Aussie Trip 2015 :: Going back to a place I called home

Assalamualaikum,

Hari ni bersiaran secara langsung dari office. Baru siap kemas-kemas sikit, esok rasa macam dah tak mai office dah kot sebab mood bercuti dah meresap masuk ke dalam badan. hehe. Ohh well, I will be on holiday mood at least until early August. Wahh kemain cuti raya sikit punya panjang macam kan busy sangat nak menguruskan anak ramai. hahaha.

No lah. I beraya 3 hari je. Selebihnya I akan ada dekat Australia sampai end of July. Serious excited gila rasa macam nak balik kampung pulak. It is indeed a place I called home. Maklumla, 4 tahun lebih duduk sana. Terlampau banyak kenangan yang I rasa dekat sangat dengan hati. I don't think I can simply forget all those beautiful memories.

Hari first sampai tu kitorang akan terus ke Snowy Mountains. I think the timing is almost perfect sebab minggu ni I tengok dalam news dah snow storms. Maksudnya by next week insyaAllah the weather will be perfect untuk kitorang main snow. Konon dulu serik dah mengadap snow hari-hari masa dekat Europe. Sekarang excited pulak. hahaha. Mestilah. Bukan selalu ada peluang untuk feeling-feeling snow white guling-guling dalam salji. Sekali sekala dapat mestila gumbira. :p

Snowy Mountains, 2011

Girlfriends. Aimy and Mala.

Then keesokannya tu balik ke homestay yang I dah booked dekat Stanwell Park. My graduation will be on Thursday morning, so I akan balik ke Wollongong for that occasion. I akan pusing area Wollongong sampai malam. Dengar cerita Wollongong dah makin happening sekarang sejak ada mall baru tu. Thursday night pulak memang city centre hidup sampai midnight. Wahh, I can't wait to explore!

On Friday, I akan bawak rombongan untuk shopping dekat Sydney. Plan nak pegi Homebush Direct Factory Outlet or Birkenhead Point, World Kitchen, and Victoria's Basement. Haaa, ni kalau tak puas jugak menyopping ni I taktau la nak kata apa. Semua ada kat situ. You can shop till you drop. I don't have anything in mind so far, maybe nak grab a few important items for baby je la. Yang lain-lain tu bergantung dengan keadaan. :)

Hari Sabtu pulak I don't have any specific plan yet. Maybe pusing-pusing area Wollongong or perhaps suburbs nearby Sydney. On Sunday I dah plan nak bawak diorang naik public transport ke Sydney. Sebab nak guna Family Funday Sunday ticket that will cost you only $2.50 per person. Boleh naik apa-apa saja transport termasuk train, tram, bus, ferry and so on. Seronok jugak sekali-sekala naik public transport. Jimat duit minyak and parking. :)

Family Funday Sunday 2012. Masa my family visited me in Wollongong. Day trip to Sydney.

Ferry ride to Manly using the $2.50 ticket. Value for money! :)

So far, tu je plan I untuk plan balik kampung kali ni. haha. I rasa trip kali ni lagi meaningful sebab I dapat jalan-jalan dengan my husband, my parents and my in-laws. Isn't that awesome? Hopefully balik nanti I rajin untuk tulis kenangan bercuti kali ni. :)

Till then, I hope you have a great Aidilfitri with your loved ones!

Forgive me for any of my wrongdoings okay!

Selamat Hari Raya! :)

Ramadhan yang ke-19

Assalamualaikum,

Hari ni dah masuk berapa Ramadhan eh? 19 ke? Maksudnya malam ni dah masuk 10 malam terakhir Ramadhan la kan? Semoga kita semua diberi peluang untuk grab pahala sebanyak mungkin di malam-malam terakhir ni. 

Puasa tahun sangat-sangat mencabar untuk I. Seriously, I never experienced such tiredness and fatigue in my whole life. Letih yang tak boleh nak describe macam mana. You know what it's like to have that grumpy situation? Very awful. And to be able to explain that to other people is almost impossible.

This. Is. Exactly. How. I. Feel. Everyday.

I hope this phase won't take long. I want to enjoy celebrating Syawal. You know, makan unlimited supply of ketupat and rendang semua tu. Lepas tu raya ke-4 I and my family (immediate and extended) will go to Australia for my graduation ceremony. Tak best la kalau tak dapat nak enjoy the trip kan. huhu.

Hari ni nak berbuka makan apa pun taktau. I just don't have the appetite to eat. Padahal I ni jenis yang sangatlah appreciate good foods. Sekarang ni letak apa benda depan mata pun takdak selera nak makan. Setakat jamah sikit untuk alas perut, that's it.

Persiapan untuk raya pulak, hmm, almost none. Kuih raya sebijik pun tak order. Buat sendiri apatah lagi. Memang takkan la tahun ni. Baju raya tak tempah atau beli pun. haha. Nasib baik hari tu ada tempah baju untuk pakai masa grad, pakai tu je la gamaknya pagi raya nanti. Tapi masalahnya belom ambik pun baju tu dari tailor. Acane? hahaha.

Ok lah, tu je nak membebel hari ni. Mood ke laut sebenarnya. I don't feel like talking to anybody. Tapi tetap nak luahkan perasaan. Jadiknya, terhasil la entry ni. hahaha. I do miss blogging I guess. But time does not permit. It's okay, till I see you again next time.

Have a blessed remaining Ramadhan everyone!

Tata!

Living a full, rich and meaningful life

Assalamualaikum,

Hi semua! How are you doing? Amboi, dua bulan lebih menghilang, tetiba muncul balik mood gembira. hihihi. My life was very occupied in the past two months. I am so happy that the academic year for this semester has just ended, so boleh la tarik nafas lega sikit sebab tak payah buat preparation untuk lectures, tutorials, assignments, tests and so on.

Unfortunately, my work commitment does not stop there. Now is the time to focus on other things not related to teaching. I have three FYPs and one Master's dissertation to read on. This will definitely keep me busy at least for the next two or three weeks. Following this is the final exam week, of course lepas tu seminggu kena marking. Maybe lepas dah siap marking baru boleh hip hip hooray!! :)

Did I tell you that my husband is back already? Yes, he has been home for nearly one month taking over all the responsibilities that he asked me to take care of while he was away. Seronok weh bila husband dah balik. Bergaduh manja tu standard la kan, but when he is around, the house feels so full. And I am back as happy Amirah now. :)

Our latest picture together. Taken last weekend at my cousins' wedding.

So anyway, we are moving into our new house this week. Rumah sekarang tunggang langgang macam hapa je. Kotak and beg di mana-mana. Jangan la datang jenguk rumah sekarang memang aku halau tak bagi masuk. Segan kat orang weh. Takpe sikit lagi, insyaAllah by next week you guys are welcome to our new heaven on earth. :)

Well, to summarize everything in short, my life has been so meaningful lately. Banyak berita gembira yang datang one after another. And for this, I have to express my ultimate thank you to Allah the Almighty. Verily, He is the best of planners. :)

That's what family is all about

Assalamualaikum,

Happy Monday everybody! I baru je sampai office, tapi nak ambik mood dulu sebelum mula buat kerja. Biasanya I akan check email dulu, then write down apa nak buat hari ni, pastu I akan jenguk dashboard blogger tengok sesapa yang update. Seronok kalau ramai yang menulis because I always feel like blog walking is such a nice way to start my day. 

Ohh, Jumaat lepas I balik Melaka jumpa parents in law sebab rasa macam dah lama sangat tak balik kampung. The very last time was in early December I think. Dah nak masuk 4 bulan rupanya tak balik. huhu. Mula-mula ingat nak tunggu Am balik Malaysia baru kitorang balik kampung sama-sama. Tapi sampai hari ni belom nampak lagi tarikh bila dia akan balik, so I decided to go back to Melaka on my own. Ye la, tak semestinya kena tunggu suami ada baru boleh balik rumah mertua kan? :)

Minggu lepas bila I cakap nak balik Melaka, yang mana tau Am takde mesti tanya, "Betol ke balik kampung suami sorang?". I was like, "Errr, yes. Why? Tak boleh ke?". Korang rasa pelik ke? I yang rasa pelik kalau I tak balik. huhu.

I think bila kawen dengan Am, I am automatically married to his family as well right? There is a saying stated that "When you married your Prince Charming, you also inherited the King, Queen, and the whole court." So I must treat his parents just like how I treated mine. Kalau Melaka tu dekat rasanya tiap-tiap minggu I nak balik. huhu. Seronok tau sebab rasa macam balik kampung sendiri. 

Kebetulan last weekend tinggal mak dengan abah je kat Jasin. Yang lain semua balik minggu lain. So I jadi anak tungal diorang la minggu tu. hihihi. Mana diorang pegi semua I ikut. Seronok jugak sekali sekala spend quality time dengan parents in law. Bukan selalu dapat chance macam tu I better grab the opportunity.

Masih dalam anniversay mood.
Our parents. Allah's gift from heaven.

Second Wedding Anniversary :: Two years of love and trust

Assalamualaikum,

Here's a special entry dedicated to my husband and myself in celebrating our second anniversary together. 

It has been exactly two years today and 

I am so grateful looking at how marriage has changed our life dramatically. 

Somehow, this sacred relation has made us commit to one another and we will never look back.

I wouldn't say that our marriage is so perfect. 

No no, far beyond perfect I could say.

We had so many downfalls along the way and we also had many flaws here and there. 

We always have petty arguments towards the largest decision to the littlest resolution. 

We even fight on colours, foods, clothes, cars and whatnots. 

Yet, all in all, I have to say that I love my husband and our marriage has never lost the steam or passion it had to begin with.

My husband works really hard to provide a living for us. 

He and his determination about work always make me feel secure. 

I promise myself that I will forever appreciate his effort and what he does for the family. 

I always believe in his potential in what he can do and what he needs, for which I am very grateful. 

He always wants me to be by his side. 

I really love it when he asks me to go somewhere with him. 

And of course I will go most of the time because I myself want to always be by his side. 

Even if I don't care so much about the place (you know, workshops, hard ware stores and so on) but I just feel glad if he likes to be with me.

One more thing that I appreciate the most is, he eats whatever I cook without any single complaint. 

Never! I know that I have never been a great cook. 

Well I am trying to be one of course. 

But he always make me feel like I am the greatest cook in the world. 

I guess I better learn harder on the tricks and trade on how to keep winning his heart through his stomach. :)

I think that's a little bit something to recall about how grateful I am to be in this marriage.

Hopefully these feelings last forever for many more years to come.

Well, anniversaries are special, aren't they? 

They make you remember how long you actually have been together and just how much you have done and sacrificed for each other. 

Renovation progress :: Kitchen Cabinet

Assalamualaikum,

Tadi balik kerja I singgah tengok renovation progress rumah Bertam Lakeside. Extension master bedroom dengan dapur dah siap. Tinggal nak pasang floor tiles je lepas ni. Sekarang diorang tengah buat kitchen cabinet dekat wet kitchen. Hopefully it turns out well as what I always imagine.

I have discussed with the contractor about the concept that I want to have in both dry and wet kitchens. Untuk wet kitchen, minggu lepas I dah pegi pilih tiles for countertop and kitchen wall. Untuk dry kitchen pulak, they are going to use stone countertop and I have chosen to use mirror for the wall untuk bagi effect yang lebih luas. Let's see how does it looks like later on yea?

I want to have something like this for the wall. Love at the first sight. :)
Ehhh helloooo baju hijau. Bukan main serious lagi ambik gambaq. :D

Rumah ni nanti I takde guna kitchen hob and hood semua tu. I want to keep my dry kitchen spacious and roomy. Taknak ada apa-apa kat atas countertop. Segala periuk nasik, kettle, toaster apa semua letak kat belakang. Dapur pun guna yang biasa je. And you know what, Am dah suruh pasang exhaust fan 12" dah kat wet kitchen and 10" kat dry kitchen.

Dry kitchen. Tak senonoh lagi rupa sekarang ni. 

Wet kitchen. My little kitchen heaven.

He even asked me if it is possible to put exhaust fan dekat hall. And of course I said no! Tak penah dibuat orang pasang exhaust fan dekat ruang tamu sayang oiii. Dia sangat la allergic dengan bau masakan dalam rumah. Boleh bikin amukan kalau bau macam ikan masin ke, tumis sambal ke, hatta bau telur goreng pun boleh buat dia stressed out. Tapi time makan takpe. Bau-bau je yang dia tak suka. Dah faham sangat dia memang tak boleh bau-bau tu semua, so I agree untuk pasang exhaust fan dekat kedua-dua dapur.

I rasa dalam sebulan lagi (or slightly longer) baru siap kot renovation ni. Bila fikir pasal nak pindah je terus lemah semangat. Bukan sikit-sikit punya kerja oiii. Packing and unpacking are soooo not my forte. Huwarghhhh. How I wish I could move everything in just a blink of an eye. T___T

Confession of a junior lecturer

Assalamualaikum,

Hai semua! How are you doing? As for me, I had a very hectic day today. Kelas I petang hari ni, so penat dia lain macam sikit kalau nak compare dengan kelas pagi. Tapi hari ni macam laju pulak I mengajar so kelas habis slightly earlier than expected. Kalau lambat sikit tadi confirm sangkut dalam jem punya. huhu.

Kadang-kadang I risau jugak kalau bebudak tu tak paham apa yang I dok terang kat depan. Tapi dah tanya banyak kali paham ke tak, semua cakap paham. Entah paham betol ke tidak I pun tak sure, tapi muka confident je semua bila jawab paham tu. I paling takut kalau syok sendiri mengajar. Hopefully they really enjoy learning in my class.

You know what, it is kind of satisfaction bila dengar student cakap "Ooooo macam tu rupanya. Senang je". Tiap-tiap kali kalau tengok muka masing-masing blur dalam lecture I mesti rasa tak puas hati. I will keep explaining sampai diorang cakap betol-betol paham. Biar la lambat sikit pun, asalkan diorang paham. Slowly but surely lah omputih kata. :)

On the way balik tadi I singgah tapau bihun gorang dekat Kiosk Bertam. Pastu terserempak pulak dengan sorang lecturer yang mengajar dekat school of maths jugak. Orang first yang I pergi jumpa masa lapor diri tahun lepas. Sebab dia penyelaras akademik so dia yang akan uruskan pasal pembahagian kelas apa semua.

She helped me a lot and banyak guide I masa mula-mula masuk dulu. Maklumla staff baru, terumbang-ambing sikit la banyak sangat benda yang nak kena belajar. Sekarang ni I la lecturer yang paling junior dekat situ. Kadang-kadang nak lalu depan main office pun segan gila tau. I can't help but to feel a little bit awkward in blending myself with all the experts. Rasa macam kecik gilaaa bila duduk dengan all the senior lecturers and professors. huhu.

Now I feel like going back to the student life. Tapi takmau ada exam apa semua. Nak belajar je without being evaluated. Can ah like that? Kadang-kadang orang tanya susah tak buat phd? I takmau komen banyak, but I'm pretty sure that I will never do it again. Serik wehhh. Sekali seumur hidup cukup la. :)

Major throwback to my first year in Australia. Floriade Festival in Canberra.
Nak balik sana, tapi taknak buat phd lagi dah. Sekali cukup. Dua kali nanti bole jadi gila.
T__T

Mathematics, Music and the Guitar

Assalamualaikum,

Hai semua! Pagi tadi I kena jadi panel untuk pre-viva presentation for masters student dekat school of maths ni. So konon keluar awal la nak make sure sampai before the presentation starts. I keluar rumah around pukul 8am, tapi pukul 9.30am baru sampai school sebab jem menggila dari Seberang Jaya sampai Penang Bridge. Nasib baik sempat sampai on time, Phew!! 

So untuk pre-viva ni I kena observe tiga pembentangan student yang buat area linear and nonlinear waves. Dalam tiga orang tu, I tertarik dengan pembentangan sorang student yang buat dissertation bertajuk Mathematics Behind A Traditional Acoustic Guitar (or something like that). Interesting, right?

Mathematics plays a reaaaaallyyy big role in producing a nice set of sound from a guitar.
Cuma mungkin pemain tu tak sedar je that he is actually using a sophisticated maths technique. :)

"Music is the pleasure the human mind experiences from counting without being aware that it is counting" - Gottfried Leibniz

I think I am not going to elaborate more on the mathematical theory behind this because that my dear, will make you hate me forever. hahaha. But we all know that the guitar is one of the most incredible instruments constructed by mankind. It can produce some of the most complex, intricate music imaginable, and yet it is also accessible to even the youngest of learners.

So student ni buat kajian the relationship between plucking one string and the resonance effect on the sound. Maksudnya, by playing around with some variables in the equation, a more harmonic sound will be produced. From this basic, we could now, using some deceptively simple mathematics, know how and where to place frets on a bare guitar, as well as how to tune this guitar given any set of strings. Ok this sounds too technical I think. I better stop.

It was very interesting because this student keluar dari kelompok yang buat kajian benda-benda yang serious. Well who doesn't like music right? Bila dia buat research macam ni kitorang jadi bersemangat nak dengar, and we even requested him to play the guitar using his own chord developed from the equation later in the final viva. I can't wait! :)

Bila tengok student dok nervous nak present tadi, teringat masa zaman buat presentation untuk Final Year Project dengan Master's Dissertation dekat UTM dulu. Entah hapa-hapa je yang aku bentangkan time tu. Tapi dapat jugak Best Presenter Awards. hahaha. Ishh, bila compare dengan pengetahuan sekarang, rasa macam sampah gila apa yang aku buat dulu, Malu aihhh kalau orang baca. huhu. Tapi takpa, that's what we call learning process kan? Mana ada orang yang lahir je kat dunia terus pandai kan? :p

Heavenly breakfast in Penang : : Astaka Taman Tun Sardon.

Assalamualaikum,

Salam hari Jumaat penghulu segala hari! Hari ni produktif sikit, banyak kerja dapat buat. Pagi-pagi datang ofis settle kan a few things, pastu dalam pukul 10 camtu keluar breakfast dengan my officemate dekat Astaka Taman Tun Sardon. I ni nama je kerja dekat USM, tapi tempat makan yang best kat sini jarang pun pegi. Biasanya bawak bekal pape je makan kat office. Kadang-kadang kalau rajin je baru I keluar makan. 

Tapi baru-baru ni terasa macam nak makan moi sup dekat Astaka. So I ajak la Dila pegi breakfast hari ni. Heaven gila tau tak makan pagi dekat situ. Cakap ja nak apa semua ada. Sedap and murah pulak tu. Tapi korang jangan la expect tempat makan cantik. Food court biasa je ada banyak stalls yang jual macam-macam jenis makanan.

Antara yang famous, longtong, serabai, capati, nasik lemuni, roti canai, roti bakar, mee sup, wantan mee, hokkien mee, kuih-kuih pun banyak gila. Ish banyak sangat tak ingat dah kalau nak buat senarai. Korang cakap je nak makan apa, semua ada. Well, nama pun Penang kan, people don't call Penang as food heaven for nothing right?

I pulak tiap-tiap kali pegi asyik makan moi sup je. Kadang-kadang sebelum sampai sana I plan nak makan benda lain, tapi bila sampai, tetapppp jugak order moi sup. hahaha. Sedap sangat setakat bubur McD tu memang jauh ketinggalan la. :p Pastu minum pulak dengan teh tarik special, perghhh terus balik office sambil senyum-senyum sebab puas hati dapat makan sedap. :p

Moi sup yang I tak penah jemu makan. Sedap gila.
Cukup semua rasa. 

Sekali lepas dah minum teh tarik yang lemak berkrim tu, terus rasa bersalah kat diri sendiri. hahaha Masa minum memang la sedap, lepas tu gigih la habiskan 2 liter air konon nak cairkan segala lemak-lemak yang dah masuk perut tu dengan harapan tak sempat jadi lemak. hahaha. Ala sekali sekala takpe kan. I jarang sangat minum air manis. Hari ni kira cheat day la. Cehh, banyak la kau punya cheat day. :p

So korang kalau datang jalan-jalan Penang tu boleh la cari Astaka Taman Tun Sardon kalau nak breakfast yang best. Rasanya sampai pukul 11am pun still ada lagi makanan. Peak time biasanya dalam pukul 10am. Time tu nampak banyak la orang yang pakai uniform gomen makan kat situ. Kata gomen ada break untuk minum pagi kan? Haruslah ramai yang keluar. hahaha. :p

Okay, weekend ni ada banyak benda yang nak kena buat. Takde istilah weekend duduk rehat goyang kaki dah sekarang ni. huhu. I hope you have a great one yea! Till I see you again. Tata!

Cinderella 2015. Have courage and be kind.

Assalamualaikum,

Hai everybody! Hari ni kejap je dah Khamis, esok Jumaat pastu dah masuk weekend yahuuu! Tapi tak perasan pun dah habis minggu ke-4 lecture. Assignment tak bagi lagi, test pun tak buat soalan lagi. Tak boleh kalau tak buat sebab semua ni kena masuk dalam course marks 40%. huhu. Soalan final pulak nak kena make sure ready sebab nanti nak kena submit dekat school. Tu tak termasuk dengan lecture notes untuk tiap-tiap minggu, soalan tutorials lagi. Uiiii banyaknya kerja tak siap lagi. huhuhu. T____T

I baru first time mengajar subject ni. So memang semua benda kena start fresh. Tu pun nasib baik sebelum semester start I dah mintak course outline dari lecturer yang ajar subject ni tahun lepas. Kalau lecture notes pun mintak jugak memang melampau la. So nak taknak, I kena study betol-betol subject ni and prepare lecture notes sendiri. Next year kalau kena mengajar lagi senang la sikit sebab semua dah ada. huhu.

Tapi kannn, dalam dok busy-busy tu malam tadi sempat jugak pi tengok movie dengan adik-adik. Ala tengok dekat cinema kat Bertam je, lagi 10 menet nak start baru I klua rumah. hahaha. Kitorang tengok cerita Cinderella. Bestttt!! Walaupun dah tak terkira berapa kali dah I tengok Cinderella dari zaman kecik-kecik dulu, and jalan cerita semua dah hafal, tapi tetap jugak rasa best bila tengok cerita ni.

Mula-mula I ingat Cinderella 2015 ni dalam version kartun, sekali bila dah start ohhhh orang rupanya. Terus makin bersemangat nak tengok. Anddd everything about the film is visually stunning, from the sets to the costumes to the actors, I love everything about it especially the main cast, Lily James @ Ella @ Cinderella. Cate Blanchette pulak bawak watak the evil stepmother. And she is divine!! Tak payah nak komen la pasal lakonan sebab semua best.

Ohh one more thing, I suka gila tengok dresses yang diorang pakai dalam cerita ni. Semuaaa lawa kecuali baju stepsisters la yang memang dibuat untuk nampak funny la. Setiap watak yang keluar mesti I excited tengok baju depa. Walaupun duration of the film is almost 2-hours, surprisingly I tak rasa boring and mengantuk sikit pun walaupun dah dekat midnight.

Part yang paling I suka. Walaupun cerita dongeng tapi tetap senyum sorang-sorang sebab happy. :)

Well, cerita ni sesuai untuk family viewing, and sesapa yang memang minat Disney's Princesses. Kalau Am jangan harap la dia akan layan cerita macam ni. hahaha. Sebab tu dia bagi permission I pi tengok dengan my sisters sebab dia tau kalau dengan dia memang takkan la kitorang tengok cerita fairytales. Kalau dia tengok jugak cerita camni tandanya something must have gone wrong. You better check! :p

To those yang memang minat cerita dongeng macam ni I would recommend you to go. Basically jalan cerita sebijik yang macam kartun tu, but I love it when they really highlight Cinderella's mother's dying words, Have Courage and Be Kind, from the start till the end of the film. Kalau budak-budak tengok mesti senang faham and hopefully diorang boleh apply dalam hidup. Well, fairytales make certain life lessons easier to understand, am I right? :)

The little things that make me happy :)

Assalamualaikum,

Hai! Lately ni I kerap sangat rasa down. Kadang-kadang benda kecik pun boleh buat rasa nak marah. Orang potong queue dalam traffic jammed pun rasa macam nak langgar je belakang kereta dia. Kalau aku bawak bulldozer memang dah lama dah kena sodok. Tapi memandangkan sedar diri kereta semut api je, jadiknya simpan je la marah dalam hati. Kesian. haha.

Being emotionally disturbed is totally not fun you know. Hormon imbalance je kan semua ni? Dah gedik pi melayan sapa suruh. Cuba jangan layan perasaan sangat, mesti tak gaduh nak down ke apa. haha. Time-time macam ni rasa macam nak space out kejap dari dunia ni. Bila dah balance balik nanti sambung balik hal kat dunia macam biasa. Aci tak camtu? :p

Hmm, I need some little things to make me happy again. Eh, so many things are on the list but I would love to have only three now. Now as in right NOW. Good food, good company and good live music. Ahhh, bestnye kalau dapat. Nanti Am balik nak ajak dia pegi mana-mana yang boleh fulfill those three wishes. :)

For good food, I love anything with chocolate, preferably 70% dark chocolate. Milk chocolate tak berapa suka sangat. Tapi kalau ada aku bedal aje. :p One slice of moist chocolate brownies and a cup of vanilla latte sound like a perfect combo, aren't they? Give me one, I will love you forever!! haha.

THIS. IS. LOVE. FROM. HEAVEN.

How about good company? Hmm, there is no perfect candidate except my husband. Nak masuk 3 bulan dah ni in LDR, and we still survive Alhamdulillah. Tapi tiap-tiap hari dating dalam skype la for at least one hour. Kalau weekend dapat la dating lama sikit for a good few hours. I'm looking forward for him to be home. Soon, very soon I know. :)

Rindu. This was two years ago, I think.

I love music, but not all kind of music. Yang serabut and lirik tak ketahuan tu memang tak la. I paling suka sekali slow rock especially the ones from MLTR. I boleh dengar lagu diorang on replay sehari suntuk tak rasa jemu sikit pun. Selalu berangan nak pi tengok concert depa walaupun dah tahap pakcik-pakcik dah depa tu. hahaha. But I still love their music. Sekarang ni I tengah suka gila lagu I'm Not the Only One and Stay With Me by Sam Smith. Kalau dapat pi live performance mesti best gila. 

Okay cukup berangan malam ni. Dapat tulis je pun lega dah. 

Terubat sikit rasa down tu. hehe. 

Kalau dapat betol mau melompat sampai ceiling ni. 

Okay, I hope you have a good week ahead. 

See you next time. Tata. :)

To newly wed Rahimi & Amirah

Assalamualaikum,

Hai everybody! Hari ni I nak kongsi gambar masa pergi wedding one of my best buddies dekat Wollongong dulu, Rahimi or better known as Rem. Kitorang macam one big family yang support each other through our hard times, emotionally and spiritually. So today I want to put the highlight on Rem yang baru je selamat mendirikan rumah tangga baru-baru ni. Yayy!!

Snowy Mountain Trip. Rem yang lompat paling tinggi tu.

Sydney Outing. Rem yang rambut kpop kat tengah-tengah.

Kalau orang kenal Rem ni, he is a very hardworking person walaupun kuat main game. Ada misi hidup yang sangat jelas, siap ada long term plan lepas belajar nak kerja kumpul duit, kahwin and so on. Padahal time tu final year pun belom rasanya. huhu. Senang nak mintak tolong, and very matured not quite like the other boys at his age. Sebab tu la rasanya dia boleh masuk dengan kitorang yang umur lebih daripada dia ni.

One thing I respect the most about him is how he treats all women around him, tak kira la muda ke tua ke, dia anggap kitorang macam kakak sendiri. Mintak je tolong apa-apa mesti cepat je sampai. Dah tu bagi nasihat macam kan dia yang abang. Padahal budak lagi oii time tu. hahaha.

Kitorang selalu cakap sesama sendiri, siapa yang kawen dengan Rem ni must be the luckiest girl on earth sebab baik and gentleman sangat dia tu. So one day bila dia bagitau nak kawen, I dengan Aimi excited gila and suruh dia introduce that girl to us. So when we got the chance to meet his fiancée, Amirah Fatin, we instantly approved his choice!! Alahaiiiiii baikkk and lemah lembut sangat orangnya. Sesuai sangat dengan dia. 

Bawak tunang jumpa kakak-kakak.

Well, jodoh yang Allah swt dah tetapkan tu biasanya adalah yang terbaik untuk kita kan? He knows exactly the best for us. So macam Rem ni, disebabkan dia lelaki yang baik, Allah dah aturkan perempuan yang baik jugak untuk dia. Semoga diorang dipanjangkan jodoh sampai syurga nanti. Aminnn. :)

So last Saturday we went to his wedding reception at Penang Golf Resort, Bertam. The ceremony was simple but very intimate. Jemputan tak terlampau ramai, the hall was beautifully decorated macam kat dalam taman bunga. Mewah dengan makanan, deejay yang santai, doorgift pun sangat best. Meja makan pengantin dengan pelamin simple gila tak payah pun beria-ria sangat tapi tetap nampak cantik and very classy. To me, it was very perfect!

Some of us yang ada time tu.

Finally our younger brother is off the market.

With the sweet and beautiful bride, Amirah Fatin.

So dear brother, we know that you deserve nothing but the best. Sharing in your special day brings us a great joy! May the glow of love and happiness from your wedding be with you for the rest of your life. It was indeed one of the most beautiful weddings I ever attended. Congratulations! :)

Trip to Istanbul :: Short and sweet escapade

Assalamualaikum,

Pagi tadi masa cakap dengan Am, dia ingatkan pasal tempat terakhir yang kitorang sempat melawat masa dekat Europe exactly one year ago. Then I baru teringat, rupa-rupanya I tak sempat nak commemorate the photos dalam blog ni lagi. So, here we go! Let's recall our trip to a place that sits on both European and Asian lands, that is Istanbul in Turkey. Ohh well, after a series of adventures travelling to a few European capitals, Istanbul has by far became the city that I love the most.

Sebelum ni pernah dengar je tempat nama Istanbul yang sangat terkenal dengan sejarah kegemilangan pemerintahan Islam. Lepas tu tengok pulak cerita Istanbul Aku Datang, lakonan Lisa Surihani dengan sape tah nama hero dia lupa pulak, hihihi. Masa tu dah terfikir, wowww cantiknya tempat ni. I told myself that one day I mesti nak jejak kaki dekat sini.

And then, masa tengah mencari tempat nak pergi dalam minggu terakhir sebelum balik Malaysia, kitorang terjumpa website Pegasus Airlines (syarikat tambang murah macam AirAsia) yang tawarkan penerbangan dari Vienna ke Istanbul dengan harga yang sangatlah murah!! Kalau dari Malaysia, jangan harap la nak dapat return ticket untuk SEORANG harga bawah 3K. Tapi yang ni kitorang dapat, return tiket untuk DUA ORANG around 1K je. Murahhh kannn?? (^_^)Y

So, lepas dah booked flight, sorted out our 2-night accommodation and plan nak pegi mana and nak buat apa semua, apa lagi, Istanbul Aku Datang lah!! Again, we got so much information dari blog Kaklong (I told you she has been to almost every part of the world remember?), and from her complete reviews, kitorang dapat pegi hampir semua tempat yang menarik dalam masa yang sangat singkat! Isn't that awesome? :)

Kitorang sampai sana malam dalam pukul 9 macam tu, at Sabiha Gotchen Airport (the Asian side of Istanbul). Ada lagi satu airport dekat the European side nama Mustapha Kamal Attaturk Airport. So if you are planning to visit Istanbul, be happy to find any cheap airline that lands in one of these. InsyaAllah senang je nak sampai ke city centre.

Dari airport pulak, kitorang naik bas untuk ke city centre. It took us nearly two hours to reach Taksim Central from the airport. Padahal tak jauh mana pun, tapi the traffic was very bad on the night we arrived, so merasalah kitorang redah traffic jam di kota Istanbul. huahuahua. Tapi kannn, Istanbul is surprisingly a thoroughly modern city where we can see ancient grandeur meets contemporary design. Super love!

Okay, memandangkan dah setahun punya cerita, I can't really recall much I guess. I shall let the pictures do the talking okay? So you better brace yourself, thousands of pictures coming your way! :p

Sampai je hotel, letak bag and terus datang sini.
The most famous street in Instanbul, Istiklal Avenue. Happening gila! Please find time to make it here!

Demirören Istiklal occupying most of the famous shops under one roof.

Tapi kiorang tak sempat masuk pun sebab dah tutup time tu.

Desserts heaven. Seriously, I wonder diorang ni tak kena kencing manis ke?
Berkilat je semua manisan ni nampak sangat banyak gula. T___T

Dah sampai rugi la tak try makanan diorang kan?
We tried their meatballs. Gravy dia sedap!! Teringat pulak. huhu.

The next day. we started very early in the morning.
The weather was sooo good walaupun kadang-kadang angin sejuk jugak.

The famous Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii). The most beautiful mosque I have ever been.
Please please make this as your number one place to visit if you plan to go to Istanbul.

Inside the Blue Mosque. Muslim lelaki je yang boleh masuk solat dalam kawasan berpagar tu.
Tapi diorang sediakan jugak ruang solat wanita dekat belakang.
And tourist  pun boleh masuk untuk tengok sendiri keindahan senibina Empayar Uthmaniyyah ni.

My lucky husband. Habis seluruh pelosok masjid dia terjah and amik gambar.
I tengok je dari jauh. huhu.

A little bit of drizzle at the land of Istanbul looks fun, isn't it?
Tapi sejuk weh. T__T

I told you I couldn't had enough of this place.
Cantik sangat semua tempat pun rasa nak bergambar kenangan.

Next we went to Topkapi Palace.
The primary residence of the Ottoman sultans for approximately 400 years

Along the pathway to the palace.

You can buy your entry pass from the machine or the counter.
Tapi machine rosak time ni. So kitorang beli kat counter jugak. we were lucky sebab belom ramai lagi time ni.
Masa nak keluar tu tengok orang ramai beratur dah berlingkar-lingkar macam ular. huhu.

At the entrance. we are ready to explore the palace come museum now.

Ada banyak courtyards and smaller buildings dalam ni. Here is the entrance to one of the buildings.

Suasana dalam ni sangat cantik and menenagkan. Memang boleh feel macam dalam perkarangan istana.

The library. Hampir semua bangunan ada paip yang cantik kat luar.
Senang untuk orang ambik wudhu'. Best kan camni? :)

Husband finding out the sun clock.

View of the Marmara sea from the palace.

Door to the Imperial Divan

Separate entrance to the Harem.
The harem was home to the sultan's mother, wives, and the rest of his family.

What a very beautiful wall decor inside the Harem. Iznik tiles.

I forgot where was this picture taken. Tapi suka gambar ni. :)

One of the bridges that connects the Asia land with the European land.

Another mosque yang macam Blue Mosque.
Senibina macam ni lebih kurang macam trademark Ottoman Empire la,

Fish Burger. The best I ever had. Next time kalau ada rezeki mesti nak cari lagi fish burger pakcik ni.
The grilled fish was very fresh and juicy. Berebut-rebut makan dengan Am. hahaha.

• Süleymaniye Mosque

Our apartment over the weekend. Best and sangat selesa walaupun murah. :P

Ready to leave. Goodbye Istanbul. We enjoyed our short trip.
Definitely will visit you again.

Tempat tunggu bas untuk pergi Sabiha Gotchen Airport.

While waiting for boarding. Tumpang wifi cafe.
Standard la nama pun tourist kan. :p

Phewwww!! Finally habis jugak. Penatnya describe each and every picture. Semua masuk dalam 1 entry je. Tak kuasa nak buat part by part. Tu pun banyak tempat yang mengelat tak masuk dalam ni. hahaha. Takpe, saja buat kenangan ada jugak cerita kat dalam blog ni untuk bacaan di hari tua. hikhik. :p

Okay, see you next time! tata. :*