Kenapa saya suka mengira

I have a very noticeable habit that will make people tend to look at me in a very confusing way. Kalau sesiapa yang pernah lepak dengan I mesti tau to what extent do I love to count. Mathematically speaking, counting ni sebenarnya the action of finding the number of elements of a finite set of objects.

(Hape benda la yang minah ni mengarut huh?)

Secara tradisionalnya, perbuatan mengira ni boleh dibuat secara mental atau lisan. You boleh kira dalam hati, dalam otak, atau pun kira kuat-kuat sampai orang sebelah dengar pun menyampah. But for my case, the counter unit is continually increasing in my mind.

Mungkin macam ni la berseliratnya numbers dalam otak I kot. hehe.
[photo courtesy]

Kalau nak tau betapa extremenya sifat suka mengira I ni kan, I ada satu habit, kalau I drive pergi mana-mana tak kira la jauh atau dekat, I akan set dalam otak nak kira apa-apa saja benda menarik yang I jumpa sepanjang jalan.

Kalau hari tengah active berfikir, I akan pilih untuk kira kereta Myvi sebab melambak-lambak atas jalan and otak I pun takkan stop bergerak. Kadang-kadang bole bergaduh dengan diri sendiri sebab terlepas kira beberapa bijik Myvi yang tiba-tiba time tu lah jugak nak datang berbondong-bondong.

Tapi kalau time I agak malas, I akan pilih untuk kira kereta BMW atau Mercedes yang agak kurang sikit jumpa sepanjang jalan. So, otak I pun tak perlu nak kira laju-laju sangat. Siap boleh sambil-sambil kira berapa banyak kereta Kancil  merah selang seli dengan BMW atau Mercedes tadi.

Bila dah siap mengira tu, bila ada masa lapang, I akan mencongak percentage kereta Myvi warna hijau, merah, putih, hitam and so on. Memang calculation tu sangat lah tak accurate, sebab takde rekod, tapi I tetap akan buat, sebab I think that is how to keep my brain working.

Ha, lagi satu contoh, Biasanya, bila kita bagi direction, kita akan guna landmarks kan? Contohnya:

"Bila kau dah exit highway nanti, nampak Shell kau amik kiri, then jalan terus sampai nampak masjid warna biru belah kiri, then ko ambik simpang kanan. Rumah aku betol-betol depan kedai runcit Pak Abu tu."

Tapi kalau you mintak direction dari I, I akan cakap macam lain. Contohnya:

"Bila dah sampai pintu gerbang UTM tu, kau akan lepas satu bumper, then kau amik kiri, jalan terus sampai lepas 7 bumper, ko amik kiri lagi, jalan terus sampai jumpa simpang kiri yang ke tiga, then tu la blok aku. Bilik aku betol-betol kat depan kotak parking number 3 dari kanan.

**(Teringat kenangan masa duduk di Kolej Tun Hussien Onn, UTM Skudai)**

Nampak tak perbezaannya? Siap la kau kena mengira kalau mintak direction dari I. Sepanjang jalan perlu focus sebab kalau terlepas satu bumper, maka lain lah tempat yang kau sampai nanti. Tu pun kira okay sebab I tak bagi direction guna berapa batang pokok. Mau mati I kena ketuk dengan you nanti.huhu..

Sedetik Lebih

I have been very silent for the past few days if you had noticed. Hmm, it's not like I don't have anything to say. No! But it turned out that I have so many things on my mind until I decided to let everything left unsaid.

Okay, leave all the nosiness alone. I should have known how to handle things very well now. You are and adult already Amirah. Ingat, setiap masalah pasti akan ada penyelesaiannya kan? So, way to go girl!

Semalam, 26 April 2011, ulangtahun kelahiran ibunda kesayangan yang ke-51. Rindu, rindu, rindu! How I wish Malaysia and Australia is just a few steps away from each other. You nak tau tak apa yang I paling rindu sangat? I rindu nak borak-borak dengan mak, sambil baring dekat katil, biasanya lepas solat Isyak. We can talk about almost everything for hourssss. The mother-daughter bonding is just soo tight. I miss my mum. I really do.

Cinta hati dunia dan akhirat



Then tengahari tadi, I join Fathul dengan Nash lunch dekat Out For Lunch. They called me to meet them over there. Rupa-rupanya it was a belated birthday treat from Fathul to Nash. Tetiba I pun turut dibelanja sekali. Rezeki jangan ditolak orang kata.hehe. A piece of cake and a cup of latte really made my day.

Me and Mr President, Nash Abdillah, the birthday boy.
(I melaram birthday present Nash. Yellow RayBan. Elok sangatlah tu tudung merah sunglasses kuning. Funny tapi sangat cool tau. Bukan sebarang orang boleh menggayakan sunglasses warna bright cam gitu. Salute you la bro!)

Ha, I have a new favourite song that I have been listening to over and over again lately. Pagi petang siang malam semua I dengar lagu ni. I'm not really a big fan of Anuar Zain though. Ada sesetengah lagu je yang I boleh layan. But this time, I'm totally in love. Cuba dengar lagu ni, hayati lirik dia, then you will probably understand why.

**Ku kan terus mencinta sedetik lebih selepas selamanya**

Apa nak buat bila Easter Break menjelma?

Today will be the last working day for this week and I am going to have a long weekend as Easter break has finally starts now. Maknanya uni akan cuti selama lima hari bermula dari Jumaat-Selasa. Yippie!! Walaupun takde la apa kaitan sangat dengan I ni as I am a fulltime research student. Tapi tetap nak tumpang happy jugak.hehehe..:p

As for now, I don't have any particular plan on what to do during the break. Nothing interesting on my mind, really! Rasa macam semua dah buat dah. Bosan, bosan! Hello sayang, kerja melambak-lambak tu pun you ada hati nak cakap bosan lagi eh. Pergi study lah Amirah!!! T___T

But hey, did I tell you that Josh is going to pay me a visit tomorrow? No? I hope you still remember Josh. I mentioned about him in here when I went to Summer School in Melbourne last year. He is one of my closest buddy over there. A very nice Australian guy who is currently finishing his PhD at anytime soon. He is originally from Blue Mountains and currently studying at University of New South Wales, Sydney.

Me and Josh at Saint Kilda beach, Melbourne.

Biasanya kitorang just keep each other in contact through email and facebook. Sebenarnya dah banyak kali dia cakap nak datang Wollongong dari tahun lepas lagi. Tapi asyik tak jadi je semuanya sebab I selalu tak available. But this time I promise him that I am going to make it since I have no particular plan at the moment.



My other close buddies, Mick, Sean and Hoan.
(Memang takde girl yang pergi summer school masa tu, sebab tu kawan-kawan I semua lelaki)



Owh by the way, tadi sampai je office I tengok ada seketul telur warna merah besar penumbuk atas meja. It is an Easter egg from Diane. She mentioned that the egg represents fertility and new life in Spring. Ada banyak kisah pasal Easter egg ni sebenarnya. I may not have the same beliefs, but I respect theirs as much as they respect mine.

Gigantic red Easter Egg from Diane. Thanks!

Kadang-kadang kitorang selalu duduk sama-sama and share apa-apa pasal religion and beliefs masing-masing. Seronok jugak bila dengar sejauh mana understanding masyarakat luar terhadap Islam sebenarnya. Setakat ni, I bersyukur sebab orang sekeliling I sangat menghormati Islam dan I cuba sedaya-upaya untuk tunjuk contoh yang terbaik. That's the least I could do I guess.

HAVE AN AWESOME HOLIDAY EVERYONE!!!

When The War Is Over

Me and Aimy before the war began



Ha?? Ape war war pulak ni? Bikin ribut je kamu ni tau!hehe. Bukan war ape pun lah. I pegi perang dekat paintball battlefield hari Sabtu lepas. Delta Force Paintball, Appin. Do you want to know how fun was it? It was totally awesome!! Lebam sini sana. Muka comot tak hengat. Penat jangan cakap la. Balik terus pengsan!

Okay, let me tell you a bit about the game. When we got there, we were divided into two groups. The White Team and The Orange Team. The colour codes were indicated by the white or orange strap on our hand. Ada la dalam 20 orang dalam tiap-tiap kumpulan. Ramai sangat rasanya. Nak-nak bila dah dressed up into the full uniform, memang tak kenal siapa dah.

The White Team. Spot me!



The Orange Team

When we first arrived, each of us were given Body Armour to cover the chest, coverall Combat Suit to protect our wear, Battle Pack that hold up to 400 paintballs, full head anti-fog Goggle Protection, and a 0.68 Calibre Inferno Machine Gun. Gila power hafal nama gun. Tapi serious cool sangat rasanya masa bawak gun tu! Terus rasa macam wirawati negara nak pergi berperang. kahkahkah! Berangan~~

Battle Pack, Goggle, and The Gun
[Photo courtesy]

Kitorang main dekat 3 battlefields. First main SPEED BALL. We need to protect the checkpoints so that the other team cannot penetrate our defences. Mula-mula I blur and tak berapa nak dapat feel. I don't like this one that much because all the bunkers were too crowded with soo many people. Awal-awal lagi I dah kena keluar. Tak best!

Then masuk second battlefield, JUNGLE CRYPT. Here is where I started to get the excitment. Dalam game ni each team kena conquer kubu yang dekat tengah-tengah jungle. Team mana yang paling ramai ada dekat kubu bila habis masa, team tu yang menang. I love this one as I was among the earliest who conquered The Crypt. Gila best tapi I injured teruk dekat sini. ;O

Finally masuk third battlefield, TROPIC THUNDER. Dalam game ni, sorang wakil dari tiap-tiap team akan jadi prisoner. So, kita kena selamatkan prisoner tu and at the same time kena defend kawasan so that the opponents tak dapat masuk kawasan kita. I berjaya defend satu entrance supaya opponents tak dapat pecah masuk dengan jayanya without being shot. Yeay!!

Sesudah perang tamat

Balik tu bila check kesan tembakan, lengan kanan paling kronik and bruises everywhere. Sakit gila! Tapi kalau orang tanya nak join lagi tak lepas ni. I will simply say YES!!! Without any hesitation. Best sebenarnya main tembak-tembak orang ni. Bila dapat shoot orang, rasa dia macam terawang-terawang di udara. But when I was being shot, perghh!! Rasa dia memang sungguh tidak enak. Kalau nak tau macam mana, cubalah!



Our group photo after the war



All photos were credited to Zaki and Aimy's Facebook. Thank you guys!

Bila tiba waktu itu..

When you are at THAT time of the month, your physical and emotional traits are normally affected. Kadang-kadang I pun hairan macam mana la semua ni boleh jadi. Tapi tu la yang perlu dihadapi setiap bulan. Orang sekeliling sila bersabar ye. Masalah teknikal ni berlaku paling lama pun seminggu je..:p

The most common physical symptoms are fatigue, bloating, acne and appetite changes with food cravings. I usually have all that every cycle. Keletihan terlampau, rasa macam semua parts kembang bermangkuk-mangkuk, jerawat jangan cakap lah kan, dan selera makan berkuasa harimau bintang. Kalau boleh semua pun aku nak bantai!

Then when it comes to mood-related symptoms, there are depression, oversensitivity, mood swings with alternating sadness and anger and sometimes irritability. Ini semua bukan dibuat-buat ye. Ingat senang ke nak handle perasaan yang tak tentu arah macam ni. Sungguh mencabar tau!

Biasanya hampir semua perempuan normal akan menghadapi keadaan yang macam ni. Bezanya teruk atau tidak je. For my case, I lebih ke arah physical symptoms. Berguling-guling atas lantai selama 2 jam itu adalah hobi setiap kali menstrual. Rasa macam seronok pulak dapat main guling-guling tahan kesakitan melampau tu. huhu.

Okay, itu saja nak mengadu hari ni. Biasanya mengadu dekat tempat lain tapi kali ini tidak dapat dihubungi. So, you gotta lend me your ears then! I feel really exhausted, tired and weak. And now I think I just want to lay down for the whole day, and cry like a baby.

Please take care
[photo courtesy]

Besarnya nilai RM50 bagi yang memerlukan

Dear diary,

I talked to my mum for more than 1 hour just now. Melepaskan rindu. hehehe. If you read this, I miss you so much mak! Mirah teringin sangat nak balik, but I don't think I can do that within this short time. Tak sabaq nak tunggu mak mai sini tau!

Dalam banyak-banyak topik yang kitorang berborak hari ni, hati I tersentuh bila dengar cerita mak macam mana dengan hanya RM50, kita boleh menggembirakan hati orang yang sangat-sangat memerlukan. Mungkin bagi setengah orang, RM50 tu apa lah sangat kan? Sekali dinner di fine dining restaurant pun boleh habis lebih RM50 per individu ye tak?

Okay, ceritanya macam ni. Mak baru balik dari umrah baru-baru ni. Lepas keluarkan belanja untuk beribadat ke jalan Allah, Alhamdulillah Allah gantikan balik duit mak dengan kurniakan rezeki berlipat kali ganda nilainya. So, bila dah ada rezeki lebih sikit, mak terasa nak hadiahkan cleaner dengan guard dekat office mak RM50 sorang. Saja nak bagi diorang duit belanja minum niat hati mak.

The cleaner is a very humble Indonesian woman. Mak cakap bagus dia kerja. Solat tak pernah diabaikan. Lepas dapat je duit dari mak, dia cakap dia nak beli sesuatu yang berharga sebagai tanda kenangan. Tak pernah dia dapat hadiah sebanyak tu katanya. So, dia beli jam tangan dengan sejadah. Ya Allah, dengan RM50 dia dapat beli 2 benda yang sangat berharga bagi dia. Kita ni pulak, kalau boleh jam tangan nak yang berjenama je. Paling cikai pun mesti nak harga yang cecah ratusan ringgit. Insaf~~

Tu kisah cleaner. Yang paling buat I terharu bila dengar cerita guard pulak. Masa mak bagi duit tu, dia dah ucap terima kasih. Then bila dia naik solat, dan check amount yang mak bagi, dia terus turun dan ucap terima kasih yang tak terhingga dekat mak sampai buat mak terpinga-pinga. Besar sangat ke RM50 tu sampai dia beria-ia ucap terima kasih sampai macam tu sekali?

Rupa-rupanya baru mak tau, sebelum dapat duit dari mak tu, dalam poket dia hanya tinggal RM2 saja. Apa sangat yang boleh kita buat dengan nilai 2 ringgit hari ni kan? Nak beli nasik putih lauk telur pun tak lepas. Boleh bayangkan tak apa yang dapat dia makan sepanjang minggu tu? Ya Allah, sedih sangat dengar. Menitik air mata I masa tu. Kita ni hidup serba serbi cukup, sedangkan ramai lagi manusia di luar sana yang terpaksa mengikat perut untuk teruskan kehidupan.

Ayat mak yang I pegang hari ni, jangan kedekut untuk belanjakan duit untuk orang lain. Kita tak pernah tahu, mungkin dalam setiap rezeki berlebihan yang Allah kurniakan untuk kita tu, terselit rezeki yang boleh dikongsi dengan orang lain yang lebih memerlukan. Bear that in mind kay Amirah.

 

 

Ringankan tangan untuk memberi, InsyaAllah, Allah pasti akan gantikan dalam bentuk gandaan pahala yang tak terhingga nilainya. Yang penting, segalanya perlu diniatkan hanya kerana Allah swt.

She is White Admiral

Dear diary,

I have no idea why but the feeling is just so not right. Everything seems to be so complicated. I never felt this way before. The state where I am not really there.

I think I understand most of the things that are happening, but maybe I am worried about everything that can't make any sense of all.

I want to be like that beautiful butterfly, fly freely in the sky, spread the rainbow color wings, shine among the trees, and just be happy.

White Admiral
 [Click here if you want to know the reason behind the name]

Happy 28th Anniversary Mak & Bapak!!

28 years ago, in the year 1983, marked the day when two souls become one, and together forms a common bond, love and commitment. From that point of the day, the wedding anniversary holds tremendous value of love and happiness that comes each year. Pasangan ini kemudiannya menyambut satu demi satu kelahiran permata dalam keluarga yang kini berjumlah 6 orang dan seorang menantu sulung. 

Keluarga Haji Azmi & Hajjah Kartini
(From left: Fatin, Bapak, Hanif, Amirah, Huda, Burhan, Mai, Mak, Hamizah)

Putera sulung, Muhammad Hanif (27 tahun), dilahirkan pada tahun 1984 diikuti dengan puteri sulung  bernama Amirah (26 tahun), dilahirkan pada tahun 1985. Kedua-duanya diberikan didikan sempurna dari zaman persekolahan sehingga meniti alam dewasa. Dan sehingga hari ini, putera dan puteri sulung ini masih dan sentiasa memerlukan sokongan dan doa daripada pasangan ini untuk terus mencapai satu demi satu kejayaan dalam hidup.

Pada tahun 1989, seorang lagi puteri yang dinamakan Fatin Anisah (22 tahun) dilahirkan ke dunia. Diikuti dengan kelahiran seorang lagi putera bernama Burhanuddin (21 tahun) pada tahun 1990. Seperti kakak dan abang mereka, kedua-duanya turut diasuh dan dididik menggunakan formula yang sama. InsyaAllah, diiringi doa daripada ibu bapa, kejayaan peringkat pengajian tinggi akan jadi milik mereka.

Permata yang ke lima dilahirkan pada tahun 1994 yang diberi nama Hamizah (17tahun), kini di alam sekolah menengah. Selepas 20 tahun usia perkahwinan, pada tahun 2003, pasangan ini dikurniakan seorang lagi puteri yang bernama Ainul Huda (8tahun) yang kini menjadi penyeri dalam keluarga. Semoga abang-abang dan kakak-kakak mampu menjadi contoh kepada adik-adik yang masih jauh lagi perjalanan dalam hidup mereka.

Pada tahun 2010, pasangan ini menerima menantu sulung di dalam keluarga, Mai Nazura, yang kini menjadi tulang belakang kepada anak sulung mereka. InsyaAllah, berkat restu dan doa pasangan ini, keluarga besar ini akan terus berkembang dengan menerima kehadiran pasangan terbaik pilihan anak-anak.

Bukan sedikit dugaan yang perlu dihadapi oleh pasangan ini terutamanya cabaran membesarkan anak-anak yang berbeza sifat dan karenah. Alhamdulillah, they made it. For them, parenting is both a never ending process and a journey. The father works hard to provide the needs of his offspring. And the mother gives all her life so that the children know where the home is even when they were given wings to fly away.

To Haji Azmi and Hajjah Kartini, we can't thank you enough for the love, education and your never ending support. And most importantly we want to thank Allah for granting us with the most invaluable most precious parents in the whole world. Happy anniversary again!

Hunting for a new pair of boots

I seriously need to get myself a new pair of boots. I used to have three pairs before this. One has worn off, one has been sold, leaving myself with only one more left. Cuaca yang makin sejuk and hujan yang tak menentu buat I rasa tak sabar nak beli lagi satu.

Once upon a time at Pebbly's Beach. Me wearing my favorite mid-calf boots

The thing is, I couldn't really make up my mind on which type of boots should I go for this time. I always love the mid-calf length but I'm eyeing for the knee length at the same time. Urghh.. Susahnya jadi perempuan. Cerewet gila!

My knee-high boots that has been sold

I know that the length of your boots is a personal choice, but there are some golden rules that you need to follow whether you want to go for the ankle, mid-calf, knee or even thigh length boots. Tak boleh nak belasah sesuka hati je ye kalau takmau jadi fashion victim.

Ankle boots

It is a great alternative to shoes but I personally think they look nice with trousers. Very funky footwear when worn with tights and skirts. But please please avoid wearing it with long skirts. Nanti kaki nampak pendek and you tend to look frumpy and matronly. Oh no!;O



Grey look good on anything, don't they? [photo courtesy]



Mid-Calf Boots

A unique cut that looks great with skirts of all lengths as this style accentuates your calf muscle. This is my favorite of all. Tapi!! cutting macam ni mungkin sesuai untuk orang betis kecil atau sederhana. Kalau betis yang agak besar, mungkin kurang selesa untuk dipakai. Please go for options okay.

I want this like so badly but I'm pretty sure the price is wayyy over my budget.. Duhh!! [photo courtesy]

Tall Boots

The classic knee-high boot. Haaa, I'm admiring this cut at the moment. It looks fabulous and very versatile. The point is, please ensure that the boot fits snugly around your leg. Memang cantik if worn with jeans tau. Wear them over the top if they are skinny or under if they are a bootleg cut.

Aikk, apehal tetiba cakap pandai pasal boots pulak minah ni. Giving out tips is so not me lah. I nak berangan sorang-sorang dah la ye. Susah-susah nanti I pakai je boots Phua Chu Kang. Dari jauh kalau nampak kaki kuning berjalan tu tandanya I la. Mesti you pusing ikut jalan jauh tanak terserempak sebab malu nak say hello kan.hahaha.

Azra Sofi's birthday celebration

Hello dear,

I was invited to attend Sofi's birthday bash today. Owh, I love birthday parties as they always filled with fun, joy and happy faces. The best thing about this party is, it was all themed in black, red and white hues. So everybody was kindly asked to dress up in any combination of these colors. Fun wasn't it?

As soon as all the invited guests arrived, the celebration started with doa recitation from Sofi's father, just before we had our pleasurable time indulging into tremendous amount of foods prepared by Sofi's mum, Kak Suzana. We had nasi beriyani, roasted chicken, kari dalca, mee goreng, fresh homemade pizza, and a long list of yummy desserts and sweets.

Shortly after that, it was time for cake cutting ceremony. There were not only one, but two birthday cakes prepared by Kak Shikin. We gathered all around the birthday girl and as usual, sing a birthday song for her. Being the centre of attraction for today, Sofi looked just like a little princess in her gorgeous black dress.

To add into the fun, we played a game right after that. Poisonous stick. Everybody was included, no matter kids or adults. When the music is played, we need to pass around the stick and when the music stopped, the last person who hold the stick need to pick anybody and ask that person to do something. Very easy, but we had a whole loads of fun laughing and singing around.

Before we went back, it was time for the princess to open up all her presents and looking at her happy face admiring all the gifts, making me feel like going back to the good old time, when I was still a cheerful little girl like Sofi.

Pretty 4-year old Sofi

Then, the celebration ended shortly after that. So, to Kak Suzana and family, thank you for being such a warm host. All in all, we really had our great time. Till we meet again in any other event.

My another favorite boy

Hai!!

I woke up with a very bright mood today. Happy! Happy! bangun je tengok jam, alamak, pukul 10 pagi. Apa nak jadi anak dara bangun tengahari ni. Haihh. But I think I have a good reason for that. I tido pun pukul 5 pagi, macamana nak bangun awal kan? So, 10am it was..=))

I don't want to talk much today. Just want to share two photos of my another favorite boy. I mentioned about cute little fella, Adam in here and here before this right? Now, it's Aydin's turn to get the extra highlight.

Charming! Isn't he?

Okay, yang ni mahal. Jeling okay tengok camera.

They are brothers with two substantial characters. Aydin is the little one. Everything they did, they never failed to crack a smile on my lips. I believe they both will grow up as a non-separable brothers later in future. InsyaAllah.