Saturday, December 19, 2009

Salam 1 Malaysia!

Hehe. Tajuk poyo. Alhamdulillah, telah selamat kembali ke Malaysia hari khamis lepas. Tak sangka sangat rindu pada Malaysia, terutamanya makanan. Ahaha.

Saya pergi ke New Zealand atas ajakan seseorang dari tahun lepas lagi untuk sama-sama bercuti sambil menghadiri konvokesyen adiknya di Universiti of Otago. Kembara 2 minggu kami di New Zealand dan kemudiannya transit di Melbourne, Australia adalah sangat seronok dan suka untuk saya kongsi di sini. Sepanjang perjalanan juga saya menulis travel log untuk membantu memori. InsyaAllah bila berkesempatan akan dikongsi, banyak juga pengalaman menarik berjalan di negara yang majoriti bukan muslim. Apatah lagi kembara kami secara 'roadtrip' iaitu kami memandu kereta sewa dari satu hujung NZ ke satu hujung lagi. Cara paling mudah untuk truly absorb the places and scenery=)

Tapi mula-mula saya nak kongsi penemuan terbaru saya di sana. Adik encik boyfriend telah berkongsi sebuah album nasyid yang sungguh indah. Penyanyinya Maher Zain, berasal dari Lubnan tetapi menetap di Sweden dari kecil. Saya jatuh cinta dengan musik beliau. Nasyid moden dengan irama segar tetapi mesejnya sampai terus di hati. Sepanjang roadtrip kami, cd itulah yang dipasang berulang kali tetapi tak jemu mendengar beliau memuji Allah, berselawat ke atas Rasulullah S.A.W serta menyampaikan mesej-mesej Islam yang lain. Suara beliau memang lazat lah.



Ini yang paling saya suka. Selawat ke atas Rasul kita, Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. Subhanallah, sayu mendengarnya.



Yang ini juga sangat indah. Mendengarnya sambil mata menatap keindahan bumi NZ dalam perjalanan panjang melalui gunung ganang, tasik dan pokok-pokok hijau yang sememangnya sangat indah Subhanallah menerbitkan rasa syukur dan keinsafan pada kebesaran Allah. Alhamdulillah.

Saya berusaha mencari di YouTube kerana rugi rasanya kalau tidak berkongsi dengan muslim yang lain. Oleh itu, anda boleh la meneruskan mendengar lagu-lagu beliau yang lain. Semuanya ada di YouTube dan semuanya sangat indah dengan makna yang baik dan memberi keinsafan.

InsyaAllah =)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

::Wellington:: In front of the parliament building


Haere Mai Aotearoa

* Almost 1 week in NZ
* Beautiful country
* Fun! Fun! Fun!
* Done with the North Island
* Am catching a flight to South Island this evening
* See ya!

=)


::Wellington:: School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago

Photo Credit: Mr Aryuel

Monday, November 30, 2009

She's engaged!

It was my sister's engagement yesterday. Alhamdulillah, everything went smoothly and beautifully. A tahlil and 'doa selamat' was held in the morning and the engagement ceremony was held after Zuhur prayer. Waah, so exhausted. Hehe. Her makeup was done proffesionally but we felt that a proffesional photographer is too expensive to hire for engagement so we've decided to use the service of a freelance photographer, which is ME! Haha.

The 'freelance photographer'


B.o.o.k.e.d

Look how lovely she is (^_^)


S.w.e.e.t

Self made. Simple but sweet. We love it.



Weee~

Now I realize how tiring a 'kenduri' can be. And that's just a small one. Hehe. Anyway, congrats to my dear lovely sis. Love you. Mmuahss.
December is approaching. Wow, how time flew. Come thursday, I'll be away for two weeks on a holiday. Really really excited. I'm going to visit Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin to name a few. Where do you ask? It's New Zealand! Woohoo! =)

Friday, November 27, 2009

Luasnya Neraka

Dua hari yang lalu, saya terima satu emel yang di'forward' oleh rakan saya. Isi kandungannya sangat menarik. Membacanya seakan satu 'reminder' kepada saya kerana sudah tahu tapi manusia biasa memang mudah lupa. Jadi hanya mahu berkongsi di sini bagi kebaikan kita semua.

Yazid Arraqqasyi dari Anas bin Malik ra. berkata: Jibrail datang kepada Nabi saw pada waktu yang ia tidak biasa datang dalam keadaan berubah mukanya.

Maka ditanya oleh Nabi saw: "Mengapa aku melihat kau berubah muka?"

Jawabnya: "Ya Muhammad, aku datang kepadamu di saat Allah menyuruh supaya dikobarkan penyalaan api neraka, maka tidak layak bagi orang yang mengetahui bahawa neraka Jahannam itu benar, dan siksa kubur itu benar, dan siksa Allah itu terbesar untuk bersuka-suka sebelum ia merasa aman daripadanya.."

Lalu Nabi saw bersabda: "Ya Jibrail, jelaskan padaku sifat Jahannam"

Jawabnya: "Ya. Ketika Allah menjadikan Jahannam, maka dinyalakan selama seribu tahun sehingga merah. Kemudian dilanjutkan seribu tahun sehingga putih. Kemudian seribu tahun sehingga hitam, maka ia hitam gelap, tidak pernah padam nyala dan baranya. Demi Allah yang mengutus engkau dengan hak, andaikan terbuka sebesar lubang jarum nescaya akan dapat membakar penduduk dunia semuanya kerana panasnya.

Demi Allah yang mengutus engkau dengan hak, andaikan satu baju ahli neraka itu digantung di antara langit dan bumi nescaya akan mati penduduk bumi kerana panas dan basinya.

Demi Allah yang mengutus engkau dengan hak, andaikan satu pergelangan dari rantai yang disebut dalam Al-Quran itu diletakkan di atas bukit, nescaya akan cair sampai ke bawah bumi yang ketujuh.

Demi Allah yang mengutus engkau dengan hak, andaikan seorang di hujung barat tersiksa, nescaya akan terbakar orang-orang yang di hujung timur kerana sangat panasnya, Jahannam itu sangat dalam dan perhiasannya besi dan minumannya air panas bercampur nanah dan pakaiannya potongan-potongan api.

Api neraka itu ada tujuh pintu, tiap-tiap pintu ada bahagiannya yang tertentu dari orang lelaki dan perempuan"

Nabi saw bertanya: "Apakah pintu-pintunya bagaikan pintu-pintu rumah kami?"

Jawabnya: "Tidak, tetapi selalu terbuka, setengahnya di bawah dari lainnya, dari pintu ke pintu jarak perjalanan 70,000 tahun, tiap pintu lebih panas dari yang lain 70 kali ganda" (nota: maksudnya lebih bawah lebih panas)

Tanya Rasulullah saw: "Siapakah penduduk masing-masing pintu?"

Jawab Jibrail: "Pintu yang terbawah untuk orang-orang munafik, dan orang-orang yang kafir setelah diturunkan hidangan mukjizat Nabi Isa as serta keluarga Fir'aun sedang namanya Al-Hawiyah.

Pintu kedua tempat orang-orang musyrikin bernama Jahim.

Pintu ketiga tempat orang shobi'in bernama Saqar.

Pintu keempat tempat Iblis dan pengikutnya dari kaum majusi bernama Ladha.

Pintu kelima orang Yahudi bernama Huthomah.

Pintu keenam tempat orang nasara bernama Sa'eir."

Kemudian Jibrail diam segan pada Rasulullah saw sehingga ditanya: "Mengapa tidak kau terangkan penduduk pintu ketujuh?"

Jawabnya: "Di dalamnya orang-orang yang berdosa besar dari ummatmu yang sampai mati belum sempat bertaubat."

Maka Nabi saw jatuh pengsan ketika mendengar keterangan itu, sehingga Jibrail meletakkan kepala Nabi saw di pangkuannya sehingga sedar kembali dan sesudah sedar Nabi saw bersabda: "Ya Jibrail, sungguh besar kerisauanku dan sangat sedihku. Apakah ada seorang dari umatku yang akan masuk ke dalam neraka?"

Jawabnya: "Ya, iaitu orang yang berdosa besar dari ummatmu."

Kemudian Nabi saw menangis, Jibrail juga menangis, kemudian Nabi saw masuk ke dalam rumahnya dan tidak keluar kecuali untuk sembahyang kemudian kembali dan tidak berbicara dengan orang dan bila sembahyang selalu menangis dan meminta kepada Allah.

(dipetik dari kitab 'Peringatan Bagi yang Lalai')

MasyaAllah, tak dapat dibayangkan betapa luasnya neraka. Di dunia pula terkena api sedikit sudah cukup merasa sakit. Huu..

Dari Hadith Qudsi:
Bagaimana kamu masih boleh melakukan maksiat sedangkan kamu tak dapat bertahan dengan panasnya terik matahariku..
Tahukah kamu bahawa neraka jahanamKu itu:
1. Neraka jahanam itu mempunyai 7 tingkat.
2. Setiap tingkat mempunyai 70,000 daerah.
3. Setiap daerah mempunyai 70,000 kampung.
4. Setiap kampung mempunyai 70,000 rumah.
5. Setiap rumah mempunyai 70,000 bilik.
6. Setiap bilik mempunyai 70,000 kotak.
7. Setiap kotak mempunyai 70,000 batang pokok zarqum.
8. Di bawah setiap pokok zarqum mempunyai 70,000 ekor ular.
9. Di dalam mulut setiap ular yang panjang 70 hasta mengandungi lautan racun yang hitam pekat.
10. Juga di bawah setiap pokok zarqum mempunyai 70,000 rantai.
11. Setiap rantai diseret oleh 70,000 malaikat.

Subhanallah. Mengigil saya membacanya. Mudah-mudahan ini dapat menimbulkan keinsafan kepada kita semua. Wallahualam.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Friends are not only together when they're side by side
They're always in thought even when one is far away

I must say that I'm lucky to have a great memory in high school. It was the most incredible experience I would cherish always in my life. I went to an elite boarding school (that's how the public address our school=p) at Johor Bahru for five years. My friends were great. We met, we laugh, we cry, we learn and we grow up together. Nothing brings you closer than when you are far from your family, stuck in the compound of the school. You're alike, you're dependent on each other, you become next to siblings.

Ten years later, it's like nobody changed. The girls are still the same girls that I knew and love before. Everyone amazingly still looks the same. We had the opportunity of a reunion last 2 weeks. The instant we met it's like we never leave school at all. The string of conversation went on and on and on. So many memories and so many new things to share. Thank you guys for being there and for being in a part of my life (^_^)

some of us that were there

Pict credit: Rina Azlene

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Life is wonderful
Life goes full circle
Life is meaningful
Life is so full of love


Relieved. So much has been happening. PTK (competency exam) is over. Two papers. Five and six essays each. Very tough. I hate the post-exam syndrome. You know, the one where the questions keep swirling in your mind and suddenly you remember the right answer which makes you groan why oh why didn't I wrote that down. Haish.

Apart from that, I had the loveliest time yesterday with him at Penang. Fetched him from Tune Hotel early in the morning. Queensbay Mall is so huge and I don't think we could cover all of it in one day. Ironically I only bought myself a belt while he got a new pair of shoes, t-shirt and snowcap. Who says men doesn't like shopping=p But, our mission in Penang is accomplished. Thank you dear. It was lovely. Can't wait to wear it=)

He really loves his stay in Tune Hotel. Highly recommended for budget travellers. Owned and managed by Air Asia Company. You get a nice, clean room for only RM30+ per night. Need a towel? Add another RM5. Aircond? Charged per hour used. Toiletries? Just add the money. Smart idea. Pay for what you want only. You can live without the aircond by the way. A fan is available in every room. That should be enough, at least for me.

We had our first taste of TGIF in Penang too. Great food albeit quite pricey. But the staff was very helpful, cheery and kind. I love our appetizer, fried mac and cheese. Sinfully cheese. Heh. I love his hot chocolate for it has cream on top. I love our dessert too, strawberry parfait. Yummeh! Still, we prefer Nandos more. Hee.

I rushed back from Penang in time to attend the Perak's Optometrist dinner held here in Taiping. A few optometrist from Penang join us as well. The food was okay but there's no dessert which is disappointing. Dessert is what I looked forward to when dining in a hotel or resort. I want the cute cakes, brownies, puddings or jellies. After the main course, they only served us fruit slices. One small plate for one big table. So not up to the standard of a golf resort. There, I've said it=p

Just finished watching One Tree Hill on 8tv. Owh, how cute Jamie is. He asked his kindergarten teacher out on a date at his grandfather's house. So sweet. It's amazing to see his acting in the series. He's only 8 years old yet he's witty, intelligent and confident. Did I mention that he's also cute as a button=)

You've GOT to love me.

It's the end of another weekend. Come monday and the whole process started again. Go to work, come home from work, went to sleep and wake up to another day of work. A few things here and there perks me up every day. Phone calls from him every morning, mom's cooking every evening, sms with him through the day, the Nanny every evening and I'm sure there's more. Yeah, life isn't easy but ahlalalalalala, life is wonderful. So does Jason Mraz says and I agree (^_^)

Monday, October 19, 2009

~the last day

It's the end of Syawal already. My, how time really flew. Have everybody finished their raya cookies? Hehe. My house still has a few jar of 'kerepek' left. I love kerepek. Especially kerepek pisang. Johorian makes the best kerepek. Or should I said the Javanese? There's so much variety too but I still prefer the kerepek pisang. I like them crunchy, thin and crispy with as little salt as possible. My mother bought a perfect packet which is so good and tasty from her friend. It was made by her own mother living in Sungai Besar, Selangor. Yup, a Javanese too=p

This year's Ramadhan and Syawal has been most interesting. Early in Ramadhan my parents celebrated their 30 years of marriage. Wow, 30 years of live, love and laugh together. Salute=D Also I celebrated my birthday in Ramadhan. There's no birthday cake coz the superb breakfasting meal is more than enough. But I like the fact that it's in Ramadhan the holy month and I distinctly remember Ustazah Siti Nor Bahyah saying that it's good to fast on your birthday (Ramadhan or not) but I can't remember why=p This year my sweet mother gave me a pair of gold earrings and I love it!

And Syawal? Well, simply because he was here =)






~goodbye Syawal!

Thursday, October 8, 2009


I'm not sure where I copied it from. But it was in my old notebook from high school. Feels like sharing it here.


A short course in human relations

The six most important words : I admit I make a mistake


The five most important words : You did a good job


The four most important words : What is your opinion?


The three most important words : If you please


The two most important words : Thank you


The one most important words : We


The least important word : I


What do you think? I agree. I think it's simple but it really sums up the best way in relationship. Be it with our parents, partner, siblings, friends or colleagues. To me, the conclusion is simply don't be selfish. That's why the least important word is I. Be aware of the other person's feelings. Listen to them first before you say anything. Right? Push the ego aside and admit it if we did wrong. Wow, that's the hardest part. Ego. It's in everybody but if we always look back and keep our feet on the ground, insyaAllah it wouldn't be so hard to push it aside.

But really, be polite. That's the least we can do. I don't believe in any reason that we cannot be polite. It reflects the person you are. I like it when people say thank you for the smallest thing. Heck, I like it even if it's only a smile. It's nice to be appreciated, right? Thank you is a powerful words you see.

Hmm, if only everybody read this and realize. Could the world be a little bit better at least?

Oh, by the way. Thank you for reading ;)

:: Picture : My mom's bougainvillea succumb to the heavy rain and strong wind which last for three days. It was a big plant with beautiful flowers and it would be such a waste to leave it to rot. That's why I collected some inside a glass bowl. Makes a nice decoration=)

Saturday, September 26, 2009

~Datang bersama hajat di hati..

It's been 6th days since Aidilfitri. He came today with his parents to 'beraya'. Turns out it was more than that. Such a sweet surprise. I couldn't help blushing. No, I'm not engaged yet. This is just the first step. I'm still happily smiling, looking at the first ring. =)

Sunday, September 20, 2009

~Eid al-Mubarak

Baru usai menunaikan solat subuh di pagi Aidilfitri. Alhamdulillah, sudah lengkap Ramadhan kita lalui. Hari ini kita meraikan Syawal bersama orang-orang kesayangan. Selamat hari raya Aidilfitri semua. Maaf zahir dan batin. xoxo =p

Monday, September 14, 2009

~Sweet September
'Tis sweet September
A date to remember
Year after year
Happy birthday my dear
~(^_^)(^_^)~

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

~Ramadhan 1430H



Sedar tak sedar dah separuh Ramadhan kita lalui. Fuh, cepat sungguh rasanya tahun ni. Kali ini juga kali ketiga saya berpeluang berpuasa sebulan Ramadhan bersama ibubapa. Sebelum ni bekerja di perantauan hampir dua tahun. Sebelumnya lagi menuntut ilmu dan duduk di asrama. Paling jauh di Johor lah semasa sekolah menengah. Maksudnya saya telah berjauhan dengan keluarga sejak umur 13 tahun. Mudanya *tsk*. Sekarang Alhamdulillah, memang seronok hari-hari dapat sahur sama-sama, petang balik kerja dan ambil Cikgu Siti Saudah (mak saya;p) pulang, kemudian masak sama-sama. Seronok weh. Masa duduk dengan ibubapa ni la nak belajar masak sungguh-sungguh dan ambil tips-tips hebat di dapur. Heh. Lepas berbuka pergi solat terawih sama-sama. Walaupun buat 8 rakaat saja, rasa gembira solat sebelah mak. Kemudian balik rumah lepak depan tv makan pula apa kuih-muih, bihun goreng atau aiskrim yang ada. Hee.


Alololo~ Khusyuk habis=p

Tapi tak dinafikan berpuasa di STF dulu sangat la seronoknya. Begitu juga semasa di matriks (which is at Kolej Chermai, Bahau. Sangat pedalaman I tell you. Ada satu je kantin untuk student. Siap nasi, lauk semua bungkus dalam plastik yang macam kat kedai runcit tu je sebab kantin nak reduce kos polisterin. Macam kelakar bawa nasi dalam plastik=p) dan di UKM yang hebat sikit sebab kampus di HKL sangat dekat dengan Bazar Ramadhan Jalan Raja Alang dan bubur lambuk Kg Baru yang enak. Berpuasa dengan rakan-rakan seangkatan yang seronoknya bila nak berbuka sama-sama cari makanan, buat air sirap atau oren tropika sunquick satu jug letak ais banyak-banyak. Kadang-kadang gigih nak juga masak. Gorengla nugget atau telur dalam rice cooker. Paling hebat siap masak tomyam lagi. Memang multitasking sungguh rice cooker waktu itu. Hehe.

Saya paling suka nasyid Ramadhan yang ini. Ramadhan Bulan Berkat by Hijjaz. Sungguh menyentuh hati lirik dan melodinya. Antara nasyid yang sering kami nyanyikan di surau STF dulu sementara menunggu waktu solat.




Sambil kita melalui Ramadhan dengan tenang tahun ini, ada umat Islam yang bertimpa dugaan mendatang. Gempa bumi, kebakaran, kematian anak di tangan saudara sendiri, putus jari. Tapi yang putus jari itu memang sengaja mengundang dugaan. Sampai bila baru capai sifar putus jari pada Ramadhan dan musim raya entah lah. Jadi kita yang setakat diduga sikit-sikit ini bersyukurlah (e.g: letih bekerja dan berpuasa atau kempunan makan Nandos misalnya=p). Saya sendiri bersyukur masih punya ibubapa, sihat dan sempurna tubuh badan, punya rezeki yang cukup, punya rakan-rakan di sekeliling, punya kehidupan sebagai seorang Islam dan punya si dia yang jauh di mata dekat di hati. Hehe ~o(^_^)o~

Jadi apakah azam anda pada Ramadhan tahun ini? Harap-harap bukan sekadar menurunkan berat badan saja ye. Sekadar peringatan untuk diri saya juga. Bilakah agaknya saya mampu memaksimumkan ibadah di bulan Ramadhan. Hmm. Akhir kata, rasanya masih belum terlambat saya ucapkan selamat berpuasa dan selamat mengimarahkan Ramadhan tahun ini kepada semua =D



:: Gambar-gambar dan video, terima kasih En Google dan YouTube.

:: I am totally excited this week for our exciting plan with his family at the end of this year is confirmed! =D Passport done, tickets bought. Ke manakah kami? Tungguuu. Will update the details later.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Nature has given women so much power that the law has very wisely given them little.
~Samuel Johnson

I just read a sad and shocking news.

Lucknow, Aug 12 (IANS) A 25-year-old Muslim woman was allegedly burnt to death by her husband and in-laws for giving birth to a baby girl for the second time in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, police said Wednesday.

Yes, it still happens. Discrimination and violence to women in the ever expanding modern world today. For her to give birth to a baby girl is such a crime that death is the punishment. There’s no specific detail but for all that we know she may not have even recovered from the pain of giving birth yet. For enduring nine months of pregnancy and hours of birth labor, this is the thanks she gets. Sadly, it happens in a Muslim family. Shame on the husband and the in-laws.

These people will never learn that there’s no way the woman can decide the sex of her baby. There’s no way the woman have the power to alter the sex of her baby. It’s the chromosome from the male sperm which determines the sex of the baby. There’s no way it’s the woman’s fault!

I wonder how some people can be so ignorant. How culture belief surpass humanity and religion. Say that they don’t know the actual science fact. But it’s not even logic to happily burn a living human. How could they? How could they feel they have the right to do so? How could they even have it in their heart to do so? I pity the baby. What will the future be for her?

There’s a comment section for readers. One of the comments is damn shocking too! The fellow commenter agrees that baby girls have no value any more. That baby boys are the only worthwhile investment/product. He even said ‘who the hell does she think she is anyway’ (referring to the poor dead woman). What?! Again, an example of stupidity of the ignorant people.

Boys and girls have the same value. Both have their own place in this world. If you like boys so much, go and marry one. See if you can even get an heir out of it, let alone a baby boy.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

~ anew vision and anew look

My father just had his cataract operation done last Monday. Look at how cheerful he is barely 4 hours after the surgery. Hehe. He even polished off his lunch at the ward saying it was very yummy. I'll remember to pass the compliment to Jun the dietitian after this=p

Time flew so fast this week. We got new cabinets for the optometrist's room (one for each of us!=p) so we've been busy arranging stuffs giving a total revamp to the room. We're even considering to repaint the older cabinets. Now it look so spacious and so tidy that I'm excited to go to work everyday. Erk, that doesn't sound right. Hehe.

It's Nisfu Syaaban today. Happy breakfasting to those who are fasting and let us pray for forgiveness and a blissful life ahead. Till then=)

Sunday, August 2, 2009

~At the Beginning~

Been flipping through my dear old notebook again and I found the lyric of this song. One of my favourite from the movie Anastasia. Have you seen the movie? A great loss if you haven't. Hehe. I am so a fan of this fantasy romantic comedy. It was an animation but it was fabulous, the whole movie with absolutely excellent music score. Enjoy the music, folks! (please turn off another music player at the bottom of this page first though..heh=p)

We were strangers..starting out on a journey
Never dreaming..what we have to go through
Now here we are..and I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you..

No one told me..I was going to find you
Unexpected..what you did to my heart
When I lost hope..you were there to remind me
This is the start..

c/o And life is the road that I want to keep going
Love is the river I want to keep flowing
Life is the road now and forever
Wonderful journey..
I'll be there when the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
In the end I want to be standing
At the beginning with you

We were strangers..on a crazy adventure
Never dreaming..how our dreams would come true
Now here we stand..unafraid of the future
At the beginning with you..

I knew there was somebody somewhere
Like me alone in the dark
Now I know my dreams will live on
I've been waiting so long
Nothing's gonna tear us apart

(sung by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis)







At The Beginning - Richard Marx And Donna Lewis
FREE MP3 DOWNLOADS @ MP3-CODES.COM



Anastasia and Dimitri ~(^_^)~

Monday, July 13, 2009

Durian oh durian

Semalam telah pulang ke kampung sebelah emak setelah berkali-kali makcik Tijah menelefon, "Kome balik la, amik deroyan banyak ni". Begitu bersemangat makcik. Makcik Tijah pemilik tanah bersebelahan dusun emak. Jadi setiap kali musim buah, dia akan tolong mengutip buah-buah durian yang gugur. Kalau sedikit, biasanya emak sedekahkan saja pada dia. Musim kali ini, agak lebat pula. Makcik Tijah pun dah tak larat makan. Maka, semalam bersemangat la kami balik ke kampung di Parit untuk mengutip durian.

Pergi ke dusun rasa macam buat 'workout' pula. Untuk ke dusun emak, kena merentas dusun Makcik Tijah dulu. Aduh, jauh juga berjalan. Mana nak mengelak selut, kerengga dan pacat lagi. Makcik Tijah 'the leader' berjalan punya laju. Sambil bawa parang lagi untuk membelah durian nanti. Sempoi pakai kain batik dengan baju kurung kedah saja. Saya bertanya umurnya. Sudah 72 tahun! Tapi cergasnya, masyaAllah. Tabik betul dengan Makcik Tijah. Orang sudah biasa kerja kuat, malah boleh nampak urat-urat di kaki dan tangan. Rasanya memang tiada lemak malas langsung di badannya.

Hasil kutipan durian kami, dapat dalam 15 biji. Excellent! Di rumah adik Makcik Tijah pula ada beberapa balang tempoyak hasil dari durian dusun emak juga. Wah, sakan. Hehe. Nampaknya kena pakai mask sepanjang minggu ini. Kalau tak, kesian patient kena ambil bau nanti. Haha=p

ooh la la~

Siapa yang tidak suka durian? Ish2, ruginya. It's the king of fruits guys! Sesungguhnya saya tidak faham orang yang suka makan ikan patin masak tempoyak, suka makan cucur durian, suka makan kuah durian cicah dengan roti paun (nyum, lazatnya=p) tetapi tidak suka makan buah durian. Duh, sama je kan.

Anyway, ada banyak fakta menarik mengenai durian sebenarnya. Typhoon durian pun ada tau. Sila lah baca di sini, di sini dan di sini. Saya malas mahu kumpul dan rumuskan. Mahu pergi makan durian la. Hehe=p

Sunday, July 12, 2009

~Kuching revisited 2

And here comes the third day! What a delayed entry. Hehe. The plan was to go to Sarawak Cultural Village for a taste of Sarawak’s custom and culture. SCV is after all claimed as Sarawak Living Museum. So, after a delicious breakfast of roti canai telur, we set forth. Thankfully the weather was fine and clear just like the previous days.


Sarawak Cultural Village was officially opened in 1990. It was a beautiful serene place built of landscaped tropical forest and a man-made lake. Located about 40 minutes drive from Kuching, here is where tourists can see for themselves the cultures and attributes of various major ethnic living in the whole state of Sarawak. I’m so excited to be able to climb onto every unique longhouse and the staffs are very friendly too. All of them wore traditional costumes and they’ll even give you a welcome dance at some houses. There’s a stamp and inkpad provided at each ethnic house to stamp your passport book (given at the main entrance) as a proof that you’ve been there. Each stamp resembles each ethnic and they’re very nice. Another added feature that makes me excited=p
At some of the houses, you can watch how some fine artworks are made from materials like bamboo to make water storage or beads to make colourful clothes. Wow, they were amazing. Also, a cultural performance is performed twice daily here and you wouldn’t want to miss it. They were great and entertaining. I really enjoyed it. So if you want to come here, make sure to plan your visit to enjoy the cultural dances of the many ethnic tribes.
I must say that SCV is a must visit to everyone who set foot in Kuching. The entrance fee is quite expensive though except for locals, students and those who work in Sarawak. Unless you want to cheat and produce an old yellowish student card (I’m sorry but that’s what I did=p)
By the time we’ve finished touring SCV, it was already past one o’clock and we had to rush back to check out from our hotel. After that, we had lunch to satisfy our grumbling stomach. I had pece lele, another version of ayam penyet dish except that the chicken is replaced with catfish. The rest of the evening then was spent shopping for souvenirs at waterfront. Our flight was at 830pm and it was bothering me and my shopping. How time flew so fast. My heart was sad at the thought of leaving him but out of the blue he said something that makes my heart fluttered and happy. Something that I don’t quite know how to respond to. Hee~

Well, we had so much fun in Kuching and I’m glad I get to treat my sister to a vacation here. Looking forward to another amazing trip! =)

:: Craving for yummy mee kolok and ayam penyet=p

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Just being alive is such a lovely and wonderful feeling
~Aya Kitou


Huhu. Indeed I cried 1 litre of tears watching this drama.

I just finished it today. Suddenly I’m more grateful with my life, especially my healthy body! Such simple things to us, talking, walking, eating even breathing could be really difficult for someone else. This drama is based on the true story of a girl, Aya Kitou who suffered spinocerebellar degeneration disease. It’s a rare, progressive, degenerative disease which affects the nervous system that control movement. Initially patient will experience failure of muscle controls in their arms and legs resulting in lack of balance and clumsiness. Slowly, patient will lose control of other fine motor skills such as speech and eye movements. Usually a patient with this disease will end up needing to use a wheelchair and will need assistance to perform daily tasks. The age of onset and progression of the disease varies between each patient but generally patient retains their full mental capacity as they lose control over their body. So, this disease somehow is like a prison.

Currently there is no known cure for this disease.

Aya was diagnosed with the disease when she was 15 years old. At her doctor’s suggestion, she wrote a diary of her experience with the disease, recording every day how the disease was affecting her daily life. This was a way for her doctor to monitor the progression of the disease. But later as the disease progressed, it became an outlet for her to pour out her intense feelings and her struggles in coping, adapting and trying to survive her disease. She kept writing until she could no longer hold a pen. The diary was published two years before her death and it inspired many people. It was based on this diary that the drama was made.

The published diary

Aya Ikeuchi in the drama was an active normal teenager who excels in her studies and active in sports. She was only beginning the most exciting phase of her life. It was really painful and difficult for her at first to accept the disease. To slowly lose her ability to do things she love, to let go of her social life and to become more dependent on others. The drama successfully depicts the pain Aya goes through because of the disease. It must be really frustrating to not be able to move your body as you want it to even when you've tried your very best. But she stays strong till the end and it was really heart wrenching to see her trying her best to get on with life. There is not a single episode that I do not cry. And so excessively that my eyes are swollen right now T______T

This blogger has written a review of the drama which I feel described it best. Please read here. Please watch this great drama too. Seriously, it’s good.

Working in a hospital environment also has got this effect on me. When I met those unfortunate patients especially young children with rare, incurable eye disease. Or babies with developmental delay or other syndromes that came for eye assessment. Every time I became more grateful that I may not have so many things that I want but at least I am healthy and living this beautiful live. With that I should be happy and be more appreciative towards many other things that I have. Let’s cherish this life more people!


I am so emotional right now. Huuu..


p/s: Tisu Tesco sangat fragile, tidak memuaskan. Sila gunakan jenama Kleenex atau Scott untuk lebih efektif semasa menonton drama ini=p

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

~Kuching revisited

OMG. Can’t believe that my vacation is over. Now I’m back to work with the usual routine. I went to Kuching for 3 days and had a blast! It’s my 3rd trip there and this time I try to focus more on sightseeing rather than shopping. But that doesn’t stop me from coming home with one extra backpack. Hee~

I went with my sister and my best friend Mar with her husband Miju. Fazrul booked the tickets (MAS) in February and it was only RM180 two ways per person. Cheap huh? We arrived on Friday noon and as we can only check in at our hotel at 2pm, we went to his house first to sit back and relax as he and Miju went for Friday prayer. It was around 3pm when we finally checked in at the Pinnacles Lodge. The rooms are very nice, comfortable enough for two pax with spacious bathroom. They smelled nice too and it was a thumbs up for RM99 per night. I seriously recommend it. The evening was spent cruising around Kuching town, buy a new pair of sandals for my sis and had a scrumptious tuna sandwich and lime lychee ice at Kaya n Toast.

Later that night, we head to dinner at a restaurant across the river of waterfront at Barok @ the Village and we went there with a ‘sampan’ just for fun. Since we were all so hungry and besides the eatery lighting is so dim and romantic, no picts of the yummy foods are available. We were busy stuffing ourselves full. To top the night, we decided to go and watch Transformers. And of course no early tickets are available. But determined as we were, we bought the 1245pm ticket! I could just imagine myself falling asleep in the cinema. Needless to say, the movie was great and I really love to see the detailed transformation phase of each robot. Really cool. My favourite is Bumblebee of course. He’s so cute especially in the beginning when he gets mad and sulky at Sam. Also because I really adore the yellow Camaro he is. And he can cry too! Haha.

On Saturday morning, we head to Serikin for a little shopping spree. We team up with Ashrul and his family who’s also here in Kuching on holiday. Ashrul is an audiologist and was in my batch in UKM. Despite the lack of sleep, we were much in the spirit. For breakfast, I had mee kolok (one of Sarawak’s famous delicacy) and they were really really delicious. After we were done in Serikin, we head back to Kuching, had yummy lunch at Serapi and stop by at his house to pray. Then we proceeded to Bako National Park. Yeay! It was almost 530pm and the jetty was already closed but luckily he knew one of the pakcik who operated the boat there. It was perfect time too as we could catch the sunset in a beautiful place.

The famous hulu keris-like stone at Bako

How lovely the wind felt on my face as we set sail. We head out to the open sea and much to our excitement, a dolphin was swimming past by! However we had the most unforgettable experience at the first stop about 10 minutes later. There was a wooden bridge crossing the mangroves and the place was full with monkeys. We the girls were just enjoying the scenic forest while Fazrul and Miju were busy taking photographs of the monkey. Out of a sudden, we heard loud screeching and lo and behold! The monkeys were screeching at us, scampering up the bridge and chasing after us furiously. We ran like mad and it was a really long way to reach our boat. I felt like I’m in a 200m sprint. I did turn around once to find that the monkeys still not giving up the chase. I remember running as fast as I can holding to Mar who’s three months pregnant all the while wondering what the hell? Turns out that while the boys were clicking away, one of the baby monkey screamed for his mom and probably the mom and dad and all of its relatives thought that they were trying to hurt the baby and that send them chasing wildly after us. They are wild animals after all. Stupid monkeys. But after that we couldn’t stop laughing especially remembering the look of terror on the boy’s face as they were the most behind, just inches from the monkey’s grasp. Haha. Even the pakcik boat laughed at us=p



Debush! Kaco monyet2 tu lagi=p

We continued the adventure at the next stop. There we had to climb up a small hill and Subhanallah, the view from up there was breathtaking. The sun is almost set and we were just enjoying the moment. But we had to leave as it was getting darker. We reached the jetty back at 730pm, exhausted but happy. Dinner was great too. I had ayam penyet at a restaurant that claimed itself as Raja Ayam Penyet. Finally I get to taste the tasty chicken that Fazrul is always bragging to me about. The chicken's sambal is just phenomenal. Hehe.
Sunset at Bako. Enjoying the view up the hill.




The great troop


Well, there you go for the first two amazing days. I'll continue later with the third day adventure. Adios! (^_^)

:: More picts will be uploaded in Facebook

Thursday, June 25, 2009

I know every book of mine by its smell, and I have but to put my nose between the pages to be reminded of all sorts of things.
~George Robert Gissing

Mind you, this is a random entry. Hee~

Books
Lovely. Lovely. Lovely. No better way for me to describe them.
Love them, cherish them. But I haven't been able to catch up on my reading lately. Huaa! Feels like there's so much to do. After work *exhausted, slump on the couch catching up on fav tv series*, weekend *weddings, housechores*. I need to read! I need the escapism!






Yummy! A dreamland. To have a small library in my own house packed with books of all sort.





Facebook

Now I know why people are addicted to facebook. It is addictive! I've joined for a few months but only recently I know what to do there. Haha. Still blur with some of the applications though=p


Holiday
In need of a holiday. A relaxing, fun and joyful one. Will be away this weekend on one. I'm on leave starting tomorrow. "All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go..." sing along everyone!o(^_^)o

See ya!

Monday, June 15, 2009


Whenever we are down
And we feel that everything is going wrong
It is just Allah's way
To make our spirit strong

When I was in form four, I kept a hard cover notebook in my desk. You see, one of the coolest thing about boarding school is that we don't share classes so we don't share desk as well. Each form has their own classes. Each classes has lockers provided so we don't have to carry all the heavy textbooks every day. Plus there's prep hours every evening and night held at the class itself, dedicated to finish homeworks. So, if all homeworks are really finished in those prep hours, we get to go back to the dorm in the night and to class the next morning happily 'lenggang kangkung'. Haha. I even didn't have any backpack back then because I only carry a small sling bag which is enough for me. A complete change from the years of primary school.

Ok, back to the point. I kept a hard cover notebook in my desk which I used as a jot down book whenever I feel like I want to. (Usually during prep when I'm so bored and felt so sick with all the homeworks and latih tubi=p) I wrote down anything that comes to my mind. Drawings, favourite songs, events of the day, my feelings, wisdom words. Sometimes interesting poems or quotes that I found. All of that written not plainly but with colourful pens with doodling here and there on the pages. It was like an escapism for me, the pleasure to get engrossed in writing and creating something to clear my mind.

At first, it was only me and my notebook. Eventually, it became something shared by the whole class! My classmates also enjoyed writing and doodling in my notebook whenever they feel like doing so. So, every now and then I would get a request, 'weh,pinjam buku nota ko' or 'weh, nak conteng2 blh?' in which the 'buku nota' tak lain tak bukan refers to that special notebook of mine. Sometimes they just borrow it for the sake of reading. For me, it was great reading what they have to write and it was a nice feeling having something I can share with others.

The book continues to serve its duty until I was in form five. It is such a dear thing to me that I kept it until now. I came across the book recently. Flipping back through the pages makes me smile and remember all the memories in school with my greatest friends. That's when I decided that I would like to share what I wrote and what my friends wrote ten years ago here in this blog.

This is one of my favourite poem of all time. I found it in an english newspaper and copied it to my notebook. Unfortunately I didn't write down the author's name so I have no idea who he/she is. Should anybody know please inform me so I can give the due credit.

I've held on to this poem ever since I found it. Whenever I'm upset or disappointed on anything, I tend to be grumpy or cried miserably. But this poem never fails to remind me to always be thankful even if things didn't go the way we want to because surely everything happens for a reason and though the reason unknown to us, it is what Allah knows the best for us. Well, let the poem says the rest ^^

Allah Knows Best~

Allah knows what's best for us
So why should we complain
We always want the sunshine
But He knows there must be rain

We always want the laughter
And the merriment of cheer
But our hearts will lose their tenderness
If we never shed a tear

Allah tests us often
With suffering and with sorrow
He tests us not to punish us
But to help us meet tomorrow

For growing trees are strengthened
If they withstand the storm
And the sharp cut of the chisel
Gave the marble grace and form

Allah tests us often
And for every pain He gives to us
Provided we're patient
Is followed by rich gain

So whenever we are down
And we feel that everything is going wrong
It is just Allah's way
To make our spirit strong

:: *sigh* Isn't it true?=)

Sunday, June 7, 2009



My first custom made wedding album in collaboration with Aryuel. See it here o(^_^)o

Friday, June 5, 2009

Kelip kelip disangka api
Kalau api mana puntungnya
Hilang ghaib disangka mati
Kalau mati mana kuburnya


Wah, sungguh seronok. Malam semalam saya telah terjebak ke dalam satu kembara yang tidak dirancang iaitu pergi melihat kelip-kelip di sepanjang sungai Kuala Sepetang! Saya telah menyibuk sebenarnya, diajak oleh adik saya untuk menemani dia. Aktiviti tengok kelip-kelip ini salah satu aktiviti dalam seminar penerobosan hutan Kuala Sepetang (wah, serius je bunyi=p)yang beliau hadiri semalam. Saya sudah lama teringin nak tengok kelip-kelip yang diperkatakan di situ. Kiranya bagai pucuk dicita ulam mendatang lah. Orang dah ajak, free pula, ikut saja la. Hehe.

Kami sampai di jeti Kampung Dew kira-kira jam 9 malam. Sudah ada lima buah bot menunggu. Tanpa membuang masa kami menaiki bot yang pertama. Haha. Excited terlebih sudah. Pakcik bot bawa sangat perlahan. Agaknya tidak mahu mengejutkan haiwan-haiwan malam di sepanjang sungai itu terutamanya kelip-kelip. Lampu pun tidak dipasang sebab kelip-kelip ni pemalu. Kalau kena suluh, nanti dia duduk senyap-senyap tidak memancarkan lampu hijau kuning yang cantik itu. Kelip-kelip ni nama omputihnya 'fireflies'. Baru saya tahu kelip-kelip ni suka berkumpul di pokok berembang saja. Pokok ni memang banyak la di sepanjang sungai ini selain bakau.

Setelah 10 minit perjalanan, akhirnya kami terjumpa segerombolan kelip-kelip di sebatang pokok berembang. Wah, cantik sekali. Macam pokok krismas berkelip-kelip. Mereka ni berkelip hampir serentak. Agaknya nampak begitu mungkin kerana berkelip terlalu pantas. Subhanallah, kagum saya melihatnya. Rasa 'magical' sangat. Untuk pengetahuan, kelip-kelip jantan ada dua lampu. Manakala kelip-kelip betina ada satu sahaja. Kelip-kelip jantan akan gunakan kelebihan lampu dia itu untuk mengorat. Haha. Men=p

Sepanjang perjalanan pergi selama 40 minit itu, lebih banyak pokok berembang berkelipan yang kami jumpa. Sayang sekali malam itu bulan terang. Kata pakcik bot, kalau malam gelap gelita maka lagi jelas dan lagi indah pemandangannya. Wah, tak dapat saya bayangkan. Yang ada ini pun cukup cantik. Malangnya kamera handphone kami tidak mampu menangkap gambar 'pokok krismas berkelip-kelip' itu. Memang tak nampak dalam gambar. Tidak tercapai kameraku. Isk..isk..Nak tengok sila lah pergi sendiri ye. Hehe.


Ada satu kelip-kelip terjatuh ke atas bot kami. Nampak tak dalam gambar yang atas kiri itu. Satu lagi lampu itu ialah handphone adik saya dalam cubaan menangkap gambar. Tengok adik saya sibuk nak tangkap kelip-kelip sampai julur kepala dalam pokok. Hehe.

Ha, ini terang sikit. Gambar dari handphone adik saya yang hebat sikit dari handphone saya (sebab ada flash=p) Itu la kelip-kelip, yang tunjuk dengan anak panah merah tu. Kelip-kelip ni kecil je, tak sama dengan kunang-kunang. Bawah tu gambar bila tutup flash. Cantik lampu hijau kuning dia. Cuba bayangkan banyak-banyak berkumpul dekat satu pokok. Cuuun..
Kami yang over excited.

Kami sampai ke jeti semula lebih kurang pukul 11 malam. Letih juga naik bot dua jam tapi sangat seronok. Lain kali kalau nak pergi lagi, kena bawa baju sejuk. Menggigil kesejukkan oo..Angin Selat Melaka. Hehe. Lepas ini, nak pergi tengok kelip-kelip di Kuala Selangor pula. Dengar cerita lagi meriah kelip-kelipnya. Yang jadi lokasi iklan TNB tu=p


:: Terima kasih kepada pihak berkaitan kerana membenarkan saya menyibuk. Heee~
:: Tajuk di atas ialah petikan pantun dari lagu Seribu Tahun oleh Imran Ajmain.