29 November 2009

In The Spirit of Lurve


A bell is no bell 'til you ring it,
A song is no song 'til you sing it,
And love in your heart

Wasn’t put there to stay

Love isn’t love

'Til you give it away


Oscar Hammerstein, Sound of Music




A Thank You Note

thankYou66


On behalf of my family, I would like to thank everybody who’ve helped our family to make the event a success.

Special thanks to Atie & her lovely nieces & nephews for your great help. To Husni, Syuhada & Muyah, thanks so much for helping me out when my darling Marsya suddenly decided to let go of her responsibility of giving out the cupcakes to the guests.

I would also like to thank Ayu & family, Harti & our beloved teacher, Mr Ng for sacrificing their precious time to attend the function despite of their busy schedule. Thank you so much.

Last but not least, thanks to Ija for lending me the dulang hantaran. Without them, the ceremony wouldnt have been completed.

Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.


Interesting Facts of The Kenduri

2 bunga manggar were prepared for the pengantin but none of us actually remembered to use them. Cant really blame us as it was raining when the pengantin arrived.

flower pot

About 200+ of the cupcakes ( wedding giveaways ) were fungated ( tho they were only 2 days old! ). Luckily Aida noticed it & managed to segregate the cakes. We surely hope none of the guest got the spoilt ones. If so, we sincerely apologized.

flower pot

Apart from joining two hearts together, the kenduri has also becoming the teacher-student re-union. Norharti met her student Pakcik Sahak & apparently Mr. Ng was Ayu’s sister's former teacher too ! What a small world !

flower pot

The world we’re living in is indeed very small. The Mak Andam was the groom’s ( my bro.) classmate.

flower pot

The best man decided to change his task as the wedding singer as he just cant stop karaoke-ing at the wedding. It would be great if he actually sings rather than just trying to sing !

flower pot

We spent half a day searching for my mum’s handbag that was claimed lost by her. Eventually, it was discovered in her wardrobe. Cant blame the memory of a 60 year old lady kan?

flower pot



My Lovely Engaged Sis


Make-up can really change one's look kan? Aida looked totally different with that thick make-up on her face. I'm so used to see her without any make-up that I barely can see the real her behind it. I guess I still prefer the naturally pretty Aida. But then, she needs to look different on that special day of her life kan? Nevertheless, she still look as sweet & pretty with those 2 dimples on each side of her cheeks.



So, my dear sis...I wish you many beautiful tomorrows, certainly as beautiful as the person you truly are. I wish you moonbeams, I wish you happiness & wish you your very own wishing star. I hope all your wishes will soon come true & he's the one who will gives you the ultimate happiness. Amin.


To Aida & Azrul
A heaven-made match, a perfect pair
This brings a wish for happiness
In the future that you'll share



Stupid Engagement Rules



The ceremony started @ 10 am in the morning where the guy's family came over with the hantarans - 7 altogether. Those who didnt know ( especially my readers from other parts of the world....chewahhh), the number of wedding gifts a.k.a hantaran should always be in odd numbers & the girl's portion is always more. Meaning that, if the guy gave 5, the girl should give 7 gifts in return. Duhhhhhh.......dont ask me why for I am as pissed. A total discrimination kan?

Speaking of discrimination, I'll impress you with more. I'm sure some of you might have heard this before. It's quite a standard rules among the Malays as far as engagement is concerned. This has also been highlighted by the guy's spokesperson during my sister's engagement ceremony. One stupid f**king so called rule.


Brace yourself for this......should the girl decided to break the engagement, she has to be sort of fined for that. The fine would be in terms of doubling the amount of gifts received during the engagement ceremony. Let's say she got one ring on that day, so as a fine she needs to give back 2 rings instead. Isnt that silly? Wait...this is not yet the best part.

On the other hand, if it's coming from the guy.....nothing will happen. Yeah, you've got it right. No fine..... no nothing. He could just happily walk away with his new girl. Bloody crappy, isnt it? I was so close to object to this stupid rules when they were talking about it that day. If it's not because of my parents, I would definitely voice out my dissatisfaction already. Total bullshit lah !


Anyway, let's just hope everything went well between both of them. Let's pray for their togetherness & happiness. Otherwise things can be pretty ugly - that I can foresee coming from my side. I can be as evil as one cant even imagine !


The Engagement Stuffs



My sister engaged this Mak Andam called Uji for her pelamin & bilik pengantin for my bro. I love both of them - so sweet and simple. Not too extravaganza or overly decorated - just nicely done - sesedap mata memandang.



Nowadays getting engaged is not as simple as before. The expectation is quite high, I would say. It'll be similar to the wedding itself - with the pelamin, dress, make-up & such. I still remembered that time when I was engaged way back in 1993. Those days getting engaged is so easy & simple. Wore a beige kebaya which was bought in Globe Silk Store @ RM 50. No make-up - just a lipstick & I'm all set & done. Pelamin for engagement is like a myth those days.


Now that everybody is doing it, you dont have a choice but to follow the trend. Biar mati anak jangan mati adat, tak begitu? The only thing you should take note is the people's expectation thereafter. Once you've set up the standard during the engagement day, people would tend to expect more for the wedding.

That's the pressure my sister is currently facing right now.....hehehe. Best of luck to her then !


2 in 1 Celebration


My busy schedule continued till this week. The day before yesterday was Hari Raya Haji & as usual I celebrated it with my family in Kuantan. Being in the monsoon season, it has been raining all day yesterday, as well as today. I've always love this part of the year. It's like winter where all you wanna do is lie on the bed & snuggle under the blanket all day long.



This time however, I cant afford to do so - what a waste kan?. I was terribly busy the moment I opened my eyes early this morning. Today is the most memorable & perhaps the happiest day for both my brother & sister. It's the day my sister got engaged & my brother's second wedding reception. We've decided to make it a double celebration - save time & more importantly, save cost.


Since I've written enuff story on my brother's wedding in few of my previous entries, so it's now my sister's turn la pulak. For this entry, I'm just gonna show the pics for the hantaran. which are more or less the same as the one I did for my brother's wedding the other day. The only thing different is the theme colour. Before it was green, now it's silver.


The arrangement of the flowers & items are very much similar. Since this is the second time I'm doing it, so the headache is much lesser. As mentioned in my previous entry, the bunga dulang used for all these hantaran are not made by myself. I bought them from the internet.


Those who are interested, can contact Kak Patimah at Emamin. They provides all kind of bunga dulang and other wedding accessories.


27 November 2009

Salam Aidil Adha



It's 10 Zulhijjah today where Hari Raya Aidil Adha a.k.a Hari Raya Haji is celebrated among the Muslims. Hari Raya Haji, or the "pilgrimage festival", marks the end of a Muslim's pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It is also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, where it commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail in an act of obedience to God. It's the time to share our blessings to others who are less fortunate.

Hari Raya Haji is very synonym to sacrifices. Apart from sacrificing the animals, it is always being related to our own sacrifices. It can be any kind of sacrificing, physically or emotionally. Whatever the sacrifices are, they better be a sincere ones. What's the point of forgoing something valuable when at the same time you'll be cursing yourself for doing so. It's what inside us that counts.

I would therefore wishing all my Muslim friends & readers a blessed Aidil Adha. May Allah rewards you with peace, health and filled your life with joy. Amin.


26 November 2009

Satay Zaini

When it comes to satay, the first name that come rushing to our minds, mostly would be Satay Hj Samuri. Satay Hj Samuri was once the most popular satay in town. People would travel all the way to Kajang only for that delicious satay of his.

Sadly, things are not the same anymore. Most of us would be jerking out their lips upon hearing Satay Hj. Samuri. It has obviously lost its touch. It all started when they began franchising their business. The quality deteriorated tremendously thereafter. It has gone from bad to worse. It's a very sad & disappointing fact for such a good business. Hj Samuri needs to come up with a fast action plan in order to salvage that family business of his.


I'm not gonna talk about Hj Samuri in my entry today but it is somehow indirectly related to him. Satay seems to be one of Marsya's fave. I had this problem before where I just couldnt find any good satay around Ampang / Pandan area. Many thanks to my neighbour for introducing Satay Zaini to me.

Satay Zaini is located in Ampang Jaya foodcourt - a few blocks away from the International School Kuala Lumpur (ISKL). If you're coming from P.Indah taking the MRR2, turn to the Ampang exit & go straight till you see the Flamingo Hotel on the left. Right after the hotel, there's a traffic light ahead where you should take the right turn. At this point yoo'll find Petronas to your right & ISKL on the left. Proceed e few more meters ahead until you reached the foodcourt on your left. Zaini Satay is located right opposite the 7 Eleven.


Zaini's satay is absolutely marvelous. They have chicken, beef & mutton satay of which are so juicy & succulent. The rule of thumb for a satay is that the meat cant be too dry. You wont be able to taste the sweetness & juiciness of the meat when it's too dry. This is something you cant find in Zaini's satay that left you in total satisfaction. It's priced @ 70 cents per stick which is quite normal & reasonable in comparison with the size of each piece. As for the peanut sauce, I am not in the position to comment coz I'm the type who dont eat satay with the sauce. Why ? Becoz the sauce will kill the scrumptious taste of the satay.

Those who have been searching for a good satay like me, here's the place to go. One thing for sure is that you wont regret it !


21 November 2009

Wedding Story - The Big Day


I've been very, very busy for the past 1-2 days that I didnt have the time to continue my story on my bro.'s wedding. Am working out something with a friend which requires loads of time & commitment that I've to sacrifice my blog for a moment. Just hope it'll be materialized as planned..... amin !


Back to the wedding story. Well, Saturday 21st November 2009 was the big day. The bersanding ceremony starts at approximately 1 pm. It was drizzling when we got there - hujan rahmat. Luckily the rain didnt get heavier otherwise we're gonna be the groom's wet troops rather than the groom's glamorous group !


The bersanding ceremony went quite well. Every one of us got the opportunity to menepung tawar the couple according to the Malay traditions. My brother looked really awkward on the pelamin. I can sense his unpleasantness being an abject of display with hundreds of eyes screening over him. Been there done that....only thing, during my time I dont really bother about how I might looked like up there on the pelamin. All I could think of at that time is to run far, far away, leaving everything & everybody else behind. Argghhh....I guess, I've deviated again. Cant really help it actually. The pain & sorrow still hurts till today. Zapppp......I cant afford to take you guys thru the time machine rides. So, let's go back to the present time, ok !


Next is makan timeeee !!! Apparently the table for the makan beradab was designated 100% for us......plus the bride & groom la, of course. So, two things are good for sure- first, we can all eat without having to control cun since it's only us at the table kan. Secondly, we can have all the food to ourselves ( can even disregard the pengantin coz they'll be too excited to eat)..... hahahaha.


Best wishes to you both. The road ahead might be rough, but remember this, hold each other close...walk through it with lots of patience & wisdom. There are few things in life as important as love, and nothing is as important as trust. Make trust the foundation of your marriage, faith, love, humor, and forgiveness...... and the life you build will be solid and strong. All my love, and wishes for happiness to each of you.


20 November 2009

Wedding Story - The Akad Nikah

Aku terima nikahnya.......


The 2nd part of this wedding story would be the Akad Nikah ceremony. This ceremony is being held on Friday night at the bride's home in Kampar, Perak. The original plan is to took off as early as possible & stopped by at Bidor for breakfast. But then, we human can only plan..... We end up leaving KL at approximately 11 am.

Lord of The Ring


I took the Duke highway for a faster route. Upon reaching Sg. Buloh, my mum rang up from my sister's car asking me about the Sireh Junjung. Apparently, we have accidentally left the Sireh Junjung behind......ouchhhh. Since I am the fastest driver, I have no choice but to turn back & fetch the thing. Such a bad beginning for the journey.

Muahhhhsssss........


We reached Kampar at somewhere around 2 pm. Stopped by at the bride's house for lunch & proceeded to check in at Regal Hotel in Kampar town. It was quite a nice hotel for a 2-star rating as far as the room is concerned. The room & toilet were tidy & clean plus it's not that cramped up too.

Did I just smell curry?


The Akad Nikah ceremony is scheduled to be after Isyak. We have to wait for approximately 30 minutes for the Tok Kadi which gives me the chance to snap a few pictures of my brother & her wife to be.

The now happy couple


The ceremony went very well & smooth. My brother only needs to recite the akad once - good for him. My other brother felt a bit inferior as he needs to recite it twice during his time....hehehe. Sorry Jack...luck is just not on your side !


Wedding Story - The Hantaran


Before I proceed, let me warn you readers in advance.....for the next few entries, it'll only be stories of my bro.'s wedding - nothing else but that. Imagine if it's my own....you'll be puking yourself out reading them. All those self obsessed stories of me & my wedding.....wallauweh ! God is really great & he knows well what's best for everybody.

The Baju Kurung + Tudung


In this entry, I'm gonna share the hantaran I've prepared for the wedding. Being the only talented & artistic person in the family ( ehemmm....), this task would always be mine for any weddings in the family. Ironically, I didnt do a single thing to all the hantaran of my own wedding - mainly becoz it's the unwanted wedding for me.....zapppp.... subject closed. Let's not steal the limelight from my bro.'s wedding story, okay !

The watch


All these hantaran, though it has my personal touch but I cant claim the credit 100%. Hantaran are much more simpler nowadays. It evolved tremendously for the past 10 - 15 years. Those days, the origami kindof hantaran were very popular where towels will be folded into turtles, telekung into a mosque & other variety of buildings or animals you could ever imagine. The more creative you are, the more complicated the outcome will be.

The handbag


I'm lucky to be in this era as I'm not that good in transforming things to become living things. I'm also very thankful for the development of the IT world for providing lots of info just at the tips of my fingers. With all the information I could gather from the internet, I've managed to create the somewhat simple but nice hantaran for my brother.

The Sireh Junjung - imported all the way from Kuantan


It's nothing much from my own creativity. Just some final touch here & there. Most of the decorative flowers are bought as it is. All I need to do is to figure out the best arrangements for the flowers & the gifts. The only thing that I could claim the credit for is the alas dulang.

The perfume & make-up


Initially, the trays & their covers are on loan from Ija ( thanks so much Ija ! ). For my sister's engagement next week, we planned to use the same covers but unfortunately the colour dont match with her chosen theme colour. So, we resorted in making new covers that could be use for both occasions.

The decorations for the tray covers.....so sweet kan?


The outcome is really awesome. Those covers look really great - with the butterfly, silver dangling ornaments plus the black silverish ribbons makes the whole thing looks really sweet. I am very proud of myself and I'm so happy for both my brother & sister. And to my mum, thanks a lot for helping me with the sewing work. Without your help, I might not be able to get enough sleep that night.