Weekend Well Spent

Today is the most awaited day for the week and i m glad it is finally here. So what seems to be so exciting about today? Firstly, its the day I am gonna meet up with my darling princess at her school. And secondly, we will be enjoying out favourite dish for buka puasa later, which is the grilled lamb. Ooohhhh we so lurve lambs / mutton berry berry muchie. What we are gonna have later is actually called kibas but I'm not so sure what is it called in English. I've never had a kibas before but i am sure anything in the goat's family would please me well.

There is this thing called Interaction Day at Marsya's school today where parents could discuss about their child's education with their teacher based on the previous Mid Term Exam. Alhamdulillah, I had the least of a problem with Marsya when it comes to studying and schooling. The only thing that worries me sometimes is when she put too much pressure on herself.

Right after that we headed straight to Klana Resort Hotel where I've booked a room for tonite. Apparently, Marsya cant stay overnite n she has to be back to school before 9 pm. We are still grateful coz at least we've got to spend some quality time together, alhamdulillah.

So allow me to give a bit of a review on this hotel since this is the second time we are here. The rate that I got is RM 120 per nite (including sahur) through Booking.com, which is quite reasonable considering the facilities they are offering. Klana Resort Hotel is considered an old hotel - it's just old but not run down and dirty. The room has all the facilities that a 5 star could offer - aircond, shower, bath tub, television with Astro, iron, kettle, safe box and a hair dryer. Like i said, they have everything you ever need for.

Next I am gonna talk about their buka puasa. We came down after performing out maghrib. So, by then almost half of the food has been consumed. Luckily our grilled kibas was still there patiently waiting for us. I found that kibas meat is more tender than lamb, also a bit more juicier. As for their other foods, its just so-so lahhh....like those normal hotel food.

So, after we are done with our buka puasa, I sent Marsya back to her school which is just 10 minutes away. Then back to the hotel n dozed off.....sayonara !

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A Quiet Birthday

It was my 44^th birthday yesterday…… a quiet one indeed.

The first to wish me was my darling Marsya, of course, while we were lying on bed waiting to fall asleep on that 25^th night. A birthday wish from a daughter, with a peck on the cheek is all a mummy could have asked for. Thank you so much dear !

 LOL......this is so me !!!

Then just after midnight, a birthday wish from my best friend, Chor whom I’ve known since we were 8. A birthday wish via WhatsApp along with a string of ballons, hailer, cakes, flowers emoticons etc, as if we were having a party in there hahaha. Thank you Chor for all the well wishes & may our dreams for “lelaki kaya dan beriman” will soon came true LOL.

Not so long after Chor’s, came along my next birthday wish from my one & only sis, Aida. Didn’t expect to get it from her that early and it was quite a surprise knowing that she’s still up at that hour. Kesian Aida…..it was her son, Shafiy who doesn’t seem ready to call the day off any earlier. Missed that adorable lil’ nephew of mine…muaaaahhhh.

Then, the next morning while busy juggling my burnt caramelized chicken wings and; cooking Paprik for lunch (I know I am awesome *wink wink* ), my mum called to wish me – thank you mak, love you ! Well, just for the record, I managed to save those chickens wings from suffering a 3^rd degree burnt, and therefore are still edible….phewww.

So, that’s the first 7 hours of my 44^th years on earth…….

As I settled down at my desk in the office, my other BFF, Jamie called. I was so happy to hear her voice that I don’t really care if she called only to ask me about the weather  instead of wishing me on my birthday….but she didn’t. Jamie had been very, very busy for the past two months or so, and to even get her on the phone is impossible, let alone meeting up.  So I was the happiest person that very morning knowing the fact that she remembered and took the effort in the midst of her hectic life, to call and wish me. Terharu akak…

Later that day, were the wishes from my special group of friends and my brother  - both via the WhatsApp group, Jornam and Family respectively. Only one wish on my Facebook page ( just the way I wanna it to be ) from my eldest brother and I am glad he wrote it much, much later in the evening.

Last but not least, at 10:00 pm last night my old friend cum colleague sent me her wishes. Actually, I was waiting for it the whole day we were in the office but I guessed it must have slipped her mind. Anyway, it’s the thought that counts right?

A friend asked how would I celebrate my birthday this year? Where is the cake? The truth is a birthday is just another day for me. The last time I celebrated my birthday was during my 40^th birthday coz it was a special phase in life and because I have amazing frens who threw a luxurious dinner for me.

And for the rest of the birthdays, it was just me and Marsya spending the day like any other days, counting my blessings and feeling grateful that Allah has spared my life this long…..while at the same time hoping for more good things and years to come. Ameen.

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Hari Raya Cookies Marathon

I have actually kept aside all my cookie's mould, rolling pins, baking tray etc for the past 3 years when I decided to take a long leave from the baking (Hari Raya cookies) world. Baking cookies for me, are nothing close to baking cakes.

Baking cakes are much, much easier. All you need to do is to measure the ingredients, mix them in the mixer, then dump the mixture in a mould & finally, to the oven it goes. But cookies? They are just too much hassles to it. There are more than just measure-mix-bake......you need to roll, mould, decorate & of course more waiting time as you need to bake not only one tray but a few (unless you have a really huge oven) - especially a good daughter like me who would bake extra cookies for her mum too !

How I'd wish I could retire from this "business" for good - if only my sister (who'll be 28 next year!) could take over this long over-due duty from me. But then from the look of it, things are just not happening the way I'm hoping it would ~ big sigh ~

Anyway this year, after much persuasion from my mum & Marsya especially, I, not only reluctantly but halfheartedly agreeing to it. How can a mother says no to her child & a daughter says no to her mum? What choice do I have?

Speaking of cookies, I have a confession. I may be good in cooking dishes - locals, internationals or even fusions but when it comes to cookies, I am a failure. As much as I wanted to blame the recipes (or maybe it's the new oven), I honestly knew that I have to chew the fact that I'm just not good at it. Out of 10 biscuits that I bakes, only 1 or 2 will turn out well. The rest are all sucks :-(

Last weekend, I managed to bake 5 types of cookies : Chocolate Crescent, Cornflakes Crunchy, Black Beauty Oreo, Almond Slice & Twist Tart Cookies. Well, at least their names are fancy coz the taste are unfortunately not that fancy after all.....huhuhu.




Out of these 5 biscuits, only the 2 of them are okay, which is the Cornflakes Crunchy & Almond Slice. The rest are simply pathetic :

a) Chocolate Crescent becomes Chocolate Cresburnt since this silly me waited too long before pulling put the tray from the oven. I was actually waiting for the bottom part of the biscuits to turn brown - but then how brown biscuit be any browner? They can turn black though ! Tsk...tsk.....

b) Black Beauty Oreo - This one is placed in a paper cups which means I cant actually check the bottom part of teh biscuit. So, similar to Chocolate Cresburnt, Black Beauty Oreo becomes Black Bottom Oreo !

c) Twist Tart Cookies - I blame it on the strawberry jam - they are just too sweet. Should have opted for the more pricey ones coz all you can taste is the sweetness & not the strawberry !

My cookie jars posing in-front of my new oven

Anyway with 3 failures behind my back, I am still determine to make at least another 2 or 3 more biscuits this coming weekend.

Wish me luck ( Only God knows how much I need it ! ) !!

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The Wedding Story - The Big Day

Finally, the moment arrives. It's the moment where all plannings & dreams are turned into reality. A moment to be remembered by all especially both the bride & groom. It's a special day for them where every seconds shall be glued in their memory for as long as they lived.

The wedding's theme colour is red which happens to be my favourite colour. Red is goods it always brings out the mood of any occasion, thus creating a livelier ambiance. As far as red is concerned, you can never go wrong with this shade as it is totally happening.

When the theme colour has been set as red, everything should adhere to it, where possible. The decoration for the pelamin & bedroom are mainly based on the said colour. I dont have the picture of the pelamin & the bedroom as I dont really like the way the Pak Andam did it.

The red scallops used to decorate the pelamin & bedroom sort of reminded me of the red cloth the Chinese used to hang at the entrance door especially during the opening of their new shop. I know I'm mean but looking at it automatically shift my mind towards that.....huhuhu.

To those who didnt know, my sister was married to an army officer, Kapt. Azrul. I've never seen or attend any army wedding in my entire life before. Well, all I can say is that the whole event was such a glorious & splendid affair, unlike the common wedding you would normally see. Of course, it was an army’s wedding, thus full of formalities. If you don’t know or have never seen an army weds before, you should seek an opportunity at your very best to do so.


First, instead of the kompang, the couple will be assisted by the bag pipers (which would definitely brought your mind to the movie “Braveheart”), together with six handsome looking sword-bearers. In my sister's case, there's no bag pipers available - so they will have to make do with the bag pipe music coming from a CD instead.

The groom i.e. my BIL and the sword-bearers were immaculately clad in a well-fitted official army’s suit. To me, once a guy is in his uniform, he'll automatically transformed into a gorgeous looking man, regardless of how he actually looks like. The uniform is like magic that could easily overrule his looks without any doubt. Though I’ve seen my BIL countless times, I must say he looked much, much better in his white army suit. My sister, on the other hand was beautifully dressed in white lace bridal gown.


The groom was escorted by an officer (the best man) together with the sword-bearers troop where they marched till they reached the wedding arch. The best man would then fetch the bride & took her to the groom who was waiting at the other end. Then, both the bride and groom walked underneath the shining swords. Happening, I tell you......I couldn’t keep my jaw from dropping the whole time. It was totally awesome !



Followed thereafter was the bersanding ceremony, still in accordance to the army's wedding protocol. The sword-bearers lined up on both sides of the pelamin, making way for the selected individuals to menepung-tawar. Later, each of the sword-bearers would come out from the lines & salute the groom. And yes......my jaw was still dropping...


Next the couple headed to the main table for the makan beradap ceremony. Nothing unusual here & I took the opportunity to finally shut my mouth. The makan beradap was then followed by the cake cutting session. Again, the sword bearers played their roles during this ceremony. I was too amazed that I failed to capture those moments via my IXUS. The sword bearers will first touch the tips of their swords together-gether while shaking it slowly for a few seconds till the groom gave a signal to stop. Only then the couple cut the cake underneath a pile of shining swords.



That was it - the highlight of my sister's wedding. The rest are pretty much the same as any other weddings. I was lucky enuff that I no longer need to use the crutches to move around. Though I was still limping but at least those crutches were not presence to spoil my glamorous looks & outfit.

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The Wedding Story - Khatam Quran

The Khatam Quran is another ceremony some brides chose to include as part of their wedding events. Khatam Quran is originally not meant for the brides-to-be. It is a ceremony to honor those who have completed the recital of the whole Quran regardless of being a bride or not.



Nowadays many brides opt to perform the Khatam Quran prior to their big day. Note that only the bride would normally carried out this tradition & not the groom. But it doesnt mean that the groom have yet to complete the whole Quran. It's just that the ladies are more into these kind of things while the guys always prefer to stick to the basic stuffs only as Khatam Quran is absolutely not the requirement for a wedding according to Islamic law.

My sister's Khatam Quran takes place in the morning - right before the main event itself. Since she didnt hire any make-up artist for that event, I was given the honour to complete that particular task. Though applying make-up is not something new to me but that only revolves around my own face. I've never actually done it to somebody else except for Marsya during her school concert.



So, the pressure still builds up in me - fearing that the outcome doesnt meet to the expectation. Luckily things turned out well. I may not be a professional but good enough to make my pretty sister prettier.

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The Wedding Story - Akad Nikah

The akad nikah is the first ceremony in any Malay weddings. It is a ceremony whereby the father of the bride will pass his responsibility of taking care of his daughter to the groom. It is also the time where the groom shall promised the bride to take care of her for the rest of his & her life. I wont say it's a changing of vows since the bride doesnt need to say a word during this ceremony.



The tense is more to the groom especially during the part where he has to say those few magical words in accepting the bride to be his lawful wife. It's not just two words of "I do" - it's much, much more than that & it has to be uttered in one breath.



Some did it once.....some twice......& those with nervous breakdown could end up saying it couple of time before all the witnesses could approve it. In my sister's case, her groom did well. Once & for all, she has become his. Well, as a Captain in the army, nervous shouldnt be in his dictionary, isnt it?



As of today, Aida has moved into a new dimension of her life. Marriage is a beautiful thing but dont expect it to be a bed of roses all the time. Marriage is not easy, by all accounts - as marriage is all about compromise, trust, respect & sacrifices.



I do hope Aida dont go into thinking that things are going to be the same as when they dated. Marriage may just be the next step to those who think they are in love. They have had a great time dating, and have no idea how much things will change when they marry. Marriage requires hard work and commitment for it to grow and mature. It is nothing like dating.



And to Aida & Azrul.......I wish them the very best of luck & may they live happily for the rest of their life !

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The Wedding Story - The Hantarans

Whenever there's a wedding in the family, I would be the one responsible for the weddings. Ironically, that's not the case for my own wedding.....hehehe. I guess if it's a wedding I'm looking forward to, then it's definitely a whole different story already. Not everybody's lucky enough to turn their dream wedding into a reality & unfortunately I am one of them .....huhuhu.

Okay, enough with the tears & regrets. Past is past & it's the future that we should only be interested in. So, back to the hantaran's story. For Malay wedding, though it's not compulsory by the religion's law, it is considered as important as the bride/groom themselves.



Hantaran is the gifts prepared by both the bride & groom's family & will be exchanged among each other on the wedding day. The quantity of hantaran shall be decided by the bride & groom themselves. Take note that the quantity should be only be in odd numbers - either 5 or 7 or 9... so on & so forth.



As far as the hantaran is concern, there are no standards or rules for the things chosen to be the hantaran. It can be anything from shoes, jeweleries, clothes, perfumes, cosmetics or whatever favoured by both parties as long they are in line with their budget.




However, betel leaves are compulsory to be included as one of the hantaran. Dont ask me for I didnt know why & what's the reason behind this requirement. Honestly, I dont see a point why we should add the betel leaves as nobody eats them anymore these days. Just becoz the older generation did it, nobody dares to break the rules.




During my time, hantaran are more complicated in terms of its preparation. Those days, people likes to be more crafty where the hantaran wouldnt look like their original shape / state. The towels will be made into grapes, the sarong will be folded into a fan, the sejadah will turn into a mosque etc. Thank God things are much simpler now, otherwise I'm sure you'll find a set of Transformers Robot on one of the hantaran's tray !



As I mentioned earlier in my previous post, nowadays are all about money. The more money you have, the lesser the work will be. If last time you'll need at least a week to prepare the hantaran, now in less than an hour I've completed all the 7 trays ! Wooo hooooo !!!

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The Wedding Story - Henna Day

The bride to be, Aida is scheduled to get her hands & feet drawn with the henna today. And I was assigned to send her to the henna saloon since I thought of doing the same to my hands - not those complicated design but just the simple ones. Some people doesnt find it nice to have these henna designs drawn on their hands but for me it's something very artistic & nice - depending on the artist who did. I've done it twice before of which both are quite a disappointment.

That's Ana henna-ing my nails

Anyway, we have actually coloured our nails with henna the night before. My mum, Aida, Marsya, Ana & myself (Aida's BFF) helped each other to make sure the henna were perfectly placed on the nails. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ana for her great help. Thanks a million !



The henna artist whom Aida engaged is Suraya from Damia Henna Arts. According to her portfolio, she worked with various celebrities before like Nana AF for instance. Suraya took about 1 1/2 hours to complete the task - both hands (front & back) and both feet. This service cost Aida RM150 which would mainly meant for the workmanship since the henna wouldnt cost that much, I believe.




But then, overall it was okay. The end result, though it was not 100% perfect but can be considered as satisfactory with no smears & such. The only thing that I would be complaining about would be the colour of the henna after it has dried up. Rather that radiant red (as advertised in her website), it looks purplish instead. To me, henna means red - no other colour but red.




I thought of getting my hands henna-ed too but after hearing the price, I immediately changed my mind. It's RM20/hand which I think was a bit too much especially when the design is nothing that fancy. So, in the end only Marsya got he hands henna-ed for RM10/hand.

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The Wedding Story - Introduction

I was in Kuantan since last Saturday i.e. the first day of the second semester's school holiday. My youngest sister is getting married in a week's time & I wont be able to be back this early if it's not becoz of my injured knee. My plan is to spend the entire 2 weeks of the school hols in Kuantan...... such a bless isnt it?

I had been busy since the first day itself. Coming from a very small family, everything are on our own shoulders. We dont have lots of relatives to help us out with the wedding preps. Luckily things are much easier these days with money in the picture. Most of the major things like food, canopies, pelamin etc are being contracted out.

As usual, my job has always been in the arts & crafts department. I am not the best but since I am the most arty & creative person in the family, anything got to do with arts & deco. are being pushed to me.

My first project is to make the wedding placards that will be placed at a different locations to guide the guests to the wedding venue. Here's what I've end up with :

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I Wish I Could Dear.......

Me & Marsya were watching our favourite TV series, Glee last night - it's not that we havent watched that particular episode but we just dont get tired watching it. At the end of every episode, they will always show a clip of their performance excerpt from a random episodes of the series.

Last night's was the one where the Glee casts were singing for Burt (Kurt's dad) & Carole's (Finn's mum) wedding. They were performing such a beautiful song from Bruno Mars, Marry Me during the procession down the aisle. I am so loving that song very, very much especially when it's the Glee kids who are singing it. Simply awesome !

Upon seeing Finn & Kurt's teary eyes during the wedding, I then shoot Marsya a question. Would you cry on my wedding if I were to re-marry, dear? Without even a slight hesitation, she replied, "nope !". Taken aback by her answer, I asked her why, since it's gonna be the most happiest day of my life & arent she gonna be happy for me?

With a straight face she told me this : "Mummy, of course I would be happy for you but it wouldnt be entirely. No matter whom you're gonna marry, I know I'm not gonna like him to the fullest. And just to let you know, I would only cry on your wedding if it's between you & Ayah Botak ( my 2nd ex-hubby who is Marsya's step dad )" - meaning that she wanted me to re-marry him.

At that moment, I just stood there - frozen. How I'd wished she would asked for something else like an I-Phone or something. Which mother doesnt want her kids to be happy? It's every mother's wish to fulfill each of their kid's dreams......but just what can a mother do when her kid is asking for the impossible?

Sighing the longest sigh.........

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Welcome To The World

Last Friday, we welcomed the newest member in our family - Ahmad Amsyar, which means "most praised & energetic / active". It was indeed the most happiest moment for us all especially my brother & his wife.



With just a few hours of age, one cant really tell whose look he inherits. All I can say is that Amsyar is such a cute & adorable baby (which baby is not anyway! ). Looking at him sleeping makes the world around us so calm & peaceful. I could look at him all day long, because there is something so pure and perfect about babies. Maybe it is the clean start and new beginning that makes them so charming & wonderful. And that's how amazing babies are ! You just dont get bored looking at them.....let alone feeling bored or tired - provided that they havent start crying lar.....hahaha !

To Ahmad Amsyar, this poem is specially dedicated for you :

My newborn nephew
Born with eyes so bright
You fill this world
With such joy & delight
Your heart is gentle
Your smile is sweet
You bring endless joy
To those you meet

My newborn nephew
Born with eyes so bright
You are indeed
A marvelous sight
Your skin is soft
Your feature is small
But loved you are
By all

Tears of joy surely fell
From angel's eyes
The day you were sent to earth
They embraced you with bittersweet goodbyes
My newborn nephew
Born with eyes so bright
You fill this world
With such joy & delight

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