Willkommen in der Region Graz.

Assalamualaikum,


The title above means "Welcome to the Graz region".

Now I am quite confuse on how to greet you my dear readers. Korang dah nak masuk malam while I'm just starting my day here. Ohh well, tak kisah la kat ceruk dunia mana pun yang you all ada, I wish you have a really great time with your loved ones. :)

The weather has been really really gloomy for the past few days and that makes me feel like just staying indoor for as long as I can. It's winter Amirah, so what do you expect? It takes me forever to drag my feet out from the house, kecuali kalau nampak sunlight muncul tetiba. Yang tu boleh dipertimbangkan. :)

Macam hari Sabtu lepas, the weather came out to be very promising with a lot of sunlight, so my husband brought me to see a few interesting places around Graz. Hmm, I did some readings before that and I come to conclusion that Graz (or Austria in general) is mostly about art treasures and historic heritage. No wonder if Graz is officially listed under UNESCO since year 2011 under the category of "The City of Design".

We took tram to the city and I found out their tram system is quite easy to navigate. Even if you don't understand their language (they speak German by the way), as long as you know where to go, then you should be alright. But I have my husband with me so that's a bonus point for me and makes me less worried to travel at the place where I don't speak their language. :)

Happy me. Nampak rupa pun macam tourist, so tak kesah la kalau buat gaya tourist. :p

Their inner city is really interesting with so many nice buildings, beautiful paintings on their walls, and we may also find arts of carving everywhere around the city. As to justify the inclusion of Graz in the world cultural heritage list, diorang kena lah maintain the structure of the buildings, and that makes the city appears to be really unique and valuable at the same time.

The city center. Kiri kanan shopping retails. Ala-ala macam Oxford Street dekat London.
Crowded during the day but very peaceful at night.

Dataran utama dekat Graz. 

From there, we headed to Schlossberg where we can see Graz city in an overview through the peak. Penat hoiihh panjat anak tangga nak sampai kat puncak old castle tu. Termengah-mengah mak encik mendaki sambil control macho sebab malu kat nenek-nenek yang panjat sekali sambil bawak cucu depa. haha. Serious weh selamber je orang tua panjat tangga tinggi gila. Tak gayat ka depa tu? ;O

The stairs you can see at the back is only halfway to the top.
Ada lagi setengah, mana la aku tak mengah memanjat. T__T 

But when I reached the top, the view I saw is really worth the climb. Boleh nampak keseluruhan bandar Graz dari puncak and I instantly stop nagging on how tiring it was to get up there. Schloßberg (English: Castle Hill) ni sebenarnya istana lama mula dibuka kepada public sejak tahun 1839. Macam-macam la yang ada kat atas ni, cafe, restaurants, public park and so on. Kira kalau mai melawat Graz, this is a must visit place yea! :)

Pardon my uncoordinated outfit colour.
Konon belasah je pakai warna apa sebab nak cover dengan jacket jugak.
Sekali penat mendaki, bukak jacket, hambek kau warna warni. T__T
Itsssokay. People don't know me here. :p

The view.

Bercinta kat atas bukit. Takpe, dah halal. ;)

And after that, we made our way to another fortified castle called Schloß Eggenberg. This castle is placed in quite an outskirt, but we can easily get there by tram. Kira hari ni macam hari melawat old castle la senang cerita. We ARE the prince and the princess by name anyway (Amri=prince, Amirah=princess). So bagi la chance feeling-feeling jadi tuan putera bawak tuan puteri jalan-jalan hari ni. :p

The entrance fee is 2Euro, but during winter the main palace is closed, so we just strolled around the hugeeee garden. Kalau tengok cerita omputih version lama-lama, haaa lebih kurang macam tu la dalam dia, ada istana, kawasan istana yang luas, pokok-pokok yang cantik, mana la tak perasan jadi puteri raja sat. hehe. I have no caption for the rest of the photos. I'll let the pictures do the talk. Towards the end of my visit, I just feel like I can stay here forever and live happily ever after. :)

That's all I could share about my recent tour around Graz.

I will come back with more interesting stories if time permits.

Till then lovelies, hope you have a great week ahead.

Tata! :) 

Window shopping di kedai runcit SPAR :)

Assalamualaikum semua,

Here I come again! I heard it's a public holiday in Malaysia, am I right? Amboihh seronoknya mesti ramai yang plan macam-macam dengan family. Either you go out for some quality time with your loved ones, or just stay at home for the same kind of bonding time with your sweethearts, dua-dua pun sangat bermakna kan? :)

Okay, hari ni rasa macam nak record sikit experience yang paling I suka buat bila sampai negara baru. I suka terjah depa punya groceries stores! Serious, tu la benda first yang I look forward to do every time I am at a new place. Jalan-jalan cuci mata dekat kedai runcit. haha. Handbag? Baju? Kasut? Naaahhh!! I don't even bother. Segala sayur, bawang, susu, kopi, teh, buah tu lagi memikat hati.

So when I arrived here, I could see a building named SPAR from the balcony of my husband's apartment. Dalam hati dah bergelodak nak tau apakah tempat yang nampak menarik itu?? Then Am pun bagitau kalau nak beli barang dapur ke apa, boleh turun je pi beli kat situ. Macam-macam ada. Ohhh yummmss!! Pucuk dicita ulam mendatang. Apa lagi, senyum sampai ke telinga lah kan??? :p

Pemandangan setiap pagi bila prepare breakfast.
Macam memanggil-manggil pulak kau ye SPAR. :p 

So lepas dah adjust body clock dengan time zone yang baru, get myself comfortable with the current cold weather, then I decided to have a walk touring around the neighborhood. Perasaan dia samaaaa macam mula-mula I jejak kaki kat Wollongong dulu. Serious, I feel like Dejavu bila jalan sambil redah angin winter sorang-sorang dekat city, masuk kedai, keluar kedai sambil tengok orang lalu lalang. I totally love doing it!

Bila dah puas explore tempat baru, then here comes the most interesting part! Jom jalan-jalan window shopping dekat SPAR. hahaha. Tak kelassss langsung shopping kat kedai runcit. Paling tidak pi la tengok kedai-kedai dekat city ke apa kan? Faktor umur memang macam gini kot. Tak nampak hat lain dah. Kedai runcit jugak yang paling menarik. hahaha.

So to make it short, SPAR is basically a place that has it all. You just name it, you can get almost everything there. Cuma mahal ke murah bergantung dekat offer yang ada time tu la. My most favourite is of course their dairy products!! Fresh milk, yogurts, butter, cheese, creams and many more. I could stay here forever just to indulge myself with all these every single day!

Cheese. More like a cheeseland. ahaks! :p

Butter. Cari butter with garlic spread tapi tak jumpa.
Sebenarnya tak paham sebab tulis German. T__T

Yogurts! 

This is my major love! Fresh milk!
Murah oiii murah.

How I wish Malaysia has cheap and high quality dairies just like the westeners have. I know you can still find them in Malaysia, but the price is damn expensive! And tak semua tempat ada, plus the choices are very limited. So sad kan? Yes, we are rich with some other things, but to those yang suka gila dairy products ni mesti rasa kecewa sebab susah nak dapat kat Malaysia. Maksud I yang high quality with reasonable price la.

And now let's check out some other things that I found interesting at my current favourite kedai runcit called SPAR! 

A huge collection of brewed coffee.

Tea with so many flavors.

Cereals. I love Aussie's muesli with fruits. Gotta try on these soon.

Fruit juice pun sangat banyak pilihan.
Tapi I lagi suka yang fresh perah dari buah. :)

Okay, done cuci-cuci mata tengok barang, sudahnya I ambik butter dengan cheese brand SPAR je. hihihi. Murah and sedap! Fresh milk semua dah ada kat rumah. Kalau ada yang habis nanti turun bawah je pi beli. Ohh indahnya hidup! :D

Till then lovelies. May you have a great long weekend ahead.

See you next time!

Hello everybody. Amirah is back. :)

Assalamualaikum,

Fuh..fuh...

Blowing dust..

Tebal sangat dah habuk ni..

Blow lagi.. fuh..fuh..

Okay, now that my blog is clean, I am finally in the mood of writing again. Well hello darlings!! Anybody missing me?? No?? Yeah, yeah I am still alive. And I am being very healthy until you might not recognize me if you see me now. There is no more Amirah yang kurus kering itu, let's welcome si chubby terlebih isi Amirah yang baru. kehkehkeh. :p

Well, apa nak buat. Blame it on the marriage though! I am so happy with my new life sampaikan lemak-lemak berlebihan pun sebokk jugak nak menempel tumpang bergembira bersama. Cubaan menghalau dah buat dah banyak kali, tapi depa ni ketegaq sungguh. So, being me yang super generous ni,  I let them stay on me, and make them-self comfortable here like home. Pffttt.

Okay, I lied. I hate them fatssssss. Haa, banyak "s" melambangkan betapa banyaknya lemak berlebihan walaupun fat tu uncountable noun yang tak memerlukan "s" untuk kategori plural. Baru-baru ni I buat body mass analysis, and I almost fainted right in front of the weighing scale the moment I saw the number popping out when I stepped on it. Berat gila hoiii macam ada sekoq rimau dalam perut ni. 

T___T

Lepas dah terlampau selesa dengan kehidupan selama ini, kini aku telah sedar diri. I desperately need to shed some fat kilos out from my current weight. 5kilograms at least to get that ideal weight of mine. Uiiii, kau ingat senang nak buang 5kg tu??? It is damn hard I tell you!! But I really really have to. Kalau tak, aku akan menyesal seumur hidup. Eceh. Drama. :p

Eh, ni apa kes meroyan tak tentu hala pasal masalah berat sendiri? Kau ingat orang kisah? Nobody cares. But it's alright, I do care. And from now onwards, I'm gonna prove myself that the old Amirah will be back writing in this blog. Just give me some time. Promise. :)

Okay, done with the ramblings. Let's proceed with my life update. Well, I am now writing from Graz, Austria. And you may expect some updates on the new place I am currently exploring now. 

:)

Austria terletak di dalam benua Eropah. Central Europe to be exact.
Dikelilingi oleh negara Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, and Czech.
And Graz is the second largest city of Austria, after Vienna. :)

I think that's all I could say by now. I will come back soon, InsyaAllah. 

Till I see you again in my next post. 

Bye bye sweethearts! :)

Thoughts on my 28th birthday

Assalamualaikum,

Salam 1 Muharram 1435 Hijrah. Alhamdulillah, jom kita pakat-pakat panjatkan kesyukuran sebab masih diberi peluang untuk hidup setahun lagi di bumi Allah swt ni. Semoga buku amalan kita sepanjang tahun lepas ditutup dengan amalan-amalan yang boleh bawak kita ke Jannah, InsyaAllah.

Alhamdulillah I celebrated my 28th birthday three days ago, November 2nd 2013. But this time, I chose to have it celebrated in a more traditional way. Traditional? Macam mana pulak tu? haha. Very easy. I ignored my so called smart phone, and let all the memories been stored only in my brain instead. :)

It was a simple, humble and yet a memorable little celebration between me and my husband on the night I turned 28yo. This is our first time celebrating birthday together though. Selama ni celebrate through phone ataupun Skype je. But this time, I have him to be the first to wish me, in real. :)

I went to bed quite early that night because of massive headache. Tetiba Am kejut suruh makan ubat. So, bila keluar je bilik dalam gelap-gelap tu, tengok ada 2 pieces of cake (or chocolate brownies to be more exact) siap lilin kat atas pinggan. Ting!!! Terus segar bugar mata hilang semua sakit kepala. Ohh la la ~~ :p

Masa nampak je cake tu tangan ni laju je terus nak capai handphone and macam biasa la, nak ambik gambar nak Instagram la kononnya. Apparently, I didn't. My heart told me to stop right there. I'm sorry my dear smart phone, this time, I chose to enjoy every minute of my birthday allll to myself. I don't need you to keep the memories for me. Next time okay? :)

So I blew the candle, and allowed myself to taste the cake even it was half past midnight already. Pastu kitorang borak-borak about life and so on sambil menghabiskan separuh dari kek tu, and then sambung tido tanpa rasa bersalahnya. Padahal baru lepas makan kek, and dalam kek ada gula. hahaha. Takpe, sekali sekala. :)

Esok siangnya, we spent the whole day chilling out together at home, keluar petang tu pegi kenduri kat Sungai petani, pastu jalan-jalan dekat Amanjaya Mall, and then malam tu balik rumah my parents lepak borak-borak kejap. I think I spent a very good quality time together with people I love around me on my birthday. In a more traditional way, can't you see it? I think I'm so blessed and I don't know what more could I ask for? ^_^

So that was it. After so many years of depending on my smart phone to keep the memories for me, whereas for this year, I manage to let only my brain to do the work. Surprisingly, it was worth the try. I enjoyed it more and I don't mind to try it again next time. :)

I am (18+10) years old this year. Eighteen with ten years of experience. :)

The eleventh month of the year

Assalamualaikum,

Ten precious months of 2013 have passed in the speed of the light, haven't they? And we are left with only remaining two now. I hope they are going to be awesome and meaningful as much as I always wish for. So hello November! Let's have some chit chats, shall we?

November has always been my favorite month of the year. Why? Because it is my birthday month yeay! I have experienced so many beautiful Novembers for all my life. And I bet this year would be somewhat special though. Knowing the fact that at this point in my life when I turn 28 years old, I am blessed with a husband by my side, understanding parents and parents-in-laws, beautiful families, and lovely close friends.

We surely realize that life might treat us in so many ways; laughter and tears, happiness and sadness, joy and pain. Everything will come and go without you know it, the next thing you reckon is that they were all beautiful experiences, that bring you up to the next level of life. With maturity. 

So, no matter how hard your life is treating you sometimes, just bear with that, the hardship will eventually go one day. That's what life is all about. Life is hard, life is difficult, accept that, and make it better. 

Just a quick example on how to make your life better here:

"If you want to have a perfect married life, you can't simply turn your spouse to be someone that you wish them to be. You need to change yourself into an ideal spouse instead."

Live, Laugh and Love.. That's how we wish we could spend our life growing old together.

Projek Mee Tepung : Berjaya!

Assalamualaikum,

Here I come again! hahaha. Sementara tengah ada mood dapat sembang-sembang syok jugak. Nanti bila mood ke laut, berminggu-minggu senyap sunyi jek blog ni. ehehe. :p

Anyway, semalam I ada cakap nak buat projek Mee Tepung untuk berbuka kan? Alhamdulillah projek successful! Am cakap okay, jadi, cuma rasa of course la lain sikit sebab resepi asal untuk buat sup guna ikan bilis, tapi I guna air rebusan daging. But I think the taste was quite good. Now boleh la tambah menu Mee Tepung dalam masakan harian nanti. hehe. Sonang and sodap!

Ni resepi turun temurun dari nenek Am sebenarnya. I guess there are some recipes that are homely and comforting which will always become family favorites. Walaupun nampak simple, tapi berkat air tangan tu sebenarnya yang buat home cooked meals turn out to be the best! So here we go, let's welcome Mee Tepung to be part of family favorites! :)

Mee Tepung guna air rebusan daging.

Dah ambik air rebusan, daging tu buat goreng kunyit.
Saja untuk buat tambah selera je.

Makan dengan cili kicap.
Simply tasty.

Oh no, blog ni dah jadi blog makanan pulak lately. huhu. Takpe la, it's good for my own record anyway. Agak-agak kalau lupa dah nak masak apa nanti boleh jenguk kat sini balik.

Ha, semalam kitorang pi pasar malam dekat area rumah ni ingat nak pi cari barang basah sikit. Sekali tengok harga ikan semua naik oiii sebab musim tengkujuh. Nelayan kurang ke laut. Ikan temenung sekilo RM10. huhuhu. Terus cancel niat nak beli. Biasa RM4-5 ja. Sudahnya cuma beli udang kecik sikit sebab ingat nak buat shrimp salad dengan ikan selar dua ekor. Pastu beli buah anggur sikit. Total doploh lebih. ;O

Duit memang keluar macam air ek sekarang ni? Nak kata membeli di luar keperluan tu rasanya tak jugak. Semua yang perlu je. Kalau tak beli nak makan apa ye dak? The least we could do to control our budget is to stop buying unnecessary things. Memang rasa susah, but it is worth the practise I guess. If you haven't, let's start doing it now, shall we? :)

Healthy eating. KONON nya. :p

Assalamualaikum,

Haiii!! Semua orang sihat kahhh? Harap-harapnya sihat walafiat lah hendaknya okay? Sekarang ni kat Penang tengah musim hujan. Rasanya tempat lain pun hujan jugak kan? Dah masuk musim tengkujuh ni cuaca asyik mendung, mood pun sebokkkk jugak nak mendung. Haihhh.

I was in the middle of doing my works just now. Tetiba terfikir bukak puasa sat lagi nak makan apa. Tak pasal-pasal sat lagi dok meng-google resepi pulok. hihihi. :p My husband requested to have mee tepung untuk berbuka. At first I was like, "Mee Tepung? Apa tu?" Mee goreng, mee rebus, mee kari, mee sup, dan segala mak nenek mee lain lagi tau la. Mee tepung memang pestime dengaq. huhu.

So, he explained to me about it. Buat sup simple, uli tepung pastu penyek-penyek tepung tu campak dalam sup. Makan dengan cilip padi kicap. That's all. Errrr... Seriously, I still couldn't get it. Boleh imagine rupa dia, cuma tak boleh nak agak macam mana sebenarnya nak buat. Sudahnya, dia suruh tepon mak kat Melaka tanya macam mana nak buat Mee Tepung. Hahaha.

So I called my mom-in-law asking her on how to cook Mee Tepung as what my husband requested. Her first reaction was, "Apa ke mimpi dak Pijal tu tetiba nak makan mee tepung ni? Mak sendiri pun dah lama tak buat". hahaha. Lepas dah gelak-gelak, she then explained to me about the whole process. Yeayy, simple! InsyaAllah sat lagi boleh masak untuk berbuka.

Owhh, did I tell you that we are in the process of applying healthy eating style in our daily diet? KONON nya malam-malam takmo makan nasik la. hahaha. Siang takde masalah boleh je nak makan nasik Tapi malam nak try makan yang ringan-ringan je. p/s: rasanya applicable bila makan dekat rumah sendiri je, kalau balik rumah parents' tak kira la Telok Ayer Tawar or jasin, diet hancusssss! Tapi ok la daripada takde langsung kan. :p

So, ni menu yang berjaya dimakan selama dua malam. Lettuce, celery, apple and protein from beef or chicken. They are surprisingly fulfilling and refreshing. Rasa pun not too bad. Lepas ni nak cari idea nak buat salad yang menarik, sedap, and healthy at the same time! Wahhh kemain lagi semangat. Harapnya jangan separuh jalan udah la ye. hihihi. ^_^

Okay then! Selamat berbuka kepada yang berpuasa. Dan selamat makan malam kepada yang tidak berpuasa. Till I see you again next time! Assalamualaikum. :)

We are what we eat

Assalamualaikum,

Apa khabar semua? Ada sihat ka?? Well, I'm doing all good over here. Asyik tenggelam timbul je tuan tanah ni kan. haha. But worry you not, I'll definitely come back when I feel like scribbling something in here. Anddd tetiba hari ni rasa macam nak menulis pulak. So here I am, jom la kita sembang! :)

Petang tadi I sempat tengok satu talkshow kat TV AlHijrah, dengan host jemputan Chef Sabri, dan topik yang dibincangkan, Hidangan Barakah. I rasa ni siaran ulangan (biasa la Astro kannnn?? :p) tapi tak kisahla, asalkan rancangan yang bermanfaat, I don't mind watching it again.

Okay, back to the topic, Chef Sabri ada highlight kan cara pemakanan yang diamalkan oleh Rasulullah SAW. I rasa ramai orang yang dah share pun benda ni kat FB, so I don't have to elaborate this further I guess. Chef Sabri pesan sangat jangan campur makanan laut dengan daging tak kira la ayam atau lembu, sebab jenis protein dalam seafoods, ayam dan lembu adalah berbeza, so kalau selalu makan campur-campur, akan ganggu sistem penghadaman badan.

And I'm very very glad because since the first day I cooked for my husband, I manage to follow this rule quite obediently. Masa mula-mula kahwin, memang tu yang suami pesan dulu, jangan masak campur-campur, and Alhamdulillah, dalam masa 6 bulan ni, I berjaya ikut. :)

I'm lucky because my husband is not a fussy eater. Masak lah apa saja, insyaAllah dia akan makan dengan penuh berselera. Tapi sebelum tu of course lah dah riki-riki dengan my in-laws apa yang dia suka, apa yang dia tak berapa suka. So lepas tu pandai-pandai lah google resepi ke apa kan. :p

Lauk berasaskan protein dari ayam, daging dan telur.Sayur hijau musti mau adaaaa. :)

Lauk berasaskan seafoods. Ikan, sotong, udang. etc.
Perasan tak tiap-tiap kali pun ada ikan temenung (kembung)??? That's my number one favourite. hehehe.
Rasa macam tak lengkap hidangan kalau takdak ikan temenung. :p

So, setakat hari ni, kitorang masih berjaya ikut pesanan Hidangan Barakah yang Chef Sabri pesan. InsyaAllah selagi mampu akan cuba diamalkan sampai bila-bila. Tapi kitorang takdela strict sangat sebenarnya. Bila pegi rumah orang, atau kenduri, or makan kat kedai, kadang-kadang terbabas la jugak makan campur-campur tu. Cuma bukan selalu la. Once in a blue moon orang kata. hehe. :p

Haaa lagi satu, Chef Sabri pesan jugak, supplement terbaik yang diamalkan Rasulullah SAW, kurma + madu + habbatus sawda. Alhamdulillah we have been practicing that for quite a while every day and night. Tapi I makan madu dengan kurma je la. Habbatus sawda tu belum lagi, Am sorang je yang makan. Tengok dia makan pun I dah gulppp macam tak sodappp je. So tak berani lagi nak try. huhu.

So, to make it short, we obviously know that we are what we eat. So it is very important to practice a healthy diet, untuk mengelakkan sebarang penyakit yang tak diundang. Tapi sekali sekala kalau pekena burger stall tu takpa la. Tak boleh selalu ja. kehkehkeh.

Adik perempuan saya dah kawen. Tinggal lagi dua orang. Lai lai~~ :p

Assalamualaikum,

Yuhuuuuu!! Apa khabar semorang??? Long time no see huh?? Macam sebok sangat tuan tanah ni sampai tak sempat nak jenguk tanye kabar langsung kan? hehe. Oh well, memang busy sikit pun lately ni. From work to family matters, here I am juggling everything in between. 

So anyway, did I tell you that my sister has got married? Kalau belom, yes, she is lawfully a wife now! Ohh you know what? She's 4 years younger than I am I, but we share our wedding on the same year. It's either I yang kawen lambat or dia yang kawen cepat, that's how fate has set us! And we are soo happy about that! :)

Akad nikah was last Friday, and the reception on the bride side was the day after. Dah nama pun Malay wedding kan, of course preparation dah mula awal-awal lagi dah. And then Ahad tu pulak majlis bertandang ke rumah pengantin lelaki. Pheww~~ 3 important days in a row. That explains why this blog is abandoned for that long. kihkih. :p

Okay lah, dah lama tak bercerita, so otak macam beku sikit. Just enjoy some photos taken during the events okay? Takdela banyak sangat pun. Apa yang ada dalam tepon I ni je la. hehe.

My most favourite picture!
Orked dalam perut masa I kawen, and she's 5months-old masa Fatin kawen.
Photo taken from my cousin's FB.

Dia excited gila masa majlis akad nikah ni.
Tak padan dengan baju cekci and bunga besaq atas kepala.haha.

Before akad nikah.

Happy newlyweds. Congrats both of you!
Selamat melayari bahtera rumah tangga. :)

Reception belah perempuan.
Muka I nampak gemok gila kan?
Memang tak sesuai pakai tudung camni. T__T

Majlis bertandang di rumah pengantin lelaki.
Baru ku sedar rupanya diri ini pendek gila berbanding suami. huahuahua.

Bila dah terkena baru nak berubah. Better than nothing at all.

Assalamualaikum,

Salam duaplohsen untuk semua! haha. Dari malam tadi sampai hari ni dok kecoh pasai minyak naik harga ni kan? Whether we like it or not, we still have to deal with it and endure the consequences that may arise later on. Urghhh, I foresee the burden to myself already. Tapi apa nak buat, hadapi je dengan tenang and cuba berjimat dari segi yang lain, shall we?

Okay, done with the 20 cents issue already, hari ni I nak share something yang I rasa sangat-sangat terkena dekat batang hidung sendiri. Technology that surpasses human interaction. Very boring topic huh? Apparently, when I look closely into this matter, it has some hazardous effects that will eventually break the warm connection between humans.

I may not want to discuss about this in details. I guess semua orang pun dah faham sangat tentang issue ni kan? However, when I bumped into this video posted by a friend in facebook wall, (I jarang sangat tengok video yang orang letak dekat fb tu), somehow, something urged me to watch this video. And after watching it, danggg!! It hits me straight to my face! 

Korang nak terasa jugak? 

Please spend 2.11 minutes of your precioussss time to watch this.

Who knows, it may change you and your life for the better.

I think I have to start doing something to repair the connection between me and people I love around me. These are some reasonable things that I might start to do:

1. Stay away from my so-called smart phone as long as I can!
   I'm not gonna die avoiding it.
   
2. Check my email only through my laptop.
   Kalau urgent sangat takpe la. Ni kalau setakat email dari online shops, tak payah nak buat-buat busy dok scroll your so-called smart phone!
   
3. Leave my so-called smart phone in my handbag if I have someone with me during outings.Jangan dok kalut nak check whatsapp, instagram, fb, wechat, keek and whatnots. Do that later when you're alone. Real conversation is much more meaningful than the virtual one isn't it?
   
4. If it is bed time, set the alarm clock, and that's it!
   Say hello to my so-called smart phone only when the alarm goes on the next morning.
   
5. Please please please celebrate memorable events in my MIND!!
   Not only in my so-called smart phone. Jangan sampai nanti nak cerita kat anak cucu pun tak ingat sebab semua data dalam tepon dah hilang. Padan muka!
   
6. Because I really love my so-called smart phone, I can be-friend with it only when I'm alone.
   When I don't have someone to talk to, or to kill the time. Main la sampai pengsan. Takpe, tak salah.

The list goes on and on.

Senang cerita, hargai SETIAP masa yang you spend dengan orang yang you sayang. You never know how much longer you are going to live or how long they are going to live in this world? Am I right?

Jangan sampai nanti dah tua cucu tanya, 

"Nenek, atok suka makan apa?". 

Kita jawab, 

"Jap, jap, nenek tengok dalam handphone ada tak nenek ambik gambar favourite food atok". 

Hmm, isn't that sounds so sad?

So people, let's do something, while it is not too late!

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.