3 in 1 birthday celebration

arif dgn fav cousinsnye

amongst the friends yang dtg

BBQ pit with the big boys

arif pun nak tiup lilin juga...

last saturday...celebrated the birthdays of my 3 children. afiq's and marsya's birthday is on 21st may and atikah's on 22 may. ramai tanya for tips on how we managed to have children with same birthdates, well almost the same dates...no tips, just rezeki daripadaNya, atas kehendakNya juga..Alhamdulillah. Although they share same birthdates, perangai are so lain between them. Abang, quite reserved, dont say much, handal with computer games., sensitive...Atikah, the popular one, lots of friends, the musical inclination., can sing. Marsya, the gedik one. dream of becoming the Permaisuri Agung one day...(hehehe), love acting and of course the drama princess of the house....

we normally would celebrate their birthdays sekali, 3 in 1 and we have not been doing it for the past 4 years. tiap2 tahun dok merengek, especially marsya. so finally tahun ini, we have one for the 3 of them. Afiq ikut je...Atikah and Marsya yang dok atur the menu...mama cooked. they wanted to have BBQ, ikut je...they invited their friends. mama and ayah invited the family. the house was a hive of activities from noon till midnite. but they were happy....mama and ayah were dead tired....

Arif's bday is in October...

Booster, anyone?

Has always been a problem of mine to menyahut panggilan alam if i am at a new place. mekah is no exception. different diet, different weather...can disrupt anyone's daily lives. gas built up is no laughing matter. especially when u are in mekah. ideally should always be in wuduk. tak kan la 10 kali sekejap nak kena amik wuduk. u know what i mean...kan? to answer this 'little gas and waste issue', we were fortunate for a tip from my sister who got it from her sis in-law. a simple recipe which any 5 yr old pun boleh buat.

beli laban or yogurt which are sold in carton and mango juice or tropical juice. an equal amount of laban and juice, mix it well.....lepas tu apa lagi telan la...elok amik after isyak...so that when u wake up for yr subuh prayers, the booster will be doing its job! InsyaAllah, bila solat, perut pun does not emit any polution to the environment and u will be in wuduk longer than usual, tanpa gangguan untuk menyahut panggilan alam or the need to take fresh wuduk.

Booster anyone? cubalah...if u face the same problem, do like we did..like i do..eh we did...eh...

Selingan 1

I like this, simple yet meaningful...hopefully u like it too

The power of choice

Choose to love, rather than hate
Choose to laugh, rather than cry
Choose to create, rather than destroy
Choose to persevere, rather than quit
Choose to praise, rather than gossip
Choose to heal, rather than wound
Choose to give, rather than steal
Choose to grow, rather than rot
Choose to pray, rather than curse
Choose to live, rather than die
Choose to say something nice, rather than hurtful words
Choose to do something nice, rather than hurtful actions

We have a choice, choose wisely



#from the book "Say Something Nice"

Massive people, traffic, dust and ....black veil

The temperature was between 43 degrees to 45 degrees when in mekah. Panas!!!! tapi tak berani nak cakap apa2. Redha je la. Diam je la...go with the flow je la.... Kalau panas, pakai payung, pakai sun block, wear dark glasses. me and kakak bought for ourselves a veil to protect us from the dust and the sun. we were the black ninjas!!!! the difference between me and the arabs when wearing that was...hidung ku tidak mancung!!! bila pakai, kain dok tersedut sekali masuk hidung when i breath. hehehe...hidung pelepah nyior macam tu la...

the black ninjas

Mekah is so the sibuk. Massive construction. hotel2 lama dirobohkan, bukit2 batu diratakan. habuk...ish tak usah cerita la. the objective is to besarkan Masjidil Haram, improved infrastructure for pilgrims. more comfort, convenience. pening juga when i first arrived there. dengan manusia yang ramai, the noise, the habuk, the traffic....so much difference dengan madinah. But soon i got accustomed to that, alhamdulillah.

The journey begins

Our umrah journey started with a delayed flight for 2.5 hrs. Saudi Arabia Airlines flight KUL to Jeddah was suppose to take off at 3.00 but took off at 5.30pm. Is this a sign? “Ya Allah,…permudahkan urusan kami…permudahkan perjalanan kami. Jangan kau uji kami dengan dugaan yang tak mampu kami tanggung.” Well, must remain positive. Dugaan kecil sahaja. Just enjoyed the moment.

Before we took off, we were to wait at the departure hall before finally boarding the plane…well another security check point… …scanned our hand luggage…and hey news flash!!!! no water, fluid into the plane…whatever u have in the bag, drink it all. Just bought a 750ml mineral water, throw it or, yup….drink it all before boarding…me and my sis had to finish it all between giggles that is…glug, glug, glug…lepas tu …bila jalan berkocak perut….hehehehe…

Slept for the 1st 2 hours of the journey. Lepas tu terlelap sekali sekala. Buat la revision le sket hafal doa2 apa yang patut. The meals on board…well, have tasted better. But, no complaints. Alhamdulillah, rezeki malam tu.

After the meal, terlelap kejap…tetiber, dengar comotion? What?...ada 2 mamat arab bertumbuk about 10 rows away from us. Hey action drama! Wow, they really swing their punches.. the stewardess was running looking for help, soon after a steward was running to the scene and both were separated. Phew!!!..One of them was taken to the business class. Ok le…lepas bertumbuk, dapat masuk business class. The other man…remain at the same seat.

We arrived at Jeddah International Airport at 1.50 am (Malaysia time) or 8.50 pm local time. How long was the flight? 8 hrs 15 minutes. Di Jeddah, filling in the disembarcation form, smooth immigration. We were greeted by the THTS and was ushered to the coaster which will ferry us to Madinah. Kira berapa orang…dah cukup? Mana lagi 5 orang? 1½ jam tunggu, rupanya…kes beg hilang. Alahai….senyap je la. Jgn complaint. Masalah org lain lagi teruk. Beg hilang. Kita setakat tunggu je. Naik coaster for the next 5 hours. Stop for Isyak and dinner. Sejuk juga kat desert ni. Makan nasi ayam mandi tengah2 malam...ish...tersekak tekak. Sampai di Madinah at 4.30am, dah nak subuh.

Go there when u are still strong

Secara umum...pergilah perform yr umrah or haj (kalau u have the financial standing) when u are still young. u need the physical strength. bukan dalam mengerjakan ibadat tapi to fend the others for u to perform yr ibadat. generally, the arabs are aggressive lot. kita orang asia ni, terlalu lembut and bersopan santun. the malaysians and indonesians wear putih and they wear black. Kita kecik, and they are bigger and bolder. survival of the foetus really... nak solat pun kena berhati2 takut kena langkah je bila tengah sujud, or worse, kena pijak. kalau they pintas your path when u tgh solat, that's normal....mula2 tu terkejut and geram juga, tapi bila dah lama...lali and i did the same. bukan apa must understand the need coz the space in the mosque are limited and jemaah ramai, so kongsi la sikit sorang.

the arabs juga suka lepak kat masjid. macam kita kat sini, suka lepak kat shopping complexes. anak beranak kat sana. dari yang baby sampai la ke datuk nenek. yang tak boleh jalan, wheelchair ada. between waktu, berkelah kat situ. food and drinks dari rumah. Air zam-zam aplenty. siap ada yang tapau air zam-zam balik ke rumah pun ada. bergelen-gelen la. tapi semua peringkat umur ada kat sana. yang bawak anak kecil, sebelum solat the kids behaved well, bila emak solat...wah!!!!semua melalak. mula2 tu so upset with the extra background 'music' but soon u get used to it and as though it is part of the whole process.

Blog ku sepi...

Pose with anak2 before we depart for Jeddah

i have not been updating this blog for months. the writer's block melanda. bz pulak dgn new department and projek2 lain yang menggila. feel tak mari nak buat camne...insyaallah will try and update apa yang patut. baru balik mengerjakan ibadah umrah with my husband, sister and brother in-law. entirely new experience for me especially. eye-opener, self realisation, insaf le betapa semua dalam dunia ni tak akan happening selagi tanpa izinNya. alhamdulillah, i am blessed and kira macam guided coz my sister performed her haj in 2007. so kira macam ada personal adviser gitu. kalau my sis tak de, sure melilau. love u kakak. selain selalu menangis keinsafan, kira macam empangan pecah ever so often, sentiasa bersyukur dengan rezeki yang dianugerahi Illahi...

nanti i will update bit by bit my 2 weeks umrah.

The chef in the making

Afiq dah habis belajar di Giatmara, peringkat sijil, 6 bulan je. This is his first step towards pursuing his interest in culinary or rather about food. He loves food, eating it! His plans to study about culinary surprised many, especially me. He is looking for work right now and we are seeking for other institutions for him to pursue his studies.

As part of his requirement at Giatmara, kena prepare menu and jadi chef of the day. All of them have to take turns. Afiq discussed with me on the menu to be presented. Well, to cut the chase my husband and I were there for lunch savouring Afiq and team's effort. The menu was :

brocolli soup

Appetiser : Trio salsa

Main course : tenderloin steak

the steak from a better angle (with mama in the frame)

another main course : grilled chicken

dessert : poached peach

mama enjoying the soup

on your mark, get set...GO!

Ayah and mama with the chef in the making



Afiq and his team

For that western set lunch we paid RM12.00 per pax....mana nak dapat beb!!!! harga macam tu kat KL nih!!!! The service was 5star...the students memang polite and charming, attended to your needs immediately. Cikgu pun datang menyapa the 'customers'. Bagus betooolllll.....Kudos to all the cikgus yang ngajor bebudak ni.

Unconditional Happiness

I always believe that we have our own role to play in this world. We are here for a purpose. All of us are inter-connected, be it in physical or spiritual. We need each other to make this big messy world go round. It is unfortunate that there are people who needs to flaunt powers and influence on others and when that happens somebody will have take the fall. one fallen soul is a victory to another.

The recent development in my career (if we want to call it a career) gives me a little jolt. The incident also gave me some light on who my friends are. The sympathy and understanding from friends are most appreciated and treasured. But no matter how much others might convey their concern and good wishes, it is still up to u to accept the facts of life. be it bitter or sweet, be it happy or sorrow.

I will take up this new challenge in my stride. I have gone through much tougher challenges and this is another hurdle that I have to overcome. Others might see it as 5 steps back, but I take it as an opportunity to learn and gain new experiences and knowledge. I only seek for happiness for me and others. My doa is for this company to soar to greater heights.



I quote this from a book i read recently...

"happiness is not the result of favorable conditions. It work the other way round. Favorable conditions is the results of happiness. What does it takes to be happy?

It is nothing more than a willingness to be happy.

Happiness comes from the way we respond to life. There are people who have every reason to be miserable, but who still live with happiness and joy. In every life, there is room for happiness.

Everyone has challenges. Everyone has disapointments. Yet these challenges do not have to get us down. True happiness comes not from the absence of problems. True, enduring happiness comes in spite of the problems. Happiness is not a reaction. It is a choice."

GK 4

My next entry of my Kinabalu climb. It has been more than 8 months, and the story is so the basi. Tapi kengkawan kata, so what? it is yr story...peduli apa? Betul juga....Lagipun, ingat pesanan arwah Mak Yah, "when we do something, do not leave it half way, undone mesti habiskan". So bear with me.....

Our group. I can still smile...amidst feeling excited and nervous

The morning of the climb, Tipohon Gate point.

With all the hustle and bustle and hive of activities....did not lessen my nervousness. it accelerated as we took the van for Timpohon Gate, the starting point. bila van stopped, Francis, our guide kata..."ok, dah sampai." Alamak! dah sampai? cepatnya....jalan le sikit lagi....I'm not ready!!!!! I want to turn back...nak balik!!!!!!! waaaaaa!!!!!!! apa aku buat ni????????? (the voices in my head masa tu....half of me, nak balik...and the other saying "YES!!!! this is it. do or die!!!). my perut, usah citer. Rasa tunggang terbalik, macam nak kuar balik my breakfast. Kecut perut, nervous. Sewel sekejap. Tapi, tak tau macam mana boleh coordinate the brain and the kaki to get my butt off the van and trying to stay as calm as possible. my face was between pucat and excited....again, sewel....

Timpohon Gate - Selamat Mendaki

FH and I bought ourselves a RM3 walking stick. Harry had her own walking stick. Specially flown from KL, diperturunkan from her dear brother yang dah sampai Kinabalu. Francis said that the stick would help us climb as we go along the difficult trail later. sort of putting your weight on the stick. ha? ye ke? beli jangan tak beli....!!!! nampak macam kayu nenek kebayan je. i need that, whatever support i can get, even a nenek kebayan stick. hopefully it will make my life easier for the next few hours. the next grilling and difficult hours climbing the Kinabalu trail. eee...yahoo...!!!...eee......Yahooooo!!!! (can't decide whether to stay excited or terrified).

It was most memorable, those 1st few steps after the Timpohon Gate as i convince myself, "so...whatever happens up the trail, I must reach the peak of Kinabalu....merangkak pun mesti sampai juga!!!!". with that, langkah pertama, kedua, ketiga and seterusnya.....

There were 10 of us when we started the trail and for the 1st few steps I was the 3rd person and FH was my walking partner. Never far from me (me, sentiasa di belakang) and as usual....we were yakking away... semua tahu dengan bercerita dengan kadar yang banyak dan tanpa henti boleh menjadi a good therapy. I was actually trying to kurangkan my fear (yup, i was nervous) and hopefully by talking could reduce that fear in me. It worked, sebab dok jalan suka hati lenggang mak limah for both of us...and dalam bercakap ala2 marathon tu kena berhati-hati juga biji butirnya. Bukan apa, dalam hutan, atas gunung, jangan cakap suka hati, nanti jumpa benda2 yang we do not want to meet, sebab pesanan penaja Francis dah suruh berhati2 dalam apa juga keadaan.

Posing with my faithful kayu nenek kebayan

After 10 minutes, my group dah berderai...and me, can't cope with their pace. Orang muda semuanya and fitness level yang much better than me. Being the oldest in that group, I have an excuse to keep a slower pace... FH clearly is better than me...lagi banyak dia bercakap, lagi laju dia jalan....me, well....slower. Nak maintain stamina, takut pancit halfway.

The trail are of rocky paths and steps...lots of it. there are also man made steps...not the concrete steps mind u, batu-batu disusun macam tangga. now i understands why they say that if u can conquer the steps of Batu Caves, u have reached Kinabalu....yeah, right.... Anyway, u have to be very careful when u take those steps. would not want to exert yourself right? There were other climbers as we follow the trail (mestila...) young, old and children of various nationalities. The mat sallehs are so strong and so fit....and im so the jeles. We bumped into a group of veteran climbers. they are so fit. Can put any young climber to shame (including me). One of them gave us a useful tip. Make sure u plan your steps. Don't take big leapy steps, make smaller ones. That will not strain your leg muscles. Ah...yes... that was what we did, FH and I...smaller steps as we take the rocky paths.., smaller steps...

We were informed by other climbers descending the trail, it rained the day before and going up the trail was difficult and slippery. We were lucky coz that was a sunny morning...hmmmm, wonderful.... No wonder it was so foggy and misty all over and yes...cooling too. Imagining myself in a scene of Lord of the Ring. Me, Frodo and FH is Sam..hehehe.




We noticed that pleasanties were exchanged when climbers bumped into other climbers. FH and I were too busy calculating our small steps..but we observed.

Must admit, I was slow. FH can't wait for me any longer as I was dragging and slowing her pace. She left me as we approached the 4th kilometre up the trail. Its ok my friend. I was so far back from my group and amongst the climbers there were no familiar faces. Approaching the 5th kilometre there was Li Li. Yup, she was alone too. But she was too slow, taking too much time snapping photos. I was too tired to even take out the camera from my backpack. it was getting too strenous for me. I think this is the point where i questioned my judgement..."siapa yang bodoh sangat nak put myself into all these trouble and rasa macam nak pitam and feel like giving up?" Yup, ME! I don't give up easily coz if I set my mind on it, I will succeed. But this one....hmmmm I was doubtful. But I surely would not want to be the one for the guide to rescue just because i have given up and not to resume climbing anymore. NO..not me!!!!!

All I wanted to do was just to reach Laban Rata. This is serious...I was so tired even my earlopes were exhausted. No more enjoying nature and the scenery, just one target...to reach the rest house and rest.

After much gruelling hours, i finally reached Laban Rata. I was exausted, hungry and cold....and to add spice to that...it was raining....I dont care about my rain coat in my back pack. What's that? It does not compute. Rain? water only mah...cold freezing water from the sky.....I'm here yes!!!!!! where is my group? Where are they? They have forgotten me? uwwwaaaaa.....!!!!! Hey, there's Li Li. "Aik? bila dia potong aku ni?" I asked. Macam hantu raya la dia ni...sedar-sedar dah depan, I swear that I left her way back.

I called FH. She said our rest house is at Gunting Lagadan and guess what? I need to walk a little further up the trail from Laban Rata. More walking? I can hardly stand!!!! I need to climb more steps and rocky slopes to get to our rest house at Gunting Lagadan. I took another 15 minutes as I crawled those rocks. I finally reached Gunting Lagadan at about 3.30pm to the welcoming applause and cheers from my group members. Yeahhh.....!!! I'm finally here for the 1st half of Gunung Kinabalu. We started the trail at 9am from Timpohan Gate and reached Gunting Lagadan at 3.30pm - 6.5 hours with god knows how many stops and breathers and swearing at myself for doing this....

At the rest house after 6.5 hours, shower and hot holicks....i think i shed 2 kg that day....