fabulous mom

alhamdulillah

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:28:00 +0000

Assalamualaikum wbt. How are u all? Enjoying your holiday?

Alhamdulillah. Hubby & I arrived safely 10 days ago. Alhamdulillah. I can't say it enough. This pekerjaan haji isn't that easy. Tough. We were quite hard done. But again, alhamdulillah, by god willing, we came and conquered! Yang penting, diselesaikan dengan sah dan sempurna.

Our group (about 400) arrived at Madina on 24th Oct spending 8 days there before travelling to Mekah and stayed there for the remaining period (36days). Already the adventure began. Arriving at Madina airport at 5 am, the immigration check became super snail-slow due to new system set-up. And there was already an earlier load of plane from Turkey before us. We waited 3 hours for them to finish before we got on line and 3 hours for us to finish. Yes, we got out from the airport after 6 hours. But we'd been sufficiently reminded through countless taklimat before, that delays, long wait, long queues are to be expected here. Part and parcel of hajj work. We encounter it everywhere all the time so must practice patience.

In Madina, we did ibadah in Masjid Nabawi and ziarah and shopping. Yes, its advisable to get all the souveniers, sejadah, kurma , kacang & madu off your list in Madina and get them sent home by post before going to Mekah because there won't be enough time to shop when we start hajj work.

Masjid Nabawi in Madina, in all its glory.

Btw, our hotel in Madina is MOVENPICK. It's a nice new 4-star hotel. We stayed 4-in a room. Hubby stayed next door with roomates who are husbands of my roomates. That's how they arrange families. So we grew close with our friends.

Ok, these pics at the bottom, I couldn't rearrange them to the relevant para. I don't know why they won't be dragged. So just read the story first, I'll explain the pics later, k.

We set foot in Mekah on 1 Dec 09. Our hotel is SEVILLA BARAKAH. Distance is 600 m from Masjidil Haram. About 15 min walk. Expansion work was rapidly under way. Long way to finish though, 5 years maybe. The interior renovation however were completed. I can't explain how it felt to be inside Masjidil Haram and be able to perform all your ibadah and watch kaabah. You just want to be there all day.

Due to heavy traffic, our ziarah in Mekah were short and brief. The bus couldn't get very near to the location, unlike during umrah. So some of the places like Jabal Thur & Jabal Nur we only got to see from afar. Hudaibiyah & the museum were skipped altogether.

Our spare time in the hotel were filled with ceramah/taklimat apart from doing umrah sunat while waiting for wukuf day.

Every week saw increase in Mekah crowd. Jemaah started streaming into Mekah every week and by the 3rd week, Madina was empty. All jemaah have settled in Mekah awaiting wukuf. I must say it also put strain on your nerve and patience. Everywhere you go, is congested. The mosque is full, the road to the mosque is packed. You need to start out 2 hours before pray time to get a place. When you finish, you face the crowd again. Seriously, my first time, I felt quite overwhelmed. Never in my life have I seen such a LOT OF PEOPLE. Lautan manusia precisely. The road is sooo packed, you could only move inch by inch. What used to be 15 min walk, now became 40 min. Then when you get to the hotel, the dining hall queue turned you off. And when you braved it, the kitchen couldn't cope, lauk habis or nasi lambat. A couple of times, we only got bread and salad becos thats what left. You could try outside restaurant but there are also packed and you still have to wait at least an hour to place order and get a table.

And then there's the lift which always took forever. Our hotel accomodate 2,800. We reached quite the max capacity by 3rd week. Our room was on 4th floor, in actual fact, although it says 2nd floor room, but in between G and 1, there are 2 service floors for housekeep & kitchen. We did quite a few hamstring exercise taking the stairs during peak time. Still, these are trivial. I mean imagine those on 17th floor, for instance (not to mention, aged and uzur jemaah). You have no choice if the lift takes all day. So no complaining. It does strain you a bit, but you know you're 100x luckier than others.

Wukuf day is on 9 Zulhijjah (27th Nov). We entered Arafah on 8 Zulhijjah, in batches starting from 12.30 pm. But 3 hours before that, rain started pouring non-stop and by 2pm petugas haji announced the 3 earlier bus departed from hotel couldn't get entrance in Arafah. (we were to be on the 4th bus). Only 1 bus made it and the other 2 were asked to return and wait further notice because Arafah was flooded and the Arabs were rectifying the situation (damaged tents, etc). Finally we were given the go-ahead at 4pm, but slow moving traffic, arriving Arafah (only 7km away) about 6.30 pm . The tents were carpeted and equipped with 4 sets of cool-blower and we each got a mattress, pillow and blanket. About 20 people in each tent. When we arrived, there's a power trip and we got no electricity for the night, relying on torch light to rummage our bag and get changed. We had a quick dinner served in another tent, in a dark. Quite adventurous actually, like scout camping minus the bonfire. :p. They were some unlucky ones, my hubby and friends included, whose tents were rather badly damaged. The carpets were completely soaked, they didn't get to sleep at all.

We got up 2 am for kiamulail and stayed up till subuh pray. I took my nap right after that and woke up 7.30 am for breakfast and ready for tazkirah, solat sunat etc. I managed to get a shower earlier around 3 am ( & then got lost finding my back to the tent :p).

Wukuf starts at Zuhur , so by 11 am we were all ready outside our tents with our matts. First ceramah by the ustaz and then solat jemaah, lunch break and then individual ibadah (doa & zikir) from then on till Maghrib. Wukuf in Arafah is rukun haji. It's even described as hajj itself (arafah=haji). You cannot NOT do it. You can't compensate with bayaran dam or such. You can't wakilkan to others. No matter how expensive your package is, you do wukuf. In your pakaian ihram (for women, just stay tutup aurat). Its like everyone gathered on earth in what they started with, no pakaian berjahit, just a tonga-style piece of cloth and all the same, rich or poor, royal or khadam. What matters is each one's amalan and bekalan to face the Creator.

So after wukuf, we were ready to leave. Again, more patience cos we got to be the last group transported out of Arafah at 11pm (the first group got out 6.30pm). The next destination was Muzdalifah. The 'waktu sah' for mabit is only separuh malam that is past midnight. So we were supposed to be there just a couple of hours, the most maybe we stay till 4 am.

But no, no, no, no. Bus problem again, little surprise. We didn't see our bus till daylight. well past daylight. 8.30 am. Its already 10 Zulhijjah. Hari raya aidil adha. In Muzdalifah. There're no tents in Mudzdalifah. It's just a big field. You stop there to collect pebbles for melontar Jamrah. We tried to catch some sleep on the hard ground. Highly uncomfortable but you just imagine adventure and have a sense of humor.

So from Muzdalifah, on to Mina, where the Jamrahs are. Lontarans are made on 4 days : 10, 11, 12 & 13 Zulhijjah. This event is symbolic of when Nabi Ibrahim threw a rock at the devil disguising as a man, who tried to dissuade him from carrying out God's order.

In hukum, you don't need to stay overnight in Mina but you need to be there separuh malam and do your melontar. That's the 2 syarat wajib. We stayed there all 3 nights & 4 days. In tents, just like in Arafah. The tents were more comfortable comparatively, fully airconned , thicker mattress but the big problem was toilet. The number available greatly disproportioned to the number of users. Probably 1 toilet per 100 users. So there were people who travel back to Mekah on their own, where their hotel room still available, after satisfying the syarat wajib . Some on foot, some by cab. Only 7km away.

After completing Mina, we returned to Mekah. We did the last part of hajj work, i.e tawaf and saie haji (haji tamattu' way, there're 2 other types of hajj work). You complete that, you're done, you're officially Haji and Hajjah. Doing the tawaf was tough this time, as Masjidil Haram flooded with jemaah all completing their hajj.

We didn't have much time by then. We returned from Mina 1 Dec and scheduled to leave Mekah for Jedah on 5 Dec. So 4 days to complete tawaf&saie , last-minute shopping (if any) and pack our bags.

On the day we check out, we're required to perform tawaf wada' (wajib) , last respect to kaabah before leaving Mekah.

From Mekah to Jedah, took 2 hours bus-drive. We were put up in Grand Saha Hotel. Nice hotel, excellent food and a heavenly big room for 2 (hehehe).. Now everyone get a room with their spouses. We stayed a night and checked out the next morning straight to airport. At the airport , we were each given a complimentary Quran. Our flight was at 3pm. We arrived KL 7 Dec 4.30 am and took a connecting flight to KK in the afternoon

So, that's that. We arrived safely in KK without delay at 4.30pm. Waiting to receive us at the airport were children, hubby's mom & sisters and my brothers.

The same evening, after maghrib, MIL organised kenduri doa selamat for us and also majlis khatam quran for my eldest son. I really missed my children and my home. It felt ages.

Ok. Enjoy the rest of the pics. Sorry I don't load too many. malasss.

Until next post. BYE!

Madina - our hotel. the reception area, the dining hall, hotel cafe.

my son's khatam quran

the day we arrived home. there was a ritual before we stepped into the treshold. di taburi bunga rampai kunun.

ready for kenduri

ok, these pics are of Mina. the top left - view of thousands of tents at Mina, next-Muzdalifah. it's a big hilly area. 3rd pic-I'm at Jamrah place, behind me is one of the Jamrah (there're 3). the last photo shows the way up to the Jamrah building, 3 floors.

these are pictures at Arafah. outside the tents, inside the tent.

these are Mekah pics. 1st pic-the first day we entered Mekah, stopping at miqat.2nd pic-hotel buildings nearby masjid.3rd-the construction to expand dataran masjid. 4th-i'm at a handbag boutique in Hilton. 5th-other shopping malls facing masjid:Darral Tawhid,Hilton, Safwa Tower.6th-Jabal Rahmah.

Masjidil Haram's exterior.

prominent interiors of Masjidil Haram - kaabah, hajar aswad, makam ibrahim and bukit safa&marwah. I didn't take these pics, mind (hebat juga aku).they're from hubby's friend's cam.

in Madina. there's a park behind Food Market (food kiosks mainly selling kebabs) which is lovely for families to stop and have picnics. the other 2 pics are during ziarah to pasar kurma & Bukit Uhud.

lambaian kaabah ke 2

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:20:00 +0000

i'm beyond excited. i can't believe i'm going there twice in a year. but that's what fated to me. i'm blessed. i should make good and do my best to obtain 'haji mabrur'. insya allah

yes. i'm returning to Mekah to perform haj after being back 6 months ago for umrah. it's coming clear to me. i remember everything especially the first time i saw kaabah. and i'm excited to see how far the mosque-expansion project gone. the last time i was there we had to trudge accross the rubbles of demolished hotel buildings to do pray everyday. during taklimat recently we saw the artist' impression and was..well impressed. its gonna be massive. though there might not be much progress in 6 mths but i'm still excited.

so when am i leaving? erm..tomorrow. gosh!!!!!! i know! i'm still pinching myself. its all going so fast! since the 2nd week of Raya when we received the news (but thought that we were in the last group like Nov batch) , hubby and I have been frantically reading books trying to get ourselves ready . but in the end you can't cram everything. i would just do my best and 'minta di permudahkan'. that's all i can attempt. my very best.

to all my friends, old and new, my family if you happen to read this- i'm going away for 45 days. i'm going to pray for all of you when i'm there. for your health, for your wealth, for your happiness. i hope you would pray for me & hubby to depart and arrive safely to our destination and come back here safely to the arms of our beloved kids. (i'm trying not to think about not seeing them for 45 days.gosh).

and my sincere apologies for any offense to anyone . i'm gonna miss you all. i'm gonna miss your blog.

see you back in december. enjoy the holidays.

assalamualaikum.

cerita raya

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 02:09:00 +0000

aku baru lah ala-ala free sikit ni. since raya till the past week was busy. i was maidless since my open hse last sunday. hari ni baru 2 hari maid ku balik. sedang2 aku bikin open hse hari tu, dia terpaksa pulang sebab ada urgent. tapi sudah jam 5 la, guests pun sudah berkurangan. since dia belum dikasi cuti raya, aku bagi la dia terus 6 hari.

my raya - 1st until 3rd day d Labuan. biasa la ramai sana tapi not so bad tis year. mungkin sebab ada hujan2 lebat jadi nda terlampau ramai orang 'menyerang' rumah dan kami pun nda banyak berjalan. yang best, pokok rambutan di tepi dapur tu berbuah lebat. bambangan dan tarap pun ber'masak'an. apa lagi...cakap pun tak guna.., tarap tu dari bulan puasa (kami 2 hari sebelum raya sudah d sana) sampai ke raya jadi hidangan sampai 4 biji sekali kami cucur. huhu.

ini gambar d labuan. lepas bersalaman dan berbagi angpow.

my kids & their cousins

grandmas & grandchildren

the family (x sharp gambarnya ..sayang)

hari raya ke4 kami d kk sudah. tis year meriah juga. sampai saja, ada open hse sana sini sampai sekarang.

tak payah banyak cakap mari lah kita tingu gambar2.

kami melawat rumah lama arwah parents d kg bambangan papar dan bergambar for old time sake. sweet.

open house pakcik d kg sungai padang.

my open hse , sunday raya ke 8.

satay 1,000 cucuk. sangat tidak cukup. 3 jam sudah habis.

lamb cukup2.

my first guest. next door neighbour. ini saja kami sempat bergambar tentu tentu. lepas tu guests berduyun2 datang serentak. penuh khemah. nda cukup meja. sori lah sesiapa yang nda berapa terlayan ok. ramai betul orang.

ini pula gambar 2 d belakang tabir.LOL.

my family melarikan diri dari kesibukan khemah dan berehat d belakang.

anak siapa tu aa..baju petak2?

si baju biru tu, dia p kacau basikal lepas tu jatuh baru dia cepat2 lari..busted! (anak siapa?:)

yesterday (saturday) kami beraya dari petang ke malam- 5 rumah. ada lagi 2 nda terpigi. ini hari full day rehat.

for all of you - selamat meneruskan pengembaraan raya!

september post

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:43:00 +0000

been a month, huh? and most of u have not been updating either. penat ka berpuasa? raya is around the corner now, ready or not. i'm not ready.i've done nothing around the house, deco wise. i've been busy baking cookies everyday, got the baju2 raya & stuffs taken care of, but that's about it. (maybe i need to shut down my fb, that's what! :D). how about u guys?

lots other things going on around here.
first - weeks ago, hubby's aunt got admitted to SMC and had an operation for a fractured ankle. after discharged (on the 1st day of puasa), she stayed on with us for 2 weeks while waiting for the first review. the leg is casted, she could only move in wheelchair. so we were kept busy with an OKU (ampun Mak Mok) in the house. after operation, she still need to return to hospital 3x a week for theraphy. that's my part, to drive her.

here she is, Mak Mok, the day of the first review. the doctor grinded a 'window' off the cast to see how the wound is healing. the equipment is scary and the sound is worst.exactly like mesin rumput. Mak Mok was scared shit.

the good news, the leg is healing well. there was nothing to worry and she's due next month for the second visit and take off the cast. that's after raya. terpaksalah dia beraya dengan kasut simen.

so between helping care of her and all, i managed 8 cookies. i don't know if i'll do more. see how it is, next week. the only week left before raya.

2 repeat of past year (kuih siput & butterfly cornflakes), the rest are new ones. i planned to do just 2-3, but they're so many pretty, inviting recipes in the mags. I like SAJI and KELUARGA sep issue. the one with Datuk K & Siti as cover. btw, romantik amat kan dorang..? baju2 Siti sangat sweet.

talk about baju, sempat juga kami ke KL last week. kami laki bini saja. khas untuk shopping raya. siok juga bulan puasa, nda buang masa berhenti makan. jalan dan shopping dan jalan dan shopping...till u drop gitu!

jadi aku mau menayang sedikit pembelianku. sedikit. kasut saja aku kasi tengok. malas mensnap yang lain, ok.

simple2 saja.

selamat membersihkan rumah!

weekend update

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:42:00 +0000

we were in hubby's kampung on the weekend. ada kenduri dan upacara meraikan majlis berkhatan for my eldest son. ini adat macam majlis bersanding. di rias macam pengantin, dibacakan doa, di tepung tawar. all the works u know.

my handsome son jadi pengantin sekejap.

he's not alone. ada kawan dia yang sama2 bersunat, also neighbour belakang rumah. kalau sorang, menangis juga dia kali nda mau.

nampak songkok dorang tu. hihihi. mau tempah?

i don't think masih ramai yang amalkan adat ni kan. he is first male grandchild so there's no question about it. his grandma insists.

they are always together whenever cuti sekolah. his best friend in kampung. they'll have this cute picture for memory when they are all grown up :p

julia is 9

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 05:36:00 +0000

my daughter turned 9 on 6th august. together celebrating with her is her 1 year-younger cousin, whose birthday on 7th august. we coincided the party with our kenduri arwah held last night. her younger cousin is bigger than her :p

i made a pink castle cake for her. i wanted to do a matching princess cake for the cousin but got too tired :D. so just a simple flower cake. (double standard ..:p)

some of our food. my sisters & brothers each contributed a dish.

and while shopping for my girl's present last week, i got myself a new pair of shades.

lain yang bday, lain yang dapat hadiah :D.

this one is fixed with powered lens. since me & contact lens aren't good friends i have to opt for powered sunglass. the normal glass with transition lens aren't enough for me in a hot blazing day esp when driving. cantik ka? ok la kan untuk hari raya :D

august post

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 07:41:00 +0000

i'm in lazyland. sangat tiada mood mengupdate blog. but 2 weeks is my limit for slacking. if i continue, i'd never update at all. so much for writer career, as my facebook quiz suggests.lol.

so these are updates of the past week.

last thursday, my kids' school closed down due to H1N1 case. bikin risau juga ni selsema khinzir. mau keluar ke mana2 with my kids nowadays pun i'm worried. we don't dare go swimming. u don't know who is walking around with 'it' out there.

and here's the real bummer. i've purchased tickets to KL (months ago before this outbreak in KK), for the coming school break. u think this case will die down by then (3rd week aug) or get worst? likely the latter kan. camana la kami tu aa? pakai mask ka ke sana ke mari. hmmph. sungguh spoiler.

on a merry note, i've enjoyed 2 tea parties the past 3 days. good food always lift my mood :p friday, tea for group bini2 rangka. S,V i think that was one of the best parties we had kan frens? anak2 bermain sendiri nda mengacau n the food was a blast despite short notice, esp the fish mee soup from whimsy.

tapi tiada pula gambar sup nya. nda terambil.

the next day, i hosted another tea party for family, to celebrate my nephew's 20th birthday. simple food nothing fancy but everyone was there, that made my day.

very likely next week there'll be another gathering, our family's kenduri arwah and also my daughter's birthday. after that, i'm looking forward for whimsy's bday lunch at Hyatt. (awas! nda boleh ubah..hehehe). last bah, before puasa. macam la puasa nda makan..sama juga sungkai berabis! :p

i'll be back with more updates, hopefully not too long.

happy monday!

see food

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 03:17:00 +0000

as the title suggests, today we will see food. not necessarily seafood, all food. T_T !!

here's what we were up to yesterday. hi-tea gathering to celebrate 2 of our brothers birthday. cupcakes for Nazri by yours truly. hi-fibre cheesecake by Secret Recipe for Ruzainie.

Ofcourse we didn't just have cakes. Our version of hi-tea is slightly different. in our dictionary, high=heavy.

i made beef macaroni & cheese and grilled lamb. a nephew contributed home-made sushi. sushi is never my cup of tea, but actually it's not bad. maybe next we'll try japanese-themed tea party. after i learn how to make it , that is.

happy sunday, people!

not that easy

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 11:44:00 +0000

i spent sunday learning cake deco using fondant and royal icing. my first time on this.

ohh..punya susah pula ini barang!!

the only ok part was covering the cake with the fondant. but right after that and all the way was torture.

this thing needs patience and passion. a LOT of it.

making the frills was much harder than it looked.

and we had to do 2 tiers. i only got the hang when i'm almost finished.

and the royal icing on the side. it looked so innocently simple. it was horror when we tried it. the icing breaks/stuck all the time and our amateur shaky hands don't help.

the last deco was the flowers and leaves. doesn't look much but it took us forever.

my first decorated cake. phew!

a bit of this and that

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:35:00 +0000

i can't believe it's july already. half the year is gone?

i wanted to blog about weekend but i got carried away with the sad passing of a certain celebrity. spent all day on youtube, watching his video clips. lol. i'm crazy i admit. my fav is the 30th anniversary special he did in 2001. his last live concert if i'm not mistaken. the late superstar. still doesn't sound real to me, to address him the late MJ.

but enough mourning. everyone will go. his time had come. i'm more sad that his body hasn't been laid to rest. its already a week. 2nd autopsy? when's that, a month? two? poor guy.

my SIL came down from Labuan last Friday. hubby's niece celebrated her 15th birthday at our place. lots of food. too much. i swear there were leftovers for 3 days.

and then they were playing this..this..dancing step thingy. this years-ago-game. their aunt just bought the mobile dancing pad to play at home. they were at it all night and all day the next day.

saturday night, they went group outing to watch Transformers with their aunt , only returning home past midnight.

too much fun and too much staying-up-late i guess cos next morning 1 boy came down with fever. Helmi. and a day after, his brother.

meanwhile, me & hubby found this nice spot. well it's been around all along, but we never stop at this cafe in the afternoon. it was a nice breezy sunday afternoon. the place directly faces the sea. just one second on the reclining settee, you'll feel like sleeping. hubby is taken with the gazebo. he wants to fix the same at home, out the front yard. you can order them from Bali, there's a website.(what do u think, S & V?). it was quite cosy in there. just the right size, with 2 little tables, comfy matts either side. throw some cushions, perfect for afternoon tea or picnic. or.....kalau buduh, pulled the curtains around tight dan ber'projek' d tengah2 laman! i'm crazy. excuse me.

pink pleasure

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:19:00 +0000

i'm truly besotted with this latest find in my fav home store just the other day.

its the sweetest pink i've ever seen in flowers. (its much more lovelier in person). i thought it even looked good enough to eat. imagine sugar paste in this shade. don't it just cheer you up?

info - comes in pink and yellow. kaison.

happy thursday!

project almost done

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:42:00 +0000

i wish to blog about things other than food today.

i've come back from labuan last sunday feeling exhausted and want to faint from the searing heat. god it was hot.

but as we entered the gate, my spirit was lifted by the view of our front yard. looked like much had took off since the 5 days we've been gone, i was happy to notice.

landscaping - that's our big project this year, on the home front. the reason why we don't do travelling much at the moment. got to see this done first.

started this project early this year.we've initially asked for designs from some landscape designers but in the end didn't like it and proceeded with our own imaginations.

although the dry season now is not helping, watering them uses up half the tank, but we hold our patience. no hurry here.

it's not finished yet but i'm glad to say its coming along nicely.

happy tired

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0000

i'm sleepy and i'm tired. but happy.

got hung-over from last night family bbq. a short-noticed, unplanned party but the best one ever. we had a giant cook-out. everyone brought amazing food.

i didn't bother with photos. we had great fun, ate too much, stayed up too late.

totally worth still being sleepy today.

boy to man

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Sun, 31 May 2009 04:49:00 +0000

he's had it. he's now a man. my young man.

my eldest had his circumcision done 2 days ago. he was up early that day(I didn't think he slept much). he was nervous but anxious to get it over. we got a friend's son doing it together with him so he'll get company. he was high spirited early on but but grew paler leading to the appointment although him and his friend kept exchanging encouraging words and half-hearted jokes in effort to play down the fear (sometime at this point, me & hubby couldn't contain our mirth).

i accompanied him inside together with hubby and i held his hand (they were cold) through out. i told him to recite doa everytime he felt pain to take his minds off. he did so and he was ok, didn't shed a tear. i think he was imagining worst. nowadays its not that gruesome.

but once at home, when anaesthetic died down, ho...that painkiller couldn't be strong enough. but next day it all got much better. he's still sore but he can walk, less gingerly and gone is the excruciating pain. i'm so relieved.

great weekend

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:23:00 +0000

Yes, weekend was great. And 'great' for me almost usually means lots of eating. I stuffed myself with cakes all weekend. I got 3 cakes in the fridge.My 2 best friends gave me a nice birthday cake on Saturday (tq anies!taste good) and we had a lovely lunch party. Nice. I'm still tasting the kari kepala ikan 'bomba' in my throat.

I made a carrot cake, for my friends. And I still got 3 big slices left.

Hubby & kids got me Chocolate Indulgence from Secret Recipe the next day. My fav. But I have to stop myself from stuffing my face in it. Today I nearly got migraine, after finishing half of the cake .

Birthday was low-key. We just had a nice day out with the kids. Browsing around Warisan Square before the kids had a go at the bookstore.

When we got home, while I was busy putting away the stuffs, they quietly got out the cake, light the candles, arranged their presents on the side and sang happy birthday to me. I was still kneeling at the shoe shelf unaware things were getting a bit quiet and they have assembled around the cake, similing goofily. Duiii...

Opening of presents. I was ordered to start with daddy's present, then Adzim, Julia & Helmi and I need to kiss them each.

Gotta couple cookbooks from hubby. A vase of flowers from Adzim, a cute little thingy (paper weighter or something) from Julia and love pillow from Helmi. I love you all. I love you.

From S & V, I got a beautiful cuppy stand.

I love it. Thanx guys!! perfect. Just what I need for Raya.

Great weekend.

Mother's Day Do

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Mon, 11 May 2009 02:19:00 +0000

Hello all. How's your Mother's Day?

At the risk of boring you with yet another makan story, I'm going to share our Mother's Day celebration last night.
It was not really planned. We lacked idea where to bring MIL. We ended up at Sutera Marina, after the kids had their swimming. But instead of the usual Marina restaurant , we headed to Spice Island upstairs. A nice quiet restaurant, traditionally set.

The mommies in hubby's family - me, my MIL and my SIL.

The table has interesting setting. Wooden crafted bowl of dried spice and miniature old-style tricycle carrying a little bag of chips for appetizers. For drinks, we were served a complimentary 'jamu' of tea infused with serai, halia, madu and nutmeg. Nice. I think I'm gonna try it at home (S & V ! mau ka kamu tea party nanti aku serve ini! wakakakakkaa!!!)

Our menu. Hubby's pick. Nasi beriyani bakar topped with roti nan-(this one is interesting and sedap as well. Inside the nasi, there's all kinds of stuffs! ayam, lamb,udang,telur puyuh!) . The rest of our menu - Sotong sumbat, sayur manis and chicken tikka. All very tasty. Tidak banyak kami order. Hubby's side not as 'pemakan' as ours...hehe..kalau kami nda cukup tu. The last time we were here (me& hubby), I got crazy with this one dish - ikan masak minang. Punyaaa sedaaap. And the portion is a lot. I recommend you this one. But we didn't order this time cos the type of fish they use is not in my MIL's list of edible fish. She's picky with fish. To top that, she doesn't take meat. Any kind. So only seafood for her, and selective ones.

And these are what I got from my children. It seems the daughter continues to be the most creative one. But I appreciate each their thoughts all the same.

another weekend, another makan-makan

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Sat, 09 May 2009 00:40:00 +0000

Yes, yes, yes. May is the party month. I'll be blogging food every week now.

Last night we had bbq dinner party for Helmi's 6th birthday.

Aside from the bakar-bakar dishes (chicken wings, sotong, lamb, satay), we had masakan kampung- pucuk ubi masak lemak, ulam and kari ikan.

We had a fun time.

Have a great weekend and happy mother's day !!

makan,makan,makan

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Weekend was great , filled with aktiviti makan-makan. I like, I like.
Friday night, my house crowded with in-laws and anak-anak buah (frm Lbn). We had pesta ambuyat. Best! (tiada gambar, nda lagi sempat ambil).

The next night we had steamboat and bbq. My ipar won this steamboat & bbq set in a lucky draw last year and been putting it to good use. Simple fare but delicious. Just soup, kept boiled to cook in veges, noodles, fishballs, etc while on the side a sizzling hot plate to roast pieces of seafood, meat and sausages. Ala-ala healthy meal la konon, tiada nasi. Tapi macam berkilo-kilo la seafood kami makan. LOL.

My inlaws left on Sunday.Jadi berakhir kah kisah makan-makan? TIDAK.

I dragged hubby to this place for a quiet dinner on Monday night. Our seats overlooking this lovely pemandangan. Beautiful kan? This is Mediterranean Bar & Restaurant at First Beach Tg Aru. The one shabbymom featured earlier.

I had sole-fish. Sedap tapi portion nya a bit too little for me. Nda kenyang.

Hubby had lamb..apa ntah nama dia. Again, damitnya portion kan. Ini saja? Tapi taste, no complain. Sedap.

For dessert, we had chocolate chantilly (buy 1 free 1). Lupa snap. Most heavenly.

AND then..aktiviti melahap continued to Tuesday.

Yeay! yeay! Geng pemakan berjumpa di Restoran mewah kegemaran mereka (kah!kah!kah!) for dim sum lunch. Silk Garden Sutera Harbour Pacific.

Half gone fried yam cake, fried sesame balls, steamed schezuan dumpling, steamed clear prawn dumpling, steamed..erm something..lupa sudah. Six dim sum dishes. And then we each had small rice porridge (no picture).

And then we had sayur sawi bunga in oyster sauce.

And the star of the lunch, butter prawns. Ini yang paling mahal kami order (wakakakaka!!) tapi so worth it. Tanpa menghiraukan diet, kami 'savour every last specs of the buttery eggs crumbles'...ermmmmm sungguh nyummy.

I like our lunch. We finished everything, tiada pembaziran dan nda juga terlampau kenyang. Just nice.

Ok, till next time, happy Wednesday!

april present

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 06:39:00 +0000

I know. It's been 2 weeks. Sorry for the long silence.

But how do you like the heat nowadays? Isn't it SWELTERING ! a bit like the place I went to last post. And not only we get the dry spell, we're having electricity supply rations too! All this daily black-outs. At my place, for 4 hours straight, at times. Luckily its in the mornings when kids are in school and I can leave the house for recluse, alone.

Anyways, some updates around here. My son turned 11 on 13/4. We had the party on 18th Apr. His grandma's birthday is close (16/4), she got presents too.

And last week, in one of my recluses, I got myself a little present. For no apparent reason.

Pretty, cutesie accessories hanger. My new dressing table centrepiece.

Pleasant weekend to you!

from makkah with love V

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Hari ini 9/4/09. Sudah 4 hari kami di Makkah. Awal pagi kami dapat berita ada bas rombongan Malaysia accident di Jeddah. Ada dalam berita tapi kami ni nda menengok TV sini, mana ada masa. Malah TV tu kami sudah cabut dan ampai di lantai supaya atas meja tu boleh letak makanan kami (lol). Kami cuma dapat berita dari mutawwif kami yang baru balik dari Jeddah menyambut rombongan lain. Ada yang terkorban tak pasti berapa orang. Innallillah.

Semakin hari semakin ramai jemaah sampai dan cuaca pun semakin panas sampai aku dan MIL berdarah hidung. Esoknya hari Jumaat, kami buat keputusan tidak buat umrah sebab kalau Jumaat , masjid akan penuh sepenuh-penuhnya. Akan ada lagi yang terpecah group dan berhilangan nanti. Jadi kami pergi cuci-cuci mata tengok kedai (yes!). Di area Hotel Hilton sebelah depan masjid.

I got these accessories there. I like it.

Setakat Jumaat aku sudah mengerjakan 4x umrah. Actually by the 3rd time, I feel better, not too exhausted as before, I can calmly proceed on my own and finish faster. Jadi pada hari Sabtu, aku berkeyakinan mengerjakan 2 kali umrah lagi, pagi lepas breakfast dan kemudian selepas Asar. Di antara waktu itu, masih sempat kami buat lawatan iaitu selepas lunch. Perhentian pertama ke Hudaibiyah (tempat miqat), seterusnya ke ladang unta dan akhir sekali ke museum. Ladang unta sangat tidak menarik. Sikit saja untanya dan semua kurus-kurus. Ada dijual susu unta fresh (diperah on the spot). Tidak berminat. Tiada gambar.

Sebelah malam lepas makan, aku menemani rakan sebilik dan beberapa yang lain mencari barang di kedai. Besok kami akan berangkat meninggalkan Makkah. Ada yang mencari beg extra, cari tali, cari kotak dan last minute shopping barang2 kiriman orang. Tiba-tiba rasa macam masa cepat berlalu. Sudah mau balik?

12/4 (Ahad) :
Kami akan bergerak jam 10 malam menuju airport Jeddah dengan menaiki bas. Sebelah pagi free time. Ketua group menganjurkan lawatan terakhir (tidak termasuk dlm pakej, atur sendiri) ke Jabal Al-Noor jam 7 pagi. On hindsight I shoudn't have gone. I thought it's just a hill. NOT. It's a mountain. Steep rocky mountain. 8 orang kami pergi tapi yang naik 4 orang saja, yang bersemangat waja (i'm not one of them). Looking at the mountain I thought it's gonna take half a day at least. Tapi dorang naik dan turun semula dalam masa 3 jam gitu. Di atas gunung ini, terdapat Gua Hira' dimana Rasulullah menerima wahyu yang pertama.

Jadi apa yang kami buat di bawah? Duduk-duduk , makan biskut sambil melangui dorang. I could have done my packing instead.

Susah mau appreciate ketinggiannya dari gambar-gambar ni. Tapi kalau tengok real life memang bikin lemah semangat. Gambar di atas adalah yang dizoom kasi besar so you can see the white specks bertaburan that is people climbing actually.

13/4 (Isnin) :
Kami sudah berada di Jeddah. Flight ke Brunei jam 03:05 pagi. Today is my son's birthday. I'm still on my way home. Penerbangan mengambil masa 10 jam. Tiba di Brunei sudah berubah masa, di sini sudah waktu malam 7pm. Kami menginap semalam di Brunei Hotel. Masa pasang TV kebetulan siaran ulangan konsert AF yang keberapa entah. (Ha! tiada sudah orang Sabah? )

14/4 (Selasa) :
My nose stopped bleeding when I woke up. Very soon we're at the airport and half hour later arrived KK. Syukur alhamdulillah.

from makkah with love III

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:49:00 +0000

Masa di Madina sebenarnya aku masih risaukan anak-anak. It was difficult at the airport. Berat melepaskan tangan anak. Bila telefon hubby first night tu, dia bagitau Helmi tidur dengan baju aku. Lepas tu aku nda telefon lagi, sehingga sampai di Makkah, cuma sms perkembangan. Takut mau dengar apa lagi laporan, menangis ka entah demam ka. Jadi buat-buat busy.

Di sini aku cuba menyesuaikan diri dengan masa breakfast yang ‘xtreme’ (at least for me). Kami breakfast seawal 5.40 am, selepas solat Suboh. Kalau bertebiat balik bilik dulu baru makan, alamat tiada tempat duduk atau makanan habis. Sungguh ramai group jemaah di hotel yang sama. Lepas tu kena bersiap berkumpul di lobby se awal 7 am untuk lawatan. Bererti sebelum solat Suboh tu sudah sedia mandi. Jadi pukul berapa bangun ? Jam 3- 4 pagi paling lambat. Ada 4 orang dalam sebilik. Kamar mandi hanya satu. Aku lah selalu offer last mandi supaya ada masa lagi tidur (hik). Dan aku praktis bersiap sepantas kilat. Semua keperluan aku sediakan di tepi bantal sebelum tidur. Aku sebilik dengan MIL dan 2 orang lagi . Seorang saudara MIL(anak buah) dari Lbn dan seorang lagi bekas cikgu hubby dari Tuaran. Makcik-makcik rock semuanya . Happening.

Kami bertolak ke Madina dengan bas pada Isnin 6/4, selepas lunch. Semasa di miqat Bir Ali (tempat pasang niat ihram), tayar bas rosak. Lebih ½ jam juga Pak Arab tu me’repair’. 4 jam kemudian, selepas berhenti untuk solat Mahgrib di satu masjid ni, bas rosak lagi. Dan air-cond pun nda berfungsi. Waah…aku nda tau berapa lama kami tersadai di tepi jalan tu. Panas dan lemas. Dalam hati, kecut juga (kami tak diterima ka ni?). Alhamdulilah akhirnya kami sampai ke destinasi jam 10 pm. Terus dinner. Aku ingatkan kami akan buat umrah esok nya memandangkan hari sudah lewat. Rupanya lepas makan terus berkumpul untuk ke masjid untuk umrah. Itu ini, simpan beg, berkumpul di lobby, jam 12 malam baru start. I was bone tired. Not to mention sleepy. Semasa menghabiskan sa’ie tu macam aku boleh tertidur semasa berjalan. Tough juga ulang alik antara 2 bukit tu. Sekali jalan, jauhnya lebih kurang 300 meter. Dan diulang 7x. Jam 3 pagi baru selesai dan balik ke bilik. Like a dream, aku sudah mengerjakan umrah. Not in my best condition but I did it.

Hari kedua pun tough juga . Kami rest sebelah pagi tapi ikut jadual, lepas Asar buat umrah lagi. Masa berkumpul ada yang lambat turun. Biasalah kalau group kan. Tambah lagi yang warga emas 70 keatas . Bukan lagi lambat turun. Hilang. Satu bilik tiga-tiga tiada. Lepas tu seorang muncul, dua lagi masih hilang. Dicari di masjid tiada.Yang ada ni pula tiada kunci dan belum mandi sunat ihram dan belum berpakaian ihram. Panjang lah ceritanya tapi kesudahannya dia diuruskan oleh kawan bilik lain dan kami dapat ke miqat dan by the time kami ke masjid sudah maghrib. Masa mau memulakan tawaf, hilang lagi 4 orang dari group. Ini kali perempuan. Ketua group susah hati dan memikirkan yang bukan-bukan terjadi dan kami tunggu lah sambil meninjau-ninjau lebih sejam sampai lepas Isya. Tapi tetap tak jumpa. Niat umrah sudah dipasang, mau nda mau mesti juga buat umrah. Akhirnya kami start 9 pm. Setengah jam kemudian masa sa’ie kami terjumpa dorang. Dan dorang sudah mau habis umrah. Kisahnya, bila sampai dekat Kaabah dorang terus mulakan tawaf tanpa berkumpul dulu di tempat yang dijanjikan. Dan sekarang pula siok-siok habis awal. Kesian ketua group, tersinggung dia. Sampai hotel pula, makanan lagi habis. Kami tidak dinner. Ada lah kena sebijik tour agent kami. Hmm..I'm too tired to utter a word. Baik tidur saja lah.

bersambung (sila terus scroll ke bawah)

from makkah with love IV

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:15:00 +0000

Hari ketiga kami melakukan ziarah ke Jabal Thur, Jabal Rahmah dan Arafah. Selepas itu umrah lagi jam 11 pagi. Tapi aku tidak ikut serta kali ni. Kerana ada migraine, aku tidak berani memaksa diri buat siang-siang hari. If I thought Madina was hot, here is worst. Dua kali lebih panas dan berdebu, berhabuk. Hotel kami menghadap deretan kedai lama yang kini telah diruntuhkan untuk projek expansion Masjidil Haram. Masjid ini mau diperbesarkan lagi. Tidak seperti Masjid Nabawi yang fully roofed, Masjidil Haram ni bahagian tengahnya ada Kaabah jadi tidak berbumbung. Masaklah kalau tawaf tengahari kan. Sebaliknya aku ikut umrah yang lepas Asar. Aktif kami. Buat umrah 2x sehari.

Biasanya untuk mengerjakan umrah, mutawwif (orang yang memimpin umrah) akan memimpin rombongan untuk umrah sebanyak 2 kali. Selebihnya, jemaah akan melakukan umrah sendiri pada waktu lapang mereka seberapa banyak kali mengikut kemampuan masing-masing. Yang berdaya akan cuba melakukan 7 kali kerana umrah 7x dikatakan menyamai haji.

Gambar2 di atas adalah pandangan dari bahagian pintu masuk depan masjid. Tapi hotel kami bukan sebelah sini. Hotel kami di bahagian belakang.

Ini bahagian belakang.

Untuk ke masjid kami terpaksa melalui rubbles ini. Last-last aku pakai hijab, yang tutup muka tu, barulah nda masuk habuk ke mata. Hihi. Betul-betul macam Arab. (tiada gambar ok).

Ada pro dan con nya lah. Kalau yang hotel sebelah depan, memang tidak berhabuk dan lebih dekat/cepat sampai. Tapi untuk kerja umrah, balik ke hotel sangat jauh sebab penghabisan sa'ie adalah di Bukit Marwah di sebelah belakang. Jadi they have to walk the whole length of the mosque untuk pulang ke hotel.

Jabal Thur

Lawatan kami yang pertama di Makkah ialah ke Jabal Thur. Aku nda ingat sudah apa cerita Jabal Thur ni (hello?). (Aku tertidur di bas). Tapi ada orang berjualan di kaki bukitnya dan aku dapat sepasang telekung yang sangat cantik dan beberapa helai pashmina.

Jabal Rahmah

Lawatan seterusnya ke Jabal Rahmah. Di puncak bukit ini adalah tempat pertemuan Adam dan Hawa setelah terpisah apabila dibuang kedunia di tempat yang berasingan. Afdal berdoa untuk jodoh dan rumahtangga disini. MIL ikut aku naik walaupun she doesn't fancy much tapi risaukan aku. Baik dia, watching over me all the time. Bukannya tinggi sangat bah. Aku ada doa khusus untuk dipanjatkan di sini. Aku berdoa adik bongsu dapat jodoh yang baik dan berdoa untuk kebahagiaan rumahtangga sendiri dan adik beradik lain. (Sori ah whimsy, inda dapat berdoa untuk jodohmu sini, hihi, kafir..lol).

Ini di kaki bukit. Benci aku tu camel nda mau lari. Agresif dia punya owner tu menyuruh bergambar. Inda la bah kan.

Oh ya, aku ada call hubby dan laporan yang diterima menyenangkan. Helmi tidak tidur cari baju aku lagi. Tiada yang nangis atau demam. Aku bercakap dengan anak sorang-sorang. Semuanya baik. Ok tenang. Boleh beribadat dengan tenang.

bersambung

from makkah with love II

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:46:00 +0000

Rombongan kami 47 orang semuanya, separuh dari Labuan, yang lain dari KK mengikuti pakej umrah Hidayah.

Kami bertolak dari KK pada Khamis 2/4/09 jam 6 petang dan sampai di Madina melalui Jeddah pada hari berikutnya, Jumaat jam 2.30 petang. Tapi waktu disana lambat 5 jam, jadi baru 9.30 pagi. Kami untung masa siang. Selepas welcoming drink , kami berehat di Masjid Nabawi yang sangat berdekatan dengan hotel. Bilik-bilik tidak dapat kunci dulu sebab kalau hari Jumaat, semuanya kena tunggu lepas solat Jumaat baru diuruskan.

Masjid Nabawi daripada pintu masuk bhg perempuan

Kami stay di Madina selama 3 malam sebelum berlepas ke Mekkah pada hari Isnin (6/4) untuk mengerjakan umrah. Selama di Madina, masa diisi dengan beribadat di Masjid Nabawi dan ziarah ke tempat-tempat suci dan bersejarah seperti makam Nabi, Masjid Quba, Jabar Uhud dan Baqi.

Diatas adalah gambar-gambar kota Madina

Jabar (Bukit) Uhud

Dibelakang kami, area berpagar ni adalah kuburan para pengikut&sahabat Nabi yang terkorban dalam perang Uhud

Selain itu ke kilang Quran dan pasar kurma. Pada waktu-waktu antara solat boleh shopping sendiri-sendiri, ada banyak kedai-kedai sekitar hotel. Saya kebetulan tidak bawa baju (sengaja), Cuma baju di badan dan satu extra dalam beg. Jadi beli lah jubah-jubah di sini untuk pakaian harian. Ya, di sini wanitanya semua pakai jubah tiada pakaian lain dan jubah yang dijual kebanyakkannya warna hitam. Ada yang putih tapi macam tak banyak choice. Oleh kerana untuk umrah nanti, sunat memakai putih, saya beli juga 2 pasang yang putih. Yang hitam saya beli 3 pasang. Cukuplah. Nanti di Makkah boleh beli lagi.

Display Quran yang dijual, area kilangnya tidak dibuka untuk pengunjung wanita

Gambar daripada tingkap bilik

Di Masjid Nabawi, tidak dibenarkan membawa masuk kamera. Setiap masa, dipintu masuk ada pengawal yang meng ‘search’ bag, siapa yang ada kamera dan mobile phone akan di rampas. Jadi tiadalah gambar kenangan interior masjid. Very beautiful actually. Masjid ini adalah yang kedua termulia tarafnya dan kedua terbesar di dunia selepas Masjidil Haram di Mekkah.

Cuaca di Madina memang panas. Panas dan kering. Kalau tepat waktu zuhur, memang terik. Tapi malam ada sejuk sikit. Angin dia sejuk. Kami ada bikin solat sunat tengah malam dekat Rawdah (area dekat Makam Nabi di tengah Masjid). Sentiasa lah ada ramai orang di masjid ini tidak kira waktu, samada hujung minggu atau luar waktu solat fardhu. Ada yang tinggal di Jeddah (6 jam naik bas dari Madina) datang ke sini dan cuti sampai sebulan untuk beribadah. Kesian tengok pekerja masjid yang bekerja around the clock. Ada yang aku recognize masa Suboh, tengah malam masih orang yang sama. Ramai juga orang Indon. Kami tanya macam mana gaji. Dia bilang sangat lumayan. Ok la tu.

Bersambung

from makkah with love

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:06:00 +0000

Assalamualaikum. Sobahul khair. Kaifa haluki ?

Alhamdulillah, saya dan MIL beserta rombongan lain selamat kembali ke tanah air yesterday.

Perjalanan umrah berjalan dengan baik dan lancar. Tiada sebarang kesulitan cuma MIL mengalami batuk dan hilang suara, perlu di bawa ke doktor hari ni dan saya perlu berurut untuk meluruskan urat-urat badan.

Story-mory nya nanti lagi ok.

blog off

noreply@blogger.com (fabmom) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:05:00 +0000

I'm signing off for 2 weeks here. See you again when I get back.

Have a nice day and keep well !