Quality time with familia at Johor!

Hubby kata, cukup cukup sudah, cukup sampai holiday ni aja (mcm lagu lah kan...)  According to him we have had many vacations this year.  Alaa, baru pegi Bandung, Cameron Highlands, PD, India and recently Johor. Manede banyak, belum pegi Mekah, Madinah, New Zealand, Italy, Japan and Korea.  Hamboi berangan... Hahaha...

Initially memang saya and Mr. hubby planned nak pegi shopping trip to Johor Premium Outlet (JPO).  Kebetulan kakak saya pun planned nak ajak the whole family pegi Legoland.  So, we decided to tag along, apelagi.  Kebetulan lagi, my hubby dapat discount for only RM65 per ticket untuk masuk Legoland.  The full gate price for an adult is RM140 while for a kid is RM110.  Alhamdulillah, rezeki bercuti kali ni... 

We stayed at Thistle for 3D2N.  The hotel is clean, nice and spacious.  Tapi the services were quite poor.  Masuk2 our room, we found out tak ada full set of towel.  Pastu masa breakfast, the waiter would only replenish food upon requests je... Hurm... 

This is the view from our room... Cantik...

After we dropped off Mama and my aunt, Cik E at Thistle, dengan sikap yang tak berapa nak sabarnya, cepat2 pegi JPO.  We dropped them off sebab takut diorang tak larat nak tunggu kitorang survey goods at JPO.  Maklumlah kitorang ni bukan kaya raya boleh shop the whole JPO, mestilah perlukan masa untuk pilih yang sesuai and necessary saje...  Shopping pun kena ade iman ni... Hehehe... So my hubby bought a pair of PUMA shoes for himself and couple of Fossil watches for me and him while I bought a Coach Leather handbag for me.  I shall give credit and salute to the Coach retailer yg sanggup tunggu lama dgn penuh kesabaran melayan karenah customer ini yang agak cerewet la...  Murah ke? Takdelah murah mana, tapi worth buying la.  For instance, Fossil tu giler tak beli, cos dah lah bagi 30% discount from boutique price, tambah lagi another 50% discount for the 2nd purchase... Ape lagi grabbed la kan...

The last day at Johor, we went to JPO again.  This time around we went there with the rest of the family... Tgk aje happy faces kat above picture selepas bershopping.. Eh eh my sister tak sempat shopping ape2... Unbelievable!!! Tapi dia tetap sporting berposing sengeh sampai ke telinga... Kesian dia tak sempat nak shopping sebab melayan my niece, nephew and baby brother...  Kali ni, I bought 3 purse at Fossil for Cik E, my niece and myself... Tak sia2 pegi JPO 2 kali..
~Happy thoughts... 

2nd day kat Johor, kitorang pegi to a colourful theme park ~ Legoland... Mama didn't follow us, I hope she had a good rest at the hotel sebab I didn't encourage her to go along. I bet she won't enjoy it as the weather was very hot and the crowd was super packed! All of us kena sunburned.  We didn't expect it was going to be that hot.

Since the weather's too hot, kitorang pakai sunnies, hubby and me love our Rayban aviator sunnies.  We also brought 2 umbrellas. Kebetulan tiba2 je hujan after we took couple of rides. Because of the weather was unpredictable, skarang ni saya kena combo of demam, selsema, batuk,  headache and sore throat...

For those who are keen to take your kids to Legoland, please be prepared of the hot weather, pakai sunblock cream or spray and such, pakai cap, umbrella and sunnies. Bring wet wipes, kipas and drink lots of water...  Water bottle kat Legoland is quite pricey.  Its price is like twice the price at  regular shop.  

All rides kat dalam Legoland ni free,tak ade additional fare pun...   Tapi disebabkan kitorang pegi hari Ahad, cuti sekolah, jatuh pada minggu christmas plak, terpaksalah queue panjang sepanjang2nya... The place was like full of people from all over Asia, ade yg cakap philipina, indonesia, hindi, thai, mandarin, cantonese, mcm2lagi laa... The best time to go theme park like this is on weekdays and BUKAN cuti sekolah please...  We would love to go again because the park was pretty, colourful and banyak harmless fun rides that we have not tried yet...

Legoland is so awesome for a family vacation especially to those yang ada primary school kids.  They would love all the things in there!  Tapi rasenye tak perlulah bawa senior citizen to such theme park, sebab I saw one old lady dah macam nak pengsan, terduduk atas wheel chair... Kesian sangat...   Masetu terfikir nasib baik Mama tak ikut...

These are replicas of buildings in KL and Putrajaya, which were made of lego.  They were intricate and beautifully done... 

 

Ni kitorang berposing kat replicas of buildings in Asia and again they were made of lego... Look at that, Taj Mahal pun ade... Baru je pegi tengok the real Taj Mahal, and its replica is almost real minus the size...

We had so much fun!!!  Legoland memang awesomeness!!!Nak pegi lagi!!!

Incredible India Pt. 3

Taj Mahal is the 2nd place of "7 wonders of the world" which I had the chance to see for myself after the great wall of China.  Now I can definitely see why it is one of the 7 wonders of the world...

A Shrine of Love

Taj Mahal was known of a shrine of love.  The Mughal Emperor Shahjahan ordered Taj Mahal built in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal who died only a few minutes after giving birth to her fourteenth child, a daughter.  The final request of his wife was for him not to marry again and prove their endless love by building a dreamlike beautiful mausoleum.Taj mahal was built in 22 years (1631-1653) it was dedicated to Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Bano Begum), the wife of Shahjahan. 20,000 workers labored during the construction of the monument and it was built according to Islamic architecture. It is one of the Unesco world heritage site and one of the most beautiful and costly tombs in the world.  Taj Mahal is taken from the name Mumtaz Mahal.

This was my 1st view of the magnificent Taj Mahal... Upon entering the door to Taj Mahal garden, I shed a tear after looking at the most beautiful building right before me... Betul2 nampak macam palace yang portrayed in all the fairy tales I have grown up with... Cantik sangat2... I was told that it was designed by an architect from Turkey. But the buildings I saw at Istanbul are nothing like Taj Mahal...   The tomb is encased in white marble which is decorated with flawless sculptures and inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy cut from precious gems.   The building was built flawlessly proportionate, and built almost entirely out of marble.  Masya' Allah...

Tengok ni , kitorang sempat lagi acting cerita Bollywood depan Taj Mahal...

 Ni aksi kanak-kanak riang yang tersangatlah excited dapat jejak Taj Mahal...

~Graceful-Violet.

Incredible India Pt. 2

Where was I... Owh cerita pasal India...  I personally think India is one of those places yang worth for individual traveling concept.  Kalau ikut group tour, rase mcm not satisfying.  Traffic kat sane plak giler sesak, so a lot of time was wasted on the bus ~ sleeping...  People there LOVE to honk...  Memang asal naik vehicle belum jalan lagi pun dah honk... I definitely won't survive if I have to drive at India cos I hate to honk at people and vice versa. 

Janpath Market

Qutb Minar ~ It's the tallest stone tower in India made of fluted red sandstone covered with beautiful intricate carvings and verses from the Qur'an.

 The tomb of Humayun was built with red stones  by the orders of Hamida Banu Begum, Humayun's widow, and begun in 1565, nine years after his death,
and completed in 1572 AD. 

Humayun was the 2nd Mughal Emperor.

Above: Red fort. 

We went to watch Light and Sound at Red Fort but I didn't enjoy it.  Perhaps I was so tired and disappointed cos tak dapat shopping kat kedai2 kat luar Red Fort tu sebab kena pressure by the tour guide suruh masuk cepat2... Argghh!!!

Below right: Mother temple ~ Lotus temple.  Yang ini, I was a bit confused. Sebab this temple katanya if I'm not mistaken laa, to worship the creator so anyone can just masuk the temple... We were asked to keep silent.  Our CEO kata he was surprised sebab kitorg boleh remain silent for a few seconds... Sebab kalau kat office, nak senyap 1 second pun tak boleh... Hahahaha...  

 Haaa... ini gambar my hubby n me yang kena tangkap curi from 2 different cameras... 

Tau2 je my colleagues tagged me kat facebook... Hahaha... LOL...

Lepas ni, part 3 nak share experience tengok one of the 7 wonders of the world pulak... Stay tune!

Incredible India

Been extremely busy... But still love to share my experience at India... This year we went to Delhi and Agra, India for our annual trip last couple of weeks.  Mula2 tu quite reluctant bila dengar India kotor especially air dia.   Ramai yg kena "cherry berry" caused by the dirty water.  Tapi on the 2nd thought, why not I give it a try to see it for myself... Tapi kat sane disebabkan my tummy yang sgt2 sensitive dan mudah mengamok, I played safe.  I took mineral water all the time, I even gargled mineral water when I brushed my teeth... I avoided fruits and meat.  Boleh kurus macam ni kalau duduk lebih lama kat India! Most of the times, I took cooked vege and rice or naan.  Food diorang tak menepati citara my taste bud. My citarasa has always been masam2 manis, sweet sour, tom yam, asam pedas, laksa asam... hurm ape2 je la yg asamnya tak lebih n tak kurang...

Paling regret sekali, tak dapat shopping byk2.  The 1st time I brought back balance of RP4,500... Owh aci tak stress sebab tak dapat habiskan duit!  Indian tour guide tak sporting, slalu suruh "challo" whenever kitorang berenti nak shopping.  Sia2 je bawak trolley bags sampai 4.  Pastu kosong je... Daamn!

Here are some pictures we took at Delhi:

President's office tu ala2 macam PM'soffice at Putrajaya.  Gate of India tu my friend kata mcm Gate kt Paris... Alamak ape identity Indian? Hindustani la tu... :P

Asia Kitchen was the only restaurant that has halal sign.  Tempat lain semua mcm tak berapa nak confident dgn halal statusnya.

Jama Masjid built in the Mughal dinasty.  It's located at Old Delhi.  Cantik Masjid ni, tapi tak dapat masuk sebab dia suruh bayar kalau nak bwk masuk camera...  So tengahari tu kenalah pulak mode kedekut, lepak kat luar dgn chairman's wife je la... Layanlah Datin bersembang...  Below pictures are the Masjid's surroundings... Mcm tu lah keadaan sesak kat sana...

Ni dekat Memorial Mahatma Ghandi.  Sini byk squirrel yang gemok2 dan lincah.  The school students kat sana memang always got excited when they see tourists.  They would gladly greet you and they would love it when you call them to take pictures together.

I am writing this blog dlm keadaan yang tergopoh gapah sebab dah nak hit the road to Johor... Itu yang ayat, spelling  dan grammar ke laut.  To be continued.  Stay tune!

Blue Safari Baby Shower

Alhamdulillah my mom dah balik dari menunaikan ibadah Haji.  Dia nampak lebih lively and healthy.   I have been extremely busy with work lately.  Dah lama tak update blog, rasa rindu pulak.

Selalunya orang organised baby shower untuk 1st baby. Tapi kali ni we threw baby shower for our dear friend for her and her second baby. Sebab mase dia got pregnant pertama kali, tak sempat organise baby shower untuk dia, tapi this time, kitorang 'make' time since she's been very good and sweet to us... 

Since she's expecting a baby boy, I suggested the theme to be "Blue Safari Baby Shower".  At first we invited 10 people to join since the guest of honour wants it to be small.  Tapi yang showed up only half.  Takpelah... although it was only a small party, tapi I'm glad orang yang diraikan nampak happy sangat!

Masa balik, tak sempat nak give her a hug... But I know she always knows that I love her, just like my own baby sister... (although I've been telling people that she 's MORE mature than me) Hehehee... Kadang2 I can be like kanak2 ribena, kadang2 je laa... Nasib baik lah hubby rajin melayan... Alhamdulillah... Allah bagi jodoh yang paling baik untuk saya...

Inilah tempat kejadian... Cheh, macam cerita penyiasatan plak... Hehehehee...

 

Camwhoring before the guest of honour arrives.

Inilah dia Mommy D yang diraikan...

 Time for opening gifts!

"Girls just wanna have fun"...

Whoopsie ade hensem boy terselit di tgh2 gadis2 ni, gadis sangatlah! Hehehe...

My personal choice of the best dress girls! :P

~ Graceful Violet.

Al-Ikhsan Warehouse Sale!

I am not an early bird who catches the first worm.  But this weekend, I'm quite surprised of myself, I started my days as early as 6.30am... Selalunya lepas Solat Subuh, lepak2 or tido dulu sampailah 8 or 9 am.

Yesterday, after we sent PV for her 1st service (for those who does not know who PV is, check out ParadiseViolet), my hubby took me to the Al-Ikhsan Jumbo Warehouse Clearance Sale.  Dah lah, "Jumbo" ++ pastu "Warehouse" ++ pastu "Clearance" ++ Sale, kalau tak clear jugak tak tau laa... From my understanding, it's clearance sale of the old stocks which is done in a big space at Stadium Malawati, Shah Alam. There was a huge crowd of eager buyers queuing to get in.  Yang keluar with happy face tak ramai plak... Tak ketinggalan juga those yang bawa children and babies.  To me, bawak primary school kids to this kind of place takpelaa, sebab nak cari the right shoe size for them but this kinda warehouse sale is not for babies la... It's not stroller friendly.  Babies will tend to feel restless and uncomfortable with so much crowd.  Bukan ada baby shoes pun... Syian diorang...

Walaupun dah macam Tuna sardine , tapi it's so worthwhile...

For all these items, we've got only for RM400+, which value of about RM900+. How's that?

Hari ni is the last day of the sale... Siapa cepat dia dapat... Weeehoooo~

Ada apa pada NAMA

Pernah tak kita terfikir macam mana terciptanya nama kita... Yeah... Macam saya, saya curious juga macam mana nama saya boleh panjang sangat...  Saya ada tiga nama (tu tak termasuk nama bapa lagi).  Ada makna tak? Bila cari dalam buku maksud nama2 mengikut bahasa Arab, tak ada lah pulak... Orang dulu2 in the 70s til 80s jarang2 refer to the book of maksud nama2 yang baik tak macam sekarang ada banyak buku2 seumpamanya diterbitkan...

Tapi bila tanya Mama, barulah tau nama ketiga saya inspired by an Indonesian song called "Aryati" sung by Wardi Ahmad.

This is the song...

 

• Aryati..
  Dikau mawar asuhan rembulan
  Aryati..
  Dikau gemilang seni pujaan
  
  
  Dosakah hamba mimpi berkasih dengan tuan
  Ujung jarimu kucium mesra tadi malam
  Dosakah hamba memuja dikau dalam mimpi
  Hanya dalam mimpi
  
  
  Aryati..
  Dikau mawar di taman khayalku
  Tak mungkin dikau terpetik daku
  Walaupun demikian nasibku
  Namun aku bahagia
  Seribu satu malam
  
  

Hurm.. Lirik ni memang beautiful tapi saya memang tak layaklah dipuja macam ni walaupun nama saya diambil dari lagu ni... Saya bukan tuan dan saya juga tak layak nak anggap mana2 orang jadi hamba (sedar diri ni hanya hamba kepada yang maha Esa)... Tapi lagu ni kita ambik je la sebagai hiburan, tak salah kan... 

So mommies-to-be, remember to pick the best names for your babies who are on the way... :)

So engan tuan
Ujung jarimu kucium mesra tadi malam
Dosakah hamba memuja dikau dalam mimpi
Hanya dalam mimpi

Aryati..
Dikau mawar di taman khayalku
Tak mungkin dikau terpetik daku
Walaupun demikian nasibku
Namun aku bahagia
Seribu satu malam 

Jom puasa esok!

Daripada Abi Qatadah al-Ansari bahawa Rasulullah S.A.W telah ditanya mengenai puasa hari Arafah? maka jawab Rasulullah S.A.W yang ertinya :

“Di kaffarah (diampun dosa) setahun lalu dan setahun akan datang."

(Hadis adalah hadis sahih dikeluarkan oleh imam Muslim, Tarmizi, Ibnu Khuzaimah dan Baihaqi)

Adam dan Hawa

Do opposites really attract?

Cerita pasal opposites attract, itulah yang cuba disampaikan dalam cerita Adam dan Hawa yang hangat di perkatakan in the local entertainment industry now.  Dulu long ago, ada jugak baca novel Adam dan Hawa after it was recommended and lent by my ex-colleague.  Tapi tak ingat langsung jalan ceritanya, cuma yang ingat memang sedey la... Now, diaorang dah buat TV series, dah sampai episod 32 pun out of 80 episodes.  Fenomena Adam dan Hawa ni dahsyat, my newsfeed at facebook was flooded by it until buat saya curious, apa yang best sgt ye cerita ni?  So ape lagi, tanye cik google yg knowledgable, dapatlah tgk online video yang the one that I found after googling.   Maka terjebaklah saya, I watched 23 episodes back to back for the whole weekend last week... Pheeeewww...   Siap duplicate lappie screen ke my room TV screen lagi...  HaHA TOO MUCH...

Kecoh 1 Malaysia bercerita betapa hensemnya Aaron Aziz ni... Tapi ntahlah, I'm not his fan, I tried to be one, but I didn't find him that attractive...  Kepada peminat tegar, jgn runsing jgn bimbang takpe2 I won't berebut dengan 1 Malaysia OK... ;P  Tapi memang dia berjaya bawak watak tu, sesuai sgtlah dgn dia...

Now, my boss pun dah terjebak.  Last Friday saya sent link to her for her to watch it, dia dah tak boleh berhenti watch it... Siap update BB status regularly.... Parah2... Marah betul dia sebab Ain yang tak lawa tu ego taknak layan Am yang hensem lettew...   Tak Lawa? Lawa tu subjektif kan... Bagi saya, dia bukan  typical heroin yang selalu Director berebut nak ambik, yang cantik the bomb, rambut color2 mata color2, dia cuma ordinary lady.  But I think it's not too much to say that Nadiya Nisaa yang bawak watak heroin ~ Ain tu layak menang BEST TV actress award... Memang betul2 menjiwatai watak tu,  takde nak control2 ayu walaupun kena portray wanita melayu terakhir... Kalau nanges, kuar semua air hidung, ooopss...  Sorry Nadiya Nisaa...

 Boss tanya, ape yang special sgt Ain tu smpai Am yg hensem tu taknak org lain, dahlah Ain tu "kampung"... That's what we call opposites attract I guess....

At the end of the day, he looks for a complement not someone identical...

Sesiapa yg belum tengok, janganlah start, memang boleh jadi addicted, tak tido mlm nak catch up all past episodes....  But if you insist, kalau nak link jugak, let me know by dropping your comment, I'll give u the link. ;)

Tapi lagu OST dia memang best la... layan kan aje... eiishhh boleh menitik airmata dgr lagu ni kalau u ols follow cerita ni la... beware... 

kan.. kan... sobs...  Ha tengok aje muke si Hafiz ni... Sedey giler kan...

Time with friends...

Tonight is the final Piala Malaysia - ATM vs Kelantan.  As I am watching the game at home, my hubby is out watching it with his friends at one of the Kedai Makan Kelantan since he's a big fan of Red Warrior.  he asked me if I wanted to come along, which I declined because I didn't want to stop him to go watch with his friends.  I feel that sometimes, he needs time to be with his friends just like how sometimes I feel the need to catch up with my friends.  Whenever I asked him if I can go out with my friends, he has never stopped me. Cuma both of us kenalah tau batasan masing2...

Like last week when my hubby went to watch the semi-final game, I went out with my girls, my BFF (cheh... bajet Paris Hilton lettew)... We had a light supper at Naili's, Ampang.  These girls are my loyal friends since school.  Yang best nya, everytime we were about to bitch talk bad things about other people, mesti we immediately changed the subject to avoid any negative thoughts... Coolness... Tapi topic yang kita sembang malam tu agak berat jugak... About hukum hakam Islam and such... 3 hari 2 malam jugaklah nak digest... Hurm... Banyak lagi nak kena belajar ni... 

Pics we took at Naili's, Ampang. 

 

To my dear BFFs, honestly, I hope and pray that I will eventually still have the chance and time to hangout with you once in a while even if  there will ever be a new edition to my little family... Ameen...

Lastly, I believe we should allow our husbands to have some time to be with their friends however they need to give us that pleasure too.  Unless if the friendship interferes with marriage - then a choice must be made.

Hi Hi Bye Bye

3 weeks ago I got to say goodbye, it was a sad goodbye, been with him for over than 4 years. 

 

Hubby said tak payahlah sedey sangat, it's just a car... Not worth my tears pun, car kan depreciate...  Emo jugak la kan, sebab kereta ni la jugak yang first2 picked me up on our first date...  Sedey la kan, sure dah tak dapat jumpa dia lagi. sobs...

My Kancil pun dah kena jual.  Kancil tu lagi lah, dah menabur bakti since 8 years ago... Tapi since I was not well, tak sempat pun nak ambik gambar untuk kenang-kenangan.  Takpelah barang lama jangan dikenang bak kata filem lama2...

Hari ni... Jumpa kawan baru... Nama dia "Paradise Violet"... My hubby gave me the privilege to choose the colour, so I picked "Mystical Purple".  Welcome to our lives PV... I promise to take care of you as much as I can...  My hubby picked our anniversary date for the car number. So sweet kan... Luv ya!

Please ignore muka tak sudah tu, biaselah bila keluar nearby, mestilah my face free from makeup... Yang penting, I'm so excited to take PV jalan2...  Awesomeness!!! Terubat hati yang sedih bila dpt pengganti yang masih bau kedai... Hehehe...

Butterfly

Butterfly to me is very beautiful... I love butterfly but I know for a fact that I can't have it as a loyal companion or adopt it as a pet. If we love nature, we have to let the butterfly free to fly, I guess that's why fly is its last name... Motif kan... 

Whenever I see the colourful satin wings of butterfly flies around my mom's little garden, my heart feels at ease.  It reminds me of a story of a little girl who had only one friend that she could talk to during her lonely nights.  She smiled whenever the butterfly came into her house and sat nicely on the wall, as though the butterfly listened to all the words she said.  Many of her friends had imaginary friends at the time but she had a real friend.  Her true friend was a butterfly.  Ironically the butterfly often sat on the same spot, which was at the stairs in the center of the house.  When she saw a dead butterfly preserved and used as a decoration of a  bookmark, she cried as though her true friend was caught and killed. :'(

This story is a true story which happened like over 25 years ago.  The girl could still remember that sweet brown butterfly.  My mom told me about the story.  And... that girl was me...

Recently, I found a sweet butterfly ring which reminds me again of the story, so I bought it and it has become a precious jewellery to me... :)

Eid Celebration for the Company

My official career portfolio has always been organising the internal events that have been happening in our training rooms, which consists maximum of 70 participants.  (Tak termasuk activities for social and sports club).  For the past 3 over years working here, I was given the opportunity only to assist my colleague in organising bigger events that involved more than 100 guests aside from organising the internal events.  

But recently, the first time I was given an opportunity to expand my portfolio by organising the annual Raya Celebration for my company which had more than 200 guests came and not only that, there was even special guests from Ministry came.   Alhamdulillah... It's kinda challenging but I can't deny that I had so much fun! This is what you call "DO WHAT YOU LOVE"...

VENUE

I started organising it about a month ahead.  Mula2 got the top management group to vote the venue from the 3 venues that we had proposed.  They decided to hold the event at Restoran Seri Melayu, Jalan Conlay.  I personally love this place as it presents the traditional Malay art and culture ambience, which preserves a memory of Malay kampung life.  So kena dengan Raya theme "balik kampung" kan... Siap ada beca yang tak tahan tu...  Tapi dengar kata next year Restoran Seri Melayu ni will no longer be there.  Harrods will build the first Harrods Hotel in Asia at the Restoran Seri Melayu site pulak next year... Damn... sayangnya... Those rich people are so mean to take away such a valuable restaurant! Even our guests pun happy dengan the choice of the venue.  They said, they felt so warm and welcomed. I am so emo right now... Aha!

FAVOURS

For the favours, mula2 fikir punya fikir, macam mana nak cari inspirations  ni.  Teringat mase I took up art courses, I always went to MATIC and Kompleks Karangkraf sambil brainstorming dgn sketches.  Well, that memory drove me to Kompleks Karangkraf and coincidentally memang ada Handicrafts Fair plak kat situ in conjunction with  raya season.  The one that only captured my attention was the wooden art bookmark.  So when I proposed a wooden art fridge magnet to the top management group, majority liked it and chose it to be the favours.  The first time I laid my eyes on doily papers memang I got crazy about it.  Apa lagi, I used the doily papers for the deco of the ang pau untuk letak the wooden fridge magnet inside the ang pau tu sebagai souvenir untuk guests.  Ape Motif? Motifnya macam tetamu datang ke kampung kita, so kita bagilah ole2 untuk dia jadikan kenangan. Kan?... Bila tunjuk the end product to my colleagues pun ramai dah chop sampai nak sorang dua lah, sorang tiga lah... Hahaha...  In the end, yang mana rajin carried out extra duties on the day of the event, I gave two to each.  

Go check it out the wooden art here: http://www.facebook.com/latitudeluxer

LIVE BAND

Untuk nak buat event lagi bertambah berseri-seri and more lively, haruslah ada performance... So I had proposed kugiran tradisional, tarian or live band.  This live band was strongly recommended by my boss and CEO, they had listened to them playing at a wedding.  It's called the Amethyst.  Cari punya cari, ler... coincidentally they have been playing at 39 Restaurant, PNB Darby Park... Alaa, next door je... Moreover, the Top Management Group had selected the Amethyst to perform at our Raya event.  That made it a lot easier!  But I must share this! They are absolutely AMAZING!!! Superb performance!!! Vocalist punya suara sangat gemersik dan syahdu... Feeling yaw! 

 

Pastu I threw out this crazy idea to my team, to call our CEO (yang memang dah terbukti suka menyanyi, suka sangat until he might take singing as a profession if he was not a CEO ;P) to sing with the band to entertain the guests.  Surprisingly my team and him accepted the idea... Best la, sporting la macam ni...   Dia pun nyanyilah lagu "Tunggu Sekejap", dapat whistling, sorakan dan tepukan gemuruh lagi...

 

The Amethyst totally has my fullest recommendation if anyone wants to look for a live band! If you want to touch base with them, can email to amtshowbiz@gmail.com . Diorang ni memang prompt and bagi Terbaeekkk (lagak mcm boboiboy)...  Even our official photographer pun tak abis2 memuji band ni...

TEAMWORK

When it was closer to the event, all staff were assigned to assist with their respective roles.  Alhamdulillah everyone of us worked well with each other.  Walaupun ada yang bidang terjun, tapi akhirnya tak sangka ada bakat terpendam rupanya...  Emcee, Ushers, Registration Ladies, Internal Photographer terdiri daripada my own colleagues.  Aside from the internal photographer, I have engaged the official photographer, most of the pictures here are from her camera.  She's pretty and talented! Most of her pictures have good composition.  Her name is Juaini, I called her Ju.  

 

You can contact her at juaini@gmail.com or go check her pictures out at http://www.35mm.com.my.

That's not a fake smile.  That's obviously my little self-satisfied smile sincerely from the bottom of my heart... Alhamdulillah, the event went smoothly and most of my colleagues and my CEO said the event was well organised.  It was a great opportunity given to me to explore my capability skills and sense of dedication. On top of that, I am also thankful for the good team effort. :')

Guest of Allah

It's a lazy Saturday after weeping last night... Last night we sent Mama to Tabung Haji Kelana Jaya.  She has gone to Madinah to start her Haj journey.  Until now I feel so sad and empty.

When Mama got to know that she was honoured to become one of the guests of Allah to complete the rituals of Hajj, she said this to me "Mama dapat pegi Haji, tapi Mama takde kawan"... That's my Mama. If she wants something, she wouldn't ask for it directly I guess.  She's just like my Arwah Tok who wouldn't want to menyusahkan sesiapa.  I didn't know how to respond to that.  As much as I wanted to follow her, honestly I wasn't financially and spiritually ready (since she's gonna go along with private travel package which costs more than 20k) .  I felt even more guilty when people asked me "Mama pegi sorang je?" Allah gave me strength to tell them, "No lah, she'll be going with her cousin". 

I am also quite worried of her health condition as she has lower back pain. She also gets migraine and asthma attack sometimes.  It may seem like I do not care most of the times, but the truth is I do and only Allah knows how much I care for her.  

I hope and pray that she will be in good health, she will have enough strength to perform Hajj.  May Allah the Almighty grant all the pilgrims acceptance and grant us the opportunity to visit the Sacred land someday.  Ameen...

Whoever performs Hajj for the Pleasure of Allah and therein utters no word of evil, nor commits any evil deed, shall return from it (free from sin) as the day on which his mother gave birth to him. Bukhaari, Muslim

the Diary of a Late Bloomer

My Mom told my neighbour that I am a "Late Bloomer" recently...  It was because at the age of 30 something only I learned to bake.  Yeah... Guilty as charged...

What is "late bloomer"?  Uncle Wiki said, 

"A late bloomer is a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible to others until later than usual. The term is used metaphorically to describe a child or adolescent who develops more slowly than others in their age group, but eventually catches up and in some cases overtakes their peers, or an adult whose talent or genius in a particular field only appears later in life than is normal – in some cases only in old age".

Not that I am OLD now.  Cheh tak ngaku... Everytime orang tanya "u rasa u dah tua ke?" Me being positive "Tak tua, tapi dah MATANG". Aci tak? Hehehe...

I grew up like the other kids when I was in a primary school.  Went to school by bus, Arwah Tok picked me up then sent to Sekolah Agama.  Got 4As 1B for UPSR, all As for Sijil Rendah Agama.  My academic performance went pretty smooth until I became a rebellious 13 teenager.  I made a lot of wrong choices at the time.  Must admit, I quit listening.  I wanted to be DIFFERENT from other kids.  I wanted to be an INDIVIDUAL.  I stop studying.  I got distracted by attraction towards something else or someone?  May be I was just trying to find my identity...  

• When the kids at my age struggling to succeed in SPM, I was busy doing part time job at McDonald's. 
  
• When the kids at my age struggling to make it through University education, I was busy having fun while earning my own money by working at the bank. 
  
• When the girls at my age were getting married, I was busy with furthering my studies at college.

• When the ladies at my age were starting to get pregnant, I was busy with finding jobs.

• When the ladies my age were having more and more children, I was getting married while busy with my part-time study.  

• Yang agak tak sedap didengar, when a  few of of the ladies at my age are struggling to go through difficult times with their husbands due to mid life crisis, I am still struggling to build a better career while maintaining a good relationship with my husband.

I am in my mid-thirties,  I haven't had my own kids yet, I haven't had my own house yet but I am happy.  I am grateful for having a good life and a loving husband.  Insya-Allah, biar lambat asal selamat...  Anyway, it's better to have it now than never.  It might be a long way to go, but I'm catching up... Nonetheless Insya-Allah I will continue drawing closer and near to Allah and will always be thankful to Him for all of His blessings. 

Walaupun bunga belum berkembang mekar, tapi yang penting ia masih subur and slowly blooming...

Eid Open House on 55th Independence Day.

Happy 55th independence day, Malaysia! Watched the Merdeka Parade live, heard actually as I was ironing clothes this morning... Tiba2 emotional mengenangkan betapa aman makmurnya Malaysia tanahairku... That's the spirit, kan?

All set, ready to go to the Raya Open House hosted by my bestie since school...  Kinda look forward to meet up the gals there... 

Mula2 excited sangat, pastu after couple of hours, there was quite an awkward moment when I was lost. hurmmm suddenly dah tak sure nak sembang ape.  Although we gather only once in a year, but I guess FB has said it all kan...  Itulah the downside of social media, it's up to date but it is perhaps a silent killer of the face to face communications... Tapi dgn FB la jugak senang untuk kita keep in touch right?

Ini antara my besties mase sekolah menengah dulu... Most of them dah beratur berderet anak... Alhamdulillah... happy for them... Ini muka2 dulu slalu lepak kat my room, slalu sleepover, ade yang tukar2 fikiran, ade jugak yg tukar2 baju... Tehehe... Sharing is always caring... Tapi yang bestnye, we're still in touch!  (((hugs)))... 

Yang the pretty little gal tu is my friend's princess.  Nama dia Mhia.  She's so bright.  Mestilah cakap bright sebab dia tanye I macam ni, 

"Aunty, kenapa Aunty putih?"

Alamak sebelum kembang setaman, hati berbunga2 baik merendah hati dulu, maybe because of the MAC powder kot.  Makeup kan can do wonders...But... After i removed all makeup sebab nak solat, afta solat dia tanya lagi,

"Aunty pakai bedak putih ke?"

Dah takde MAC powder, patutkah hati mengembang macam ni? Hehehe... You know, they said "An honest man is always a child"... Kembang please... OK, Control... Hehehe... Alamak budget tak banyak la nak kasi duit raya lebih plak... ;P

Di hari Merdeka dalam bulan Syawal yang mulia ni, harap2 statement di atas tidak menyakitkan hati sesiapa ye... May all of us live in peace and harmony... Thank you...