Let's eat Arabian style at Al-Araby Restaurant

Assalamualaikum!

Good morning everybody!! Let's rise energetically today and shine brighter than yesterday, shall we? 

So, how's your week treating you so far? Menarik ke tak menarik? 

Or ada yang dah plan nak buat apa hujung minggu ni? 

Kalau sesapa yang buat open house hujung minggu ni bagitau laaaa boleh I pi terjah. kihkih. :p

Tak sedaq diri dalam dok kata nak diet tu ada hati lagi nak terjah-terjah rumah orang kan? hahaha. 

Takpe la, kemeriahan open house ni dapat rasa dalam bulan Syawal je. 

Kalau buat makan-makan lepas bulan Syawal dah lain sikit feel dia kan? kan? 

*Ehem, what a brilliant justification to allow me to eat more* ;)

Anyway, semalam lepas picked my husband up from tol Sungai Dua, kitorang terus pegi Tesco Seberang Jaya sebab Am tetiba nak makan nasik arab dekat sana. 

So, kitorang pun plan untuk bukak puasa Arabian style in Arabic-Middle East Restaurant la kononnya. hehe.

Sebagai pelanggan Tesco yang setia, tiap-tiap kali pi sana pun mesti lalu depan restaurant tu, nama Al-Araby. Tapi tak pernah teringat nak singgah la pulak. 

So when my husband ajak berbuka puasa dekat sana semalam, apa lagi, laju-laju terus cakap nak. hehehe.

Al-Araby Restaurant. From outside view.

Personally, I found that the whole ambiance is very welcoming with: 

1) Comfortable and clean eating place 

2) The foods are nice with hugeee portion

3) The staffs are well trained and respond to all orders very efficiently

4) Food prices are very reasonable

Chicken with Biryani.
Order satu untuk makan 2 orang

Chicken Schwarma
Appertizer

Lamb Haneeth
Add on

Owh, he is mine. You can't have this one.
Takde dalam menu. Nasik biryani tu je ada. :p

So to all Penagites, if you feel like having an Arabian meal, I suggest you to visit Al-Araby. 

Generally speaking, I had a very good impression upon this restaurant during my first visit. 

I don't mind to come to this place again next time.

I hope it wouldn't disappoint you too. :)

Post wedding transformation. I am scared.

Assalamualaikum,

Selamat pagi semua! Wahh bukan main semangat mengadap blog pagi-pagi ni kan. Maklumla hari ni enjin panas awal sebab sesudah subuh tadi dah keluar hantar suami dekat tol Sungai Dua nak pegi meeting kat KL with his colleagues. So sementara tengah ada mood ni meh la kita sembang-sembang kat dalam ni dulu okay! :)

Sedar tak sedar dah masuk 13 Syawal dah hari ni kan. You all semua tengah mood beraya lagi ke sekarang ni? I rasa macam dah tak pun. Kecuali hujung minggu je la rasa meriah sikit sebab bila pegi kenduri jumpa sedara mara apa semua, the rest of the week I'll do my normal routine just like usual.

Cuma bezanya, sekarang ni kuih raya masih belambak-lambak dekat rumah, bila bosan je boleh kunyah-kunyah bajet macam hari raya. hahaha. Tengok tu, dari sebelum puasa sampai selepas raya dok asyik sebut nak diet, tapi mulut ni tak reti-reti nak stop mengunyah ni apa cerita. haihhhh. 

Hari tu masa dok pilih-pilih gambar wedding yang nak print masuk album, ada la terjumpa a few photos yang kitorang amik a couple of weeks after our wedding. Wahhh masing-masing tergelak tengok perbezaan masa baru-baru kawen dengan beberapa bulan lepas kawen. 

On the day we tied our knot.
Dua-dua maintain tanpa lebihan lemak di mana-mana.

Melaka reception. Kembang kempis idung tahan napas pakai korset. :p
Husband masih maintain. My double chin is clearly visible here. Aaaaa!! :(

One month after the wedding.
Kembang sikit dah muka tu oiii. Tudung salah. Tudung salah. I tak salah.
*Denial mode* 

Okay, I officially love this baju!! Sebab bagi effect langsing.
Padahal tak berapa langsing lagi dah masa ni.
Mungkin warna merah cili ni kot yang buat nampak kurus sikittttt. 

Our latest. 4 month after.
Muka dua-dua orang dah kembang semangkuk.
T_____T

Walaupun masih belum ketara sangat, but we know the difference IS there. Especially part muka tu. Lemak kat tempat lain boleh disorok, tapi kalau kat muka nak sorok lagu mana?? Huwaaaaa. Ni baru beberapa bulan je dah nampak perubahan, kalau dah beberapa tahun tu macam mana??? ;O

I think I should declare war with all the kuih raya inside the balang. 

I have to. I have to. I have to.... ZzzzzZzzz

My Hari Raya story

Assalamualaikum semua!

Finallyyyy after a series of long Hari Raya break, I'm back to tell you updates about what is happening around me recently. Hmm, memandangkan baru masuk hari ke-9 dalam bulan Syawal, I nak cerita sikit la pasal pengalaman sambut Aidil Fitri buat pertama kali dengan suami dan keluarga mertua.

Well, this is not my first time berjauhan dengan keluarga sendiri masa Hari Raya. Dah 4 tahun I beraya dekat Australia sebelum ni, so bila raya kali ni tak dapat sambut 1 Syawal sama-sama dengan family was not really a big problem for me. Rindu tu of course lah rindu, but it's okay, tahun depan raya dengan my family pulak! :)

While on the other hand, pengalaman pertama sambut Syawal dengan keluarga suami pulak sangat priceless! Walaupun secara general nya, sambutan di Malaysia lebih kurang sama je meriahnya dekat mana-mana tempat pun, tapi tiap-tiap keluarga mesti ada keunikan yang tersendiri.

Our Hari Raya photo for this year.
Complete family members together with the in-laws.

Okay, benda first yang paling I excited, I dah pandai anyam ketupat!! Selama ni belajar buat ketupat palas je dengan my mom, tapi kali ni I belajar anyam ketupat nasik pulak dengan mother in law, which is slightly complicated as compared to ketupat palas. Serious boleh bikin panas woooo belajar anyam ketupat ni. Berpintal-pintal tangan anyam sana anyam sini sampai tergulung daun kelapa dekat tangan sendiri. 

My ketupat sulung.
Rasa nak nangis hentak-hentak kaki selagi tak dapat anyam. :p

But once I got the skill, I kept on weaving the ketupats like there is no tomorrow. hahaha. Budak jakun baru belajar memang macam gitu la gayanya. Rasanya ada la dalam 40 bijik sarung ketupat yang I berjaya anyam. Okay la untuk beginner macam I ni kan? Harap-harap ingatan kekal kuat sampai raya tahun depan pulak. Kalau tak, rebus ketupat segera cap Nona aje la gamaknya. kuikuikui. :p

Separuh dari hasil kerja tangan saya.
Banggaaaa gilaaaa. Terus rasa nak meniaga ketupat tahun depan. kakakaka. :p

Lepas tu pulak, on the last day of Ramadhan, petang tu my MIL akan masak macam-macam lauk. Kalau tak salah 8 lauk altogether. Sambal daging, ungkep, sup tulang, sambal kacang, hati/pedal masak kicap, asam pedas daging, sambal udang and rendang daging. Banyak gila hoiiii rasa boleh buat kenduri. Tapi memang semua tu untuk tetamu yang datang masa 1 Syawal. Can you imagine berapa ramai yang  datang rumah kalau semua lauk-lauk tu habis??? ;O

I rasa dua tu je la yang paling berbeza pun dengan sambutan raya my family. Yang lain-lain tu semua lebih kurang sama je, pegi melawat from one house to another, makan non-stop sampai terkejut perut dibuatnya. hahaha. In overall, I experienced a really great Aidil Fitri with my in-laws this year, and I hope this will continue until forever. Amin. And here is some memorable photos that I am happy to share with you. 

Yours truly with the ladies in the family.
Macam ketua nasyid la pulok. hikhik.

Our first Aidil Fitri together. Hoping for many many more to come.

Husband & Wife

Ohhh I really like this picture with arwah atok's car as the prop.
Nampak klasik gitu. 

I think that's all for now. So what is your Hari Raya story? Kalau ada yang menarik share la ye. hehe. Seronok jugak baca pengalaman Hari Raya orang sebab lain family, mesti lain ceritanya. Okay la, till I see you again in the next post, happy Friday and may you have a great weekend ahead! Assalamualaikum. :)

Persiapan raya dah siap ke?

Assalamualaikum,

It has been raining very heavily here in Penang since dawn and it is still raining even until now. Just so you know it, dark and rainy day has a very high potential to affect your mood, or personally myself. And because of that, I should really do something to beat back the rainy day blues. Hiyakkk!!! ;O


Okay, please stop the crap and let's change the topic.

Macam mana dengan persiapan raya you all semua tahun ni? Banyak baju raya? Kuih raya? Langsir raya? Apa-apa je la yang baru untuk raya kali ni? As for me, none of the above is even close to ready. hehe. Persiapan I lebih ke arah kemas rumah je kot. Selebihnya tu takde apa sangat.

Maybe sebab dah berapa tahun beraya kat tempat orang dengan sambutan yang ala kadar, so tahun ni I rasa macam buat persiapan sederhana pun dah cukup dah. Pagi raya rasa macam nak pakai baju tunang je aci tak? Baru berapa kali je pakai baju tu, so tak salah la kalau recycle kan? :)

Kalau ikutkan nafsu wanita yang sememangnya suka bershopping ni rasanya hari-hari pun boleh membeli baju baru. Tapi bila fikir pasal keperluan, hmm, banyak benda lagi yang lebih perlu rasanya. Tapi my husband ajak pegi beli baju raya jugak. At least ada satu yang baru katanya.

You know what, I have seen a nice pair of baju traditional yang I tengok dalam online tu mak aiii mahal bukan main! Sepasang sampai beratus-ratus ringgit I rasa sungguh tak masuk akal. Dah la kebanyakan material dia yang jenis fragile stok kena hantar dry cleaning je. Sudahnya nanti pakai sekali pastu dok la terperap dalam almari sebab malas nak gosok, malas nak hantar dobi. haha.

Lepas tu fashion zaman sekarang ni amboi glemer bukan main mokcik nak pakai pi kenduri pun takut kalau orang ingat pengantin pulak nanti. hikhik. Kalau nak beli pun I rasa nak yang jenis simple, descent and also applicable to daily wears, so kalau pakai bila masuk kerja nanti takde la rasa hover gila dengan bling bling segala.

Okay la, I think I've got to stop here.
Hopefully I will have time to come back before Eid is coming up.
Till I see you again next time.
Assalamualaikum. :)

The night of power

Assalamualaikum,

Hai semua! Lama tak tanya khabar kan? Tup-tup dah masuk bulan August, minggu depan pulak dah nak raya. I pun taktau nak define perasaan nak sambut raya ni macam mana. Seronok tu seronok la, but I think there are so many things that I missed in this Ramadhan especially towards the very end of it. :(

Sometimes I think I have so many sins that are holding me to move forwards. I know right away that this is the best time to get them forgiven. Okay, I have a couple more days to go, I should really make full use out of it. I. Know. That. I. Have. To.

Kalau ada lagi permintaan kita yang tak dikabulkan Allah, jangan berhenti untuk terus berdoa. He knows when is the best time to grant us with whatever we ask from Him. I have sooo many things in the list and I will keep coming back to him, and repent unto him sincerely as much as possible.

Now we are left with the last 6 nights of Ramadhan, and what better opportunity to make long and sincere dua to Allah right? Who knows if we make dua every night we might be lucky enough to make it in the night of power where all duas are accepted. InsyaAllah. :)

Seeking out Lailatul Qadar

Tapi. 

What I am afraid the most is, if I'm gonna leave all the good habits as soon as Ramadhan finishes. Sepatutnya amalan yang baik-baik ni kena buat sepanjang masa. Ramadhan ni buka peluang untuk kita get closer to Allah, and we shouldn't stop doing that even when it comes to the end. 

May all the changes in this Ramadhan continue that way throughout the year. 

Amin.