Dear Bloggy,

Malaysia be-reak

2011-12-17T16:46:00.219+03:00

One and a half years since I last came back to my home country. Finally the day has come.. 16 December 2011. We've booked the ticket long ago, and can't really believe that it finally arrived. It was Maqeel's first journey back to Malaysia. He didn't show much curiosity during the flight. Might be because of the late hour, just few crack of cries.. until he felt asleep.. and yeah.. the baby bassinet is no help for my too-lenghty-of-1year-old-infant. He'll sense it every time we try to put him in, and will burst with yet another cries.
Long story short..after few hours, we arrived safely with no serious turbulence .. hooray!

Bagan Lalang
2nd days in Malaysia, we went to HM seafood restaurant in Bagan Lalang, Sepang. It was my plan for my side of family get-together. I chose the place via the recommendation that I got from the internet. I didn't realized that the place was quite far. But okla.. worth the travel n trouble :)
Food was nice.. and reasonably priced. We got all there is on the menu for our big feast, and yet harge kiteorg makan beramai-ramai (there were 13adults and numbers of nieces n nephews) murah dari macam harge makan kat TGIF kat doha utk 5adults.

So for those yang blank taktau nak makan ape whilst in KL/Selangor.. go to Bagan Lalang.. no need to go to Melaka anymore. Here's their website for more details; http://www.hmsribaganlalang.blogspot.com/

yummilicious seafood - demm i miss u!

While you are there, do try out their famous pepahat masak cili.. for me ok ok la.. but tgk tak sampai 5 minit dihidang.. dah licin.. so must be super-delicious to others :)

JPO
The next day, we made our way to Johor Premium Outlet. Yeah yeah I know.. so many people are overly excited about this newly opened branded outlet in Malaysia, and have check it out with their full swing of reviews. Well.. doesn't hurt to add another one from me.
I was excited ever since I was in Doha, preparing our long list of itinerary and things to eat when I heard that the first phase of the outlet is finally ready to public.
But my excitement went down a little the minute I arrived - I saw too crowded a place. (Well I am famously known to hate crowds, well not THAT famous hehe)
The outlet is new, and not running in full swing yet, so I guess we hafta cut some slack for any of it's down-sided.
In term of shopping, mainly in clothing- looking for sizes are a real challenge and there aren't that many choices anymore, maybe due to the fact that when we arrived, the so called super-mega sale just ended days ago.. so what left is just either too expensive stuff or too ugly and not that many the "in-between".


Don't judge the crowd by this picture :P

Dalam duk susah nak carik tu, dapat jugakla rembat sepasang CK (NOT Calvin Klein hehe), a wristwatch, pairs of baju kecik, a suit for him and some jeans n tops for the kids. Not bad.. jadilah sikit-sikit.. kang kopak pulak kan. Hehe.And the wristwatch nye price is not too bad.. berbaloi beli.. cam tak jauh beza ngan harge kat US.

But one thing that I still can't get my mind off was the time when I dengan slambe badaknye masuk Burberry shop from its upper-side entrance to find rows of people queuing in agony at the lower-ground entrance. What the?! Klaka.. why queue on the first place? Pastu buat dua entrance lak tu.. and jage satu side je.. kesian mereka2 yang tertipu.. (luckily wasn't me) hiks..

And yeah another good point of having this outlet in Malaysia is finally ade proper surau, and most of the salesgirl/salesman are from Malaysia, so sonang nak cakap lam BM.. kalau tak bergulung lidah den nak bertanye hehe..(seb baik takleh tawar menawar je.. :D)

After few hours, we left to Pulai Spring Resort, that was suppose to be near and convenient for a stay nearby the outlet, but I find it to be rather contrary.. Tapi, sebab kiteorg bayar harge promosi.. tak banyak komplen la.. duduk ajela.. hehehe

Melaka
The next day, we made our way to Melaka. Konon-konon nak jalan-jalan cuti-cuti malaysia.. wanted to bring the kids to see the Taman Mini Melaka, A famosa, and tempat-tempat yang sewaktu dengannye. That night we even ride the boat along the Melaka River.. bes sangat.. the view is fantastic at night! They've cleaned up Melaka well! I specially like the rows of rumah melaka village and the graffiti paints of Melaka well known legends and such. Such a beauty! I'd say even better look than the ever so-famous gondola ride in Venice.

Next day we when for a tricycle ride or also locally known as "beca" around the city (well not quite around the city, just few tourist attraction site). Myra and Maqeel got really excited..posing here and there for pictures (which we still kept in our laptop.. so god knows when that'll be out to public haha).

I love going to Melaka now, the place is not only historical, but also well kept and clean. The only thing that I didn't get to do following my itinerary was our visit to Taman Mini Melaka.. sadly they closed for renovation. I hope we get to go again during our next break in hari raya (yup! we are going back for raya this year..yay yay insyaallah).

Around KL
One day, we brought the kids to see KLCC, KL tower and around the Perdana lake to see the Tugu Negara, along with their two cousins. It was a fun outing. The first experience for their cousins too. yeah, I understand.. nobody will tot about visiting this place while living in Malaysia, but now that we are out, tot they are pretty interesting place. Next time, we'll go to the Zoo Negara, Istana Negara n all k Myra, Maqeel?


Thunder n lightning everywhere.. but luckily it didn't rain

That night, we went to Wong Solo Ayam penyet in kampung baru. Oh man, why is that nobody ever tells us that kampung baru is no longer safe for feeding! Maqeel vomitted horribly that night. And not until afternoon, we discovered that most of us too were poisoned resulting with diarrhea and stomach pain! I hate WONG SOLO! Remember guys.. be careful with this place! We ate the (delicious self-made chili in the bottle, but ended up with food poisoning.. so i guess the chili must be old)

Jump around! (yeah lucky two who didn't get poisoned)

PENANG
The following day, is the day to travel to Penang. We've already booked our hotel in Penang, so despite not feeling good.. we had to proceed with our journey to Penang. Poor aza, she had everything ready and excited to bring us to all interesting places in Penang, but we ended up not being well enough to enjoy :(
Not even had the appetite to eat all sort of food in Penang. I'm sorry Penang, maybe some other time we'll meet again k?

Nonetheless we didn't left Penang empty handed, got the chance to visit Rumah P.Ramlee, Toy Museum and Hard Rock (why is hard rock becoming places of interest for Malaysian i don't know??? tapi mestii sume nak gi situ n buy a souvenir.. are we somehow being brain-washed by it??? Pelik tapi benar). Mengagahkan diri untuk pergi jugak jalan2 even sikit sebab pikir, bile lagi?

I don't have any picture of the interesting rumah P.Ramlee.. will upload it once I got it transferred.For now, tgk gambo the brain-washed keras batu jela.. hehe

"Keras Batu"

Journey to Hajj 1432- sneek peek

2011-11-21T19:49:00.000+03:00

Hajj - the plan

2011-10-18T13:48:00.000+03:00

9 days to go. InsyaAllah..

Today we've got our rough itinerary. Hopefully everything run smoothly according to plan. May Allah grant us sabr.

We are travelling through Hamlah Ali (one of the hajj agent here) to Makkah & Madinah by bus. Yup.. You read me right, by bus.

The plan is to gather on Thursday, 27th of Oct 2011 (29th Dzul Qa'da 1432) at 11:30am at Masjid Aspire near to Khalifa Stadium. We have 2 groups, with 3 buses; 2 buses coming from Doha and another bus from Al Khor. This is different than the journey that our friends took last year, which was scheduled at night. Well there must be a hikmah disebalik, though this just mean, not that many people can see us through before the journey.. ramai mase tu mesti tengah kerja. It's ok. Maybe it is for the better.InsyaAllah.

Then we were told that in Makkah, we will get the chance to use the interchange train (that was meant for people coming from Saudi and the Gulf countries for now). Alhamdulillah.. another plan for a smoother journey. InsyaAllah.

This mean, we only have another Friday here before 'the awaiting journey begins'.

May Allah protect us all.

Vaccination for Hajj

2011-10-18T12:10:00.002+03:00

Alhamdulillah. Turns out, it is pretty easy to get the replacement card from the health center. You just go to see the nurse and she'll fill up a new card with the injection date and chop away.All you need to do is ask nicely. Even my husband yang dah inject tahun lepas pun die tanye date camtu je. Betul-betul trust. Thank you kind nurse! You have help us BIG time!

By the way, for future record for bakal-bakal haji masa mendatang, the vaccination center is located nearby wholesale market, in Abu Hamour.The Health center provide free jabs, just bring in your RP id.

GPS coordinate

N 25' 14'03.9"

E051' 28'57.72"

Meningitis vaccination is a compulsory jab for those going for hajj (I think it is a set standard by Saudi's government). Influenza is like an optional jab.

I have a friend who is currently 4 months pregnant, she didn't get the chance to take the jab due to her condition, so her doctor just write a letter to prove that she is fit for hajj. So, afraid not, if there's any issue.. ask away, there might just be a solution for it. InsyaAllah.

Ujian

2011-10-10T13:19:00.000+03:00

Nearing the date now. 17 days to be exact.

And we couldn't find our vaccination card, which previously lying on my watch zone. Yup, bile carik kompem tak jumpe! The hamla is collecting the card now, without Meningitis vaccination, we won't be allow in. Takkan nak ambik skali lagi? Overdose kang.

That makes me a tad nervous. What if we can't find it at all?

Ya Allah.. tolong permudahkan urusan kami.

tiny tea time with tiny peeps

2011-10-05T20:35:00.000+03:00

Tuesday was my only off day for the week. Myra's best friend from her previous nursery wanted to come over for a playdate. It gave me an idea to arrange for a last-minute surprise birthday tea party for Myra.

After school, coming back home.. Myra was thrilled by the sight of the tiny table, complete with helium baloon, gifts and tiny finger foods all set up and ready for her tiny party.I was lucky because I still got plenty of the party pack left from Myra's birthday last year. Seb bajet! hehe.. it took me 15 minutes to set up everything.. sonang kojo.

Alee and Auni were her only guests, one because she always came for a playdate and one because she lives few houses away, so much easier for a short notice surprised party such as this one.Worry not Myra's other friends.. we are planning for a join-birthday celebration for Myra and Maqeel soon. So jangan terase for not being invited aite? :)
They had a wonderful time together. Maqeel also join in along with the chubby-and-super-cute 1 year old Athirah (Auni's lil sister). Just look at how cute they are from the pics.

Myra.. I hope this had made-up Mommy's absence on your birthday k? Love you so much baby!

Happy 4th birthday my sweetie

2011-10-02T13:05:00.002+03:00

Sedih rase dari malam tadi after coming back from work. Myra was already asleep. It was almost 11pm. I crept through her bedroom, kissing her forehead.. then when I was about to go out, I heard her little voice "Mommy?". I went back in.. kinda happy that she realized my presence. Myra asked me to read a story book. I didn't want to switch on the light for that so I tell her that I'll read a make believe-story about a girl name Myra. She was happy. She throw a light giggle sometime.. so bleh tahan jugakla my bedtime story rupenye.. hehe. Then I told her to get back to sleep, she nodded. Such a good girl.. Sayu rasenye.. tibe-tibe anak dah besar sikit, 4 years old. I then made the video above just so I have a lil memory of her being so excited with our outing at aspire park the other day. She love the grass so much.. running around barefooted, as if it was her first time to ever laid her feet on the grass (memang jarang!)
In the morning, when she woke up, I brought her to see the simple video and said, happy birthday Myra!. She laugh happily.

Dear Myra,
Today you turned 4. But you will always be my lil baby.. no matter how big and how tall you'll get. Know that my prayers are always about you and now your lil brother too. I pray that you grow to be not just a good daughter, but a good human being, a solehah.
My love and life will never be completed without you sayang.

Love you so very the much! muah muah muahhh

Makna Surah At-Takathur

2011-09-27T12:04:00.002+03:00

Dengan nama Allah, Yang Maha Pemurah, lagi Maha Mengasihani

Kamu telah dilalaikan (daripada mengerjakan amal bakti) oleh perbuatan berlumba-lumba untuk mendapat dengan sebanyak-banyaknya (harta benda, anak-pinak pangkat dan pengaruh), (1) Sehingga kamu masuk kubur. (2) Jangan sekali-kali (bersikap demikian)! Kamu akan mengetahui kelak (akibatnya yang buruk semasa hendak mati)! (3) Sekali lagi (diingatkan): Jangan sekali-kali (kamu bersikap demikian)! Kamu akan mengetahui kelak (akibatnya yang buruk pada hari kiamat)! (4) Demi sesungguhnya! Kalaulah kamu mengetahui (apa yang kamu akan hadapi) dengan pengetahuan yang yakin, (tentulah kamu akan mengerjakan perkara-perkara yang menjadi bekalan kamu untuk hari akhirat). (5) (Ingatlah) demi sesungguhnya! Kamu akan melihat Neraka yang marak menjulang. (6) Selepas itu, demi sesungguhnya! Kamu (wahai orang-orang yang derhaka) akan melihatnya dengan penglihatan yang yakin (semasa kamu dilemparkan ke dalamnya)! (7) Selain dari itu, sesungguhnya kamu akan ditanya pada hari itu, tentang segala nikmat (yang kamu telah menikmatinya)! / (8)

................................................................................................................................................................

Hmmm.. I am obviously among those who lalai- berlumba-lumba for dunia. Nothing is ever enough.. not to mention am fashion slave meself (not that I'm that fashionable anyway, but still a victim of media influence.. demmit..)

So how???

Makna dalam solat

2011-09-25T16:16:00.000+03:00

Yes.. as normal as I am.. my ignorance as traditional follower of Islam, I have never been bothered to get to know the meaning of solat, let alone the good and the secrets of it. I just follow what others do,

yes.. shame on me.

But I hope that will change from now.. I hope by sharing this here, others will join me to do the same too. InsyaAllah.

I admit, change is really a hard thing to do. But god willing, anything is possible. I am someone who can't really memorize ayat not at least after hundreds of trial..Even until now, my solat are fill with surah-surah lazim.. ONLY?! (yeah I know.. I am as bad). I am someone who behind is too lazy, specially when it comes to spiritual stuff such as this. But that has got to go. I have to be more serious about making my journey to hajj more meaningful, not just another traditional-things to do. I hope I'll be bless with all the strength to fight my old self, and be a better muslimah. InsyaAllah.

Allah knows best.

Another good piece, taken from Berita Harian online. May Allah reward those who share this. Amin..

Allah Maha Besar

Doa Iftitah
Allah Maha Besar dan segala puji bagi Allah dengan banyaknya.
Maha suci Allah sepanjang pagi dan petang.
Aku hadapkan wajahku bagi Tuhan yang mencipta langit dan bumi,
dengan suasana lurus dan berserah diri dan aku bukan dari golongan orang musyrik.
Sesungguhnya solatku,
Ibadatku,
hidupku,
matiku
adalah untuk Allah Tuhan sekelian alam.
Tidak ada sekutu bagiNya dan kepadaku diperintahkan untuk tidak
menyekutukan bagiNya dan aku dari golongan orang Islam.

Al-Fatihah
Dengan nama Allah yang maha Pemurah lagi maha Mengasihani.
Segala puji bagi Allah, Tuhan semesta alam.
Yang maha pemurah lagi maha mengasihani.
Yang menguasai hari pembalasan.
Hanya Engkaulah yang kami sembah dan hanya kepada Engkau kami mohon pertolongan.
Tunjukilah kami jalan yang lurus.
Iaitu jalan orang-orang yang Engkau kurniakan nikmat kepada mereka, bukan jalan mereka yang Engkau murkai dan bukan jalan mereka yang sesat.

Bacaan ketika rukuk
Maha Suci TuhanKu Yang Maha Mulia dan dengan segala puji-pujiannya.

Bacaan ketika bangun dari rukuk
Allah mendengar pujian orang yang memujinya.

Bacaan ketika iktidal
Wahai Tuhan kami, bagi Engkaulah segala pujian.

Bacaan ketika sujud
Maha suci TuhanKu yang Maha Tinggi dan dengan segala puji-pujiannya.

Bacaan ketika duduk di antara dua sujud
Ya Allah, ampunilah daku,
Rahmatilah daku,
kayakan daku,
angkatlah darjatku,
rezekikan daku,
berilah aku hidayah,
sihatkanlah daku dan
maafkanlah akan daku.

Bacaan ketika Tahiyat Awal
Segala penghormatan yang berkat solat yang baik adalah untuk Allah.
Sejahtera atas engkau wahai Nabi dan rahmat Allah serta
keberkatannya.
Sejahtera ke atas kami dan atas hamba-hamba Allah yang soleh.
Aku naik saksi bahawa tiada Tuhan melainkan Allah dan aku naik saksi bahawasanya Muhammad itu adalah pesuruh Allah.
Ya Tuhan kami, selawatkanlah ke atas Nabi Muhammad.

Bacaan ketika Tahiyat Akhir
Segala penghormatan yang berkat solat yang baik adalah untuk Allah.
Sejahtera atas engkau wahai Nabi dan rahmat Allah serta keberkatannya.
Sejahtera ke atas kami dan atas hamba-hamba Allah yang soleh.
Aku naik saksi bahawa tiada Tuhan melainkan Allah dan aku naik saksi bahawasanya Muhammad itu adalah pesuruh Allah..
Ya Tuhan kami, selawatkanlah ke atas Nabi Muhammad dan ke atas keluarganya.
Sebagaimana Engkau selawatkan ke atas Ibrahim dan atas keluarga Ibrahim.
Berkatilah ke atas Muhammad dan atas keluarganya sebagaimana Engkau berkati ke atas Ibrahim dan atas keluarga Ibrahim di dalam alam ini.
Sesungguhnya Engkau Maha Terpuji lagi Maha Agung.

Doa Qunut
Ya Allah, berilah aku petunjuk sebagaimana orang-orang yang telah Engkau tunjuki.
Sejahterakanlah aku sebagaimana orang-orang yang telah Engkau sejahterakan.
Pimpinlah aku sebagaimana orang-orang yang telah Engkau pimpin.
Berkatilah hendaknya untukku apa-pa yang telah Engkau berikan padaku.
Jauhkanlah aku daripada segala kejahatan yang telah Engkau tetapkan.
Sesungguhnya hanya Engkau sahajalah yang menetapkan, dan tidak sesiapapun yang berkuasa menetapkan sesuatu selain daripada Engkau.
Sesungguhnya tidak terhina orang yang memperolehi pimpinanMu.
Dan tidak mulia orang-orang yang Engkau musuhi.
Telah memberi berkat Engkau, ya Tuhan kami dan maha tinggi Engkau.
Hanya untuk Engkau sahajalah segala macam puji terhadap apa-apa yang telah Engkau tetapkan.
Dan aku minta ampun dan bertaubat kepada Engkau.
Dan Allah rahmatilah Muhammad, Nabi yang ummi dan sejahtera keatas keluarganya dan sahabat-sahabatnya.
“wahai tuhan ku,aku tak layakutk kesyurgamu …namun tak pula aku sanggup
keNerakamu.. ..kami lah hamba yang mengharap belaskasihan darimu .”ya allah
jadikan lah kami hamba2 mu yang bertaqwa..ampunkan dosa2 kami .kedua
ibubapa kami .dosa semua umat2 islam yang masih hidup mahupun yang telah meninggal
dunia”

And this is taken from halaqah.net;

Inilah dia rahsia as-solat, sebagai peringatan bagi yang dah tahu atau panduan bagi yang baru tahu......

1 - Niat Sembahyang : Sebenarnya memeliharakan taubat kita dari dunia dan akhirat.

2 - Berdiri Betul : Fadilatnya, ketika mati dapat meluaskan tempat kita di dalam kubur.

3 - Takbir-ratul Ihram : Fadilatnya, sebagai pelita yang menerangi kita di dalam kubur.

4 - Fatihah : Sebagai pakaian yang indah-indah di dalam kubur.

5 - Ruqu' : Sebagai tikar kita di dalam kubur.

6 - I'tidal : Akan memberi minuman air dari telaga al-kautsar ketika didalam kubur.

7 - Sujud : Memagar kita ketika menyeberangi titian SIRATUL-MUSTAQIM.

8 - Duduk antara 2 Sujud : Akan menaung panji-panji nabi kita didalam kubur

9 - Duduk antara 2 Sujud (akhir) : Menjadi kenderaan ketika kita dipadang Mahsyar.

10 - Tahhiyat Akhir : Sebagai penjawab bagi soalan yang dikemukakan oleh Munkar & Nankir di dalam kubur.

11 - Selawat Nabi : Sebagai pendinding api neraka di dalam kubur.

12 - Salam : Memelihara kita di dalam kubur.

13 - Tertib : Akan pertemuan kita dengan Allah S. W. T.

Dari Abdullah bin 'Amr R. A., Rasulullah S. A. W.bersabda :

"Senarai di atas adalah salah satu sebab mengapa orang Yahudi /Kafir tidak
sukakan angka 13 dan juga Hari Jumaat.

wallahu a'alam

Hajj soon insyaallah...

2011-09-24T16:10:00.003+03:00

Alhamdulillah.. my husband and I got our hajj approval number few days back. Means, we are 50% there, in our pursue of completing the fifth pillar of Islam,

...insyaAllah

At first, I was hesitated about writing anything to do with religious in my blog. Coz, personally I am not that very good in that area, I hardly even improve my knowledge too. My journey to the 'good' side is like waves, sometimes I'm up high and motivated to proceed... sometime I'm down below, forgetting the purpose of the creation of mankind, and be gone with the world surrounds. I'm only human..a normal being.

And for me to talk about my journey to hajj is like.. something that I am scared of. I have no confident upon. And knowing that most of the readers are among friends who know me personally... I am terrified. I admit, I am scared of being judge. Malu pun ade. Ye la.. who am I to write about such a holy journey, takut salah tulis je.

But Insyaallah.. all judging-fear aside, I will start writing on our journey here starting from today, to keep as our memory and hopefully serve as a lesson for us all.

Please bear in mind, if it's any good, it is from Allah, and if there's any bad or wrong.. it is from me -his humble slave.

First of, I'd like to share this piece that i found on the net while surfing for hajj-thingy. It is simple, yet it had motivated me to write and share.. may he/she be rewarded for this...insyaallah..

MOTIVASI HAJI

Hari ni tak berapa rajin nak tulis. Terjumpa lagi satu artikel dlm Panglima 7.Mudah2an penulis ni mendapat limpahan pahala atas perkongsian ilmunya. Korang layan je lah...

Tuan Guru Haji Mohd Baqi Osman,menceritakan tentang peristiwa yang bakal berlaku di akhirat kelak.Tentang syurga,neraka dan berkaitan dengan titian As Sirat. Jambatan yang merentangi neraka menuju ke syurga itu bersifat fleksibel. Ia boleh membesar, mengecil, memendek dan memanjang mengikut kumpulan yang akan melintasinya.

Jika orang beriman,ia akan melebar dan memendek. Manakala bagi orang kafir, ia akan mengecil dan memanjang. Antara yang akan turut berarak menuju ke syurga ialah kaabah. Malaikat datang membawa perintah Allah kepada kaabah yang dihias indah pada hari itu supaya bergerak menuju ke syurga.

Yang menghairankan, biarpun kaabah tahu itu perintah Allah, namun ia enggan bergerak. Lalu malaikat bertanya kenapa enggan bergerak ke syurga. Kaabah menjawab bahawa ia tidak akan bergerak ke syurga melainkan jika diiringi oleh semua manusia yang pernah tawaf di sekelilingnya.

Lalu malaikat mengumpulkan semua yang pernah tawaf untuk mengiringi kaabah ke syurga. Kaabah terus mendiamkan diri tak mahu bergerak. Malaikat bertanya lagi kenapa tak mahu bergerak. Kaabah menjawab, ada lagi beberapa orang yang tidak hadir.. Apabila diperiksa, rupa-rupanya orang-orang berkenaan telah dilempar ke dalam neraka kerana kesalahan yang pernah mereka lakukan di dunia.

Malaikat maklumkan bahawa orang berkenaan adalah orang-orang yang berdosa dan perlu disiksa di dalam neraka.

Kaabah berkata, ia tidak peduli orang itu berdosa atau tidak. Yang penting ia tidak akan bergerak ke syurga melainkan diiringi oleh semua orang yang pernah tawaf di sekelilingnya.

Malaikat mengadu kepada Allah tentang hal yang berlaku....Allah yang Maha Pengampun dan Maha Mengasihani terus mengisytiharkan bahawa orang-orang itu telah diampunkan dosa mereka. Mereka lantas di bawa keluar daripada neraka dan mengiringi kaabah menuju ke syurga....

Satu motivasi bagi rakan-rakan yang mampu untuk ke Mekah..sila2kanlah menjadi tetamu Allah..pergilah ketika masih muda dan kuat agar setiap langkah dan setiap nafas kita gagah dan diberkati oleh Allah swt...Kebahagiaan itu pasti datang, namun sejauhmanakah kita mengingati Allah swt dalam setiap urusan dunia kita?

Wallahu alam....

Raya..oh yeah

2011-09-06T09:14:00.001+03:00

Selamat Hari Raya buat semua ahli keluarga dan kawan-kawan di Malaysia. Enjoy this short video made just for you....

Resepi Ibu: Bubur Lambuk

2011-09-06T08:37:00.000+03:00

Poor ibu, that everytime I wanna do makan-makan, I'd ask her to estimate the amount of bawang, rice, santan & etc2. But most of the outcome are not just satisfactory, but yummilicious even for a puase chef!.. memang terer Ibu bajet.. so untuk tidak hilang resepi yang diperturunkan.. adalah better I share it here, senang I nak repeat cook :)

Resepi Bubur Lambuk

Bahan-Bahan (Ingredients) for 10 people approx

Beras 4 pot               (Rice don't use basmati for porridge-like texture)
Air agak2 sendiri I think around 24 pots    (Water - self estimate for porridge-like texture)
Daging 1 kilo -diris nipis           (Beef -thinly sliced)
Ikan Bilis 1 cawan - ditumbuk (Anchovies 1 cup - munch)
Ikan kembung 1 kilo - direbus dan diambil isi   (Fish- I used Durduman, pre-boiled and took the flesh only)
Serai 5 batang       (Lemongrass 5)
Bawang merah 10 biji dihiris     (Small Onion 10 pieces) -thinly sliced
Halia 2 inci dihiris halus             (Ginger 2 inch) -thinly sliced
Lada hitam 1 tsp ditumbuk       (Black pepper 1 tsp -munch)
Belacan 2 inch ditumbuk          (Shrimp paste 2 inch -munch)
Santan 1 cawan                         (Coconut milk 1 cup)
Kerisik 4 tbp                             (Coconut paste 4 tbp)
Halba 1 tbp (Fenugreek seeds 1 tbp)
Minyak utk goreng bawang         (Oil to fry the onion, around 2 tbp)
Garam secukup rase (typical resepi hehe)   Salt to taste
Daun bawang & Parsley for decoration and for after taste. ;)

::The how to::

Wash and boil the rice like boiling any normal porridge.. put lots and lots of water. Then when you start seeing the rice whitening, you can then put all the other ingredients in except for onion & Coconut milk.

After5 minute, pour in the coconut milk and stir. Let it cook until you get the right porridge texture. Add salt to taste. Close the fire and close the pot with lid.

In a different pan, fry the onion until golden brown. Then mix in to porridge together with the oil. Stir then close the lid of the pot so the aroma will stays in.

To serve, sprinkle some sliced spring onion and parsley.

Enjoy!!

(Adeh.. nak kena translate jugak ke?)

Happy Birthday you..

2011-08-17T09:16:00.012+03:00

Alternative: Vimeo

3 series ain't bad.

Love,

the M family.

Abaya exclusive from Doha

2011-08-15T13:19:00.001+03:00

Anyone looking for something special and exclusive this raya can try and check this out. My friends are selling abayas at booth 83, Bazaar Ramadhan Jalan TAR (the parking lot area in front of Pertama Complex/ Medan MARA) KL. Don't miss out the chance!

Below is their fb page for some product example and price range;

http://www.facebook.com/AdDawhahAbaya

Tunggu ape lagi? beli beli beliiii..

Ramadan spirit

2011-08-04T11:43:00.000+03:00

This year, is the second Ramadhan I had while freelancing at my old company. The feeling was different.... this year, during Iftar I was surrounded by many Malaysian.. meriah.. i felt like home. Lame tak rase camni. This was the result of many Malaysian colleague who has been absorbed from our KL branch late last year. Now, the company who used to have very few Malaysian in Doha branch have got so many that I can't even catch up the number anymore. Even on my desk, they are 4 now.. best. Working with Malaysian, you'll feel much different in quality. :) and of coz bleh 'speaking' heh heh.

Another year, another Ramadhan.. the company didn't failed to provide free flow of Iftar and Sahoor for us ~~hungry~~ employees. Temporary but well carpeted and air-conditioned tents are set up just like last year, the only different is the caterer.. Alhamdulillah. So many varieties of foods, endlessly being top-up. There is even a Shawarma stand (kalau kat Malaysia orang panggil kebab laa :P)

This is another one of the good thing with the sheikhs.. come Ramadhan, many are providing free Iftar-tent all over the country, mostly for the labourer. It's good to know that there are many kind-hearted rich sheikhs, looking for sadaqah jariah, Alhamdulillah. Only one thing about the iftar, it might cause pembaziran.. which is really not good for your book-of-deed. Well, nevertheless, may Allah accept their kindness and good intention and shower them with many more rezk. Aminnn..

Ramadan datang lagi

2011-08-01T11:46:00.000+03:00

The best time of the year... enjoying life without evil.. so any act of evil is no-one but yours alone. (Think about it! hehe).. Ramadan Kareem all!

Breaking News

2011-07-29T18:55:00.001+03:00

The Army Birthday Party

2011-07-24T11:02:00.001+03:00

It's the second time we were invited to Army theme birthday party. But too bad that I only got this new hobby recently that i didn't do any video on the first army birthday party (no hard feeling huh? doing this video out of hobby and interest) Am still learning.. hopefully I have support and encouragement to keep going. Anyho.. enjoy the video..uploaded fresh from iMac today.

Pen-out

2011-07-17T10:42:00.000+03:00

Blog vs Vlog

2011-07-11T11:46:00.000+03:00

It's a trend, when blog became famous, everybody started to blog ~~termasukla aku (tapi i did it for the memory more than to be known-of, I have never publicize my blog address to anyone, but somehow people find me (bajet bagus la ni :P)~~ then when vlog become more and more well-known, there goes more post of more 'interesting' videos around. Some of entertaining with a pinch of good message, some with nothing but silly and ridiculous video of me-myself-and-I world and some with it's own category or agenda. Which I noticed trends that are growing bigger with the Malaysian teenagers (I guess another thanks to technology and more accessible internet, i:e via smart phones).

And then there are always some who remain to be the silent reader or viewer only (Yes! YOU!).

The good side of having these things are, it provide a space of channeling one's thought and sometime talent too. You could voice it all out, and not bothered of the restriction. You could be imaginary at the same time keeping it up with the reality. But sometime, people not just expressing their concern and sharing their point on something, but they are also showing off their life, making the border less world be more limitless as it already is, and sometime even share some eerie story of their life with too much details to handle.

Blog help with the thorough explanation in writing, whilst Vlog require more of a creative way to get the idea across via the edited video ~~(or for some, simply Vlog to fill up their lonely & bored self of facing the big screen pc monitor alone?)~~ . In maths word; the work done are more for Vlog than Blog. Nak kene shoot lagi, nak kene edit lagi, nak kene cretip jugak at the same time! huh! Anyway, my salutation goes to those who have the balls to Vlog with their own face put up on the net. They are opening up to any consequences really.. good or bad, online or off. Because, with Vlog of your face on the net ~~(sometime with the clear shot of number of obvious pimples)~~, once people know your face, then that's it.. Anywhere you go, if someone could recognize you.. pamm.. terimelah padahnye.. hehehe. Whilst with Blog, yes.. you are still very much recognizable if you have put up your pictures, but at least no one have ever heard of your true 'voice' like Moi ~~(who sounded a bit lika 'chicken'.. hiks~~).

Anyway, Blog or Vlog.. the objectives are slightly of the same: To be heard of.

right?

In the mean time.. I'd stick to Blog..easily accessible while 'working' at the office.. hehe ~~blog ni pun jenuh bersarang.. inikan pule nak buat video, sebulan skali pun blom tentu! haha~~

(Excuse the entry.. am bored at work..and my behind just glued to this uncomfortable-yet-lustful-chair that I'm finding something to fill up my time, hence this! macam karangan keje skolah cikgu bagi dolu-dolu jek! :P)

A Glimpse of the Arab's culture

2011-07-04T22:44:00.001+03:00

I was told by my ustazah to post a paragraph of anything that I know of Arabs. In my struggle to produce a flawless beginner's level of Arabic essay, she came by and said, oh.. so cute.. you tried to post it in Arabic? You can just write it in English! man.... poloh tiak den nak translate tadi tau! ,(-_-)`,

Yes.. I am currently learning the Arabic language (yakni lugha Arabia), after 4 years living in one of the Arab countries, I still haven't learn a squat! That is until now.. Ish ish ish..(shame on me, I know)

I have recently set a goal to learn Arabic (actually been meaning to learn it ever since I moved here, but not until now that I felt really serious about doing it), and Alhamdulillah, god must have listened to my intention that he open up a door of opportunity to learn it without anymore of the lame excuse such as "I want to learn, but I work in shift, and none of the classes are suitable with my time table", or "What?! how much is the cost for personal coaching now?!".

My office has been kind enough to set up few set of Arabic courses designed according to level of expertise (expert ke? hikss..:P ) and scheduled to match most of the shift pattern there is. To my surprise, the Arabic language is not as hard as I always thought it was. Lots of similarity with my mother tongue language (malay ~~yang memang sah-sah bahase pencedok~~). Even the way the sentences are made got many similarities of rules.. why laaa I found it too darn difficult before?

I now dare all Malays to burn up your spirit and learn Al-Lugha Al-Arabia, as we already have 50% of the language at heart; YES! Believe it or not, we've known 500 roots words with similar meaning with the Arabic, we've learn to read it since kids and we've been hearing it through Al-Qur'an yet why are we still hesitate to learn the meaning by heart? I so hope that one day, Arabic language is made compulsory in Malaysian education system and not just in Sekolah Agama, and they should enforce learning to read the Qur'an with the meaning too. No more like the blind man, reading to the deaf. I do not want to be in the dark side for too long, I pray that my spirit will continue to grow and be blessed to succeed and hope many others will take this challenge seriously too, Amin.......... (janganla I be hangat-hangat-tahi-ayam-self)

Anyway, here's the short essay that I've written on FB as per request from my ustazah (part of the entire test), which I actually had pages more to write, but considering the effect that it'll reflect on ~~(yes, I have many negative values to contribute to the subject)~~, I leave it to stop at that one tiny paragraph :)

Four years of living my life in Qatar, I got to learn a glimpse of Arab's culture. I see many Arabs who love to spend time outside and chat with friends and family, drinking coffee but often not very friendly to strangers. Their ties to friends are so close that they can even slow down while driving alongside each other’s car for a chat or even stop in the middle of the roundabouts just to say hi to one another. Although many of them look conservative, particularly women with their hijab and niqab, they are actually quite open to latest technology such as the cinema. Just last night, we enjoyed a night out to see the latest Hollywood movie, and there beside us, sat an Arab couple, with the wife fully covered revealing just her two eyes while the man looked protective of the wife, yet can still take her out for a nice date at the cinema just like the rest of us. A scenario such as this is the best example of “Don’t judge the book by its cover”. We can never know someone from the first look, but through experience and time, we’ll get to know their beauty and perhaps the common interest that we share.

Sayu..

2011-06-11T07:54:00.007+03:00

Sudden mixture of feelings..

Cause: unknown.

But hang on.. it mite be from that few sob stories over this few days, or mite just be from my monthly hormone check-in.. (yup.. Mrs.P has started her monthly visits again). Or or.. that touchy video of pilgrimage.. I dunno..

A good friend of mine just left Qatar for good... her husband, had reached his maximum level of kesabaran with the oh-so-well-known of Qatar's custom. No, I'm not talking about the traditional custom, I'm referring to the unusual unique experiences one encountered on one's own term. You would love Qatar of you would hate it, or just settled for the in-between. You are either stuck or blend in, all depends on your term of defining your experiences.

Over my return to this country, I've lost 2 friends.. ( I mean they moved back to their home country, not entirely gone :P). Making me think.. what would happen to us, do we have a place to call home, when everything here doesn't make sense anymore.. do we have the insurance to turn back to? And..do we have the 'shoulder to cry'? :'(

Almost five years now,

not sure if we can ever double the time..

Anyway, I just wanted to share the link to the most recent video that I've produced. Need lots of improvement specially in recording, I'm so not fit to be a camerawomen. Hiks.

a lil touch of something..

2011-03-27T17:14:00.009+03:00

I was browsing through my newly upgraded gadget (another gift from Mr.sweet Ai.. ;) , then a thought hit me; why do we always.. ALWAYS post our beloved baby's video.. just like it is.. a video of him giggling, turning, blabing bla bla bla..
there's no harm in a little bit of editing..

So I started to experiment with the power of IPhone4. I downloaded iMovie for iPhone, then started my production, with the star of the day; Mr.Maqeel. (He was actually bargaining for more milk during the 30minutes filming.. being a typical-demanding-star-on-the-rise ;).

The apps is so easy to use, and best part is the iPhone didn't even hang once! No more the hustle-bustle of filming video on camcorder, then uploading it to a pc, then edit, then upload to the internet. That's 2 steps down from the traditional 'movie' production. Thumbs up for iPhone4! Because of you.. I will definitely produce more fun video!

Here goes peeps.. Enjoy, the 3minutes plus short movie i called Susu Ninja!

Fully filmed and edited on iPhone4.. with supercool surrounds sound effects! hiks :P (yeah.. i know I went a lil bit overboard with the storyline..) and please pardon the quality of my editing.. I was rushing to go to work.. i know it could have been much shorter and cooler. :)

Oh yeah.. and here's a lil something from Mr.Ai too. Maqeel news

Err...Can I ask you something?

2011-03-07T13:13:00.010+03:00

A colleague of mine out of the blue pop up a bonus question for me. We've gone longgg back since 2006 when I'm still not wearing hijab.

He suddenly ask "Hey yeeney, tell me why are you wearing that thing all the time now? (pointing out to my hijab) Is it because you have children now, so you have to wear it?"

I laughed. I'm not really sure whether to answer him, or to smack his big nose down (well he literally has a BIG nose).

Then I answered "Well I didn't wear it until Myra's almost two didn't I?.. so that's not really the reason why I wear it.. Truth is, it's compulsory to all Muslim women to cover up, but when I was younger, I chose not to.. cause I'm a bit evil-like back then..and nowww, I feel like I wanna go to the good side, avoiding sin and all, so.. that's why"

(Yeah.. the westernization had a big impact on all of us, from my own experience and observation; most of us -muslim women in Malaysia- refused to wear hijab in our younger life. Maybe because we were so immature and easy to influenced. That all we could see was that sexy hairdos are so in!.. and I wanna look just like that.. Thank god that phase has past, thank god that there's still a tiny bit of me that wanted to change to the good side)

He nodded.. then open his curious mouth again "But then, why some of them cover up like this" (Gesturing niqab-like cover with only two eyes showing)

I laughed again.. "Hurm.. good question. It's because they are super pretty I guess?"
Dalam hati aku pikir: Soalan yang agak susah nak jawab.. I then just summarize it to be because of the differences of mazhab, some says you hafta cover all except for your two eyes, and some just your face and two forehands.. and some says depends on your beauty.. the more beutiful you regards yourself as, the more you need to cover, and vice-versa =)

That short conversation reminds me.. I so hafta build on my islamic knowledge! I'm pretty sure there are plenty more curious friends that wanted to know, but just too shy to ask.

After sometime when I thought the topic was over, he again brought up the subject, still curious to why women has to be forced to wear hijab. He thought every women who wore hijab were forced by their husband or family as a symbol of protection of his belonging. I then corrected him, I was never forced. Mr.Ai has never forced me to wear it, we were married with kid for sometime before I decided to wear.. it was my choice, and my choice alone....

Then I gave him this youtube video to better understand "Why Hijab'

"That's good that it's your choice.." he said.. silence... I guess knowing that it was by choice he was convinced and satisfied.. hopefully now gained a respect of one of the most important point in the beauty of Islam.

"Freedom is about doing the right thing without fearing other people"

timed

2011-03-02T05:28:00.000+03:00

I came home from work today, showered with Myra's cheerful voice "happy birthday Mommy!". I cheekily joked and said "wish je ke? kek takde?" and she honestly replied "ade-ade, kek kat blakang!" then she ran off to the kitchen calling her dad to bring the cake in. So, there goes the surprise that daddy planned for Mommy ;P
geli hati..
Just when I tot he didn't quite care, he surprised me with the lil celebration. Then just when I tot that's that.. he surprised me with more. A flower, a touching card and a glittering gift on our bed.. awaits me.
thank you you.. for the most thoughtful touch of my heart... muah!

Shape Up!

2011-02-08T01:33:00.000+03:00

Time to face yet another fitness challenge. Now i understand why some mother never bother to try to get back in shape... it's either there's no chance and time or they just couldn't care less.
Me on another hand is standing in between. I wanted to start all the fitness regime that I could think of to get rid of all those yucky fats off me bummm, but knowing the fact that attending fitness classes means leaving my babies more often, I kinda hesitate. Then come the malas factor; sejuk, ngantuk and macam2 lagi... huk huk cooobaaaan
But tonite I finally made the big move, went to Aspire ladies club, cheking out the classes there, for a one-off trial class, they charge QR50, and to signup for a month is only QR200. And for 3 months is QR450. We (me and another lepas-branak friend) tried the 315 class- a comby of some aerobic, with weight and step. Focusing on toning of the entire body. Best.. berpeluh2. And the best part to go with a friend is; when we made a pack to keep each other motivated. Anyho our enthusiast effort dah terbantut, when they said february registration is closed.
Nak tak nak terpakse look forward for March jela; hmm sementare tu, mintak2 semangat nak kurus tak hilang..

huuu 10kg to go!

Dubai and DSF

2011-02-07T01:52:00.000+03:00

more like disaster shopping festival. 2 days after completing the ever so-'torturing' confinement, i decided to join my family for a short trip to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Thinking it'll be super fun and all.. when it turns out, people with small kids stays at home more for a good reason! (padan muke beta eheh). Just forget how canggih the itinerary was, everything won't go as you plan, and if it ever did, you won't quite have that super energy to enjoy it to the fullest. And.. just leave all that shopping dream at rest.. even a quick 30seconds window shopping become lika super-special and rare previledge.. uhhh you'd think just for a tiny bit moment, let me eye on those shoes.. then BAMMM.. the baby cry for attention. But, nonetheless, going with family served a lil comfort, i still got to do the essential shopping (look&grab) for 3-4 items, which is good enuff considering the cry baby thingy heh.
but sayangnye, my in laws didn't quite get the promised trip that they've been told, many of the itenerary changes, and they didn't quite see all the must-see-thing in Dubai. huk huk will there be next time???? hmmmmm

Pantang o pantang!?

2010-12-22T19:17:00.010+03:00

Confinement period.. one could only hope that it'll go by quickly.. and then doomed with disappointment, whenever one count the remaining days to go without that walk in the fresh air that one has always have.

Why is it so important to jage pantang? Was it only one of Malay tradition? Was there a solid reason for all the pantang that we have to obey for 44days from the day we gave birth?

Yes.. I could have run the marathon the minute after the baby pop, and yes that was a bit too exaggerated..hehe. Although I do not feel tired and restless.. but I was told to lie down and rest.. reason being to let all the urat saraf that mengembang tak ingat to come back to its normal size.. or at least as close as it was, before birth. And I have 44 days of doing that.. well who's to complain? We deserve that break after all that hard work we've been through for 9 months plus Mommies! ;)

I know little about all the pantang reasons, but for all I care, I trust my mother and my MIL when they said the pantang is not for now, it is for your own good later in life. Take my mother for best example, she kept telling me how she never have her chance to really pantang during her past life. She had to do the laundry herself, cooking, cleaning and everything from the day after she gave birth.. not much rest at all..and no one to help her with (except my Dad.. but you know how 'helpful' a husband can be)

Then now.. she ended up with lots of sakit-sendi, sakit lutut, sakit segale lah... Comparing her, at 54 and with my MIL at 58, my MIL looks a lot healthier and energetic with less trouble with her body. And my MIL has got her fare chance of pantang.. so I guess it is true what they said about this later-life-thingy.

Believe me, I have tried to do some 'light' house chore 3 days after my confinement period.. that nite itself, I felt some serious miss-placed of my sendi kaki.. can't even stand properly. So after that day, I just simply close one eye to the dust on the floor, or to Myra's toys yang bersepah tak-ingat...sabor sabor.. few more weeks to go I'll say.

I was told one will lose so many million numbers of urat every time one gave birth (well, maybe i didn't get the number rite, but i know they are lots).. explaining the reason why after some years, woman with kids will look lot older than woman with no kids of the same age.. Now lets do some research on this topic and let all the other 'modern' woman out there know the reason and the necessity of these pantang to appreciate ourselves better.

::Pantang main air::

This it the part that I could hardly accept.. can't compute the reason why one can't play with water during their confinement period. My MIL even ask me to leave all my dirty dishes after every meal.. I was uncomfortable to let her clean my dirty dishes, but do as she said.. out of respect. Maybe, logical reason to this pantang is to avoid playing with cold temperature water.. I know it is bad to let yourself being expose to cold air. So, what we should do, is bath and clean with warm water.

::Pantang larang makan::

I guess, this is the most important subject of all pantang. Why some food is good and some are bad? Luckily, both my mother and MIL are not entirely strict on the food subject. They will think of reason for every food, what'll heat up the body (which is good) and what will cool down the body (which is bad). But they never really follow that rule of no watery-dish. So takdela asek makan food yg bakar-bakar jer.. and I even ended up with lots of yummy pantang food, even had Lamb Beriayani the other day! :)

Note: Some good food during confinement includes Ikan Tenggiri, Ikan Bilis, Daging, Ayam & Telur (after a week or lepas wound dah kering), Daun Pegaga, Black Pepper and Ginger. Avoid seafood, timun.

::Pantang berjalan::

Yeah, heard about people who had to do the pengantin-walk during their entire pantang-time. Logical reason that I could think of is to avoid that wound to be worsen.

And one should never do too much of walking, need to lie down and rest more. I know it's killing-us-modern-mom that used to berjalan sane sini (nak nak at these season.. when lots of outdoor activities are happening and lots of clearance sale! Urghh ) but this is to avoid Bentan. Heard of that word before? What is Bentan? Well, from my understanding and through the experience of my sister-yg-degil, Bentan is when one could not walk, shivering and felt cold inside and sometime even demam.

So to make thing easier, just sacrifice your desire to let loose of boredom at home by avoiding that unnecessary outing. Bile dah terkena baru nak terase.. tapi dah terlambat. Prevention is always better than cure (So I said to my bored self)

Hurm.. stakat ni je what I could think of about the pantang-pantang. I needed to put it on black and white for my future reference, mane la tau.. kalau umur panjang.. next time it will be my turn to jage my own daughter during her confinement period pulak, and I don't want to be blur and hopeless on the subject.

Until then.. happy berpantang to myself! (Errr.. happy ke? hehe 3 weeks to go huuuu)

The 'unsangkerable' prison break

2010-12-15T09:13:00.005+03:00

Man.. one thing about mulut masin, and another on unexplained mother-instinct. After my last post, I've had the strangers feeling that it won't be long until I meet my new baby, and I was right.. on the night of 11th of Dec I started to have some blood show- which is an early sign of delivery. I contacted Dr.Rafah, and due to my previous experience with Myra, she advice me to go for a checkup. The CTG test doesn't show any major sign of contraction, nor there was any different in my dilation. It was still 2cm. The nurse was ready to ask me to leave, but after consulting Dr.Rafah.. she said I am admitted for further observation.

So there goes my entire night.. CTG test after another.. not much different at all.. and yet the blood show started to thicken and changed to hot-red, with me not feeling any of the contraction at all. Dr Rafah then came around noon, after checking, I am only 2-3 cm dilated, but my cervix is shortening, which mean I am progressing, but it is just too slow.. and she's a bit worry to let me go, thinking about the traffic and all. (Kang satu keje plak terberanak dalam kete... hehe)

She then suggested a pill, which can enhance the contraction and hopefully the dilation too. I was contemplating to accept the idea of putting up a pill under 'there' to speed things up. But after consulting another doctor, who is a friend; I then understand.. it is for the sake of not having the risk of infection to the baby.. so I agreed.

So nak pendekkan cerite, at 20 days earlier.. baby Maqeel bin Mohd Aizal, brilliantly (as the meaning of his name) chose 12.12 to be his birth date. Safely came to the world at 7:46pm..weighing 2.55kg.. complete and healthy, alhamdulillah.

So, there was no picnic for Mommy, no Brunch and no Agong too.. but it was all worth it.

And now there are 4 of us ;)

Makin dekat makin menjadik

2010-12-11T14:17:00.003+03:00

2cm dilated rupenye doesn't mean anything serious.. hehe.. maybe 1-2 weeks till the baby pop. And yet, this boyot Mom still got plenty in her mind- nak gi picnic la, nak gi brunch la, and the nearest, nak jumpe Agong.. hehehe.. tahla.. if we made it till Monday, we'll get the chance to see Agong, just takut terberanak time salam die jek.. huhuhu.. (eh ade ke salam? errr.. takkan nak sembah2 kot? :X)
The ''bomb'' in my womb is ticking hard.. tik tok tik tok...

nebes!
(Pic courtesy of google image: obviously not me!)

Mystical Doha

2010-12-07T06:54:00.004+03:00

Foggy morning, two days in a row.. as if walking through the mystical land. Drive pun tak nampak mende.. takut jek.. luckily safely arrived to office with no scratch. But that picture ain't the same as my experience. While driving (at around 5:45am), hardly even see the car in front of me.. and everybody's on the hazard light, which make it rather difficult to differentiate whether they are static, or turning right/left. Hurm.. typical Qatar's I-couldn't-care-less-but-myself drivers.
...And they outnumbered the normal driver each day.

Well.. anyway, maybe the foggy morning is the Maal Hijrah celebration afterall.. happy New Year to all muslims. May it be a better year ahead of us, sheltered from Al-Massih ad-Dajjal.

Amin..

Winter Saviour

2010-12-06T10:44:00.004+03:00

Ibu is here again.. to help look after Myra while I'm finishing my last bit of working life up until the delivery of baby M.
1 day after her arrival, she's already on her feet cooking for the winter nite market done at our Embassy on Friday. 40 packs of Laksa Johor and 45 packs of Roti Jala- sold out! Alhamdulillah.. we are happy for Ibu. She always love to do cooking business, and she is a great cook too. So, it was sure a good experience for her. :)

2 days after, I treated her for our small AJE ladies Hi-Tea gathering at Ritz Carlton. The food, ain't that great.. but okla.. at least its a release session before i'm locked up for my confinement. ;)
But the companies were the most important, old (not that old as age, old as in org yg lame skit kat Doha) and new gather to mingle, it was a fun evening in deed.

Horray for Qatar WC2022!

2010-12-02T19:19:00.006+03:00

Yes.. it'll be a hot games all around, and hot ''maksiat'' in Qatar too .. but just think of the positive side of it? Qatar will be well developed (hopefully la.. dulu time Asian games pun hancurr.. airport pun tak siap2 sampai la ni! huhu). Maybe they'll install air-conditioner all around the country.. huhu..

But until then, just wait and see.. (Hoping for the best)

P.S: To those who think Qatar tak best: "In your face!"

Sincerely;

Me, who-do-not-regret-coming-back-to-Doha-Qatar ;D

Hurmmm.. 12 years to go....

Oh Tidak!!

2010-11-26T20:09:00.003+03:00

Why am I so behind in getting my maths rite? I am actually now in my 9th months pregnancy! And I still thought I have plenty of time for the baby-stuff checklist! Uh oh.. Time to get nervous and hit the store for a last minute shopping.. Aaaa.. panic panic!

Time to scratch out stuff from these endless list!!! Erghhhhh!

__ Comforter/Quilt __ Bumper Pad __ Crib Sheet(s) __ Diaper Stacker __ Dust Ruffle __ Canopy Cover __ Mobile __ Pillow	__ Cradle Set __ Porta Crib Sheets __ Wall Hanging __ Lamp __ Wallpaper/Border __ Changing Table Cover
Nursery Furniture
__ Crib & Mattress __ Cradle & Pad __ Chest __ Dresser	__ Rocker/Glider __ Porta Crib & Pad __ Bassinet & Pad __ Changing Table & Pad
Infant Feeding Supplies
__ High Chair & Pad __ Bibs __ Booster Seat __ Pacifier & Holder __ Dishwasher Caddy __ Sterilizer Kit __ Bottle Brush __ Bottle Warmer	__ Plastic Bottles __ Disposable Bottles __ Glass Bottles __ Nipples __ Bottle Caps __ Breast Pump Set __ Nursing Pads
Infant Health & Child Safety Products
__ Nursery Monitor __ Safety Gate __ Vaporizer __ Thermometer __ Nasal Aspirator __ Night Lights	__ Fireplace Bumpers __ Drawer Latches __ Outlet Plugs __ Appliance Locks __ Toilet Locks
Infant Bathing Needs
__ Baby Bath Tub __ Bath Sponge __ Bath Ring __ Hooded Bath __ Towel __ Wash Cloths	__ Tub Spout Covers __ Deodorizers __ Potty Chairs __ Safety Scissors __ Nail Clippers __ Brush/Comb
Infant Travel Products
__ Play Yard __ Infant Car Seat __ Toddler Car Seat __ Diaper Bag __ Baby Sun Shades	__ Umbrella Stroller __ Large Stroller __ Soft Carrier __ Back Pack Carrier __ Peek A Boo Cover
Infant Clothing
__ Diapers (cloth) __ Diaper Pins __ Plastic Pants __ Diaper Covers __ Diaper Liners __ Gowns __ One-piece outfits	__ Sleepers __ Playwear __ Booties __ Socks __ Shoes __ Receiving Blankets __ Undershirts (Snap-side or Pullover)
Miscellaneous Products for Baby & Nursery
__ Crib Mirror __ Activity Quilt __ Activity Gym __ Toy Chest __ Child's Rocker __ Toys __ Door Jumper __ Walker	__ Swing __ Bouncer Seat __ Picture Frames __ Record Book __ Photo Albums __ Wipes Warmer __ Diaper Pail

Pasir Berdengung

2010-11-22T16:59:00.009+03:00

Last weekend was packed with instant activities. No plan was really made, but luckily everything fall into places; we managed to go for Singing Dune (yeah.. after that many years of kene-tinggal-sebab-keje) finally dapat jugak gi main pasir berdengung ni.

Funny thing is, the sound resembles bunyi kentut sikit-sikit.. hehehehe
And just imagine that number of 'behinds' sliding simultaneously down the dunes.. it was like a fart-fiesta.. hiks and yucks!! :P

Well.. here's some of the shots during our last minute trip (pics courtesy of others-kami lupe bawak kamera! seb baek videocam ade), will upload the video later on.. (malas nak transfer hehe)

After the brief fun, everybody agreed to an instant BBQ session at Zahed's, which turn out to be brilliantly filled with lotsa food that i can't stomach anymore! huk huk..

Then, the next day, same crowds agreed to play futsal at our place. it was nice to finally get to use one of the court .. kalau tak, slalunye penuh ngan kekanak riang jek.. main beskal la.. apela.. hmmm.. i do miss playing futsal.. can't really recall the last time I had fun sweating out kicking anymore.. i guess it's true what my mom and MIL said.. once you are a mother.. all those activities will be part of history.. sob sob :(

Well, enuff talk about the what if and the what was.. let see some 'jumping-sekerat-acts' hehe

Oh.. btw, here's the coordinate to go there: N250 02.466' E510 24.540'
Someone told me, there's only one particular hill that'll sing as you rub down the dunes.. others.. will only be a pain in the 4$$.. hiks.

Eid-ul-Adha

2010-11-17T08:44:00.005+03:00

Pic: Googled (Thnx!)

AidilAdha, time of sacrifice..

Wondering what's going on with few of our Doha Friends in Mekkah now, hopefully their hajj rituals running smoothly and come back home safely. Aminnnn...

On another note, we felt so blessed that this time around, we were showered with lots of invitations to open-houses. The first day alone, we've covered breakfast time, lunch and dinner.. (tak penah2 ni) hehe.. rezeki baby, mommy takyah susah2 masak pagi raye! :) tambah2 dgn Mr. Ai yang berjangkit demam dgn Myra..

And today, after work, we've got 2 more houses to go to. Then another house the day after.. Kinda feel like Malaysia.. maybe even more meriah? Hiks..

But I am sooooo sleepy at work now! Please wake me up! Urghhh!

Anyway, Eid Mubarak to all! (Orang Malaysia baru raye hari ni.. kiteorg dah raye semalam :)

Feed ME!

2010-11-13T09:40:00.005+03:00

Another set of appointment with the Gynae.. not long now.. 7 weeks to go. And she's saying I hafta feed myself MORE! Hello?! Can't you see my bulging tummy already?

Well.. according to her, the baby is not getting enough! And weight just at par. No wonder all the fat distributed evenly throughout my chubby face, tripled chinsss, flabby arms, gigantic legs and not forgetting my 'not-so-lil' (but still cute) behind..

oh how I envy those who didn't gain!

Yes.. I am aware that for every pregnancy- be it girl or boy, my body will just swollen up. So, the so-called myth about having a boy and not really put on weight is totally a fairy tales.. well at least to me :(

And now my Gynae is asking me to eat more! And I bet most of that 'nutrient' would go all over ME, and not my baby.. huk huk.. poor baby M.. Mommy will do her best to feed you with lotsa protein aight? Insyaallah.. see you soon baby.. grow big now (But not TOO BIG please.. takut lak nak teran kang! hehe)

:)

It's London all over again

2010-11-08T08:22:00.003+03:00

No.. we are not moving back to London :P

I'm merely talking about the uncertain feeling that i had when having to babysit Myra in between job, with Aizal and me working in opposite shift. Yeah, it sucks.. but hopefully work well. Here we go again!

Uninspired

2010-11-03T16:55:00.004+03:00

Feel like years since I have updated my blog. I was bored at the office that I googled 'hadiah kahwin', when I came across this beautiful artistic blog by azreenchan. Her space filled with lotsa cute doodles, which I think is preety clever. Truth is i love scribbling too.. if I ever hold a pen/pencil and a pad, I'd find meself drawing some random stuff that me myself am puzzled to where it came from. But yeah.. being the lazy-me, i never got to improve nor explore more on that side of me. Thus, leaving the old boring me, staying put in my tempurung land. I wish I could be more like azreenchan..

I wish I could be inspired to do more..

Disney Fiesta

2010-10-24T09:18:00.012+03:00

Four years, and 8 houses later (yes!! we moved that many time!!!), only now my wish to paint our home is granted.. ;)

Barulaa ade rase home sweet home..

It's our house warming and Myra's birthday celebration.. everybody were invited to dress in any of Disney's character.. it was a marvelous time. Although we were struggling to get the house done, with working in odd hours and all, but alhamdulillah everything went well. Just in time to bake & decorate the cake, buy the goodies and party pack and order in foods (yeah.. terpakse cater jela.. tak larat). Almost 90% of the vision i had in mind for Myra's 3rd birthday party came true... ;) Including the clown! and the games, and the cute chicken dance.. hehe thanks to Aina yg tolong pikirkan games.. hiks..

Almost all the kids are supportive of the idea to 'dress-up'. And even some adults came dressed in a slight pinch of disney's toon. My favourite.. the headless-Monster inc. And of course, yang memang takleh celen- Mr.Clown and family; fully dressed as a clown with wifey Tom & baby Jerry.. how so cute! (Thanks again guys.. korang memang sporting ;) well u know who u are..)

The party all in all went well, except for few hiccups here n there. During the candle blowing ceremony, the Minnie cake (luckily baked from the box.. hehe preggie Mommy's lil tired to bake from scratch) flipped over to the floor- abis pecah my lovely Burleigh cake stand.. huk huk kenangan from UK :(

TAPI, yang bestnye kek selamat! maintain- thanks to fondant I guess.. just the Minnie bow jer pecah. So, after that few second of glitch, with sobby Myra crying, we resume with the candle-blowing, and party popper-popping (which creates another unfortunate incident.. abis poppers masuk lam makanan!! lupe nak cover! hiks..) But then again.. what a party without any glitch kan? Barula meriah skit kalau ade bende-bende camni.. leaving us with sweet sweet memories... that'll make us awkwardly smile alone out of no where. ;)

Hurm.. besar dah anak Mommy.. next year, takde dah kot party2? hehehehe

Hong Kong Trip part 2

2010-07-31T23:16:00.004+03:00

Disneyland!!! yes.. both kids are over excited for that particular day (but I believe my hubby is slightly more over excited..hihiks).. checking out from our hotel to move to Disney Resort for another nite stay there.

Oh yeah.. pardon me for forgetting to share some basic cost of transportation there. The taxi cost from the Hong Kong Island to Disney Resorts was +-300 HK Dollar. The taxi cost from airport to HK island was +-400HK Dollar (if I remember correctly). And you oughtta take a different colour of taxi to get to different island, so be sure to check on that before boarding. They charge more based on your luggage and toll. But that was the total cost that we paid. So, divide by the 5 (and a half) of us, that's still not too bad.. I think it is the best way to travel with the bags and everything.

Sadly, while waiting for our taxi, the sky turned dark and suddenly its pouring rain! All the way to Disneyland!!!! The 11 years old Tisya starts to feel sad.. and tot there goes all her hopes of glory and joy to have her dream vacation in Disneyland.. :(

We reached the Hollywood Hotel with a warm welcome, the bell boy immediately took our luggage and stack it onto his trolley, then professionally label them together and hands out the reference card. He then pointed us to go to the provided bus to go to Disneyland. Bayangkanla.. belom check in ni.. baru keluar dari taxi jer, pandai2 je apek ni.. nasib baik betul mmg kiteorg nak buat camtu pun.. haha

So, dengan rase yang sikit2 happy and sikit terkilan due to the rain, we boarded the bus. Then 5 minutes later, we've reached the gate. Our assumption that the ticket booth would be flooded with people (like the one in Paris) was so wrong. The place is practically empty. And so was the crowds inside! Man.. memang rileks gile.. don't really have to think about the long line of queue (except for picture taking with Disney's famous idols- Mickey & Mini Mouse).

I felt quite happy to be able to take Myra in, now that she is older, she recognize most of the Disney character.. and was really happy to see them. But, the down side of taking her now was the fact that there were not that many rides to go to that suit her age (or height). There were 4 part of the whole park; the Main Street USA, the Adventureland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Pusing-pusing kejap cam dah abis.. Compared to Disney world in Paris, 2 days is the minimum time to really enjoy the whole park! But still.. I think it is just the right size of a park for a 3-5 years old kids. So, no complaint there~

from then on, starts the fairy tales of the kids.. enjoying every little bit of their time in Disneyland, ignoring the drizzling rain.

Well.. enough 'talk', now let the video do the talking. Enjoy~

We left the park right after the last shot of fireworks.. the not-so-crowded place seems packed now. Everybody were rushing to get to the hotel. We tot we gonna wait long for a bus, but the resort has everything under control. Rows and rows of buses were lining up; ready to take passengers. It was a well organized process, people were divided by numbers and quickly boarded on bus in no time. Same thing at the hotel.. lucky for us, that Me and Aizal had took the opportunity to check in earlier (we took a little detour to the hotel during our time at the park, because Myra need 'to go'). Overall, we are 110% satisfied with the services and the hospitality that the resort had shared. It was surely worth it.

The next day, the rain just kept pouring harder.. So we cancelled the plan to visit the Ngo Ping 360. Instead, we took the train to Tung Chung station, and strolled along the branded outlet mall. It has got plenty to offer, but sadly not our pocket :(. I guess ade gak hikmah hujan lebat, rupe2nye the cable car for that 360 view tour was closed for yearly maintenance.. so takde la penat je terkejar2 nak gi visit..

After few hours, its time to go home. We picked up our bag at the hotel, then took the taxi to the airport. At 1830hrs, we bid farewell to Hong Kong. Another fun filled holiday to remember.

Myths of the 'Orang Tue'

2010-07-28T04:51:00.006+03:00

Yes, I know.. I'm writing a completely different story, whilst my trips (sss) stories are yet to finish. But I just couldn't sleep until I write this one off my head (No.. I do not hear voices like the manics people.. it's rather inspirational thoughts by the way :P)

From day one that I announced my pregnancy, people surround me just couldn't help but to guess on the gender. They all somehow become 'the expert'. Comparing all mine and their own past experiences lah, physical appearances lah and the what they call rather abnormal behaviour of the mother (i.e Me).

So, the myths of petua orang tua begins...

1. Orang tue-tue cakap kalau 'Perut membesar kedepan, ade pinggang, anak lelaki'. (This was my mom.. she had it wrong before, dulu time myra pun die kate ade pinggang! :P)

2. Orang tue-tue cakap kalau 'kite malas2 time pregnant, anak lelaki'.

3. Orang cakap kalau 'time first pregnancy dulu lain, sekarang lain, anak lelaki' (in case the previous one is a girl)

4. Orang cakap kalau 'mabuk teruk time first trimester, anak lelaki'

5. Orang cakap kalau anak perempuan tu tak suke kat Mak die mase pregnant, anak lelaki (This is supported by Myra's abnormal behavior towards me, she is now more prone to manje with her dad than me :(

6. 'Eh eh, anak orang suke kat kau la.. anak lelaki kot lam perut tu.. Dulu die tak suke Eicha sebab pregnant girl' (my younger sister was telling this, when her 1 years old son somehow like it that I held him)

But one contrary prediction from my pinoy neighbour was that 'I think it would be a girl again, because you are so beautiful (I think she meant blooming, yada-yada)... hiks (Note: Ini yang die cakap, bukan saye nak masuk bakul angkat sendiri :P)

Then, come the Chinese calendar...

Some of my husband's officemates (No, they are not Malays nor Chinese.. and yes, they include a matsalleh too ) AND my sister both predicted 'Baby boy' on their assumption of the consumed date of the baby and the Chinese calendar calculation.. hik hik.. agak lawak considering, how on earth do you actually calculate based on the exact dates the baby is consumed?

Well, this is just few of their own initiatives, in their eager to 'bet' whether the myths are actually true. And I, myself am curious too. Sejauh mane kebenaran teori-teori ini???

Although, yesterday I have had the support of technology to confirm their prediction, semua ni still Allah (SWT) yang tentukan. Kami hanya berserah, and hopefully, 4 months after this, all those who had their share of prediction would be quite happy seeing the little bird 'flying off' my belly. Insyaallah..

Well...what's more important is the baby is safe and healthy. Aminnnnn

Hong Kong trip

2010-07-11T09:10:00.009+03:00

Gosh.. i know it has been a while since i last updated my blog. There are so many things happening that i kept delaying an entry after another. But certainly not today! Today, I will finish off my entry on our last trip to Hong Kong. (Well.. that was my determination 3 weeks ago.. hehehehe)

It was a sudden plan to go back to Malaysia, urged by a sudden 'kerinduan'.. First, we booked our flight ticket home from 2nd of June, then Mr.Ai suggested why not go to Hong Kong and take Myra to Disneyland? So, we booked our flight and hotel to HK; a 4days and 3 nites trip, 2 nite spent on Hong Kong island and 1 nite on Disneyland Resort. Then, lepas dah excited2 with the booking and all.... i discovered a joyful news, I was already 6 weeks pregnant!! So I guess we've created our spontaneous-tradition; both my babies had their chance in Disneyland while in my womb. Last time Myra had her chance in Disneyland, Paris and now baby M2 got its chance in Disneyland Hong Kong... ;) And that just mean Mommy aren't allowed to have fun with all the blood-thrilling rides! (phewwhh.. agak lega.... hehehe)

So after few days in KL, came 7th of June, joined by Mr.Ai's sister and her daughter Tisya; we took the 4hours airasia flight to Hong Kong. Myra was not that excited at all, she kept asking us to go back. But her mood turn to joy when boarding the plane, she opened up the 'meal-tray' then curiously shouted 'Mommy! Takde? TV takde?!'. Oh boy.. the joy of explaining mengapa kapal-terbang-tambang-murah- ini tidak menyediakan tv to the 2and a half years old kid. :P

Luckily, she fell to a deep sleep few minutes after take-off.

The 4 hours ride isn't a joyful one for me because of few reasons;
1. The seat is too cramped. No space to stretch your legs
2. The flight was full. No chance to get an extra seat or two
3. The back ache caused by my pregnancy
4. My squashed bladder that kept pushing regular visit to the loo.

So, note to myself; never again board a normal airasia route for flight longer than 2 hours. It really serve you with its lowest possible comfort. (Well, what you pay is what you get la pun..)

Nevertheless, on the plus side; we reached Hong Kong safely and the pre-booked meal is as good as ever.

After checked in and few hours of quicky nap, we carry on with our first destination; The PEAK. From the hotel, we adventurously took the tram to Shau Kei Wan terminus. Determine that it should be a short and easy ride to the PEAK (well, according to google map, the hotel is just a walking-distance away from THE PEAK). Well, turns out google map was wrong, luckily I took the initiative to ask the local the arah-tuju. The locals there are quite friendly, and speak good english too! I'm impress ;) So, based on the direction from one local woman to another local man, we finally reached THE PEAK! pergh.. bleh tahan jauh! Memang menipu btol la google map nih! (or izzit because the hotel's add yang tipu?!! grr...). Well, anyway.. I'm glad that we are still on track with our day 1 itinerary. Dalam sebok2 beratur nak beli tiket tu, tibe2 my phone rang.. Doha's number.. hurm.. i just simply picked it up and answered. Rupe2nye an old colleague of mine, asking if I'm interested to do a freelance work from July! Wahh.. another rezeki.. alhamdulillah.. after one year plus being a housewife, i think i should give it a try, at least before baby M2 arrives ;)

Pic: Tisya on top of Hong Kong

After spending few hours at the top, we then made our way to the ferry station (but this time by cab.. hehehe with 1 preggie lady, a cranky myra and 1 lady in period-pain, i guess cab is the way to go). We took the ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui and then waited until 8 pm to board the ferry back to Central, awaiting the so-called magnificent "Symphony of Light show'' from the ferry view. Oh how disappointing, the show lasted like 5 minutes and the only lights we saw came from not more than 10 buildings! Gosh.. talking about exaggeration! Luckily we already ventured the Tsim Sha Tsui surroundings, and found few beautiful spot to hang.

The following day, we took the tram again to the nearest bus station to go to Stanley Market. It was not that difficult to find, the bus station is just few meters opposite the Central MTR station. (Yes, i had the local help again..malu bertanye, sesat jalan maaa ;)

Myra was really excited to took the double decker bus ride. She sang 'The wheel on the bus' song over and over again throughout the journey. Even Tisya was excited, it was her very first experience, riding the tram, the double decker bus and the ferry, lucky to have an adventurous uncle and aunt huh Tisya? ;)

It was a scary journey to Stanley Market, being on top of a double decker bus, on the front row! riding the bengkang bengkok hills, we felt as if we nearly scratch the hill, for every turn it made. Kecut jugak perut.. cam naik roller coster! And some more, the bus driver dgn slamber bawak laju! huhu.. tapi naseb baik, slamat sampai..

According to google; Stanley Market is the place to go for all sorts of souvenirs and bargain hunts. But it works rather on the opposite for us, the shop mostly being unfriendly and won't allow any bargain at all. Nevertheless, there are still few shops that's still kind enough to lower down the price, but still even after the bargain, I still think it was way too expensive!

After the 'satisfying' shop, we went back to the Central, took the cab to go to Islamic Central, not far from Causeway Bay. Finally eating rice, halal dim sum and few other halal chinese dishes. But surely our taste bud can't really swallow the un-spicy chinese food, looks tempting enough, but tasted literally like a fried beef in a salty-soy, full stop! :(.

The same nite, we took the MTR to kowloon and venture one night market after another. The best is surely the 'Ladies Market'. It is simply the biggest night market there with many stuff to buy. Almost like the Petaling Street in KL. If you are looking for imitation watch, or designer items, this is the place to go, but don't expect it to be displayed on the shop, as it is illegal. If you walk around the market, somebody would definitely approach you with a file filled with the pictures of the 'hot-stuff'.

Fyuohhh.. i'm tired now.. recalling all those memories in Hong Kong.. i think i should stop here, and continue again after some time.. stay tune for our Disneyland stories! ;)

Wake Up!!!

2010-05-29T14:46:00.003+03:00

I was a bit behind on this, (was it 2 years ago?? ), nonetheless perhaps there are others like me, who never been exposed to such excellent discoveries through this amazing online film production called The Arrivals . A must see, for those who believe of the end of the world. There are 2 more interesting series on the WakeUpProject website called '' Phase 3" and "The Divine Book" also worth your time to watch. You can also watch it through Youtube, you'll find plenty, find the one under Noreaga/Archernahr. Go and have a peek, it'll change your perceptions of the world insyaallah.

Better late than never~

menyahut PanggilanNYA.. (pt 3)

2010-05-12T05:05:00.010+03:00

We arrived in Mekah late at nite. As we approach nearer we recite the talbiah... whilst our little heart felt excited and overwhelm to finally reach our main destination... Mekah al-Mukarammah.. and to finally see the the holy Kaabah with our own naked eyes, insyaallah. From afar, I could see the brightest light coming from Masjidil Haram.. subhanallah. But, my first sight was distracted by the bigger building just right to it, The Zam-Zam Tower..memang potong stim. Why would they build such a gigantic tower in this holy land? It has taken the special grand-appearance of Masjidil Haram.. I would personally think that because of this, people could be more amazed to see the big tower than the Kaabah.. (sigh..).

But alhamdulillah.. despite the BIG distraction, my heart is still itchy from curiosity..

curious to see the magnificent Kaabah, the Baitullah. At that moment I was excited plus scared, would I see it? Bermacam-macam cerita tak bes dari pengalaman2 orang lain (actually pengaruh dari bace cerita2 cerekarama dari metro la.. apela.. hehe) terngiang-ngiang kat kepale.. ade orang yang tak nampak Kaabah sebab dosa yang tergantungla, and macam2 lagi la cite tak bes... So I pray hard.. moga-moga we are among the lucky one to be able to perform umrah without any hiccups.

And Alhamdulillah.. that very nite, we approached the Masjidil Haram, and there it was.. the big black cube.. as beautiful as people said it was, dan yang paling penting, I saw it! ;)

Around midnite, we performed umrah, from Tawaf to Saie and to Tahlul.. and khalas.. at around 1++ i think, we are free from the pantang-larang ihram. Mase buat umrah tak rase letih, tapi once dah selesai, fuhh.. terase jugak, nasib baik Myra kena tinggal kat hotel, kalau tak, sure lagi mencabar nak angkut die sekali tengah2 malam buat umrah (although I am sure akan dipermudahkan olehNYA kalau kiteorg bawak pun..;).

The hotel we stayed in is just few hundreds meters away, so agak senang nak berulang-alik. The next few days were just us and our own activities, berulang-alik ke Masjid, ambik sebanyak mungkin peluang untuk tawaf, because this is where, the only place we could do so.

I recall from a video I saw about tawaf, claims that ''the Kaabah has the strongest energy on earth that flows counter-clockwise, so by us flowing in co-relation with this energy, we are uplifting ourselves, we are reaching spiritual level that we rarely felt anywhere else, and the fact that we perform 7 times of the tawaf is because of the 7 level of the skies. So, we are reaching the ultimate state of wisdom spirituality''.. wallahualam.

I don't remember which day exactly we went for the group tour to see the Kaabah's Museum and the ladang unta. It was a brief tour, tak sempat nak bergamba sangat pun, hiks.

Anyway, the very last day before our departure, me, my hubby, nizam and Aiman went for our own quick tour with the local taxi. Paid Saudi Riyal 100 per taxi, to visit Jabal Nur, Jabal Thur, Jabal Rahmah, Mina, Padang Arafah etc2. During that tour, we could just imagine ocean of people coming to perform hajj. That empty tent, that empty field would be filled up with millions of pilgrims, with one hope; to not only fulfill one of the 5 pillars of islam... but to be accepted by Allah.

That same evening, we performed tawaf widaq, partly sad that it's time to say good bye. Praying that we'll be invited again..soon insyaallah.

23 hours later, we reached Doha... dengan azam dan semangat baru, semoga Allah terus-terus memberikan hidayah. Memang betul bak kate ustaz Abdullah, doa Nabi Ibrahim (a.s) sememangnya sangat makbul, doanya, semoga sesiapa saja yang datang ke tanah suci Mekah akan rindu untuk datang kembali..

that is exactly what we felt until now.....

menyahut PanggilanNYA.. (pt 2)

2010-05-01T22:21:00.003+03:00

Another day in Madinah Al-Munawarah.. which is by rukun, is not part of the umrah, but as one of the respected sister once told me, 'How could you not come and visit Rasulullah (s.a.w) when you are so very near already?

She was right..

The ziarah to Madinah is mainly to send our salam to rasulullah (s.a.w) and his sahabat and to also visiting Raudah; which is as per rasulullah (s.a.w) is part of the heaven's garden.. and is among the most mustajab place for doa. So, whenever you have the opportunity, go ahead and make your wish to visit it, after raudah you are just meters away from makam rasulullah (s.a.w).

For ladies, they have provided few time slot for ziarah, sometime after subuh, after zuhur and after ishak. The guys have much more convenient to visit, which for them are open all the time.

Me and ibu went at around 10-ish that nite (taking turns as we left Myra at the hotel with her dad). We were guided straight to Raudah's way (so we tot). They have a system to gather all the ladies as per their nationalities; which of course put us among the Indonesian and Singaporean group. The ladies guard (as fierce as they can be) would constantly shouted 'Dhudhuk ibu..dhudhuk..' (which is kinda cute, considering they are arabs and all, hiks). So there we goes...from one point to another, like a heard of sheeps we were guided and ordered to make our way, meter by meter nearing Raudah, everytime asked to dhudhuk (sit) then again making few step forwards, then sit.. until we can actually see the Raudah. At the very last point, few of the Pakistani and Turkish ladies got so angry with our group. They stubbornly sneaked in to be among us (as they tot we are next in line to get into Raudah). The ladies guard kept shouting for them to get back to their group, but their ziarah spirit seems much stronger than to bother about a small system as this. We've waited 10 minutes, and another group went in, 15 minutes, another group went in.. it was told that our group (which is the most well-behave and dengar cakap) will be the last to go, so that the Turkish or the Pakistani won't have the chance to push us (which is apparently their best known-behaviour, hence the system). So bagus jugak la ade system ni, at least semua kompem dapat merase.

Alhamdulillah.. 15 minutes before midnite, we finally got in.

(Pic by Aizal)

The next day we have our ziarah with few local ustaz (which are from Malaysia themselves). We visited Masjid Quba, Bukit Uhud, Ladang Kurma and Kilang pencetakan Al-Quran (which is the biggest in the world). The mutawwif in our bus is ustaz Abdullah, throughout the journey he was talking really passionately about the sejarah that all of us felt so tak puas, and rase nak dengar lagi... so Haji Mansur invited him again for another session that night, none of us felt sleepy. All eyes and ears are onto him, memang best.. sayu je dengar sejarah rasulullah (s.a.w) and para sahabat. I hope one day to get the chance to hear the history told by him again..

Never in my life, have I felt so into the scene when people talked about history until that day.

The next day, we checked-out and ready with our Ihram, making our way to Miqat in Bir Ali, untuk pasang our niat umrah and off to Mekah Al-Mukarammah.

To be continue (Insyaallah)

menyahut PanggilanNYA.. (pt 1)

2010-04-15T05:54:00.009+03:00

I think this is the only trip that one could never really plan on their own, unless they are 'invited'.

Our trip started on Wednesday evening March 31st, we left home after Asar, around 5pm. The meeting point is at Al-Saad stadium. Mr.Zahed was kind enough to offer his big Armada to send us off, alhamdulillah. So, there we are, nervous and excited to see the BUS that we gonna make as our bed-on-wheel throughout our journey for umrah.

Sampai-sampai je Al-Bayyan compound, we saw 3 of the buses lining up- gorgeous good looking brown metallic buses! New and Super cool, complete with a nice toilet (like the one in airplane) Alhamdulillah.

After maghrib, more and more people start to come, we loaded our bags into the bus and started choosing our seats, when we discover it's a full reclinable seat, sweeeeet! So there goes our worry . With a nice bus like this what could possibly be wrong? ;) The best relief is knowing that we can scrap off 'ke-taklalu-an untuk gune tandas awam' throughout the journey (which by experience from other people are super terrible!)

Some friends are kind enough to come and see our departure. So while waiting for the rest of the passengers, we hop on and off the bus (more like Myra yang forcing the hop-on-and-off) to meet them. At around 8, as planned we made our move. There are 4 buses all together, our bus was No 1, with the organizer Haji Mansor as a head. So, we lead the way to the Qatar-Saudi border.

We arrived Qatar border 1 1/2 hours later, with quite a smooth ride..

At around 10:30pm begins our best ujian, the Saudi border. First, Haji Mansor asked all of us to stay while he gets the immigration chop. Then the men were asked to go for fingers scan and picture taking. Then, the ladies turn. It seems quite a smooth deal, until one of the lady got stuck with her finger print; 5 times of failure and we started to panic. Tapi dengan izin Allah (rupe-rupenye almost all of us pray for her success serentak) 2 minutes after, she came out with a happy result, Alhamdulillah.

The next step was to go for baggage scan. We were asked to take all our belongings down and clear up the bus. Nothing should be left inside, not even a botol susu! It was already 1 AM i think.. so we were not in our best energy-level, plus the cranky Myra..cooobaaannn. The Saudi do a thorough check of the bus, using their special-trained dog. Then, the ladies were asked to enter a room for some handbag inspection and name filling. The immigration officer was a nice lady, all she had to do was to write down our name and check our handbag (if any). Once all done, we are back on track. Finally proceeding with our journey to the first destination; Madinah al-Munawarrah.

25hours later (yes.. campur tolak break), we arrived Madinah during Maghrib. I considered myself very lucky that I manage to get the room key and get ready in time for Ishak prayer (Further more, memang bersyukur that my period elok2 je abis time sampai Madinah!!). Ibu asked us to went ahead without her, as she still a bit too tired to rush to Masjid Nabawi. The magnificient Masjid was only 100 meters away, with the ladies entrance right across our hotel. It was my first best experience ever... seeing so many other sisters eager to perform jemaah prayer.

The spiritual experience is just unimaginable and beyond words. I couldn't really know how to express it here. I guess one can only know by own experience.

It was true what people say about the holy place, any wish.. any niyah will be granted almost instantly... so careful for what you wish for!

Among one of the magical thing that I experienced was when we lost Myra's crocs. We kept all our (cikai-slipper-that-intended-to-be-use-for-masjid-takut-kasut-mahal-hilang) along with her crocs, and yes.. like we expected, the slipper hilang.. tapi yang sedihnye so is Myra's crocs. The next day, my little heart was wishing that 'harap2 ade la crocs myra..' then I tried eyeing the shoe rack....then there it was.. myra's crocs with our emptied slipper bag; elok je ade! wah.. instant reward, alhamdulillah.

Banyak sangat cerita-cerita magik jadi, but i think this is enuff for now.. ;)

To be continue..

Soon..insyaallah

2010-03-29T16:32:00.002+03:00

Dearest family friends,

we are going for umrah in 2 days insyaallah. Please pray for our safe journey and being rewarded with Umrah Mabrur..

Hope to see you again..

....Aminnnnn...



	‘Here I am O Allaah, (in response to Your call), here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise, grace and sovereignty belong to You. You have no partner.’

Tok Mi in Doha!

2010-03-19T08:41:00.022+03:00

It was already late, but yet Mommy and Daddy didn't try to rush me to bed like they always did. Hurmm.. something seems wrong. I wonder what is up with them? Instead, they took me out for a ride, still.. nobody is telling me anything, are they taking me to the Zoo? I wonder.

I was tired, but the twinkling lights along the slow and relaxing journey makes it harder for me to shut my eyes, so i rather stay up and stay fresh.

Oooo.. airplane!! Are we going for holiday? Are we flying to Disneyland? oh.. i wish.

After some time, I started to yawn, and my cranky nerve has got to me, I then started to behave abnormal. After sometime in the airport, I then saw a very familiar face, i know her from somewhere.. I felt a sudden rush of warm love... So I ran to hug her. Yes.. it's her! My Tok Mi is here!

Upon Ibu's arrival at the airport, I didn't aspect Myra to act the way she did, gosh.. budak kecik ni memory die kuat dari yang kite jangke. We tot they are just too little to remember, yet, they know just what is happening and who's who. Or maybe we should thank Skype?! Zaman teknologi.. the world became smaller than it used to be. Ingat lagi rupenye die kat Tok Mi.. siap berlari peluk.. memang terharu.

We made a sudden decision to bring Ibu to Doha. Sebab ade rezeki lebih, so dapatla ajak Ibu jejak kaki ke Doha lagi, and insyaallah to join our umrah trip at the end of the month too (I am praying to Allah so everything went as planned). 2 days after Ibu's arrival, we joined MAQ's camping program in the desert, on the way, few cars terstuck, sebab pasir terlalu lembut, so bergotong-royongla kaum bapa untuk menarik kereta.. Sampai-sampai the camp site, wow... ini jauh panggang dari api from our desert-camp experience, the place is like a resort, the only thing missing is a comfy bed and our own room. Lain-lain facilities memang tip-top. Siap ade surau, proper toilet and shower. Cantik.. untung Ibu dapat merase..

After sendiri-sendiri lunch and prayer, we enjoy a camel ride and some sukaneka for kids (yes.. si budak kecik myra participated! Rupenye dah pandai!! hehehe) Kiut sangat tengok Myra lari bawak air dalam sudu.. even die tak tunggu turn die, tapi what matters is she knew the concept of taking one spoonful of water from point A to point B (again silap point, instead of isi cawan team sendiri, die gi isi cawan team sebelah.. hehehe nasibla sape dpt Myra in their team! hiks)

Habis sukaneka, Myra trus main lompat dalam blown up castle.. I tried lompating too.. best!!! hehehe. Then I heard an announcement about a volleyball game to whoever interested. Aizal was nowhere to be found, so I went on and play with others, best.. lame tak enjoy a game like that ;)

After dinner, they started the fire and organize some congkak game, but I was already in the tent putting the cranky Myra to bed. Thank god it went easy. I then snugged out to meet with other ladies, borak-borak for a bit then forced to went back to our tent bile dengar Myra melalak. Our night was chilled but cozy enough, we slept on our own sleeping bag, sharing the tent with another sister while the rest of the bapak-bapak budak shared their sleep in a big tent opposite us.

After breakfast, all of us had to rush to leave, as the camp is booked by another group of people at 9. So, the journey home begins.. yang kusangke sekejap dan senang, rupenya sangkut ditengah jalan.. dieorang ajak main turun-turun bukit pulak! So, nak dijadikan cerita, sangkutla satu kereta ni at the tip of the hill, sebab the car is quite heavy and the bottom dah touch the sand, so tak bergerak-gerak.. Mr. Super Ai konon nak tolak sorang2.. haha memang tak jadi ape! Even tolak ramai-ramai pun tak gerak2, akhirnye kene tarik dari belakang jugak.. After almost half an hour, berjaye jugak kereta tu di-unstuck kan, then he went on to slide down the sandy hill, followed by Aizal. Me, Ibu and Myra tak berani nak naik kereta, so we slide down on our own, best.. main gelungsur pasir~

We reached home at noon, getting some rest for more activities to come..

P.S from Myra: Tok Di.. there's more story of Tok Mi.. that Mommy will update soon~

Enjoy the pic for now ;)

Dear Aza..

2010-03-08T05:30:00.003+03:00

Alhamdulillah, i saw some pictures of your ceremony, i bet all went well as planned. I wish you a lifetime of happiness with your loving new husband. Although I'm not there to wipe the nerve off your hand, I'm pretty sure you are doing fine. Congratulation once again.. may he be the one who love you, guide you and protect you. For he is the bless and the answer to your prayer.

Aminnn..

Doha Transit visit

2010-03-06T08:01:00.018+03:00

Farah and Ekmal is going back to Malaysia for good. At their last minute impulse, decided to take Qatar Airways from London to KL, which means a transit stop in Doha.. and luckily, their stop were made longer, sebab there's no flight from Doha to KL on thursday, so they had to leave on Friday nite.. a comfortable 2 days 1 nite stop in Doha, sufficient enough to experience Doha (with of coz, a cekap tour-guide from us hehe).

At 6am Thursday morning, their flight landed.. I was busy preparing the welcoming dish, while Aizal out to pick them up. Bile sampai je rumah, macam tak sangke.. our short perkenalan kat London dah bersambung kat Doha.. it was so kind of them to even think about visiting us here.. ;)

The four of us, seated and enjoyed the nasik lemak Doha, sambil borak-borak..sampaila Myra bangun. Then at 11am we started with our trasit-visit-itinerary; first stop Doha Museum of Islamic Art.

A good excuse to go for us Doharian, yang tak penah pegi jugak. The entrance to the Museum is free.. (Except for the special exhibition, this time is on Pearls) with magnificent collection of arts, ceramics and all sorts.. And the best part, boleh ambik gambar sesuke hati.

After the 3 floors tour of the museum, we went out to the corniche for a relaxing Dhow cruise. A good way to experience Doha- naik boat sambil tengok the beautiful scenery of the modern and old buildings collision. And best thing about their visit, it's tengahhari bute, yet the wind is so cool.. so tak terase keterikan matahari at all. After the cruise we went off to Al-Rumailah park, having lunch in Thai Smile sampai kembung perut. Our last minute plan seems to agree with the time, that dalam tak sedar, it's already 4pm, just nice for a quick visit to Souq Wakif as it's already opened. Yeah, yang tak brape best, all souqs kat sini mostly open morning til 1, then close up till 4 baru bukak balik sampai malam.

Souq Wakif has got all of the typical tourist attractions. And now there are plenty of choices for souvenirs too. A must visit, not just to shop, but to also appreciate the arab's traditional building, architecture, surroundings and even food.

After the quick tour, we then head off home to freshen up and carry on with our next stop; The Pearl. Surprisingly, the pearl now has got more shop opened, and many street performances, including the scary guy with his flaming act. Takut terlepas, masuk lam kedai..hancus terbakar.. hehehehe. The luxurious Pearl is not just a place to shop, but also a good place to hang and stroll along. Ade ala-ala Mont Kiara kate Farah. Yang bestnye, you park your car at the designated area, then the tuk-tuk will pick you up and send you off to the shopping area. Yes, for free! Both Farah and Ekmal were so tak biase with the fact that most of the things in Doha doesn't cost a penny. No parking fee, free buggy ride, no VAT, etc2.... yela, kat London, almost everything cost money, so memang culture shock skit la for them (but in a good way) hehehe.

So that ends our first day of touring Doha. That nite all five of us pengsan tak ingat.. penat jugak jalan-jalan ni. ;)

Next day, Farah and Ekmal woke up a lil late, dah due malam tak tido, kesian. Bangun-bangun, Ekmal sempat lagi pegi Friday prayer. Aizal is at work, so we decided why not take them into 4ljaz33ra for a quick peek. Lucky them, the gate pass were approved, so they got in to see how the news work and all. After almost an hour, we then head off to singgah beli arabs chocolate dates nearby Markhia Roundabout. The shop has got many types of sweets made of variety types of nuts, chocolate and perhaps dates too. Yang bestnye boleh taste satu2, makan je sampai puas. You can choose to fit the sweets into all sort of container or box, memang sangat cantik for souvenirs. Harge pun tak mahal, berpatutan dengan bekas n sweets. Then it's time for them to go home. With a berat hati, we bids farewell..

Farah and Ekmal, thank you for visiting, I hope your life in Malaysia will turn out fine like your plan ;) Come back anytime!

Adding up the numbers +++

2010-03-02T08:03:00.008+03:00

Ok.. I'm upgraded a number now,

Do I feel older?

Do i feel wiseR?

or do i feel nothing at all (like my typical-usual-self)? hurm..

Truth is, I'm avoiding the fact that today I officially turn........ **sigh**..

But when I come to my sense, i tot, wait, why should i feel upset? At this age, I've accomplished many that I once only dream of. I have a fine fine husband, a lovely daughter, more skills that I never tot existed and the best is being blessed from Allah.. for everyday I saw the path for a better life, to a much happier soul.

So, why should the number bother me so much? Afterall, it's only a number. (hehehe tapi still takmo tulis umo tu.. hahaha lawak)

Deserted camp

2010-02-28T08:50:00.021+03:00

One of my must-do-thingy while living ere. Finally we manage to find a way to join a group of friends camping in the middle of the desert. The itinerary said meeting @6pm - Sealine. First thing first is to get the air out of the 4-wheels tyres as to get the just-nice-a-pressure to drive through the desert. It was our first time to off road wheeling deep into the desert. I was a bit nervous, dunno what to expect, and further more, it was already dark.. but I somehow convince my little heart to believe in my husband's driving skill.. There we go, a +- one hour of a slow and steady journey of a line of ten 4-wheelers, hardly no obvious bounce at all. Everybody was equipped with a set of walkie-talkie, we are number 3 on the line. Myra was a bit scared, tightly holding up my hand and kept quiet along the journey.. seeing many other 4wheelers pecutings to cut our snail-line.. must be arabs yang dah expert.. ;)

and Alhamdulillah, we manage to safely reach the camp site at 8-ish. A complete site, with seat-toilet, dapur serba lengkap, BBQ pit, table and few ready tent of the regulars. Huhu.. camping zaman moden~

The first thing we did was to set up our tent.. there we went, opening up our freshly-bought tent for the first time. Yeah... we only went for the camping-things-to-bring shop few hours before departure.. hehe. Ape yang unsangkerable was, our tent dah terlebih over dari orang lain! Canggih tak canggih, siap ade 2 separate 'room', that we then decided to convert one for walk-in-closet. AND a living room kat tengah-tengah.. hahaha.. kalau ade competition tent-paling-cantik memang kompem dah menang!

After we've settled with the tent, kaum-kaum ibu terus bergotong-royong masak dinner, feeding all the rumbling tummies. They've got BBQ, segala macam nasik and bihun gorengs, yeah.. macam biase.. melayu dan konsep hidup-untuk-makan.. hiks. After the burps, we then went for some fun games. The most memorable was the first game, which was a bit exotic.. acare makan epal berkapel. I held up the apple with my teeth while Mr.Ai eat-it-all-up, with Myra giggling for his every bites! Lawak.. tapi kami berjaye jugak menang tempat kedue.. hehe (sorry, no picture due to censorship). Tup tup, lebih kurang 12-ish jugak baru semua games habis.. pastu tidoooo. I was thinking the temperature would drop drastically that I couldn't sleep.. but I was wrong, or maybe the fact that I snugged into the cozy sleeping-bag helps to ignore the cold-breeze. Anyho.. I had a great and undisturbed sleep.. and so was Myra.

See the result.. pengsan tanpe kompromi!

Paginye.. i went out to see the beauty of the nearby sea,, tenang.. dah lame tak tengok nature at its best. ;) After the quick breakfast of kaya toast and teh tarik, they got some more acare sukaneka.. but mostly involves the kids. It was already boiling hot.. so I mostly settling in the tent, overlooking the ongoing games, until they call for the last game- Pak Andaman.. yup, I was the model, and Mr.Ai was the Pak Andam.. hancur muke ku.. ade sedikit berupe bapuk.. hahahaha, and as expected, memang tak menang.. (takpe sayang, this just mean you are a real man.. taktau make up make up ni ;P)

After lunch, we pack and get ready to leave. Little that I know, the journey home is far worst than coming. The location of the campsite is actually surrounded by water. Berpusing-pusing carik jalan keluar, avoiding the water, tapi tak berjaye-berjaye, sampai sangkut kat tanah lembut. Luckily the other 7 wheelers are expert in menarik kete-sangkut. So off we went again.. looking for the best possible way home, when we met with the police-truck yang selambe badak melintas air. With the police assurance, we then slowly make our way out of the 'island' through the cetek sea.

The excited Mr. Ai sudah naik syekh.. makin terer controlling the wheels doing some sand duning, nothing major.. main sikit-sikit je (as per Ifw4n). Huhu.. kecut jugak tau perut ni :P

Anyway, once we reach our previous meeting point (by the entrance of sealine beach), they start pumping in air again, as to allow our normal driving on the road. So that ends our 2 days 1 nite camping trip in the desert.. best! boleh buat lagi.. ;)

Our quad-end with the visitors

2010-02-13T12:47:00.019+03:00

Rizal's family are here in Doha. As a man with lots of activities in mind, he organized some to include anybody else whose interested. So, along came us.. memeriahkan event-event for his family trip here.
First activity, is the BBQ by the beach, overlooking the road of Doha's skyscrappers. Yeah.. janganla ingat Doha takde modern buildings.. hehe ;)
The location is just nearby the Intercontinental hotel, yup, takde orang akan terpikir nak buat kat situ, melainkan Rizal.. rajin aje bab-bab pikir aktiviti baru ni. (and I thank him for that ;)

Anyway, it is not an unknown place to hang. When we came, there was already few other smaller groups of people hanging out; either BBQing or just lepaking. So memang dibenarkan.. ;)
Mule-mule sampai, angin was just sepoi-sepoi bahase, tapi makin lame, makin sejuk beku.. huhu global warming is getting more and more serious I guess. The weather is so tak stabil, by experiencing the winter this year alone, I could tell. Sekejap sejuk, then panas tak terkate, then you tot, oh.. what a short winter, so, simpan jela balik all the heaters & sweaters. Then unexpectedly, the cold-icy breeze came by.. Mannnn.. susah nak agak dah. The world is really nearing to its end. :X

Anyway, back to the topic..

So, then, we just lepak by the beach, watching the kids seronot2 baling2 batu masuk air, jerit-jerit lumbe lari dalam kegelapan.. then kejap-kejap lari carik mak bapak masing2, screaming for food.. lapar.. Then sambung balik aktiviti.. The parents lak, like always.. borak sambil makan.. hmmm.. there goes the 4kg that I've lost last month!!! Grrr..

The BBQ was potluck based, so everyone brought a lil something to be 'burn'.. and the best is the chai's cerek.. hehehe memang layan minum teh tarik tengah2 sejuk..Although at heart i'm a bit terkilan sebab Mr.Ai tak dapat join sebab on duty :(
It's ok, next time kite buat lagi k?

**All pictures courtesy of Kimie n Fairul's FB.. mekaseh aaa.. saye cilok ;P**

Then come Friday, we joined for a quadbike in the sand. It's our first time to drive that thing.. rupenye letih jugak bawak menatang tu.. Mr.Ai was the most excited, asek merempit naik turun bukit. As for me and Myra, we just take a more relaxing cruise around the desert. For the newbies like us, yang teringin nak rase merempit bendealah ni sambil sand duning.. come by the Inland Sea, you'll see along the road, banyak port2 quadbike for rent, price ranging from QR80-200. Have a go! ;)

If I die tomorrow..

2010-02-07T10:50:00.002+03:00

Would there be any tears to shed?
Would there be any rain to fall?
Would there be a scratch on any heart?

If I die tomorrow...

please tell her..
I love her with all my heart and soul
I never knew my soft side
Never knew such selfless sacrifice
Never knew such phobic and horror of losing someone..
Until I met her;
my baby, my love, my world

If I die tomorrow..

please forgive me for all my wrongs
I may not be perfect outside,
but please know that, my inside is all about you..
every second of a day, I thank god..
for you are the clog to my hole
you are the dot to my sentences
forgive me for not showing enough..
but please know, i love you with all my heart..

If I die tomorrow..

I pray that they would know
How sorry I am for not sharing
How sorry I am for not caring
How sorry I am for not trying

More...

Pasar Malam 2010

2010-01-31T15:01:00.003+03:00

Before you know it, january is almost over. Yup.. we've survived nearly a month of year 2010! Last Friday, the MAQ has organized yet another 'pasar malam'. And this time my dear hubby along with his partner-in-crime paricipated to sell 'ayam percik'. And guess who's the pakse-rela volunteer? Yeah.. moi~ Actually I do not want to get involve, because I'm sure I'll be too tired, and when I'm too tired, I'll get too cranky, and nobody like a cranky old lady (not that I'm that old.. hehehe). But, memandangkan my hubby n the partner seems a bit kelam-kelibuts (maybe sebab first time nak buat jual2 ayam secare besar-besaran).. I then menyinsing lengan to help in the kitchen.. Oh well..

The theme of our gerai (yesss.. believe it or not, we are theme-crazy here in Doha!, semua benda mesti ade theme! including pasar malam! hahaha) is gerai KOBOI - so kenalah semua orang dipakse pakai topi koboi and mangse tukang beli from souk, tak lain tak bukan, moi again. Coz, I was the one yang belikan topi koboi aizal during our last Masquerade Birthday Party @Ju's (Oh yeah.. totally forgot to make an entry for that ocassion.. hehehe). Anyway, alhamdulillah although jualan agak banyak tak abes, kami still tak rugi, and yang paling penting gaye kena adeeee.. yeeeehaa!!

Things to do (outdoor), with zero riyal in ur bank ..

2010-01-17T07:57:00.027+03:00

Sape kate everything cost money? Good news is, you could always have some fun without bocoring your pocket!!.. here's how.. ;)

1. Main sepak takraw..(with sepak takraw ball obviously being borrowed..)

2. Some football games with friends (disregard the kakibangkuness)

3. Cycling (menumpang basikal orang.. even sendiri punye ade)

4. Flying the cheap kite (bought like a month ago when there's still money in the bank.. hiks)

5. Tengok Cheles beraksi with his powerkiting

6. Volley (with the lil one sebok nak join)

7. Enlarging 'the behind' on the kerusi (or also known as bench warmer)

8. Sleep (well.. you could do it at home too if u like)

9. Makannnn (potluck - masak & bawak je ape yang ade kat dlm dapur.. hiks)

10. Exercise (with one volunteer to lead- and obviouly not Myra!! hehehe)

11. Rollerblading (pinjamm slagi boleh!!! haha)

12. Bergamba, bergamba, bergambaaaa

Well.. that's basically our activities for the past 3 Fridays.. Picnic & Riadah at Aspire park with friends and families. Although we've been disturbed by the annoying guard on his super-fancy-golf-buggy- itu tak boleh... ini tak boleh.. menyampah! You are NOT gonna patahkan semangat beriadah kami! never! hiks.

MidEast Roadtrip - (Wahid: Qatar-UAE-Oman)

2010-01-09T00:06:00.025+03:00

Day 2 - Dubai-Dubai-Dubai (10th Dec 09)

Well, this is not our first time here. Been to Dubai shortly after my confinement period's over, as to celebrate my success for not being super-hysterical-pregnant-woman-in-labour...hiks.

So, that was 2 years ago.

Sayanggg... Dubai, the city that gained the-biggest, the-bestest, the-first & the-of-everything just won another title 'The biggest loser'... If only they slowed down a little. Well, that's that, but I'm here to tell story of our trip, other facts, google sendiri la.. :P

And, while in ZowwoBowwo's home, we discover the most interesting things about nature.. Can you see the garlic pic? Yeah.. that's the pucuk ginger.. dunno how long they've got them for, siap bleh tumbuh pucuk, yang tembus through the garlic's net! With no watering, no nothing.. semulajadi jek.. hehe (and nampak sangat la dah lame cik Zowwo tak masak2, hehehehe)

Since we've been to Dubai before, I didn't think about doing another double-decker-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tour again. We just thought, well, lets just go to Global Village, inside the Palm area, and to see the completed Burj Dubai and some shopping at Dubai Outlet mall. We weren't very keen on getting the city tour again... it's mostly mall mall mall anyway (plus, the pocket pun sudah agak bocor..hiks).

And, as I mentioned on my earlier post, this time around, we went for the most unprepared trip ever. I didn't do any of my usual research for places of interest or let alone a complete itinerary list! And I'm not a kaki-shopping myself, sebab tu even dah alang-alang kat Dubai yang macam-macam-ada pun, not really tempted to include shopping trips sangat, inikan pule my dear hubby.. So, mostly during this trip, we just went with the flow, with the minimal info taken from google and blindly following the GPS route... we went ahead to our first stop; Dubai Outlet Mall (saje nak tengok, best ke tak). Not that grand a place, boleh la nak shopping sikit-sikit, selection agak kureng on certain brands. Nak kate murah sangat pun, takla jugak. Tapi nak tak nak, abis jugakla dalam 3-4 jam round2 situ..hehe. Then, we left for our kodak moment at Burj Al-Arab. That time, Myra is already in her cranky mode, takmo posing2 cam selalu :( .

We then melencong to be at the tip of the Palm Jumeirah, tengok the Atlantis dari luar jer.. sebab dah janji nak pick up ZowwoBowwo for Global Village tour. Janjinye 7-ish.. tapi around, 9++ baru la sampai Global Village ; biase la typical janji melayu.. hehehehe

Pic: The GPS snapshot of us, being on the tip of the Palm's top.

Then, we left to get ZowwoBowwo and Aishah for our late tour in Global Village. Our arrival was somewhat welcomed with the series of fireworks, as my hubby kept saying- 'macam manela tak bankrupt, asek main firework je!' . In the Global Village, boleh tahan menarik.. banyak gile booths negare2 like Africa, Turkey, Egypt, China, Lebanon, KSA, Russia (to name but a few). Yang paling tak best is our visit to booth Malaysia-Singapore, no unique stuff to malambangkan both countries, there were more stuffs that you could find in any of the Souk yourself, barang merapu2.. , except for the Kelate booth yang ade jual some foods. Tapi, still overall agak memalukan.. :(

Pics: Some of the many entrance to the booths

Anyway, dalam kesejukan meronda kat Global Village, we got the chance to see the African performances- dancing, hoping and some fire~. Heating up our chilled flesh! My personal favourite was seeing the lampu-lampu and ceramics kat Turkey's booth.. sangat cantik! Pastu siap ade mamat2 Turkey yang tibe2 pasang lagu then joget2 lambak kat dalam tu.. Ni yang mengoda nak gi Istanbul sangat-sangat ni! Hiks.

Not forgetting seeing the unique crafty woods in Africa's booth.. sayangnye sume kedai cam jual bende yang lebih kurang same, and agak mahal jugak nak beli, baik tunggu beli bile dah visit South Africa or something.. barula ade alasan kukuh untuk ke sane.. ;)

Pics: The cool stuff from Turkey & Africa's booth

To be continue..

Oh yeah.. to get all the extra details on the road tour (coordinates and everything), please visit http://wahyuinqatar.wordpress.com - our major guide, thank you again Pak Wahyu!

Our date with Roger Federer..

2010-01-08T00:05:00.007+03:00

Only that, he didn't quite know our very existance. And the date involved thousands of other fans...hiks. Anyway, we never would have dream to get to see him live. Yeah, like my dearest hubby always says; kat london mane nak dapat.. doha jugak bes, itu free, ini free, tiket tennis pun murah lagi.. then siap dapat t-shirt free! (yess hunny, ur 'doha' is simply the bestest place on planet earth!) Last time when they started the tournament, they gave out free tickets, but they failed to tally the number of tickets out with number of seats available, so ended up, if the stadium is tad full, you're not gonna get in. But still, after they start charging, the price ticket isn't that bad at all, so sebab tu la dah tak sempat nak rembat tiket semi or finals, sekelip mate je sold out! :(

I remember last time when we live in London, berangan nak tengok Wimbledon, then I saw on the website, we have to register one year ahead to be on the waiting list! Man.. seb baik the Qatar Open lom sampai taraf tu.. tapi I think it will get to that point soon, I just hope it won't be that soon. Anyway, we thank god to be apart of the crowd to see the world number one in action.. selagi dapat, enjoy jeee..

MidEast Roadtrip - (Wahid: Qatar-UAE-Oman)

2010-01-02T20:50:00.011+03:00

How time flies, it was not long ago when I wrote about my life journey in London, then all of the sudden I'm back in Doha, to start off yet another journey here, maybe it's a second chance to something, I'm not quite sure. Berserah.. I strongly believe, everything happen for a reason, just like when we decided to leave Doha for London last time, many said we were stupid.. but we did it anyway and berserah... Then, when we came back to Doha, some people asked me why I ever left London, giving up on my career, when everything seems so right and smooth... and yet.. here I am, throwing all of that, for Doha, which some regards as the boringest place ever. Well, truth is, Doha felt more homely to us, and it is still safe to bring up a family here; as she's still in the middle; not-yet-too-developed, but not-that-under-developed either; the just right era. We always knew we'd come back, but we didn't want to come back when Doha is already in Dubai-level, so now is just the right time. Oh, well.. I don't want to elaborate more.. I guess, 'the grass will always seem greener on the other side of the road'. .. kami hanya berserah..

Anyway, I'm thankful to be back again, although it's hard to adjust from work-minded to domestic-goddess, I'm sure it'll get better, Insyaallah.

When I was in London, I always thought about my life in Doha, and regretted the fact that I didn't quite take the opportunity to explore it's neighbouring country. But last time, It was quite impossible to get a transit visa from Saudi (yes, no matter where we wanna go by road, we hafta go through the Saudi border, so it is quite an annoying process). Just because of our sponsor, we'd get rejected for any Saudi visa (I guess due to some politics issue), but thank god they've put that behind now, so now we can freely request for a transit, or umrah or hajj visa; just like others. With the so-called second chance of life here, we begin to potrays another set of travel journal, and our first pick is to go by road from Doha-Dubai-Muscat-Nizwa-Abu Dhabi-Doha. Insyaallah kalau ade rezeki, lain kali nak dikembangkan ke arah Mekah and beyond..

So here goes, our story of the journey, might not be new to some, but still, a story told by others are always worth a listen...(or in this case, a read ;)

Day 1: Doha-Abu Dhabi-Dubai (9th Dec 2009)

At 06:00am we are all ready to make our move to the Qatar-Saudi border, Bu Samra. I think it is still eid holiday to some, so, not that heavy traffic ahead. We reached Bu Samra at 07:34am, blurred and pointless. This is the most unprepared trip that I ever planned. Because, 1) I didn't quite think we'll get the transit visa ready within 3 days after the embassy open from eid's holiday and 2) Our original plan was to go on the 6th, so bile dah delay, the feel pun dah agak lari. Tapi alhamdulillah, sume berjalan lancar, on Qatar's side of border, the process is quite simple, drive through all the way from one immigration booth to the other.

On Saudi's side of border, we passed through 5 checkpoint; Before the first point, we stopped at the side, there's a small booth for ladies untuk ambik gambar and finger print, same for guys. Then off to the checkpoint, drive through all the way. On the 3rd checkpoint, they did car inspection then, on the next one, we have to buy car insurance for Saudi; 70 Riyal for a week and 100 Riyal for 2 weeks. So, if your entire trip is more than a week, it is much better to take the 2 weeks (it is counted from the day you enter Saudi and remain valid for the number of days irregardless if you exit & re-enter). Then on the last checkpoint, they'd check on all the papers, passport, then we are good to go! And time is already 8am.

At 10am, we reached the Saudi/UAE border.

At the UAE border, we fill up some form, then went for eye scan. Make sure to get your details entered to the system with a stamped paper (on the same building) coz we missed that one stamp, and asked to turn back for it. After that we just drove through for passport stamp and car inspection. Then, on the left, there are some insurance booths, where we need to buy UAE side of insurance, cost AED100 for 10 days (the bare minimum). Settled, went to the last checkpoint, then khalas... so, officially entered UAE at 11:22am.

The first plan is to drive straight to Dubai, but since our host is still at the office, we figured, why not go and jalan-jalan until she's home, so melenconglah kami ke Sheikh Zayed Mosque @Abu Dhabi, that we reached at 4pm! Sempat solat jamak ;)

The magnificient Grand Mosque: Although I'm all covered, still need to wear abaya for touring inside!

After 750km, and 13 & half hours later, we arrived in Dubai (at 7:30pm .. journey time includes breaks , blurred and all). Oh, before entering Dubai, you gotta buy that SALIK tag thingy, for your automatic-toll deduction. You can buy it from any of the pump station nearing Dubai; starting cost of AED100, which annoyingly need to be activated by calling their NOT-toll-free-number (so the typical big city must-charge-em-all-bla-bla-bla).
Luckily, when we arrived Dubai, the kind host; Miss ZowwoBowwo provided such an excellent room for us, a comfy knockout for the nite after the very long drive.

To be continue..

Oh yeah.. to get all the extra details on coordinates and everything, please visit http://wahyuinqatar.wordpress.com - our major guide, thank you Pak Wahyu!

The good thing about diarrhea is..

2010-01-02T20:41:00.002+03:00

it helps to lose all the extra kilos on your body.. so now I'm like 1 kilo away from my Wii weight target! ahahaha. Ade jugak faedahnye penyeksaan kene diarrhea 2-3 hari ni. Hiks. Err.. talking about it, I think I hafta make another trip to the loo. Grrr..

Visit to Doha Zoo

2009-12-30T04:42:00.011+03:00

It has been two days since our 'Moms&Kids' visit to Doha Zoo when Myra kept putting on her school bag and ask me 'Mommy, ankie! (Monkey!)', or 'Mommy nak wiwaf! (girrafe)', or 'Mommy nak Ephen! (Elephant)' or 'Mommy nakes (Snake)'; showing how eager and excited she is to go back to the Zoo and visit all of her favourite animals. Never tot a two years old could be so attach, so soon. ;)

I used to have a very low expectation of the Doha Zoo, having seen some picture from my friend's visit, last I could remember there were only farm animals there; like the ducks and the chicks.. and I was proved wrong. It was not that bad at all, they have almost all of those zoo-must-have animals; the lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, ostrich, zebra, elephant, girrafe, monkey, snake, crocodile, raindeers and not forgetting their very own oryx (the mascot). The kids had so much fun, posing here and there, jumping with joy to see cute animals in person.

The Zoo also have a big playground area, (which you could easily escape if you don't feel like freeing your kids to join the other super-hyper kids on slides!). And, since it's school holidays, expect to see more groups of kids around, which could be pretty fragile to the smaller kids (like mine!) as the arab kids could be a bit rough sometime.

The zoo entrance fee is QR5 for adults and QR2 for kids, below 4 goes free. It is located not far from Hyatt Plaza and Villagio, a very convenient location for the after-zoo-visit trip. As you can then take the kids for their meals, and perhaps let them have fun in Jungle Zone or the new Villagio's theme park- complete with roller coaster and all. (Yess.. that's what we did! )

Oh well, I guess I hafta make more frequent visit to the Zoo, with Myra's cute begging and all.

And the party of the year goes to....

2009-12-21T13:31:00.011+03:00

Finally, I got a reason to wear that baju that I've had for ages. Azerdills just moved to their new villa, which is so homely and have got just about everything you need for the family. In a way, I really enjoy seeing their progress in life, they take things one step at a time and make it better each year; which we always set as a good example for our on references in life.

So, come Friday, the most sought-after-and-talk-about nite finally arrived. It was in conjuction with their 6 year old son's birthday (and I'm pretty sure skali dengan house warming ;). The bling-bling Party! Most all of the guest arrives with their own style of blings, including the sporting guys. Some came with a disco ball hanged up their jeans, some with cds sew'd onto their back of shirt, some with sparling sock, some with sparling eyeshadows, some came with wife's earings punched onto their chest and some even came with their newly-tailor-made-blinded-blings'd-dress! (Aku ingat my dressing dah over, rupe2nye ade lagi yang lagi over! hahaha thank god!)

It was a pretty great turnouts; the kids were having fun with their own party games; musical chairs, bawak bola pingpong dalam sudus, nari2 masuk kertas yang mengecik and so on. Best part is, the kids game were done in the clubhouse yang dah macam part of their house, sebab duduk sebelah jer.. memang best gile, dah la lengkap dengan pingpong, pool, fusbol and swimming pool.. just what you need to have fun with family and friends.

Then later that nite, came adults kind of games plak (please jangan pikir bukan2.. hiks). They organize such a great game; first is the how-well-you-know-your-friends-quiz. Soalan yang tak disangke2, and dapat pulak orang jawab. Macam-macam hadiah menariks, termasukla pati ikan bilis yang I just thought to kirim from Malaysie, tapi dah dapat, so takyah dah kirim.. hehe. Then came a grouping game- team Satu and team Dua. I was in team Dua; the champion. hehe. We played some puzzle games and won, then we played guess-what-the-hell-I'm-mimicking-about game but draw. So, overall, we are the winner. Memang takleh lupe, by far the best party I ever attended. Everybody was so happy and over-the-moon. Yang paling tak tahan, menang botol kicap kosong pun dah rase excited gile. Hehe

It was in deed a nite to remember.. thanks again Azerdills for your great bling-bling party. A joy equally shared among the kids and adults. Memang lain dari yang lain ;)

Mii so likey

2009-12-19T11:10:00.002+03:00

Finally, we bagged ourself the black version of Wii, along with Wii Fit. And it cost a lot less in Abu Dhabi as compared to Doha, not quite sure why. My first verdict of the stuff is, EXCELLENT!

Before you ever start with Wii Fit, It'll do some basic test and measurement, as to see your actual ability and your Wii Age! My first test, I don't quite get what needed to do with my balancing and all, so I failed miserably, and ended up with Wii Age of 38!!! That's like a decade older! Urghhhh!

Then I started to try out some of the balancing games, I do well in some, and bad in others.. (please note, I am NOT really good at computer game.. hiks). Wii Fit has got 4 types of exercise-comes-game; Yoga, Muscle Workout, Aerobics and Balancing Game which is my favourite so far ;)

You could set your goal, and it'll keep track of your weight and BMI, which you'll clearly see on a graph. SO, it kinda good for self-motivation. Better yet, to include your family members for group of encouragement ;)

Then, 2 days after trial, I took the Body test again, and this time with little bit more of understanding, I scored Wii Age of 28!!! yay... just perfect to make my hubby all jealous (as compared to his test result..hiks)

So, anybody looking to get fit and oh so shy to join the gym, go get yourself a Wii Fit! It does work! Even it's simple excercise game can make you sweat a drop or two, honestly ;)

Qatar National day parade

2009-12-19T07:57:00.008+03:00

The day before the actual celebration, many sms(es) were sent by Qtel (ini macam Telekom la kat sini). Urging people of Qatar to come and celebrate Qatar's National day by coming to their parade. Ikutkan hati teringin, ikutkan badan.. malas.. hehe

We were actually too lazy to wake up for the morning parade- taking into account our drove-lagged self (just came back from the very long road trip) and the known fact that we-are-not-so-much-of-a-morning-person self and it's already 7am when Mr.Niz4m called Mr.Ai and according to him, the place is already crowded. But since it's a once a year thingy, we then came to our better-late-than-never sense and woke our lazy a$$ up. Leaving the house at 8:10am, I thought we'd get stuck on traffic somewhere along the way, but I was wrong.. The road is really smooth all the way through (with a puddle here and there due to Qatar's rainy season, yes! It does rain here too! Heavily, but with not so much of a drain- so go figure).

We parked the car to the nearest road, then walk our way to the parade point (ade jugakla dalam 20 minute walk.. but in this kind wintery weather-am not complaining! ;). In a way, we were luckily on time, as the parade is just about to begin and we got to see it from the starting point - avoiding the crowded area. Siap boleh lepak-lepak kat roundabout posing2 maut while the series of army lah, tanks lah, air force lah.. and their macam-macam colour team walked pass us. It was an amazing experience, something that we don't regret to lose our sleep for ;)

Anyway, here's some shots of the parade... this time we definitely salute Qatar, for their well-improved, organized and a make-known events! I guess, they must have hired a new event planner and a better marketing manager ;)

Road trip adventure

2009-12-15T23:56:00.004+03:00

That does it, I think I need help.... I just realize that I'm addicted to travelling! Man....
After checking back the 2008-2009 calendar, I now realize I've done more travelling than I could actually afford.. a really bad habit that I need help to improve :(
But anyway, bad point aside, I still have a great time doing our latest adventure- a road trip from Doha, Qatar to some part of UAE and Oman. I'll share the details little later when I'm back on track with my clock! hiks...

Wiicked

2009-12-04T00:19:00.004+03:00

I'm in a battle to keep fit, (and to slim down a kg or two actually more like 5/7kg.. hiks, while praying to lose more despite the big-portion of late dinner.. mane la nak kurus camtu? hiks). I was contemplating about buying a treadmill, as it is space consumptious, and..I hate running anyway. Then, some friend suggested Wii Fit,,. Hmm.. I wonder if it really work? Will I have my once-upon-a-time flat tummy in no time? Will I ever see an actual sweat while running towards the animated road ahead? Or, will it just dust up in our living room with us getting more and more chubbier?

Hurm..well, anyway, If I ever did buy Wii Fit, and make use of it's fitness program, I will definately update my honest opinion and results here.. So..stay tuned ;)

Only in Qatar..

2009-11-30T23:16:00.001+03:00

In a hurry to feed his/her empty tummy I guess? Dah tak sempat dah nak adjust.. Hiks
We just left Ponderosa, when this 'brilliant' act of typical driver in Qatar took place... Yeah, why bother, It's a 4wheels drive for a reason huh?...
By the way, thanks again for the treat 4zerdills, slamat pindah rumah baruuuu!

Squashed

2009-11-24T08:33:00.013+03:00

It was the time of the year again, where many free sports events are lining up to entertain the ever so dull life in Doha. And I thank the Emir for that ;)

One of the wajib sport competition is the Qatar Squash Classic 2009; which mean we have the chance to meet with World number one, our very own Malaysian player, Nicol Ann David.

After seeing her play, I understand why I can't even be the world's 100th, she play so calmy, despite the tension pushed from her opponent. On Saturday, she was up against in Quater Final, were we saw a very tight play between the two, and yesss.. as we expected, she won!

But sayangnye on Sunday, during the Semi, she loss to her petite opponent from England. It was a very tough game, and I could tell that her opponent is somehow seeking revenge, that she struggle to beat Nicol to the end. Well, anyway I still salute you Miss Nicol, you are truly an inspiration!

Come back again soon! ;)

Kite & Above

2009-11-24T08:33:00.008+03:00

Last Friday, there's a kite festival going on nearby the big empty space just at the corner of InterCont hotel. Hundreds of peoples turn up with their colourful (and I bet slightly dusty ) kites or Wau. And, not forgetting this one tiny person- Myra. It was her first time, but she flew it like it was in her nature. SO, cute! Boleh je die jalan menonong sambil pegang kite tu.. I'm not sure if she even realize she is playing a kite? hehehehe.. but anyway, that's the day we realize, the cold breeze in Doha, which means, Winter is finally here! Yipeee!

Hyde park in Doha

2009-11-24T08:32:00.006+03:00

Yeah, I know.. what is this la.. compare to Hyde park, or to Tasik Titiwangse even! hehehe
But as jakun as Doharean would be, we were still excited to see a big lake in a middle of a beautiful green field here in Doha; be it artificial or not ;)
I heard about the park before , briefly drove by the other day to see what's so great about it, to found an empty field of green grass, and I told Mr.Ai.. that's it? This is 'the park' that they've been talking about? Then come Wednesday, after Mr.Ai's return from work, we just had to get out for some fresh air, and we decided to take a walk there... and to my surprise, the park is so huge, complete with lake, air pancuts and all! Waaa.. how come we didn't see it before? Great, now I have something to remind me of the good ol time with parks in london. Another hangouts to add ;)

Brasil vs England

2009-11-14T23:45:00.008+03:00

I never tot one can fall asleep with eyes wide open whilst watching a football match, until today. It was such a boring game.. and yeah i know, who am I to judge such a game as I don't quite watch football match before. But my hubby seems to agree with me. The first half saw our countless yawn and sigh; the Brazil team keep attacking but couldn't finish the job, as all; yes I mean ALL of the England player turn to defend. Yikes.. memangla.. friendly match.. most of which just lika warmup session for the reserves players. Oh yeah,, you must be wondering, whattehell am i talking about aite? hehehe.. i just got back from Khalifa Stadium; there's a friendly match between Brazil and England...organized with two agenda (as I was told); one, to celebrate Aljazeera Sport's 6th anniversary and two, to show that Qatar bids for World Cup 2022 ain't a joke. Apparently, they want to do it all (yup.. still got their bid for future Olympics eventhough their summer is like 40degree-boiling-hot!).

But things has gotten pretty exciting after the second half, 2 minutes after the wisel blown, Brazil scored their first goal. It was quite unexpected, maybe because everybody were down with boredom (well if not everybody pun, I'm sure I was! hehe). Lepas dah masuk satu gol tu, barulaaa ade thrill sket from pihak lawan. Tapi, sampai sudah England gagal nak lawan. So at the end they settled with 1-0. Maka, happy la kami-kami yang menyokong Brazil. ;)

But the thing about tonite is, although it was an almost-full stadium, with lots of waves around the clocks, and opposing trumpet song from England fans, I still kinda think it was not as meriah as i expected, something definitely is missing. Hurm.. (or maybe it's just a tiny guilt for leaving Myra behind, while the moms n dads having fun at the stadium? hehehehe)

Yeah.. with no Brazil's jersey to wear, we opt for a green-Amsterdam and yellow-bali to make up their colours.. hiks.

Friday without a date

2009-11-13T15:36:00.008+03:00

Actually we do have a date, but we missed it by 2 hours! haha.. I hope the host won't get mad. We were s'pose to go to a Kenduri Doa Selamat early this morning..(truly sorry guys!) semoga mereka2 yang bakal mengerjakan haji in these few days akan diberkati olehNYA dan dirahmatkan dengan haji Mabrur.. insyaallah.

But since we were up and dressed, we tot why not just swing to a nearby restaurant for a relaxing friday breakfast-out; where the road is still as smooth as a silk (ye ke valid such perumpamaan? hiks). Tot of going for a mamak breakfast, but some says all the good food must have gone by now, so we went to Johnny Rockets for an all american dish instead.

Makanan die, sedap hingge menjilat pinggan.. nice clean environment with lots of matsalleh, so memang ade rase cam kat New york sketla.. hehe. But what insterest us the most, is their own retro-style diner, and..

the friendly waitress

The typical (but totful) goodies for kidsAnd of course, the food (wait, did i mention it already?)

Menarikla untuk melepak2 bersame family or friends. So, there.. another place to add for an ideal weekend hangouts in Doha.

Winter?!

2009-11-11T20:37:00.001+03:00

With the global warming getting more n more serious, will the winter season ever come soon?

Perhitungan

2009-11-08T22:35:00.010+03:00

Friday, like usual will be filled with some sort of activities, or else the Doha peeps will go out of their mind (but our case is different, due to the shift hours of work, so kiteorg slalunye belasah jek). The week before last week, we had MAQ bowling tournament, in which my dear hubby participated (yeah, takde menang pun, so tak yah la citer panjang2..hiks). But my stand as a viewer are more concentrated towards the out of the alley acts. Since most of the parents are busy menjatuhkan pin, the kids are left to play on their own, which mean the more adult of the group had to take some sort of action to somehow monitor them, so jadila saye babysitter tak bertauliah pade malam itu. The best part is, I was kinda been bullied by the bunch of underage kids! Cisss... First, they ask if I could buy them water, then chocolate, then fries, then ice-cream (tapi malangnye ice-cream tak lepas piawaian), then some more fries. Then after sometime, one of them started to 'pau' me a riyal, so being the melayu-yang-senang-kesian-kat-budak-budak-and-wanna-treat-them-equally, I gave all of them 1 riyal each. Naseb baek kene pau seriyal je.. hehehe.. pandai korang ek, seb baik auntie tengah good mood, so layan aje la.. Tapi once all of them ask if I could take them to the toilet, I started to panic, Errr... can't you guys like go on your own? Nasib baik ade rescuer, a more senior kids among them then volunteer to take 'em to the loo... fyuohhh..lege.

Then last Friday, another MAQ event took place, but this time it was bigger and merrier. The Malaysian communities are up against the Indonesian communities, for Badminton, Volleyball and Football games. But since there's no available sport complex for such an event in Doha, we then had to take it to Al-Khor; where the big community of RASGAS & QatarGas are (Most of the Indonesian lives there, so boleh pakai the facilities). The compound is like a mini town. Everything is there; be it school, medical centre, mini market, post office or bank. No wonder they don't quite need to go to Doha that often.

Anyway, talking about the sport tournament; as you can see, Mr. Ai was literally flying to fight the Indo-team. And yess, the Malaysian did win the whole set of badminton games. But a sipi-sipi kekalahan untuk Volleyball for both men & women team; which I somehow contributed on the first round (main after many many years without traning, yang bestnye memang dah jangke akan kalah, tapi tak sangke kalah tak seteruk mane, hiks). And yeah, it surprised me too that I manage to play in peace, sebabnye Myra tido, jadi dapatla saye main sekejap, kalau tak, toksah harap la.. sure satu dewan dengar suare die meraung..hehehe. Dan tak lupe, sipi-sipi kemenangan for football team; Go Malaysia!
Yup, it was indeed fun, make me miss my high school era, main volleyball suke2 lepas kelas petang. Hurm... how I wish for a multi-sport complex that we could rent by the hours ere. Anyway good team effort to all, and well done MAQ for organizing such an event to merapatkan lagi siratulrahim. I hope, after this takde la lagi bising2 isu tarian p4nd3k la m3nd3k la..kekeke

When Myra goes to school

2009-11-07T09:13:00.009+03:00

It has been 4 times since Myra went to the nearby Nursery, and yet still no sign of her being comfortable, let alone getting use to. The first week, we tried seding her for an hour session each for two days. Both days she clinged onto her teacher. Both days she'll cry the minute she saw me. And I can't even describe her sad look and her screaming tears when I pass her to leave. It was too emotional, but the teacher said it is an essential stage where the mother/father has to be strong, not to fall for their sappy look, yesss.. it was hard. She will eventually get use to the idea. But, even for that one hour, I feel like I've done wrong, I felt that I should have not even suggested the idea to send her to school. I regretted to ever register, but after much consultations, i then come to my sense. It is for her own goodness, so she'll have more friends and learn to be more independent.

Then, on her first official start of her school day, she was up from 4:30am. All happy, and playful. I bathe her, feed her and ask if she wanted to go to school, and she nodded. But.. little that she knows, school means no Mommy. And school means the same place that she went to the other week. So, she wasn't even panic and just felt happy and excited that we are going out.

But, the minute I pull off infront of the Nursery, she started to cry. She now realize the meaning of my earlier question, school means another disasterous moment of being away from Mommy. For her first day, I left her from 8am till just before 12, not to leave her for too long, as I don't want to torture her too much. On my return to pick her up, I saw that her face was all red and her eyes were bloated from tears. I guess she was crying the whole time she was there..sigh.

To make her (and me) feel better, i took her out to Landmark for some Spagetti Bolognese, but not long after we arrived, she's already fast asleep. Poor thing, must be too tired from all the crying, plus being up from 4.30 in the morning.

Then come her second official day to school. This time, I had to pick her up from bed. I had to wake her and get her ready. But seeing me in my hijab, she's already screaming, panicly saying 'No No No' while trying to bukak my tudung. Hehe.. funny, now she learn the concept of early morning wakes means- school. And the same emotional-process of handing over continue. But day 2, went by with some progress, she cried much less says the teacher, but was very possesive of the teacher and got all jealous if the teacher is entertaining other kids.

Oh Myra, i hope your school next week will get better, nasib baek 2 hari seminggu jer, Mommy pun tak sanggup nak ngadap muke sedih Myra hari-hari... but on another hand, Mommy syok, that now I have few hours all to myself that I could catch up on my pending list of things-to-do including Pilates.. hiks.

The Cinderella story

2009-11-07T07:51:00.014+03:00

One day, miss Cinderella decided to throw herself a second birthday party for Doha peeps. But, since Mommy is still tired and in her very-lazy-self mode, Cinderella oughtta do all the preparation by herself. So, from early in the morning, she..

Do the cleaning..

Bake the cake..

Blow the baloons..

Put up the hiasan-hiasans..

After much success of her before-party efforts, she then started to parteeeeee.... Most of her friends were there.. but since she's a bit tired from all the hard works plus no evening nap, her ability to enjoy a smile let alone a cheer has reduce to 2%..(dalam takde mood pun, bleh tahan jugakla).

Selepas acare tiup lilin (with the very funky party-pooper blown through the air) , daddy Cinderella dengan kejamnye menyembelih kek to-be-serve.

Yesss... that proves the cake IS real ;)

The party was then finished off with the ever so exciting open-gifts-ceremony. Cinderella was very thankful to all the cool peeps that attended her party, with their generous-generous gifts! Thanks again for coming!

So now, Cinderella live happily ever-after with her new toys and clothes...

The End..

Menyotong

2009-11-01T22:59:00.004+03:00

Last nite was the first time I joined an outdoor activities without my Hubby. Me, being the sole driver to and flo to Simaisma for a crabbing nite out (so they called it).
From Doha, I picked up Kak R n kids, then off we went to the sea....which turn out quite a joyful journey, and best part is, it's only like 20-30 minutes from our home.. A straight highway road, so takdela adventurous mane pun, hiks..
I never intended to even touch the cold sea water, let alone crabbing, but there I was, with one hand holding my pants up, and another one menyuluh lampu picit underwater while it's attached to a boat, that carries 4 kids!! Mannn, tahan sabar jugak rupenye aku ni, hahaha, come to think of it, I was quite impressed, camane tah bleh ade daye tahan letih yang agak tinggi malam tu, boleh aku angkat si Myra crossing the yucky mud for berkilo-kilo meter before finally reach the water. Oh yeah, air agak surut time tu, so jauhhhhhh sangat baru sampai air, as some claim, best time for crabbing. I tot of turning back, but persuaded to continue, so when we finally reached the water, i quickly tried to put Myra into the boat, but she scream and struggle to hold me tight, with her special-koala-hug. Mannn, memang menguji iman! So akhirnye cik Aina terpakse masuk bot, so that Myra will join her and stay calm. That's how I end up, with a hand locked to a boat, pointing torchlight underwater looking for Mr. Crab sambil menarik budak2 dalam bot!
I think it was about an hour or so that we move right n left whilst Myra busy entertaining us with her lupe-lirik-and-pelat mode of singing, when cik R finally saw a crab right under his nose! The excited me then helped to point some light... Wow, never tot i can enjoy being orang-batu like hunter. But, funny thing was, that's about the only crab we ever got that nite, followed by 2 or 3 other sotong, hence the title.
It is surely a nite to remember, coz I don't think I ever want to do it again until Myra learn to make full use of her own OP water shoes, and walk herself out to the open sea. So I guess after this, I will only join you ladies leisuring with the BBQ n yummy yummy food! Hiks

Anyway, in case you are stuck in Doha, with nothing better to do, marilah same-same menyumbang dalam industry mengetam atau menyotong (yang dah nak pupus gare-gare melayan kebosanan warge Doha hehehe).

So, what you basically need are;

1. A tombak and a baldi (minus Miss Z4ir33n - oh btw if you r reading this nyettosan, this is ur x-schoolmate!) picture dicedok dari facebook Kimi..hehehe
2. A pair of underwater shoes, or any comfy shoes that you think can handle the sea..banyak batu2.. sakit kalau tak pakai kasut
3. A rumbling empty stomach for the after-crabbing BBQ (although i guarantee, most of which will come from the supermarket, don't get your hope too high on your own catch! hehe
Till then, Enjoy~~~

Early birds

2009-10-25T10:18:00.000+03:00

Lately I was showered with question from people around me, asking when will Myra start her school? Then I wonder, isn't it too early? When I imagine about waking her up just after subuh- then struggle to give her shower, get dress n eat breakfast before playschool, I just think that I'd be too cruel... But then, the other side of me starts thinking; compare to now, she don't quite have a fixed routine of what-time to wake n no early-learning-stage activities to be expected, I would think I'd be of the contrary.

Since when that the modern world started this early? Everything is going faster and faster..

I was just at one of the might or might not short-listed-nursery-for-Myra, when I surveyed what a just-over-2years-old kids will be doing there.. painting, reading books, colouring and later off for a cooking lesson! Man.. Though I know it's fun and everything, but I still pity kids nowadays..with the competitive world they live in. The owner even mention that the silly-bus was design to prepare them for the exam they gonna have to take for the 'real school' at 4! My my my.. I guess It's never too early and never too small afterall. ( talking bout kiasu... ;)

That's right girl, you better work on your colouring now, or no harvard air for you!

1 bedroom apartment For rent (or for sale)

2009-10-21T11:37:00.001+03:00

Strictly no student. ( sorry I had bad bad experience with student, not taking the risk again)

Vista Impiana 1 bedroom apartment. Located on Bukit Serdang, Selangor.
Fully furnished - all furniture are brand new. Newly installed wallpaper, leather seat L-shape sofa, queen size bedroom, double wardrobe with top cupboard (plenty of storage space), shoe cabinet, book rack, room divider, tv rack+ tv, bar style foldable dining table, attractively well decorated.
Free access to gym, swimming pool and tennis court.
Close to Bukit Jalil, easy access to TPM, Astro, Bukit Jalil and Serdang within minutes.

I'm looking for a responsible professional, preferably single or newly married (with no children) to look after my lovely apartment and care it as their own. The interested party can contact Mr.Ibrahim @012-2113344.

It's not so hot anymore

2009-10-19T23:29:00.004+03:00

Today after hubby's brief break-dinner at home i took Myra out for a walk. He was doing the late shift again, and Myra just won't let him go, hence the 'walk'. Maghrib is now from 5-ish. So, at 7:30.. it's already feel like 9:30, dark and a bit quiet, but not like serial-killer-in-a-loose-kind-of-quiet ;)

The air feels right and kind, so I tot I gave the local groceries around the corner a visit. So, with a determination at heart, and Myra in my arm, I walked passed the masjid-under-renovation, big scary Villa which has got 'Room for rent' labelled on its front door (I manage to take a tiny peek inside to see some indian guys talking at the front yard), a manned truck (which inappropriately called out 'Hi Baby' - even if I assume it was for Myra, still.. Bluwehhh) and then finally reached the store; tiny-packed-with-stuff. I didn't get in, as my intention was just to see how far off i could go with the 'extra baggage' at hand. The bonus part was to see a fruit/veg store right next to it. Yess... now I can easily swing by to get any emergency ingredient by foot.

After the less-than-a-minute screening, I turned back. Taking the back road toward our tiny playground; where Myra then happily with no shoes-attached going up and down the slides.

And oh yeah.. my hubby got a new toy last nite; a slim tablet which makes handwriting or drawing much much do-able. So i tot i give it a try and drew a lil shot of our so called walk-and-about 'adventure' ;D

Oh, by the way.. i didn't quite wear such baju-kurung.. just that it makes the drawing much easier.. hehehe

Hari Malaysia

2009-10-19T08:45:00.003+03:00

I dunno what's happening with my writing, I am not feeling too inspired to write, hence the spider web on my blogpage. I sure hope that I'll have something to write soon or I'll end up giving up on it for good.
Well, today my hubby showed me the news on 'Cuti umum untuk Hari Malaysia'. The Prime Minister has approved to start it next year. Yeah I know, some who knows me mite be a lil confused as to why I wrote about it, I'll tell you why; the hari Malaysia is on 16th of Sept; which is the same as my wedding anniversary! heee.. so now we have double excuse to celebrate! hiks.
I guess that's that for today.. mite update more, who knows.. i just hope the Muse will help me get inspired soon.

..signing off..

Fatma o fatma i luv u..

2009-10-12T10:52:00.002+03:00

The landlord is super kind that she installed a children playground behind our building. A nice small playground, but good enough!

Thank you kind madam.. may Allah bless you always

Deserted again

2009-10-11T00:38:00.006+03:00

It was a tiring yet a fulfilling raya holiday. I understand now why most Malaysian in Qatar avoided raya holidays to the home country; it consumed every inch of your energy and drenched you dry once you are back to the desert-ol-reality. When we first arrived, I was expecting an 8 inch of dust waiting our feet; but to our surprise, the house is flawless, still in tact and with just tiny speck of dust that could easily be gone dengan sekali hembus (by un-cerewet terms.)
Myra, on another hand, running happily towards her room, and 'happily' tergolek into her bed when she struggled to climb it on her own. Well, now I know that you are never too young to feel homesick. Seeing how happy she was to play in her own room just proves that!
But the bad thing about her coming back to Doha is, she'll miss all her cousins.. no more kids to entertain her boredom, so salah satu hasilnya end up pakse Mommy teman watch Barney or Barbie round the clock!! I was literally mabuk by the sound of the dvd!!! Erghhhh nak termuntah dah aku!

Today, pejam celik pejam celik dah 4 hari dah we're here; and dah 2 open houses dah attend!!!; mannn... talking about kepenatan beraye kat Malaysie, i think it's just about the same ere too ;)
Oh well, bak kate pepatah, rezeki jangan ditolak, so ape lagi, belasah slagi boleh!
I'm not sure when it will be our turn to host pulak, dah ramai demand Qatar version of Myra's birthday party, and I'm just still too tired to even think about it..hiks

Two!

2009-10-06T11:19:00.010+03:00

Ever since Myra's two, I'd bore her with my new fav q; ''How old are you?'', and with her high-pitch-chipmunk-voice she'd replied 'Tiu!!!', "What's your name?'', 'E-ya!' and then you'll see a big fat satisfying grin across my chubby face... clever girl ;)

Last Friday we manage to organize a very short-notice-yet-brilliant birthday party for Myra. At first, I was sooooo lazy as I have already made a self-promise to bake the cake myself, so terase amat malas la kan nak kne buat itu ini, but at the end I gave in to her sparkling lil eyes, how can I not celebrate her birthday? You see Myra, Mommy wrote this so that you'll know that there was a celebration for your birthday when you are little; unlike Mommy who have no collection of birthday memories at all when I was younger, not even a picture, hmmm.. mebbe memang no one did ever celebrate my birthday pun?! (erk...sedihnye!)

Anyho, just to be extra sure, here are some pics from the small party for you (while in KL), attended mostly by families.

The goodie bag - very the last minute job.. so ok-ok jela
Then, majlis di tutup dengan upacare membuke hadiah, just look at her exciting lil face!

Thank you all yang sudi hadir ke majlis kecil-kecilan for si kenit, doa-doakanla Myra membesar menjadi anak yang solehah.. aminnnnnnnnnnnnn

Note: We are heading back to Doha tonite.. so this is our farewell to Malaysia yet again! byeeee!

Iftaring @Wak's

2009-09-19T07:40:00.006+03:00

Wak is getting married, and not all of us could make it to the big day. Since few of us are back for cuti raye in KL, we arrange for a date of a reunion iftar; serving two purposes= to cheer on the bride-to-be and to of cause, catch-up on things. The bride-to-be is generous enough to offer her lovely Armanee Terrace house for the event. Arriving on the 14th floor; series of foods are deliciously laying on top of the table lika 5 star buffet. Memang best, except the fact that 2 of the gang are missing in action; one of which bagi last-minute excuse yang sungguh tak logik (yeah, am talking bout you, NYETTOSAN!!), and another one who said she gonna come but at the end just kept quite and didn't turn up. Anyho, i still have a blast time, and so is Myra. Her comotness is the evidence of her enjoyment.

Picture: hasil cedokan from facebook Buyerra.

My best wishes for Wak n Olli, hope they have a wonderful wedding, and may their marriage last for eternity and blessed with lil one soon... ;) Will try to make it for your summer-Germany wedding, hiks!

And oh yeah, after the so-called party, I went home to menuntut ilmu anyam ketupat with my hubby. After 2-3 trial, i did it! Wallah, my very first ketupat! nak kene frame ni.. hiks. Salam aidilfitri all!!!! Sape-sape teringin makan ketupat saye, jemputla datang beraye ;P

"Dam dam dum,

Bunyi mercun,

Seronotnye berhari raya ini tahun,

Kerana dapat anyam itu daun.. "

Counting to Eid..

2009-09-18T21:39:00.002+03:00

3 to 4 days to Eid, and being a typical Malaysian gal-me, nothing is ever enough with the baju, the kasut, accessories, and yadi yada. Since arriving, my baju (well in my case, keperluan beraye) hunt is like an endless effort. Dah brape kali menapak in and out of a shopping mall pun saye dah tak tahu. The weird thing is, dah beli-beli-beli yet still tak puas hati and still the urge to look for that right kind of an acessories are getting stronger. Seb baek ade kawan baikku yang sanggup drive all the way from kampung kat Melaka, back to KL to accompany my final hunt of that bling that shine sambil menyetelkan her own self errands.
Our trip to PS boutique di tengah2 hari bute are all worth it, with her, clutching 2 big bag of fresh flowers, to be taken home to Melaka for the festive day, and with me, yang akhirnye jumpe jugak that tiny thing which has been hunting me head for days.
Balik from the trip, we stop by the local bazaar to grab some kueh2 then off home to berbuke with ibu's famous Murtabak diRaja and nasik ayam.
Then, later that nite, we went all the way up to The Lookout point restaurant in Hulu Langat, to have our sahur with some Doharian yang dah balik KL for cuti raye (yeah I know, memang cam takde kawan lain je nak lepak.. Hehehehe). The view from the top is in deed excellent, no doubt about it, the food also is a blast, but the turn off point was when the delicious meal were constantly intterupted with light-off surprise of birthday celebration, kalau nak kire adela dekat 6-7 kali, naik letih gak nak dengar lagu hepi besdei, tapi nak buat camane, dah name pun a special place to celebrate, this sort of things are just to be taken normal ;)
After we munched down the sizzling steak and the canggut teas, we then head home to the lil one... Fasting for yet another day, just few more left to go before the break of Eid-ul-fitri.

"The view from the top"

Has it been 3years?

2009-09-17T16:59:00.000+03:00

Yesterday, we celebrated our 3rd year anniversary. Nothing fancy, just a movie date like old times. I was craving for prawn mee in a local kopitiam. But since we arrived by time to berbuka (thanks to series of traffic jam all the way from KESAS to OU) , I settled to dine in the first kopitiam we saw, yang sungguh kelam kabut, dan takde pun prawn mee :(
Yeah I know, anniversary s'pose to be celebrated in a grand and happening place, but I think, nothing beats the romantica d'amor of a feeling just about everywhere you celebrate, baru bleh claim an original love.. Hahahaha (silap2 kedai mamak tepi jalan pun layan... Hehehe)
After the humble n simple Iftar, we went and buy ourself gold class ticket in GSC, just like old time mase cik Ai sebok2 nak ngorat I, sanggup die bawak gi tgk gold class tuuu.. Hiks, seb baek after 3 years he still is as generous, kalau tak... Siappppp... Heeeee

Well, tengok jela keselesaan Encik Ai baring sambil layan Gamer. An ok movie, takdela gempak mane pun.. Anyway, Mr.Ai, just to let you know, that I had a great date, thank you so much...Love you more n more each n everyday ;)
Love, that i hope to last for eternity.....muahhhhs!!!

The first day

2009-09-12T00:40:00.000+03:00

As always, miss Myra is jet-lagged. At 3am Malaysian time, she is actively giggling with her Maksu. I can't understand where she got all the energy from. Ever since arriving, her day was filled with lots of activities; she made the drink for Iftar- a special sirap Bandung Johor, mamam2 Iftar dishes yang siap kene pasang extension meja, played bunge api, played in and out of the house, litterally running back and forth with her cuzs and yet, she's not showing any sign of tiredness. Our decision to put her to bed at 1030pm was a big mistake afterall, as she then wakes up at 1am, recharged and ready to shake up the house all on her own. Mannnnn, memang menguji imam btol! Oh well, better luck next day! ;)

Balik Kampung!!!

2009-09-10T15:30:00.008+03:00

We are heading off to KL tonite. We are so excited as this is our first hari raya in Malaysia after 3 years of being abroad...yay! (and Myra's first hari raye bersame sanak saudare yang makin bertambah-tambah..hiks)

So i guess after this, IF time permits (in other word; if tuan-punye badan rajin), I'll continue to blog from my real home.. (Yess people, i do realize i didn't update my bersarang-blog for quite sometime! It was all the cakes sensation to blame! hehehe.. anyway, Selamat hari raye, maaf zahir dan batin (batin?!! izzit valid?!) to all! Wish you a joyful colourful meaningful and all the fulful for your hari raya!!! yeah yeah nak balik carik baju rayeeeeeee

Oh yeah, pic atas tu is Myra and her Benjamin Button boipren.. kikikiki.. a pic taken while the gang is doing the annual-wajib pose of Salam Perantauan.. which I totally tak sempat nak update before. Anyway, since i've got few hours of free time before my departure, I tot I'd share some of the behind-the-scene moment, to the final product. Enjoy~~~

Myra's first Bazaar Ramadan

2009-08-29T10:57:00.012+03:00

So you think Malaysia is the only heaven place for bazaar? You shall think again! Yesterday was the first day of bazaar ramadan in Doha organized by the embassy & MAQ. But due to summer, it was organized indoor- in Hyatt Plaza where the General Manager is a Malaysian himself. Bes la.. tak panas nak shopping and tak panas nak jual ;). Memang buat macam negare sendiri jek masing2.. hehehe.. There were sooo many food around, which make us feel right at home. Ade laksam, ayam percik, ikan percik, rendang tok, sambal udang petai, kueh-kueh, air asam boi, air jagung, pendek kate, mostly sume yang wajib ade kat bazaar lah. And if you notice the pic above, the rows of guys are the penjual air-airan.. (plus few kaki pantang-ade-chance-nak-aje-enterprem, which includes my husband.. hehe..) And do notice the shocked-face of my lil princess.. hehehe.. i dunno why, perhaps she was too tired or just too curious about something?

This time, I even took a tiny part by selling off some kek lapis sarawak. I made 3 trays of kek lapis, and sell them in smaller pieces, so that people won't be too shocked to see such a pricey cake. Well.. to those who didn't quite familiar with the cake, it has to be that way since it is not that easy to make and involved many expensive ingredients ;).

It was such a relief to see my last piece sold that day. Alhamdulillah, ade jugak sikit duit raye. Next week, ade lagi bazaar, but I'm not sure if I could sell more of the cake, cam malasss je nak buat, tapi rase cam nak.. hehehe tengok jela camane. Kalau tahap kerajinan saye tinggi, nampakla nanti a new entry about it, insyaallah. Kalau senyap je, paham-paham jela labuuuu..

After the bazaar, the three of us ran home to berbuke, then waited after ishak to go to Villagio, doing some present-hunt. That's when we first make our way to the new HighStreet side of Villagio. Man, feels like we are in Milan! Look at this pic, ain't it just grand? Hurm.. syoknye.. rase peaceful je jalan kat situ, terubat rinduku kat London.. hiks.

Iftar-miftar

2009-08-25T19:37:00.008+03:00

Thank you Allah for every rezeki of nikmat. Although i had a very boring first day of ramadan; having to break fast all by myself (yeah... si kenit ade, but that's different feeling, she's all germanish-talking-main-sendiri self, plus tak pose pun, so mane kire! hehe), hubby's doing late shift from 1pm to 1am, so as boring as it is, i didn't cook anything for iftar! Tapi rezeki tu ade kat mane2, my kind neighbour keep passing me foods, (she is very the rajin dalam hal-hal buat kueh, hari2 i'll get something different, sampai naik segan saye, bile la saye akan serajin dan seterer tu dalam hal memasak agaknye?) hehehe...

Second day, we (We here refer to me n si kenit, hubby still on shift) went to Ija&Cheles villa; for a very fulfilling potluck iftar. Soooooooo many food, mengalahkan buffet 5 start hotel! And yup, you've guessed it rite, that ayam pic is my dish that day, my 3rd attempt of Ibu's slurpilicious ayam percik recipe, which you can get the recipe from my older post labelled ''Golden Recipe''. Memang meriah la kalau buat potluck iftar; the very idea of everybody coming and contributing their own lil specialties dish memang menarik. Mule2 berbuke everybody had a light appetizers then ramai2 jemaah solat maghrib; lead by the tuan rumah. After that, sume serbu makanan. Time Isyak, again ramai2 jemaah, siap terawikh (except me- becoz Myra was already out of control; screaming on top of her lung, looking for me! memang pantang toknenek kalau Mommy die ilang! adeh..)

Despite Myra's drama.. things still terase amat meriah, dah lame dah i didn't feel this kind of feelings. Last year, our ramadan was surrounded by new alienated environment; was very new to London; moved to new home, knowing no one (except few kind friends of a friends); we constantly felt weird and lonely at times. Memang jauh panggang dari api compare to here; but then again, baru sangat kat sane, that's why the feeling is different. Well now that we are here, opening another new chapter of our life, ramadan seems brighter than ever.. Insyaallah, will even organize our own potluck iftar next weekend, so we could again share the friendly-warmly gathering with those who care.

Happy iftaring peeps! ;)

Mamam mamam before Ramadhan

2009-08-21T01:43:00.012+03:00

Two days in a row, i've vialated my pre-raya diet (Oh yeah, didn't i tell you? I was hoping to lose few kilos by the time for raya, so then I could do all-i-could-eat during the festive time in Malaysia without gaining any guilty extras meahahaha >;)

This week alone, we've been eating out a lot. For a start, we had a nice quiet dinner for hubby's birthday in Lagenda... it's a new restaurant in Holiday Villa; the newly launched Malaysian-own hotel. The food was delicious, and best part is, that nite there were only us, and another chinese-looking couple.. so we were serve lika V.I.P. All waiter(ess)s are kinda dying to entertain our demand, oh well more like Myra's demand to be exact. I had Nasik goreng Kampung, while hubby had Nasik Kenduri, and spaghetti bolognese for the lil princess (which then cleaned-up by the hungry daddy). All are very satisfying, that I recommended it to some friends. But as i heard, their experience the next day wasn't that great as it turns out to be full-house, and the restaurant wasn't that ready for the number of ala-carte orders.

Then, yesterday nite we were out for Khattab's farewell dinner @Ashai; an indian restaurant in Villagio. There were many interesting food around that i stuffed my belly up and can't stop burping all nite long (which still smell like my dinner!!). But, ever since last nite, i'm never gonna take Myra out dinner in a fancy restaurant in shopping mall (ever!); with many excess to her fun run- oh yeah, while waiting for everyone to decide on their meal, Myra dragged me out so she could do her joyful tour of the ice skating arena- running here,there and everywhere, refusing to go back to the restaurant! Man, she sure can run!

Then tonite, we've been to Ija's place for a delicious porridge nite-in. Memang best, hingge menjilat mangkuks. Hurmm..only one day to ramadhan, i hope we'll enjoy the holy month gracefully and not just think about food for our tummy ;).

Ramadhan Kareem everyone!

Delayed

2009-08-20T02:05:00.000+03:00

So many things happened that I'd like to blog about, but it seems that my delaying-syndrome has gotten pretty serious. Then, when I'm finally in a mood to blog, I'll feel that it's bit too late for an entry, so decided to delete it afterwards. Gosh... I guess I'm still on the 'downtrend' afterall, sume bende tak jadi and feels not good, Bileee la nak tukar arah ni?

Dear sayang..

2009-08-17T01:09:00.005+03:00

Another year of wisdom past by, with tiny wrinkles popping out of our sight. Know this, that there's no greater gift than the gift of love.
Happy birthday sayang.. I pray for all the best possible things in life for you with me by your side. Aminnnn..

Lurve is in the air

2009-08-09T09:44:00.007+03:00

It has been 2 days in a row now that I've been addicted to 'Full House'. A korean drama-comedy series, yes.. a very old one.. i know I'm so out-dated! hiks. I was so into it that I was only half-hearted when doing my selection of kain-nak-buat-baju raye yesterday during my brief outing with Kak Ana @Souq Diera (will tell more about the place if i'm there again) .. haha .. in my head, whilst confused between a yellow or a pink design kain; all i could think of is, what's next on the crazy drama? Erggghh.. hate the disturbance so much, that I struggled to finish it all last night by 2am.

Truth is, ever since i'm on it, my house has been a total mess. I disregards everything, including my lil pumpkin, Myra..Demm I'm a bad mother. So, today that I'm off the series (and promise NOT to start a new one in the near future), I finally adjusting back to my old routine; up- make breakfast & lunch for hubby, kiss him bye2 for work, doing dishes, mopping, showering+cleaning the bathroom, cook for myra, and now.. apparently blogging until the very moment that Myra's awake.

What I like about the story was, the lesson about love. How one could just be so stupidly in love and could ignore everything else but him/her happiness. Love, that made a very proud and reserve man to finally come to his sense and beg; Love, that made a very lazy and messy girl to change and clean without hesitation; Love that made every fights, arguments and even insults necessary and fun. But the best lesson of all is; one should always be thankful that one could find someone to love and be loved. Doesn't matter how handsome or pretty one is, or how loaded or successful one is, one is never complete until one find that special bond that one called love.

P.s of a nota jiwang karats: I love you Mr A.I sooooo very very much.. and thank you for loving me back.. hiks. ;)

Hmmmm

2009-08-04T16:17:00.004+03:00

Today, after so long, Myra finally feel comfortable going across the hallway to 'lepak' at the neighbour's house on her own. Oh my.. macam dah besar je my lil princess.. dah pandai dah visit friends on her own.. so the very cute. She was mostly attracted to see the cats there.. which will make her go 'arwww.. arwww' ...hehe.. and tambah-tambah ade Kak Suria, yang pandai ambek hati Myra.. bes la Mommy leh rilex kat rumah.. ;)
I am so blessed to have such a wonderful malaysian neighbour, (my first time since I'm abroad. All this while tak penah ade neighbour malaysia).. and some more, ustazah pulak tu. It is as if god has finally lead me to a new way of adjusting myself...ke jalan yang lurus insyaallah.

I couldn't recall how long has it been since I last read the Quran. In our malaysian-muslim normal culture, when we are still young, our parents would send us over to learn and khatam Quran; which are treated like an accomplishment that one should have at least once in their lifetime. But then, after 'graduating'; after the ceremony of khatam quran; after school; some would continue to practice, and some.... would just lost with the world and it's more interesting 'fun'.... people like me that is.
I am ashame to acknowledge; me too, is among one of the many neglector of Islam's living. Yes.. i do read Quran; sometime (mostly during Ramadhan), but even when my little heart tot that I was reading it wrongly, i didn't take any action. I was too afraid, scared of being judged. But this week alhamdulillah, god is as if showing me a new way to change. I was miserably in stress. Everything was wrong. I was mad, angry and in a total mess. Then, i had a brief skype-chat talk with my sister.. She has reminded me, 'Everybody has problems; big or small, there are others with much bigger problem in life, and yet they still manage to survive. You should be thankful, think of something that'll soothe your heart, like listening or reading the Quran or even shopping! Focus on whatever makes you happy, and the stress will go off'. (Well.. basically that's her main point, banyak lagi sebenarnye..tapi takleh la citer.. hiks).
Since our last talk, I am now in much better shape at heart. I felt better and I have started to learn the Quran again. Asking my ustazah neighbour to help me with my reading. She was kind, and open-minded, making my decision much easier to follow. Alhamdulillah, may everything went well... with the Ramadhan just around the corner.. I thank god for this beautiful wake-up call. ;)

Magic mop

2009-08-03T06:59:00.004+03:00

Image googled (from E50e flickrs..tq)

There will come a day when all we need to do; is to call out our mop, and let it clean up our home on its own. And by then, I'm sure most women would be jumping with joy, that includes me. Not only I'll jump, I'd do some kicka$$ kungfu too. But till then.. here I go again, hafta mop mop mop or the dust will get to us. By the way, that pink mop looks weally cool aite? ;)

Jinx jinx go away!

2009-07-31T15:09:00.003+03:00

Have you ever got series of bad news coming to you; one after another? To make things worst, our satelite signal is out for almost a week, everybody else in the building got theirs fixed in no time, but ours? dunno.. still the same old message: ''No signal, check your antenna cable!".. huhu.. sabar-sabar..

Well, i guess it's my downside of the month now. Puhlleeease make it over soon and let the sun shine again, with me being on the top of the world. Aminnnnn...

I wanna see the happy rainbow again...

TGFFS!!!

2009-07-26T14:38:00.007+03:00

That's Thank God for Friday and Saturday!! hehe.. Was a fulfilling weekend. Yup, the weekend here are Friday and Saturday (I'm sure most people are aware of that?). Alhamdulillah, this weekend, I could rest more from my daily job routine in the kitchen. You know, ever since becoming this so call house manager, my time spent in the kitchen has boost up to 85%!! It is quite frankly tiring!! hehe.. but who am I to complaint.. ok jugak, it has sharpen my cooking skills, and broaden my creativity on ..what's cooking doc? (In Bugs Bunny kinda way). Opps.. I did it again, melencong dari topik asal.. erghh! focus!

Well anyway why i was thankful so much for last weekend is because of the endless invites to makan-makan.. kenyang purut suke-hati ;). Friday, dari pagi lagi we don't have to bother about breakfast, got a free invites from the Tun's family. Lovely meal... cam biase; sarapan orang melayu nasik lomak- nyum nyum lauk sambal sotong yang super-delicious-just-the-right-hottness ;). Then there's yong tau foo- which got quite a long number of people queing, coz kene tunggu turn nak rebus.. haha. All in all, we had a great time there, well... bukan selalu dapat makan bekpes free with good company, aite?

Then later in the evening, we went to the so-called farewell tea-break for Mr.B4shir at the lovely home of Said n Ain, both Singaporean. Bes gile! Bukan makan petang pun, makan lauk pengantin! hehehe.. Nasik minyak, ayam masak merah and i think rendang daging! Pastu ade sluuuurpious dessert ever! (That I'll definately will try to make myself someday ;). Hahaha.. memang kompem i gained like 1 or 2 pound coming home that nite. Besides the great food, we still feel sad to bid our farewell to B4shir; one of the victim of the recent mass-job-massacre. Anyway, i heard that he is already talking about another good offer awaiting him, so maybe this is for the best afterall ;)
Balik balik lak, sh4fie n Hunny came to collect some football cd from Ai. So, ended up they lepak sambil layan seround movie, while training as babysitter to lil Myra. Bes ni.. makin ramai babysitter bertauliah kat Doha, senang sket mommy n daddy nak beraktibiti lepas ni.. hihihi
Then on Saturday, we celebrate 4rif R4yyan 1st birthday. He was so happy- like he knows everybody there to celebrate him. Memang budak magik kan? tau aje! hehe
So, there.. tak tau la about next week, hopefully dapat lagi la break camni.. >;) hiks

Dear Bloggy,

Malaysia be-reak

Journey to Hajj 1432- sneek peek

Hajj - the plan

Vaccination for Hajj

Ujian

tiny tea time with tiny peeps

Happy 4th birthday my sweetie

Makna Surah At-Takathur

Makna dalam solat

Hajj soon insyaallah...

Alhamdulillah.. my husband and I got our hajj approval number few days back. Means, we are 50% there, in our pursue of completing the fifth pillar of Islam,

...insyaAllah

But Insyaallah.. all judging-fear aside, I will start writing on our journey here starting from today, to keep as our memory and hopefully serve as a lesson for us all.

Please bear in mind, if it's any good, it is from Allah, and if there's any bad or wrong.. it is from me -his humble slave.

First of, I'd like to share this piece that i found on the net while surfing for hajj-thingy. It is simple, yet it had motivated me to write and share.. may he/she be rewarded for this...insyaallah..

MOTIVASI HAJI

Raya..oh yeah

Resepi Ibu: Bubur Lambuk

Happy Birthday you..

Abaya exclusive from Doha

Ramadan spirit

Ramadan datang lagi

Breaking News

The Army Birthday Party

Pen-out

Blog vs Vlog

A Glimpse of the Arab's culture

Sayu..

a lil touch of something..

Err...Can I ask you something?

timed

Shape Up!

Dubai and DSF

Pantang o pantang!?

The 'unsangkerable' prison break

Makin dekat makin menjadik

Mystical Doha

Winter Saviour

Horray for Qatar WC2022!

Oh Tidak!!

Nursery Furniture

Infant Feeding Supplies

Infant Health & Child Safety Products

Infant Bathing Needs

Infant Travel Products

Infant Clothing

Miscellaneous Products for Baby & Nursery

Pasir Berdengung

Eid-ul-Adha

Feed ME!

It's London all over again

Uninspired

Disney Fiesta

Hong Kong Trip part 2

Myths of the 'Orang Tue'

Hong Kong trip

Wake Up!!!

menyahut PanggilanNYA.. (pt 3)

menyahut PanggilanNYA.. (pt 2)

menyahut PanggilanNYA.. (pt 1)

Soon..insyaallah

Tok Mi in Doha!

Dear Aza..

Doha Transit visit

Adding up the numbers +++

Deserted camp

Our quad-end with the visitors

If I die tomorrow..

Pasar Malam 2010

Things to do (outdoor), with zero riyal in ur bank ..

MidEast Roadtrip - (Wahid: Qatar-UAE-Oman)

Our date with Roger Federer..

MidEast Roadtrip - (Wahid: Qatar-UAE-Oman)

The good thing about diarrhea is..

Visit to Doha Zoo

And the party of the year goes to....

Mii so likey

Qatar National day parade

Road trip adventure