Salam Ma'al Hijrah...

Salam Ma'al Hijrah
1 Muharram 1430H (December 29th, 2008)

Ma'al Hijrah, also known as Awal Muharram, is an important day for Muslims. It falls on the first day in the month of Muharram in the Islamic calendar...

The meaning of Ma'al Hijrah in English is migration. On this day, Muslims remember the journey Prophet Muhammad s.a.w migrated from Mekkah to Madinah in the year 622 A.D. Besides, Ma'al Hijrah also means changing from the bad to the good side, and can be said as a starting point to evaluate inner-self on self achievements.

Awal means 'beginning' in English and Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. In another words, this is the first day in the Islamic calendar. Therefore, it is also the New Year for all Muslims...

May Allah crown us with the best of iman, health, wealth and peace of mind in the New Year. Amin.

If ALLAH answers your prayer, ALLAH is increasing your faith, if ALLAH delays, ALLAH is increasing your patience, if ALLAH doesn't answer, ALLAH has better plans for you in this Ma'al Hijrah 1430H. Insya'allah. Amin.

I'm so thankful to be born a Muslim... Salam Ma'al Hijrah to all my Muslim brothers and sisters!!

A Little Exploration To The Sembawang Neighbourhood...

As usual the hubby came to fetch me up from work yesterday... It's my turn to work on weekends this week... Love working on weekends... Less phone calls... Less noise... Less interruption... It's so peaceful and quiet... With the sea view overlooking Johor Bahru right infront of the office, gosh!! Sungguh cantik sekali pemandangan nye... sigh...

OK back to my story...

So the hubby came with little Asil... We dropped by the "Sembawang Bottle Tree Village", had a little sight seeing while waiting for the Maghrib prayer... There's a mosque (Masjid Penempatan Melayu Sembawang) nearby for Muslims like us to perform our solat... Eh! Y'all should come to this place during your spare time... Gerek dude!! Da macam kat kampong...

Maghrib's done and we're off to fetch the mom & little Asyura for our next trip to the new revamped SEMBAWANG SHOPPING CENTRE!! Woo hoo!! Met up with my other 2 siblings (Alep & Adam) there coz they actually came from the aunt's (Mama Yang) crib... The aunt and her family went on a holiday trip to KL. They left their home keys to Alep for him to keep an eye on their crib and catsssssss while their gone... meow...

Once at Sembawang Shopping Centre, I actually started to get pretty overwhelmed coz the whole place had everything that I want and it's like this small version of IMM, Jurong (my most favourite place of hanging out la)... There's GIANT Supermarket, Fish & Co., Challenger, Bata, Eu Yan Sang, bla bla bla and most importantly there's DAISO!! Suke aku!! Tak payah nak pegi jaoh2... This place is like a mini little IMM already!!

So da penat merayap, kitorg sume dudok lepak kat tingkat paling atas sekali... There's a few sofas la... So we rested our butts on it for a while before heading back home...

[Thank you so much 'Capital Mall' for the efforts you put into this place... I love the new look a lot!!]

Pictures uploaded...

I Need HELPPPPP!!

OK, I'm actually in need of a brand new laptop BUT I'm a bit confused on which brand name should I buy my laptop from... arggggggh!! I need help!! Tolong!! Tolong!!

Any suggestions? My budget -> below $1,500...

Oh!! By the way, I just find out that my handphone had an awfully looking crack... gosh!! I had NO freaking idea where or how on earth it got distorted... sheesh... My most favourite PHONE of ALL... And now, most of my phone memory are gone for good!! How on earth the memory got deleted? I had NO freaking idea!! I need a brand new handphone toooooooooo!!

Perhaps I get the hubby to buy me a Touch-Screen Phone soon... I'm dying to have one... mwahahahaha!!

Hubby's gonna kill me when he reads this... lol.

To Cousin Lala: You're now in KL right? Regards to everyone for me & pleeeeease sent my LOVE to Kuala Lumpur... Miss the place already... boo hoo hoo... I wanna go there again!! Eh!! How's your lappy? Da OK lom? Seriously, Sony brands suck la... Aku confirm nak beli lappy, any suggestions on which brand model should I get? Enjoy your trip & quickly get your ass back here in Singapore... Mmmmuah!!

Marhaban Ya Marhaban...

It was a Public Holiday yesterday and obviously, I wasn't working... Woke up pretty early... Did the laundry, ironed clothing, cooked up meals, bathe and feed the babies, bla bla bla... Inilah hidop seharian ku sebagai seorang ibu... :)

So the eldest uncle (Pak Long) from the paternal side of the family did a little "kenduri" at his crib... Everyone in the family were invited... There's this "Marhaban" thingy going on with all the "makciks" singing praises to Allah s.w.t and to our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. There's wonderful food served on the dining table... Briyani Rice la, Beef Rendang la, Chicken Masak Merah la, Rojak la, Desserts la and one of my favourites, ROTI BOYAN... slurp...

Mase aku ngandongkan anak pertame, aku suke betol makan Roti Boyan... Hari2 makan Roti Boyan... Aku tak jelak langsong... Makcik kat canteen sampai da tahu aku nak makan ape bile sarapan pagi... Drivers kat tempat keje aku pulak, kalau dorang nampak je ade Roti Boyan jual kat mane2, dorang mesti belikan aku... hee hee... Talk about VIP treatment... Maklom la, tengah mengandong... Mak buyong katekan... hee hee... Those were the days...

Anyway, thanks for the invitation and the wonderful feast Pak Long and Mak Long!! Best la... Dapat jugak get together with all the cousins...

After which, we headed home to send the parents back... Met with the hubby's eldest bro and his family for a while before we're off again...

Pictures uploaded...

At The Wedding, "Kuda Kepang" & Happy 2nd Birthday To My Dear Little Asil...!!

Assalamua'laikum people...

It's "Monday blooze" for me... pfft... I'm down with a flu and a sore throat... And I still gotta be in the office coz there's an ISO audit going on today... Boo hoo hoo... :( I'm so not in the mood... My babies and hubby are sick too... Thank God I've mom to take care of the babies while both the hubby and I are working... sigh... Saket2 pon nak kena datang keje...

One of hubby's relatives (from hubby's maternal side of the family) had a wedding feast last Saturday... The whole family were invited... We arrived at the venue around 6 plus in the evening...

There's this "Kuda Kepang" performance with their "Gamelan" music played live on the venue itself... As usual, on almost every wedding feast, there would be a "Kara-OK" DJ to play any "Kara-OK" songs that the invited guests would voluntarily come forward to sing... And as usual, there would always be a few of them, "Kara-OK" singers who would sing with the most "wonderful" voice of all... I was basically sharing my laughter with the hubby who was laughing his heart out just like me coz most of them, singers, sang their songs out of tune... I won't sing if I were them... lol...

Then came this part when I decided to call the hubby up for a duet with me BUT, he wasn't around... pfft... spoil-sport... (Baba!! You owe me ONE!!)

You know earlier in this blog, I told you guys that there's this "Kuda Kepang" performance going on at the wedding venue... Well, after a little enquiry (coz I was basically feeling irritated by their non-stop performance, noise and everything), I was told that the whole "Kuda Kepang" thingy started as early as 8 in the morning... sheesh... Don't they get tired? I mean, the part when they got themselves possessed by the spirits of "Kuda Kepang" la, to the part when they were seen eating broken glasses la, eating flame buds of lighted cigarettes la (asal tak makan the whole of the lighted cigarette skali eh?), climbing of trees la, whatever la kan... I mean, I know it's a part of our heritage and all... But since the arrival of Islam to the land of Java (that's where the origin of "Kuda Kepang" started), it's forbidden coz it's somehow associated with satanic ritual, you know, the got possessed part bla bla bla... So yeah, I was basically not into it... really... Why? Simple coz it's HARAM in ISLAM!! And they are just making a fool out of themselves... sheesh...

Oh!! And yesterday was my little Asil's 2nd birthday (21.12.2008)... Alhamdulillah... Well, there's not much of a celebration though... Just the blowing of candles (Thanks for the birthday cake mom & dad) and singing birthday songs for my little boy... Well, accept for the part when the birthday cake got a little distorted coz the birthday boy and his little baby sister decided to feast on the creamy cake by poking their cute little fingers into it and then, into their mouths... hee hee... They both looked cute and messy... And they grow pretty fast too!!

A little poem from your Ummi...

Asil's 2nd Birthday

Teddy bears and seas of blue
Smiling in honor of you
An infant, not long ago
Now, two candles are aglow
You are growing up so fast
How quickly two years have passed
You are special, sweet, and wise
A present before our eyes.

For two years, I’ve watched you shine
An angel I can call mine
Sent from Heaven, just for me
Filled with hope and dignity
A blessing, now and always
You brighten all of my days
Precious child, I love you so
More than anyone could know.

Baby’s breath and sun-filled skies
Ladybugs and lullabies
Starry nights and bright moonbeams
Tender hearts and lasting dreams
Each, a gift within your view
During this time, made for you
May only good things come your way
On this, your second birthday.

To my baby boy whom I love so dear and who would one day be able to read this blog of mine: Happy 2nd Birthday my child... May you grow up to be a filial person to your family (Insya'allah)... One who always help others in times of need... And most importantly, one who is a loyal servant of Allah s.w.t and who guides others to the right path... Ummi will always pray for the goodness and safety of you, your little sister and Baba... All of you will always be in my heart... Always... Ameen...

Pictures uploaded above... :)

Back Home Safely In Singapore... Alhamdulillah...

(above) Kak Sue & me...

(above) Alalalala... Sweet la kakak aku yang satu ni...

(above) Muz's blouse...

(above) And another one...

(above) Key chains for Khat-MEOW...

Alhamdulillah... We're home at last... Reached home around 1 plus in the wee morning of December 18th... I'm back in the office and still feeling a bit shagged from my KL trip... Work!! Work!! Work!! Back to work... I'm still in a holiday mood though... Believe it or not, my heart's still in KL... hee hee...

So I went to visit the parents in-law @ the 1st bro in-law's crib... Everyone were there... So hubby, babies and I, we just dropped by to see how's everyone doing and also to giveaway some of the "ole-ole" souvenirs that we bought from KL...

I gave mom & sis in-law a set of tudongs each... [To Kak Sue (if you're reading this): Hope you like the tudong... :)] Dad in-law was given a jubah... 1st bro in-law and nephew Khai were given "kris look-a-like" & "skeleton" key chains respectively... In fact, to be fair, hubby bought key chains to be given to all his siblings... I've bought a pair of blouse for my 3rd sis in-law... Tak tahu whether diye muat tak blouse tu... [To Mus (if you're reading this too): Nanti aku pass kau nye "ole-ole" soon... Insya'allah...]

Pictures uploaded...

Bro Alep's girlfriend dropped by at my mom's crib for awhile... She didn't exactly came in the house... Instead, she just hanged out along the corridor coz she's too shy and all... (Meow) So I got the brother to pass his girlfriend 2 cute key chains that I bought for her in KL... [To Khat-Meow (if you're reading my blog): Hope you like the little key chains I bought for you, ya? And Alep had already informed me about your medical condition... Banyak2 bersabar... Semua ni suda ditakdirkan... Setiap perkare yg dtg dari Allah, ade hikmah nye... Slalu la rajen ingat DIA Yang Maha Esa... He will assist you... Insya'allah...]

By the way, it's Kak Ipah's birthday today (Happy Birthday Kak Ipah!! Abang Zairi tak bawak Kak Ipah gi "candle light" dinner ke?) yang ke dot-dot- dot-dot... As usual, I'll be dedicating a birthday poem for those who's birthday I remembered and make known... hee hee... So here goes...


Birthday Anniversary...

Each year our birthday forces us to grow,
Into the person whom we have yet to know...
With circumstances that hopefully have made us wise,
When we learn from our multitude of mistakes and tries...

To take a long look at these years gone past,
To really reflect on how time travels fast,
To know that every day that each of us lives,
Is a great gift from Him that He lovingly gives...

So as you celebrate another passing year again,
On this day that marks the beginning of the moment when,
You entered this world for a purposeful plan...

He..
Who gave you knowledge and words to speak...
Who doesn’t care about a past success or failure...
But only cares about your heart that His presence makes pure...

False paths, lost dreams, wrong choices, it’s true...
Fills your past as well as everyone else’s, too...
There may be those lost memories that hinder your day,
But with Him in your mind the regrets soon melt away...

Cherish this day and who you’re growing to be...
This special person that all of us already see...
Embrace this coming year and live each day anew,
By becoming the excellent one He had created in you...

Happy Birthday Kak Ipah... May all your prayers be heard... May you achieve your goals and dreams... And may Allah bless you and your family... Take care... A year older and a year wiser... :) Mmmmmmuahhh!!

Day 6 - Trip To MYDIN, Beryl's Chocolate Factory & Goodbye...

Today's our last day in KL... We did our last minute shopping at MYDIN again coz there were some last minute stuffs that we needed to buy... Hubby saw this cute little covered snow cap that he decided to put it on little Asil... Asil apelagi pantang kalau orang buat diye cute, he willingly wore the snow cap and decided to pose for the camera... hee hee... Keeee-CUTE!!

After that, the mom wanted to buy some banana fritters and kropok lekor... So yup, dropped by to a nearby food stall and waited for her to get her stuffs...

From there, Kak Ipah brought us to a Chocolate Factory... Gosh!! Once there, I got sooooo very excited coz that Chocolate Factory happened to be my one of my most favourite brand of chocolate ever - BERYL'S!! Arggggghhhhhhhh!! Suke aku...!! (To Cousin Lala: Wish you were here to share my joy...) Belom sempat pon turon dari kreta dan masok dalam kilang tu, aku da sebok2 gi amek gamba... Excited betol...

Once in, Kak Ipah showed us the way to Beryl's Chocolate Shop... As soon as I entered, OMG!! I saw chocolates everywhere!! I really mean EVERYWHERE!! Bole jadi sawan aku tengok chocolate... Beryl's pulak tu... Memang sedap gilerrrrrr... After that, we took some pictures...

There's a few pots of cocoa plant... That's where you get cocoa powders used to make delicious CHOCOLATES from!! Yum yum!!

Once home, Mak Ani had already prepared some nice "kampong" dishes for us to feast before we packed our stuffs and headed back home to sunny Singapore... :(

Especially to Kak Ipah, Abang Zairi, Mak Ani, Kak Ana & Nani: Thank you soooooo much for the warm hospitality that you've given us during our stay in KL... We will never forget your kind thoughts and warm welcome towards us all... The jokes and the laughter to the tears that we shed on our last day in KL... We definitely won't forget all those memories there... Insya'allah, we will visit you guys again soon... Take care... Keep in touch always...

Farewell to KL and to all those memories that I will always treasure deep in my heart...

Goodbye...

Day 5 - Mines Shopping Mall, Petronas Twin Tower & KL Tower...

Assalamua'laikum people!! OK, basically, I'm feeling very shagged due to today's outing plus the lack of SLEEP... I'm gonna elaborate on the trip as short and as simple as possible...

So the uncle (Pak Cik) and his family had already departed from the LCCT, KLIA at around 2 plus in the afternoon... Kak Ipah and her hubby were the ones who sent them to the airport...

As for us, we had a new "tour guide" leading us to our next shopping spot and she's cousin Nani and my aunt (Mak Ani)... hee hee... Kak Ipah didn't tagged along as she needs to do her household chores while Abang Zairi was out at work...

So we went to the Mines Shopping Mall situated in Mines Resort City... Journey there was about 45 minutes... Bought some stuffs... Clothings la, shades la, waist belt la, went to Giant Supermarket la... bla bla bla...

We came back to Kak Ipah's crib to meet up with her and her hubby before heading towards Cyberjaya for dinner... Had our dinner at "The Padi House" again due to an overwhelming response from everyone saying that the food there was great...Woo hoo!!

Then here comes the best part... After dinner, Abang Zairi brought us sight-seeing to the capital city of Malaysia and you guessed it, Kuala Lumpur!! Woo hoo!! I was so thrilled!! We took pictures of the Petronas Twin Tower... I tell you, the 2 buildings were so freaking tall... As in REALLY tall that there's this bunch of "ang mohs" who were there, they laid themselves on the ground in front of the building and took some pictures of it like nobody's business...

Next was a road trip around town and see how nightlife's like in K.L... Da macam kat Orchard Road!!

Pictures uploaded plus the ones when we were going all bonkers at Kak Ipah's crib...

Day 4 - Off To Kak Ana's Crib & Finally, To Putrajaya & Cyberjaya!! Woo hoo!!

I was feeling very happy and excited today... Woke up, had breakfast (thanks for the "thosai" Kak Ipah, Mama & Papa... Sedap giler...) and got ourselves ready coz we're gonna be visiting Mak Ani at Kak Ana's (Kak Ipah's eldest sister) crib situated in Kajang, Selangor... Pak Cik & family had spent their night there... So since we planned to go for a little shopping spree and sight-seeing together, our meet-up place would be at Kak Ana's crib...

We chilled there for a while... Mak Ani had cooked for us some delicious "kampong" delicacies, while the cousins and my siblings were busy playing in the neighbourhood swimming pool... Food was very delicious, I'm telling you... Mak Ani's cooking reminded me of my late grams, Nenek Esah... She's the BEST COOK ever!! Even Mak Ani looks exactly like her... Seeing her sometimes reminded me of my late grams... I really miss her...

OK, I'm not gonna be all emotional here... Back to my story... So after the eating and swimming, everyone got themselves ready for the little shopping spree down at "MYDIN"... It's kinda like the "MUSTAFA CENTRE" that we have back in Singapore... But this was somehow like the Malaysian version of it... Hee hee... I tell you, the whole stuff was so freaking CHEAP!! I could go crazy over all of it especially the ladies brooches, non-alcoholic perfumes, scarfs and baby stuffs... Murah giler wo!! I just bought like 20 scarfs from the cousin... And now, seeing all these wonderful cheap stuffs... Gosh!! Memang betol menduga diriku untok membeli sume barang yang betol2 memikat hatiku... Aku pon apelagi la... Beli je la... Hee hee...

So after that, we're off to PUTRAJAYA!! Woo hoo!! Suke aku!! The whole view of that place was sooooo very FAN-TAS-TIC!! A HUGE SALUTE to Malaysia for their fine architectural buildings and everything... From the mosque, to the bridge and even to the way they design their traffic lights and lamp posts!! Very very creative and innovative...

From Putrajaya, we went to have dinner at "The Padi House" situated in Cyberjaya which was about 15 mins drive... The eating place there, the surrounding area, the food, the service... Ummmmph!! Magnifique!! Very very good... Hubby and I, we both ate Stir Fried Dried Chilli Beef Rice... And then, still feeling hungry, we decided to have another serving of food and we ordered Salted Fish Fried Rice... tsk tsk tsk... We really ate a lot!! Kuat makan betol!! I'm telling you, I definitely am gonna gain some weight from all this eating... ;)

One thing that makes me wonder was why wasn't there any lights on the lamp posts along the highway? I mean, all along our night trip, there wasn't any lights!! And I think that's dangerous coz it could easily cause road accidents... And I find that some Malaysian drivers do not have any road manners coz they don't even use their signal lights when they intend to overtake other vehicles and even when they decide to make a left or right turn at a junction... Or worst still, when they decide park their cars!! I'm not trying to criticise them or anything, it's just that some Malaysian drivers should ought to be extra careful especially when driving on the road... Just like their road motto says in Malay, "PANDU CERMAT, JIWA SELAMAT"...

Pak Cik and family are gonna be flying back to Singapore tomorrow... Their flight is at 3pm... I'm not so sure whether we're gonna be sending them off to the airport... Well, we'll see about that... I'm hoping if we could go to K.L.C.C or the Petronas Twin Tower... ;)

Pictures uploaded...

I'm feeling very sleepy now...

Need some sleep for tomorrow's trip...

Day 3 - From Malacca To Shopping @ Jusco...

(above) The cute little souvenirs bought @ Jusco...
(above) The relatives...

(above) Them again...

(above) Little Asyura & Asil...

(above) Us @ Jusco...

(above) Pictures of shoes worn by relatives from Singapore who dropped by @ Kak Ipah's crib...

(above) Little Asil - O!! Oh!!

(above) Me - Looking pretty sleepy...

(above) Little Asil trying to smile like cousin Aishah...

(above) The green paddy fields that I saw in Malacca...

(above) Isssh!! Cantek sunggoh permandangan nye...

(above) Baba & little Asil @ the wedding feast...

(above) The "junior" men in our family with their sons...

(above from left) Baba & little Asil, Abang Zairi & little Aqif, Abang Nob & little Ibrahim, Abang Wan & litle Azim...

(above) My hubby & me... Always... Insya'allah...

(above) Anakku yang paling disayangi slalu...

(above) Cousin Yanee with little Asil...

(above) Smile Adek!!

(above) Kak Ipah & Abang Zairi on candid camera... Hee hee...

(above) Smiley little Asyura...

(above) Hubby with little Asil & Abang Zairi...

(above) This was where we had our wedding feast...

(above) The "senior" & "junior" ladies in our family plus children...

(above) Us again...

(above) Little Ibrahim... Minom air nampak!!

(above) Pak Ucu - "Yok makan tapai yok!!"

(above) Dad & his siblings...

(above) Smile...

(above) My Pak Long with little Asyura...

(above) Walking towards the wedding venue...

(above) Melaka Sentral (Malacca Central)...

(above) It says, "Melaka Bandaraya Warisan Dunia"...

Finally, I managed to squeeze some time to update my blog!! phewwww... I was basically feeling very exhausted yesterday that I didn't even have the mood to update my blog on Day 3's outing... So here's what we did on that particular day...

Like I said in my previous blog, we went on a short trip to Malacca coz there's a wedding feast going on from the paternal side of the family bla bla bla... Got ourselves lost on our way there but thanks to today's modern technology, we arrived at our destination safely with the help of "GPS mobile satellite map reading"... Alhamdulillah...

Everyone of dad's siblings were there and the cousins plus nephews too!! The food was great... The weather was going all drizzly... Then, it started to rain cats and dogs for hours... The tent was filled with tiny holes making the whole place wet and leaky... The grasses were even filled with mud and puddles of water... pfft... To make things even worst, kara-OK singers who were singing their voice out at the wedding really sucked big time... I think my gram could sing even better than them... Seriously... They were the laughing stock of almost everyone there... Suare sumbang gilerrrrr... lol...

After that we made our way back to K.L (to Kak Ipah's crib) with Pak Uteh (Dad's 3rd bro) & family tagging along with us... Saw lots of green patches of paddy fields along the way and it's amazing how "green" the whole paddy fields looked like... Can't blame me la, coz it's the 1st time I've seen such a thing in Malaysia... You won't be able to see any of those things back in Singapore... sheesh...

So arrived in Kak Ipah's crib... Rested for a while before we made our move to Jusco!! Woo hoo!! Shopping gilerrrr... Bought a few stuffs... Souvenirs for the 2nd bro's girlfriend (Khat), my favourite nephew (Khai), baby diapers and milk powder for the babies... Last but not least, shopping won't feel "syiok" without getting our taste buds pampered with FOOD... mwahahahaha...

Here's a list of food and beverages that we ordered and ate together:

1. Sushi
2. Beef Steak
3. Chicken Mushroom Noodle Soup
4. Giant Hotdogs
5. Ice Creams
6. Omellette Fried Rice
7. Coffee Tongkat Ali
8. Sweet Corn Juice
9. Plum Juice
10. Ice Cafe
11. Orange Juice

Sedaaaaaaap... Alhamdulillah... I think if I were to stay a little bit longer here in K.L, I'm gonna be putting on about 3 to 5kg of fat on me soon...

Pictures uploaded...