Rintihan seorang ibu yang harus ke kerja hari-hari

Sometimes I wonder, where will I go?

Where will it be? 

When will it ends?

Is it all worth it?

Kadang-kadang rasa bahu ni dah berat sangat nak pikul segala-galanya.

No one would understands the feelings I have - having to carry everything on my shoulder is no longer bearable.

Having to fight everything by myself .....

Penat! Sangat-sangat penat

But no one seems to understand or even care

I feel like walking on an empty air yang tak tahu mana arah tujuan.

Empty!

Fritzroy Garden Melbourne

Sometimes I wonder, would it be better if I were to run this show of mine, alone?

Goodbye November, Hello December

It's been awhile since my last post. I don't even remember my username and password, I had to try them twice to be able to log in - that's how long this blog has been abandoned. Dah berkulat dan bersawang.

Well, thanks to all TV channels for not airing good TV programmes for me to watch, I finally tuned myself to this blog of mine which I clearly, have no idea what to write. Iman is asleep and I finally have time to myself and yet, I find myself restless for not doing anything.

Pendek cerita, tiada yang lebih serabut selain daripada perasaan yang dihadapi sekarang.

Kadang-kadang, ada betulnya bila orang cakap jangan terlalu berharap sebab harapan akan hanya tinggal angan-angan dan boleh memakan diri sendiri which clearly, have taken its toll on me. Takot yang dikejar tak dapat, yang dikendung berciciran. All I can hope for is to be able to change my life for the sake of my family - to improve my relationship with my husband (not that we have a bad relationship) and to be able to be a good mother to Iman.

A lot has happened and I, at some point feels that I am nothing but a bad wife to my husband and a super bad irresponsible mother to my child which have driven me nutts. I pray that December will be nothing but a good month for me. A month for me to change - change to be a better person.

Dah merepek meluahkan perasaan, I think I have to go now sebab Iman dah bangun. Oh btw, we went to Bali last October. Will write about it soon (kalau ingat).

Salam and take care everyone.

Because we're "too cool for school"

My company hosted the 2014 teambuilding + annual dinner last weekend. Had it at The Lost World of Tambun, Ipoh and I arrived home with an aching legs. Made a smart move applying for a day leave today to rest. Can't imagine if I have to go to work today with an aching legs. Jalan pun dah tak betul.

Anyway, we were not allowed to bring our camera/phone during the teambuilding activities as it involved walking/running/swimming in the lake/pool. I only have pictures during the annual dinner. Itu pun tak banyak. I was busy eating and having fun.

The theme was "Back to School" and everyone was dressing up to the theme. Very sporting of them!

Mr. AV the CEO is giving his short welcome speech. Isn't he the cutest?

With my favourite buyer

The boys of OMG

Aren't they the cutest
Left: PHD GM
Center: CEO Office Executive
Right: Account Assistant

My "Too Cool For School" group members

Us again!

I had a wonderful-tiring night. Super tiring sampai tak terkata but I had fun!

Bucket List #10: Nadayu62 Melawati

Syukur Alhamdulillah, tiada kata yang boleh diucapkan selain kata-kata syukur yang teramat sangat. Rasa macam tak percaya pun ada.

If you have been following this blog (cheh, budget-budget famous gitew), I did mentioned over my previous post (dah tak ingat post yang mana satu) on my Bucket List. Bucket List ni adalah list-list benda that I would like to do/achieve in my life, insya Allah. And one of it is to own a house.

The process of owning/wanting to buy a house is indeed a very lonnnggggg process; from doing the research, do a little bit of survey, to constant checking on your savings account.

Research isn't just about googling the new development area but it involves going to the actual development place. I think I did mentioned that my radius of property has to be within my parents house area which means it can't go any further than Melawati, Ampang, Wangsa Maju and Keramat area. Contohnya, Shah Alam and Damansara are currently developing new housing areas. Putrajaya/Cyberjaya is too but these are the kind of locations that I will receive a straight "No" face from my parents even before mentioning it to them.

You may wonder, why I have to be very concern over my parents' decision. You may think that they are the ones who will be paying for the house right? Well, firstly, no, they are not paying for it. Not a single scents. And secondly, I have a kid and maybe I'll have more in the future and that I need someone that I can trust to be there at least to monitor the maid/nanny if I leave the house (read: you do know that I am currently staying with my parents right?). Sending my kids to the nursery is not an option. The world is dangerous. You can't trust no one except for your own family. 

Unless, Izwan can convince her mother to come and stay with us in KL and look after Iman. Hah! memang tidak mungkin itu akan berlaku.

So anyway, back to my property story. 

After almost a year of searching, fighting with Izwan, convincing my parents that I REALLY need to get a house of my own and convincing myself that I have sufficient money to pay for the instalment; I can proudly announce that we have officially bought our first property together. Yes, it's a joint-buy. Apa guna ada suami kalau tak mau berkongsi rumah bukan?

Nadayu62 Melawati - our first property together, Alhamdulillah

The house is scheduled to ready in mid-2017. I have ample time to kumpul duit untuk bayar bulan-bulan nanti, lol!

A very small unit (950sqft), fully-furnished and guarded. I don't need a big house as I don't plan to build a big family. Small house is easier to manage since I don't plan to hire a full time maid and it's low density. So taklah rasa macam duduk kat flat?

Ini adalah sangat penting sebab kitchen dia is to die for!! Harap-harap dapatlah serupa ini.

It's a Leasehold property. Well, I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not but I know Chinese won't buy this kind of property sebab dia Leasehold (I think).

All this is just a traffic light away from my parents' house sebab tu dorang pon setuju.

To be honest, it's a little bit pricey for a 950sqft unit. But what I'm paying is the location. Only a Melawati-ans will understand the beauty and the safety of Taman Melawati. Others might thing that I'm paying a lot more for a small size unit but like I said, I'm paying for the location. It's 30 minutes away from KL and it is still surrounded by the greens. Hence why the high value.

I'm excited for it but it is still a long way to go till it's completion. Who knows I might turn it into an investment. But for now, syukur Alhamdulillah yang tidak terhingga.

A landed property is stilla dream. One day maybe, insya Allah.

Selangor Negeriku

Posted up this status on my Facebook account last Wednesday. Feeling all disappointed over the current situation that is happening in Selangor. 

After so many years, Selangor has finally becoming an establish state managed by the "experience" people who really know how to manage a state rather than thinking on how to grow their own pocket size. For that, I believe, has built the confident and trust between the ruler, The Sultan of Selangor and the state representatives especially towards the MB. And as the rakyat, I also believe, we are happier now than ever - in so many ways and factors.

In the eyes of the rakyat, Pakatan Rakyat has done a wonderful job managing the state of Selangor. We can proudly say that our leader, the MB is finally free from corruption (I'm sure he is not totally free but does not commit serious corruption crime as the previous MBs). We can see that he is working towards the excellence of Selangor, just like how he managed his previous organization. We believe in his capabilities. But unfortunately, all these are going down the drain.

Selangor adalah negeri yang sangat kaya-raya. Kuala Lumpur is situated within Selangor's district. Kaya dengan balak, kaya dengan tanah pasir, kaya dengan kilang-kilang. Segala jenis kilang ada di Selangor. Kilang Carlsberg kat Selangor. Kilang Guinese kat Selangor. These are the source of income for Selangor. Dan sudah pasti, ramai orang mahukan Selangor. Selangor MB seat is always the "hot" seat. Dan sebab itu juga, Selangor tidak pernah lepas daripada berlakunya pergolakan politik.

I hope this is just temporary. A transaction period for a betterment. Maybe, just maybe, what people say about the MB is true. But he is reliable and he can do work. We all know that he is not a politician. He is known for his corporate excellence and because of that, he manages Selangor very well!

Semoga Selangor kembali kepada sedia kala. Kalau sekarang ni di buat pilihanraya, I'm 101% confident that it'll be in the hands of BN. Penat je pergi beratur panjang-panjang mengundi pada May 5, 2013. Sia-sia segala penat lelah peluh yang minitik!

Salam subuh!

Child labour: Iman sweeping the floor

Macam boleh kena tangkap je kalau baca post title.

Being sick is no fun, especially when you have 1,001 things to do/accomplish by end of the week because you need to attend your company's teambuilding activities over the weekend.

I have been a very good girl this year that I hardly fall sick. Checking on my medical record, the last medical leave I took was some time last February due to my never-ending sinus sickness. I have been taking my vitamins religiously and Alhamdulillah, kesihatan amatlah memberangsangkan. Penyakit yang tidak dapat di bendung adalah penyakit malas yang tidak dapat disangkal lagi. Hence why most of my annual leaves were the ELs. Oh, oppps!

Anyway, kembali kepada cerita sakit.

I am currently on 6 different medicines just to make sure that the flu, sore-throat and sinus are gone and that, I am fit for the weekend teambuilding. And while being sick, I took a day rest yesterday hoping that the virus will be gone. Lucky me, the best medicine I had yesterday was a very cute spontaneous action by Iman, trying to help out doing house chores. One of it was her attempt in sweeping the floor.

I have never enjoy falling sick but I did enjoyed my day rest yesterday.

And it makes me wonder, how children pick up things that we never really teach them. I don't remember teaching Iman how to sweep the floor. She spontaneously went to the kitchen, took the broom and started sweeping the floor. But, high possibility that she thinks the broom is a mop as her sweeping method looks like mopping.

She surprises me with her new discovery every day and it makes me a proud mum. She has not yet mastered with her vocab, but physically, she has done more than most kids her age. She enjoys jumping, she knows how to wipe the table (bertuahnya Ibu), she loves playing hide and seek (which is super tiring), she enjoys drawing (more towards conteng-conteng), she has mastered her ABCs and 123s cuma tak master Alif, Ba, Ta je lagi - still work in progress. Syukur, Alhamdulillah.

And that officially make me a proud mum!

The end of the 2 series

About a month ago, 9 July 2014 to be exact, I celebrated my 29th birthday. This year is rather special because my birthday fell on the 3rd week of Ramadan. Syukur and Alhamdulillah for another wonderful year of living. Jatuh pulak pada bulan Ramadan - bulan yang paling mulia. Rezeki yang amat berharga.

This year marks as the final year within the 2 series. Next year, it'll be the beginning of the 3 series, insya Allah. Pejam celik, pejam celik dah nak 30an dah. But I always believe that age is just a number. And that, age does not reflect one's maturity. One can be at his/her 30s but acts like a child and vise versa. Therefore, a year older means a year wiser - for me that is!

Being 29 feels nothing less than 28, or even 27. To be honest, I don't really feel "old". Hey, I am not old, I'm still young at heart!

But my responsibilities and commitments to my family, career and to my studies grew bigger. Syukur Alhamdulillah, kalau dengan izin Allah, I shall complete my Masters by end of this year/early 2015. Mungkin, perancangan untuk membesarkan keluarga Ajlaa-Izwan, and maybe, just maybe, new career enhancement. But for now, I would just like to enjoy being 29, with no plans of what-so-ever!

This post is a month late. But, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family for always, always be there for me even when I said that I don't need their presence/help. A million thanks to my husband, for his patience, dealing with his super crazy maniac wife. For never give-up hope on us even when I'm already am. For being the forever annoying you. Being together is tough but I don't mind being tough together with you.

And last but not least, to my loving best friends, for being the coolest best friends ever! Very sporting to get me a mixer as my birthday present. Super cool and I love it!

I shall end my post with a big hug to all of you, for the well wishes. Thank you so much from the bottom of mu heart!

Pukul 4 pagi

I hate waking up in the middle of the night thinking that it's already morning and that, I have to be ready for work. Wasted few precious hours before the actual waking up time! Lepas tu nanti mulalah rasa menyesal sebab tak tidur puas-puas, sigh!

As I aged, I noticed that I can no longer enjoy the beauty of 8 hours of sleep. The max I can go is 5 hours in a day, excluding evening nap. I'm not that type of person who needs an evening nap. Memang jenis tak boleh tidur petang. Tidur means hanya di waktu malam. Evening nap hanya jika mahu tidurkan Iman. Itu pon lepas Iman lena, I won't continue napping.

Our bedtime is between 10pm-10.30pm. Tapi kalau weekend lambat sikitlah. Kasi chan lah sikit kat Iman. I try to make sure that I reach home before Iman's bedtime so that I can atleast spend time with her. And, I try not to make her sleep too late as that will affect a child's growth. She needs her sleep and she needs to have a fix sleeping time. And because of that, every night without fail, I will wake up between 3.30am-4am sebab dah cukup 5 jam tidur. Lepas tu lepas subuh mulalah mengagau mengantuk!

It's all started when I choose to stay-up late every night during my uni years. Staying up bukan untuk study, tapi pergi melepak. And it became worst when I really had to stay up late to complete my assignments. Biasalah budak art & design, ilham datang tengah malam. Sleep deprived lah lepas tu. Jadi sekarang, ia dah jadi norm to my circle of life. And I become constantly tired because of the lack of sleep.

As much as I hate waking up in the middle of the night. The one thing that I enjoy doing while awake is to watch Iman sleeping. She is at her atmost beauty when she is asleep. Sniffing her face while she is asleep. That is the only time that I can really enjoy her "presence" because it is the only time she lays quietly without jumping or moving around. She snores, just like her dad, which worries me! Does a 2 year old kid snores? 

Well anyway, it's 15mins to 5am. I better stop now and really force myself to sleep before subuh comes.

Salam Tuesday kawan-kawan. Have a nice day ahead!

Kisah baju raya 2014

Just like any other typical Malay family, there will always be a theme color set for every raya, without fail! 

We had light green for our first raya celebration, brownish during the second, orangy on the third and this year we settled for grey. Izwan yang pilih nak color grey, alasannya sebab dia tak pernah ada  baju melayu yang berwarna grey. So, grey it is!

Memandangkan tahun ini merupakan tahun kemalasan dan tidak sempat untuk menghantar baju ke tailor, maka bermulalah acara mencari baju raya secara online. I bought a few. Mana taknya, with just one click, semuanya settled! 

I got my baju raya during the first week of Ramadan while Izwan's, macam biasa dibeli di BAK Tailor berdekatan. Masalah datang bila sampai nak dekat raya tapi baju Iman masih belum jumpa. Was searching high and low over a grey baju kurung tak can fit Iman. Unfortunately, there weren't any. Sampailah ke Parkson KLCC meredah, lalu terjumpa. However, the design wasn't up to my liking. 

Dengan ke-creative-an yang ada di dalam diri, I decided to alter the baju kurung and put up a nicer beading design on Iman's baju kurung.

It took me 2 days to complete the task. Not bad at all!

Dan inilah hasilnya apabila si pemakai menyarungkan baju kurung hasil buatan ibunya.

I must say that I am honestly proud with my own workmanship. Siapa nak puji diri sendiri kalau bukan diri sendiri, ye dak?! Hidden talent namanya.

Maybe I should put some serious thought on this hidden talent of mine. Mana tahu untung-untung boleh buka business, insya Allah!

Syawal 1435H: Kedah

Alhamdulillah, we were given another opportunity to celebrate Aidilfitri together as husband and wife. This year marks the fourth year for us celebrating Aidilfitri and Alhamdulillah, so far we have not encountered any difficulties (read: gaduh) in celebrating raya - which side should we celebrate first. Sebab setiap tahun pun memang akan celebrate with both sides. It's a matter of which side we will be celebrating the 1st day of Raya.

This year it's Kedah time! 

We (Iman and I. Don't ask why Izwan didn't follow us) took Saturday flight to Penang (sebab flight pergi Alor Star semua dah fully booked) and Izwan picked us up at the airport and we spent half of our day there as my mother and sister in law wanted to get themselves a new pair of shoes for raya. Pendek kata, shopping raya. 

I have not been to Penang for the longest time and from the short visit I made, Penang has changed a lot! New nice housing areas were built around the island and membuatkan raya macam nak duduk sana pulak. Maybe I should accept USM offer *cough*cough*

So kembali ke cerita raya.

Our raya involved Kodiang - Jitra - Alor Star. Hari-hari pon Kodiang - Jitra - Alor Star. Sedikit lain rasa beraya di kampung. Keadaan agak sebok unlike Raya di KL. KL sangat lengang sampai boleh bergolek di atas jalan raya. Rasa seronoknya berbeza-beza. Nak merasa beraya dengan udara segar pulak sekali-sekala.

Our family photo on the first day of Aidilfitri. Complete satu set!

And on the 3rd day of Raya, we hosted a so called open house to welcome our new family member. My BIL got married few months ago and didn't get the chance to introduce his new wife to the family. Therefore, the open house is meant to introduce his wife to the family.

This is just half of the clan. Yang lagi half dah balik rumah.

All in all, we had a wonderful Raya time in Kedah. It's good to see that everyone is back to celebrate raya. Orang melayu kata, buang yang keruh ambik yang jernih. 

Syawal 1435H

One for the album

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir & batin from Izwan, Ajlaa and Iman Alexandria

Baju raya theme: Shades of Grey

Ajlaa: Kurung Moden Bahija from Fashionvalet; tudung from thepoplook

Izwan: BAK Tailor

Iman: Parkson; re-altered and beading by yours truly

Well, Hello! Selamat Hari Raya.

It's been a while since my last post. Dah nak dekat 3 bulan, masya Allah. A lot has happened and I don't know where to start. 

Mulanya, meng-delay blogging sebab busy with work and study. Then came Ramadan, busy with work and masa. Alhamdulillah, in between work and Ramadan, I received my 4th semester's results. Walaupun mengharapkan straight A's tetapi dengan kadar kemalasan yang melampau sampai skip classes yang terlampau banyak, I am grateful with the results - A- (1), B+ (1). 

That leads me to my final semester - Thesis! Officially agreed to be under one of my preferred lecturer as my final thesis supervisor. Semester belum start lagi, she has already warned me to prepare the proposal which is due before cuti Raya tapi sampai sekarang tak submit lagi. Kena berusah dengan lebih keras lagi.

Work wise - busy as always!

Was assigned to few new accounts which I'm happy and not happy at the same time. Happy because I get to learn more things, take control on the account, experiencing new environment (category) but the unhappy factor is that - work is piling up high I lost control of them! Not complaining, bersyukur sebab masih bekerja dan boleh menyara Iman dan keluarga.

Ohh, I've summarized on what had happened over the past 3 months. Basically, busy bee is my middle name. 

I miss blogging but I just don't have time to blog. I miss rambling on this blog of mine! I miss posting crappy stuff. I miss syok sendiri di blog sendiri. Everytime I try posting something, mesti tersekat di tengah jalan. 

Terlupa - the biggest event that happened over the past 3 months of hiatus - I turned 29!! Shall post about it! Mesti! 

But before I forget, would like to wish Selamat Hari Raya to all of you my loyal readers (blog perasan syok sendiri saya ini, kalau ada!). Mohon maaf jika ada terkasar bahasa, terguris hati secara sengaja atau tidak sengaja. Semoga raya kita diberkati. And together we pray to all our brothers and sisters who are facing difficult time in war (Palestinian) and in sorrow (family and friends of those on board of flight MH17 & MH370). Semoga Allah lindungi mereka, amin.

Father's Day OOTD

It's Father's Day and we decided to celebrate it with papa!

Top: Anak ku

Pants: Polka dots pants from Cotton on (ibu got it from Melbourne)

Shoes: My favourite Mothercare pair of shoes

We had lunch at Tony Romas The-Curve; my papa's favourite dining place and I had my all-time favourite chips and my parents had the scrumptious burger and steak. Gees, why wouldn't they want to share it with me? I already have a full set of teeth!

So anyway, papa, thank you so much for the love that you showered me. Thank you for looking after me when ibu's not around. Thank you for dealing with all my dramas nangis-nangis, guling-guling. I love you very much and I'm sure ibu loves you too.

Here's our Father's day selfie

#OOTD

Ini cerita hari Sabtu.

Received a last minute birthday invitation on Friday that requires our attendance. Biasalah, Iman bukan lah selalu keluar ber-social sangat. She is either stay at home or out to the park which doesn't requires her to be all dressed-up. Her dresses all very limited. She grows up very fast that all her dresses semua dah senteng or kecil. And this little girl of mine doesn't like wearing dresses. Kau memang anak ibu, Iman!

So anyway, I bought this dress in Bangkok last year. I bought her few dresses and pants and guess what, all dah kecil. This dress is meant for a 3 year old girl. Time pergi Bangkok tu, Iman 2 tahun pon belum lagi. Saja gatal-gatal beli the dress. Luckily, I bought it and it fits her well, I suka!!

At first, I was contemplating whether should I dressed her in this dress or in her favourite polka-dot blue pants. Knowing how dramatic she can be, refuse to wear any dresses, I did few tricks on her so that she'll wear it. Nasib baik lakonannya tidak berlaku, she was happily wearing it without putting any drama on it.

She looks all grown-up on this dress. My girl is all grown up. Please don't grow up so fast my girl! #emomum.

Maybe I should post more of Iman's #ootd here. Eh, macamlah Iman selalu keluar.

That's the thing, I rather stay at home than going out. With the recent cases of kidnapping and brutal crimes happening everywhere, it is best that we always stay in than going out.

To all the mums out there, please be extra careful and please don't let your kids go out unattended. You may not know what's going to happen to your kids. Prevention is better than cure. Eh, tak ada kena mengena. But yea, please be extra sensitive. Orang sakit mental terlalu banyak di luar sana and they don't care if their victims adalah kanak-kanak ataupun orang dewasa. Yang mereka tau is bunuh je, nauzubillah! Semoga anak-anak kita dilindungi, amin!

An open letter to the airlines

Dear MAS, Firefly, Air Asia and Malindo Air,

For all the promos that you are currently having - having special airfare deals specially for this coming festive Raya season, it is very disappointing to see that none of your deals are offered during the critical week towards Hari Raya which is the final week before Hari Raya (20 July - 27 July 2014). 

Strategically, as a customer - and yes, I am a frequent flyer of all of your services, I believe this is a wrong way to do as most of us - the last minute travellers will need to purchase our tickets balik kampung at a very last minute. And I can assure you, these last minute travellers are the majority flyers. 

For your information, unlike others, I do not have the privilege to do an early online ticket purchase. You may think that I was "stupid" for not purchasing the ticket earlier like most of your customers did during your many many special deals. We, my husband and I, don't have the privilege to plan our holidays in advance due to our nature of work. Hence why, we always purchase our tickets balik kampung for raya when it is closer to the date.

I have been consistently checking on the fares to Alor Star for the past few days but sadly, it costs more than flying to Krabi or any other Southeast Asia countries.

I hope you will re-evaluate your fares especially during the peak week of the festive season allowing people like me to get the change to purchase our tickets balik kampung. It is ridiculously expenses for the return fares to Alor Star amounting RM1K++ for an adult with a child.

Thank you so much for your understanding. I hope to see a good news coming out from either one of you in this coming weeks.

Salam and Regards,

A concern flyer.

Melbourne Part 3

Day 4 (Sunday, 4 May 2014)

We received a not-so-good news late Saturday night whereby our flight to KUL will be delayed by 3 hours. Instead of flying back on Monday 1230am Melbourne time, we are expected to depart at 0300 Melbourne time. Thanks to Air Asia, we were able to spend more time in Melbourne doing nothing.

The group leader (the tour person) gave us extra free and easy time on Sunday morning to do what ever that we want to do before continuing with our city tour - meeting family and friends. However, the unlucky me, I didn't do much that morning except for the frequent visit to the toilet due to a sick tummy. I suspect this was due to the overloaded of food that I had the day before. Makan macam orang tak pernah makan sepuluh tahun, ini lah jadinya.

Since our flight was delayed, we had no choice but to checked out from the hotel on Sunday (still!) and to pack our bags and bring them along during the last city tour. Lucky us, our tour driver is a superb person that allowed us to pack our bags in the bus.

We had our lunch at the Chinatown and headed to Victoria Market for souvenir shopping right after. It is something similar to the Paddy Market in Sydney where one can get cheap souvenirs. Since I just got back from Sydney not too long ago, I didn't buy much. A basic t-shirt to the family. 

I was really looking forward to the factory outlet visit siap allocated money for it. However, I was very very super disappointed to see that few of the branded label boutique (read: Micheal Kors, Burberry, Coach) were no longer there. Yang tinggal adalah boutique-boutique yang tak seberapa nak best. I walked around and decided not to get anything. Beli sepasang baju Iman at Cotton On (macamlah Malaysia tak ada) and that's it! To be honest, I think JPO (Johore Premium Outlet) lagi best kot!

The plan was to have coffee at the cafe tapi memandangkan hari hujan tanpa henti, niat untuk ber-kopi pon terpaksa dibatalkan. Hai, kecewa lah hati.

Since our flight was delayed, the tour person decided to drive us around the city (again). We visited few entertainment and historical places saja untuk membuang masa before headed for dinner (Makan lagi)

The city of Melbourne

The Shine of Remembrance - A historical building

And we finally had our final dinner together at one of the Chinese Restaurant in the city.

We headed to the Crown Hotel as the rest of the gang wanted to experience the casino but I decided to stay on the bus to re-pack my bag.

And finally at 2300 Melbourne time, we depart to Melbourne International Airport dengan keadaan yang sungguh penat sekali.

I received a not-so-good news again upon arrival. Izwan's grandmother was warded and he wanted to go back to Alor Star right after I arrived - which we did. I was so kelam kabut that right after I checked in my luggage, I ran to the nearest counter to get MAS flight to Alor Star. Memang mencabar minda dan perasaan. 

Dah lah pkol 11 malam, mana ada counter nak buka. Nasib baik ada free internet service, I managed to get us the ticket and boarded MAS to Alor Star the moment I arrived KUL.

Oh, Melbourne International Airport wasn't as happening as Sydney's. Tak ada apa-apa yang menarik di situ. We wasted 4 hours before finally boarding the plane. Sungguh penat menunggu. And, we finally arrived KUL at 0930 Malaysia time the next morning, Alhamdulillah.

All in all, I had a good time visiting Melbourne. Who knows maybe I may come back but with a different purpose and objective *hint*hint*

Melbourne Part 2

Day 3 (Saturday, 3 May 2014)

I've been super busy lately I have totally forgotten about my Melbourne trip. Continuing from part 1, our touristy journey continues to the Yarra Wine Valley on day 3. It took us an hour to reach the place - suburban area of Melbourne.

The overview of the wine yard

Wine testing - definitely not for me

Closer look at the wine yard

We had our lunch at the wine yard too. It was a three course meals and I had teh scrumptious grilled Salmon with a mouthwatering chocolate cake.

We had a lompat-lompat photo session after our lunch which you can view it on my Facebook account. Too lazy to post it here. 

We continue our journey to the chocolate valley nearby the wine yard. I was expecting a chocolate factory like a real chocolate factory where they process and make the chocolate. Sadly, it wasn't. And again, most photos taken at the chocolate factory are saved in my phone. And since I have no access to my phone, I'll post it when I can.

Not to disappoint myself, though I wasn't really into their chocolates, I decided to have a cone of coffee ice-cream on a very cold rainy weather. Super cold that I think my brain just freeze.

After spending half a day at the wine and chocolate yard, we continue our trip back to the city. We had a quick city tour before heading for dinner. This trip memang banyak makan-makan and I actually gained few kilos. Seluar jeans obviously jadi ketat.

St. Patrick Cathadral

Capt. Crooks Cottage

The Fritzroy Garden

We had our dinner at an Italian restaurant and to tell the truth, the food was very disappointing. The spaghetti was tasteless that I had to modify it myself.

We (me and the usual gang) decided to have a night walk around the city as this is our final night at Melbourne. We actually walked the entire streets just to look for the McDonald's to have a cup of coffee. Sekali, bila dah jumpa, the McCafe dah tutup. Sedih betol!

Melbourne City at night

Future Uni perhaps?

That's a wrap for day 3. I'll continue with day 4 - our final stay at Melbourne soon. Hopefully, soon means very soon!

Have a nice weekend lovers!

Makan Babi haram, ambik duit orang tak haram ke?

There have been a lot of tensions going on over the recent news of two Cadbury chocolate products that were found containing pig DNA in it.

Some of the Muslim NGOs have expressed their disappointments with making irrelevant and ridiculous comments and feedback over the matter.

1. One suggested that Cadbury factory to be burned down for their reckless mistakes.
2. A lady from one of the organizations hosted a press conference saying that the Muslim consumers have to change their blood due to the consumption. Ini paling bodoh pernah di dengar
3. One suggested that the Muslim consumers need to wash their mouth with sand (Samak).

For a person who have a very little knowledge on Islam, I have to admit that I do not have the rights to comment on it. Takut apa yang dikatakan akan mengudang kekeliruan. But I do believe that Islam is not a complicated religion. It teaches its followers to live a simple life and the rules and regulations that we, Muslims have to follow, generally are very simple and easy to adapt to ones daily life. 

It is so embarrassing to hear bad comments coming from my non-Muslims friends over the ridiculous video that went viral over the "change of blood" statement made by one of the NGO people. It really gives a bad impression to Islam. The non-Muslims will think that Islam is nothing but full of restrictions. Hence, they will never want to learn or understand the beauty of Islam.

What Dr. Asri mentioned on his Facebook is very much true. Taken from Malaysian Insider portal, he made it very clear in what's haram and what's forgiven in Islam. Click here for the article or read it.

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Former Perlis mufti Datuk Dr Asri Zainul Abidin expressed disappointment with Muslims in the country who were more concerned over the consumption of pork, but kept silent over bigger crimes such as corruption.
 He said it is as though the Muslim community does not realise the sin and harm in matters that are clearly illegal, such as interest-taking and corruption, both far greater sins compared to consuming pork.
 "Unfortunately, we are not making enough noise over things that are clearly haram.
 "This is the understanding of Islam, which only regards consuming pork as unlawful, but do not view gambling, interest-taking and corruption in the same way when clearly they are much bigger sins and cause greater harm," he wrote on his Facebook page today.
 He added that it was not a sin when followers of Islam accidentally consumed pork, and that Allah would not punish anyone if it was done unknowingly.
 Asri was commenting on the pig DNA that was found in Cadbury chocolates and lashed out at the reaction of some quarters, which he deemed as an overreaction.
 He added that Islam did not require such reactions which brings about difficulty.
 "Objecting on consumer rights is a good thing so that the purchasing public is not deceived.
 "But excessiveness, such as asking to wash the mouth with sand (samak mulut) or change the blood is considered overreacting in Islam, he said.
 According to recent reports, tests conducted by the Health Ministry on two chocolate products, Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut, with batch number 200813M01H I2 that expires on November 13, 2014, and Cadbury Dairy Milk Roast Almond, with batch number 221013N01R I1, that expires on January 15, 2015, found they had pig DNA in them.
 Following this, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) immediately suspended the products' halal certification, while Cadbury said it would recall the chocolates from stores.
 Malay group Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) said it planned to sue Cadbury Confectionery Malaysia following the reports on traces of pig DNA.
 JMM president Azwanddin Hamzah had accused Cadbury of misleading Muslims by producing products with porcine DNA.
 Cadbury's biggest consumer, he said, were Muslims and Malays. – May 28, 2014.

Source: Malaysian Insider 

Wahai umat Islam. Cubalah belajar untuk lebih bertenang dalam menerima sesuatu perkara. Tak semuanya buruk dan tidak semuanya indah. Islam tidak mengajar kita untuk membenci. Analisa dahulu sesuatu perkara dan jangan cepat malatah, waAllah hualam.

ABC: Acme Bar and Coffee

I finally step foot at this ever famous cafe yesterday for breakfast with the girls. This cafe is listed among those must-go cafe for coffee. I have been pestering the girls to have coffee at the cafe and we finally made it there yesterday.

We were quite early - reached at 10am and the place was already full.

For your information, if you want to dine here for breakfast over the weekend, kindly call in for reservation as the place is usually full during the weekends and public holidays.

This was what I had yesterday - their big breakfast set.

There are variety of selections to pick for your plate from the choices of eggs to your bread, the meat of your choice and side dishes.

And I had it with my long black.

Desserts are served after 11.30am and we had the ever famous sizzling brownies.

Although there has been a lot of good reviews of this desserts but I personally don't like it. I just don't like it! It has this weird taste and I don't like it.

Make yourself to Troika building opposite of PNB Park where Acme is and experience the food. Enjoy!

Because... we're the generation of idiots!

Guilty as charge! I couldn't agree more.

We are all at fault for such behavior but that doesn't mean I want to shut my desktop/smartphone just to communicate with my surroundings.

Yes, it's annoying sometimes to sit with people who doesn't want to put his/her phone down. It is as if the phone is glued to his/her hand. But not all of us are like that. I keep my phone on so that I can keep communicating with my close friends. We hardly meet each other. Thanks to technology, we are able to update each other on our whereabouts, latest gossips or just some crappy messages.

Technology can be annoying sometimes. But if you know your limit on how to use it and where to use it, it won't kill! It's YOU that is having the problem to let the phone go NOT the technology.

Use the technology wisely friends. The technology was built to help you to make your life easier NOT the other way round.

What's goes around comes around

I went to visit a relative last weekend. He went through a major right leg surgery couple of weeks ago and he's now walking supported by the crutches. He's recovery fast, Alhamdulillah but he needs to go through the physiotherapy treatment to ensure that the leg is OK, Insya Allah.

And it made me realized that nothing in this world is permanent. One can be very successful, be at the highest achievement level that he/she can be, recognised by the world, known by thousands of people and very influential. But when the time comes, the time where Allah takes everything that you have, you are nothing! 

Bumi ini bulat. Ada kala kita di atas dan ada kala kita di bawah. Kita tak tahu berapa lama kita akan berada di atas dan kita tak akan tahu bila kita akan di tarik ke bawah. Jadi, kita kena senantiasa beringat bahawa everything that we have/own are all temporary.

Arrogant kills! Selalunya, bila kita berada di atas, kita mula menjadi bongkak and angkuh dengan segala yang kita miliki. Kita lupa orang-orang di sekeliling kita. Kita lupa asal usul kita. Kita mula rasa apa yang orang lain buat semuanya salah which leads to one being uncontrollable over other people's opinion. And we started to hurt people especially the ones closest to our heart.

It's a norm for parents to want to give everything to their children. They want nothing but the best for their children - the best education, the best environment, the best life possible and I'm included. I work hard so that I can give the best life to my children. But nothing in life comes for free. Though I want the best for my children, but I do not want to spoil them with luxurious life. I learned life the hardest way and I want them to experience life the same way as I was so that they will appreciate their life and surroundings more. They will understand the value of life and being more appreciative towards the people that matters the most.

It's heart breaking to see the people that you love the most were not there when you needed them. You have showered them with a good life and yet, they were not there when you needed them.

I know I can be a little bit ignorant sometimes (and stubborn too). Being ignorant just to show how much I hated them for things that they have done and to show my protest which I know is wrong. I have no rights to show such attitude and it's not fair for them the receive such treatment. Though what they did was wrong, it is not my position to punish them. In fact, I should forgive them and pray and hope that one day they'll come clean. 

This visit taught me a new meaning in life. I really need to put aside my ego and learn to forgive more. Because I do not want to loose the people who I love the most. Everything is temporary but family stays forever. Appreciate them more. 

Melbourne Part 1

Last week, my company hosted a company trip to the country down under. There were two groups departing on 30th April and 1st May 2014 and it was a 6 days 5 nights trip to Melbourne. I was in the second group so, my travelling dates were from 1st May to 5th May 2014. Well in total, it was actually a 3 full day spent in Melbourne. The other two days were spent solely on travelling to Melbourne.

We (the second group) departed from LCCT at 1330 hour (Malaysia time) and arrived Melbourne International Airport at 2345 hour (Melbourne time). The weather was freezing cold and finally arrived our hotel - Fraser Place at about 2 in the morning.

Memandangkan kami sampai di tengah-tengah pagi buta dan sangat kelaparan, we decided to have a walk down the streets nearby our hotel to look for food. Me and the rest of the gang punyalah jalan redah the town hoping to find a nice place to eat sekali semua dah tutup. Haruslah tutup dah pukul 2 pagi.

Melbourne Streets at 2am

We found a cafe nearby to have our coffee fixed and to makan supper alas perut sementara nak tunggu esok punya breakfast.

We walked a bit on the streets and I must say, it reminds me so much of Kuala Lumpur. The streets were dirty unlike Sydney. I guess maybe because it's China Town and hence why it's dirty, I don't know.

China Town entrance

We didn't do much on day 1 as most of our time were spent on the plane, a long hour journey to Melbourne. Amat memenatkan. Our activities started on day 2.

Day 2 (Friday, 2 May 2014)

Our schedule started at 10am with 12 degrees weather plus it was raining heavily that morning. Everyone was advised to wear thicker clothes as the weather is expected to be colder in the later day. 

We headed to Warrook Farm, about 2 hours away from the city to visit the sheeps, cows, kangaroos dan yang seangkatan dengannya. 

We were on a mini truck to see the farm

This farm was once a place where pengguguran bulu kambing di lakukan. The instructor was showing us how it was done from selecting the right sheep to the procedures on shaving off the wool. Agak menyedihkan tapi tengok sheep to relax je!

After that we were taken to see other parts of the farm to see how they train their dogs to ensure that the sheep in the farm were all being taken care off.

The smelly Kangaroos

The highlight of this visit was the lunch. A nice tender beef steak was served for lunch to all of us.

And it is certified halal too. This farm distributed halal meat to the Muslim butchers in Melbourne and other parts of Australia too hence the meat is halal. I can still taste the tenderness of this beef steak. Sungguh menyelerakan. 

We then headed to Phillip Island for its nicest view. The weather was extremely cold my cheek all became numb. Despite the coldness, the view was magnificent, MasyaAllah.

Tangkap gambar dengan kecanggihan camera baru! Keciwi namanya

The ocean to Tasmania.

Muka tengah tahan sejuk.

And at 6.30pm, we made our way to the Penguin World also at the Phillip Island to see the penguins. Ohh they are all so small and cute. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos or videos on these penguins. Too bad! Else, I would have shown it to Iman and I'm sure she's going like them so much.

Everyday, at this hour, the penguins will walk past the shore to go back to their homes in the jungle. Too bad, I don't have the pictures to show the cuteness of these penguins.

And our dinner was served at the Penguin World. Tapi, bukan makan penguin ye kawan-kawan!. We had a plate full of seafood!

Makanannya MasyaAllah banyak sangat! Sadly, I did not finish my meal. I guess due to the coldness of weather plus the oh-so-yummy beef steak I had earlier for lunch killed my appetite. I had most of it except for the crab. Sangat kecewa!

That's the end of our day 2. Shall continue soon.