Transformed Housewife

To All FTWM: Let's find time to cook.

2012-01-29T19:44:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Do you normally buy food from outside for dinner? Do you always find that you don't have time to prepare or cook for dinner? Do you always say that you are too tired to cook?WELL............................I don't want to be hypocrite to say that I don't do those things too. There are sometimes when I feel too tired after a long day at work and choose to buy food from outside. BUT after some time, I feel bored of the food as I realize that the price is increasing and the quality of the food is not getting better.

So, I try to do certain things to ensure that I can prepare some simple food at least for dinner during the week days. These simple things help to save some time in the kitchen and you don't really have to like a "Masterchef" just to prepare a nice and delicious dish for your family.

HOW TO PREPARE/COOK FOOD AFTER YOU COME BACK FROM WORK:

1- Plan ahead the menu for a- 5- days.
    Make sure you have to diversify the food to encourage your kids to eat. For example, Monday: Chicken Curry, Tuesday: Omellette and Fried Veges, Wednesday: Beef Soup etc.

2- Prepare the ingredients ahead.
It's easier if you already blend, chop or at least have the raw ingredients like garlic, ginger and onion ready in your fridge. Another thing is to put enough portion of chicken in a tray or beef that you want to cook for a dish in your freezer.

3- Keep some sauces, herbs, spices and other condiments handy in your kitchen.
In Asian kitchen, it's a must to have soy sauce, chilli sauce, tomato sauce, fish sauce and others to add the flavour to our dish. Adding some of those can enhance your cooking too.

4- Keep pasta ready in your cupboard.
    It's very easy to prepare a quick pasta dish for children especially when you use ready made sauce or the canned mushroom soup. You just need 2 pieces of chicken or the frozen chicken balls (I love chicken balls from Ayamas), some vegetables, garlic, water and some pepper.

5-Marinate the chicken, fish or beef at night and keep them in the fridge in the morning.
   When you come back from work, you don't need to thaw them and the cooking process can be cut into half.

6- Buy the ready made paste.
I love to use the ready made Tom Yam paste or Tandoori powder. They come in so handy because I only need 30 minutes to prepare a quick tomyam and 45 minutes to prepare Chicken Tandoori.

I guess those are some the tips that I can share here. Hopefully they can help to inspire all mommies to cook even though they are busy with their career. The satisfaction of preparing the food for your family on your own is so priceless and it can help us to stay within our monthly budget. As doctors always suggest healthy eating, we can ensure that our family members will eat healthy food by preparing the food. Let's start NOW!

p/s: arwah mak saya ada berpesan yg air tangan isteri dan ibu itu lebih baik untuk menambat hati ahli keluarga dan mengeratkan kasih sayang.

Taekwondo or Swimming lesson?

2012-01-28T09:52:00.000+08:00

Salam,

My elder daughter is interested to join the Taekwondo class in her school. My hubby and I don't have any objection as both of us were actively involved in Taekwondo when we were in school and in university. However, I also want her to learn swimming as well. So, we haven't really decided which is the extra activity for her. We can't afford to send her to take both lessons as we are expecting our third child by June. Letting her to join Taekwondo means extra expenses for that. But we want her to be tougher physically as she is too feminine. As for other lesson like learning how to recite Iqra', I'm teaching both my daughters at home after Maghrib prayer and we think it's okay for now. Maybe when I can't find time to teach them maybe we have to send them somewhere.

Which lesson is better?

Ombak Rindu versi taubat. (BM entry)

2012-01-25T09:15:00.002+08:00

Salam,

Secret Garden.

2012-01-24T21:41:00.000+08:00

Salam,

As promised, I'll share a little bit about what we just discovered in One Utama, Bandar Utama. Maybe other people know about this, but not us. At first we discovered the Rainforest in the middle of the building. Then, we discovered the Secret Garden on the rooftop and the admission is FREE! (yup, this is very since normally we have to pay when we want to get in a garden except for public garden).

My initial plan just to bring out kids for walk in a shopping mall. We didn't expect to see something different. It was nice to see the twist because we are tired of seeing only the shops in a shopping mall. We had nice photo shoots with our not-DSLR-camera. hehe. I enjoyed being the photographer using my hubby and my kids as my subjects. Of course when we walked around the garden, we had some ideas for our dream garden for our house.

Now, I'll let the photos to tell the rest of the stories. So, enjoy the scenery............

The Rainforest.

On the bridge (the top floor)

Can you read the rules?

Nice?

2 models; 2 different personalities

Can you identify some of the plants?

Notice the pink pineapple?

After the tour in the secret garden, we had lunch and we headed home as we we were already tired of walking. BUT, before we could find our car in the car park, we were lost in OU as it's quite big and we couldn't remember exactly the exact place of where we parked our car! So, we ended up went in a circle before we could relocate our car. Finally, after much fuss from the kids who were tired, my hubby became the HERO of the day. He was somehow mad with me for not remembering the shops where we first came up from the car park. I guess the next time, I ask him out to OU, he will reject the suggestion. huhu.

Teaser: Rainforest and Secret Garden in a shopping mall.

2012-01-23T22:14:00.000+08:00

Do you know that you don't have to go so far away to see a rainforest and a secret garden even when you live in the heart of a city?

Where is it? Is it real?

I'll give the answers in tomorrow's entry and also let you see some photos of the places.

Hang Li Po, Hang Tuah were just myths?

2012-01-19T22:20:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Princess Hang Li Po: Prove me wrong, Khoo tells detractors

KUALA LUMPUR- A historian has asked his detractors to prove him wrong in his claim that Hang Tuah and other historical figures never existed.

“If you do not agree with me, bring out sources to show that I am wrong.

“You cannot simply say that you don’t agree. What is the basis?” Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim asked when met at the Interna-tional Conference on the Global Movement of Moderates here yesterday.

Prof Khoo, who is in a committee which will look into the present History curriculum in schools, said legends like Hang Tuah and Princess Hang Li Po were not real because there were no reliable sources to confirm their existence.

On Hang Tuah’s grave in Malacca, Prof Khoo said there was no way of telling it was him unless the grave was dug up and the corpse examined.

“I know there is a Hang Tuah well in Malacca too but it was built by the local people and they go there at night to ask for lottery numbers,” he added.

Prof Khoo, who is from Universiti Malaya, said it was sad that Malaysians were becoming more ignorant of history but were “good at confrontation”.

Asked on the proposed move to allow undergraduates to participate in politics, Prof Khoo said he was worried that if students were given such opportunities, they would be “used” by politicians and would not have time for their studies.

On Monday, Prof Khoo said there was no written record of Hang Li Po, Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat and the stories that have made it into the history books were just myths.

-TheStar

If Hang Li Po, Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat can't be proved their existence, should we totally ignore what we know before. There were so many stories about them and there were also movies made based on the stories. There were no legitimate sources to confirm about their existence since our past history was mainly on stories that had been told from one generation to another.

But I still like the stories about Hang Tuah and his friends. They were the Malay heroes even though they were just based on myths. We do have a lot of myths that we believe like Puteri Gunung Ledang, Puteri Santubong, Mat Lela and Mat Chincang and also Mahsuri in Langkawi. They were popular as the folklore and have been accepted as part of our society.

I just wonder then what kind of "Hang" really exist? Hang Man? "Hang Tu"? "Hang Buah"?

Don't listen to Sami Yusof.

2012-01-18T20:15:00.000+08:00

Salam,

That statement "Don't listen to Sami Yusof" didn'y come from ME! I came across this video on YOU TUBE. This man (sorry I can't find out who he is) claimed about the music used by Sami Yusof is not allowed in Islamic teaching. To listen further, you have to watch the video:

Now you have to watch what Sami Yusof said to defend his music in an interview on CNN. Then only we can compare and make our own decision. :

So, what do you think? Do you like to listen to nasheed? Do you like singers like Sami Yusof, Maher Zain and Mesut Kurtis? I know that we can't make our judgement just based on our own opinion because we must follow Islamic teaching. I'm no so pious and I admit that my knowledge in Islamic fiqh is quite shallow. Thus, I've rechecked to reconfirm what I knew about nasheed.

In general, true Islamic anasheed does not contain lamellaphone instruments, string instruments, or wind and brass instruments, although digital remastering either to mimic percussion instruments or create overtones is permitted. This is because many Muslim scholars interpret Islam as prohibiting the use of musical instruments except for some basic percussion.

So, what do we do about this?

Org kurus tak nampak kalau mengandung? (BM entry)

2012-01-17T22:17:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Hari ini ada beberapa kwn di tempat kerja baru perasan yang saya mengandung. Itu pun kerana saya pakai blaus yg mcm untuk ibu mengandung tu. Sblm ni hanya rakan2 rapat je yang tahu. Yang masih bujang dan belum berkahwin siap cakap, "Akak ni kurus sebab tulah tak nampak sangat walaupun mengandung". Jadi betulkah teori yang mengatakan orang kurus ni kalau mengandung susah nak nampak perut besar? Kalau dilihat pada pengalaman sebelum ini, saya ni memang orang tak akan perasan mengandung sampailah bulan ke 5 dan seterusnya. Cuma kali ketiga ni je mungkin dah nampak lebih awal. Itupun biasanya tak nampak sebab saya suka pakai baju longgar. Tadi pun bukanlah baju ketat tapi mungkin bentuk baju tu yang menampakkan perut yang makin membesar ni.

Jadi, siapa nak buat teori lain kat sini? Sila jangan terasa kalau anda berisi ye. Saya tak de maksud apa2 kat sini. Cuma nak bandingkan pendapat2 yang saya dengar dan pendapat2 yg lain.

New way of asking "HELP".

2012-01-16T21:26:00.000+08:00

Salam,

"Help! Help!", cried a woman when somebody was trying to grab her handbag. The culprit managed to escape quickly before other people came to help her. It happened to fast that she couldn't remember any detail about the culprit. That is just an example of a small crime that happens almost everyday now. We can never feel so safe anymore in Malaysia. We always have to be careful and take some precautions just to ensure our own safety.

Now, with a smart phone, we can download MyDistress Apps. What is it used for? Let's see:

MyDistress – Your Personal Emergency Police Rescue Smartphone App

Have you been in an emergency situation and dialled 999 to call the police? Now there is a better and faster way to get emergency police assistance in Malaysia. You can use MyDistress smartphone application to get help from the police in a single click! MyDistress application is compatible with Android, Apple, Symbian and BlackBerry smartphone operating systems.

When you are in an emergency situation, the last thing you want to do is to spend time calling the police, explaining the situation, trying to figure out and explain the exact location. MyDistress eliminates all that hassle, with just 1 click of a button, a distress message is send to the police with your location details and the police will be despatched immediately to your location.
MyDistress smartphone application is useful in life-threatening situations like kidnaping, break-ins and robbery where you might not be able to speak on the phone due to panic or dangerous situation.

How To Use My Distress Application
You will need to register by filling up your personal details: identity card number, name, mobile number and email. Optionally, you can also attach a photo of yours. These details will be sent to the police in moments of distress.
You can preset a number of locations into your phone, such as your home, your office or places that you commonly go to. If you live or work inside a high rise building, it helps to preset location with details such as floor number, unit number or any other details. This helps the police to come directly to you instead of searching for you in the whole building.
When in distress, you can choose “Personal Alert” when you are outdoor. Your details with the current GPS location is sent to the police.
You can choose “Preset Location Alert” when you are in any of the preset location. Click “SOS” button and then choose your location.
If you are kidnapped and being moved in a vehicle, MyDistress application will continue sending your GPS location information so that police will be able to follow and rescue you.

How To Download My Distress Application
Click on the link below to download My Distress Application.

Open internet browser in your mobile phone and type the address below.
http://mydistress.net

I'm not sure how effective is this apps. BUT I guess there's no harm in equipping ourselves with some safety measures. Let's just hope the police will come to our aid when we need them.

Craving.

2012-01-15T21:32:00.000+08:00

Salam,

This week marks 16 weeks of my third pregnancy. Sometimes I feel okay sometimes I feel exhausted. This time I'm experiencing so many different things compared to the other two pregnancies before. When it comes to cravings, I've had some food cravings. Last week, I craved for Prosperity Burger from McDonald. So, I went to McDonald in KLCC to satisfy my craving. I couldn't finish the burger as the sauce was too hot for me. This week, I can't help but thinking about Kelantanese dishes like 'laksam, nasi kerabu and nasi berlauk ayam'. I guess I have to go and find those food soon. If I want to prepare those food, I don't have the energy to prepare the different components of each dishes especially nasi kerabu unless I get some help from a sous chef. hehe. During my second pregnancy, my late mum came all the way from Kelantan to prepare 'nasi kerabu' for me before I left Malaysia to go to NZ. It was the last dish that my late mum could ever prepared
for me. (mode: emotional)

Why do pregnant women have food cravings? Nobody can really explain but there are some possible explanations given by some researches:

Hormonal changes during pregnancy may alter a woman's sense of taste and smell making her crave food that she normally would not have enjoyed. This could also explain why menopausal women often experience food cravings and aversions.

Temporary nutritional deficiencies may cause cravings; however, this reason would not explain why some women crave more than enough amounts of certain nutrients. Nonetheless, a craving for pickles could indicate low sodium levels in the blood, while craving chocolate may be triggered by a vitamin B deficiency. A craving for red meat may indicate a need for protein, while cravings for peaches might be a result of low beta carotene levels.

Emotional needs are known to be connected with food intake. A pregnant woman may be craving certain foods, consciously or subconsciously, as a response to emotional needs. Many pregnant women crave nostalgic foods that remind them of their childhoods or religious and cultural background, particularly if they are removed from it.

Warding off pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness and nausea may be the basis for certain food aversions as well as pica cravings of non-food items during pregnancy. Substances like baking soda are known for calming digestive discomfort, while coffee, alcohol, and fried foods may induce nausea as well as harm your baby.

source: HERE

Hopefully I won't be getting any weird cravings like craving for things which are inedible. Pica is a term used to describe cravings to eat non-food items such as toothpaste, laundry detergent, soap, dirt, coal, chalk, and cigarette butts.Those things are harmful and might affect the mommy and the baby.

Have anyone of you craved for weird things (non-food items)?

Cara2 yang terbaik mengejutkan anak2 dari tidur (BM entry)

2012-01-12T21:29:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Saya terbaca artikel ini dari myibrah.com. Rasanya sangat bagus untuk kita yang dah ada anak-anak ni. Saya sendiri kadang-kadang kalau mengejutkan anak-anak, adala juga guna cara kasar bila diaorg ni susah sangat nak bangun. Yelah kita dah penat kejut tapi masih tak bangun2 lagi. Macammana cara terbaik nak mengejutkan anak2 bangun tidur? Baca artikel di bawah ini dan renungkanlah dan fikirkan strategi kita sendiri bila nak kejutkan anak-anak terutama di waktu pagi.
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KAEDAH MENGEJUT ANAK BANGUN DARI TIDUR

Ibu-Ibu, bapa-bapa serta saudara-saudari seislamku,
Ingatlah,
Setiap Insan pasti mahu memulakan harinya dengan ceria dan bersemangat. Jika bangun pagi sudah dimulai dengan perkara kurang baik, ditakuti ia akan merosakkan mood sepanjang hari.
Sebelum tidur, pasti kebanyakan individu menyimpan cita-cita untuk masa depan, mengenangkan peristiwa lalu serta memikirkan perkara yang akan dilakukan pada keesokkan harinya.
Ingatlah wahai saudara-saudariku…
Cuba kita ingat dan kenang kembali bagaimana ibu mengejutkan kita bangun pagi setiap hari untuk ke sekolah serta hari-hari cuti. Namun apabila besar dan mula ke sekolah menengah kita sudah pandai mengunci jam sendiri untuk bangun pagi ke sekolah dan sebagainya.
Sedang kita lena enak dibuai mimpi, tiba-tiba kita dikejutkan dengan kasar atau perkataan yang menyakitkan telinga yang mendengar serta menyakitkan hati, sudah pasti hati berasa sangat marah. Apabila sudah dewasa dan berkeluarga, bagaimana pula kita mengejutkan anak-anak bangun dari tidur..?
Kadang-kala ibu berasa letih dan marah apabila anak yang dikejut berkali-kali tidak juga bangun dari tidurnya. Sudah digerakkan supaya bangun, tetapi masih juga mengalihkan tubuhnya ke posisi lain untuk menyambung tidurnya. Apabila dikejutkan sekali lagi, ia mendengus kerana marah diganggu.

Ibu dan bapa yang dirahmati Allah sekalian…,

Kejutlah anak kita dengan penuh kasih-sayang, bukan menjerit dan menggegarkan tubuh si anak dengan kasar.Ini akan membuatkan si anak bertambah malas untuk bangun daripada tidur akibat sikap ibu yang suka menjerit atau menggunakan kekerasan semasa mengejut si anak.
Biasanya kita menyuruh si anak segera bangun daripada tidur, sedangkan ada masanya anak mahu bermalas-malasan seketika sebelum bangun daripada tidur.
Sesungguhnya,kata-kata yang baik akan membuat si anak berasa bersemangat untuk bangun daripada tidur.
Jika si anak jenis yang liat bangun tidur, maka usahakanlah membelainya dengan kata-kata lembut dan mengusapnya. Dia akan merasa bahagia dan tahu dirinya disayangi .
Saudara-saudari yang dirahmati Allah,
Ingat..!
jangan lupa baca doa bangun daripada tidur.
Jika tidak berjaya mengejutkan anak dengan belaian dan kata-kata lembut, cubalah gerakkan tangan dan kakinya seolah-olah sedang bersenam. Anak yang masih mengantuk juga akan cepat tersedar apabila ibu atau bapa mengejutkannya dengan cara membuat kelakar atau bergurau. Ketika masih mengantuk,dia mungkin akan ketawa apabila mendengar gurauan ibu bapanya , dan akan memulakan paginya dengan perasaan ceria dan bahagia.
Sebaliknya ,cara kekerasan seperti meleteri,merentap kain selimut dan menarik telinga si anak untuk mengejutkannya daripada tidur, hanya akan menyebabkan si anak merasa malas dan tertekan bangun daripada tidur.
Tidak kira samada anak tidur pada waktu pagi, tengahari atau malam, seharusnya ibu dan bapa menggunakan pendekatan baik untuk mengejutkan anak. Perkataan kasar atau kesat akan menyebabkan anak merasa jauh hatinya.
Jika cara kekerasan di gunakan dalam mengejutkan anak daripada tidur, bimbang ia akan merosakkan personaliti si anak. Emosi anak juga akan terganggu dan tidak menentu serta merasakan suatu seksaan untuk bangun daripada tidur setiap hari.
Tidak dinafikan, ada si anak yang mempunyai tabiat bangun pagi dengan merengek atau sering saja buat hal, Namun seharusnya kasih sayang dimanfaatkan bagi memujuk si kecil bangun daripada tidur.

Sumber: http://myibrah.com/didik-anak-sebelum-selepas-tidur
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Rasanya esok kenalah saya cuba teknik-teknik lain bila nak kejutkan dua org puteri kesayangan saya ini nak bangun pergi sekolah.

I wouldn't wear clothes that "poke eye". (ROFL)

2012-01-10T21:27:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I just want to re-highlight the lost in translation issue that was brought up by some people over FB and Twitter and I came across this in one NST couple days ago. It all started after a guide on dress code (translated as ‘ethical clothing’) for Defence Ministry staff was posted on the ministry’s official website. The English translation provided for the circular dress code was very literal, even showed usage of translation programme. From what I've read, the ministry has withdrawn the circular and promised to make some amendments.

"Clothes that poke eye" is a literal translation to "pakaian menjolok mata". It's better to be translated to "inappropriate clothes in government office" or maybe "informal clothes are not allowed". There were other amusing phrases as well like “long-sleeve batik shirt with collar / mongoose fight made in Malaysia” and “shine closed” appeared in the post. The former defines ‘baju batik lengan panjang berkolar / cekak musang buatan Malaysia‘ while the latter ‘kasut bertutup’ (closed-toe shoes). Based on what I've learned years ago when I took translation courses for 2 semesters, some special names like special clothes shouldn't be translated because you can't find the equivalent in English. So, "baju Melayu cekak Musang" shouldn't be translated as it just created a weird translation! You can only provide the descriptions of the clothes or better with the photo of the clothes.

Let's hope that the other ministries would be more careful to post or provide any information on their websites. It's not good to be the laughable stock on the social networks. They can find more credible translators because we do have good translators in Malaysia. If not why don't they use those from "Institut Terjemahan Negara Malaysia". They have the expertise in translation.

Can't wait to see Masterchef Final TONIGHT!

2012-01-08T14:31:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Tonight we'll find out who will be the WINNER in Masterchef Malaysia Season 1. The battle will be between Ezani (a dentist by profession) and Wahidan ( a farmer from Sabah). From what I've seen, both of them have the fair chance to showcase their ability tonight. Thus their chance is 50-50.

Ezani is well-known as the dessert expert while Wahidan is a quick learner and has been able to produce some interesting dishes. I guess based on the other Masterchef, there will be at least 3 rounds in the final. The winner will be decided based on the marks. BUT maybe it's going to be totally different.

Which one will I choose? I believe that Wahidan as the underdog might bring a surprise. Eventhough Ezani is a more consistent competitor, Wahidan has proved that he deserves to be in the final. His strong forte will be in Malaysian Traditional Cooking but has learned some Western dishes from the judges in the Masterchef's classes.

Which one will you pick as the winner?

No school fees BUT we still have to pay for other kinds of fees.

2012-01-05T22:07:00.000+08:00

Salam,

On Tuesday 3rd Jan. 2012, our elder daughter was enrolled in Year One in the nearest primary school. We thought that we didn't have to pay that much since it was abolished. BUT we were quite surprised to see that we still have to pay for the other kinds of fees. They changed the name of the fees to PTA (Parents Teachers Association) fees. Thus, we ended up paying more than one hundred ringgit. We still think it's okay to pay for that amount because we had paid for more than one thousands per year for our daughters' kindergarten's fees for almost 2 years now. We are wondering what happen to some parents who can't really afford to pay the fees? They were promised that there's no more school fees but why are there so many other kinds of fees? On top of that, the amount that we had to pay for all kinds of books; compulsory exercise books, writing books and so many other additional books is quite expensive too. A year one student needs more than 20 exercise books! I'm not sure how the teachers are going to fully utilize those books. I really hope that they don't just ask us to buy the books and at the end of the year, they don't use some of the books. I wonder about other parents who have other children who are also at schools. How much do they spend for their children.

Would you like to tell me if you have any experience regarding this? Do you think that some of the fees are ridiculous? What about the books that you have to buy for your children?

WW: Photos of Fathini's first day cum orientation for Year One.

2012-01-04T20:58:00.000+08:00

Goodbye 2011 and welcome 2012.

2011-12-31T20:39:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Tonight I bet so many people go out to celebrate New Year 2012. There are so many places that we can go tonight but as usual we choose to stay at home. Well, my hubby really hate to go to crowded places. If we can avoid it, it's better. I reckon it's not that safe for us to bring our children in a crowded place. We have lost our elder daughter for a while when we were visiting Auckland Museum back in 2009. She wandered off on her own and thankfully we managed to find her after frantically searching all over the place. So, for those who have planned to bring their children out tonight, I would suggest that you take an extra precaution.

How about your last year resolutions? How far have you achieved? I myself only managed to achieve some of my own resolutions. There have been a lot of unexpected twists and turns this year and I'm quite optimistic to achieve the rest of my resolutions next year. Insyallah, if there's a will there's a way. Thus, keep your head up and keep dreaming and achieving at the end of the day.

Kenangan Terindah tahun ini: Cherating 24-25 Dis. 2011 (BM entry)

2011-12-30T15:46:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Bukan mudah untuk adik beradik yang semuanya sudah besar dan ada yang sudah bekeluarga untuk berkumpul beramai-ramai dan pergi bercuti. Sewaktu kami kecil, kami selalu dibawa abah dan ma kami berjalan-jalan ke serata Malaysia. Seingat saya, kami cuma tak pernah lagi ke Sabah dan Sarawak je. Negeri-negeri lain memang kami sudah sampai.

Bila masing-masing sudah dewasa ni, selain dari waktu perayaan, kami memang susah nak berkumpul. Jadi, mulai dari tahun lepas lagi, saya cadangkan pada adik-beradik saya supaya kami dapat bersama-sama bercuti ke satu tempat. Jika tahun lepas, kami hanya ke Gambang Waterpark kerana kami sudah sepakat untuk turun ke Kuantan. Adik nombor tiga saya yang tinggal di Gambang yang menawarkan rumah sewanya sebagai tempat persingggahan.

Tahun ini , sekali lagi kami turun ke Kuantan tapi kami bersepakat untuk bercuti di Cherating. Maknanya kami perlu menginap di situ. Oleh kerana kami ni ramai, jadi kami pilih Cherating Bay Resort yang ada kemudahan apartment. Kami sewa 2 buah apartment yang ada 2 buah bilik untuk setiap unit. 2 buah tilam tambahan juga diambil sebab tak cukup katil.

Tempat mendaftar, kolam renang & apartment yg disewa.

Harga satu apartment lebih kurang RM220. Bolehla kan. Lagipun kami berkongsi. Kami juga dapat diskaun sebanyak 10% kerana adik saya yang buat tempahan tu kakitangan kerajaan. Dia sebenarnya tak bawa kad kerja UMP tapi dia tunjukkan kad nama dia yang ada alamat UMP. Nasib baik dapat jugak diskaun. Dalam apartment tu bolehla tahan. Ruang tamu, bilik tidur dan ruang dapur (tidak boleh memasak) bersih. Cuma bilik air tu tak berapa memuaskan dan cuma ada satu bilik air sahaja.

Saya dan adik, Rafie tiba dulu di tempat tu. 2 org lg yang datang dari Dungun sebenarnya dah tunggu kami. Diaorang dah pergi pantai dan makan-makan dulu. Rafie yang membuat tempahan beberapa minggu lepas. Jadi kami berdua berpakat membayar dulu penginapan sementara menunggu sebuah kereta lagi yang membawa beberapa adik yang lain.

Bila semua dah sampai, suasana meriah sangat-sangat. Ada 4 org kanak-kanak; 2 org anak dara saya, seorang teruna (baru 2 thn lebih) anak adik saya Yatie dan anak Rafie yang baru berusia setahun. Kami menjamu selera dengan keropok lekor dan satar dari Dungun yang dibeli oleh adik saya yang belajar di UiTM. Waktu tu tiba-tiba hujan lebat. Jadi kami terpaksa menunnggu sampai hujan reda sebelum ke pantai.

Lebih kurang pukul 3, hujan dah reda. Walaupun masih mendung, kami tetap meneruskan preancangan kami untuk bermain di gigi-gigi air. Nasib baik pantainya landai. Mula-mula adik2 lelaki saya dan suami terus menuju ke pantai. Diaorang berenang sakan. Kami yang perempuan ni ditinggalkan dengan anak2. Tapi kami tak kisah sebab memang kami dah ada 2 jenis permainan yang kami dah rancangkan. Permainan yang pertama ialah membina istana pasir. Sepatutnya ada 3 buah kumpulan tapi akhirnya hanya 2 buah kumpulan yang dapat menyudahkan istana. Satu lagi kumpulan tu adik ipar saya dan bayinya yang berusia setahun. Hana (bayi yang aktif) tu nak makan pasir bukan nak buat istana pasir! hehe. Adik saya Yatie, suaminya dan anaknya dalam satu lagi kumpulan. Anaknya, Nazhan tiba2 jadi raksasa yang memusnahkan sebahagian istana. Terpaksalah mereka buat semula. Pemenang untuk permainan tersebut ialah kumpulan anak-anak saya dan adik bongsu saya, Amalin. Yati hanya dapat tempat kedua. Permainan kedua lebih menarik kerana ia melibatkan acara larian berganti. Mereka berlari sambil membawa air dalam bekas kecil untuk diisikan di dalam bekas yang lebih besar. Ada 2 buah kumpulan. Kedua-dua kumpulan sebenarnya ada taktik menipu masing-masing. Yang menang akhirnya kumpulan yang paling bijak menipu. Sebenarnya kami bermain hanya untuk suka-suka. Saya dah membeli beberapa hadiah untuk permainan-permainan tersebut.

Selepas puas bermain di pantai, kami terpaksa balik ke apartment tapi kami masih ingin bermain air. Jadi acara bermain air diteruskan di kolam renang di resort tu. Saya tak masuk pun ke dalam kolam. Saya sibuk mengambil gambar yang lain-lain. Lagipun antara ramai-ramai tu saya seorang je yang tak pandai berenang. huhu. Kolam tu agak dalam kecuali di bahagian kolam kanak-kanak. Yang paling seronok, ada gelongsor air di situ. Fathini, Amalin dan Yatie naik ke gelongsor beberapa kali. Hafizah takut dan hanya bermain di kolam kanak-kanak. Semua main air sampai jari kesejukan dan biru.

Bila dah bersihkan badan, saya sibuk memanaskan air dan buat milo panas untuk semua. Nasib baik saya bawa banyak jugak bekalan. Ada milo 3 dlm 1, maggi cawan dan kek Apollo. Bolehla semua makan buat alas perut sebelum kami keluar makan malam. Kebetulan kami tak makan tengahari sbb dah makan nasi lemak waktu pagi. Laku jugala maggi cawan, kek dan milo panas.

Selepas maghrib, kami keluar makan di kedai Pok Su Ikan Bakar. Rafie cakap makanan kat situ sedap. Jadi, kami ikut sajalah. Kami ambik 2 set yang ada nasi putih, tomyam campur, kerapu 3 rasa, kailan ikan masin, telur goreng, daging masak merah. Suami saya cadangkan untuk tambah lagi satu lauk iaitu udang bersalut tepung. Penuh makanan di meja dan kami makan sepuas hati bila dah dapat makanan tu. Nak ambik gambar sebelum makan pun dah terlupa sbb dah lapar yang amat. Sebelum makanan sampai, Yatie bagi setiap sorang kek cawan yang dia tempah siap dengan nama kami semua. Kami makanlah kek tu sebelum makan nasi. Kiranya makan "dessert" dulu. hehe.

Keesokan harinya, pagi-pagi lagi semua bangun untuk pergi bersarapan. Kami dapat sarapan percuma yang disediakan oleh pihak resort. Makanannya bolehla tahan sbb ada mee goreng, nasi lemak, keropok. Air biasalah ada teh,kopi dengan jus oren. Tiada gambar diambil sewaktu bersarapan sbb semua sibuk nak makan. Kami makan di restoran tepi kolam tu. Lps makan sekali lagi budak-budak semua nak masuk dalam kolam lagi. Yang lain-lain nak ke pantai sekali lagi. Saya, suami dan anak-anak pergi ke pantai lambat sikit sbb mula-mula tu hujan rintik-rintik. Bila kami dah pergi pantai, aadik-adik saya sedang bermain ombak dan jauh ke tengah. Fathini sibuk tarik tangan saya nak ke tempat yang lain-lain bermain air. Hafizah pulak mula-mula ok tapi lepas beberapa kali ombak besar datang, dia mengamuk ajak balik. Terpaksalah saya tinggalkan Fathini dengan mak sunya, Cik Lin. Dia seronok je bermain ombak dengan makcik-makcik dan pakcik-pakciknya. Lebih kurang hampir 2 jam juga kami di pantai sebelum kami balik. Sempat jugak kami singgah ke gerai-gerai di tepi jalan sbb adik saya Radzi nak membeli cenderahati. Saya pun ada beli sedikit cenderahati untuk kenangan.

Bila hampir pukul 12 tengahari, kami sudah siap mengemaskan barang-barang untuk balik. Sebelum balik, sempat lagi kami bergambar di depan apartment. Macam-macam gaya bila bergambar yang ada. Kami memang nak buat acara ni acara tahunan. Jadi, tahun depan, kami nak merancang dengan lebih teliti dan mungkin tinggal lebih lama.

Cuba teka siapa yang paling tua hingga yang paling muda (1-8)
Saya (Nur), Amalin, Yatie, Pein, Dan, Epit, Aeji, Asul.

Ahli rombongan kami. Gambar dicilok dr FB Yatie. Jadi kualiti di sini tak berapa cantik.

Yup.....It's Cherating.

2011-12-28T21:53:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Molly was the first person who gave the most accurate answer for the trivia. So, she'll get facial mask from Watson. I've planned to write in the detail of our family retreat to Cherating but since my daughters are always using my netbook, I still don't have time to really sit and write up the entry. I'll try to write up an entry tomorrow after I come back from the clinic for the monthly check-up.

Teaser: Guess where did we go?

2011-12-26T22:48:00.000+08:00

Salam,

If you are so good in guessing, you'll get something! Let me give you some clues. This beach is one of the famous beaches in Pahang. The wave is suitable for surfing but maybe only for beginners.

You have until 11.50 p.m. tomorrow night to guess the name of the beach. The fastest person who can give the accurate answer will win something. You must be one of the followers here and and you can only guess twice in the comment box.

GOOD LUCK!

Chef Riz should be removed from being the co-host for Masterchef Malaysia?

2011-12-22T20:58:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I know that this was a hot issue early last month since this news was published in Malaysian Insider. What kind of news was it? Okay, let's see the news:

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Did Chef Wan’s son cook up his CV for MasterChef Malaysia?

UPDATED @ 10:40:29 AM 09-11-2011

By Debra Chong

November 09, 2011

A screenshot shows Chef Riz’s Masterchef Malaysia profile page hosted by Astro.com.my.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Mohd Nadzri Redzuawan, popularly known as Chef Riz and a judge on MasterChef Malaysia, is in hot soup. In his MasterChef profile on the Astro Ria website, he claimed to have worked at two famous restaurants in the US, but checks with both of them have revealed otherwise.
The son of local celebrity chef Redzuawan Ismail, better known as Chef Wan, claimed he worked as “chef de cuisine” — also called a head chef — at the world famous Mario Batali’s flagship Italian restaurant Babbo in New York when he was only 22.
Batali is an American chef who is as famous for his signature shorts and orange Crocs as his string of restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Singapore and has starred in the “Iron Chef America” TV series.
“These claims are untrue. Mr Nadzri has never worked at Babbo,” Mario Batali’s communications director, Pamela Lewy, said in an email reply yesterday.
When contacted, Chef Riz insisted he did work at Babbo.
“I was there for a year, from January 2005 to December 2005,” he said.
Now 29, he also told The Malaysian Insider he worked as “sous-chef” at Le Bernardin under chef Eric Ripert — of the Asian Food Channel’s “Avec Eric” fame — before returning home to star in several TV programmes.
A sous-chef is the second in command of the kitchen and directly assists the head chef.
“I took a break, a short holiday before joining Le Bernardin for two years. I was there from March 2006 to July 2008,” he said to The Malaysian Insider in a phone interview yesterday.

An email from Batali’s spokesman disputes Chef Riz’s claim of employment.

A publicist for Le Bernardin, Helen Medvedovsky, told The Malaysian Insider this morning after checking with the Michelin three star-rated restaurant that: “We looked into this and found out this man never worked at Le Bernardin.”

When it was pointed out that Batali’s spokesman had refuted the claim, Chef Riz said: “Aiyoh! That’s weird. I’ll be checking with them.”

A check by The Malaysian Insider later this morning found his profile page to now say he was a trainee at both restaurants. No explanation for the amendments was appended to the page. MasterChef Malaysia is a cooking show under the MasterChef franchise that is also present in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Croatia, Greece, India, Sweden, Indonesia and the UK.
The show’s first season on Astro Ria began its run on October 22. Shooting for the series is scheduled to continue until the end of the year.
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The past two days, I've read two letters in the Speak Up column in THE SUN. In both letters, they insisted that Chef Riz should be replaced by a more deserving chef to be the co-host. One of them wrote this, "The 29-year old co-host has deliberately lied in his CV and this shows a lack of integrity on his part.

I had doubts too when ASTRO chose him as one of the judges. He's too young to be given such honour to judge, critisize and teach the amateur cooks. I had other celebrity Malaysian Chefs in mind before they actually announced the judges. Other chefs normally have to gain a lot of experiences before they can even get into the position of being a Head Chef. He clearly used his father's name to gain the cheap fame.

I'm not questioning his ability to cook as he might have been taught by Chef Wan since he was small. BUT there were other great cooks who have the same background too! SO, in this case, both ASTRO and him have to take the responsibility on this misconduct and cooking the impressive CV just to get the high rating?

What do you reckon? Should he still be the co-host? Or someone who is more qualified should replaced him?

Why Muslims can't say Merry Christmas?

2011-12-21T22:14:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Christmas is just around the corner and I'm sure most of us have some friends who will celebrate it. I found a simple explanations from FB and this video is from you tube. Why don't you watch it and hopefully it can gives us a clearer picture of the reasons behind it.

KR1M: Memilih ke kalau saya tak lalu nak makan?

2011-12-18T20:25:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Semua sedia maklum yang barangan makanan yang dijual di kedai KR1M tu memang murah lebih-lebih lagi yang berjenama 1Malaysia. Ada beras, sardin, makanan sejuk beku dan lain-lain lagi. Ada ahli keluarga saya yang beberapa kali membeli beberapa barang makanan dari kedai KR1M di Kelana Jaya ni. Jadi saya dah mencubala sardin, beras dan kuih seperti karipap. Masalahnya tekak saya ni tak boleh tak telan sangat nasi daripada beras 1Malaysia tu dan sardinnya. Berasnya macam beras lama dan ada bau yang kurang enak bila nasi sudah masak. Warna nasi juga memang berbeza dari nasi beras Siam. Iye, saya memang biasa makan beras Siam kerana saya orang Kelantan yang dibesarkan dengan beras Siam. Sardinnya pula, ikan-ikannya cepat sangat hancur dan bau lebih kuat dari sardin biasa. Kuih seperti karipap tu bolehla dimakan. Tapi isi tu hanyalah ubi yang sudah hancur.

Hari ni dalam akhbar-akhbar tempatan, ada laporan mengenai 200 barang makanan KR1M telah dihantar ke makmal untuk diperiksa kualitinya. Keputusan hanya akan diketahui dalam masa seminggu lagi.

Kalau nak kata saya ni memilih mengenai makanan, saya akan mengaku. Tapi kalau dah makanan yang akan jadi darah daging kita, takkanlah kita nak ambil mudah kan? Kalau murah sangat pun, tapi kualiti hancur, minta maaflah. Saya tak setuju sangat-sangat. Ini dah macam menipu dan mengambil kesempatan. Macammana nak bagi anak-anak kita makan makanan yang tak berkhasiat. Kalau beras tu macam dah nak hitam dan berbau, tak payah pergi hantar ke makmal pun, kita tahu dah hilang khasiatnya. Sardin tu belum sempat habis menumis dah hancur semacam, dah sah-sah ikan tu yang tak elok.

Entri ini bukan untuk menghasut sesiapa untuk tidak membeli barang makanan di KR1M. Cuma lebih baik kita gunakan hak kita sebagai pengguna untuk lebih memilih. Ada banyak lagi pilihan lain yang juga murah tapi masih berkualiti. Kami pun ada membeli barangan GIANT atau TESCO yang biasanya lagi murah dari jenama lain. Tapi kualitinya masih elok.

Ada yang pernah membeli barangan di kedai KR1M? Rasa-rasanya kualitinya boleh tahan ke atau teruk?

How to prepare for a date.

2011-12-16T21:53:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I gave the topic "How to prepare for a date" to my students today. I asked them to brainstorm some ideas as they need to write about the topic. Process writing is the genre for their level and sometimes they have difficulties to write especially when it comes to writing the steps.

Below were some of their amusing suggestions:

Going for a date means going out to have a romantic place with your loved one. Some couples like to go to a restaurant, park, cafe or zoo. It is simple to prepare for a date if you follow these suggestions. Before you prepare for the date, you need to confirm about the date. First of all, book a table in a restaurant. If you do not book, you might not get a nice table. Secondly, buy some flowers. It is better to buy red roses to your girlfriend. Next, book a limousine. You need a driver so that you can have a nice time with your girlfriend at the back. Then, do the personal grooming. You must take a shower, shave your moustache and beard, brush your hair and spray some perfume. After that, choose smart clothes. You want to look handsome for your girlfriend. Finally, arrive at the place on time. It is not good to be late especially on your first date. I hope you will try these suggestions and you will have the most romantic date ever.

*I have edited some of their spellings, sentence structure.

That class is full of young adults from the age of 18 to 22. There is only one girl in the class. Usually they do not really have ideas on what to write in other topics. BUT when I introduced that topic today, they were so excited to share their ideas. One underage (16 year old!) student even suggested that "You should ask your girlfriend to follow you back to your house!". Another one suggested, "Book a hotel room. You should book a room so that you can sleep together!". I just told them to stop all the ridiculous ideas and write about the steps on having a date of going out to a place to have a chat. That's all. I might have sound like their mothers or you can say "Conservative". I didn't expect those ideas will come from male students who mostly come from the middle east. Maybe they are still like teenagers and they are not matured yet.

Reasons to Smile. (would you like to add more?)

2011-12-15T22:19:00.000+08:00

Salam,

It's not always good to set the depressing tone in this blog. That's why today, I've decided to brighten up this blog a little bit. I found this article about REASONS TO SMILE. Well, I'll add some more of my own personal reasons and you are also welcome to add yours if you want to.

FROM ABOUT.COM

1. Smiling Makes Us Attractive

We are drawn to people who smile. There is an attraction factor. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is so good. Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away -- but a smile draws them in (avoid these smile aging habits to keep your smile looking great).

2. Smiling Changes Our Mood

Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There's a good chance you mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.

3. Smiling Is Contagious

When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.

4. Smiling Relieves Stress

Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you'll be better able to take action.

5. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System

Smiling helps the immune system to work better. When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed. Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.

6. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure

When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor at home. Sit for a few minutes, take a reading. Then smile for a minute and take another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?

7. Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin

Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling is a natural drug.

8. Smiling Lifts the Face and Makes You Look Younger

The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don't go for a face lift, just try smiling your way through the day -- you'll look younger and feel better.

9. Smiling Makes You Seem Successful

Smiling people appear more confident, are more likely to be promoted, and more likely to be approached. Put on a smile at meetings and appointments and people will react to you differently.

10. Smiling Helps You Stay Positive

Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It's hard. When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a message that "Life is Good!" Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling. More Fun Ways to Live Longer

NOW.................My own reasons to smile:

1. I have a job that I enjoy.

2. I have my loving hubby and lovely kids.

3. I'll spend the quality time with my daughters for 10 days in just 8 days to go!

4. I will always have a shoulder to cry on.

5. I'm still able to do work (even though the exhaustion has caught up with me)

6. Any problems won't go away even if we crack our head or beat our self up. SO...........it's better to smile and think about the solutions to our problems.

Would you like to add? I would love to read the reasons for you to smile. It will be interesting to know.

Don't want to be a teacher when...........................

2011-12-13T20:25:00.000+08:00

Salam,

If you can't really understand about today's entry, I would to apologize first. This is just to let out my frustrations of what's going on now. I reckon the stress level at work it up to the ceiling that I just can't wait to have the 10-days break at the end of this month.

Here are the situations when "I don't want to be a teacher":

when my students have started to question my qualification as a teacher.
when supposedly "temporary boss" act as if he is doing something but really he is just delegating more work everyday!
when I don't feel that there are some kinds of satisfaction at the end of the day.
when I feel that everything that I do is so meaningless.
when my students have started to give the doubtful look like mocking you in the class.
when I think that I'm not giving the BEST in teaching!

Maybe I'm just too tired and I need some time off to relax and pull myself together. Exhaustion and lack of motivation to work can happen to anybody when your body is saying "NO" but you still need to work to earn the salary. Can I just say that I'm experiencing a "burn-out"?

Artikel dari Iluvislam.com: Meraih pahala dari FB. (BM entry)

2011-12-09T21:11:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Saya tertarik untuk berkongsi artikel dari iluvislam.com. Ada macam2 artikel setiap hari. Yang ini rasanya ada kaitan dengan kebanyakan dari kita. Semoga kita akan dapat manfaat dari artikel ini.
**********************************************************************************

Facebook ialah sebuah tapak web rangkaian sosial yang dikendali dan dimiliki secara persendirian oleh Facebook, Inc. Sejak 2006, sesiapa yang berumur 13 tahun ke atas dan memiliki alamat e-mel yang sah boleh menjadi pengguna Facebook. Facebook lebih menyasarkan golongan belia berbanding dewasa. Pengguna boleh menambah rakan dan saling menghantar mesej, serta mengemaskini profil peribadi mereka sebagai makluman kepada rakan-rakan. Selain itu, pengguna juga boleh menyertai rangkaian yang dianjurkan oleh tempat kerja, sekolah, atau kolej.
Nama Facebook berasal daripada timangan yang digunakan untuk buku-buku yang diserahkan oleh pihak pentadbiran universiti kepada para penuntut pada permulaan tahun akademik di Amerika Syarikat dengan tujuan membantu penuntut saling mengenali.
Facebook diasaskan oleh Mark Zuckerberg bersama teman-teman sebiliknya dan rakan-rakan sekursus sains komputer Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz dan Chris Hughes. Pada mulanya, keahlian tapak web ini terhad kepada penuntut Harvard, tetapi kemudian beransur-ansur diperluaskan kepada kolej-kolej lain di kawasan Boston, Ivy League, dan Universiti Stanford.
Selepas itu, Facebook berkembang lagi untuk merangkumi mana-mana pelajar universiti, kemudian pelajar sekolah tinggi, dan akhirnya, sesiapa sahaja yang berumur 13 ke atas. Kini, tapak web ini dianggotai oleh lebih 400 juta pengguna aktif seluruh dunia.
Daripada Jabir bin Abdillah, Rasulullah S.A.W bersabda:

سَلُوا اللَّهَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا ، وَاسْتَعِيذُوا بِاللَّهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لا يَنْفَعُ
Maksudnya: "Mohonlah kepada Allah ilmu yang bermanfaat, dan berlindunglah dengan Allah daripada ilmu yang tidak bermanfaat"

Hadis ini diriwayatkan oleh Ibn Abi Syaibah dalam al-Musannaf, Abdun bin Humaid dalam al-Musnad, al-Fakihi dalam Fawaid Abi Muhammad al-Fakihi.
Meraih Pahala Bersama Facebook
Tajuk ini bukanlah menggalakkan kita terus berfacebook kerana termotivasi dengan terma 'pahala'. Ia cuma sebagai pendorong kepada kita untuk memanfaatkan masa yang terluang semasa berfacebook untuk memperoleh pahala dari-Nya.
1. Facebook Chat
Berbual menggunakan Facebook Chat sememangnya menyeronokkan. Sahabat yang jauh, terasa dekat. Masa yang lama, terasa singkat. Tambahan pula dengan adanya video call, seakan 'melekat' batang tubuh di hadapan komputer. Lepas seorang, seorang lagi. Hingga larut malam.
Adalah lebih baik jika chatting itu terisi dengan perkongsian ilmu yang bermanfaat. Boleh jadi ia perbincangan masalah dalam pembelajaran, perbincangan isu-isu agama ataupun sekadar bualan bagi mengeratkan ukhwah.
2. Status
Terkadang rasa lucu, geram, keliru, hairan dan seronok melihat ragam status rakan-rakan Facebook setiap hari. Ada yang jenis update status setiap jam. Ada yang suka meluahkan perasaan selepas putus cinta. Ada yang meluahkan kemarahan di Facebook.
Tidak kurang juga ada yang bergaduh, saling perli-memerli (sempat lagi tag 'musuhnya'). Bagi yang membaca status, jari-jemari ligat menekan 'like'. Ada juga yang menulis status dan mengharapkan 'like' yang banyak. 'Like' yang banyak mungkin satu kepuasan buat dirinya.
Tulislah status yang bermanfaat, diletakkan link ceramah agama dari Youtube, ataupun sekurang-kurangnya video-video menarik lucu dan berunsur nasihat dari blogger terkenal Malaysia seperti Mat Luthfi, Anwar Hadi atau Aiman Azlan .
Boleh juga diupload gambar-gambar bermanfaat, design testi yang menarik dari ILuvIslam, lukisan dari Rusydee Artz, komik Islamik dari MFR Studio dan juga Komik Dakwah Online.
3. Group
Kadangkala, aplikasi group ini agak menyerabutkan. Apabila semuanya serba mudah di dalam Facebook ini, maka makin ramai yang membuat group. Lalu di add masuk ramai orang ke dalamnya. Kadangkala, tidak pernah diminta untuk masuk ke group itu, tahu-tahu sudah di add masuk.
Bagi saya sendiri, saya buangkan sahaja group-group yang tidak membawa manfaat dan sertai group yang bermanfaat. Cuba turut serta dalam perbincangan group dan lontarkan pandangan, ilmu mahupun komen anda.
Usah sekadar menjadi 'silent reader' kerana kadangkala kefahaman kita terhadap sesuatu isu mungkin tersasar dari maksud sebenar. Jadi, dengan mengemukakan pandangan atau komen, kefahaman anda mungkin lebih jelas.
4. Share
Gunakan kemudahan share untuk berkongsi notes dan status rakan-rakan yang bermanfaat. Adalah lebih baik dikongsi status ilmuan-ilmuan agama kita seperti Ustaz Zaharuddin, Ustaz Hasrizal, dan Ustaz Azhar Idrus atau status motivasi dari Prof. Dr. Muhaya, Wardina Safiyyah dan lain-lain (sekadar menyebut beberapa nama).
5. Notes
Kemudahan aplikasi Notes di Facebook wajar diguna sebaiknya untuk dakwah. Apa sahaja yang anda peroleh dari pembacaan anda, ringkaskan dan letak di Notes kemudian tag seramai mungkin rakan-rakan anda.
Kita sudah ada majalah Solusi, Tarbawi, GenQ, Fardu Ain, Majalah i, Q & A, dan lain-lain. Malaysia sudah 'kebanjiran' dengan majalah-majalah agama. Manfaatkannya untuk mengutip dan menyebarkan seberapa banyak mutiara ilmu di dalamnya.
Apa yang penting, pastikan apa yang anda peroleh dari pembacaan anda perlu dari sumber yang tepat dan bukannya mesej berantai, risalah-risalah yang entah dari mana sumbernya, dan emel yang tiada asasnya. Tidak pasti? Rujuklah individu yang lebih arif.
Firman Allah S.W.T:

"Bertanyalah kepada yang mengetahui jika kamu tidak mengetahui" (Surah an-Nahl ayat 43)

Penutup
Mudahnya mendapat manfaat dan pahala dari Facebook. Ingatlah, Facebook bukanlah segala-galanya dalam hidup anda namun segala-galanya dalam hidup anda boleh menjadi lebih bermakna dengan manfaat dari Facebook.
Bahagi masa anda dengan sebaiknya apatah lagi jika anda masih bergelar penuntut ilmu. Semoga manfaat yang kita peroleh, mampu menjadi bekal kita di sana nanti. Wallahualam.
*sejarah Facebook diambil dari http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook
-Artikel iluvislam.com

**************************************************************************************

Do you have a lot of useful parenting tips?

2011-12-08T22:01:00.000+08:00

Salam,

This is just an announcement to those who are interested to share their useful parenting tips. You can type out the valuable and useful parenting tips and stand a chance to win something.

HOW AND WHERE SHOULD YOU GO TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS?

GO TO PARENTSTHOTS WEBSITE. HERE ARE SOME DETAILS:

BabyDash (www.babydash.com.my), an online store run by two Malaysian mums, is running a promotion with ParenThots.

Submit your parenting tips on the BabyDash (http://www.facebook.com/Babydash.com.my) or ParenThots (facebook.com/parenthots) Facebook page or email info@babydash.com.my.

The best tip each week wins organic baby snacks.

After which, the best tip of the month wins a Babydash hamper worth RM100 (with six items in it).

Currently, this contest goes on for three months until the end of February, 2012.

BabyDash offers convenience for parents. The online shop features diapers, wipes, formula and food, nursing products, bath and skincare, and care and safety items. Parents can buy items and be assured of delivery within two days.

http://www.parenthots.com/news_and_events/news/Send-in-your-parenting-tips.aspx

SImilar but one is scarier.

2011-12-07T20:46:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Does this mask looks similar to.................

THIS?

Why did I ask? Well, my daughters are always afraid to look at my face whenever I put on the facial mask. They said that I looked like one of the scary figure in horror movies. When I showed the mask from the movie "Scream", they agreed that's how I looked.

Have you ever encountered this with your kids?

Farewell party to our boss.

2011-12-05T22:37:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Farewell

Farewell is a word,
So simple, so dour
Saying what started
but did not endure.
Farewell is a feeling
of something that’s gone
Farewell is a memory
that stays for too long
Farewell is everything
that’s been left unsaid
Farewell is the greeting
of someone
who’s dead.

Peter Rhodes

He's going to be missed by all of us since he has done a lot to make us feel comfortable working alongside with him. He listens to us, tolerates our antiques and gives us ample time to get our jobs done. I'm not the only one who feel so sad with his decision to work in another place.

So, last Friday we organized a farewell party in Chilli's K.L.C.C. Only some of us could make to the party since it was held after working hours. We planned to make it a surprise party but our boss somehow knew about it beforehand. (somebody might have told him)

The party was supposed to start by 5 but most if us only turned up by 5.20 p.m. When he arrived, we tried to shout "Surprise!" but he didn't look surprised at all. The first agenda was to have an early dinner so the waiters started to send some food when we told them that we were ready to eat.

Some of the food that we ordered were chips and salsa, mashed potatoes, chicken strips and chips, quesadilla and chicken burger with chips. To tell you the truth I wasn't so crazy about the food since they tasted quite bland. I don't understand why do people like Chilli's so much. (maybe it's just me). While we were eating, we were sharing some amusing stories and jokes. Erik was so calm and cheerful that evening except when he gave the speech.

THE FOOD

When he gave the speech, we could feel his sincerity since he never tried to hide his feelings. He was glad to know us and be able to be our boss though it was not so easy to manage about 40 English teachers. One of us presented the big farewell card and a present for him. We bought him a special mug because he was caught accidentally stealing one of the mugs that belongs to one of the teachers. (he saw the irony of the mug) I had to leave early that day because I had to fetch my daughters in the nursery. Thus, I was the first person to leave the place right after his speech. I managed to take a photo with him just before I left.

Thanks Erik for everything. It was nice knowing you as a boss.

Muzium Tentera Darat (BM Entry)

2011-12-04T14:33:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Ini hanyalah entry santai hujung minggu sbb kami tak ke mana-mana minggu ini. Suami saya memang lebih suka duduk dirumah. Saya ni yang suka keluar berjalan. Minggu lepas kami dah keluar bawak anak2 tengok cerita "Puss in Boots". Jadi minggu ini, hanya berehat je di rumah.

Sepatutnya dah lama saya buat entri ni tapi selalu tertangguh kerana banyak sangat gambar yang hendak dipilih. Kami singgah ke Muzium Tentera Darat ni hjg bulan lepas dalam perjalanan pulang dari Tiara Beach Resort, Port Dickson. Kebetulan suami memang minat sangat2 bila bab2 tentera, kapal terbang dan kereta perisai, kami singgahla untuk melihat2 dan mengambil gambar.

Sewaktu kami sampai, muzium tu tak terlalu penuh dengan orang. Tiada bayaran masuk dikenakan dan pengunjung bebas bergambar. Suami saya memang asyik mengambil gambar sehinggakan kami (saya dan anak2) yang penat dan kepanasan mengambil keputusan untuk masuk ke dalam bangunan dan suami saya pula meneruskan aktivitinya sendiri ke bahagian yang lain. Saya dan anak2 hanya masuk dan melihat2 sedikit pameran yang ada di dalam bangunan seperti sejarah bagaimana tertubuhnya tentera darat pertama di Tanah Melaya. Ada gambar Adnan Saidi dan rakan2, ada juga sedikit sejarah di zaman Kesultanan Melaka, pakaian2 tentera di zaman dahulu, kelengkapan2 dan senapang yang digunakan.

Saya tidak terlalu ghairah mengambil gambar di dalam bangunan kerana keadaan agak gelap dan ada gambar yang diambil tidak berapa jelas. Maklumlah saya bukannya pandai sangat nak menukar "settings" pada kamera. Jadi, mintak maaflah tiada gambar di dalam bangunan. Lagipun saya dan anak2 hanya melihat dan berjalan2 di dalam bangunan hanya selama setengah jam. Anak2 sebenarnya sudah mengantuk dan letih kerana waktu itu sudah pukul 2.30 petang dan mereka pun masih letih kerana sakan bermain air di waktu pagi.

Daripada semua bahan pameran tu, saya paling tertarik pada bahan pameran di luar. Cuma saya tak masuk ke tempat tu sebab hanya suami saya yang menjelajah masuk ke Terowong Rahsia Zaman Komunis. Ada satu terowong yang sengaja dibina seakan2 terowong zaman Komunis masih mengganas di hutan. Macam menakutkan pun ada bila tengok gambar je. Panjang terowong boleh tahan juga sebab kita boleh masuk dari pintu rahsia dan keluar dari lubang rahsia antara pokok besar. Bagus juga saya dan anak2 takk masuk sebab mungkin anak2 takut dan silap2 boleh mengigau bila tidur.

Hampir sejam kami di situ untuk bergambar dan melihat pameran. Bila anak2 mula ajak balik, saya pun dah letih, saya terpaksa ajak suami (yang macam tak nak balik ye) untuk meneruskan perjalanan pulang. Hampir pukul 3 lebih barulah kami tinggalkan muzium tersebut. Itu pun kerana langit dan nampak mendung semacam je. Memang kami terpakasa meredah hujan lebat sebelum sampai ke Kelana Jaya.

Bergambar lagi sebelum balik.

Suggestions please for a nice place to have a family vacation.

2011-12-01T21:27:00.000+08:00

Salam,

We (my siblings and I) are planning to have a family vacation at the end of this month. The problem is we are kind of not sure where is the best place for 8 of us (plus our partners & kids). My brother suggested Cherating as it's only one hour drive from his house in Kuantan and not that far from KL too. Most of us have never been to Cherating and it seems like a good idea. However, I'm thinking about the rainy season now and it might not be the best place especially in December. I've suggested Felda Residence Sg. Klah Hotsprings as there are apartment that we can rent. Again some of them were not keen on the idea.

I really hope that we can go somewhere and spend time together because the last time I could join my family for a vacation was about 6 years ago when we went to Langkawi. That's why I really hope that any of you can enlighten me with some suggestions with affordable price since we also have to support our younger siblings who are still studying.

WW: Caught up with fatigue.

2011-11-30T22:51:00.000+08:00

It can't be a mid life crisis!

2011-11-29T20:39:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I just found out this morning that my immediate boss is leaving soon. I was quite shocked to hear the news. He is still new as he came to the centre early early this year. Now, he said that he has to move on so that he can gain other experiences in other place. Well, he received a good offer from the Ministry of Education to be one of the mentor for English teachers in primary schools.

When I asked him this morning, "Why are you thinking about changing your career". Well, he is already has a good position, good salary every month and nice working environment (according to him). BUT his answer was really intriguing. He said, "I want my CV to look interesting when I have more experience in different places since I have been working for this company for 7 years". "Plus I want more challenges". The first thing that came across my mind when he told me his reasons, was "Is he experiencing a mid life crisis?". He is not that old because he must be in his mid thirties. (not really sure the accurate age). He might even be younger than me because if I have been working since I finished my first degree, I should have been working for 10 years!

Midlife crisis is a term coined in 1965 by Elliott Jaques and used in Western societies to describe a period of dramatic self-doubt that is felt by some individuals in the "middle years" or middle age of life, as a result of sensing the passing of their own youth and the imminence of their old age. Sometimes, a crisis can be triggered by transitions experienced in these years, such as extramarital affairs, andropause or menopause, the death of parents or other causes of grief, unemployment or underemployment, realizing that a job or career is hated but not knowing how else to earn an equivalent living, or children leaving home.
(quoted from WIKIPEDIA)

Most of my colleagues agree that we are going to lose a very kind, considerate and nice boss. I can claim that he is one of the BEST boss I ever had. His approaches to solving problems are always flexible and open for discussions. We don't know yet what kind of BOSS that will come to replace him. I can only pray that I can still do my work as usual without major hitches. Oh....I hate it when things change BUT it's part and parcel of life.

Have you ever experienced any changes in your workplace that you feel difficult to adapt to? How do you handle things?

Salam Maal Hijrah & 8 tahun. (BM entry)

2011-11-28T22:35:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Rasanya belum terlambat untuk saya ucapkan Selamat Tahun Baru Hijriyah. Hari ini juga kebetulan merupakan ulangtahun perkahwinan kami yang ke 8. Ia juga ulangtahun kelahiran suami saya yang tercinta. Alhamdulillah, sedar tak sedar sudah 8 tahun kami bersama melayari bahtera dengan pelbagai dugaan, kenangan manis, pahit, masam dan lain-lain lagi.

Seperti biasa saya yang memang ada jiwa seni (konon-kononya), ada satu puisi.

8 tahun

Bukan mudah untuk kita disatukan,

Dugaan, perpisahan dan ujian,

Itu semua bukan penghalang,

Kerana ini semua memang ditakdirkan,

Akhirnya keluarga akur tanpa bantahan,

Mendoakan supaya berkekalan,

Silaturahim antara keluarga juga terjalin,

8 tahun suatu angka,

Bukan jangka yang dikira,

Rasanya cukup mematangkan kita,

Mengenali diri, memahami sesama,

Alhamdulillah, dipanjatkan syukur pada Ilahi,

Semoga berkekalan dan bahagia yang dicari.

Sungguh kurang sopan (BM entry)

2011-11-25T20:56:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Jika kita tengok dalam video untuk mempromosikan Malaysia, biasanya akan dipaparkan tentang betapa bersopan-santunnya masyarakat Malaysia ni. Tapi situasi sebenar yang dapat kita lihat setiap hari sebenarnya agak berbeza.Semakin ramai yang makin lupa untuk bersopan-santun dan berbudi bahasa.

Saya nak berkongsi beberapa insiden yang saya dan suami pernah saksikan sendiri di beberapa buah tempat. Mungkin ada yang akan berkata kejadian-kejadian yang saya saksikan itu hanya kes terpencil tapi kita tak patut pandang ringan. Kalau beginilah perangai kita sekarang, tentu tak akan jadi pelik lagi bila kanak-kanak pun bersikap kurang sopan.

Kejadian pertama:

Lokasi: Dlm lrt menuju ke K.L.C.C.
Setiap pagi biasanya kerusi di dlm lrt akan dipenuhi oleh penumpang2 di stesen pertama, stesen Kelana Jaya. Hanya kadang-kadang saya bernasib baik jika dapat duduk. Pagi semalam, di stesen Taman Jaya, ada seorang wanita yang sarat mengandung menaiki lrt. Tempat duduk khas semua dipenuhi oleh orang2 yang tak sepatutnya duduk di situ. Saya perhatikan dulu kalau-kalau ada yang akan bangun memberikan kerusi untuk wanita tersebut. Selepas 2 stesen, saya bangun dan memberikan tempat duduk saya kepada wanita berkenaan. Saya faham dan kasihan padanya kerana saya pun sedang mengandung (walaupun baru lg). Tapi saya geram pada yang lain yang sangat buta hati dan buat2 tak nampak!

Kejadian kedua:

Lokasi: CIMB (salah satu cawangan kecil)
Di salah sebuah kaunter, seorang pelanggan wanita nak memasukkan duit ke dalam akaun. Apabila kerani bank mengira semual duit, ternyata jumlahnya melebihi dari apa yang ditulis di dalam borang. jadi, kerani tersebut telah memberitahu pelanggan tersebut. Tapi pelanggan tu boleh je tak dengar sbb dia sibuk dengan telefonnya. Kerani tersebut terpaksa memberitahunya sehingga tiga kali barulah dia terperasan tentang kesilapannya. Tanpa berkata "terima kasih" dan muka selamba, dia boleh ambil je balik duit lebih tu dan menyambung perbualan di telefon. Kerani tersebut nampak macam nak marah tapi dia diamkan saja sbb tak mahu bergaduh dengan pelanggan kot. Bagi saya, perempuan tu mmg sungguh kurang bersopan sbb dahla dia yang salah, tak cakap terima kasih sbb kerani tu jujur bg duit yang terlebih tu, lps tu boleh buat muka selamba lg guna telefon bila tengah buat urusan lain!

Kejadian ketiga:

Lokasi: KFC (sebuah cawangan kecil)

Yang ni pulak, macam kejadian tak senonoh dan orang2 pemalas. Ni baru lagi terjadi tengah hari tadi. Suami saya dan anak2 baru masuk nak membeli makanan tengah hari. Apabila tengah beratur di depan kaunter, ada seorang bapa datang membawa anak yang berusia 3/4 tahun. Yang si bapa ni sibuk dengan telefonnya bila tengah tunggu gilirannya untuk memesan makanan. Tiba-tiba anaknya termuntah. Dia tak sedar sehinggalah suami saya yang menegurnya. Tanpa segan silu, dia terus je keluar dari situ bawak anaknya. Dia tak bagi tahu atau minta maaf. Kakitangan dalam KFC tu pun boleh buat2 tak nampak. Sekali lagi, suami saya yang memberitahu kejadian tersebut. Setelah beberapa kali, barulah ada salah seorang dari kakitangan membersihkan muntah tersebut. Kalaulah saya kat situ, saya memang dah tak boleh nak makan dan tak rasanya tak sanggup nak makan di situ lagi lain kali. Lelaki tersebut mmg kurang sopan sbb meninggalkan saja temopat tersebut dan kakitangan KFC pun mmg tak bertanggungjawab bila buat2 tak tahu pada mulanya. Padahal itu tempat makan dan macam mana orang nak makan bila ternampak dan terhidu bau muntah!

Rasanya cukuplah tiga kejadian ketidak sopanan (betul ke perkataan tu?) yang kami pernah nampak. Mesti ada yang lain pernah nampak macam-macam lagi kejadian kan. Saya bukan nak cakap saya ni cukup bersopan-santun dan berbudi bahasa. Tapi kita sepatutnya sama2 jadi lebih bersopan santun, berbudi bahasa, berhemah tinggi dan berfikir tentang orang lain. Kalau semua nak pentingkan diri sendiri, tak lama lagi Malaysia ni akan kucar kacir dan tak akan aman lagi. BETUL TAK?

Body Odour: Some of our scripts.

2011-11-23T22:00:00.000+08:00

Salam,

In my workplace, body odour seems to be one of the topic that we always discussed. WHY? Every month we receive a lot of international students from different countries. Most of them come from drier countries. So, it's quite normal for them not to take the bath everyday because they don't really sweat. They don't realize that Malaysia is a very wet and humid country. They are not use to sweat and of course they don't realize that they'll stink when they sweat.

Thus today, we had an interesting chat with our immediate boss regarding this matter. It was just a casual sharing about the topic. At the end we came out with several statements to be used when we deal with B.O. problem:

"It's very humid here and that's why you sweat a lot. So, please invest on deodorant and take a bath in the morning".
"Please change your clothes more often. If possible, don't wear the same clothes everyday".
"We need too reduce this air pollution".
"Other students have complained about the uninvited smell here. Please do something about it".
"If you easily sweat, you better do something before it bothers other people".

Some of the statements given were not so tactful. However, we have tried our best to be tactful and in the end they just don't get it. It's hard to be sarcastic as they don't understand sarcasm. My approach is more straight forward. I can be heartless sometimes but it's better to get the message across rather than you have to put up with the stinky smell. Now, my nose is more sensitive than before, I have to blurt out and point at this B.O. problem.

Lost a tooth: Am I an adult?

2011-11-22T20:59:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Yesterday Fathini finally lost a tooth. The tooth had been wiggling for quite sometime. She was so happy when the tooth fell out. It happened when she was brushing her teeth before going to bed. She already knew about losing her baby teeth as the sign of growing up.

BUT the question that she asked was, "Mama, am I an adult now?". I can't help feeling a little of knot of twist when she related growing up with adulthood. It had made me feeling so "ancient". My first baby is growing up because in about 7 more weeks she's turning to 7! Before I know it, she is already a teenager!

What does this mean now? We (my husband and I) have to prepared ourselves to change our mind set when we deal with Fathini as she is not a kindy-kid anymore. She can't wait to be adult just like us when we were growing up. Only when we reach our adulthood, we start to think that "Would it be great to turn back the clock and be a kid again?".

Have you ever think about growing up so quickly when you were younger??

TBR: Dinner and Family games. (Part 3)

2011-11-18T21:26:00.000+08:00

Salam,

There was no continuation yesterday since I was caught up with my work. So, today I want to share 2 more events that took place at night (1st day) and in the morning of the second day. I hope that I don't bore you with the series of TBR. hehe

Dinner:
There was a simple dinner event that took place near the water park area. My husband didn't know that there was a theme for the dinner. It was a "black and red" theme. I wore pink headscarf, flowery t-shirt and jeans. My daughters wore red t-shirts (just a coincidence). My hubby went up to the room to change his t-shirt when he found out about the theme. He came back with his black t-shirt.

Basically the event itineraries are some speeches, lucky draw prize giving and a karaoke competition. The food? Again I don't want to tell more because it was too plain. We didn't even care to take photos of the food. When the dinner took place, there was another event not far from the place. There were some games and also karaoke session going on at the Pavillion stage. My daughters were more interested to go to other event. So, after we received the unexpected lucky draw prize, we decided to go back to our room. My daughters were just happy to return to the room especially after we bought some 'glow-in'the-dark' items for them.

Family Games (after breakfast on the second day):

The games was one of the most awaited event since it was the best way to get to know other families. Since there were about 100 staffs, we didn't have time to get to know everybody unless we've known each other before.

They divided the games to 3 games for children, 2 games for men and 2 events for women. Fathini was excited to join the games for children. But Hafizah refused to take part. She even hugged me tightly and screamed when I brought her to the starting line. So, we didn't force her since the emcee for the day also said something about not forcing any kids. huhu. When it's Fathini's turn, she happily joined the other kids who were much older than her. The other games were for kids from the age of 6 to 12. The first game was to carry a box to the other line and shake their body and bring back the box with a small ball inside. Fathini's group won the third place. For the second game, they had to pass balloons filled with some water. The group that managed to get the most balloons left (without popping them) won. Again, Fathini's group won the third place. I guess winning was not the main purpose for her and the other children because they were happy as long as they received something at the end.

The preparation before the games and the emcee.

Look at how Hafizah refused to take part!

Fathini and her new friends.

During the games

The next game was for the men. They had to stand in groups according to the coloured ribbon given before the games started. There were about 7 groups altogether. My hubby was part of the orange group. It was a hilarious game and exciting game to be watched because each of them had to put on the sarong, put a ball in between their thighs, held a banner (written with "Charlie Chaplin") and then walked from the starting line to the the other line and passed everything to the next member of the group. We couldn't stop laughing all the way when they were doing the tasks. Some were so clever in balancing everything and some walked so slowly because they didn't want to lose the ball. At the end, my hubby's group won the fourth place.

The men's first game

The next game was for the women but I didn't participate because I had a slight headache that morning. I just became part of the audience and the cheerleader to Fathini and my hubby. The first for the women took a long time because they had to line up and moved according to the number that on the die (a big one) they had to toss. It took about a good 20 minutes before they could select the winners. Then, few minutes later, they continued with the last game for men. This time they asked the men to searched pebbles with some letter on each one and rearrange the letters to form 3 words. The words were "Tiara Beach Resort". It was not easy for the men to searched the pebbles in the pool as they had to dive in and spot the pebbles. This time my hubby's team didn't win anything because they couldn't complete the words. Lastly, the last game for the women took place. I didn't really pay attention to the game anymore since my daughters couldn't wait to get into the pools.

By 10.30 a.m., the games were over. Thus, we took the opportunity to dip in and explore to another pools that we didn't go to the day before. My hubby swam and enjoyed himself in the water while I was playing with my daughters. Fathini also found a new friend in one of the pool. Her new friend, Alia even asked her if she wanted to join her at the water slides. When Fathini (and Hafizah also tagged along), went up the stairs and then came down through the water slides, I was kind of worried. I still think that they were too small. However, they managed to do it and they had the joyous moment. Well, almost it became one of their joyous moment. Hafizah then cried and said that she was scared.

I should just stop this TBR seried here BUT I still have the last part. The last part is not about TBR anymore. It's about a special museum that we went to on our way back. I have to share that next week because I need to upload some interesting phtos related to the museum.

Tiara Beach Resort: A family weekend retreat for FBSB, UPM staffs. (part 2)

2011-11-15T22:48:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Yesterday I forgot to mention that our weekend retreat was sponsored by FBSB, UPM. Most of the staffs under that faculty were invited to join the last activity for their staff club for this year. It was the biggest event that they have ever organized outside of UPM.

I reckon it's also better if I can share some information about the place. So, here are some of the things that you might want to know if you are also interested to go to the place:

Address:
Tiara Beach Resort
Batu 13, Jalan Pantai Pasir Panjang, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

2011 Seasonal surcharge:

Super Peak Season

Family Suite (2 Bedrooms) : MYR135.00

Studio Room : MYR110.00

Shoulder Season

Family Suite (2 Bedrooms) : MYR65.00

Studio Room : MYR50.00

2012 Seasonal surcharge or promotion info:
Super Peak Season
Family Suite (2 Bedrooms) : MYR135.00
Studio Room : MYR110.00
Peak Season
Family Suite (2 Bedrooms) : MYR65.00
Studio Room : MYR50.00

Facilities:

980 units of well furnished Studio Deluxe, Family Deluxe and Premier Suites
Kid's play and Sand Castling Area
Waterfall with slides
Jacuzzi, Sauna, Gymnasium
Children's Playground
Outdoor Theatre, Karaoke...
Beach Volleyball Court
18-hole Palm Spring Golf Course
Water volleyball
Table Tennis
Inflatable Balloons
Kids Club
Games Room

Continuation from yesterday's entry:
My hubby and the other staffs finished attending the talk by 12 p.m. We were already very hungry by that time. Fortunately, we had some snacks in the car. So, we ate some snacks while we were waiting for him. Only after 12 p.m., we could check-in the room. We were given a studio room with the Water Park view. It was a fairly decent room.

Our room was in Block A, level 3A . (sorry can't reveal the room no. hehe). So, after we had put all of our bags and things in the room, we went down to one of the cafe there. We had lunch with the other staffs and their family members. The food was okay (not really excellent). Then, we explored in the kids room which was opened after that. My daughters tried the sand art. I had to buy the two sets of sand art which cost about RM4 each! (yup, a marked up price). There were other things in the kids room as well but my daughters were just interested to do the sand art.

Since there was no activities after lunch, we decided to dip in the water. Of course we went up to our room first to pray and change our clothes. The other families also grabbed the chance to try out the water park that afternoon. My daughters were excitedly trying the water slides. They didn't even ask us to accompany them anymore but we still supervise them. I guess it was I who had to supervise them more because I didn't really do anything except for wading in the water. My hubby enjoyed his time-out by trying the other pools. We played in the water until we were so cold and the skin on the fingers had started too wrinkle.

I have to continue in Part 3 tomorrow because there are still a lot of things that I want to share about our weekend retreat. Until tomorrow then...............

Teaser: Some photos at Tiara Beach Resort.

2011-11-14T22:51:00.000+08:00

Salam,

As I shared before, we went to a place in Teluk Kemang,(not far from Port Dickson). We didn't really go to the beach side as the resort is farther than the beach side. However, there are a lot of interesting amusements in the resort. The biggest attraction of course is their own Water Park.

Here are some photos about our activities when we arrived on Saturday morning. My husband had to attend a talk from 10 to 12.30 p.m. So, my daughters and I decided to amuse ourselves with the place.

The first thing that we did was taking some photos and then my daughters wanted to ride a bike each. There was a place where we could rent a bike for RM8 for 2 hours. They only rode the bikes for almost one hour before they stopped and complained that they were tired.

Here are some photos and this entry is to be continued tomorrow.
(it's getting late now and I'm already tired)

11.11.11

2011-11-11T21:28:00.000+08:00

Salam,

What's my motive of using today's special date as the title for this entry? hehe. Just a simple thought that a lot of people like to use this kind of date to organize something special like being engaged, getting married, or to deliver a baby (caesarian).

I don't really anything special today. It's just the normal Friday for me. I'm just excited about tomorrow's getaway to Teluk Kemang. My hubby is going to attend a course. My daughters and I tag along because my hubby is given a room.

Have a nice weekend everybody. I just hope that I'm going to be okay during the journey.

To reduce the nausea.

2011-11-09T22:34:00.000+08:00

Salam,

The craving to eat the preserved fruit and sour plums are so inevitable nowadays. I can't really taste other food now unless it is too sour, spicy or hot. Everything become so tasteless. I know that I should eat more healthy food but the urge to eat the unhealthy one is imminent.

These are my "comfort" food for now:

Any other ideas for a healthier option of a good comfort food for the expecting mommy?

The LGBT issue: A heated debate.

2011-11-07T22:12:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Last Friday while I was waiting for the next class, I had an interesting debate with a colleague about the LGBT issue, particularly related to their annual event "Seksualiti Merdeka" which has been banned by the authority. I didn't realized that I talked to someone who defended the deviant group.

So, the little debate went like this:

I said:
Do you know about this issue? (pointing at the Seksualiti Merdeka banned news)

He said:
Yup. Why?

I said:
I just don't understand why do they want to have this kind of event here. It's like promoting and finding a way to legalize their way of life.

He said:
What's wrong with that? Don't they have the right too?

I said(was taken aback first with the response):
You mean the right to feel so proud of their deviant way of life?

He said:
Who are you to judge them? Have you ever look into a mirror and see your own reflection? Do you think that you are so pious that you can put down some people who are little bit different?

I said (I smiled first before answering):
I'm not condemning them as human beings but I condemning their sexual preferences. It's totally against Islamic teaching. Even if they are not Muslims, the other religions are also against this. They need to go back to human nature.

Before we could continue our discussion, our immediate boss came into the Faculty room and announced something. We didn't have time to further discuss the matter up until today. I have to admit that now I'm not comfortable to discuss anything serious with him anymore. I just hope that he only 'supports' the group and not part of them. I can only pray for him to see the truth.

I guess you also have your point of view about this. As far as I'm concern, if we only use our own thinking without going back to religion, we will find so many excuses to say something is not wrong according to the logic thinking. This is not about logical thinking but about your faith and of course how you lead your life.

Salam Aidil-Adha- Tak balik kg sbb terkorban. huhu (BM entry)

2011-11-06T14:31:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Salam Aidil-Adha utk semua. Utk yang sedang mengerjakan haji, hari ini mereka akan lebih sibuk. Untuk yang lain2, kita sibuk menolong untuk membuat aktiviti penyembelihan haiwan ternakan. Kami sekeluarga, beraya di KJ ni je. Selalunya susah sikit nak balik ke Kelantan sbb cuti tak panjang. Mesti ramai yg pelik bila saya cakap cuti tak panjang kan. Bos saya amat kurang bertimbangrasa kerana tidak memberi cuti pada keesokan hari (7 Nov.). Oleh kerana itulah kami tak dapat beraya secara meriah di Kelantan. hukhuk.

Macammana orang2 Kelantan merayakan raya Aidil-Adha? Sebenarnya tidaklah berbeza sgt. Cuma apabila selesai upacara penyembelihan, beberapa buah keluarga yang berjiran (atau juga sekampung) akan bergotong-royong melapah dan membahagi-bahagikan daging. Daging yang untuk dimasak pula akan dimasak secara bergotong-royong. Masakan pula sangat mudah. Hanya perlu masak nasi putih dan daging akan dimasak dibuat sup, singgang, goreng, kari dan bahagian perut juga akan direbus dan dicicah air asam. Alamak meleleh pulak air liur bila teringatkan suasana tu.

Walau bagaimana pun sambutan Hari Raya, yang penting ahli keluarga ada bersama kan. Jadi, saya nak mengubat hati yang sedih ni dengan beraya dengan seadanya dengan suami, anak-anak dan ahili keluarga mertua.

Apa pekdahnya? - "Seksualiti Merdeka".

2011-11-04T09:59:00.002+08:00

Salam,

Nak tahu apa ke bendanya ni, baca kat SINI dulu dan tengok kat website diaorg kat SINI

Pandangan peribadi saya:
Perkara ni diwar-warkan termasuk dalam hak asasi manusia TAPI perkara ni dah sah2 menyalahi hukum agama. Memang melawan fitrah kejadian manusia. Apa yang nak dilaung2kan untuk dapat kebebasan memilih seksualitinya? Kenapa ramai yang menentang? Dah memang Allah pun mengutuk perbuatan di luar tabii tu. Alasan diaorg, diaorg pun bayar cukai, bekerja dan banyak menyumbang dalam masyarakat. Jadi, kenapa tak boleh bagi kebebasan untuk mereka memilih cara hidup mereka.

Susah betul nak tarik semula mereka yg dah terpesong ni ke jalan yang benar. Mmg kita tak patut mengasingkan dan mencaci mereka tapi kitta perlu bimbing mereka. Kalau kita benarkan mereka buat kempen dan program2 sebegini, apa akan jadi jika makin ramai yang tertarik dengan cara hidup yang terpesong ni?

Nasib baik polis dah haramkan tapi perkara ni sudah dilakukan sejak beberapa tahun lepas lagi. Maknanya belum ada tindakan sewajarnya untuk menghalang perkara ini. Apa nak jadi dengan negara kita? Makin melalut dan makin sesat nampaknya. huhu

Having certain accent doesn't make you a fluent English speaker.

2011-11-03T21:14:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Fluency in English is somehow being falsely associated with having certain accent. At least that's what most of our students think when they first registered to learn English in our centre. They have this notion that when you can speak English with certain accent like American accent, you can be fluent in English. Some even ask, "Which accent do you teach here?". Our response is, "What?". "We don't specialize in teaching any kind of accent".

You can speak and sound like "Barrack Obama" or "Queen Elizabeth" but what makes you become fluent is the practice. Practice makes perfect is always true when you want to be good. So, stop thinking about "learning" certain accent because accent can't be learned but must be acquired!

WW: A shocking collision beween an oil tanker and a passenger train.

2011-11-02T20:21:00.000+08:00

Salam,

To read more: Go HERE

Concert 2011: Tadika Aladdin's Open Day.

2011-11-01T19:31:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music. ~William Stafford

I guess what William Stafford said is true because when we look at children especially those under 7, they like to dance and sing so much. They will learn and remember faster when they sing and dance to the beat.

That's why most kindergarten will organize a big event to celebrate and showcase the children's talents in singing, dancing and giving speech.

Tadika Aladdin, my daughters' kindergarten had organized an unforgettable event two days ago, Sunday 30th October 2011. They had trained the children about 3 months before and did few rehearsal to make sure everything went smoothly.

The event started from 9.30 and ended by 12 noon. All parents and relatives of the children attended the event to give their full supports and to witness their talents.

The emcee: Puan Aini started the event and then she called Puan Rina (the owner) and the other teachers to come forward.

Next: the award giving ceremony to 6-year-old-children.

In the picture: Fathini is receiving her Excellence Award.

Later: Some speeches in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin were given by some selected students.

In the picture: Fathini is giving the welcoming speech in English.

(yup, I know I only upload her picture. What can I do? I'm so proud of her :P )

Then: All of the children sang a welcome song in BM, English and Mandarin.

In some pictures: Hafizah in her cute little costume like an island girl.

The next event: Dikir Putri by the boys from 6-year-old class.

(some of them forgot the steps that they didn't really have the synchronized movements. maybe they were nervous)

The nursery dance "I like to move it"

Their ages are from 2+ to 4 years old.

(Hafizah remembered all the steps but she didn't even smile and looked so serious)

After that, some children sang "Choun Ai". A Mandarin song about love.

(Some kids remember the lyrics some were just mumbling or pretending to sing along)

5 year-old girls were presenting an Indian dance with the teacher's guidance.

We saw some interesting movements using hands and feet.

The next performance was rather physical. They performed KUNG FU with the Kung Fu OST as the background music. They were from the other branch of Tadika Alladin.

Then, it's the 6-year-old- girls time to perform their special dance.

They were dancing with "Nobody But You" song as the background music.

(As usual, Fathini was among the girls that could really follow the beat and was quite good in dancing)

The last song was AULD LANG SYNE in English, BM and of course Mandarin.

Their teachers also joined them to sing together and saying good bye to the audience.

We had a marvelous time watching the performances. Everybody came to support Fathini and Hafizah. So, their grandma, grandpa, uncles, aunties and cousins were there to celebrate their special day. Next year, we will only watch Hafizah as Fathini is going to primary school.

P/S: hope that I didn't bore you with the stories.

If it's meant to be.......

2011-10-27T21:19:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I know some have read my previous entry regarding 'good news'. One of them (Syigim) even got it right!

So, WHAT"S the good news? I shall say that I'm happy because I have more than 1 good news.

The first GOOD NEWS:

Ermm why don't you look at this photo first:

YUP.....We're (have to use we since it's just not me but also my hubby :P) are expecting another bun. WHAT BUN? Of course we are expecting another child but bun is just part of the expression. hehe. ALHAMDULILLAH. Hafizah's wish has come true.

HOW DID I BREAK THE NEWS TO MY DAUGHTERS?

Both of them are excited. Fathini wants to have a baby brother but Hafizah wants otherwise. My hubby and I just don't really mind as long as the baby is healthy.

The other good news is right now I'm having a project that I like. It's tutoring a young mother who wants to improve her Conversational English. The pay is good and the student is also pleasant.

THE ONLY SETBACKS?
I might need some helps with the information about pregnancy and baby again since my last pregnancy was almost 5 years ago. I'm also in my thirties now and I can feel the difference from my last pregnancies because those were during my late twenties. So, any help and advice will be much appreciated. :D

GOOD NEWS.

2011-10-26T22:37:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I seemed to be so caught up with work and additional work (for additional income). So, I'm not so sure what to be shared here. However, I have one good news that I think I should share. BUT......................................................................
again I'm not sure what to write or how to share it. Hmmm...................the creative department in my brain seems not working well now. I guess you guys have to wait for the good news to be announced. hehe. Sorry about that.

p/s: jgn marah ye.

Love this poem. Let's read between the lines.

2011-10-23T20:49:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I have to admit that poetry is one of my favourite subject since I was in Standard Six. After a sweet victory of winning a poem recital in my primary school (organized by my teachers), I've been inspired to learn more and also have tried to write my own poems. I really appreciate and adore great poems and of course poets. A great poem can touch and teach people about our life and it's not easy to be interpreted.

Today I want to share a great poem that I came across from 'I'm Muslim and I'm proud' page on FB:

.:: STAY HUMAN ::..

I have seen blood changing,
I have been a part of it.
Nothing is same like it was Not even small, not even a bit.

I have seen Innocent selfless people got extinct
In front of my eyes,
Truth and purity got just vanished,
All I see around is lies.

I have seen World growing selfish day by day,
And here, No one cares.
He is dragged to NOT AGAIN,
To do good, if one dares.

I have seen the parents begging their kids,
And all the moral values got extinct
No friend is a 'friend',
Love is no more alive, I think.

I have seen the identity,
Being torn and twisted.
Everything is lost and the rest is
Like the sand in the hand fisted

I have seen the one skin changing
Into different color shades,
Pure heart does not matter
Evil is dominant and Nobility fades.

I have seen the bright days darker
and scarier than the nights,
Everything is directionless,
Souls are drowning in the tides

I have seen blood changing,
I have been a part of it.
Nothing is same like it was
Not even small, not even a bit.

I don wanna see any of this
I just wanna close my eyes,
Those people were lucky
Who survived when the world was nice.

I am in the middle of the sea,
Waiting for a better end
A ray of hope in this cold world,
Someone for this world to fend.

I close my eyes and
I picture a brighter day.
In this dark world,
A sparking light is for what I pray. !

Author - Sister Maha Khan

NICE AND SO MEANINGFUL RIGHT?

Let's sign this petition for HM4HB. (I've done it!)

2011-10-21T21:06:00.000+08:00

Salam,

If you have been reading about this hot issue, you'll definitely know what had happened. So many mummies that support BF are angry with the misleading article written and published in Berita Harian,14th Oct.

HERE IS THE ARTICLE

How to sign the petition? You just need to go to this link.

The fridge has a fever.

2011-10-20T21:32:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Here is an amusing conversation I had with my younger daughter. She is 4 and now she has a lot of ideas and very curious about the things around her.

One day, she had a fever. When I was giving her the Paracetamol syrup, she accidentally touched at the side of the fridge in the kitchen. So she said, "Mama, I think the fridge is also having a fever like me". I was baffled by her statement. I said her, "How do you know?". She asked me to put my hand at the side of the fridge and feel it. Then only I realized and understood why she said that. She continued, "Mama, give this (paracetamol syrup) to the fridge too". She was smiling when she said that because she knew that she was only joking. I explained to her why the fridge is hot but she didn't really pay attention to my explanation because she actually knew that the "fridge doesn't really have a fever'.

WW: The main reason why people don't help other people in China. (maybe in USA too)

2011-10-19T21:28:00.000+08:00

Air Car?: Nice concept but...............

2011-10-17T21:12:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I can't help but to feel so intrigue when I came across this news. This news was published on 13th July 2007! Why don't you read the news first so that you know what am I referring to:

Air car ready for production

The world's first commercial compressed air-powered vehicle is rolling towards the production line. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre, will be built by India's largest automaker, Tata Motors.
The Air Car uses compressed air to push its engine's pistons. It is anticipated that approximately 6000 Air Cars will be cruising the streets of India by 2008. If the manufacturers have no surprises up their exhaust pipes the car will be practical and reasonably priced. The CityCat model will clock out at 68 mph with a driving range of 125 miles.
Refueling is simple and will only take a few minutes. That is, if you live nearby a gas station with custom air compressor units. The cost of a fill up is approximately $2.00. If a driver doesn't have access to a compressor station, they will be able to plug into the electrical grid and use the car's built-in compressor to refill the tank in about 4 hours.
The compressed air technology is basically just a way of storing electrical energy without the need for costly, heavy, and occasionally toxic batteries. So, in a sense, this is an electric car. It just doesn't have an electric motor.
But don't let anyone tell you this is an "emissions free" vehicle. Sure, the only thing coming out of the tailpipe is air. But, chances are, fossil fuels were burned to create the electricity. In India, that mostly means coal. But the carbon emissions per mile of these things still far outdoes any gasoline car on the market.
Unfortunately, the streets of North America may never see the Air Car, though; it's light-weight, glued-together fiberglass construction might not do so well in our crash tests. However, that does not mean the Air car is confined to the sub-continent. Nègre has signed deals to bring its design to 12 more countries, including Germany, Israel and South Africa.
And this isn't the last we'll hear of the technology. The folks making the Air Car are already working on a hybrid version that would use an on-board, gasoline-powered compressor to refill the air tanks when they run low. Negre says that technology could easily squeeze a cross country trip out of one tank of gasoline.

LINK HERE

Here are some of the Models of Air Car designed by TATA (India's largest car company):

Do you like the idea? It sounds like one of the solutions to reduce the carbon emissions right? BUT............ from what I've read from various sources, this idea has been around since 1998. Tata is among the car company who has been trying to push forward with this kinds of car. The latest news claimed that by 2012 they will make a debut of this Air Car. Though it may have a lot of advantages, the disadvantages somehow have stopped car companies to continue with this idea. One thing for sure, the refilling is a big problem and then it's not that efficient for a long distance. Well, we shall see if this will come into reality.

KIsah Benar: Cahaya Hidayah (BM entry)

2011-10-16T21:22:00.000+08:00

     Suatu hari saya sewaktu saya hendak solat Zuhur di surau di tempat kerja, saya disapa oleh seorang pelajar. Beliau sedang bersedia untuk bersolat tetapi seakan teragak-agak. Beliau telah meminta supaya saya mengimamkan solat kerana beliau tidak berapa yakin lagi untuk solat sendirian. Menurutnya, dia tidak pernah melihat ibubapanya bersolat, puasa atau melakukan apa2 yang disuruh di dalam Islam. Keadaan itu agak biasa di Kazakhstan, negara kelahirannya. Hanya baru beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini apabila negara itu tidak lagi di bawah kekuasaan Rusia, barulah mereka lebih bebas untuk beragama.

     Saya agak terharu mendengar kesungguhan gadis muda itu. Beliau sendiri mendapat cahaya hidayah dan sudah cuba bersungguh-sungguh belajar cara2 untuk solat. Beliau juga berpuasa buat pertama kalinya di Malaysia pd bulan Ramadhan lepas. Semuanya dilakukan atas keinginan sendiri.

     Saya semestinya tidak menolak permintaan gadis tersebut. Kami bersolat Zuhur berjemaah dan juga selepas selesai solat, saya turut membacakan doa (secara kuat) dan saya mendoakan supaya gadis tersebut akan meneruskan niat murninya.

      Seusai solat, saya menanyakan beberapa soalan lagi. Saya risau sekiranya beliau tidak sesiapa yang dapat membimbingnya. Apabila beliau mengatakan beliau mempunyai seorang ibu saudara yang boleh mengajarnya, barulah saya merasa lega. Beliau mula terbuka hati untuk bersolat dan berpuasa apabila beliau datang ke Malaysia untuk melanjutkan pelajaran. Malah sebenarnya beliau baru mula bersolat seminggu sebelum pertemuan kami.

      Sebelum kami berpisah, saya ada memberikan alamat e-mail saya sekiranya beliau ingin bertanyakan soalan2 lagi mengenai solat, puasa dan ibadat2 lain. Saya tahu saya bukanlah seorang yang cukup ilmu agamanya tetapi bila memikirkan dapat membimbing seorang gadis Muslim lain yang mahu berubah, saya cukup merasa teruja.Gadis tersebut sudah menamatkan kelas BI di tempat kerja saya jadi saya tidak dapat bersua lagi dengannya. Saya selalu mendoakannya supaya ditetapkan imannya dan dikuatkan semangatnya.

An epic journey to see the Big Bad Wolf.

2011-10-15T17:05:00.000+08:00

Dear Mr. Wolf,

I have to tell you the journey that I had to go all the way to Serdang to see you yesterday. I was so determine to make it even though I had to use so many kinds of transportation. As your offer is very to be turned down and the discounts are so alluring for me and the other book lovers.

In the afternoon

My epic journey began after lunch hour. I left the office after I finished my work. It's good that on Friday, we normally finish teaching by 12.30. So, after a nice lunch with my colleagues and Zuhr prayer, I packed up my things and went to KLCC LRT station. From KLCC, I headed to KL Sentral since I had to take A Komuter train to Serdang station. As usual, the Komuter was train was packed with people and we had to wait about 20 minutes before the train arrived. The journey on the Komuter was not as smooth as LRT and it moved slower. By the time I arrived at Serdang station, it was almost 3 p.m. I quickly queue up for the taxi and paid RM25 to go to MAEPS. The taxi driver was a nice old man and he told that I was not the first passenger that he had to sent to MAEPS.

In MAEPS

When I arrived in MAEPS, I was taken aback with that huge area. The taxi driver dropped me at the nearest staircase to Hall A where the exhibition was. I climbed up the stairs and followed the arrows with your picture, Mr. Wolf. Once I was inside the hall, I saw about hundreds of people busy picking up their favourite books. The price? Like what you've told us, the prices were incredibly cheap and crazy. Some parents came with their kids and they asked their kids to pick up as many books as they like. Some teenagers came with their friends in school uniform. Most women were either focusing at Romance section or Recipe section. While men were more at Science Fiction section. What about me? I wasted no time but to find Sophie Kinsella's books. I have read some of her books before but I've never owned one. I grabbed 3 titles and was thinking about another one when I realized that I must remember about my budget. I couldn't buy more than RM50 since I forgot to withdraw more money before I left the office. Maybe it was a good thing too since I had to carry the books all the way back to KJ. For the next section, I checked out at Children's section. I found some interesting books for my daughters. I took some storybooks that they might enjoy reading. Then, I can still pick one more book. I was thinking either one more novel for me or a book for my hubby. At the end, I settled with a book for my hubby from Michael Connelly's bestseller author.

On the way back home

At 4.05 p.m. I went out from the hall and the sky looked dark. It was about to rain and I didn't know how to get a taxi especially in MAEPS area. I saw one Chinese lady and her daughter were walking and I asked them if they knew how to get a taxi. They told me that they already asked one of the guards to call a taxi. I didn't think twice before I asked them if I could tag along since I was also heading to Serdang Komuter station. They agreed to split the fare. Before the taxi arrived, the rain poured down and we had to find a shelter. We ran through in the rain five minutes later when the taxi arrived. Luckily on the way to the station, there was no rain. At the station, there was not even a single drop of rain. I had to pay only RM7 compared to RM25 on my way to MAEPS. By 5, the first komuter arrived but I couldn't go in since it was too packed and crowded. I managed to squeeze in the second komuter and 5.20, I was in KL Sentral again. I knew I had to rush to pick up my daughters so I ran to get the LRT back to Tmn Bahagia. Once I was in Tmn Bahagia, I couldn't get a taxi because it was during the rush mad hour. There were so many people queuing up to take a taxi. What did I do then? I decided to walk home with the books! I walked slowly but steadily to reach the nursery to pick up my daughters. I apologized to my daughters for picking up them late. They didn't mind so much especially after I told them that I bought some books for them.

The catch of the day? Here are they:

Opps. This is only the plastic bag. hehe

Here are the books:

Thanks Mr. Wolf for your generosity. Please don't forget to hold another book sale next year. I'm sure the minions like me would mind to go to your book sale every year as we yearn for cheap and good quality books.

Best solution when you always receive guests in your house.

2011-10-13T20:52:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Here is a video about how to solve your problem when you always receive the unexpected guests in your house. This is applicable to those who have family members and relatives that love to drop by and spend the night in short notice. Furthermore, they won't feel uncomfortable and you won't have problems even though you only have two bedrooms in your house! Want to know how? Okay, watch this video and be inspired by it.

MY COMMENTS: Do you notice that the inventor only transform study table, sofa and cupboard to a bed/beds. There are also coffee table that can transform to dining table. Now, what about other solutions or genius technology?

From I'm Muslim and I'm proud.

2011-10-12T20:14:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Here is something nicely said and worth more than millions to be pondered upon:

Allah is not in my contact list in my cell phone, but He is my number one and most important contact. He isn't in my Facebook friend list, but He is my best friend. I am not following Him on Twitter, but I follow His His Prophet (PBUH) and the Quran. While I need the Internet to connect with others, I am connected to Him without the need for the Internet. Subhana Allah.

A Minion at Big Bad Wolf Book Sales.

2011-10-11T21:20:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I've been so excited once I knew about your event. I've wish to go to be one of the minions there BUT up until now, there are lots of things that have stopped me from going there. The posting that you have made on your page in FB are forcing me to find the way by hook or by crook to go there and satisfy my hunger to get new books.

You said:
Remember, minions - it is not too late to recruit new faces into the cause! Spread the word about the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale to your friends and family, and ask them to come to the biggest book sale in the world!

Hungry at the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale? Don't forget to step outside Hall A and look out for the Pizza Hut, KFC and MAEPS vendors ready to hush those growling stomachs! They'll be there all week.

Okay. For those who are clueless about this entry. I'm talking about THE BIGGEST BOOK SALES of the year that has started on 7th Oct. and will end on 16th Oct. in MAEPS (Malaysia Agro Exposition Park) in Serdang.

Don't know how to go there? Maybe this information can help you:

Address: 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
Alamat Poskod: 43400 Serdang
Tel: +603 8948 4699, Fax: +603 8948 4985
Website: http://www.maeps.com.my/
GPS Coordinates: N2 58.909 E101 41.891

Purplish Wedding. (nice theme)

2011-10-09T15:58:00.000+08:00

Salam,

     Yesterday we went to Tg Kling, Melaka to attend a wedding of a friend we knew when we were in Hamilton, NZ. She is still pursuing her phd in Waikato University. Right now she's taking a break (for a while) before she resumes her study.

    We attended the Wedding Reception which started from 11 a.m. We took off from our house at 10.40 and arrived at 1.40 p.m. It was not that easy to find the venue of the wedding since we solely depended on GOOGLE MAP. I was as usual the navigator and my navigation skill was not that excellent since we had to stop and asked a 'Pisang Goreng makcik' the right way. (hehe) They also didn't provide any clues before we reached the venue. The only clue was the "Bunga Maggar" at the roadside near her house!

    When we arrived the married couple was about to have their "Makan Beradap". So, we went to snap some photos and then we also went to the other side to have lunch. The food was nice and the wedding reception itself was simple. They invited only their family members, relatives and close friends. We met other Waikato friends there too. It was good to meet again after more than a year since we left NZ. Thus, it was a mini reunion too. And while we were having "Nasi Minyak", there was and entertainer belting out some Dangdut's songs. He and Mr. Dee Jay for the day, also invited participation from the crowd to sing or make a dedication to the couple or the host (Adnan's family)

     I have some photos taken at the venue that I ca share here. We wish the couple; Azila and Tuan Borhanedi will have a blessed marriage life and soon will have some cute children as well.

Kisah Si Penjual Tudung. (BM entry)

2011-10-07T16:39:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Saya baru pulang dari membeli 2 helai tudung di KL Sentral. Sewaktu membeli tudung2 tersebut, si penjual tudung tersebut telah menyatakan beberapa ayat (untuk menarik perhatian saya) yang tidak saya persetujui.

Lebih baik saya namakan si penjual tudung ni Kakak Z. Kak Z ni tidak bertudung tetapi dia menjual pakaian2 dan tudung2 di salah sebuah gerai di situ. Dia sebenarnya ramah dan mesra. Saya hanya membelek2 beberapa tudung dan bila dia bersungguh-sungguh menyuruh saya masuk untuk melihat tudung2 yang lain, saya pun masuklah ke dalam gerainya.

Berikut adalah sedutan perbualan kami:

Kak Z: Pilihla dik. Banyak yang cantik2 ni. Ni tudung macam Siti. Cuma letak je atas kepala.
Saya : Letak atas kepala? Nanti nampak leher kak.
Kak Z: (senyum saja tanpa berkata apa2)
Saya : Saya nak cari tudung yang tak singkat sangat.
Kak Z: Ini ada banyak yg jenis kain Jeans. Cubalah dan tengok dalam cermin.
Saya : Yang biru dan coklat ni elok. Berapa?
Kak Z: RMXX. Boleh kurang lagi. Tak nak beli anak tudung yang bersanggul. Cantik dik.
Saya : Saya tak pakai yang macam tu. Takpela kak.
Kak Z: Kenapa? Rambut sikit ke?
Saya : Bukan sebab tu. Tak elok.
Kak Z: (senyum je lagi) Tak nak ambil warna lain ke? Tudung Syria ke?
Saya : Yang 2 ni jelah. Tudung Syria saya tak minat. Berapa?
Kak Z: RMXX.
Saya: (menyerahkan duit)
Kak Z: Terima kasih dik. Datang lagi ye.

Kenapa saya nak berkongsi cerita ini? Adakah saya nak tunjuk saya ni baik sangat? Oh...bukan2. Saya hanya nak berkongsi ayat2 yang digunakan oleh kaka tersebut. Rasanya apa yang dia cakapkan tu bedasarkan apa yang disukai oleh kebanyakan orang memakai tudung sekarang.

Apa yang disukai ramai?:

tudung singkat.
anak tudung yang ada bonjolan (nampak seperti sanggul)
tudung mengikut fesyen semasa (walaupun tak menepati syariat)
tudung yang diikat dibelakang tengkuk sehingga menampakkan bentuk leher.

Saya hanya dapat mendoakan Kakak Z mendapat hidayah suatu hari nanti untuk bukan hanya menjual tudung tapi juga memakai tudung. Mungkin saya pun tidak menegur secara berhikmah sebab saya pun akui saya masih jahil. Semoga kjita semua sentiasa cuba mengikut syariat Islam lebih2 lagi bila kita bertudung kerana ingin menutup aurat dan kerana Allah.

Why Petrosains KLCC needs to be updated?

2011-10-05T22:05:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I've promised in yesterday's entry to tell and share my opinion about Petrosains KLCC. It's better to tell a little bit of what we've seen, explored, read and experienced before I explain more.

It has been promoted like this:
Petrosains Kuala Lumpur is located in the heart of bustling Kuala Lumpur and housed within Suria KLCC, Petronas Twin Towers. This is a perfect place for you to experience the wonders of science and technology.
It is the only interactive science discovery centre and a highly advanced technological museum, that presents petroleum science and technology in a fun, story-telling way. It intelligently embraces all aspects of science — the beginning, current and the future.

While you are there, don’t miss out the scientific journey, where you proceed your exploration in stages. Start your journey from The Lobby to the Dark Ride In, followed by an educationally entertaining ride through the passages of Energy, Petrojaya, Geotime Diorama, Science Station 1, Exploration, Galleria, Helicopter Simulator, Oil Platform, Downstream, Molecule Nanoworld, Metre City, Science Station 3, Teater Ungku Omar, Dark Ride Out and Xplorasi.

We were happy exploring the place but I was just frustrated to see the videos that they used to explain some processes. All videos look like they were made in 90's based on the clothes used by the person in the videos. Another thing, when we choose to view the videos in English, the pronunciation is quite bad. I don't think foreigners would be able to understand the content of the videos. They also have to update and maintain some equipments because some were out of order and couldn't be used.

We really enjoyed the Dark Ride In, The Oil Platform and also the little showcase of Mathematics by the volunteers. In the Dark Ride In, the simulations were good but again most of the photos are already old. Maybe if they change some of the photos to show the latest development of Petronas, it would be much better. While in The Oil Platform, I love to see the gadgets, machines and also their rooms, kitchen and sick room. My daughters were afraid to see one dummy sleeping in the bedroom. The little showcase was interesting when the presenter tested on our general Math knowledge. We were also asked to participate and answer some questions. I even volunteered for one tactical game where I had to guess what's my opponent's next move.

All right, I guess you might be bored reading all of these right? Now, let's see some of the photos taken in Petrosains KLCC:

Petrosains KLCC: Needs to be updated.

2011-10-04T22:16:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Why does it need to be updated? What's wrong with Petrosains KLCC? Okay, for more stories , please stay tune tomorrow for more input on that. I know that normally most people will write about good things BUT I have to share the sad truth about this famous place expecially for tourists and school children. Here is just one photo of us in front of Petrosains KLCC. We went there last Sunday (1st October 2011)

(yup, the photo is a bit dark)

Malaysia's First Ever Blogger Masterchef

2011-10-03T21:21:00.000+08:00

Salam,

This is an attempt to enter the contest organized by Nuffnang Malaysia. I'm not really an expert in cooking but I love cooking and I always try to change some recipes according to my own taste and creativity (some didn't really work but hey it's better to try right?).

Now let's see the simple dish that I want to share:

"Kirikiriroa Hot and Sweet Mussel". All right, now let's see the ingredients:

From top left: Ginger (abt 1 inch), Garlics (3 cloves), Hot Chillies (put more if you like it very hot) and Onions (2)

The most important ingredient! : 1 kg of Mussel

2 tablespoons of Chilli Paste with Soya Bean Oil (or you can use chilli powder),A glass of water and

I forgot to take a photo of the salt and abt 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. So, don't forget those ingredients too! hehe

Now ladies and gentlemen, let's see the methods:

1.Heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil.

2.Saute garlics, ginger, chillies and onions until they look brown.

3. 2 tablespoons of chilli paste or chilli powder.Cook until the mixture looks well blended.

4. Pour in the water.

5. Put all the mussels in the pan.

6. Get a pot lid to cover in order to steam it for about 20-25 minutes. Don't forget to check it from time to time. When all of the mussel shells are slightly opened, you know that the dish is ready.

7. Garnish the dish with coriander or spring onions. (It's optional)

*this recipe is what I tried when I was in New Zealand. As we can't find Mussel here, I suggest that you can use other types of seafood like clams.

Why do I deserve the title “Malaysia’s First Ever Blogger MasterChef” or “Blogger MasterChef Yang Pertama”? My cooking repertoire includes Asian, Western and Fusion cooking as I love to try almost everything. I'm quite adventurous in the presenting my food and love to get any kind of feedback about my food. ~~pardon my sentences esp. when I sound bragging~~

Here are the things you need to know about Masterchef Malaysia

- MasterChef Malaysia launch date – 22nd October 2011
- Show title – MasterChef Malaysia
- Program Details: – MasterChef TX will be starting from 22nd October 2011, every Saturday – Wednesday, 9.00pm. Master Class will be on every Friday, 9.00pm.
- Program channel – Astro Ria (Channel 104)
- Official Site URL – http://www.astro.com.my/MasterChef/
- Facebook Page Link- http://www.facebook.com/MasterChefMalaysia
- Twitter Link– www.twitter.com/MasterChefMY
- Background Information on MasterChef (Can be written in your own words if you wish) – MasterChef is a worldwide phenomenon. A cooking reality show, that although doesn’t allow viewers to vote, has still broken viewership records in US and Australia. MasterChef is a success because not only is Food something we are all very passionate about but the show only allows amateur cooks to compete. Malaysians who love cooking but never had a chance to really showcase their skills and be appreciated, now get the opportunity! Get ready for the MasterChef phenomenon to take over Malaysia on 22nd October 2011!

p/s: Wish me luck. Thanks ;)

Kids: Please stop whining!

2011-10-03T17:48:00.000+08:00

Salam,

    One of the annoying habit that my kids like to do is to whine when they are asking for something. I just can't tolerate whining as I hate to entertain them with that behaviour. I have tried my best to discourage them from being so whiny. However, kids will still be kids. They still whine every time they are frustrated or upset. Have you experienced this annoying behaviour? What have you done to stop or at least discourage the habit?

    Here is the tips that I've tried and somehow I've managed to discourage them (but they still whine once in a while):

1. Adjust the way you view whining:
They don't do it deliberately. So, we have to bear in mind that it's how they let out their frustrations. Tell yourself, "I have to be calm".

2. Consider what may be triggering this behavior:
    You have to find out the source or why is she whining. It's easier to find the source from a toddler who knows how to speak but for some we might struggle.

3. Make it clear that whining is not acceptable.
     Tell her, "I don't like it when you whine and if you do it again, you'll be punished or you'll never get what you want".

4. Do not give in.
    Don't even give in just because you can't stand their high pitch scream. Be firm with your stand and make it clear that you are the boss.

5. Be consistent.
If you are punishing your elder daughter because she always whines, don't make it an exception for her younger sister even though she is only 3. Kids can use our inconsistency as a weapon to attack us for not being fair.

Now, what about your experience dealing with this kind of behaviour? What do you normally do?

Tips untuk hidup bahagia: Wajah yang manis (BM entry)

2011-10-01T20:22:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Saya tertarik dengan artikel dari Iluvislam.com ni. Rasanya elok kita sama2 praktikkan dalam kehidupan kita seharian. Saya pun nak cuba buat ini setiap hari walaupun dilanda masalah yang berat. Nak tahu? Silalah baca dan kita cuba amalkan:

Abu Yazid Al Busthami, pelopor sufi, pada suatu hari pernah didatangi seorang lelaki yang wajahnya kusam dan keningnya selalu berkerut. Dengan murung lelaki itu mengadu, "Tuan Guru, sepanjang hidup saya, rasanya tak pernah lepas saya beribadah kepada Allah. Orang lain sudah lelap, saya masih bermunajat. Isteri saya belum bangun, saya sudah mengaji. Saya juga bukan pemalas yang enggan mencari rezeki. Tetapi mengapa saya selalu malang dan kehidupan saya penuh kesulitan?"
Guru menjawab sederhana, "Perbaiki penampilanmu dan ubahlah raut mukamu. Kau tahu, Rasulullah adalah penduduk dunia yang sederhana namun wajahnya tak pernah keruh dan selalu ceria. Sebab menurut Rasulullah, salah satu tanda penghuni neraka ialah muka masam yang membuat orang curiga kepadanya."
Lelaki itu tertunduk. Dia pun berjanji akan memperbaiki penampilannya. Wajahnya sentiasa berseri. Setiap kesedihan diterima dengan sabar, tanpa mengeluh. Alhamdullilah sesudah itu ia tak pernah datang lagi untuk berkeluh kesah.
Umar bin Khattab walaupun jawatannya khalifah, pakaiannya sangat sederhana dan bertampal-tampal. Tetapi sikapnya ramah, wajahnya sentiasa senyum dan mukanya berseri. Tak hairan jika Imam Hasan Al Basri berpendapat, awal keberhasilan suatu pekerjaan adalah raut muka yang ramah dan penuh senyum. Bahkan Rasulullah menegaskan, senyum adalah sedekah paling murah tetapi paling besar pahalanya.
- Artikel iluvislam.com

Retirement age is going to be increased to 60?

2011-09-30T20:11:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Yesterday I read about the proposal to raise the retirement age in private sector to 60. I definitely agree on that proposal. WHY? I can think of so many reasons and benefits for us if we are still working after the age of 55. Right now I can see my parents in-law are still working even though both of them have passed the standard retirement age. They are still fit and healthy.

My hubby and I have planned to keep working. Even if we decide to retire from the main job, we want to find another job or set up a business. We want to be like his parents who are still active until now even though they are at the age of 62 and 65. We don't want to have the boring life after retirement where the normal perception is the time to relax, play with the grandchildren and learn more about our religion. For us, we should be able to do all of those even when we are still young. We just need to find the way to balance our life.

What do you reckon? Would you like to work until the age of 60?

Stupid Cancer.

2011-09-27T20:43:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I found this intriguing quote written by someone. It's worth to ponder since we all have this kind of 'cancer'. The only difference is some people try to suppress it but some just do nothing about it.

Let's see the quotation:

Stupid cancer. We all want a new car, a new phone. A person who has cancer only wants one thing... to survive.

I have to agree with that as I also have that kind of cancer from time to time. If we compare that to those who have cancer or have been diagnosed with a serious disease, that person doesn't want anything else but to survive or trying very hard to be positive and finding the best way to cure their disease. Do you have the same cancer too?

And no more privacy in FACEBOOK.

2011-09-25T20:58:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I was first introduced to FACEBOOK by my hubby in 2009. He was the one who helped me to register and open an account. I have to admit that I was so addicted to FACEBOOK during that year and I started to search for my long-lost friends. I also spent a lot of time playing the FB's games like Cafe World and Farmville. However, when I came back to Malaysia in June last year, I stopped playing the games. Now I only check my account whenever I'm free.

Over these few years, FB has been changed a lot. The management team has been busy updating and changing the layout of FB for users. So many users have realized that we are slowly losing our privacy in FB. Now, almost everybody can read and find out about our activities even though they are not in our friend's list. What used to be on our wall and only for our friend's view can be easily accessed by anybody. To tell the truth, I don't really believe that our privacy setting can help that much since if we just make one bad decision like writing one bad comment, we are doomed! We will tarnish our own reputation and image with one slip of the tongue. Some jokes can be viewed as threats or criticism. Some comments on other people's photo can be viewed as a slander or bad-mouthing piece of comment.

NOW, WHAT CAN WE DO? SHOULD WE GO TO THE EXTREME MEASURE WHERE WE JUST HAVE TO DELETE OUR ACCOUNT?

Peringatan: Taktik terbaru untuk menculik dan membunuh wanita. (BM entry)

2011-09-24T21:09:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Terkedu, takut dan bermacam-macam lagi perasaan timbul bila saya terbaca tentang taktik terbaru untuk menculik dan membunuh wanita. Kawan saya dari FACEBOOK telah memyebarkan perkara ini dan berharap agar ramai wanita akan mengambil pengajaran daripada pengalaman seorang wanita yang terselamat daripada menjadi mangsa. Nak tahu kisah sebenar? SILA BACA DAN AMBIL PENGAJARAN:

Ini adalah sangat menakutkan, serupa dengan kes Ms Canny Ong. Pada suatu hari, terdapat seorang wanita yang berhenti di stesen minyak untuk mengisi minyak. Setelah selesai memenuhkan tangki minyak selepas membayar menggunakan kad kredit di pam dan ingin meninggalkan stesen tersebut, atendan di dalam kedai lantas bercakap menerusi speaker dan memberitahu sesuatu yang berlaku dengan kad itu dan meminta wanita itu masuk ke dalam untuk membayar tunai. Wanita itu keliru kerana dia telah selesai mengisi minyak dan pembayaran menggunakan kad kredit telah diluluskan. Dia menunjukkan isyarat tangan kepada atendan tersebut dan bersiap sedia untuk meninggalkan tetapi atendan tersebut sekali lagi menggesa wanita tersebut masuk ke dalam kaunter kedai untuk membayar tunai. Dengan perasaan sedikit marah, wanita itu terus masuk ke dalam kedai dan mempertikaikan tindakan petugas tersebut dan menuduh dia menipu. Atendan tersebut memberitahu supaya wanita itu bertenang dan mendengar dengan teliti Atendan memberitahu ketika wanita tersebut sedang mengisi minyak, dia telah melihat seorang lelaki telah masuk ke dlm kereta dan bersembunyi dikerusi belakang . Dengan segera beliau telah menghubungi pihak polis. Wanita tersebut terus menjadi takut dan segera melihat pintu keretanya terbuka dan lelaki itu telah menyusup keluar dan meninggalkan kereta itu dengan tergesa-gesa. Kes baru-baru ini didapati mempunyai kaitan dengan ujian untuk permulaan geng jenayah terbaru dimana memerlukan seseorang untuk membawa balik bahagian badan seorang wanita .. Salah satu cara yang mereka lakukan adalah dengan merangkak perlahan-lahan dan menyusup masuk ke dalam kereta wanita manakala sasaran utamanya adalah stesen minyak atau di kedai runcit pada waktu malam. Kemudian, mereka akan potong kaki / buku lali mangsa menculik mereka dan kemudiannya membunuh dan mencerai-beraikan mereka. Kaedah lain adalah dengan memaksa wanita itu masuk ke dalam kereta kemudian menculik mereka, Sila sebarkan ini kepada wanita lain, orang muda dan tua. Pertama, wanita seharusnya lebih berhati-hati apabila ingin masuk ke dalam kereta pada waktu malam. Kedua, Jangan letakkan kereta di tempat sunyi atau terpencil semata-mata ingin mendapatkan tempat letak kereta percuma! Ketiga, Jika boleh, elakkan memandu seorang diri pada waktu malam! Ini adalah situasi sebenar! Penculikan! Pembunuhan! Putus dan anggota badan dicerai-ceraikan! Ini semua berlaku di Malaysia !
... ...
Jadikan amalan : 1. Pastikan kereta berkunci setiap masa walaupun anda meninggalkan kereta sebentar.

2. Periksa sekeliling kereta sebelum masuk ke dalam kereta. 3. Sentiasa peka terhadap sebarang tanda-tanda pelik dari persekitaran anda dan individu lain di dalam sekitar umum, terutama pada waktu malam!!!

How to be popular overnight! (read in sarcastic tone)

2011-09-21T21:20:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Popular? Famous? Don't you want to be like your favourite celebrities? Don't you want to be well-known? People will look up to you and you'll be rich as well. Do you think that you need some talents to become popular? Well...........maybe some people need some talents just to boost up the popularity but most of the time you need a lot of publicity.

So, are you ready to learn the TIPS ON HOW TO BE POPULAR? All right:

find your niche. If you can sing, you should make a video and posted your video on YOU TUBE. If you are good in acting, you should also make a video of your best acting scene. You can be popular when your video receive a high hit like that 'Cikgu Shida'.
produce or come out with a controversial issue or again video. Be as bold as you can like 'Namewee'. He just produced a film called 'Nasi Lemak 2.0'! Before this, he was the one who created his own version of "Negaraku".
use some popular social network like Facebook or your own blog to write about something controversial.
find one record that you can break so that your name can be included in Malaysia's World Book of Records.

Now are you dare enough to do one of those? If YES, then I can ensure that you'll be popular overnight. BUT if you don't want to jump into this kind of bandwagon, you just have to ignore all the tips and go on with your life as it is. PEACE!

Amy Winehouse's voice for me.

2011-09-20T21:01:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Pharyngitis or sore throat can change your voice to be like Amy Winehouse's voice. How? Well, when you have to strain your voice in order to speak to other people, your voice will be coarse and you will lose your real voice. That's what have happened to me today. It's not the first time as I lost my voice few months ago too. So, this morning when my students asked me about my voice, I told them a ridiculous joke. I told them, "Last night some aliens came to my house and stole away my beautiful voice". Some students laughed some were clueless to my explanation. Some even gave some advice by saying, "You don't have to teach today and we can just relax". Yup, they taught that they can just do nothing when I lost my voice. But it didn't happen because I still managed to teach them.

I've tried most of the tips to ease this pain. It will take few days before I can get my actual voice. For now, I can be Amy Winehouse or Ella (the famous Malaysian rocker).

If you are having the same problem or for your future reference, here are the tips for SORE THROAT.

The following tips may help your sore throat feel better:

Drink warm liquids such as lemon tea or tea with honey.
Gargle several times a day with warm salt water (1/2 tsp of salt in 1 cup water).
Drink cold liquids or suck on popsicles.
Suck on hard candies or throat lozenges. Young children should not be given such products because they can choke on them.
A cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier can moisten and soothe a dry and painful throat.
Try over-the-counter pain medications, such as acetaminophe

Minat dengan 'Tuah' dan 'Lekiu' laa pulak. (BM entry)

2011-09-16T17:53:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Pg2 td bukak tv tengok perbarisan Hari Malaysia & Merdeka. Itu acara wajib tiap2 tahun walaupun tak pernah menjejakkan kaki ke Pdg Merdeka untuk melihat sendiri perbarisan dan acara sambutan Hari Merdeka. Dalam banyak2 acara yg kami tengok tadi, sy paling suka bila melihat 'Tuah' dan 'Lekiu'. Sungguh tampan, bergaya dan menawan hati.

TUAH? LEKIU? Untuk yg dah tahu mesti boleh agak apa yg sy katakan. Untuk yg tak tahu lagi, jgn sangka yg bukan2 ye. Sy bukan merujuk pd Pahlawan2 Melayu di zaman Kesultanan Melaka. Sy merujuk pd kereta Proton Tuah dan Lekiu. Nak tengok rupa 'mereka'?

Silakan: (diambil dr GOOGLE IMAGES)

TUAH

Lekiu

Ada juga yg gunaa nama pahlawan2 yg lain macam Jebat, Lekir & Kasturi. Cuma pg tadi 2 model je yg ditunjukkan. Sy ni minat je tengok sbb kalau nak beli tu rasanya tak mampu la lagi. Lgpun tengok je tak rugi apa pun. Yg nak tergelaknya pg tadi siap ada model2 Melayu berpakaian ala2 pahlawan dan buat gaya bersilat di tepi kereta Tuan & Lekiu tu. Model2 tu mcm poyo je. hehehe.

Kalau nak tengok jugak model2 yg lain, silalah tengok gambar2 yg lain ni. Sekali- sekala sy saja je nak menulis mengenai kereta walaupun tak lengkap dengan spesifikasi kereta dan harga. Kalau nak tahu yg lain2 tu kenala cari pengedar proton yg sah atau blog2 permotoran. hehe.

Jebat

Kasturi

Lekir

WW: Getting ready for Malaysia Day cum Merdeka!

2011-09-14T19:59:00.000+08:00

Rapid KL's service disruption.

2011-09-13T22:25:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Imagine this:

A lot of people was waiting for the train. They had been waiting for 20 minutes or so. More people came and the numbers were growing. When one train came, everybody wanted to get in. They tried to squeeze themselves in the over-crowded train. After few stations, they had to stop and changed to the other train. So, they had to queue up and joined another huge crowd. Some opted to use alternative transport but many still wait as it was not easy to get other transport as well. It was during the peak hour in the morning where many people were rushing to their workplace. To make matter worse, most of them were clueless as there were not enough personnel or staff who can help to explain what was going on. Some who were heading to KLCC had to stop at Kg Baru station again before they could continue their journey to KLCC.

Why am I sharing that?

I was one of those people who were stuck in the major service disruption of Rapid KL this morning. I arrived in the station (near where I live) at the usual time and I could only be at my workplace almost 2 hours after that. It was actually the first time for me to experience the major delay. Most of the time, the delay is not that bad. Rapid KL is quite reliable and dependable. That's why I wonder what really happened this morning. I also wonder why were there not enough staff or police officers who can help the passengers to get information and explanation.

To RAPID KL:

Please provide us with more information if there's any service disruption.
Please place more staffs on each stations.
Please update us with any changes clearly.
Please upgrade everything in order to provide the best service as we know that you gain a lot of profits everyday.

"Phishing" sounds like 'fishing' but they're not the same.

2011-09-12T22:10:00.000+08:00

Salam,

This month I'm teaching new class and a new level. There's a lot of interesting topics to be discussed in the subject called "Conversation". One of the topics that we are discussing now is about "All about Internet". Before I go deeper into discussing "Cyber Crimes" with my students, I have went through the slides and the lesson plan before tomorrow's class. Then, I found this new jargon for me. It's "PHISHING". I have to admit that I'm not so techno-savvy. That's why I'm still a bit clueless on certain jargon on the internet or if they are related to new gadgets.

Does anyone know what is PHISHING? Now, let me share what I've found from WEBOPEDIA.COM

phishing [View Webopedia Definition]
(fish´ing) (n.) The act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user’s information.

After checking the meaning of the jargon, now I know that it's quite common nowadays to see this activity. It's in fact part of Cyber Crimes. Everyday we receive a lot of junk mails through our e-mail account. Most of the senders are actually have to tried to phish you. A lot of people have become victims and a lot more will be if we are not careful enough. Thus, prevention is better than cure. I always transfer most of the junk mails into te spam box and then delete them a.s.a.p.

Okay, that's all for the lesson now. (hehe). I'm just happy to share what I have just discovered. If you knew about this, maybe you can elaborate more in the comment box. Thanks :D

Kisah Si Penjual Kuih (BM entry)

2011-09-10T15:25:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Saya dapat kisah ni drpd FB kwn. Kisah ini mmg boleh menginsafkan kita dan sebenarnya saya berasa sungguh sebak sewaktu membaca kisah ini. Cuba baca dan hayati teladan yang kita boleh pelajari dari kisah ini.

Kisah budak penjual kuih

by syahirul.com on Monday, August 22, 2011 at 8:37am

Hari itu selepas seminggu beraya di kampung, saya pulang ke Kuala Lumpur. Memikirkan highway PLUS sibuk, saya menyusuri laluan lama. Pekan pertama yang saya lintas ialah Teluk Intan. Terasa mengantuk, saya singgah sebentar di sebuah restoran di pinggir pekan itu. Sebaik memesan makanan, seorang kanak-kanak lelaki berusia lebih kurang 12 tahun muncul dihadapan.

"Abang nak beli kuih?" katanya sambil tersenyum. Tangannya segera menyelak daun pisang yang menjadi penutup bakul kuih jajaanya.

“Tak apalah dik... Abang dah pesan makanan," jawap saya ringkas.

Dia berlalu. Sebaik pesanan tiba, saya terus menikmatinya. Lebih kurang 20 minit kemudian saya nampak kanak-kanak tadi menghampiri pelanggan lain, sepasang suami isteri agaknya. Mereka juga menolak, dia berlalu begitu saja.

"Abang dah makan, tak nak beli kuih saya?" katanya selamba semasa menghampiri meja saya.

"Abang baru lepas makan dik. Masih kenyang lagi ni," kata saya sambil menepuk-nepuk perut.

Dia beredar, tapi cuma setakat di kaki lima. Sampai di situ, di meletakkan bakulnya yang masih sarat. Setiap yang lalu ditanya, "Tak nak beli kuih saya bang, pak cik, kakak atau makcik?"

Molek budi bahasanya! Mamak restoran itu pun tidak menghalang dia keluar masuk ke premisnya bertemu pelanggan. Sambil memerhati, terselit rasa kagum dan kasihan di hati saya melihatkan betapa gigihnya dia berusaha. Tidak nampak langsung tanda-tanda putus asa dalam dirinya, sekalipun orang yang ditemuinya enggan membeli kuihnya.

Selepas membayar harga makanan dan minuman, saya terus beredar ke kereta. Kanak-kanak itu saya lihat berada agak jauh di deretan kedai yang sama. Saya buka pintu, membetulkan duduk dan menutup pintu. Belum sempat saya menghidupkan enjin, kanak-kanak tadi berdiri di tepi kereta. Dia menghadiahkan sebuah senyuman. Saya turunkan cermin, membalas senyumannya.

"Abang dah kenyang, tapi mungkin abang perlukan kuih saya untuk adik-adik abang, ibu atau ayah abang." katanya petah sekali sambil tersenyum. Sekali lagi dia mempamerkan kuih dalam bakul dengan menyelak daun pisang penutupnya.

Saya tenung wajahnya, bersih dan bersahaja. Terpantul perasaan kesian di hati. Lantas saya buka dompet, dan menghulurkan sekeping not merah RM10. Saya hulurkan padanya.

"Ambil ni dik! Abang sedekah. Tak payah abang beli kuih tu," Saya berkata ikhlas kerana perasaan kasihan meningkat mendadak. Kanak-kanak itu menerima wang tersebut, lantas mengucapkan terima kasih terus berjalan kembali ke kaki lima deretan kedai. Saya gembira dapat membantunya. Setelah enjin kereta saya hidupkan, saya mengundur. Alangkah terperanjatnya saya melihat kanak-kanak itu menghulurkan pula RM10 pemberian saya itu kepada seorang pengemis yang buta kedua-dua matanya.

Saya terkejut, lantas memberhentikan semula kereta, memanggil kanak-kanak itu.

"Kenapa bang nak beli kuih ke?" tanyanya.

"Kenapa adik berikan duit abang tadi pada pengemis tu? Duit tu abang bagi adik!" Kata saya tanpa menjawap pertanyaannya.

"Bang saya tak boleh ambil duit tu. Mak marah kalau dia dapat tahu saya mengemis. Kata mak kita mesti bekerja mencari nafkah kerana Allah berikan tulang empat kerat pada saya. Kalau dia tahu saya bawa duit sebanyak itu pulang, sedangkan jualan masih banyak, mak pasti marah. Kata mak, mengemis kerja orang yang tak berupaya, saya masih kuat bang!" katanya begitu lancar.

Saya sebak, sekaligus kagum dengan pegangan hidup kanak-kanak itu. Tanpa banyak soal saya terus bertanya berapa semua harga kuih dalam bakul itu.

"Abang nak beli semua ke?" Dia betanya dan saya cuma mengangguk. Lidah saya kelu nak berkata.

"RM25 saja bang."

Selepas dia memasukkan satu persatu kuihnya kedalam plastik, saya hulurkan RM25. Dia mengucapkan terima kasih dan terus berlalu.

Saya perhatikan dia sehingga hilang daripada pandangan. Dalam perjalanan ke Kuala Lumpur, baru saya terfikir untuk bertanya statusnya. Anak yatimkah? Siapakah wanita berhati mulia yang melahirknya? Terus terang saya katakan, saya beli kuihnya bukan lagi atas dasar kasihan, tetapi kerana rasa kagum dengan sikapnya yang dapat menjadikan kerjayanya satu penghormatan.

Sesungguhnya saya kagum dengan sikap kanak-kanak itu. Dia menyedarkan saya, siapa kita sebenarnya!

Email dari hamba Allah :)

Impatient motorcyclists putting pedestrians in danger.

2011-09-09T21:03:00.000+08:00

Salam,

To the motorcyclists that use Jln Yap Kwan Seng everyday:

You guys is so inconsiderate about other people's life. When the pedestrians are using the zebra crossing and the light is RED, it means that you have to stop and wait. It's not a long wait since the light will turn GREEN again in 10 seconds! There had been some victims among the pedestrians who were knocked down by some of you. Most of them were our students. They were not ignorant about the road rules BUT you are the ones who were at fault! The road is not built only for cars and motorcyclists. It's also for those who have decided to use public transport and then walk to their work place. SO..............please remember to use your conscience and be considerate to other people especially the defenseless pedestrians. I don't want to ONE of the victims and part of the road statistic just because you can't wait for 10 FREAKING SECONDS!!!!

Hari Raya adalah hari untuk menunjuk2 utk sesetengah orang. (BM entry)

2011-09-08T23:10:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Sebenarnya dah lama terfikir nak menulis mengenai hal ini sbb bukan nak mengata2 sesiapa tapi nak mengingatkan diri sendiri juga supaya tak besifat riak dan bongkak. Bukan seorang dua yang saya nampak cuba nak menunjuk2 malah jika diperhatikan, memang sesetengah orang yg mungkin tak sedar atau sedar tapi sifat riak sudah menguasai diri bilaa mereka mula mempamerkan kemewahan masing2. Masa yang terbaik bagi mereka untuk menunjuk2 ialah di HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI.

Apa yang suka ditunjuk2. Jom tengok senarai ni, kalau ada sesiapa yang nak tambah dipersilakan. Kalau nak cakap saya pun sama, suka menunjuk2 pun, saya tak kisah sbb mungkin saya pun tak sedar yg saya dah menunjuk2 kat blog sendiri ni.

Senarai barang2 yg orang suka tunjuk di hari raya:

Kerata baru yang mahal:Walaupun kereta tu dibeli dengan duit pinjaman bank, nak juga berlagak dengan kereta tu sbb nanti bolehla kembang kempis hidung bila bawa balik kereta baru ke kampung. Lagipun mana ada orang beli kereta bayar terus (cash) sbb kereta import kan mahal kat Malaysia ni.

2. Barang2 kemas baru: Ini kegemaran orang perempuan terutama yg sudah berumahtangga. Saya tak pasti dgn org2 perempuan dari negeri2 lain, tetapi kalau mek2 Kelate ni biasalah macam wajib ke ada barang2 kemas dari emas je. Emas Kelantan pula lain sikit dari emas 916. Sy ada juga mintak suami belikan tetapi setakat ni dia ada belikan yg biasa2 je sbb yelah dah banyak dok bayar benda2 lain. Bila dia cakap, "Kalau ada banyak2 nanti nak gantung kat leher, lengan tu sampai tak boleh nak jalan ke?". Mmg terus sy terdiam dan berfikir, "Betul jugak tu sbb nanti boleh mendatangkan perasaan riak". huhu. Macam Mami Pulau Pinang pun, mmg biasa ada brg2 kemas yg berlip-lap2 ni. Kalau sedang bercakap, kalau boleh nak tunjuk semua yg ada.

3. Baju raya paling cantik : Beberapa bulan sblm bulan puasa lagi, ramai yg sudah sibuk memikirkan baju raya. Kalau boleh nak yg paling anggun dan cantik. Tukang2 jahit pun 3 bulan sblm puasa dah nak tutup menerima tempahan. Banyak fesyen2 baru yg sekarang ni kat blog pun ada dijual. Sediakan duit je dan klik yg mana berkenan di hati. Sekurang2nya kena beberapa pasang utk beberapa hari di bulan Syawal. Lps tu ada banyak pula rumah terbuka utk melaram baju2 raya.

4. Perabot baru, langsir baru, karpet baru dan lain2 lagi: Masa rayalah masa untuk menukar kalau boleh brg2 dlm rumah. Kalau boleh nak serba baru supaya bila orang dtg beraya, bolehla kembang kempis hidung menerima pujian. Bukan susah pun nak tukar semua baru sbb banyak iklan2 sblm raya lg yg menawarkan tawaran2 menarik mcm tak perlu bayar dulu dan boleh bayar ansuran sehingga berthn2. Maksudnya hutang dan hutang lagi.

5. Jamuan rumah terbuka secara besar-besaran: Ini pun boleh jd pembaziran lebih2 lagi kalau ada banyak sgt rumah terbuka yg diadakan secara serentak. Kalau yg dijemput tu golongan yg susah, anak2 yatim bagus jugak. Ini jemputan pula org kenamaan sbb ada hajat lain. Kalau dah ada banyak sgt makanan pun, tak termakan jugak semua. Bila membazir, alangkah sayangnya terpaksa dibuang. Orang2 Somalia tengah kelaparan, kita ni terlebih makanan. huhu

Sy nak minta maaf kalau ada sesiapa tersinggung dgn entry ini. Niat sy hanya nak memperbetulkan niat kita apabila berhari raya. Sy sendiri pun mengakui ada terselit perasaan nak menunjuk2 tu. Cuma sejak2 dah semakin "muda" ni, sy lebih banyak nak bersederhana. Itu yg disarankan dalam Islam pun.

The forgotten photos................

2011-09-07T21:47:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I just realized that I totally forgot to include the photos in yesterday's entry. Thus, to make it up, I'm sharing some of my raya photos here. There are more than 200 photos but I can only share some here.

The continuation of raya stories (with some photos this time)

2011-09-06T22:12:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I know, I know......why do I have to write one more entry about raya. It might make other people feel bored reading it. Well, like the others, each raya is different so I just want to record my experience for Aidil Fitri 2011 here.

Wednesday 31st August

We plan just to visit few houses since we would like to receive some guests at home too. We only visited some relatives that live nearby in the morning. Then, after Dzuhur prayer, my siblings and I went to my uncle's house (Ayoh Mi) in Kg. Kota, KB. His wife (Cik Lah) prepared some delicious dishes like Roti Jala, Kuzi Ayam, Bihun Sup and the usual Nasi Impit and Kuah Kacang. Most of us chose Bihun Sup as we were already bored with any dishes made with coconut milk. In the afternoon, we received some guests at home and fortunately we still have some food that we could serve to them. At night, my aunt (Mok Ngoh) whose house is just across the street, organized "sembahyang hajat" for her daughter who is going to continue her study in UTEM. So, all of us were there to help her and also enjoyed her Nasi Beriani. The event after the feast was interesting especially for my daughters since my uncle (Pokcik Mahiri) organized the fire crackers and firework session. The noise was quite loud and all the kids and also adults, enjoyed watching the firework.

Thursday 1st September

We woke up very early since we had to catch the earliest flight from KB to Subang Airport. Our flight was at 8.45 a.m. It was delayed for 15 minutes. So, we used that time to have a drink at thee cafe while waiting for the flight. By 10 a.m. we managed to arrive in KJ. My parents-in-law and my SIL were getting ready to set off the journey to the north when we arrived home. Since we were also joining them, we had to quickly get ready as well. By 11, we left the house to set off to Ipoh, Perak, Lunas, Kedah and Balik Pulau, Penang. It was a convoy of 2 cars. My in-laws in one car and our family with my SIL on another car. Our first destination was my MIL's sister's house (my hubby's Mak Ngah). She organized an "open house" on the third day of raya. She had been expecting us in the afternoon. However, only by 3 o'clock we arrived at her house. We stayed there for 3 hours before we continued our journey to Kulim, Kedah. My FIL booked 3 rooms at Seri Malaysia Hotel in Kulim because we didn't want to stay in his sister's house and impose some hassles on her family. We went to her house (my hubby's Mak Andak) after dinner and chatted with her family members until midnight before we called it a day.

Friday 2nd September

Early in the morning, we had breakfast in Seri Malaysia Hotel first. The selection of food for breakfast was quite good because we could choose Nasi Lemak, Nasi Goreng, Kuew Teow Sup, Bubur Nasi, Toast and some fruits. We tried a little bit of each dish before we checked off. The destination for that day were Sg Rusa, Balik Pulau in Penang, Georgetown and maybe Ipoh again. The journey to Sg Rusa, Balik Pulau was an interesting one since I had never been there even though we've been married for almost 8 years! It was my FIL's hometown. He used to stay there when he was growing up. Since he had lost both his parents when he was young, he only had his late elder brother who still lived there. Our plan was to visit his elder brother's wife and children at their original village house. I loved to see the original houses there and the ambiance. It was so quiet and peaceful. My daughters had the chance to meet and play with their second cousins. My FIL decided to stay until Friday prayer because he would like to go to the mosque nearby. He seemed happy to be able to meet some people who could still remember him. By 3.30 p.m. we left that place to go to other destinations. However, after few turns around Penang island, my hubby decided that we had to go back to KJ. So, my in-laws continued their journey and we headed back to the south. The journey back that usually takes about 6 hours became 8 hours due to the heavy traffic that night. We arrived safely home by 11.30 p.m.

Raya 2011: 4 days in Kelantan and 2 days in Perak, Kedah & Penang.

2011-09-05T22:03:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I've been so lazy to type out any entry here. I shouldn't blame the Raya Mood because other bloggers somehow managed to update their blog. Since I haven't been able to upload all the photos yet, I can only share the summary of our Raya 2011.

Sunday 28th August 2011

Our flight was as early as 10.30 a.m. My FIL sent us to Subang Airport and we checked in by 9.20 a.m. My daughters were so excited because they couldn't wait to see go back to Kelantan. They sang "Balik Kampung" all the way. Once we touched down in Kota Bharu, I realized how much I miss my hometown. My brother, Pein and her wife and daughter picked us up and we bought some fresh fish and squids on our way back. We planned to break our fast with our abah (dad) that day. I had plan to cook some special dishes for him since I didn't have the chance to do that last year. I prepared "Gulai Ikan Ayo (Ikan Tongkol)" and "Sambal Tumis Sotong" with fried vegetables. That evening, we break our fast together for the first time this year.

Monday 29th August 2011

Since it was the last day of fasting, I asked my hubby to accompany me to the Wet Market in Wakaf Bharu. I had expected to see so many people but I didn't expect to see that the number of people was double than usual! I just wanted to buy several items but we had to park so far that I canceled my intentions to buy some of the heavier items. My daughters got their bubble toys too because they saw them before I could sway their attention. Once we were at home, my aunts and my SIL had prepared some ingredients for "Rendang" and other dishes for the first day of raya. We prepared and cooked some special dishes from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. By the evening, I just prepared Fried Noodle for breaking our fast. We also ate our Chicken Rendang and Beef Rendang with the fried noodle.

Tuesday 30th August 2011

It's first day of Eid (Raya). I woke up as early as 5 o'clock since I wanted to cook some more "ketupat nasi". I also reheated Rendang, Lodeh and Gulai Ayam. Hafizah also helped me to fill in the raya cookies in the cookies jar. By the time everybody was ready to go to the mosque, we had ample time to eat some dishes.
After Raya prayer, we went to visit my late mum's, grandma's, grandpa's and great grandma's graves. When we arrived home, we had a nice photo session with all the family members. It's a very important event each year. Then, we proceeded to visit our relatives in 6 different houses in few different areas in Wakaf Bharu, Kota Bharu and Pasir Mas.

TO BE CONTINUED......................

WW: Video Lagu Raya yg comel! (BM Entry)

2011-08-24T22:22:00.000+08:00

Carrying a backpack (knapsack) makes you look younger.

2011-08-23T22:14:00.000+08:00

Salam,

According to NR, carrying a backpack makes you look few years younger. WHY and HOW? You need a small backpack and not the bulky type like for carrying a laptop. You also need to have certain kind of attitude. What kind of attitude? If you look bubbly, happy-go-lucky and I-do-care-about-other-people, you can trick other people about your actual age.

How do I know about this? Is there any real research related to the subject? Well......................................................................................................
The answer is NO!

The tell you the truth, I'm a big fan of backpack since I was in school. I think it's so comfortable and easy to carry your things. Thus, up until now, I'm using a backpack to go to work. I have several reasons for choosing a backpack. One of the reasons is not about it makes me look younger. Haha. The reasons are more on the safety, the practicality for carrying my students' work and also because I don't need to keep changing form one handbag to another. Who said that I look younger? (pls don't laugh at me okay) Well..........some people have been calling me "adik" justt because I carry a small backpack that looks like backpack for teenagers. It might not be a compliment at all but I just view it positively :P

This is not my actual backpack. It's just for illustration purpose. hehe

Mama kentut kat mulut! (BM entry)

2011-08-22T22:11:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Ini entri pendek hanya untuk berkongsi bagaimana anak2 berfikir. Biasanya anak2 ni kalau kita tak terangkan perkara sebenar, mereka akan buat kesimpulan berdasarkan apa yang mereka tahu. Kalau tak percaya, cuba tanya pada anak2 mengenai perkara2 yg mereka lihat setiapo hari. Kita akan dapat mendengar beberapa perkara menarik dari mereka.

Hari ni saya nak berkongsi cerita ini :-

Saya:     (Burp.....)
Hafizah: Kenapa mama kentut kat mulut?
Saya:      Bukan kentutla. Mama sendawa.
Hafizah: Kenapa bunyi mcm kentut?
Saya : Sbb keluar angin tapi sendawa keluar angin kat mulut.
Hafizah: Kat mulut bukan kentutla?
Saya:      Aah. Namanya sendawa.

Ada lagi beberapa cerita pendek yg lucu dari anak2. Lain kali saya akan kongsikan lagi. Saya pasti anak2 yg lain pun ada mcam-macam cerita lucu jugak kan.

Learning English for 13 years in school: Not enoughla! How come meh?

2011-08-19T16:34:00.000+08:00

Salam,

This is not a new issue. It has been a hot issue lately since our fresh graduates especially Malays are unable to find jobs due to their incompetency in conversing in English. The fact that we have been learning English for 13 years is a huge puzzle even to our DPM. Some academicians have written some articles on newspapers about this issue. They shared their views on how to rectify this problem.

I'm just an English teacher who has been teaching undergraduates for more than 5 years in USM and 2 years in an international English centre in KL. I admit that I'm not so knowledgeable in teaching English nor am I an expert. BUT based on my own experience in learning English in normal daily school and 2 years in a residential school, I can share my own conclusion on what have gone so wrong.

Here is my own conclusion:

13 years of learning but only 40 minutes, 3 days per week. (is it more now?)
the teacher can only discuss mostly comprehension questions in 30 minutes, 10 minutes for other things not related to the subject. (checking attendance etc)
for writing essays, the teacher will spoon feed students on which topics that might come out in the exam. (be it UPSR, PMR or SPM)
not enough practice on conversation in class.
most students view English like other subjects that can be scored if they memorized, do more practice or study more on past years' exam paper.
students depend so much on teachers that they don't have their own initiative to learn English and master the language using other methods.
we focus too much on English grammar per say that we are afraid to converse in English just because we don't want to make any mistakes.
not enough support from parents, peers and the society for people who want to master English.

In our public universities, you can see that even our under graduates in the field related to English like TESL or ESL are not given enough support or they are viewed as people who are not patriotic just because they use English more than BM. My friends and I experienced a lot of bad experience in UKM because whenever we conversed in English, there were some people who looked at us and said, "HUH! They like to show off because they can speak in English". However, ironically when they needed our help to translate some articles from English to BM, they would come and asked for our help.

Thus, we need to change our attitude towards learning English first. In fact, learning any language requires a lot effort and hard work from us before we can use it. How many of us really know about BM? How many of us can really converse in perfect BM without any mistakes in grammar? Why haven't we worry so much about that?

Nak menegur secara berhikmah tapi tak pasti. (BM entry)

2011-08-17T21:52:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Saya nak meminta pendapat sesiapa yang sudi baca entri ini. Ini bukan bertujuan mengumpat rakan sekerja (walaupun mungkin nampak begitu. huhu) tetapi saya teringin nak mengajak rakan2 saudara semuslim ni ke arah kebaikan. Kenapa saya tak tegur je secara terang-terangan? Saya dah ada banyak pengalaman yang agak pahit berkenaan menegur rakan2 saudara semuslim ni. Jadi saya macam agak serik sedikit walaupun saya tahu tak sepatutnya saya ada perasaan sedemikian.

Ok, kita namakan rakan sekerja saya ini Cik A. Cik A ni masih muda dan cantik orangnya. Dia jenis yang ramah dan ramai yang suka dengannya. Saya tahu Cik A ini merokok kerana sudah beberapa kali ternampak Cik A ni merokok. Yang menjadi masalah sekarang ialah, di bulan Ramadhan ini, sudah beberapa kali saya nampak Cik A ni dengan selambanya makan bersama2 rakan sekerja bukan Islam yang lain secara terang-terangan. Walaupun di tempat kerja kami ni, bilangan pekerja Islam hanyalah sedikit, saya agak terkejut dengan sifat Cik A yang tidak menghormati yang lain yg berpuasa walaupun dia uzur syarie. Selain itu, Cik A juga tanpa segan silu keluar membeli rokok bersama2 dengan rakan2 bukan Islam.

Saya berasa malu dengan rakan2 bukan Islam yang lain yang lebih menghormati kita. Ada rakan2 bukan Islam yang meminta maaf di depan saya jika mereka ingin minum di depan saya. Ramai juga yang makan secara senyap2 saja di meja masing2. Seorang rakan yg berasal dari Amerika tetapi berbangsa Korea, apabila tidak faham kenapa orang2 Islam perlu berpuasa, bertanyakan sebabnya pada saya. Sekurang-kurangnya dia ada inisiatif untuk memahami.

Jadi, kalau sesiapa ada cara terbaik untuk saya menegur secara berhikmah rakan sekerja saudara seislam ini, silalah kemukakan cadangan di kotak komen. Saya memang tidak bersetuju dengan tingkah lakunya dan saya juga ingin menegur tetapi iya memang saya kurang arif untuk menegur perbuatan orang kerana takut dikatakan cuba menunjuk alim pula.

Snow in Hamilton: What will I do if we are still there?

2011-08-16T22:14:00.000+08:00

Salam,

It was quite shocking to learn that it has been snowing in Hamilton. For about 80 years, Hamilton and the other places nearby had never received any snow. We used to stay in Hamilton, New Zealand for 4 years from 2006-2010. During those years, the lowest temperature during winter was at -4 degree Celsius. Even with that temperature, I was already frozen. I wore 3 layers of clothes in the house with huge, comfy slippers. The biggest problem was with the old house we rented. It was not properly insulated and the windows were not from the double glazed windows.

So, I just can't imagine when the temperature plummet into -0.8 degree Celsius. How can Hamiltonians deal with that condition. It's worse with most houses are old wooden houses with no proper insulation. Using heaters can help to warm up their houses but then the electrical bill will go up.

Here is a video on the snow in Hamilton CBD:

Now, let's go back to the thing that I wanted to discuss here-

"What will we do if we are still there?"

at first we might also make a video to record the rare incident.
then, we will have to think the best way to heat up our house.
next, we will have to be strong physically and mentally because this year the fasting month is during winter.
of course I might have to cook a lot since that is also the best way to heat up.

I reckon for most of us who have never seen snow, we think that it's something wonderful and exciting. BUT if you ask people who are living in the 4 season countries, it's not something fun anymore especially if it can cause frost bite. Playing in the snow for few hours maybe fun but to live there and experience it for at least 3 months or so is not exciting anymore.

How many of you would still forgive after something really bad happened to you?

2011-08-14T21:27:00.000+08:00

Salam,

He became a victim to some unscrupulous teenagers in London. He also became popular when the video of the assault has become a hit on YOU TUBE. He was attacked and then mugged by those who first looked like helping him. He suffered from broken jaw.

What I want to highlight today is not about the assault anymore. I want to share how this boy can forgive those who had assaulted and mugged him. He doesn't hold any grudge at all. How many of us would still forgive after something bad really happened to you? Somehow we can learn this lesson from Mod Asyraf Haziq.

To read more about the news, just spend some time to read the article and then you can share your views on this:

A Quiet Lesson of Forgiveness

Mohd Asyraf Haziq Rossli says he is saddened that even children were involved in the riots

WHO has not heard of the Malaysian student who was mugged in an attack and then robbed by the very people who had initially helped him up to his feet?
Twenty-year-old Mohd Asyraf Haziq Rossli's life has changed into one that he never dreamt would have been possible.

"Poor boy," said a cab driver, who had seen the 75-second video on YouTube several times.

He even read a local newspaper in Urdu about the press conference where Asyraf had expressed sadness for the people who did the dastardly act, for there were some young ones involved, too.
"He is very matured to forgive his attackers," said the nurse at my friend's hospital bedside, when I visited him.

"The people of the Netherlands would like to show their sympathy and we would like to interview him, if you can help us," said a man with a Dutch accent at the end of the line, coaxing me to give him contact numbers that would help him get an exclusive angle of the story.

Unbeknown to him, other press had also contacted me to gain access to the boy who had gained celebrity status, albeit with a broken lower jaw. There was nothing I could do as I wanted an exclusive myself.

On his hospital bed at the Royal London Hospital in East London, while awaiting surgery, he was unaware of a group of journalists waiting at the lobby for a chance to talk to anyone who knew him.

Failing to get him, the Western media
resorted to the only source they could get online -- another YouTube clip of his interview and conversation from his hospital bedside.

There were interpretations to his answers in an attempt to sensationalise his answers.

When he said he thought they were carrying knives, it was reported that they threatened to stab him.

Asyraf, a quiet and unassuming 20-year-old who looks much younger than his age, did not court this attention but he has become an iconic image that emerged after four days of serious rioting in London and several cities in Britain.

The attack had prompted the Britain prime minister to say, "When we see the disgusting sight of a young man with people pretending to help him while they are robbing him, it is clear that there are things badly wrong with our society."

His misfortune had sparked off Tweeterers and Facebookers to start campaigns, from finding his attackers to collecting donations to replace his lost belongings; a STG60 (RM300) bicycle, a handphone and a PlayStation portable. An owner of a bicycle shop had offered to give him a free bicycle, but Asyraf jokingly said, "No, no more bikes. I will take the bus from now on."

During a press conference at the Malaysian High Commission in Belgrave Square, Asyraf, although in pain after the surgery, tried to answer questions fielded by the international media. But one answer resonated loud and clear and summed up the problem of the London riots.

"I feel sorry for them. But it was really sad because amongst them there were children. It was very sad. It was quite shocking."

Images of the riots showing young people, some as young as 11 years, destroying properties and looting had triggered debates about what had gone wrong with the young generation, and who was to be blamed -- the government, the education system or the parents.

For someone so young to just arrive in a country and see people his age roaming in the streets late into the night causing destruction to public properties, was indeed shocking.

Asyraf''s quote resounded everywhere and was quoted by all. And something should be done about it.

Everyone must watch this video.

2011-08-12T22:42:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I found the link to this video posted by my friends on FB. In the beginning of the video, I didn't understand what is the message they want to share. However, after half way through, I can see the connection between the signage of the fast food chains and the man on a trishaw. I shed some tears when I watched what was happening. It really gives a wake up call to me about not wasting food and we should always think about other needy people who starve almost everyday while we greedily eat and waste our food.

Why don't you watch the video and then tell me what do you think about it.

I almost turned myself into HULK.

2011-08-11T21:46:00.001+08:00

Salam,

It's been two days since I shared something here. During Ramadhan, I can't really find time to sit in front of my netbook and type an entry. There's always something else that I need to do. However, I've decided to share an incident in my office this morning. I almost turned myself to be HULK. Who's HULK? Do you still remember the character in a tv series, cartoon and there was also an motion picture called HULK? He's just a normal guy BUT when other people make him angry, he turns himself into somebody else with a top-to-toe green person. He becomes so strong that he can run amok to those people who piss him off.

Now, let me tell what actually happened:

This morning, I arrived at my workplace as usual at 8 a.m.When I sat at my desk, I checked out my lesson plans for the day. Then, I photocopied some exercises for my students. 20 minutes later, I realized that I couldn't the CD for the Structure subject. I was panicking while I went through my stuff to find the CD. I asked some of colleagues if they happened to see it, but nobody seemed to know about it. So, I decided to write a little note on the board where everyone could see. I was hoping that someone might accidentally take it. I didn't pay attention to what I wrote on the board since I was worried if I lost the CD, I had to pay to replace the CD from my own money. Few minutes later, SHE came with her usual vocal and loud voice. She didn't greet me but instead she said, "Nura, there's a grammar mistake in your sentence there". She left and I was too stupefied to even uttered a word. I felt humiliated and I tried to control my temper. I stood out and erased the note there. When I returned to my desk, I threw my marker pen on the floor. Some of my colleagues who also listened to Miss B**** were shocked at my reaction. I just told them that I had to calm down and I reckoned they understood that. It was not the first time for me having a problem with that particular person. Last time, she showed her uncomfortable face just because I prayed near her place and not in the prayer room. I reckon I still have this irk feeling towards her. She normally irritates almost everybody there with her vocal comments and particularly her insensitive comments towards other people.

Fuhhh.......Now I'm feeling better because I can let it go now. Hopefully, I don't have to face that person's unkind remarks anymore. I might not be able to even look at her face for the time being. I know that I shouldn't do that but I just can't help myself. Thanks for reading this. I don't really mind about any comments here as what I'm sharing is just one of my flaws as a normal human being.

Lagi pasal iklan ramadhan. Kali ini di TV9. (BM entry)

2011-08-08T20:38:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Smlm saya berkongsi mengenai satu iklan di TV8. Bila dibuka hari ini, video iklan yang mencetuskan kontroversi itu sudah dipadamkan dari YOU TUBE. Hari ini pula ada dua iklan dalam Bahasa Melayu pula yang disiarkan di TV9 pula yang saya nak kongsikan. Kedua2 iklan ni ada mesej yg bagus tetapi seperti biasa, masih ada yang memandang serong pada iklan2 ini. Bagi saya, sekali lagi, iklan2 yang di buat adalah karya kreatif mereka yang terbabit dalam bidang penngiklanan. Kadang2 dalam berkarya, mereka boleh tersalah langkah kerana mereka lebih mementingkan cara terbaik untuk menyampaikan apa yang perlu mereka sampaikan. Jika kita ambil apa yang positif dari apa yang mereka nak sampaikan, (selagi mereka tak menggunakan isu2 sensitif) tiada apa yang salah.

Saya dah tak nak komen panjang2. Sekali lagi terserah pada pendapat sesiapa yang sudi membaca entri ini.

Iklan pertama

Iklan kedua

Another controversial commercial ads? Really??

2011-08-07T14:37:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Maybe most of you have watched this commercial ads about the meaning and significance of ramadhan on 8TV. It has become a controversial ads due to the armpit issue. Armpit? Yes, believe or not Malays (I'm also one of them) have become so sensitive even though I don't think it's a big issue as even some Malays who are Muslims show more than that everyday. Media Prima apologized for airing the commercial ads but this time (compared to last year's controversial commercial ads on TV3) they don't have to apologized. I reckon I better let you be the judge to and decide your stand. SO.................why don't you pay attention to this commercial ads:

Such a WASTE.

2011-08-05T22:41:00.000+08:00

Such a WASTE

When you buy too much food,

Just because you are greedy,

It's such a WASTE.

When you spend too much time,

Sleeping or resting,

Just because you feel so tired,

It's such a WASTE.

When you talk about other people,

Pointing at their mistake,

Just because you think you are so perfect,

It's such a WASTE.

When you worry about insignificant things,

Just because you don't want to be left behind,

It's such a WASTE.

There are so many things,

Too much WASTE,

When we only have so little time,

The clock is always ticking,

BUT we sometimes fail to see,

SO,

Let's reduce the WASTE.

P/S: I hope this can be a little reminder to all of us. Read between the lines.

Wordless Wednesday: In demand during Ramadhan.

2011-08-03T22:36:00.000+08:00

Puasa Yang Yok. (BM entry)

2011-08-01T22:38:00.000+08:00

Salam,

Bukan mudah nak melatih kanak2 berpuasa di bulan Ramadhan ni. Tahun ini, Fathini (anak sulung saya) dah masuk 6 tahun. Jadi memang kami nak melatih dia berpuasa sikit2. Tahun lps pun dah mula tapi sempat bertahan 5 hari (puasa setengah hari) je. Hr ini, Fathini bangun bersahur sama2 dan dapat bertahan sampai makan tengahari di nurseri. Esok, dia masih bersemangat nak mencuba lagi sbb kawan2 sebayanya pun ada yg cuba berpuasa juga.

Teringat sewaktu kecil, sy pun mula berlatih puasa yang yok ni seawal usia 5 tahun. Tetapi hanya pada usia 7 tahun, barulah dapat berpuasa satu hari penuh dan dalam sebulan tu sempat berpuasa 27 hari. 3 hari lagi tu tak tahan dugaan membantu menyediakan biskut raya jadi berbuka sblm masuk waktu. hehe. Bila masuk umur 8 tahun barulah dapat berpuasa penuh sebulan.

Pernah dengar ni?:
Puasa Yang Yok, Bangun pagi buka periuk.

Apa kenangan puasa yang yok anda semua?

Usual excuses during Ramadan.

2011-07-30T22:30:00.001+08:00

Salam,

1st Ramadhan this year is just around the corner. I don't really have so much preparations for Ramadan this year except for some plans. The plan to be more patient towards students and my daughters, perform more good deeds or in short to be a better person.

Teaching during Ramadan is normally challenging due to excuses given by students. Most of them are young (late teens and early 20's) students and act like little children especially during Ramadan. Sometimes I feel so ashamed of them because when they give me all sorts of excuses during Ramadan, it shows that they are "weak Muslims". They don't really embrace the true meaning of fasting.

Here are some of the usual excuses given by them:

We're tired and sleepy.
We can't do homework at night because we need to go to the mosque.
We can't think and do too much exercises in class.
We need some break. (after only 30 minutes of lesson)
We can't talk so much because we'll feel thirsty.

And here are what I normally say to them when they use those excuses:

You need to be patience when you are fasting.
When you are fasting, it doesn't mean that you should stop doing other activities.
Fasting should teach you how to be mentally stronger.
Prophet Muhammad PBUH went to fight in a war during Ramadhan.
Learning is one of the essential thing that shouldn't be stopped just because you are fasting.
How can you be a strong Muslim if you can't fight your own negative attitude and thoughts?

I know that as a teacher, I have to teach them beyond the lesson. This kind of moral lesson should be included just to remind them (and also myself) about the true meaning of fasting.

Happy fasting to everyone and hopefully this Ramadhan is going to be a good one.

I dream of Jeannie: First episode (in B&W)

2011-07-27T22:49:00.000+08:00

Salam,

I can still remember when I was young, I love to watch this sitcom. Like most little girls who have this absurd ideas about fairies and magic, I like to imagine myself having a magic power to grant my own wishes. Of course I already outgrown myself from that world (really?.hehe). BUT for me, the sitcom is still a CLASSIC and so EVERGREEN. If you would like to have a glimpse of the sitcom, help yourself with the video from you tube.
THEN.....please tell me if you like it too.

Berharap jika mereka sudi. (BM Entry)

2011-07-26T22:33:00.001+08:00

Salam,

Ada peluang utk saya minta kerja di tempat yang baru di bawah syarikat yg sama skrg. Baru sekejap tadi sy dah hantar email yg berkenaan. Harap2 kali ini ada peluang yang lebih cerah dan sesuatu yang lebih baik dari sekarang. Yg paling bagusnya, tempat baru tu ialah di UPM. Jadi bolehla saya naik kereta dgn suami utk ke tempat kerja. Apabila kami berpindah ke Nilai (bila rumah kami siap), tak perlulah saya mencuba nasib utk cari kerja di tempat lain. Mmg saya berharap ada rezeki saya di sana. Sesiapa yan sudi baca ni, tolonglah doakan ye. Terima kasih.