Sorry, I'm taken

Dear diary,

I was sitting next to an old lady on the bus when she suddenly asked me, "What did your husband got you for Christmas?" I was like errr.. "Hmm, nothing I suppose". Then she said, "Now you go back and kick his butt for me, will you?". I was laughing like mad when I finally replied, "How can I get anything from my HUSBAND as I'm not even married yet?". She looked at me a bit puzzled, and then she touched my left ring finger (yang ada cincin belah rotan tu). Just before she starts saying anything, I explained, "This ring is from my mum and I have kept it ever since". Then she smiled and apologized for her false interpretation.

Now you see how a lady with a ring on her finger will always mistakenly inferred as a married woman. A lot of people have asked if I am, the truth is I'm not. I mean not yet. Just misleading I guess. It is their culture that only married woman will have ring on their ring finger, and everybody traditionally knows what that means to the world. "I'm taken". Women know that. Men know that. Well, it's rather our own personal choice. So, who cares?

Gorgeous, isn't it?

Here's a tip to all great men out there. If you want to approach a girl and aren't sure if the ring is "the one" or not, I say just do it. Go up to them and ask if their taken. Don't be afraid to approach someone and say "Excuse me. I noticed the ring on your finger and I was wondering what it means". Ha, macho gila kannnn??? Yes, Both of you might feel uncomfortable. But hey, it's either her loss for wearing a ring on that finger or your fault for being too afraid for asking.

And for girls, sometimes you just want to hang out with friends without being asked out. Be it you are already taken, or maybe not yet ready for commitment, so here's a solution, put on a ring, then you can walk confidently as it will keeps guys away. That's the easiest way to do it..=))

Well for my case, a ring may be deeply meaningful as it represents a connection to the heart which is associated with our feelings of affection and love. From these small pieces of jewelry, we may draw memory and enhancement of emotions such as love and loyalty. Hah, ambik kau kan dah kena explain panjang panjang. Tetiba jadi emo pulak. kahkahkah.

Once a girl, always a girl

I'm so excited! I'm so excited!

Hari ni I dengan semangatnya bangun pagi dalam pukul 6.15am lepas tu terus siap dengan semangatnya sebab nak memeriahkan Boxing Day kat Bondi Junction, Sydney. Hang on, you tau tak Boxing Day tu apa? I told you a couple of times already, remember? If you don't, pergi check balik okay. Ni bukan boxing macam Mike Tyson or Prince Naseem tu, bukan! Yang ni kelengkapan dia hanyalah duit yang berkepuk kepuk di dalam wallet, kalau tak, tengok je la orang lain shopping sambil meleleh air liur.hehehe..:p

TETAPI!! Walaupun banyak dengar suara suara jahat dok menghasut I suruh beli itu ini (setan la tu, apa lagi?), Alhamdulillah I berjaya menahan nafsu dari tergoda. Phewww!! I'm proud of being myself today you know. Bangga sangat! Sebenanya memang I takde pun duit berkepuk kepuk macam orang lain, sebab tu yang tak mampu nak membeli sangat. Tapi KALAU ada orang cakap, "Nah Amirah, ambik 1000 dollar ni, pergi habiskan jangan tinggal balance satu sen pun ". Ha, gimme half an hour, I can finish up the whole amount just within a single flip.. Omg, I revealed one black side of me.. Shhh..

Anyhow, I eventually ended up with buying something that really satisfied me. Mana boleh tak beli langsung. Helloo, it's Boxing Day okayyy!! Once a year event. Musti kena sambar satu jugak ooo.. Nak tau apa yang I beli?? A clutch bag. Which is made from gorgeous faux leather, has a flap over with magnetic snap fastening, three interior sections, and what I love the most is the removable wrist strap. The colour? Hmm, striking pink lah!!:p

Love at the first sight. Jatuh cinta dengan benda alah ni takpe. No harm done rite? :p

You know what, masa mula mula tengok je I terus cair. Chewah!! Then bila tengok harga beg lain yang kat sebelah dia, GULP!!! semua $190++. Okay, comfirm I tak berani sentuh beg ni. Serius tak mampu! Gila oii nak beli clutch bag harga RM600++. Tapi sebab macam ada magnet yang kuat gila, I pun capai la jugak beg tu, kalau tak dapat beli, dapat pegang pun jadik la. Lepas tu siap ada hati lagi tu nak jenguk price tag. Tak sedar diri jugak kau ni ye Amirah. Tapi bila tengok harga AUD24.98, I was like WHAT??? Ni salah pricing ke apa ni? I suruh Laili tengok kot kot I tertinggal angka 1 at depan, nope!! Memang tu la harga dia. Terus senyum sampai telinga. Ngeee..

Tanpa berlengah2, I pergi bayar terus. Cuak jugak masa kat kaunter takut tiba tiba harga tukar jadi amount lain, comfirm la I letak balik dengan kecewa.huhu. But the pink clutch bag is meant to be mine I guess and I was more than happy to get something that I really really wanted. Bila balik tu, I terus check online, Mischa Barton Handbags collection, the original price is actually almost 5 times higher than the one I paid. Okay, memang berbaloi bershopping masa Boxing Day, tak syak lagi!=))

So, I got a new clutch bag to be added into my collection now. Owh, I think it matches the clutch purse that Mr Bf bought for me very perfectly. Tak sabar nak pakai yeay!!

Owh, thank you so much for this sayang! =))

Bosannya bila omputih nak raya!!

Dear diary,

I'm still at uni while everybody else has gone back, leaving me all alone in this almost empty building. I walked through the quiet library with not many more people left. It has ended it's operation by now I suppose. Then I strolled down the hall and passed by UniBar, they too were already closed. Same goes to all other coffee shops, their services stopped since yesterday. Gosh! Getting marooned in an unalive place like this is a real bummer you know.

See how empty the library is.

UniBar tempat yang paling happening dalam uni pun dah kosong

It seems like I had stranded in a real empty planet with no human life. Peliknye rasa bila jalan tapi tak jumpa manusia yang boleh I senyum. Jumpa burung 3-4 ekor, then I senyum la kat burung burung tu, sudahnya dia terbang tinggalkan I sorang sorang balik. Hey, jahat tau kamu ni burung! Could you please at least smile back to me. huhu.. Diorang pun pelik agaknya tengok manusia ni buat apa lagi kat sini. Kalau dia boleh cakap agaknya mesti dia kata, "Pergi balik la woii!! Orang nak raya ni!!".

I love these parrots. At least diorang respon bila I cakap dgn diorang. Burung kat dalam uni I tamau kawan! Merajuk!

The university has now officially closed for almost two weeks due to the celebration of Christmas and New Year Eve. We are not encouraged to be around the uni since all the security services will be terminated within these two weeks. So how? Tandanya kena buat kerja kat rumah ke? Pakai tidak la jawabnya. I boleh je datang, tapi sebarang kemungkinan adalah di bawah tanggungan sendiri. Ohhh!!

Okay lah, I think I should get going now. Wanna grab something from Woolies as it's gonna be closed for two days starting from tomorrow. Whether or not I will come to work next week, it depends on my mood. Kalau diikutkan persekitaran camni, nampak gayanya memang tidak le. Tapi KALAU tiba tiba datang angin rajin tu, datang je la jenguk jenguk sekejap.

p/s: Tomorrow I wanna go prawning and the day after next I wanna go shopping. Boxing Day is here again. Mari mengabiskan duit yang memang tak berapa nak banyak ni. lalalala~

Pick my own berries

Happy summer day mate!!

If you are looking for one interesting activity during summer, I would suggest you to go for fruit picking. Why? It is really fun and if I were to have another chance, I don't mind doing it again next time. Really. Well, I went to a farm yesterday with some of my Malaysian friends from Wollongong. Nestled on the banks of the wild and scenic Clyde River, lies the Clyde River Berry Farm which is surrounded by the highly valuable untouch environment.

The entrance

I was very lucky to have the "hands on" experience of picking my own berries and then only I realize that nothing tastes better than the berries picked freshly in the height of summer by my own hands. There are different types of berries grown at the farm; blueberry, loganberry, youngberry, strawberry, tayberry, raspberry, marionberry, boysenberry and blackberry. Aduhh, berapa banyak berry daaaaa.. Tapi dalam banyak banyak berries yang disenaraikan tu, I cuma tau blueberry, strawberry, raspberry dgn blackberry je. The rest, I know nothing about!

Blueberries

Raspberries

Boysenberries.. I think..

Right on the arrival, we were given a bucket and the owner directed us to the 'berries of the day' in the ripest section of the farm. She gave some instructions about this and that and bla bla bla, then I started to hunt and gather berries of my own choice. Ohh, excitednye! Orang tak penah masuk kebun omputih camni la gayanya. Rasa tak tentu arah nak petik yang mana. Semua nampak sedapppp.

Bersedia menjadi tukang kutip berries tak bertauliah

Mari main petik petik blueberries, yay!

Raspberries pun sedap. Tapi banyak duri lah!

Mixed berries. Hasil titik peluh membanting tulang mengerah keringat.hihi..:p

Masa memetik tu, I carik yang gemok gemok and warna yang pekat pekat dengan harapan dapat yang manis. Lagi pekat warna berries tu, lagi manis la rasa dia. Tapi I takde la petik banyak sangat pon. Dapat berangan jadi pekebun berries kejap pun jadik la. Nak tunggu ade farm sendiri?? Pakai idak le jawabnya. Lepas dah puas petik memetik, I siap beli ice cream blueberry freshly made in front of you from the fresh berries. Satu AUD5. Mahal kan? Tapi sedap gila! Tak tipu! Worth the money paid.

Homemade blueberry flavored ice cream. Nyam nyam!

p/s: Bila cerita pasal berries ni I teringat ayat one of my friends. Perkataan lain untuk poo poo or buang air besar or b***k, dia panggil berry. Sedap je bunyi nak terberry instead of the other word nak terb***k.. Comel kan?? hihihi. Hey hey, apa yang you mengarut ni Amirah?? ;O

Ferrero Rocher anyone?

Hello there!

I'm in such a happy mood today. Just got back from Warrawong for some groceries shopping. I didn't buy anything much since I can hardly see myself cooking anymore these days. Well, Christmas sale are everywhere now and I had fun wandering around the mall looking at things and made a quick stop at each and every shop especially the ones with big SALE sign. Takde niat nak shopping pun. Saja jalan jalan cuci mata..:p

However, among all those items with big red REDUCED PRICE's sign, I just couldn't say no to chocolates. They were like trying to attract me with their exquisite, alluring and delightful looks, that fit my pure self indulgence very perfecly. Very tempting! The classic Ferrero Rocher. Chocolate of my all time favourite.

I think almost everybody in the whole universe must be aware of the existence of this Italian product. Just so you know it, every piece of this brilliant chocolate consists of a whole roasted hazelnut, encased in a thin wafer shell filled with hazelnut cream, sheltered in slim layer of milk chocolate and covered with chopped hazelnuts and walnuts. To add the classy looking value, each sweet is individually packaged inside a gold-coloured wrapper. Yummy!

Perfect assembling, don't they?

So, I bought myself four boxes of Ferrero Rocher with 16 pieces of golden balls inside every box. Yes, you heard me right sweetie, four boxes! No kidding! They are all for me. Ni bukan main main tau, ni betol betol. Laaaaagi baaanyaaakkk, laaaaggiiiii I sukaaaaa. hehehe.

My four 16-pieces boxes. Now you see?

No lah! I was just kidding you darling. Gila apa nak habiskan semua tu? If I ever do that, right when I finished the very last bit, I think my face is gonna look like a sphere headed alien covered with milk chocolate and chopped hazelnuts, just like the ones described above. Omg, scary nye! Tamau! Tamau! Okay la, actually I'm gonna let go two of these boxes to my supervisor and Diane as Christmas presents. The remaining two will be mine. But I promise not to take more than two pieces every day. Okay or not? Okay, deal! Yahuuu!

p/s: Every piece of these contains of 69 kilocalories and there are 32 pieces inside the two boxes. Meaning that I'm gonna consume roughly about 2208 kilocalories just from these whole lot. Hmm, banyak tu. Do I care? No, I surely didn't give it a damn! Ngahahahaha..:D

Enjoying a Wonderful Day

Dear diary,

How is your day going? Mine is wonderful so far. I woke up immediately when the alarm clock rang in the morning and of course I gave in to the desire of staying some more minutes in the bed. You do know how pleasant it is to cuddle under the blankets, especially on a cold morning, don't you? That's why I will give myself at least 5 minutes of golek golek session every morning. Best!

Owh, I picked up a new positive habit very lately. Everyday I will try to find a way to spend some time reading outside from my working space. I occasionally did that before this, especially when I started to feel so intense while reading. Some readers can't concentrate when there's any noise around them, while others can read anywhere under almost any conditions. So, if you don't know what your ideal conditions are, try reading in different locations. You may find that you have several great reading spots.

For my case, I found it fun to spend about one hour reading at the park, on the grass, under the trees or by the pond. All I need are some tidbits to munch, reading materials, a piece of draft paper, and a pen or pencil, then I'm ready to experience something different through my reading session.

Chips with gravy.. munch! munch!

My reading materials and draft paper

Did I ever mentioned that my uni is actually surrounded by so many big trees? Masa mula mula sampai dulu I rasa macam duduk dalam hutan. Pokok pokok hijau yang sangat besar siap dengan bunyi binatang (ke serangga eh? I have no idea) yang macam kat dalam hutan tu. Walaupun banyak pokok besar camtu, tapi persekitaran sangat lah bersih, susah sangat la nak jumpa daun daun kering bersepah. Nak tengok bukti kenapa I cakap macam hutan, ha, tengok video kat bawah ni, dengar betul betul bunyi alam sekitar yang sangat menenangkan.

The reason why I love studying in Wollongong

Tapi sambil membaca, sempat la jugak buat benda laghaa.hihi.. Standard la tu kan. Mana boleh concentrate membaca macam tugu negara. Ada je benda mengarut yang I akan buat. Hasilnya, gambar kat bawah ni. The ring that has been on my finger since couple of years ago. He is wearing the exact same piece as well. For us, these couple rings are something precious that can never be replaced.

The ring

The secret behind the ring

p/s: The secret of living your life happily; Remember to smile more often during the day. Not the artificial smiles, but the ones that come from inside you. Smiling sometimes helps to make you and other people feel happier. So, why not give it a try?

Jangan tiru macam saya

Hai daisy diary,

Sorry if the greeting is a bit flowery today. Tiba tiba rasa macam masuk pulak term daisy tu dengan diary kan.hehe. I'm at work now and I think I had fallen asleep for a couple of minutes only until I realized I haven't perform my Zuhur prayer yet. Bila tengok jam dah pukul 4, kelam kabut la loncat bangun terus pegi ambik wudhuk, solat Zuhur, and now I'm waiting for my Asar prayer. Phewww! Manusia tu memang la mudah lalai. One simple example is myself.

We're almost in the middle of December here in Aussie, and speaking of which, we're now experiencing the day longer than the night. Pukul 6 pagi dah terang benderang macam pukul 8pagi di Malaysia. Pukul 8 malam pulak cerah lagi sebab matahari terbenam lambat sekarang ni. Nak balik lambat dari ofis pun rasa bersalah. Ye la, dulu, tengok gelap je terus cabut. Alasan, anak dara tak elok jalan malam malam. Alasan ye. Kalau suruh jalan ke tempat lain, alasan tinggal alasan lah nampaknye.hehehe.

Let me tell you a secret. Hari ni I puasa separuh hari. Konon nak test power la puasa sunat masa summer. Tepat pukul 1 petang, puasa tinggal nama. Dah la tak bangun sahur. Hebat sangat la konon berbekalkan dinner nasik goreng semangkuk nak tahan sampai esoknye. But I told myself, apa salahnya niat puasa sunat, kalau boleh tahan satu hari selama 15 jam, Alhamdulillah, kalau tak tahan, bukak aje la. Siap dah bawak bekal air dengan pisang dalam beg kot2 tak tahan. Hampeh btol la you ni Amirah. Apa punya pesen puasa tp bawak bekal ni. Haihh..

Bangun pagi tadi perut dah bergelodak mintak breakfast, masa tu baru pukul 10pagi, tahan lagi. Then Fendi called, mintak tolong drive dia pergi Medical Centre dekat Westfield Warrawong. Nak pegi Medical Centre tu pulak kena lalu dekat food court, aduhhh, semua makanan nampak macam paling sedap dalam dunia. Tepat pukul 12pm (selepas 7 jam berpuasa), dalam hati dah niat, kejap lagi otw balik aku nak grab spinach roll dekat Michel's Patisserie lah. Memang tak tahan dah ni.

My favourite cheesy spinach rolls from Michel's
(photo courtesy, http://www.michels.com.au/pages/menu/menu.aspx#pies)

Lepas semua dah settled, Fendi cakap, "Lets grab something to eat, coffee or anything. It's on me". Wakakaka. Pucuk dicita ulam mendatang. Baru berangan nak tapau spinach roll, tiba tiba orang offer nak belanja. Maka 'ter'bukak la puasa I selama 7 jam untuk hari ni. Fuhh, mencabar rupanya kalau nak puasa time summer. Dengan cuaca panas, waktu berpuasa yang makin panjang, memang kena ada kesabaran yang tinggi. And I failed. My bad. You jangan tiru macam I pulak. But it's okay, at least I tried, and memang niat pun untuk puasa sunat. Mungkin nanti bila dah start autumn I boleh sambung puasa sunat balik.

p/s: I dah habis ganti puasa tau. Kalau puasa wajib takdela I sesuka hati nak bukak separuh hari macam ni.. Summer ke, panas ke, siang panjang ke, takde alasan nak ponteng. Nasib la kat Aussie kebetulan bulan Ramadhan masa winter.hehehe..=))

Being alone VS Loneliness

Dear diary,

Pagi tadi I sempat breakfast sambil tengok Australian morning talkshow from channel Prime. Program ni ala ala Malaysia Hari Ini atau Selamat Pagi Malaysia lah. The only difference is our tv personalities always look extra beautiful in the screen whereas theirs are a little bit more simple. I yang dah terbiasa tengok pengacara cantik dekat Malaysia kadang kadang rasa ntah apa apa je mat salleh ni pakai. Tapi kualiti penyampaian, memang tak dinafikan setanding. Eh, nama pun personaliti tv, mestila bijak berkata kata tak kira la kat negara mana sekali pun kan? kan?

Okay, lets skip the not so important part. What I would like to highlight here is the topic of their discussion, Being Alone or Loneliness During Christmas. Since the big celebration is just around the corner, now everything related to Christmas will be the hottest topic in town. Macam kita la, tiba tiba ada talkshow yang bincang pasal Keseorangan di Aidil Fitri. Oh no! Nightmare! Nightmare! Hallu cik kak, topik ni pun mau bincang ka? Sensitif okayy! Mau meleleh air mata orang yang terlibat kalau dengar tau tak.. T__T

Anyhow, I love the way they presented the ideas and now I'm able to differentiate those two terms. Being alone and loneliness. The description of BEING ALONE is more towards solitude. And solitude can have positive effects on individuals. It is also associated with other positive growth such as emotionally refreshing, religious experiences and identity building provided if it is under the individual's control. Huh? Apa yang kau cuba ceritakan ni Amirah? Confuse lah!

Okay, let me give you one simple example, hmm, about a student who has exam the next day. The student is worried about the exam and decides to spend some time studying alone. Without we notice, the alone time actually helps the student to study better and when she/he is done, the student feels better. Tak kira la boleh jawab exam ke tidak kan, yang penting dia dah usaha. What I mean here is, being alone is the state where that person chooses to be in. For his/her own good.

Sometimes I found it good to study alone like this
(photo courtesy, http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/objects-equi)

While the other term, LONELINESS, means the other way around. It is therefore a subjective experience, like a strong sense of emptiness. It is frequently compared to feeling empty, not needed and worthless. It can result from unwanted solitude. To make it even worse, it does not require being alone and is experienced even in crowded place.

Being alone in solitary isolation
(photo courtesy, blog.itechtalk.com/2009/how-to-lose-loneliness/)

For instance, a person can be in the middle of a party but the feeling of loneliness is still there because lack of communication with people around him/her. Perasaan keseorangan ini biasanya lahir dengan sendiri dan mungkin ada kaitan dengan kisah hidup yang lepas. Childhood experience, love break up, consequence of divorce, or loss of significant person in one's life. So here, one might feel lonely even in the company of others. Alamak, parah la macam tu kan..

So, if you ever experience any of these states, try to exclude yourself from your own isolated world. Talk to others and find a way not to keep everything to yourself. Socialize a little bit. Dah la sunyi, jangan la burukkan keadaan dengan hidup sorang sorang. Kalau jadi apa apa nanti sapa yang susah?

p/s: Nah, ambik kau ceramah untuk hari ni. Amirah ni bukan boleh dibagi peluang, selagi tak sumbat mulut dia dengan makanan, maka takkan diamlah dia. Kasi je pisang sebijik. Comfirm diam sebab tekun mengunyah.hihihi. Okay, sambung ceramah di lain segmen. Sekarang I nak menikmati rasa pisang. Bye bye!

Ticket hunting: My own definition of stress management

Dear diary,

I woke up with such a bright mood on this beautiful sunny day. After 8 gloomy days, finally I have the reason to smile once I stepped out from my tiny little house this morning. Bangun pagi tadi terus turn on my computer, capai tuala, masuk mandi. Sambil dok bersiap siap tu, macam biasa, check uowmail laju laju, kot kot ada khabar berita dari supervisor yang I terlepas malam tadi. Nothing from him! Fuhh, boleh berlenggang kangkung nampaknya. Kalau ada, berdesup I akan siap dengan pantasnya dan terus tunjuk muka dekat ofis tanpa berlengah lengah.hehehe.

Macam tu la rutin setiap pagi. Inbox email akan jadi penanda aras samada perlu siap sepantas kilat atau seperlahan siput. Lepas dah siapkan diri, prepare breakfast, 2 toasted bread yang disapu marmalade dengan sekeping cheese, malas nak bancuh air punya pasal, I ended up pouring fresh milk into the glass. Alhamdulillah untuk rezeki pagi ni.

Sambil breakfast tu la I akan bagi masa selama setengah jam untuk online di rumah. Mula mula I akan terus login Skype, YM dan FB. Tengok tu, social networking sites jugak yang kau masuk dulu. Apa nak jadi ni? Tapi bukan semua orang pun camtu jugak ke? kan? kan?:p Setiap pagi I akan dating selama 5minit dengan MrBf di Skype. YM account I sentiasa invisible. But I'm always there. Just buzz me if yo have anything important okay. I will reply. FB tu pulak tempat untuk I menyebok ambik tahu perkembangan sedunia. Tak payah baca Berita Harian Online pun I boleh tau apa yang berlaku di tanah air tercinta. Everything is updated through ohter people's status. Ha, senang kan? Lepas cukup setengah jam, time's up! Rumah kata pergi, office kata mari.

I love the idea on how current social networking and the older days is compared
(photo courtesy, www.gauravonomics.com/.../social-networking.jpg)

Sampai office pulak, turn on my computer, lagi sekali I akan terus check uowmail. Sampai macam tu sekali? Ya, begitulah hakikatnya setiap hari. Takut betul kalau supervisor bagi email tapi I terlepas untuk baca email tu. Okay, takde email hari ni. Tenang sikit hati. Sambung refer journal yang terhenti hari Jumaat lepas. Otak dah mula nak berselirat. Sabar Amirah, sabar. Teruskan membaca. Makin complicated pulak penerangan. Siapa suruh buat PhD ni Amirah? Adoii laaa.. Tapi apa nak buat, dah separuh jalan pun. Teruskan je la dengan tabah sampai siap.

Topi penyek. Idaman setiap pelajar Doktor Falsafah.
(photo courtesy, www.servicesune.com.au/.../academic-dress.php)

Tiba tiba, akibat makin bercelaru, tangan ni automatik "ter"click dekat Internet Explorer. Terus pilih website Malaysia Airlines yang sememangnya sedia ada dalam Favourites list. Ticket hunting!hehehe. Padahal dah janji taknak balik Malaysia tahun depan. Ni baru seminggu sampai balik, I dah start ticket hunting semula. My oh my. Mungkin bagi kebanyakan perempuan, retail theraphy adalah salah satu cara untuk melepaskan stress. Tapi bagi I, ticket hunting turut menjadi salah satu aktiviti yang boleh menghilangkan tekanan. Tak payah la booking pun. Jamu mata tengok harga saja. Maybe it is my own definition of managing my stress away and it's very fun indeed. Cubalah! =))

p/s: Right upon lunch time, I received a text message from Fendi, "Mad & I r having lunch at Duck Pond ni.. Kt wood stage tu. Mai la.. Ada extra sandwich". Then I realize it's time to put a break on my reading. So, I had lunch by the pond on this beautiful sunny day. What else should I ask for?

Pisang goreng di petang yang hening

Selamat petang Encik Diari,

Petang petang yang mendung macam ni tiba tiba teringat pisang goreng panas dekat UTM dulu. Having some hot pisang goreng over a cup of tea will definitely turn my evening into a perfect one. Bila datang angin teringin nak makan, I sanggup bersiap, pujuk siapa siapa yang sudi (biasanya Wan, kadang kadang Mr Bf, Ila pun pernah jadi mangsa), then bawak kereta pergi makan pisang goreng sambil cicah sambal kicap. Port yang best, gerai kat belakang Kolej 17, atau kadang kadang dekat Pasar Awam Taman Universiti. That's one of my favourite activities in UTM for so many years. Ya Allah, rindunya..

Pisang goreng + Sambal kicap = Terbaik!

(Photo courtesy from google)

I once had pisang goreng at one of the Malay restaurants here in Australia or Sydney to be exact. After a few months of depriving myself from consuming it, then only I decided to try on it. It happened to be not only the priciest pisang goreng on the earth, but also the worst I have ever tasted! The presentation looks good, fine with me. Tapi the moment waiter tu hidang je kat meja I, terus potong stim. Wanna know the reason why? Dia hidang pisang goreng cicah ice cream?? Oh no!! ;O

Pisang goreng + Ice Cream Vanilla = Disaster

(Photo courtesy www.jttk.zaq.ne.jp)

Masa mula mula sampai JB dulu, I kena belajar terima cara diorang makan pisang goreng cicah sambal kicap. It was a little bit hard at the beginning, however, after 6 years of my temporary residential in JB, I was kind of loving it. Kira ok la kan, pisang manis, cicah sambal pedas. Tapi kalau kat sini pisang goreng cicah ice cream, I gave up! Pisang manis, cicah ice cream manis kuasa dua, jadinya super duper manis. Memang tak boleh blah! Sudahnya, I struggled myself swallowing it with a cheeky smile cracked on my mouth. That was my first try, and that will definitely be my last attempt. Kalau teringin sangat pun nanti, I beli la pisang gajah kat sini, goreng sendiri.huhu..

p/s: Oh Amirah, for your own sake, could please stop imagining on how tasty those crispy goreng pisang is. Eh, pisang goreng lah!:p

Hujan oh hujan

Dear Diary,

Since I came back to Wollongong three days ago, I have been walking in the rain also for three consecutive days. The rain keeps on pouring like a tap left running. Sometimes it was like a river falling out of the sky, and sometimes the rains just drop like the slow beat of time. But still, there is no sign for the rain to stop. And to make it more interesting, today is the first day of summer in which we understand that the sun should start shining very brightly by now. Somehow it didn't.

Then I started looking for information on why this is happening. "Ye la, kata summer, takkan hujan menggila camni kot?", said the innocent Amirah from within. Tapi bila dah baca baca sikit pasal cuaca, sekarang baru la I faham sikit. You may call it summer time, but the probability of storms and wet days does exist. This is resulting from from the change of wind and monsoon season. In fact, the Northern Territory leads into it's wettest month in January (which is right in the middle of summer). Tak faham? Takpela, buat buat faham sudah.hehe.

Dalam kepala I ni pulak, kalau dah nama musim panas, mestila panas kan? Ini tidak, sejuk la pulak. Tak pasal pasal kena korek balik baju tebal yang I dah simpan baik baik bawah katil. Then, kena sarung balik boots bagi mengelakkan seluar basah bila asyik berjalan dalam hujan. Leceh betol lah! Mengikut ramalan kajian cuaca, hujan dijangka akan terus turun sehingga minggu depan. Oh no! Tak boleh nak basuh baju la jawabnya camtu. Takpe, nasib baik bekalan baju ada banyak. Phewww~

I ingat lagi masa jalan jalan dekat Melbourne dengan kakak dengan Abg Adil bulan lepas, hujan lebih kurang macam ni jugak, kitorang berjalan di sekeliling Melbourne City sambil pakai raincoat akibat tak bawak payung punya pasal. Beli sorang satu raincoat $2 dekat convenient store, then dengan bangganya berjalan jalan sekeliling kota metropolitan tu sambil memakai raincoat warna warni. Tapi ni bukan raincoat yang cantik tu tau. Ni yang sebijik macam beg plastik beli sayur kat kedai runcit tu. Tapi yang bestnya takde sapa yang kisah. Best!hehehe.

Cool kan?? Tak penah buat perangai camni masa kat Malaysia.hehe..

p/s: It seems to be so romantic to stand in the rain with your loved one and so you know it, I think the sound of the rain just like the repeated attentions of a lover. True huh? No?

Jyu Raku

Assalamualaikum wahai encik diari yang setia,

Well dear, I don't know how much you like it (or hate it), here's another entry about foods. You just need to bear with it okay. I need to write it fast before I forgot all the names of the dishes that we have been consuming there. This time, we had chance to taste Japanese cuisine at Jyu Raku Japanese Restaurant at Subang SS15.

There are quite a number of Japanese restaurants at SS15 and according to Mr Bf who is a truly Japanese food lover, Jyu Raku is among the best. Being among the newest baby on the block, the quality of the foods has been pretty excellent with an extensive range of dishes to choose from. Resembling the same layout just like other Japanese restaurants that we had tried before (somewhere around Bukit Bintang and Sg Wang), the ambiance are very very welcoming.

Me enjoying the cozy dining seats

Nampak tak kerusi pendek? Rasa macam duduk atas lantai.

The dining area on the first floor are quite spacious. You can choose whether to eat at the usual dining table or if you want to eat like the Japanese does, there is a section where you feel like you're actually sitting on the floor. Feel tu penting tau untuk menambah kenikmatan mengadap hidangan. As soon as we got there, we ordered two beverages, Ice Lemon Tea for him and Soursop de Guava for myself. Hari yang panas terus bertukar jadi nyaman.hehehe..

Our drinks; Ice Lemon Tea (RM3.80) and Soursop de Guava (RM6.00)

Now let us start with the appertizer. We chose one set of their signature King Roll and a bowl of Edamame as our starters. King Roll tu sangat sangat lah sedap! Unagi, prawn, sashimi, and avocado wrapped with a very thin piece of cucumber and topped with salmon roe. Served with grated wasabi and their special soy sauce, the taste was just like fuhhh, heaven!! Takmau cerita lebih lebih, nanti air liur sendiri yang meleleh.huhuhu.

King Roll (RM28.00). Recommended!!

Sedap gila roll tu. Tak tipu!

Edamame tu pulak green beans yang dikukus, lepas tu ditaburkan dengan sedikit garam untuk enhance rasa lemak lemak masin dan manis kacang hijau tu. Sungguh enak dimakan begitu saja. Kunyah kunyah tiba tiba eh, dah habis semangkuk!

Green beans (RM7.00). Kalau nak cuba buat sendiri di rumah pun boleh jugak..:)

For the main dishes, I decided to try on the Sukiyaki Chicken. The portion was like MasyaAllah, hugeeeee.. Masa mula mula diorang serve tu I rasa macam, hello, perli ke apa ni? Tau la I kuat makan, tapi ni perli baikk punya okeh. I do feel offended somehow!hihihi. All in all, the chicken sukiyaki is a light, elegant, and social dish, perfect for all sort of occasions.. Worth trying!=))

My sukiyaki chicken set (RM33.00). Gila banyak. Tak habis makan sorang!!

Don't disturb. Raksasa hijau tengah menjamu selera. Sapa kacau kena ngapp!!:p

For him, he tried on the Sake Butteryaki. He has been telling me that he wanted to eat salmon from Japanese restaurant with me like ages before, and there he was, smashing the yummilicios grilled salmon, like a real fish lover. Memang rasa salmon tu diakui sangat sedap. The Japanese touch really boost up the sweetness from the fresh salmon. If there is a next time, I will definitely choose grilled salmon for me.hehehe..

His Sake Butteryaki (RM25.00). Grilled salmon yang enak. Yummie yummie!

Dah tak sempat pandang kiri kanan dah.hehehe.

Apparently, there are quite a lot more that we haven't try at Jyu Raku. Mati la kalau nak makan semua hari tu. Paling tidak kena pegi 5-6 kali lagi baru dapat rasa at least separuh dari list yang ada dalam their wide-ranging menu. So, ada kemungkinan kami akan datang lagi ke Jyu Raku ni. Yahuuu!!=))

We won't hesitate to pay you another visit, Jyu Raku

p/s: How I miss spending time exploring new restaurants with him. Thank you for all the meaningful treats. Next time will definitely be my turn. But the next time is still longgggg way to go lah sayang..:'(

Cerita makan makan

Hai hai Mr Diary!

I was browsing thru the pictures in my Iphone when I suddenly came up with the mood to tell you about this. Ha, biasanya masa skype dengan Mr Bf, kami akan discuss pasal apa nak makan bila jumpa nanti. So, dalam sesi skype sebelum I balik Malaysia hari tu, kitorang decide nak makan steak. Steak from steakhouse. Not the ones we may get from restaurants offering steak in their menu list.

Bila dah decide nak makan steak, pening nak pilih the dining place lah pulak. It's not that easy though. Ye la, ni bukan makanan harian yang boleh suka suka nak pegi makan tiap tiap hari. Boleh rabak poket kalau hari hari nak makan dekat fine dining restaurant. So, bila baca review dekat internet, banyak orang recommend Outback Steakhouse dengan San Francisco Steakhouse.

Finally, after a few brainstorming sessions, we decided to go to Outback Steakhouse at Bangsar Village. Parking senang and dekat untuk hantar I balik dekat Kota Damansara. You know what, there is one Outback Steakhouse in Wollongong and I also found another one in Sydney, but I never tried on any of them. Apa yang menariknya, semua hidangan digambarkan dengan nama yang berkaitan dengan Australia. Is it because it originally comes from Aussie? Maybe it is. I have no idea about that.

So, right when we got there, we had Aussie Cheese Fries as the appetizer. They called appetizers as Aussie-tizers. Funny huh? Then I chose their signature sirloin, Outback Special for myself and he tried on the Rockhampton Rib Eye. The serving size is huge enough for big eaters like us (or me to be exact). Untuk beverage pulak, kami berkongsi minuman dengan memilih bottomless Iced Lemon Tea. Konon romantik lah share share air. Padahal nak jimat. hahaha..:p

Aussie-Tizer, Aussie Cheese Fries (RM 17.95)

My sirloin steak; Outback Special (RM 44.95)

His Rockhamptom Rib Eye (RM 46.95)

All in all, the foods are okay, and the service is not bad. Worth paying I could say. Cuma I musykil sikit kenapa diorang hire bukan orang Malaysia sebagai pelayan. Bukan Melayu, bukan Cina, bukan India, bukan Bumiputra, orang asli dah tentu tentu lah bukan. Nak kata Mat Salleh jauh sekali lah pulak. Kalau siapa yang pernah pergi sana mesti tau orang apa. Takpelah, yang penting masih boleh berkomunikasi dengan baik cukuplah.

Muka gembira dapat makan. lalalala~~

Bersedia untuk terkam. Mariii!!

p/s: This is my first restaurant review I guess. More to come after this. Tapi kena tunggu hasil mesyuarat dengan Mr Bf via skype dulu ye. Baru boleh decide nak makan apa pulak lepas ni.hehehe. So, if you're interested, have fun trying yea!

Family BBQ

Hellooo from Wollongong!!

I'm now writing from my house at Catherine St, Gwynneville. Home sweet home. Walaupun semalam baru je meninggalkan Malaysia dengan berat hati, somehow, somewhat, I do miss my life in Wollongong. Full time student life. Balik dengan lebih bersemangat. To end this journey, fast!!

Ohh btw, a night before my departure day, my brother organized a barbecue session at my Pakcik's house at Alam Damai, Cheras. This is his way of saying thank you to all our uncles and aunties who contributed a lot in making sure that his wedding ceremonies became a huge success. Without them, it might be a little bit hard for him to have wonderful events like those described in his wedding synopsis.

Barbecue session

So, in regards to the bbq session, bapak brought 3 kilos of fresh prawns special from Penang. Udang yang sangat sangat lah fresh dari laut okay. Tengah dok meloncat loncat lagi masa beli tu. Nasib kau lah wahai udang udang sekalian. Jadi santapan kitorang semua hari tu. Terima kasih kerana membesar sebagai udang yang sihat sihat dan enak enak ye..hihihi.

Udang fresh Penang mari

Okay, no kidding! Udang tu memang sebesar muka adik I, Burhan.

Selain udang, ada jugak ayam, ikan dengan sosej yang turut jadi mangsa kebakaran malam tu. Owh, the chickens were marinated by my beloved father himself. Sangat sangat sedap!! Did I ever mentioned that my father is a good cook? Siapa nak rasa jemput la datang rumah. Pasti tak malu untuk offer diri sendiri nak datang makan lagi lepas tu. Sungguh!

Ayam yang diperap oleh bapak. Ambik kau seperiuk besar!

Ikan kembung yang manis dan fresh. Also Penang mari.

Selera orang Melayu memang tak sah kalau tak mencicah dengan air asam. Apa barang cicah sos cili je kan? So, sekali lagi khidmat chef Haji Azmi digunakan untuk prepare ayaq asam special mai dari Penang punya. Sekali kena, comfirm jatuh cinta. Maksud I jatuh cinta dengan air asam Haji Azmi ye. Jatuh cinta dengan anak anak dara Haji Azmi is a big NO NO! hehehe. Antara lain lain pelengkap hidangan untuk malam tu adalah shepherd pie, roti jala dengan gulai daging, nasik goreng, cheese cake, mango salsa, karipap, buah buahan dan air bandung soda (kedai ayam penyet dekat The Curve panggil Soda Gembira. Huh, apa kaitannya I pun tak dapat relate).

Super yummy side dishes

So malam tu hampir kesemua ahli keluarga sebelah mak I datang memeriahkan suasana. Bakar bakar, makan makan, main games, hampir pukul 1 pagi baru tamat. Memang penat tapi sangat best! Nak lagi! Nak lagi! Tapi kena tunggu I balik Malaysia lagi la nanti ye.. So, that's all for now. Catch up with you again later. Tata.