tengah cuaca El Nino nih, I patut angkut a few balik pasang kat KL kan!?! Hahhahhah... ada setuju?

I asked the driver to leave them there. Hahhahahah... zalim dak?

At about sunset, he broke the news to us. His motorbike doesn't have a tail light, so we need to go now as the road is dark and he might get a summon for this. Dah pulak...



Philippines entry :
Vigan Heritage City, Philippines
Vigan at night | Philippines (#UNESCO)
Interesting things in #Philippines 
#TravelTips | Vigan Walking Tour (map) & Metro Vigan Inn, Philippines
Ferdinand Marcos Museum and Mausoleum & Imelda Marcos

Kinta Tin Mining (Gravel Pump) Museum, Perak

It is no surprise that when one is in Perak, one have to expect alot of tin related activities or attractions; after all, Perak is well known as the tin mining state of Malaysia. Browsing through the itinerary, I saw a tin mining museum visit, 'hem... what else is new' so I said to myself. As we reached the outer compound, I soon realised that this is unlike any other tin mining museums I have been. I saw several gravel pumps and methods showcased all over the compound with clear information, well this is indeed new to me.

Kinta Tin Mining Museum entrance.

Tin mining old methods : tin ore is cleaned up from the palong.

Other entries on Perak :

FREE Things To Do In Ipoh, Perak

Gopeng Murals

Gopeng Heritage House & Gopeng Museum - by the locals for the locals

The last Judge Dredge in Perak

Gravel water pump.

Prospecting (manual operated).

Officially opened on October 2012, this Kinta Tin Mining Museum is dedicated purely to the gravel pump method, a RM2mil. project was the brainchild of none other than Tan Sri Hew See Tong, a former tin miner himself. Tan Sri Hew See Tong has successfully gave Kampar a new life by leveraging his ex-mining land to build an establishment consisting of housing development, commercial and industrial space, education centre while preserving Kampar's heritage sites.

Chinese tin miners.

Tin dredges harvest tin ore that made Ipoh, biggest towns in Tanah Melayu.

Rich tin deposit was discovered by 'Larut', the elephant. This story dated long time ago during the height of Long Ja'afar administrative power. Long Ja'afar has an elephant named 'Larut' that wandered in the jungle for days, being worried, he sent his men to look for his beloved elephant and later found it, all covered with mud and tin ore. Thus the name Larut for was inspired, from an elephant.

Mining equipments.

By the end of 1800, Tanah Melayu tin exports supplied just over half the world output.

Tin mining history.

Kinta Tin Mining (Gravel Pump) Museum
Lot 126026, Jalan Batu Karang
Taman Bandar Baru
Kampar, Perak

Tel: +605-4662632
Fax: +605-4664885

Opening hours
Monday – Friday : 9:00am – 1:00pm
Saturday, Sunday & Public holidays : 9am – 4pm
Admission : Free

A #VMY2014 #Perak Media Fam Trip in collaboration with #GayaTravel

Ferdinand Marcos Museum and Mausoleum & Imelda Marcos

I got a taste of the Philippines 80s when I visited the famous late Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos hometown; Batac, Ilocos Norte. 


Ferdinand Marcos

The landmarks of Ilocos Norte, Marcos Museum and Mausoleum is an attraction that I did not expect, not just seeing the glass-encased coffin of an embalmed body of the late president Marcos but the history behind the big man himself. 'HIS'tory that surprised me. Knowing his name when I was a kid, his dictatorship, his infamous wife's shoe collection kind of sum him and his nation up to a teenager who don't have any access to internet back then. And that picture of him left untouch, until May 2014, when I visited his country, his birth place, his museum. Now, all have changed.

Strangely, Marcos whom studied law at the University of the Philippines, president of the Liberal Party, led anti-Japanese guerrilla activity during World War II, won the Philippines presidency in 1965 was not the person that awed me when I was there, nevertheless, I now know him better now and have a little more respect of this man than before. What caught my attention was Imelda Marcos, yes; his wife.

Imelda Marcos

Imelda Marcos, infamous because of her shoes collection that reached more than 1000 pairs, expensive high-end fashion and jewelry, and corruption cases among others. But what many of us did not know is that at the age of 18, Imelda was dubbed as 'The Rose of Tacloban, Leyte'; her home town, not only that, she was also the 'Muse of Manila' in 1953. A pure Malayan* beauty, she was endowed with a mezzo-soprano voice.

*(For those wondering about the Malayan are those from Malay Archipelago, main refers to archipelago between mainland Southeast Asia and Australia. This name was taken from the nineteenth century concept of a Malay race and this includes Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and East Timor. Source Wikipedia).

The other interesting story about Imelda is her 11-Day Romance with Ferdinand Marcos.

Do you know that she is the one person that popularized the Philippines "terno"  in the fashion industry. 'Terno' is basically the butterfly sleeves that became synonym with her worldwide, wearing terno at many formal events and jazzing it up with modern style. Imelda Marcos also put Manila in the world map by securing Miss Universe 1974 pageant, showcasing the history of the Philippines in Kasaysayan ng Lahi; an extravagant festival parade aside from being active in political activities.

"I was born ostentatious. They will list my name in the dictionary someday. They will use 'Imeldific' to mean ostentatious extravagance." Said Imelda Marcos. And now, "Imeldific" or having the "Imelda Marcos Syndrome" refers to people who is extravagant and are not afraid to flaunt it.

In awe, indeed.

#TravelTips | Hostels in Jiufen and Taipei, #Taiwan

Hey you!
Curious on Taiwan?
*Wink*

I thought I should start with #traveltips entry of hostel in Jiufen and Taipei, catering for those traveling to Taiwan in near future. While searching for hostels or guesthouses in Taipei and Jiufen, I soon realise :

• The hostels and guesthouses in popular locations are expensive (Expensive > RM100 > Average > RM50 > Cheap)
• There are not many hostels and guesthouses in popular locations
• There's only one cheap hostel in Jiufen (and it is always full during peak season)

For this reasons, I thought I should share where I stayed as I personally feel that the 'price vs. location vs. facilities vs. convenient' is just perfect. Well, for me at least. Taking into consideration that I booked these places less than a week before my travel date, I am one hell of a lucky girl!

So, let's start with Jiu Fen!

1. Jiufen

On My Way Jiufen Youth Hostel

I have researched places to visit in Taipei for the past 2 years and there are 2 mountains in my wish list since forever, one being Yangmingshan and the other, Jiufen. As you can see from above picture, Jiufen view is simply breathtaking with few nature trails for you to venture, beautiful waterfall sites and quaint villages, aside from its famous old street.

Despite all this great offerings, it is short of cheap hostels or guesthouses for budget travelers. I found one with fantastic combination of price/location/facilities/convenient - On My Way Jiufen Youth Hostel.

Look can be very deceiving; the inside is very decent and clean. No worries *smile*.

Common room or TV room.

Common kitchen with fridge, microwave, oven, water dispenser and kitchen utensils. No cooking stove though.

Girls only dorm, they have aircon and fan. I switched on both upon arrival (panassss).

10 mins walking distance to this pavilion.

Beautiful Jiufen night scene.

On My Way Jiufen Youth Hostel
No.23, Wushi Ln., Ruifang Dist., 224 Chiufen (Jiufen)

Facilities
WiFi is available in all areas and is free of charge. 
Public PC
Tour Desk, Baggage Storage, Lockers, Shared Lounge/TV Area
Non-smoking Rooms, All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private), Air Conditioning 

Others
Check-in : 16:00
Check-out : 11:00

2.Taipei

Taipei Walker Hostel (2 stations away from Shilin Night Market) 

I was torn between staying near Ximending and Taipei 101, after loadsa googling and researching I then decide to stay near Shilin Night Market, and it's cheaper too! This is the place where shopping and street food are the best combo for travelers (a bit tough for Muslim though, the food part).

Living room cum game room.

Common area and entrance.

Washing machine and dryer.

They have 2 kitchen, both provide microwave, fridge, water dispenser and kitchen utensils.

Public PC.

Mix dorm with both aircon and fan.

Wall for doodling.

Shopping goods!

Taipei Walker Hostel
Ln. 661, Wenlin Rd, Shilin District, Taipei, Taiwan

Facilities
Free WiFi 
Breakfast Included
Tour Desk, Baggage Storage, Lockers
Air Conditioning, Washing machine and dryer

Others
Check-in : 15:00
Check-out : 11:00
Reception : 9:00am - 11:00pm

3.Taipei

Green World Hostel - formerly The Loft Hostel (1 stations away from  Zhongxiao Fuxing Station)

This hostels is near Sogo, TGIF, a huge MRT interchange station and Hello Kitty Kitchen and Dining!!! Ok, I am overly excited. Hahhahhaha... Oh, near Barbie Cafe too. This establishment is abit professional as you can see for yourself (below pictures), for those who wants to stay in the city centre, this will be an ideal place.

If you take the Citibus from Taoyuan Airport, it'll stop you at Sogo (Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT Station); which takes you approximately 10mins walking distance to the hostel, kinda convenient.

Front desk/reception.

Public PC and lepak area.

Common and dining area.

Washing machine and dryer.

Kitchen - stove, microwave, oven and fridge.

Green World Hostel (Formerly The Loft Hostel)
7F., No.107, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd, Da-an District, Taipei, Taiwan

Facilities
WiFi is available in all areas and is free of charge.
Vending machine (drinks), 24-hour front desk, Tour desk, Luggage storage, Lockers, Shared lounge/TV area, Laundry, Meeting/banquet facilities, Business centre, Fax/photocopying Air Conditioning, Washing machine and dryer

Others
Check-in : 15:00
Check-out : 11:00


Hope this helps your planning.