istanbul: the arrival

Kicking off the vibes in a city straddled at the borders of Europe and Asia.

Arrived at Ataturk International Airport yesterday around 3.45PM local time. Currently everything's under control (money, especially) and I just want to express my gratitude to AB's family for making my stay here in Istanbul easier. :)

Strolled down the neighbourhood of Beyazit down to Sultanahmet (our hotel is situated at Beyazit, not Sultanahmet like I stated earlier) where all the main attraction stands - the old Istanbul - Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia. Yesterday AB's parents just took us (more exactly, me) around the Blue Mosque, and trust me the building's spectacular! Every architecture student (including the wannabe ones) dream!

Though wireless connection is available, my computer can't get connected to the Internet in our room due to the so-called DNS problem. But internet connection is OK in the lobby, particularly downstairs (and maybe other places other than our room). So currently only Izzat's laptop can be connected to the Internet, so any updates here should only be done using his computer.

Weather is fine, warm..temperature just lies around 20 to 26 degrees Celcius. Changed my first piece of Euro note to New Turkish Lira (YTL), EUR 50 converts to YTL 88. Going to the Grand Bazaar/Spice Bazaar/Egyptian Bazaar/any bazaar lah today..kot, if things go according to AB's Moms plan.

A potrait of Mustafa Kamal Ataturk, the so-called Father of Modern Turkey with the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) in the background, May 30.

ŞükriŞairi.
İstanbul, Turkey.

istanbul: the initials

ready to take off! (sorta)

Tomorrow will be my first time travelling alone to a foreign country, and right now I'm feeling so excited about it, but of course I'm quite concerned regarding my financial affair and of course, terms of security. Nevertheless, I'd really want to thank Ayah and Mama for giving me their trust to let me go on my own all the way to Istanbul, this is really great and I think it is time for me to give myself a chance to prove myself that I can survive on my own being in the overseas.

My flight will be departing from Kuala Lumpur first thing in the morning at ETD 0900 HRS tomorrow, directly to Istanbul, whereby I will land at Ataturk International Airport during night local time. There, AB (or anybody related) will be waiting with the hotel guy, expectedly, which then I'll be taken to Inter Istanbul Hotel, smacked down right in the middle of the Sultanahmet district - just a walk away from the Blue Mosque, Topkapi and Hagia Sophia.

I got myself a new camera lens right before the trip, It's a AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5~5.6G IF-ED - really, really satisfying if you ask me - replacing the old 18-50mm lens kit. Thank you, Ayah! Just to make things merrier I just got my SonyEricsson K800i, replacing the old Motorola E398 for good (we exchanged phones for two months since the starting of my PLKN, Ayah finally realised that my phone is running downhill horribly). And I'm expecting to use my HP Pavilion notebook by the end of today! I hope it goes well with stuffs like Autocad and Photoshop, I heard enough stories regarding the 'incompatibility' of Windows Vista. but, I might as well give it a try. :)

so, it'll be too melampau if I requested for an iPod. that one has to wait for awhile.

well, among other essentials would be,
1) a mini tripod
2) a tripod
3) a Turkish phrasebook & dictionary (not having one yet)
4) a good Istanbul guidebook (not having one yet)
5) a good photography guide (otak dah karat)
6) Kimball Thai chilli sauce, as requested by AB's mom.

entry to Turkey does not require visas for Malaysians, so hopefully immigration would be smooth sailing. My current concern (read: worry) is when AB and his family will go back to Kuala Lumpur on June 5 evening, while my return flight to KL is on the 6th, as Malaysia Airlines only flies to Istanbul on Wednesdays and Saturdays, which is of course different from the Emirates. so, in a way, I will be alone in Turkey for one night - that'd be challenging!

currently I need to convert my money into USD or Euro, then maybe I'll convert them into New Turkish Lira, though I think that it may not be necessary..but then again I'm not sure. For sure, this time I really have to plan my debits and credits, because unlike previous trips, cash is limited, of course, and I have fears of overspending!

and I haven't packed my stuffs, yet. as usual.

good thing there'll be a WiFi connection there, so yeah, getting online is not a problem! Skype, Yahoo! and MSN kan ade.. heheh.

whatever it is I'll stick to my main point of going to Istanbul - relax. I will not stress myself to get pristine pictures and stuffs, I believe that if I'm in the mood, the clicking will set off automatically, provided that I have my camera in hand of course. but then again Istanbul's a photographer's heaven so, yeah. :p

well after two tiring months in Sabah, I hope this will be another perfect getaway (and runaway..whatever you call it). mmg x duduk rumah betul. well, the PLKN updates is due after my return lah. :)

so, Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul - hello, syukrishairi's coming your way.

Yahoo! Travel - Istanbul
Lonely Planet - Istanbul
Yahoo! Weather - Istanbul
Frommers' Istanbul
for more updates, AB's blog. AB is already at Istanbul, where he already arrived there on May 28.

the glory days are back!
syukrishairi

refresh *click*

currently mixed up with my 012 & 013 number. kabut!

anyway - i'm officially, finally back home! finished my PLKN, will be getting my allowance and of course, the certificate, Insya-Allah. embarking on a break again before I'm catching the call to my BSc. Hons in Architecture right up there in UiTM Seri Iskandar, Perak end of this June!

my arrival at the KL LCC Terminal yesterday afternoon was only known by my parents and close relatives. no friends, none at all, were informed, including Tqa. ambushed them at DE this morning, hehe. there's no need to be kecoh anyway, plus my phone's been bumpy, numbers are all here and there, so don't be aggrieved or anything if I don't tell any of you of my return. just wanting a relaxed, cool mood, that's all. :)

well, people don't go to PLKN for two months and then not having any updates, don't they? so, you got it.

syukrishairi.
Shah Alam

plkn accounts

I'm supposed to be sleeping right now - there's no doubt about that, really. I went out from the camp on Saturday afternoon to get a one night out in Kota Kinabalu with my family. Wan and Atuk arrived in KK together with Ayah Ji's family from Labuan by ferry, landed in Menumbok and driven a two hour journey up to KK and arrived also on Saturday afternoon. tomorrow the whole rombongan will move to Papar, in which my camp will be holding an Open Day - a day which every visitor can enter into our camps to the extent of our dormitories, our beds, our lockers and of course, our toilets. and we'll be setting off at around 11am or so. and I can't sleep though it's 2.40am, and I woke up at 5am Saturday morning. do note that in this part of the country, the sun rises around 6, and sets also around 6 in the evening.

well.

last week's been bumpy. I was not in a good mood, and so are most of us. some of us are getting an early leave for the matrikulasi offer, so the situation is, most of my friends there - good friends - are leaving. I, on the other hand, didn't apply for matriks, for some complicated reasons. which leaves me under a certain tense situation, though I'm glad that some of my friends there - namely Fahim, Lan, Firdaus, Naz and Aus - are not leaving. while my bestfriend there - Azrai, together with Saiful, Mus, Hoe, Elfira, Aie, Nazrin, Fifi and many others (approx 40 people) are leaving first thing in the morning today, getting an exemption and a certificate. most of them doesn't really leave for matriks anyway, most of them will consider the option between matriks and UPU (which many of us will know today).

PLKN would be disastrous if you have no friends. and that's it. the reason why people don't want to go back home, cry on the last night and missing PLKN so much is because of friends. so, when these things happen, clearly, it's kind of upsetting and frustrating. not to mention disappointing.

however I'm glad that I still have the chance to go out and meet my parents and my family. and just about 3 weeks ago, I met my friends, slept at my own bed and been in my comfort zone for awhile. even in the hardest times, I still got many reasons to be greatful and thankful - yet sometimes I'm so stubborn to realise it.

if you're from the Peninsula, and are placed in Sabah and Sarawak, chances are you won't be seeing your parents for the whole course period. it's a fact, and it happens to the majority of us. and it's a cruel fact that is bitter to be swallowed. yet I'm updating my blog now. and the last time I went to KLCC was the last two weeks. and I just had my Burger King's Double Cheeseburger. the last time I laughed with my grandparents? just now. and I'm glad to have my UPU checked with my parents by my side. which makes me realise - what more do you want?

home, yes. but not now.

so I conclude the whole thing once again. those who go back - they deserve to go back. people like Azrai, didn't see their parents since the day they departed from KL, that is, 50 days ago. so they deserve it, and that's it. whether they want to go to matriks or not, it's up to them - because it's their right. though a month earlier leave really matters for everybody, then again, everybody gets their own part of luck.

so I'll stay just like the rest of us.

it's the nature of PLKN - we meet, we stay, then we leave. patience, is always number one. for the last seven weeks, everyday needs patience (includes cuti). the programme is not torturing, but sometimes it'll look unnecessary, sometimes boring, at many times useless and most of the time tiring. but then again, happy times will come, you'll enjoy, and some moments become cherishable. but these above won't be happening if friends don't exist - of that, every wira and wirawati is sure of.

well, with four weeks left, let's just finish it and accomplish something, shall we? plus, Insya-Allah my place in the future is secured, and I believe my life after June 9 will be brighter than before March 18. changes will come, and by completing the whole course I hope I'll make my parents proud, and of course myself feeling content.

syukrishairi
day 50 week 8
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah