fabulous mom

The menu is fish

2012-01-26T23:58:00.005+08:00

The main star of last night's bbq, that is. (Apa! Makan2 lagi?).

Gitu lah.

My brothers inlaw together with hubby, after a golf session yesterday morning had a sudden urge to eat home-barbequed fish and decided then to have bbq at home. The text came from my sister before I got word from hubby, basically saying there'll be bbq party at my place 7.30pm that evening. Oh really? I'm invited to my own party? And when was hubby going to tell me this? It was 3.00 pm. What do I cook?

They were getting the fish. I was to cook rice and some vege dish and make enough dipping sauce. Oh, alright.

And then the fish came at 5pm.
Oh my god. Did they buy the entire boat load? BECAUSE that's a whole LOT of fish. Wow... I stared at the basin and stared at hubby who just shrugged. Can we finish this? Hubby was thinking the same and started texting his other staffs to come.

.....
Three hours later....

Yummy, yummy, yummy...oooo...punya sedap pula ikan belanak yang besar2 ni bila di panggang! ( i just learned the name). Kulit dia yg tebal menyebabkan isi dia masak macam kena stim, lembut dan licin. Oh sure we can finish this and we did so without much difficulty. It was the only main meal anyway. No chickens or lambs to distract. For once we felt like we were eating healthy, less cholesterol-packed sort of.. but enter bubur durian+nasi made by MIL for dessert..hmmmm...lets just stop delusioning right...

what's in the basin is just half. more was still in marinating process.
the big fish makes 2 rounds of the tray, about 8pc, another trayful of ikan kembung, a tray of big ikan putih and a tray of ikan belais (both not pictured).

we got out both the bbq set (manual & gas) to speed up cooking.

ikan belanak - nasty looking but very tasty

my 3 darling helpers (tq dears)

Good night.

Sepetang di Sipitang

2012-01-24T23:27:00.003+08:00

Dan seharian di perjalanan. Because we made stops to eat and this and that, plus heavy rain.

My brother in law has to visit his family's kebun buah today in Sipitang so we tagged along, all 5 families, to see and 'help'. We got our city kids make themselves useful in the kebun and experience first hand a bit of the hardship of kampung life. Bitten by mosquitos, filling up the 'tekiding' with durians and heaved the heavy load to the car. Our salute to inlaw's mom for managing this all by herself all this time, in addition to living alone in a house remote from neighbours. The area is so empty and quiet. I feel a kind of sadness whenever I visit her. And how she manages it without transport is another mindblowing thing. She actually walk home with the load of durians on her back (and its not a short walk, oh my god). Durians are heavy ok. Have you tried carrying a sack of it? There's got to be at least 20kg in there.

The reward is ofcourse sampling the harvest. Durian putih, durian kuning, other fruits- mangosteen, langsat. No need to tell you they are all juicy and sweet.

We made our way back late afternoon and stopped by the esplanade for satay. I know that's not the wisest thing after durian but.. well..whatever..too late. I dont know why we were so hungry, did we work too hard in the kebun? Hardly. We were just posing and taking pictures but we finished about ..probably 200 cucuk satay and some 30 pc bbq chk wings between 20 of us. I guess that's not so bad.

Looks like pesta durian la sepanjang minggu ni.

Bowling Nite

2012-01-24T07:10:00.003+08:00

My arm is sore from lifting and rolling the 10kg ball 40 times last night. Thats more than what I do in a regular gym session.

We had an Inter family Tournament at Sutera Strikers that looked more like a practise session than a competition with prizes to grab.Some bowled for the first time in their lives.

But competition it was. We made 4 categories and the winners are :

Men Senior (the daddys) - brother inlaw (my elder sis' hubby)
Men Junior - nephew (another elder sis' son)
Women Senior a.k.a The Big Momma - sister in law (my late brother's wife)
Women Junior - niece (eldest bro's daughter)

Meaning me, my younger brother and younger sis didn't win anything for our family. The elders rule. Well they had bigger and stronger kids. (bah, sour grape).

We exit the alley at 11.00 pm after photo session and prize giving and then adjourned for supper across the road till midnight.

That was a fun get-together do.

mini holiday

2012-01-23T13:06:00.003+08:00

we got a room voucher to claim at mt kinabalu heritage before it expires so that was where we at on the weekend. we wanted to extend at another place and were lucky to find 2 connecting rooms available without prebooking at another resort the next night. its the start of CNY holiday, the place is full of Bruneians and West Malaysians on vacation.

the kids suggest we go climb the mountain. i dont think so. my eldest son has started coming to the gym with me, which pleases me, i got company now. he might be ready for mountain, but i'm pretty sure i'm gonna have to carry helmi on my back. not that i think i can muster climbing myself or planning to in the near future (or any future). just hypothetically speaking. V and S, please stop me if ever i go that crazy.

moving on. the kids enjoyed feeding the rabbits at the Rabbit House and strolling (running) up and down the resort driveway feeling the cool breeze. note - i need to work out more to keep up with their energy. sometimes i want to press 'pause' on these kids. they are growing up much too fast for me.

ok, enjoy the pics.

Helmi impatiently waiting for feeding time

room view

we found some friendly squirrels in the woods at timpohon station.

and then i found my slipper at Kundasang shop.

Gong Xi Fa Cai. Enjoy your holidays.

Introducing new maid

2012-01-17T18:19:00.002+08:00

Finally i have a maid. After searching high and low (as if). No I haven't really. The truth is, i didn't try hard , i'm getting quite comfortable with no maid. Tiring yes but satisfying, i set my own standards and sometimes the kids chip in where they can. I am managing fine. Hubby is the one concerned about me getting tired and stressed out.

Ok, maybe the biggest downside, i do get stressed out over a particular chore - cooking. I over think about cleaning up after, which i truly hate, which sees me opting for boring simple no mess meals. And then i stressed myself further trying to get creative, time efficient, energy saving and so on.

Righ, enough blabbering, i digress.

So meet Fitriyani. Just that, no surname. Nickname Nani. Compared to previous maids, this one is XL (ok call me mean, i'm just saying). But her face is cute. She's comel, that's the exact impression. Her record is good, she stays long with employer, not a job-hopper.

I hope i dont jinx the record by announcing this news.

Ok, till later, wish me luck with this one.

The Weeks That Were

2012-01-06T19:41:00.007+08:00

These are backlogs of the 2 weeks prior to last post :-

1. I exhausted myself cooking for hubby's birthday party. Not that it was grand or anything but you know, maidless made it very tiring. Note to self - next time use paper plates. Why I never is beyond me. I just like doing things the hard way. Anyway, we received a surprise home made durian cake from unexpected guest/ friend which was so delicious and instantly became famous.

2. The next day, we played (or rather the boys and men played and we ladies running about aimlessly giggling) futsal in a family match. Helmi put on a good show and won the golden boot title for top scorer. Two family members arrived so late, we have finished playing and were resting and having drinks outside and were about to finish that too when they finally turned up in their sports attire. Adehh.

3. The same afternoon, we had a family karaoke session at K-Box in town arranged by my brother who was a renowned singer during his college days. Aduh. Immediately we characterised into 2 groups. Oldies and Teens. Whenever Korean songs blared from the speaker, the mike is passed over to the nieces. We noticed then that they memorised the lyrics and were singing as if they could read Korean from the screen. The oldies , well you know, standard evergreens. There's Celine Deon, Bee Gees, Jamal Abdillah, Dewa. Problem is, only one can really sing and whenever we like certain songs we don't even know what's the title to look for. And just why the video clip so rubbish is unfathomable to me. Absolutely irrelevant and poorly and hideous. Entah apa-apa. Patut pun budak2 tu nda sudi, bagus lagi K-Pop boleh lagi layan dance video dia.

4. Invited to a xmas wedding by inlaws. The halal food catered for muslim guests was very delicious. (makanan saja aku aga kan?).

5. Got together with BFF for year end lunch at our official hotel restaurant (aiseh). Perfect lamb roasts made our day. Hubby asked only one thing, 'kenapa hari Khamis, bukan Jumaat ka hari kamu makan2?'. Sudah tukar la kan. I didn't realise it was a Thursday. I got some cute Hong Kong souveneirs from Sri which I adore. Thanks gal.

6. The next morning, sailed to an island for a family day trip. Just 3 families, the rest backed out at the last minute due to weather scare. We had an awesome time. I swam a little, tried snorkelling a little and munched snacks non-stop. Helmi and Azim become pro at parasailing. The weather was fine, wasn't too hot so we didn't burn. We got back on land before it rained and sambung makan2 at Garden Point. Have you tried the new stall selling ikan bakar? Not bad kan? I recommend ikan putih bakar sambal and terung bakar.

7. On 31st we had a family bbq at home to welcome the new year. My inlaws did the barbequing , of fish, squids, chicken wings, lamb, sausages, which turned out perfect and superb. (This time we got the paper plates out). And the famous durian cake made another appearance, and disappearance. The countdown finale was fireworks in the front yard, anxiously waited on by our children. I was actually getting sleepy and ready to call it a day. Mental note telling I consumed too much lamb and durian for 3 days in a row. Unwise but unavoidable.

So holiday is over. How is everyone's first day of school? Somebody made Prefect this year. I think he looks cute in his new uniform.

Happy weekend.

New Year post

2012-01-03T16:32:00.001+08:00

I actually stayed up till the stroke of midnight. I haven't done that for some time. Normally I turned in my usual bedtime not bothering to count down. This year my inlaws arranged bbq and fireworks so there was that to look for. Seeing the sky erupt with the booming noise and bursting flames. The area we stay is always big on fireworks. Chinese new year , xmas, eid, you'd be sure there'll be someone starting the crackers. So it was like some sort of competition, one display after another all round the neighbourhood. The kids were beside themselves with glee, jumping and shrieking.

Later, barely an hour after everyone turned in, sad news came in. Hubby's elderly relative who's been warded for 3 weeks has passed away. Hubby and his mom and siblings left for hometown next morning for the burial.

I stayed with the kids and got to a last gathering at a sister's for tea and bubur durian. As if I haven't been stuffing myself enough. We had bubur durian too at our bbq and then durian cake. Not durian shaped or durian flavored cake, ok. This is a cake with durian flesh, generously, layered in it. Yummy, my word..that's the most fresh durian cake I ever tasted. I don't know when I turned into a durian lover. I normally don't really go crazy.

Yesterday I went for another gathering at a friend's to watch a certain box office movie on
her CD. Over rated in my opinion. It was not bad, it wasn't really great. What's great is our lunch that day. Perfect ten for Sri's mom's cooking. The sambal ikan masin and bambangan made serious damage to any diet plan. Seriously, I can't not have second helping of rice with that combination. I had third and fourth helpings. Help me.

Oh well. Have a blessed year everyone.

splashy holiday

2011-12-19T07:40:00.001+08:00

I've finished reading the last of many books piled on my bedside table courtesy of Logos Hope and Popular clearance sale. It was perfect when the house was empty 2 weeks ago, the kids off at their grandma, and it rained everyday. Most ideal reading weather.

And then the kids back I have to put it down and we packed up to spend 2 nights at a splendid resort villa not too far out of town. Splendid place. To say the villa has a beautiful ocean view is an understatement. The ocean was right at the door step. Listening to the waves and nothing else made us feel in a far away land. Peace and quite and heavenly. Although its also high tide season and at night fall , the view was both amazing and scary.

The narrow pool at the side of the house made it very fun for the kids. They were practically in the water all day long coming out for food and sleep only. Seriously. Until their lips blue and their fingertips wrinkled. If we don't hear waves we hear splashes around here.

We all went into the ocean and played for hours. Mother in law was having so much fun. She thought its been 20 years since she last swam in the ocean.

We had bbq the second night and got sleepy early from too much swimming and eating. You should see my mother in law in action in the kitchen. With minimum equipments, she made proper dinner and then a dessert of bubur durian. Try and beat that.

Think I pen off here. My 2 sisters and a friend are back from their vacation. Its time to catch up stories. See ya.

Sick and unfit has its perk

2011-11-23T16:35:00.004+08:00

A lethal combination of gastritis and migraine attack sent me crashing on the bed for 4 hours yesterday. Unable to move, head splitting, bile up my throat. I kept vomitting until i just sat slumped beside the toilet. I made the mistake of taking my migraine med first and then remembered an hour later when my tummy ached and twisted that i SHOULD take the gastric pill first, ALWAYS. Oh god, the realization just double up the pain.

I also realise i'm so unfit because my tummy cramps when i heave and squeeze to vomit, like the muscle is jolted and shocked to suddenly be squeezed so many times. Muscle Cramp.is.painful. like i'm not already dying. I'm sure i won't have muscle cramps if i had done push ups. Regularly. Sick and unfit. Can i be more sad?

In my sadness though, my spirits upped by the show of kindness and maturity from the kids. Them and their cousins are all here. One immediately brought me water and made me sandwich, another collect the dirty clothes and put in the washer, the others tidied up the kitchen. They tiptoed around making sure not to bother me. They can actually do chores unsupervised. (tunggu sakit dulu la kan baru merasa). Its sweet though.

This morning the girls were up early wanting to hang the clothes but i've already done it.i'm feeling better. When i went down after shower, they were in the kitchen trying to make breakfast. One was frying the egg, the other spooning the rice out with the idea to fry it. She got the perencah nasi goreng out and the oil but wasn't sure how to proceed. (insert 'aaaaawwww' here for cuteness).

Once in a while i think its worth it to be sick and unfit. Don't you?

The excuse

2011-11-21T22:20:00.005+08:00

I have neglected blogging because i have been maidless, and still is, so i'm a little bit bogged down with endless chores, and during the time that i'm not exhausted, i cherish the chance to curl up in bed watching tv rather than blog. I'm into Korea soaps these days. Luckily one has ended (i'm following 2 drama series). I don't intend to get hooked again after this but who knows.

I've got more time and energy to blog now since the school is over. Just some updates around here - the eldest is off on a school trip to Terengganu for the national scout event. The youngest misses him more than we do. He can't sleep in their room now that he's in there alone, so we got his cousin over to accompany him. He suggests that we all go holiday to Terengganu. (what can you do in Tganu anyway, other than visiting Sri's inlaws, dan apa kaitan?).

I dislike a post without picture but my camera is now with the travelling son and i hate taking pics on my iphone and transferring to this ipad.

As i'm writing this, hubby and kids are downstairs cheering on Malaysia soccer team against Indonesia. I'm the only one in the house who don't speak football. Even my daughter knows a bit about the national team. Me, ada aku kesah?

By the way have you all collected the cash from school? I've got the primary school's today, i'm collecting the secondary's tomorrow. I wish they hurry up about this. Luckily we didn't leave the country. We are doing cuti-cuti Sabah this time after Azim gets back the week after next.

Ok , that's all for now, as Najwa said, Got To Go.

Happy holidays! Have fun!

(They've gone quiet downstairs. They were cheering so loud earlier. Are we losing?)

I like ..

2011-10-25T17:06:00.000+08:00

This new thing i got for my house plant.

Pretty, yes ?

The tiny colorfuls are beautiful and so cute to look at especially in the morning when i wake up and start the day. I love their texture and the fact that they thrive under my neglectful care. They're the perfect houseplant for me.

nature strike

2011-09-27T09:52:00.001+08:00

some sort of hurricane last night. no, early this morning.

the roof lost some of the shingles. some flew to neighbour's roof. some scattered on the ground. flower pots in the yard strewn about. newly planted trees nearly uprooted. a mess.

the wind was scary wasn't it? lucky it didn't go on too long.

have a better day ahead.

Helmi..the accident prone

2011-09-20T12:35:00.000+08:00

Anak aku luka. Lagi. Berjahit. Lagi.
Dulu di muka sekarang di kaki.

Nda tau la anak sorang ni. Kalau nda luka-luka sampai berjahit setiap tahun nda sah kan.

Memang accident prone dia ni. Orang lain berbasikal laju-laju tak jatuh. DIA jugaaa yang jatuh.
Lepas jatuh, baru basikal hempap dia, roda dan rantai masih berputar kena dekat-dekat buku lali. Koyak.

Dia punya teriak masa mau jarum ubat bius ! macam apa saja. nasib baik ada Ira ikut pegang.
'JANGAN!JANGAN! SAKIT!SAKIT! NDA MAU! AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!'

Tangis mati bah!

Sudah masuk ubat bius baru ok. Sempatlah Ira ambil gambar.

Nasib baik bapa nya tiada. Pergi KL. Kalau inda, sudahlah basikal tu kena buang.

Let's hope it won't happen again, next year, or ever.

Red Velvet

2011-09-19T13:27:00.000+08:00

Right this is the recipe I used for the red velvet cake if anyone care to try. Its from Joy of Baking.

Red Velvet Cake:

2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (15 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 - 8 ounce (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

1 - 8 ounce (227 grams) tub of Mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (115 grams) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted

1 1/2 (360 ml) cups cold heavy whipping cream (double cream)

Red Velvet Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two - 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight). (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)

Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to spread. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Assemble: With a serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half, horizontally. You will now have four cake layers. Place one of the cake layers, top of the cake facing down, onto your serving platter. Spread the cake layer with a layer of frosting. Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting and continue to frost and stack the cake layers. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Can garnish the cake with sweetened or unsweetened coconut.

I followed it to a T except for the buttermilk which I sub with a homemade by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to a cup of milk.
Topped with this frosting it really is a delicious cake. I don't really care for the colour and seriously the first time my children saw the cake they were aghast. Like 'aaahhhh...merahnya!' but they taste it and slowly got past the freaky look, so next time I'm doing (for personal consumption) I'll omit the coloring and just let it turn out the original color, probably a dull brown.

Have a try and tell me how you like it.

our open house

2011-09-18T17:52:00.001+08:00

the concept was garden party.
the weather was ok.
the turn out was good.
a happy event.

peserta-peserta karaoke pusingan pertama sebelum hujan turun

percubaan pertama red velvet. sukacita dengan hasilnya. texture sangat lembut, moist dan frostingnya 'to-die-for'. (kalori pun 'to-make-you-dead' tapi itu belakang cerita kan). nanti aku share resipi nya ok.

the usual cuppies.

ini lah antara orang-orang kuat dibelakang khemah yang membantu menjayakan majlis. Supermom, SuperMak dan Badang. Kapowww!

Tuan rumah ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada yang sudi hadir dan memeriahkan sambutan open house kami dan mohon maaf atas apa-apa yang terkurang.

Salam Aidilfitri. Selamat Hari Malaysia.

beraya di kampung kali ini adalah..

2011-09-05T09:48:00.001+08:00

1. meriah seperti biasa, walaupun hujan lebat raya pertama
2. sedikit kelam kabut seperti biasa juga
3. adalah penat kerana tiada orang gaji
4. adalah bosan tiada kedai menarik di pulau wilayah persekutuan ini (mati kutu)
5. tetapi seronok sebab saudara mara biras datang memeriahkan raya dengan mercun dan bunga api
6. anak-anak happy itu yang penting

gambar-gambar kami di Labuan.

what about you.what's your story? selamat kembali bekerja dan menguruskan anak sekolah. selamat panik dan berdebar-debar kepada yang ada anak sit UPSR. Good luck and happy hari raya!

the long awaited high tea and some shopping

2011-07-24T08:47:00.002+08:00

I enjoyed high tea yesterday with beloved friends whom I don't see often enough lately. I guess the next time we do tea will be after Raya. It was to celebrate their birthday this year, one in July one in August.

I'm happy they like my birthday presents which I got an hour earlier.

Tea was great. So much more buffet spread on Saturday, the only downside being the place too crowded and noisy.

S made us go shopping and I ended up buying 2 dresses when I've vowed not to splurge anymore. Hate her.

But the lovely thing were so irresistable. Take a look.

I really like the pattern and the rich color.

The turquoise in this one pops out the dress and the v neck looks elegant.

And they both do look gorgeous on me don't they? (sila muntah)
They're just the right size and length. I've worn one (purple) last night to kenduri. It's very comfy.

Well, see you and happy fasting.

the school trip

2011-07-20T13:17:00.125+08:00

So he came back ok. He didn't lose his wallet, didn't need to pay for excess luggage or anything, he liked the trip and he like his new friends.

When they left for Singapore last Tuesday, it was on a high note. The Principal was on cloud 9, the school having just won the Dance World Cup in Paris. Did you read about that ? Sabah College came out champion. Find it here .

at KK airport

First thing they did upon arriving Singapore , before check-in to their rooms or anything, was to set out on the first trip - Night Safari. Pandai cikgunya kan...memanfaatkan masa.

And then for everyday during their stay, they visit the twinning school -Juying Secondary, sit through their lessons and learn about their subjects and syllabus. For each visiting student, Juying assigned one of their own as a host to socialise, entertain and exchange notes with. Adzim's counterpart, or 'buddy' as they term it is a Secondary 3 student, named Jasmin.

Jasmin is the red shirt guy, next to him (the one with big smile) is the buddy of Adzim's room mate (the serious guy).

So the buddy is the one who takes them around the school, showing them what and where and how.

The classroom is impressive. No battered or half broken wooden desks and chairs. Only good quality plastic furnitures.

And the school building has lifts.

They were put up at the school's hostel and Adzim said it's unlike the asrama back home, but rather like an apartment.

The hostel is named YoHa for Your Habitat.

When the school sessions over, they went out for trips, bringing the buddies along, to places like the Science Centre, Bird Park , and a river cruise off Clark Quay.

Science Centre

bird park

the river cruise

On their last night, they performed a dance for the school.

My boy is at the back wearing yellow.

After 4 days, checking out from the school on Friday.

saying goodbye to singapore friends

They were not off to the airport yet. They had one more day before the flight home. So it was on to another 'school trip'. The important trip. Why. THE UNIVERSAL STUDIO. You think the teachers will let slip this important piece of detail from the itinerary? Not a chance. Goodbye school, here comes fun.

He loved it. He went on all the rides we missed the first time. The crate adventure at Madagascar, the roller coaster ride- cyclone at Sci Fi City and spent all his money on keychains and stuffs.

They were grouped in 4s and 5s and since they were more girls than boys, girls made up most of the group. He was stuck with 3 girls the entire time. But I don't think he mind. They had too much fun to care.

They finally checked in to a hotel past 9pm. Grand Sanda Hotel. I don't know where exactly is that. And stayed up all night going over the trip.

Next morning before airport they chanced one last walkabout at the Merlion Park.

THE END.

my mind is far away

2011-07-15T12:55:00.000+08:00

I'm still here, I'm just drifting away in lazyland. But time to get up and pull the socks. The month is wrapping up, can you believe it, soon we are fasting.

But right now, I'm preoccupied with thoughts of my eldest son being away from us for the first time. He's now in Singapore on a school trip. He's gone for 5 days. I'm not worried, I'm sure he's ok and enjoying it. I'm anxious how he's coping, you know handling his own luggage and stuffs. All this while, he never lift a finger when we travel. I pack his clothes, I pick what he wears, everthing is laid down on the bed when he gets out of shower. I tell him when to take his vitamins/medicines. He does nothing. NOTHING.

He's bunking with a Form 4 student so I'm hoping he could learn a few tips from the older kid, although when I met that boy at the airport, he didn't look that much mature to me...cam sama ja nda berakal...semua mama yang tunjukkan, dimana scan beg pun nda tau....

Ini kali la...habislah migraine cikgu2 nya mengurus dorang ni..

I'm excited to hear everything about the trip when he gets back tomorrow night. Maybe I'll share with you.
In the mean time, I'm off to Labuan in a couple of hours with the rest of my kids for kenduri arwah.

See you in a bit.

Around the hotel and city sights

2011-06-23T15:27:00.001+08:00

Lambat kan sambung cerita? Ya kemalasan sudah memblog ni. Ini last part untuk cerita Perth. Cerita makan lah. Yang sioknya di sini senang cari makanan. Makanan yang halal dan sedap. Lagi senang daripada di Singapore.
Berdekatan dengan apartment kami, 3 min walk, ada cafe Newroz Kebab.

Burgers and chips. Waktu baru sampai, belum ada apa2 mau di masak, sini la kami cari breakfast.
Dan di sebelah kebab ini, ada mini market yang menjual semua barangan makanan yang kering dan basah. Selain barangan runcit, ada makanan mentah , ikan dan daging dan semua buah2an dan sayur2an.

Tengok. Kalau mau masak rendang pun boleh. Pakai kelapa segar.

Setelah menstok barang keperluan dapur baru kami keluar ke bandar. Kalau kami tidak pergi tour, pergi Hillary Harbour, Fremantle tu semua, kami berlegar-legar sekitar Murray Street saja. Di situ ada satu restoran melayu, namanya Indah. Driver tour masa pergi Wildlife Park tu yang bagi tau. Aussie local pun suka pi situ. Oh..we LIKE. Yes, yes, yes. Kami telah order - sup tomyam, kue tiaw goreng, nasi goreng etc. Dan tidak mengecewakan langsung. Sedap sekali. Dan punya besar portion dia. Tapau, sambung makan di apartment.

Sudah jumpa ini restoran kami nda main lagi kebab-kebab.

Lepas tu, kami cuba lagi satu tempat makan lain. Sunday, restoran Indah ni tutup, dan masa tu kami baru balik dari Hillary Harbour, kelaparan, jumpa ni tempat di Street yang sama, cuma lain blok. Indonesia Indah. Motif? kenapa pakai nama sama? Anyway not bad. Masakan Indonesia. Tapi tiada goreng-goreng, cuma nasi dan lauk-pauk. Memang sedap. (sampai tak sempat ambil gambar).

Dan banyak lah sidewalk cafe di city tu yang best duduk2 (tanpa kepanasan) kalau malas jalan. Di Gelaware, nama satu cafe , dekat Murray Street, pot lepak kami untuk pujuk anak kalau kepenatan duduk di bench main game sebab lama menunggu kami shopping :D. Hot chocolate and waffles dia, heaven.

Ok, ini gambar2 sekitar hotel kami. Kami tinggal di Mantra on Hay. Dulu nama dia, Saville Apartments. Dan sebelum tu, Holiday Inn. Selalu bertukar management. Sekarang di ambil alih oleh Mantra Groups.

Ini gambar entrance hotel.

Dan ini lobby. Dia punya trademark, di business card dan backdrop lobby, kata-kata mantra - 'I will make...I will do..'

Ini swimming pool tertutup (roofed) di tingkat 8.

Ini keadaan dalam apartment. Two bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Kitchen stove, convection oven, microwave oven, toaster, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer. Yang tiada rice cooker saja. Terpaksa masak nasi pakai pot. Nasib baik mak mertua ada. Nda pandai aku masak nasi atas api. Mau control stove, lepas tu buka tutup periuk, uar lagi, etc.

Last before I pen-off, some photos of us around the city.

See ya!

The banks of Swan River

2011-06-17T13:17:00.001+08:00

Perth city sits on the foreshores of Swan River. One of the many attractions is Swan Bell Tower situated at Barrack St Jetty overlooking the river and the entire city skyline.

Swan Bell Tower has one of the largest sets (there are 18 bells in the tower) of change ringing bells in the world. Some of these bells are historic ones from an old church in Trafalgar Square in London, that can be traced back to the 14th century. They were recast and donated to the States of Western Australia. They are rare in that they are one of the few sets of royal bells and are known to have rung as the explorer James Cook set sail on the voyage that founded Australia.

The fountain in front of the tower

Swan River is named after the famous black swans of the area.

The jetty area. You take the ferry here to Rottnest Island.

Along the river bank is the bike and footpaths, very nice for jogging, lazy strolling.

Or any other suitable exercise.

Across the road from the river bank is a big playing field.

Where we like to spend a few hours before sunset to play boomerang and frisbee or just running around.

The field is just 5 min walk from our hotel.

Ofcourse Azim's fav exercise is perfecting his breaking moves.

There is also a little playground at the corner of the field.

Funky Fremantle

2011-06-14T18:24:00.001+08:00

This is another place that I wish I had more time exploring. Thrice we came here we've only reached the Markets (boohoo). Fremantle, or Freo, as its known by locals is a port city about 20 min drive from city centre. The Fremantle Market is a famous attraction. But there are also Fremantle Prison, Maritime Museum and other spots I have yet to set foot on. Future reminder lists.

We spent our Sunday here. Just outside the market entrance a performance of tricks and stunts was ongoing when we arrived. The boys were glued.

He was quite impressive. That's a baseball bat he's juggling with 2 sticks. If he drops it (he didn't) it would certainly smash the guy's face. And some other stunts like juggling 3 dangerous items at once , a live chainsaw + a dagger + a blade. And then lying on a bed of nails. The kids stood transfixed and wouldn't move anywhere so we had to wait a good one hour before moving on.

There's a video my son took but I couldn't upload it.

Stopping for food at the cafe just next to the market.

This is a Lebanese cafe. The kebabs are very good and very huge portion. (the pic come out yellow, I've no idea what happened).

She's real not a statue.

Assortment of boomerangs and frisbees, the boys' favourite.

By 4pm we were back to the city because the sun set early here. Around 5 pm it gets dark.

Merry at Hillary

2011-06-12T18:40:00.001+08:00

Hillary Harbour is a prime recreational destination for Perth locals and visitors. It's full of attractions, activities and shops and just a very fun place to spend a day with family.

It's heaven for kids. There are picnic park, swimming beach, games centre, fun rides and a wide range of cafes and restaurants.

The kids' favourite - trampolines.

Tea cups go-round

This one is called Jungle Mountain.

It's a huge 20 feet tall hamper-like structure filled with webs of elastic bands. The fun is climbing to the top while bouncing on the rubber bands.

Adzim was quick but fell back to help Ira every now and then so Helmi was the first to reach the top.

The fare is for all day. You could come out for rest and return to play again as long as you don't lose the tag in your wrist.

Second time around, Adzim won, Ira got the hang of it and made it on her own.

I don't think they had enough fun time here. I personally think we need to stay 2 days to really enjoy everything around here.

We got here by public transport, catching the Joondalup line train from Perth and alighted at Warwick. Which was a mistake because that only work on weekdays. As it was Saturday, we needed to stop at Greenwood station. So down we went again to catch the train and waited for the train to alight at the correct station, just a stop away, by the way. From there, we took a bus to Hillary Boat Harbour. The train ride plus the bus ride took us about 45 min.

I was in Perth

2011-06-11T23:07:00.002+08:00

Last week with hubs and kids and their grandma for a holiday .

My first feeling on arriving was, nice change of weather. For once we didn't need to turn the aircon on in every room we went. Ofcourse after several hours, we roped for jackets. It's the start of winter.

Our first tour was to Caversham Wildlife Park. Just an hour away.Our last trip with the kids, we brought them to Perth Zoo but wildlife park is better because you could make contact with the animals and feed them. The attractions are ofcourse skippy and the koalas.

Some tips, if you want to get near and touch the kangaroos, walk quietly, don't stomp or run, they will get panicky and jump. (kalau anak gauk yang nda merati diam dan mesti mau berlari..agak unsafe ya..)

This one we can't get enough. They're like soft, fluffy pillow. Squashy, smoochy little cutesies.They're also calm and cool and has this funny bored off its pants-looking face.

Not to mention they smell nice. Eucalyptus.

Some other animals in the park.

This exposed thing is a wombat. To me its an ugly version of koala. This guy here is positoned there on the bench the whole day taking pictures with visitors after visitors. No one hold the wombat except him. People are only to touch the side of his legs and no other part (as if you would).

The next stop brought us to Swan Valley for a visit to Margaret River Chocolate Factory and the vineyard.

The vineyard outside the factory.

I'm sleepy. I'll continue tomorrow ok. Nite.

the birthday presents

2011-05-18T12:35:00.000+08:00

mau juga cerita present..siok bah buka2 hadiah ni kan..

i really like this pretty lovely cake server from Shabbymom and Whimsy. thank you again girls.akak suka, akak suka.

very elegant kan. ada initial aku lagi tu, M. how cute is that?

And these are from my lovely mom-in-law and sis-in-law. A pair of flower pots. Pasu ibu dan anak.

I think they're pretty here, overlooking the garden, and among my roses dinnerware.

A jewellery box from my sweet daughter who picked out 2 other presents from my boys. Anak lelaki memang nda tau memilih. Leave it to Ira. I actually just asked her a handmade card and a kiss but she said she's in no mood for card. Hubby gave him RM50 and she went to town.

So this is supposedly from eldest son.

Ring holder.

barulah tersusun dengan cantik cincin-cincin aku.

Lastly from youngest son.

I like it. Very pretty blue.

And from hubby, a vacation in Perth next couple of weeks when the school break starts. We're bringing the kids and mom-in-law. This is a -one present fit all-. For the birthdays, mothers day and our 13th anniversary.

See ya.

May babies and Mom's Day Do

2011-05-08T13:08:00.002+08:00

We did double birthday celebrations yesterday for me and my youngest son.

Was great fun even though I was exhausted. I baked a storm and I cooked a storm.

It was well worth it. A few little cupcakes for Mother's Day since there'll be lot of mothers around. I was busy cooking the last dish and was blurred and surprised when mom-in-law suddenly turned up fresh from the ferry or plane I guess. Eh? didn't she said over the phone last nite she's coming next week. I could have made a special Mother's Day cake for her to cut. Lucky for the last minute cupcakes. Me and sis-in-law handed her a cupcake and gave a kiss.(she leaves again the next day, this is all the party we could give her). Then I got every boy and girl in the party to do the same to their moms. The kids look sweet like that.

I wanna give a shoutout to my sweet guests who brought along potlucks . Azura-thank you for the delicious pasta. Someone brought swissroll. Was that Bibi or Linda. Thank you. And thank you Shabbymom for the lovely gifts which the birthday boy adores. (this time you got it right :D).

And now a special wish to all the mothers in the world. Many gifts come in pretty boxes but we all know that the most precious ones can't be wrapped. May all moms get lots of warm hugs and mushy kisses from their kids . Happy Mother's Day !

royal wedding fever

2011-05-01T11:34:00.001+08:00

my brain is fuzzy from watching the wedding highlights over and over and over again for 2 days. my low down :

1. loving the bride's gown. absolutely elegant, she looked stunning. (my daughter remarked her boobs look pointy in the dress and the lace is sexy (!), I can't believe my daughter is more conservative than me. She just started on her training bra, guess she's just over observant on that area..

2. love the second kiss.

3. prince william is so loving. i feel stabs of pain for Diana everytime the two exchange looks of love throughout the ceremony and everytime he holds her hand, wait for her, glancing at her. had she lived to see this, she would have been so proud and happy for him.

4. the queen look too yellow, but she also look like she stopped ageing, she look the same since Diana's funeral. Camilla look older than her.

5. can't comprehend for the life of me, the style of princess beatrice. she really intend to appear live on tv around the world in this.

6. i like when the jet fly over the balcony, can't feel much excitement on tv, but must be amazing to be there and see and hear it live. worth camping for the crowd.

I can go on and on, but I'll stop at 6. I 'll leave you to ponder more.

Now excuse me, I'm off for lunch with me sisters to go over the wedding AGAIN.

Happy Labour Day !

Happy Birthday Adzim and Mom

2011-04-22T15:06:00.002+08:00

Hi! How're u guys doing? I'm just about fainting in the heat. It's boiling here.
Plus, internet has been erratic the past week hence my delay.

Some photos of the double birthday celebration last weekend.

He is 13. She is 61.

Stayed at Dream World Resort. Wasn't as fun as last time. We got bigger house but less than perfect facilities. Tap water was murky. The jacuzzi didn't work.

But there's a nice little park to hang outside and play and the weather was perfect.

Ta-ta now. Enjoy the long weekend.

reckless me

2011-04-15T10:56:00.024+08:00

monumental terribleness happened that made me want to shoot myself. i wish yesterday 4pm didn't happen, that it was all a dream. a bad nightmare.

i wrecked my car, destroying the fender while trying to manouver a narrow lane and caught the back corner of a truck that carelessly parked exceeding space. it escaped unscathed. no point blaming truck. i should have been more careful.

i know, oh-my-god is right.

i feel sick to my stomach with horror and guilt. i have always scratched my car but this is the worst. i should be banned. i should drive a tank instead.

all this has eclipsed the excitement for an anticipated lovely weekend. everyone's busy with preparing for my son's and my mother in-law's double birthday celebrations this weekend. a bit hard to lift up my spirit now.

i hope the weather stays fine. the party venue is outside town. we're having a weekend getaway.

till then, have a fab day.

Blogging is neglected

2011-04-04T19:44:00.002+08:00

..because I'm engrossed in this :-

, and this :-

Two good finds over the weekend while nursing the after-effect of a terrible headache that started on Friday. One of the worst I had in a long time. I suspect the cause to be the combination of insane heat and over exerting myself physically in the gym after not going for months. Big, big mistake. My whole muscle aches, my head throbs and the weather is so hot, I am cranking the aircon night and day.

I hope you have a better week.

Pasaria

2011-03-27T12:03:00.003+08:00

Sabtu dihabiskan bersama anak-anak di sekolah Azim kerana ada Pasaria. Tujuannya untuk mengumpul dana sekolah. Memang berhasil. Sasaran kutipan RM150,000. Rasanya lebih dari sasaran. Sebelah pagi ada sedikit masalah cuaca, hujan berterusan 3 jam , nasib baik nda lebat.

Pasaria nya besar-besaran dan SEMUA barangan ada dijual. Bukan saja standard macam makanan/minuman, baju, aksesori tapi termasuk juga sayur-sayuran, buah-buahan segar, telur, beras, kopi, gula. Aik? Ini sudah pasar tani.

Gerai makanan pun bukan saja makanan siap, tapi termasuk yang dimasak secara live, macam ayam panggang, goreng pisang, mi goreng, burger, fries, dan segala-gala tak ubah bazaar ramadhan. Semua laku dan habis sebelum tengahari.

Ada Abu Bakar Ella di datangkan untuk memeriahkan suasana dan menghibur pengunjung.

Selain jualan gerai, sekolah buat beberapa aktiviti/acara sampingan untuk menambah kutipan.

1) Ada 2 ular sawa besar didatangkan khas (entah dari mana) untuk tujuan bergambar di atas pentas. Sekali gambar RM 15 ( Ira & Helmi lama menghabiskan masa di sini menengok ular sampai penat aku menunggu tapi disuruh bergambar nda juga mau)

2) Ada tayangan gambar di Bilik ICT , filem2 seperti Step Up 3, Big Mama,dll bermula jam 9 pagi. Bayaran masuk RM5.

3) Ada talent show di dewan sekolah-nyanyian dan tarian. Bayaran masuk RM5. Tapi persembahannya main2 saja, halfhearted (mengikut Ira la, aku nda masuk) dan tiadalah talent langsung yang ikut serta tu (aku boleh dengar dari luar). Orang ni kalau dibayar nyanyi la bagus-bagus.

4) Ada sudut untuk sewa main games Dota, kira2 6 buah PC gitu.

Sebenarnya aku tertinggal kamera masa mula2 datang, jadi gambar di atas diambil sebelah petang. Tiada mau di fokus lagi , ular sudah balik. (aku rasa kamu pun nda sanggup tengok 2 ekor ular yang sangat besar itu)

Sesiapa yang beli kupon tapi datang sebelah petang (dia mula 7pagi hingga 5 petang), agak rugi sebab semua makanan dan barangan yang bagus2 habis dijual, tinggal yang nda laku macam stationery dan aksesori yang kesian. Aku nda paham juga guru dorang ni. Nda pandai menapis barang2 mau dijual. Ada ka jual pensil dan pen. Siapa bah mau beli pensil di Pasaria? Nda perlu-perlu. Bikin sayang kupon. Pensil biasa lagi tu. Jual lagi mahal. Pensil RM1 dua, pen RM3 satu. Budak menengah mana pakai pensil kan. Semua pakai pen, kecuali untuk melukis. Kalau terror melukis tu, mana la pakai pensil biasa2 juga. Kalau bilang beli untuk adik, budak sekolah rendah masih dapat pensil percuma dari kerajaan, seorang sekotak. Di rumah nda berpakai pun, sebab dorang lebih suka pensil mekanikal.

Macamanapun, keseluruhannya memang ok. Banyak barangan dan aktiviti, banyak boleh dibeli dan dilihat.

buttonwood massage

2011-03-24T12:32:00.009+08:00

Lately I'm prone to back aches, especially around my neck and shoulder. Why. Is this age? I'm always gettting that 'selahau bantal' pain, sometimes at the frequency of once a week. I need to go for body massage. One good place I know for this is the bone theraphy place at Jalan Lintas. I know it says bone but they do broader stuff than that, including fixing knotted veins and such. But the thing that hold me back there is that the theraphy is uncomfortable. Well, no pain no gain they say. If you want your body fixed, prepare to endure pain. The treatment combines hot compress, machine treatment and a little hand massage on the problem area. The hot compress I don't look forward to. Feels stuffy when my neck sweat and the vapour suffocate me, and that's the process that takes the longest. The actual massage is very, very short, like 5 minutes, just around the problem area.

So I wish for alternative. I would like a longer whole body massage that relaxes as well as fix the problem, like not all pain.
Right on cue, my beautician called to remind me I haven't claimed my voucher for a free body massage.

Which I got at a lucky draw sometime last year. So I immediately made appointment.

And I was ready for some detoxification action on Tuesday. It sounded exciting.

But I was in for a surprise. Because the whole treatment was using a machine. I wasn't in for a good old fashion massage after all. I had no idea that this was what you call buttonwood. I thought buttonwood somehow involves a wood device for kneading the back in a pleasurely way. I recall her saying using some machine but not.. I didn't ...oh..let me explain the whole process. If you could click the photo bigger, you would see the many buttons marked suction, vacuum, release, suck circular, etc..Well I was exactly done that way. My back was sucked, then vacuumed, then sucked in circular motion, released, repeat 20 times, all over my back. I was a carpet being cleaned! Torture. Oh what was I thinking. Absolute torture. The suction cup squeezed me so hard that I yelped out for the therapist to stop. I thought my bone was going to crush. Seriously, but she was calm , 'no,no,no...memang begitu ..itu mula2 saja..'
True, the cup released just before it broke the bone. After a while, I kind of got the rythm and expected the coming pain. Everytime it squeezed, I took a deep breath and counted the seconds when it released . The lady pointed out how my shoulder was full of 'winds' because it turned red in no time compared to the other parts.

The shoulder felt better but now my back look horrible. They are so red, like I'm scalded. Ghastly. My daughter took pictures but I'm never showing you. I'll spare you the gruesome image. I think the mark stays for weeks. Next time, I'm going to Jalan Lintas.

LIKE

2011-03-22T08:06:00.004+08:00

I would like to 'click' LIKE to these ole-ole I got recently from a family friend who just returned from a vacation in Vietnam.

Fabric. Lovely pre-embroidered plain colour chiffon. Nice beadwork too. I love it.

Funny how just weeks ago I was leafing through some magazines trying to get ideas for baju raya. I already decided I would wear plain colour. This is what I was looking at.

I would like something like this. Plain color and nice simple beadings. Ok, the fabric I got has more intricate work of sequins and beads on it than the above but they're just in one spot, not all over the fabric. I think the fashion is going to work fine. I can't wait for the finished dress. I've got 2 kain now, another from dear mom-inlaw, which is a colorful floral print. I'm making them into baju kurung asli. So that's baju raya issue pretty much settled , at least for myself, gotta think of hubby's and the childrens' now. I guess we're all wearing green this year.

Another souvenier from Vietnam. A hat. Tourist hat or gardening hat, I don't know. It's tiny.

This thing is collapsible.

Do you know what I thought it was at first? Umbrella. A toy umbrella or maybe a food cover, you know tudung saji. Until my sister-in law pointed out, it's a bell hat. Bell/straw hat. Ok.

I appreciate the gifts. They're making me happy.

mountain view

2011-03-15T22:26:00.005+08:00

We took to the mountain during the tsunami scare.

Well, what happened was, there had been planning that weekend for office BBQ and family day at some beach resort but due to tsunami alert, venue was immediately changed within 24 hr.

With no confirmed reservation and a lot of food, we head out to higher ground to find lodgings. Fortunately, without much searching, we found a newly built resort with enough rooms and amazing view too. Unfortunately, it rain all day. ALL DAY long.

What do you when it rains on vacation? Exactly, we had food to feed a village so we practically ate our way through the weekend. That's the kind of thing you do on weekends, anyway, don't you? Bingeing.

As boredom set I turned to the TV and to my joy, chanced upon a StarMovie channel showing Everyone's Fine. Have you watched that? Beautiful story. Robert DeNiro is really, really awesome. I'm still picturing the scenes in my head. It's the kind of story that if I have the CD, I'm gonna watch it over and over again. Finally something good to pass the time, other than eating non-stop. (well, no, actually I still ate while watching).

Anyway, it was good and I didn't get so bored anymore.

The sun shone the next morning and the surrounding looked even more amazing.

Photo-taking frenzy ensued until check out time.

Group photo before leaving.

Condolence

2011-03-07T11:26:00.000+08:00

We are shocked and saddened by the news that a couple of Malaysians who died in an accident in Jedah several days ago, were in fact a friend's family. We could only imagine the trauma this must be for him and his family, to have endured the tragic incident at the start of their journey and to have to deal with it and carry on with their ibadah umrah. What a sad, distraughtful place to be.

We hope they find the strength and solace in each other and the guidance and will to get through the pain and sorrow.

Our condolence and prayers for the family and may the souls rest in peace.

not good

2011-03-03T12:25:00.001+08:00

a boring one yesterday. raining all day causing cancelled errands, streamyx down causing hopeless internet, and nothing good on TV making a complete dull day.

i baked a chocolate cake with a generous ganache. a little bit runny so I used the leftover as chocolate syrup on my toast. bliss.

when i level my cake, i don't throw away the cut portion, do you? i save it, for eating later. and that's what i did mostly yesterday, eating the leftover after breaking it up in a bowl and spoon heaps of the ganache all over it like a sauce and eat it like a meal. divine, divine.

i'm sure that was the cause of my headache last night. too much chocolate in my system. at 1 am i couldn't sleep. i needed migraine pill to ease it and help me drift off.

what any of it has to do with these pictures? nothing.

on another day a week ago, i spruced up the plain ole headband of my daughter's with a pink black ribbon. she likes it.

Weekend Retreat

2011-03-01T17:00:00.012+08:00

We were over at a cousin’s wedding in the cowboy town at the weekend.

I’m embarrassed to say we got lost finding our way to our aunt’s house. No, it hasn’t been that long. But none of us has a reliable sense of direction when it comes to driving at night. We spent an hour driving at the wrong side of suddenly-seemed-vast Kota Belud ending at the same junction over and over again. It got to a point where it became spooky. The one villager we stopped to ask direction turned out to be a stranger himself and couldn’t help.? We had to retraced and start back from the hotel.

Anyway, arrive we did, fashionably late. Malam Berinai party went on till 12.00 pm. There was a late instalment of traditional dances by a group of kids that was scrapped earlier for sensitivity reason and then reapproved later after an appeal meeting with the village elders. There was even supposed to be a karaoke session but that didn’t get the reapproval. All because a few days prior, there had been a funeral in the neighbourhood. The elders insisted, that out of respect, there ought to be no partying, dancing and singing aside from the customory ceremony. The kids had prepared, had practiced and donned their pretty new costumes so they were looking a sad, disappointed lot when told to cancel. In the end the kind old people relented and let them party.

Next morning I got up early, ( I could never sleep well at a foreign place), and when my sister and daughter (we shared a room) got up too, we took off to the beach. There was still the kenduri kahwin to attend but we planned to go around 11 am so we had a good 2 hours. There is only one attraction in this town, the Kuala Abai. Because the place is well known, the road signs and directions are good and things do seem a lot clearer when you drive in the day, so. It’s quite a distance (about 30 min) even with me stepping on it to go faster than my sister does (god..she drive so slow). You do have to be careful with cows and its droppings all over the road, all the way though.

There are several routes to reach the beach because I didn’t get the same view I remembered when my cousin last brought me there few years back. Before , we came right to the chalets and jetty. This time around, we followed a direction to a lodge, (which seem popular) and we came to ..well the lodge , overlooking a beautiful beach I didn't remember seeing then.

The paved road down to the lodge is beautiful. There is a sense of quaint, laid-back, unventured territory about the place.

You could have missed this turn and gone down a bad, horrible road filled with volcano-sized holes like we did, which you could no way reversed out (because it's one way and going downhill) except drive on to where it leads, which is to a fishermen dock littered with rubbish, still overlooking the beautiful beach. Thankfully we found a better alternative.

This is definitely a much better route

Leads to a lodge and the scenery is amazing.

The lodge.

Visitors come here mostly to go snorkeling at Pulau Matanani or fishing.

It's beautiful and peace and quiet here. The water is calm and crystal clear. And I like the view from the treehouse. Because we didn't stay long the morning, ( had to go to the wedding), I came back again after the wedding with hubby and kids. We did not follow the family entourage to bride's place in Tuaran as we were sure to lose our way again.

The place look great for barbeque and family outing, don't you think?

Ok, arranging these pics is giving me a headache. I don't get the new format. It's supposed to be easier but, I've been here all morning, straightening the pictures. I need to allocate a whole day to learn these stuffs.

And now the post is suddenly centre aligned.

I give up.

Have a good week.

February Babies

2011-02-20T09:11:00.006+08:00

Happy birthday to my litte sweeties !

Adorable Adriana , who is proud to be 3. If you ask her how old is she now, she cooly put up 3 fingers.

Sassy Sofea, who turns 5. She's an outgoing cutie, and as her grandpa put (and I agree), will grow up to be a street smart, confident young lady.

Sweet Shasha who turns 5. A loving and friendly little sweetheart.

And last but not least, my 'little' sister Maria, who turns erm....never mind, wishing you many many happy returns this year, may business prosper and more importantly good health and happiness. Allah bless.

School Sports Day

2011-02-17T14:31:00.007+08:00

On the bleachers this morning supporting the kids in their school race. The weather was cooperative, not too much sun and only rain right after the Sports is over.

He raced in 50m and won 3rd place.
She raced in 100 m and 200 m and lost, and then too tired to race the next 4x100 and 4x200.(over ambitious I say)

I get exhausted watching them run as if I actually did the running, or maybe because of all the time I dashed here and there trying to get their pictures.
I'm glad it's over. And they get tomorrow off. Yeay !

sugar and spice and everything nice

2011-02-12T17:35:00.005+08:00

...all in one plate , alleviating an otherwise gloomy rainy Saturday afternoon.

i made a beeline to the cute cupcake shops after looking at Shabbymom's photos.

my take - i like hearty carrot from shop B and apple cupcake from shop C, the rest taste the same, but maybe that's just me, I prefer fruity flavor. The kids love the chocolate ones though.

on another note, i should give myself a pat on the back, for sticking to my non-shopping zone. while discovering the cupcakes, i discovered very interesting boutiques in the same area. here's how interesting it was, i almost bought 2 pretty big rings, i almost bought a pair of carrot-cut jeans (carrot cupcake n carrot-cut jeans..bit too much) which look flattering n a tshirt with pretty sparkling appliques&beading (so not me..again the cupcakes do strange things to my mood). however, those just almost happened, BUT didn't.

Happy Sunday

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-09T11:54:00.003+08:00

Where I've Been Today

2011-02-04T20:59:00.028+08:00

To a friend's house warming kenduri.

My friend Wati has moved in to her brand and GRAND new home.

I'm very excited for her. I've passed by her house a couple of times admiring the exteriors, the fencing, the design, all beautiful and ofcourse couldn't wait to see inside.

And today I've finally step over the treshold and I've got loads of pictures to share with you. I've asked her permission to blog.

So, everyone please follow me. Be quiet and pay attention. We are going on a tour.

This is the main entrance

To the main living room - showing the right side wall

View of the left side taken from the centre.

Further on the right side wall, a fireplace and another living room

Pausing on the fireplace. That's a fake fire ofcourse.

The first living room, view from the staircase.

next to it, is this family room. my camera doesn't do justice but this area is beautiful. the look is elegant and I love the colour.

The first living room, at the centre leads to the dining room (at the right, leads to 2nd living room)

End of the dining room, towards dry kitchen

But at the left side of the dining room, another sitting area

with same set furnitures

and a bench

Ok, the dry kitchen. Wall-to-wall cabinets.

the island

nice ceiling design

this is the wet kitchen. ya, i'll bring you inside.

here.

This is the second living room

And this has got to be everyone's favourite spot

The garden terrace

Perfect for reading, lazying about, messing around..

She didn't need to worry about new decorations.

She got loads from her old house

Very pretty

Ok, going upstairs now

This is the family room

The walk-in wardrobe

The master bedroom

His dressing table (outside the bathroom)

Her dressing table (in the bedroom)

The master bathroom

The private living room

Chandelier in the hallway

verandah

another chandelier

this is a bar. there's a sink you can't see behind.

Back downstairs. The front yard. Two canopies for serving food.

This is actually feast for relatives. They will hold another kenduri in March for friends. But the food is enough for open house occassion.

Thank you so much Wati for the grand tour. Congratulations again to you and Mus for your beautiful new home.

didn't happen

2011-02-03T21:00:00.006+08:00

I did nothing I said I was going to do yesterday. masak lemak nothing. not even close.

What did happen is a 2-layered orange butter cake inspired by a box-full of mandarin oranges given by the neighbour.

This after witnessing a crazy accident involving 3 cars at a busy intersection somewhere up Jalan Sulaman.

Ooh..somebody started the new year with the wrong foot.
Hasty, careless rabbit don't win the race.

Better luck for the rest of the Rabbit Year!

Good lunch

2011-02-01T21:23:00.004+08:00

Lunch and tea at Shabbymom's today. Nice and simple but very tasty home cooked meal. I'm envious she has a husband who can cook 'masak lemak' dish that good. What a blessing and how very convenient. I was too hungry to capture anything for the blog.

But I intend to go get the freshest fish tomorrow and attempt the recipe, hopefully successfully and then be able to photo and blog it. And then one of these days, visit the place where Shabbymom's got her sambal belacan from. I have high hopes.

Wish me luck.

new park in town

2011-01-30T21:44:00.008+08:00

Checking out the new park today amid the drizzling rain.

We like the place, Taman Perdana. Please don't rain tomorrow. I want to come here again.

Update

2011-01-27T21:17:00.003+08:00

Hi! I've been immersed in life that I have neglected to post again.

Hubby's aunt from KL just left here yesterday. She was here since last Wednesday with her husband and 2 other relatives. Didn't do much entertaining since it was school week and all. We just gave a car for use and let them in my Mom-in law's care.They entertained themselves driving out of town to Beaufort, Kota Belud,etc, buying stuffs like 'beras bukit', fresh tiger prawns and this and that.

The best part was ofcourse Mak Ngah's cooking especially that udang goreng cili.Hmmmmm.. I should say no more. My sinus is bad these days from consuming all those wicked udang.

Kids schedules are tight this month. Sports practice, afternoon class, co-cum every Saturday, top with kelas mengaji and tuitions, they hardly have time for homeworks. And the homeworks are a lot. Not that I'm complaining. But they are really cramming everything before the long CNY holidays.

That's a whole one week by the way. You guys got anything planned?

None here. We'll probably just hang out at the club. I just hope the rain doesn't come some days. It's everyday, isn't it? Kids haven't gone to the pool for a while.

So before I take a blog break again, here's wishing you a very prosperous Chinese New Year !

New Look

2011-01-24T14:20:00.005+08:00

Dig my new look?

Hee...I like it. I'm not too crazy about the new template but I love the new font. I've been wanting to change my post font to make it look my own handwriting (when I'm not writing in a hurry, that is). And won't you know it, there are new fonts out there at blogger! So while I'm at it, I decide to choose a different template altogether. I have changed four times.

Fancy changing your own font? Go to your dashboard. By the way, I got to know this when I was blog-hopping and found a post explaining everything about this new find. Don't you love a blogger who loves sharing tips/info and tells you about it in detail? Awesome. So I'm gonna pass on the kindness and hopefully make your day.

Right. Ok, this is how you do it :

1. Go to your dashboard
2. Scroll down to bottom and click on "blogger in draft" under Tools and Resources
3. Next, click "design"
4. Next "Template Designer" - at this point you can change template, background color and stuffs.
5. To change the font, scroll to the bottom and click "Advanced".
6. On the right side, select Text Font, and click. Enjoy scrolling down the options. You can preview to see if you like it and if it's easy to read.

So go on! Have a play around. Have fun.

Lazy Day Yay

2011-01-19T12:18:00.006+08:00

It's quiet here. It's been quite and slow. Actually just the way I like it. Have had enough chaos in December going vacationing everywhere and shopping school stuffs . So I intend to go abolutely nowhere this whole month, except grocery store, to make up.

It's raining everyday. Not quite the way I like it. But it gives me the reason to work on getting my kitchen/pantry organised. I went through all the cabinets and cleaned them out, which always feel good, and I redid all my spices. It's amazing how much room is wasted with things you don't use unless you really stay on top of it, you know.

The before look:

And the after :

And all these are past their expiry dates. What a waste. One good rule to organising pantry is to purge. Often.

So what do you do when it rains? What else, eat ofcourse. The kitchen is nice and tidy. Everything is organised. You have some mushrooms in the fridge and ready pastry. How about some mushroom soup?

Hmmm.....it's good..it's good. Shall I pass on the recipe? It's a keeper. I got it from allrecipe.com. Here :

CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup margarine

4 onions, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

2 tb flour

4 cups vegetable stock

1 cup light cream

salt & pepper to taste

1 sprig fresh thyme leaves

1 tb chopped fresh chives

Directions :

1.Thinly slice the mushrooms, discarding the stalks.

2. Melt the butter and cook the onions, garlic and thyme for 1 minute or until garlic is golden. Add the mushroom and salt & pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the mushrooms soften. Add flour and stir for 1 minute.

3. Remove from heat and add stock, stirring continuosly. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce the heatand simmer gently for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Whisk the cream into the soup, then reheat gently, stirring. Do not allow the soup to boil. Season to taste with salt & pepper, and garnish with the chopped chives and thyme.

Have a try. It's perfect for the weather.

because i need to blog

2011-01-14T12:02:00.005+08:00

does writing the title count as blogging?

i did say i'm going to do better this year. easier said. and you shouldn't believe everything i said.

i think i'll share photos of our family day we had before the new year.

at a local resort, half an hour from home. everybody was there except eldest brother and youngest brother. we had fun throughout 2D 1N. the only thing slacked, it was raining a good half of the first day. such a shame we couldn't do all the outdoor games planned. it would have been great fun.

so we settled for indoors, and had fun anyway.

i'd like to say i have many pictures to share but i don't.

The dinner was great. Buffet spread of delicious entree, appetizer, 6 main dishes, and dessert.

in the morning we had a nice stroll on the beach which was beautiful.

while the kids splashed around in the swimming pool, us adults took to the sea. it was a great feeling because it had been such a long time since we last 'mandi laut'. fun. hopefully we can continue this annual family do forever.

enjoy your friday!

Goodbye 2010

2011-01-03T11:32:00.006+08:00

Happy New Year everyone !!!

How's your new list going? Me, I've stopped bothering about new resolutions since ..I can't remember when. The list stresses me. But good luck with yours.

2010 had been a good year I suppose. My kids grew in their thinking and independence. They made me proud. My blogging and baking has taken a backseat somewhat but I expect I'll do better this year. Don't know what makes me so sure but I just do. I have also met up with many long lost school friends which is really good. Ofcourse there haven't been all happy memories last year . We lost a brother. That's a big downer moment. However it grew us closer and tighter.

Let's all hope this year will be a wonderful one.

Happy New Year !

Langkawi Part VI

2010-12-17T12:46:00.012+08:00

Ok now KL story. From Penang, the last leg is KL before returning to KK.

But these are pics when we first arrived to attend the wedding.

It was in Ampang at an aunt's house. Sampai saja terus bekerja menolong siapkan door gifts.

Saturday was nikah and Sunday bersanding.

Rombongan Makcik Kiah dari Labuan.

We were put up at an apartment in Bandar Baru Ampang.

The kids bila balik apartment tiada kerja lain selain makan, makan dan MAKAN. I guess dorang nda berapa makan di tempat orang kahwin jadi balik baru kelaparan.

We got 1 day free programme on Friday before nikah, so sempat pergi Mines dan KLCC.

Di Mines, budak2 ni naik river cruise around Mines dan Helmi seperti biasa pandai2 jadi kapten boat.

Jalan di KLCC.

Second time around, coming back from Penang, we stayed at D Garden Residence at Mid Valley.

After the wedding , the Labuan group split to continue on holiday. Mother in law and sisters inlaw off to Genting while we holidayed in Langkawi. When we continued to Penang, they were off to Malacca for the groom's kenduri. (we escaped that). Though they came back to KL, we didn't meet again as they stayed in Ampang.

We didn't stray out of Midvalley much. Megamall and The Gardens sufficient enough for shopping and eating. And the kids love the apartment at The Gardens Residence.

Helmi and Ira memang suka berangan jadi model.

Ada saja...

Bah, itu saja lah. Tamat siaran.

Selamat menyediakan barang2 persekolahan. Dan selamat Hari Natal!

Langkawi Part V

2010-12-17T09:26:00.009+08:00

Hi again! excuse the long break. I was off to fetch my kids in Labuan. They were shipped off there after the KL trip.

So, post title is Langkawi but we are now in Penang.

Final day in Penang- we drove to Batu Feringhi, visit P Ramlee's house, the Sleeping Budha and Toy Museum.

Stopping at the famed Hard Rock Hotel in Batu Feringhi.

The hotel lobby.

Next to Sleeping Budha.

And then, Rumah P Ramlee.

Last Toy Museum.

Erm..tidak impressive tempatnya..buruk, kotor dan tidak ber jaga. Nda payah pergi pun nda apa.

Toys memang banyak tapi bercampur2 dengan toys kecil tidak bermutu macam dari kedai RM2.

......bersambung

Langkawi Part IV

2010-12-09T17:13:00.007+08:00

It's Friday. We're checking out today.
The flight to Penang (yes, to Penang now) is at 1pm. We have ample time to make one last visit.

To Dataran Lang. Just phototaking. A blazing day. The sun is right on my head. Nasib baik ada gerai berdekatan. Duduk makan aiskrim sekejap sebelum kena migraine.

And we arrive in Penang not an hour later. Tapi menunggu luggage, lepas tu q teksi lagi, jam 4 petang baru sampai di hotel. We stay at CityTel.

Malam baru kami jalan-jalan sekitar hotel.

We decided to take the beca. Dua beca dan dua2 pembawanya warga emas. Kesian.
Beca kami ok lagi. Sebab berdua saja aku dengan Ira, tapi the boys beramai-ramai 3 orang. Beratnya tu .

Ini lah pemandangan yang dilalui sepanjang jalan.

Jauh tau kami. Dua jam pusing2. Sampai ke jalan besar yang banyak kereta dan laju2. Memang semua bagi jalan pada beca. Tapi ngeri juga bila bas besar melintas dengan laju di sebelah. Memang berat beca dorang boys. Kadang2 pakcik tu turun menolak dari belakang bila jalan selekoh atau ada tinggi sikit. Tolak laju2 lepas tu baru dia lompat naik mengayuh lagi. Sandi.

Last dia kasi stop kami di Padang Kota (kalau tak silap). Dia bilang sini sedap makan. Sudah jam 9 malam. Sebenarnya kami tidak lapar, tadi jam 4 sudah makan. Tapi apa salahnya minum2. Pakcik berdua tu tunggu lah kami makan sambil dorang mengurut kaki kali...

Memang sangat SEDAP. Kerang rebus, pasembur. Itu selection untuk pasembur memang bikin lupa diri. Udang besar2, sotong, KETAM. Pernah kau dapat ketam dalam rojak campur?

.....bersambung

Langkawi Part III

2010-12-09T16:37:00.009+08:00

Hari ke 4 di Langkawi. Rutin kami, pagi2 swimming di apartment. Breakfast di apartment. Jam 10 gitu baru bergerak ke luar.
Hari ini last day. Besok check out. Agenda hari ini ialah - drive sekeliling pulau dan masuk segala ceruk kampung . Memang banyak resort dan homestay. Hubby cuma ambil gambar yang design jarang nampak.

Kami suka singgah di satu harbour ni. Langkawi Harbour ka apa. Kalau sudah penat pusing2, berhenti sini untuk rehat dan solat.

Selepas tu, kami ke Langkawi Fair Shop Mall dan anak beranak telah memborong Levi's sebab ada 50% sale :)

Kami juga try makan di gerai bergerak ini. Dia pakai van.Tapi hari2 pun dia parking di sini satu hari tak bergerak2. Dia punya pot ni sedap ja..bawah pokok rendang...betul2 tepi laut...berangin-angin gitu...Apa menunya? Cendol pulut, rojak, laksa power dan semua jenis minuman kecuali capuccino. Laksa dia memang power. Cendol dia sedap. Rojak pun ok. Pass.

Petang, bila kami balik ke pantai, hujan rintik2 sudah mulai turun dan semakin lebat. Jadi kami masuk saja ke Underwater World. Hidupan laut dia nda banyak pun. Ikan2 sedikit saja. Cuma dia ada seal dan penguin (african penguin).

...bersambung

Langkawi Part II

2010-12-09T11:25:00.018+08:00

Masih lagi hari kedua, selepas Cable Car kami ke pantai.

Like I said tempat ini happening. Ramai betul orang di beach dan berbagai aktiviti macam ada karnival saja. Main jet ski, banana boat, paragliding. My boys, especially Helmi berkenan dengan paraglide itu. Nda puas-puas dengan cable car mau lagi melayang dengan parachute..

Oleh kerana dia betul-betul mau dan tidak takut langsung, jadi kasi lah. According to the guide, he is the youngest kid he ever took up. He is small for the harness. But the guide was going to hold him all the time so its fine. So off he go.

The wind was good. It was the right condition. They soared away until they became tiny pricks below the sun. It wasn't easy to look at. But he was having fun.

Next up si Abang. Takkanlah mau kalah dengan adik. He went up alone. But I don't think he enjoyed as much because he was concentrating on what the guide taught him about pulling the rope hard to the right side at the right time when he signalled so to avoid landing in water. He strained his arm holding on to the rope and pulling hard. Well.. there's an experience.

After the paragliding, it was too late for swimming so they just played castle. Tapi lama-lama main air juga.

Sampai malam bah dipanggil baru mau naik.

For dinner, kami try open air seafood restaurant. Tiada gambarnya di sini. Namanya Restoran Hj Ramli (bukan Ramley..:D). Ramai orang pi situ dan restoran ini ada 1 cawangan lagi di tempat lain. Kami order ikan bakar dan sotong bakar. Ok juga lah. Boleh.

Besoknya, kami ke Galeria Perdana. Galeri yang mempamerkan hadiah2 dan cenderahati yang diterima oleh Tun Mahathir semasa menjadi PM.

Lawatan ini bukan la pilihan anak-anak tapi bapanya.

Banyak lah hadiah2 besar seperti kereta kuda dan kereta antik ini.

Penuh galeri 2 tingkat dengan hadiah-hadiah.

Bah, cukuplah sebahagian saja gambar2nya aku tunjukkan. Buat apa juga kamu.

Helmi pun tak sabar mau meninggalkan tempat ini. 'Mari kita pigi tempat yang seronok'. Seronok ye..

Jadi kami chao. Kira mau try horse riding tapi bila di round tempatnya nampak cam tutup. Hubby don't fancy island hopping, snorkeling semua tu , cuaca pun tak berapa bagus jadi akhirnya kami sampai ke Wildlife Park.

Di sini budak2 suka. Apalagi boleh pegang2 binatang.

Entrancenya RM 8 (C) and RM12 (A). Boleh beli feed RM6 untuk kasi makan binatang2. Semua dalam satu paket, makanan burung, makanan ikan, makanan kuda etc..

Itu yang budak2 enjoy. Time bagi makan.

Selepas aktiviti siang, seperti biasa kami lepak di pantai waktu petang. Masa kami sampai baru jam 4.30. Matahari masih terik. Jadi aku pergi spa melayan diri buat body massage sementara hubby menengok budak2 main pasir sambil ambil2 gmbar. Dari kemarin aku sudah survey tempat2 spa ni. Aku cuba Malay Home Spa. Bessttt...dia punya aromatheraphy massage..sungguh best.....haaaa..sedap rasa badan..

Bila aku balik semula ke tempat kejadian, matahari sudah redup..dan anak2 sudah basah kuyup dalam air tanpa tukar baju. Baju ada dalam kereta. Hubby malas la tu.

Hubby dengan snappy-happynya telah merakam macam2 gelagat manusia di beach ini.

Ada yang bercengkarama di kala sunset, ada yang feeling-feeling model di tepi pantai..ada yang sunbathing saja sehari suntuk sampai ke malam. Matilah kalau kita masuk angin kan..

..bersambung..

Langkawi Part I

2010-12-08T23:17:00.014+08:00

Ok. Mari kita mulakan kisah pengembaraan tanpa membuang masa.

Ceritanya kami mula2 stay di KL 4 hari kerana mengaga orang kahwin (hubby's cousin), lepas tu baru ke Langkawi tapi aku cerita lah part Langkawi dulu sebab lebih happening.

Dengan excitednya kami berangkat ke airport pagi Isnin untuk flight awal ke Pulau Mutiara Kedah (aiseh..).

Sampai tengahari. Ambil kereta sewa. Check in apartment (Century Suria Service Apartment). Jalan cari makan. Dan tengok-tengok kawasan. Bukannya besar sangat mau di round pulau ni. Lebih kurang ja macam Pulau Labuan (adedehh..).
Petang kasi lepas anak-anak di swimming pool dan malamnya kami pergi Pantai Chenang untuk dinner. There are many nice restaurants lining the street. Waktu malam tempat ini sangat meriah, penuh dengan tourists. Banyak kedai2, gerai buah2an yang segar2, cafe dan macam2. Kami mula-mula makan di Telaga Arabic restaurant dan anak-anak sangat suka.

Jadi kami tau sudah. Siang kami akan meround tempat jauh-jauh dan petang balik ke pantai ini untuk main di beach dan dinner sekali.

So, hari kedua, kami ke Kota Mahsuri (haruslah tempat bersejarah dulu).

First time aku masuk Kota Mahsuri ni. Dulu pergi Langkawi beli piring saja.

Di dalamnya, ofcos lah ada makam Mahsuri dan kesan2 peninggalan termasuk beberapa struktur rumah kampung Kedah. Kalau tunggu sampai jam 3pm ada persembahan ulik mayang tapi kami nda tunggu lah. Panas.

One of these houses belong to Mahsuri. Maybe the smallest one. Yes. Rumah si Pandak Mayah, bapa kepada Mahsuri. Yang ada tiang bersimen tu rumah Wan Yahya, abang kepada Wan Derus, suami Mahsuri, yang memerintahkan hukuman bunuh kepada Mahsuri.

Di dalam rumahnya ada foto salasilah keturunan Mahsuri dan Wan Derus.

Selesai situ kami singgah ke Padang Beras Terbakar.

Dia terletak di sebelah rumah ini yang dimiliki oleh siapa ntah namanya tapi dia adalah Ketua Angkatan Perang Langkawi waktu itu yang memerintahkan beras dibakar supaya askar Siam tiada bekalan untuk duduk lama di Langkawi.(biar dua-dua kelaparan).

Selepas itu kami ke stesen Cable Car untuk ..naik cable car lah bah.

Kalau bukan anak-anak, kalau kami berdua saja laki-bini , nescaya lah kami tidak naik ni.

TINGGI...dan kadang2 cable tu macam terlepas laju lepas tu tersentak berhenti macam sangkut gitu. Adehhhh. But after a few times like that, you get use to it and start to enjoy the view.

Well the view is amazing. You see the whole island. There's the Seven Wells Waterfall clearly seen from up here. Its beautiful.

Sesudah sampai , ada lagi perjalanan, itu kalau mau lah (optional), iaitu menyeberangi jambatan gantung ke sebelah gaung. aiyooo..bukan sikit jambatannya okay...panjang juga.

Tapi alang2 sudah sampai teruskan saja. Budak2 ni bukan tau takut, suka saja berlari-lari.. tengok bawah lagi.

Tapi untuk ke jambatan ini bukan senang. Daripada tempat cable car berhenti, turun beberapa ratus anak tangga ke bawah melalui hutan.

Masa turun ok la, tapi naik...kapisan..

Again the view..

Around the station , is called Oriental Village. Sudah tentu dipenuhi dengan kedai makan, souveneir, gerai pakaian dll.

Tapi kurang asam!..ada pula......booth tempat bergambar dengan...................ular !

malas aku Adzim..terpaksa aku berlari masuk ke kedai..

nah! ambil kamu...tengok banyak2 ni..biar kamu geli!

.....bersambung

update

2010-12-05T13:37:00.003+08:00

hey! i'm baaaack!!! good to be home!

how's everyone? how's your holiday going?

i just spent crazy fun 2 weeks in KL and Langkawi.

full report not ready yet. i'm not done sorting pics .

but basically here's what we did : attend wedding in KL, played in the beach at Langkawi and rode trishaw in Penang.

while i'm away, i'm happy to know dear Shabbymom had completed her renovation and now moved in to her NEW HOUSE. CONGRATS SHABBYMOM! i'm very happy for you. can't wait for her update and the house tour.

so, i'll be back later. i'm loading them pics into my facebook first.

I am..

2010-11-11T14:15:00.006+08:00

1. glad and relieved to have finally found a full-time maid. you don't know how high and low i've been searching. it has been a year.

2. excited about holidaying again. in a week's time!
within country and with family this time. to KL and Langkawi. i have found a pretty wear for relaxing by the beach and can't wait to wear it.

3. very happy and proud of my eldest son, Adzim for achieving straight A's in his UPSR. very proud indeed as he managed it without going to tuition.

good things do happen at once, sometimes. thankful to Allah. syukur alhamdulillah.

Melbourne Moments : Part VI

2010-10-25T16:54:00.021+08:00

More City Sightseeing

Sorry I'm late. Mari kita tour city lagi. Banyak sangat tempat untuk dilawati di sini memang tak cukup 1 minggu. Belum lagi kami ke area yang jauh-jauh macam St. Kilda, Toorak, dll. Bila aku baca balik macam best pula St. Kilda tu. Nda apa lah. Insya allah lain kali kalau ada rezeki datang lagi bawa anak-anak.

So let's see what we've got around the city.

Ini dekat Swanson St. Ada pemusik jalanan. That lady bought his CD and she got a rose.

That's me chased by paparazzi..NOT. Hurrying up for the mid-season sale at David Jones and Myers. Last day offer.

Flinders Street Station. The central train station, the oldest in Australia. A popular meeting place. When Melburnian say, "I'll meet you under the clocks", that refers to the clocks above the station's main entrance. Its the most recognisable landmark in the city.

And this is Yarra River. Its next to Flinders Street Station.

The Yarra is a hub icon in Melbourne and the focus for many events like Moomba Waterfest, rowing regattas , Food & Wine Festival and major exhibitions.

The Melbourne Aquarium is located here.

Below is the State Library of Victoria.

The main entrance is facing Swanson Street.

The grassy lawn on both sides the main entrance is a popular lunch-spot for city workers and students of RMIT University.

This is on another street. Along the way to Town Hall.

This is the Town Hall. Ini la dorang punya DBKK.

spring is here.

Seterusnya, gambar kedai-kedai yang kami keluar masuk, hanya untuk tujuan bergambar.

This is Federation Square. A popular hang out place.

It's a cultural precinct in the city. The square comprises of buildings that houses public broadcaster, art galleries, museum, cinemas and exhibition spaces.

There was a Melbourne Music Festival happening during our stay.

We got to catch a few local gigs.

This was on Friday night, people started crowding after office hour.

And soon the party began.

Another live entertainment at City Square.

She's the opening act. Macam orang nda pay attention kan. kesian. boring la tu.

An African band. Saturday night. The place is jam-packed.

It's our last night in town. Its also the finale of the Melbourne Music Festival here. Enjoying the live music before going home.

Yang bikin rancak adalah dancers cum back vocal nya. Everyone shook their booties along.

Selesai. That's all from Melbourne. See you next time.

Bye!

Melbourne Moments : Part V

2010-10-25T10:17:00.005+08:00

Melbourne Aquarium

Today it's Aquarium day.

The main attractions are penguin and the feeding time.

Penguins memang cantik up-close.

Should bring kids here.

Mencemaskan juga kerja divers ni. Kena kerumun habis oleh ikan-ikan. Yang paling rangka ialah penyu dan ikan pari. Balik-balik datang. Masa ni jam 11 pagi. First feeding time. Tu la terlampau lapar tu.

Biasa ada 2 divers. Satu tukang kasi makan, satu tolong jaga kawannya meleraikan pergelutan binatang2 . Stingrays are very heavy and can hurt the diver. Boleh patah goggle nya tu kalau kuat rempuhan.

Ok ini saja dulu. Nanti petang lagi ok.

Happy Monday!

Melbourne Moments : Part IV

2010-10-24T13:28:00.013+08:00

Melbourne Museum

Let's go to the museum. From Victoria Street, it's a nice walk through Carlton Gardens.

You will see Royal Exhibition Building, which is adjacent to the museum.

We actually mistook it for the museum. We got to a ticket counter and without checking purchased entrance for a Craft Exhibition. Crafty things, you know, basically women's stuffs. Everthing in Better Homes & Gardens. There were booths like sew and show, stitch & bitch, sit & sew, make & take, bead boudoir, quilt boot camp, etc. It was exciting, I liked it. All the pretty cute stuffs, hand-made and fascinating. But for hubby it was torture.

You are not supposed to take photographs in events like this for intellectual property rights so I couldn't do close ups but it was real heaven for crafty projects.

I had to remind myself that I don't even own a sewing machine to not lose my head and buy stuffs I don't need and don't know how to use.

In the end I picked some scrapbooking stuffs for my daughter.

So now to the museum.

The reason we went here is because there was a special attraction that was ending this week. Titanic Artefact Exhibition was held from 14 May till 17 October. We could only catch it now during our stay. The entrance fee included museum tour.

Melbourne Museum is large. It has like 10 galleries, 3 theatres, a public research centre, cafe and souvenier shops.

No photography except in Touring Hall where temporary exhibits are held.

Entrance for Titanic Artefact.

The ship's interior is re-created here in the exhibition hall and it showcased almost 300 artefacts retrieved from the debris field of the sunken ship.

We all know the story but it was still a moving and emotional tour.

We got some photos taken as postcards but I couldn't scan them as our scanner cranked at the moment so I snapped the photos again.

Well, until next tour, bye now!

Melbourne Moments : Part III

2010-10-20T11:04:00.023+08:00

City Sightseeing

Around the city today I'm gonna bring you to 3 places:- Harley-Heaven, Royal Arcade and RMIT University.

Harley-Heaven

During our stop at Port Campbell National Park, hubby met some big bikers. He's elated to see they are much older than him and confirmed his opinion that its cool riding big bike at his age.

I don't think they look cool.

Anyway we went searching for the Harley-Davidson store the very next day. We found the original address at Elizabeth St.

But found out they had moved. Undeterred, hubby made us tracked down the new address at A'Beckett St. and....

tadaaa...here it is !..the gateway to heaven..Harley-Heaven.

He was like a kid let loose in a toy store. He looked like he wanted to buy everything (he did get a helmet and some tshirts). He got me a jacket for patiently waiting around 2 hours and made me pose outside the store.

So I put on the new jacket and tried to look like a hot chick biker.

That's not him. That's some other customer. He's across the street taking this picture. I'm supposed to look like I own the bike. Do I succeed?

Hot ka out ? You decide.

Royal Arcade
Royal Arcade is a heritage shopping arcade at Bourke Street. It has similar style to London Court in Perth.

I love this place. I love the Victorian design. It is indeed in the Victoria Heritage Register. A historical business centre built in 1869.

I love the cute little shops. I love the atmosphere.

I imagined walking in Diagon Alley.

My head kept turning around marvelling the displays.

Spellbox - scales, spell books

dark objects?

robes, pointed hats

powder perfumes

Sugar Sugar. There's candy-making demo in the shop and all the candies in the world, all colors and tastes. So Honeyduke.
Lovely, a must see place.

RMIT UNIVERSITY
So why bring you to university?

Well, it's right in the middle of the city. It's in our city sightseeings. RMIT. That's Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Yeah. That's the landmark. The green slimy-looking top.

It's not closed-off style. It's not surrounded by walls. It blends with the city.

It's one of the largest uni in Australia. There are 3 main campuses around Melbourne. This one in the city, the other 2 in Brunswick and Point Cook.

Ok, that's all for today. We'll see where we go tomorrow. Have a nice day.

Melbourne Moments : Part II

2010-10-18T13:52:00.008+08:00

Queen Victoria Market
We hopped on City Circle, the public tram, to Queen Victoria Market on Thurs morning.

It's a very large open-air market, sited on 7 hectares land.

You can find everything under the sun here. Fresh produce, clothings, accessories, antiques, crafts, jewelleries, souveneirs,hardwares, households, etc,etc,etc. All at knocked down prices.

It opens daily at 6 am to 12pm or 6 pm depending on the days.

We got these for the kids. Non toxic - they can color their tongues, no harm and it can be used on cakes. Non dry-out (never dry, let's see). Washable on clothes. 40 AUD for 5 boxes.

There are ample cafes at Food Bar.

It's not really one market, rather several markets, each with its own identity (eastern, western, lower, upper).

You have to spend at least half a day. The wet market alone must have been several acres.

The second part of the day was spent at Harley Heaven, a big bikers store. That'll be part III though. It's too much to rearrange the photos now. So, be back later.

Melbourne Moments : Part 1

2010-10-16T13:42:00.034+08:00

How are you mate? Good day today?

I'm refreshed and rejuvenated, as intended after a week long vacation with hubby to Melbourne, Australia. I'm just about done sorting about 2000 photos we have. On to the first post.

The Great Ocean Road Tour
We took a tour on our second day to The Great Ocean Road. Its in Victoria, about 4 hours drive from Melbourne.We were up bright and early on Wednesday morning.

Our pick up time 7.30 am. A small group of 20 people in our day tour. Normally the fee is 120 AUD per person, but there was a promotion going and we got 95 AUD.

This tour is about beautiful coastal views, amazing beaches and all nature beauty. Several stops along the way for picture taking, coffee breaks, etc.

Our first stop is Bells Beach. Its a renowned surf beach. Currently the home to the world's longest running surf competition.

We caught some surfers in action. There are always somebody surfing regardless the weather. Its cold outside, I can't imagine in the water.

We took our coffee break here.

This structure with aborigines mural is the public toilet.

The next stop is Split Point Lighthouse.

If you wander down and get to a tiny spit, you can look out to a great view of what's called the Australia Shipwreck Coast. Its where about 700 ship wrecks said to have littered the coast.

beautiful postcard view.

along the way, a bizzare house hanging on stilt.

We steered off the coastline into the woods for a minute, for a bit of wildlife and rainforest walk.

200 years old tree as big as a house.

We stopped at Kenneth River.

For a picnic lunch.

But hubby & I brought our own sandwiches and whiled away here at the local cafe. Our group was fun. There were 2 families from England, a couple of students from China, a couple from Spain, a couple from India, one from Puerto Rico and 2 Aussies. They were all nice and friendly.

After lunch, we headed off to the main tourist spot in this road tour, The 12 Apostles.

Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks, off the coast of Port Campbell National Park.
Its formed by erosion. Waves eroded the limestones to form caves in the cliff, which then became arches, which in turn collapsed leaving rock stacks.

There are now 8 stacks left. The others have collapsed over time.

This has got to be the most breathtaking ocean view I've ever seen in my life.

Spectacular and majestic.
Looking out from the cliff , its hard not to be humbled and awed by greatness of God.

His creations and the beauty of it.
It was more real than a picture perfect postcard background.

Up several miles, we got to view the remains of the collapsed London Bridge. There's a London Bridge in Melbourne did you know? I didn't.

The last stop was Lorch Ard Gorge.

Lorch Ard is the name of the ship that was wrecked in this coast, killing all but 2 passengers, one young woman and one young man. It became a popular local history.

Top- is a view from up the cliff. When you descend to the shore, its amazing.

I thought its a bit like the scene background of Leonardo's movie, The Beach.

We got back to the city at 8.15pm and were told it had been raining all day. A great timing for a day out of town. So I'll see you again soon.

Peace!

Hari Raya Odysse

2010-10-02T09:39:00.012+08:00

Syawal is ending. How are you guys faring?
Let me guess. Waistline expand- check. Plump cheeks- check. Bulging tummy-so check!Yeah..but its still nice having all these open-houses to attend before you're back to routine.

The below pics are of my fun-filled Raya spent in Labuan at mom-in-law's place. It was havoc leading up to Raya. A kid injured (Helmi again),endless cleaning , air-con repairing, TV replacing, a new cabinet ...,etc. For some reason, we like to do all these things a day before Raya. The new TV cabinet almost arrived on morning of Raya.

with sisters-in-law.

I had my open house in KK the second week. There was a fun reunion with some of my schoolmates.

Ex-SMESH batch 84'. Three of them were my dorm-mates way back then.

I'm very happy they came and made my day and we got these lovely photos taken together.

This was taken at a friend's open house a week prior.

Thanks to our active PR of reunion, Marilyn, we got together a lot and took pictures everywhere (smile).

Ok, enjoy getting busy with work and school. Good luck for PMR, whoever has kids sitting.

Blog off.

kuih raya

2010-09-02T14:15:00.004+08:00

Ya..mari kita cerita kuih raya. Banyak sudah kuih kamu? Sedap2 ? Dimana kamu beli? Atau buat sendiri?

So I started late this time. Penat eh tiada orang gaji ni. I haven't told you I don't have a full time maid these days, have I? Since March. And I was completely maid-less for 3 months before I got this part time who comes in 3x a week.

Jadi plan nya mau main beli saja ini tahun. Tapi bila aku jalan2 di Wisma MUIS beli songkok anak itu ini, nda juga aku terbeli. My MIL made some of her usual cookies when she joined us here 2nd week puasa. Dia punya ritual tahunan - makmur, agar2 gula & ulat bulu. So that started me going too. Ada kawan.

I managed 4.

London Almond, chip cookies, pistachio & butterfly cornflakes. Not all success story. Yang chip cookies tu baru punya resipi dari Keluarga Sep'10. Terlampau manis. Gila menala-nala. Mau dikurangkan separuh sukatannya.

Tapi aku mau cerita pasal pistachio cookies ni. Di ambil dari Buku resipi tahun 2002 punya. Lagi reliable. Jadi, dan sedap. Tapi rumitnya kerja....siapa juga suruh aku mencuba. My MIL geleng kepala ja tengok aku terkuliat2 membuat.

Mula2 bancuh adunan semua. Lepas tu terap doh pakai piping beg bikin bentuk siput/kerang gitu pakai star nozzle (sakit jari, lain kali bagus pakai alat penekan yang ada template nya di hujung tu)

Sudah siap di bakar, dikatup dua keping, dicelup dalam coklat cair. Lepas tu salut sama serbuk pistachio. Biarkan kering di dulang baru boleh simpan.

Siputnya pun nda seragam. Ada mama siput, ada anak..hahaha..peduli la.

Aku rasa sudah2 la cookies. Karang aku mau try bikin kek lagi. Harap2 success story.

Jadi kalau aku nda muncul2 lepas tu mengkali kecundang la tu. Hik.

Later !

salam ramadhan

2010-08-10T21:15:00.005+08:00

Salam semua.

Ramadhan kembali lagi. Begitu cepat.

Hujung minggu lepas sibuk dengan kenduri arwah. Kami balik ke kampung halaman hubby untuk mengadakan kenduri dan menghadiri kenduri orang juga.

Not a good weekend. My youngest hurt himself. Pretty bad. The worst in his 7 years.

He took a nasty fall while playing with cousins, acting out goalie dives from the sofa and hit the table very hard. Deep gash and blood all over. My heart went cold. It very nearly missed the eye. I'm still feeling sick about it.

Itu dia 3 jahitan. The eye was swollen for 4 days despite cold compress.

Ada orang Hari Raya tahun ini dengan muka berparut. Namanya orang 'gauk'.

Well, wishing you all, my muslim friends, a 'barakah' month.

Happy fasting.