Pengalaman berharga

Assalamualaikum...

I almost forgot how to blog here... Haha!

Ada sesuatu yang harus di blog kan.  Sesuatu yang mungkin mungkin tak patut saya share di media sosial yang lain sebab takut disalah-erti kan.  Di sini mungkin lebih selamat, sebab tak ramai followers.  :)

Hari ini, kami suami isteri cuti!!! Yeay!!! Unfortunately both of us are down with fever, sore throat and cough. Demam tu come and go.  Kejap ada kejap tak ada mcm iklan chipsmore yang dah expired... Heheh...

Saya ke sini bukan nak cerita pasal demam.  Saya nak cerita pasal pengalaman petang tadi...

Ada sesuatu berlaku di AEON AU2A (dulu dikenali sebagai JUSCO, atau Gen X lebih familiar dengan Jaya Jusco :P ).  Semasa kami parked kereta kesayangan kami, yang namanya ParadiseViolet elok-elok di basement parking, tiba-tiba ada seorang perempuan ni memanggil saya,

Perempuan: Boleh tak panggilkan abang tengokkan kereta saya yang rosak ni (sambil tunjuk kat suami saya)

Violet: Dia pun tak berapa tau sangat bab-bab kereta ni, tapi cuba lah abang... 

Abang: (Mula ambil kunci dan cuba start engine but failed) Mungkin battery kong ni

Violet: Jom laa, kitorang hantar balik rumah.

Dipendekkan cerita, kami offered hantar dia balik ke rumah dia sebab kesian tengok dia bawak baby yang masih sangat kecil dan seorang lagi anak perempuan yang berumur 3 tahun, katanya.  Lagipun kami tak ada peralatan dan kepakaran untuk tolong repair kereta dia.  Daripada lebih rosakkan kereta orang, baik kami bantu cara yang paling baik iaitu memastikan dia dan anak-anaknya selamat sampai di rumah mereka.  Kebetulan handphone dia pun tak boleh nak hubungi sesiapa.

On the way hantar ke rumah mereka, bermulalah perkenalan mesra:

***
Perempuan: Nama siapa ya?

Violet: Edward, Edward Cullen (sambil tunjuk ke arah suami saya). 

Perempuan: Yang isterinya pulak?

Violet: Panggil saja Bella...

(Perempuan tu dah berkerut, hairan)

          Abang: Mu duduk alik mano? (tetiba kecek kelate, kata Edward konon...) 

Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!
***

OK OK... Yang dalam column *** saya bergurau sahaja.  Takkan lah saya nak mengaku diri kami ni mat saleh.  Dah tentu-tentu suka makan sambal tumis udang.  Hahahaha... Kami beritahu nama kami yang sebenar.  Barulah kami tahu perempuan itu tadi baru lepas habis pantang.  Dia cuma teringin nak bawak anak-anaknya pergi makan kat luar.  Dia fikir AEON AU2A lah yang paling convenient to walk with a baby and a toddler.  Tak di sangka-sangka kereta boleh rosak pulak... Kebetulan handphone dia pun tak boleh pakai.  Kesian sangat kat dia...

Kenangan dan pengalaman yang amat berharga dalam minggu terakhir 2014.

Semoga pangalaman ini bermanfaat untuk kita semua...

Wassalam...

Stay healthy and fit at work!

I found this interesting and useful tips to stay fit and healthy while working, CareerBuilder suggests:

Take walks. Get off the bus or train at an earlier stop and walk the remaining distance. Take the stairs at work, go for a stroll on your lunch hour, walk over to someone’s desk instead of sending an email — the key is to increase activity throughout the day.

Stay hydrated. Drinking water not only makes you feel full, it can also help cut down on calories from sugary drinks.

Pack a lunch. Packing your lunch is an easy way to choose a healthy option and control your portion sizes.

Try fruit or veggies. Keep some of your favorite healthy snacks in the break room refrigerator so you’ll be less tempted to go to the vending machine.

Keep a food journal. It helps you keep track of calories and identify peak snacking times, so you can modify behavior.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/jobs-that-make-you-gain-weight-2014-1#ixzz2qQz2Lzcl

Home remedy: Vicks VapoRub

My Paradise had a high fever last Saturday. In the morning it was just flu, but later that afternoon he told me that he felt warm inside but his forehead felt cold. So he took a long nap and suddenly his entire body felt hot.  Then we quickly went to see doctor and found that his temperature had reached 38+.

Whenever I fall sick, I always remember one useful home remedy which was taught by my mom and it has always worked wonders for me especially when I have dry cough.

After he took medicines that were prescribed by the doctor, I did what I had to do. I applied the home remedy - put Vicks on the bottom of his feet and then asked him to put on his socks, just like how My mom told me to do.  He snuggled  up with his blanket and fell asleep like a little boy shortly after he put on his socks.  I guess the home remedy works well for him too.

And yesterday, I pulak kena demam with the same symptoms.  Last night, my Paradise did the same thing, applied the Vicks on the bottom of my feet then I covered them with socks before I went to bed.  It felt so good and comforting which perhaps came from the remedy and also from the TLC I got from him.  When I woke up this morning, I felt better. Alhamdulillah...

This home remedy is not like getting yourself an immediate full recovery. I am now still having flu and mild fever.  At least it helps you to get enough sleep you need when you fall sick. Go on try this.

 

Ushering in 2014 with hope and love

As we usher in 2014, I am taking a little bit of my time to reflect back of what I have done and what I have become in 2013. I would also like to think of what I would like to do and who I would like to be in 2014. I know for a fact that we always have to be ourselves and embrace of something we have always consider as our weaknesses.

On the last day of 2013, I must admit that it has been a tough year for me. 2013 has given me a lot of challenges and I shed a lot of tears.  I did not achieve many dreams that I have been dreaming all these years. That's OK. With that, Alhamdulillah 2013 has led me to be a stronger person.  I am ready to face 2014 with so much hope that better things will come our way.

I am also hoping and praying that I will be a much better person in years to come, in sha' Allah.  May Allah bless us all and grant us peace, goodness and acceptance.

What is my 2014's resolution? I guess I would like to start with giving salaam and be nice to all these people around me particularly my family, relatives, colleagues and friends.

Giving the Salam

Abu Hurairah (ra) related that Rasulullah (saw) said, "You shall not enter Heaven unless you have Faith and your Faith is not complete until you show love towards one another. Would you want me to show you how you can achieve this? Shower your Salam upon one another."

General meaning -- When we give our salam to another Muslim and he answers it, we are actually praying for each other's peace in life. Thus our relationship will become closer. This is one of the signs of people who have Faith. - Sayings of Rasulullah SAW.

Amazing Autumn at South Korea

Aside from Seoul, we went to other places like Nami Island.

I have always wanted to go to South Korea especially to see the shooting location of the famous love story "Winter Sonata".  Alhamdulillah...  I felt so blessed to be able to see the colourful trees in such a beautiful weather. 

I love autumn trees, there were amazing olive green, yellow, orange and red leaves seen in Nami Island, the shooting location of Winter Sonata .  It was so Masha' Allah beautiful.  

It's the first time I saw those very tall pine trees there before me... The colour of those pine trees were from light olive green to light orange.  The metal statue of the love birds from Winter Sonata stood proudly in the garden of pine trees.  The memory of Winter Sonata was vaguely ran through my mind.

Although we took a long walk in this small island, we did not able to explore the whole island.  Some might have thought that all you could see is just trees with falling leaves.  As for me, I felt tranquil and at peace looking at the scenery.  It's a beautiful place to be with your loved ones...  There are plenty of lovely picnic spots.  We also saw couples in love strolling in the park including ahjussi and ahjumma... It was really sweet...   




   

Soul to Seoul Pt. 2

I'm still in holiday mood although I came back from South Korea so many weeks ago. Hence that is why I managed to grab Air Asia Free Seats tickets recently for another trip in May next year... Weeehooo... Chicken dance c'mon everybody, make some noiiiiizzeee... Hehehe... 

Demam Korea tak habis lagi ni... 

Caffe Bene
As I mentioned in the earlier post, I saw a lot of Starbucks in the places we visited in South Korea.  However I have decided to forget about Starbucks but try their local coffee place instead.  It is called "Caffe Bene".  Caffe Bene is a leading coffee label of Korea.  Try it and you will fall in love with it!  I tried hot Caffe Mocha with whipped cream, just so perfect for a cold weather.  I loved it! It was yummilicious! Their cashier system was also efficient! After I placed an order, the cashier gave me this cute device (like an alarm clock or something) then asked me to sit down.  (Eh belum dapat coffee, kena duduk pulak? Weird!)... After 5-8 minutes later, surprise2.. The device helped me to alert me with a sound when my mocha was ready. And then, I returned to the counter happily to collect my coffee.  This is so efficient, no long queue.  Awesome!

I also saw this "Powder Room" in this cafe.  It's very useful for all of us specially women... I think Malaysian cafes should be inspired by it. Why not all cafes in Malaysia provide a small room for customers.  This room can be a multifunctional space for solat, betulkan tudung, make-up, breastfeeding!  I wish we had this kinda room at the office!  Right now, if tak sempat pegi surau, we have to solat in the filing room. :(  In fact we have to take turn with the bf mothers, kesian diorang...

Kimchi time!

In Seoul, there's only one place you can find HALAL food which is at Itaewon. Itaewon is known as ‘the global village in Seoul' where one can meet people of diverse nationalities and cultures.  Unfortunately we got tired of eating the same buffet dishes, curry, dal, and rice for every meal for the first 2 days.  So, our fabulous Ms. Jennifer (tour guide) took us to the vegetarian Kimchi restaurant alternately where we had wonderful experience eating Korean dishes with Korean ambiance.  Duduk bersila sambil makan dengan stainless steel chopsticks laa. Although their food is not as good as I thought it would be, but I really enjoyed the experience of eating traditional Korean way! It's like an art which an experience that you definitely don't wanna miss.

Mentari

Mentari is the first and the only one restaurant that serves Malaysian cuisine.  However, it is very very pricey tapi I guess it's worth it if you suddenly miss Malaysian food when you're there. Its interior decoration pun cantik and cozy. Who is the chef? Encik Baha, yang pernah appeared in Akademi Fantasia 1.  The food was also quite good. I love that place, it almost felt like home.  

One thing I notice about most of the restaurants and cafe we went, they were quite concerned with cleanliness.  When I went to a small kebab cafe at the roadside, all straws were individually wrapped unlike Malaysian food stalls or even restaurants, all our straws are collecting dust and germs all around us... Hehe..

Samsung d'light
Enough about food...Now moving on to the next place we visited.  Samsung d'light. Samsung d’light is an exhibition space that showcases all the latest consumer electronic products by Samsung Electronics. According to Samsung, the name d'light combines the words "digital" and "light", to correlate with their vision of being a "guiding light to the digital world" and leading consumers to a whole new lifestyle through digital technology. It is also meant to convey delight and excitement.

Our company took us to Samsung d'light to learn the new and latest technologies and inventions by Samsung since we are dealing with technopreneurs everyday.  It was an interesting visit for all ages.  Everybody is using smart phones now and even my 63 year old mom is also using Samsung smart phone now!  I was totally impressed by their new invention of the large HD smart TV.  Dreaming is free! And I dream to have such TV in my new house nanti...

Samsung is a very successful Korean brand that has standing in the global market.  I just only learned that they have also produced cars in South Korea which recently 70% stake was bought by Renault due to the Asian financial crisis. Now it is called "Renault Samsung Motors".

To be continued...

Soul to Seoul

Assalamualaikum... Blog saya dah berwajah baru!!! Yeay!!!

Dah bagi salam baru boleh greet korean way ~ annyeonghaseyo!!!

I bet with the popularity of K-Pop scene inching upward right now, most of us know what annyeonghaseyo means ~ HELLO KITTY!  Eh silap! H E L L O!!! Ngeeee~

I recently went to South Korea with my fellow colleagues.  I've been dreaming to go to Korea dah lama since tengok cerita Winter Sonata yang sobs tu.  :) Alhamdulillah sampai juga akhirnya tanah kelahiran Samsung. Ramai juga staff yang tak dapat bawa spouse. Tiba2 kitorang jadi single ladies in South Korea yaw for almost a week.

Here are some other useful basic vocabs of Korean language that I have learned before and during our recent awesome trip to Korea. Special thanks to my nephew Zaren Clyde who is currently working there and our fabulous local tour guide, Jennifer for sharing these vocabs.

• Kamsahamnida - Thank you.  The best way to say thanks is to slightly nod while saying Kamsahamnida.  Easy to remember if you relate to Malaysian names like "Kamisah Hamidah"... Use the same gesture to greet Annyeong... tips tips tips!

•  Cheonmaneyo - You're welcome. 

• Yeong eo halsu isseoyo - Can you speak English? The hardest thing to remember and did not use them at all in Korea! Iya2 je menghafal sambil iron baju... :P

• Onni - sister. Kelantanese may define it as "Mek"

• Oppa -  "bro".  Like 'wazzup bro' gitew! Whazzzuppp... Hence that's why the title of Psy's song "Oppa Gangnam Style".  Sorry not my favourite tho...

• Ajumma - A married woman I suppose (more of women in their 50s and above) 

• Ajossi - A married man maybe (more of men in their 50s and above)

• For shopaholics:

1. Olma-eyo - How much
2. Pisayo - Expensive
3. Kaka juseyo - Discount please

Oh wow, macam kelas bahasa Korea pulak... OK... Proceed with the tour please...

Gyeongbok Palace is the largest palace of the Five Grand Palaces which served as the main palace of Joseon Dynasty.  Joseon was the last dynasty of Korean history and the longest-ruling Confucian dynasty.  If you have been to the Forbidden City, Beijing, you might find the similarity of those 2 palaces.  In my humble opinion, Beijing Forbidden Palace nampak lebih cantik maybe because Forbidden Palace was designed with many more colours. Maybe...  

Korean Tradition:

Traditional Korean side dish: Kimchi

We had the chance to learn how to make an easy Kimchi then taste it.  Kimchi is a traditional fermented dish which is made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings.  Tapi ada jugak squid and fish...  Frankly speaking not my kinda food.  Rasa pedas dan pahit macam makan ubat.  I prefer tomyam please...

Our tour leader, Jennifer taught us that the word "KIMCHEEE" is also used when taking pictures just like when you say "CHEESE" to get the most attractive smile when you are posing for a photo... We also learned to pose Korean Gals way... (give a cute peace sign and grin now!) :D 

 Traditional Korean clothing: Hanbok

We also had the chance to try Hanbok costume for freee~ amboi freeloader! Hanbok is a vibrant traditional costume for Koreans and now only worn during national holidays or weddings. To me, Hanbok does not discriminate against plus size people because of its empire cutting. Hence, you kecik ke, you besar ke, tetap menawan bila pakai Hanbok.  How's my fashion statement? :)

N Seoul Tower where your love comes true?

When the bus dropped us off at the entrance of N Seoul Tower, we had to walk up a steep road to the tower.  It looks very similar to our KL tower.  Mengah jugak la.  Many young couples wore the identical shirts, holding hands and wrapped their arms around each other while they walked to the tower.  Ada apa dengan couples ni?  They make promises by buying the colourful love locks, write romantic messages of love then leave locks in specially designated areas around the base tower where now thousands of colourful love locks and pictures of couples are placed there.  We were told that the keys were thrown away to symbolise unbreakable love. Awwwhhh so sweeeet...

Konon kan... Our tour leader kata jangkamasa unbreakable tu tak sampai 3 bulan... Caner tew?... hehehe... 

SHOPPING!

1st night jer dah pegi shopping.  I was extremely tired at the time but ikutkan jugak my colleagues yang memang dah buat research nak pegi jugak2 Go-To-Mall, the Gangnam Underground Shopping Arcade since it's only 10 minutes walk from our hotel.   I don't really fancy the stuff there. Macam uptown je... Macam Pertama Kompleks je... Then again, maybe I was just too tired!  We spent a lot of time at the Nature Republic shop as we had to struggle to speak to the non-english speaking retailers.  We had to learn to use sign language. Serious macam itik dengan ayam.

We also went to Myeong-dong Market if I'm not mistaken on the 3rd night . Haaa... Ni la baru best...  Myeong-dong Market is the awesome place for shopaholics! There are loads and loads of shops seen there.  I saw Uniqlo, Forever 21, Starbucks, PUMA, Adidas and MNG but I found that the attractive shops were those which sell local cosmetics and skin care items. I don't want to go to another Pavilion Mall! I obviously want to enjoy Korean stuff! What to buy there? Facial mask, lip crayon, CC cream and eyeliner with absolutely gorgeous price!

To be continued...

Krabi Pt. 2.

The previous post I blogged about the first couple of days spent with the sea and small islands surrounded Krabi.  Now I would like to blog about the following day which we spent at the beautiful nature in the forest...

The hot spring waterfall was marvelous! Here you can see there are 4 -6 small pools.  We had 1 small pool to ourselves.  It feels like taking a bath in a jacuzzi with warm water.  Syurga dunia! Rasa sgt refreshing... Masha Allah indahnya kejadian Allah SWT... If you want to take a bath here, please bring extra clothes for changing as you'll get super wet.  Especially kita yang Muslimah ni kenalah cuba sedaya upaya menjaga aurat kan... It's quite difficult though but I tried my best.

The Emerald Pool is a natural pool.  Part of the pool is quite deep. Tapi ada jugak yang cetek untuk toddlers and kids.  Ada jugak yang tak berapa dalam untuk orang macam saya yang penakut ni. Hehehee.. To get there, you have to walk about 800 meters from the main entrance which your transport will drop you off.  It's a place you could enjoy your quality time with all family members.  But the path around the pool is slippery kena sentiasa berhati-hati jalan takut jatuh.  Nasib baik tak jatuh.  Pelik betul diorang ni, they have such a beautiful natural pool, tapi tak nak maintain elok2.  Sayang kan...  Tapi memang best dapat berendam and swim sket2 dalam pool ni... And warna air pool tu memang macam warna emerald.... Sumpah cantik!

After puas berendam dalam waterfall and pool, masa untuk elephant trekking.  Mula2 rasa macam tak balance je. Tapi tak sampai 5 minit dah rasa keseronokannya! The Uncle Jumbo looked quite old.  The guide told us Uncle Jumbo was already 20.  I dunno his name, I just simply called him Uncle Jumbo.  Sebab dia comel mcm Jumbo... Hehehe... It's another amazing experience.  Tak pernah naik gajah sebelum ni.  Especially bile dia bawak kitorang merentas anak sungai, and the small forest.  Dapat tengok keindahan semulajadi hutan.  Damai dan sejuk je rasa... Banyak betul hijau sana sini.  Dapat makan mangga hutan. Hurm... yums! Bila dah malam, kitorang penat sangat, so we had a foot massage that cost us only RM25 for an hour... Ni baru betul chillaxing!

And the fourth day we rent a scooter.  Felt like so young!  Sewa scooter, hubby bawak ronda2 along the beach and masuk its small town.  Best! Kat sini, cost untuk sewa scooter RM20 for 24 hours (1 day).  Murah giler!

Pastu dah penat merempit (merempit lah sangat... hahaha), berhenti kat tepi, makan ice cream depan beach... How nice! Tengok happy faces dapat makan aiskim!  At noon, we went for another massage ~ Aloe Vera massage.  Superbly cool and refreshing! The cost is only RM40.  Aloe Vera Massage ni yang paling best...  And I did foot scrub for only RM20... Bestnye, licin tapak kaki!

That night, we went to the Krabi night market.  It was part of the package.  The only thing I liked about the market was to see a group of Thai kids playing traditional instruments to earn some money.  Bagus budak2 ni... Tapi I did not like the stinky smell of something at the market (which I dunno what smell was that) la.... Sorry...

After 5 days 4 nights spent at "syurga dunia" ~ finally we had to go back to "dunia nyata".  And... my hubby found a new friend in the plane.  Her name's Leah. Pretty isn't she? She's only 3...

Krabi

Krabi, Thailand has been one of the places in my wanna-go list.  Kalau pergi Krabi, Ao Nang is the best place to stay instead of Krabi town.  Ao Nang is very near to the beach dan nak cari makanan halal pun sangat senang.  Banyak kedai makan Muslims ada di Ao Nang.  From airport, we took a cab to the resort for RM60. 

My hubby insisted on staying at Ao Nang Princeville Resort after reading a few positive reviews about it.  I would strongly recommend Ao Nang Princeville Resort to all muslims if you want to go to Krabi. The founder is a Muslim and the food there is certified halal.  Breakfast dah senang, bangun2 tak payah mandi pun boleh terus makan tepi pool.  Hehehe... But of course I mandi...  The founder pun sangat peramah.  Lupa nak kaji selidik nama dia.  Hehehe...

Resort ni sangat bersih dan cantik... Resort memang kecil tapi biliknya very spacious and comfortable. You could easily feel at home.  My hubby made the right choice!

The resort is right across the road from the beach.  Ada banyak kedai souvenirs, beach shops, massage shops, tailors all around the resort.  The location of the resort is so strategic, it's in the middle of the small Ao Nang town.

On the way to the resort, the taxi dropped by a tourism centre.  They offered us tour packages for things to do at Krabi.  I did some research before going to Krabi and noticed that a lot of people recommended to buy tour package in Ao Nang town itself, so you can bargain and get cheaper.   But kitorang dah ade budget sendiri, as long as the charges are not beyond our budget, kitorang grab je... Malas nak pening kepala... So kitorang took the package of island hopping and forest activities for RM340 per person.  I think it's pretty reasonable although I know we might get cheaper package in town.

We reached Ao Nang early in the morning around 10-ish am.  The front desk assistant was very nice and friendly.  Dia pakai tudung bawal and kebaya nyonya macam cara orang Malaysia jugak tapi yang membezakan dia tak boleh bertutur bahasa Malaysia.  She was so nice until she allowed us to check in early.  We're such a happy couple!  At least we could take some rest and take shower then only pegi jalan2 kat town. 

The 1st day, I tried the traditional Thai massage yang lipat2 tu.  The cost of traditional massage is only RM20.  OMG... tak tahan OK.  Either tergelak2 since I was ticklish or sakit sebab kena lipat sana lipat sini.  Hehehe...

 

 

The 2nd day we did island hopping.  The ocean, the beach, everything has a magnificent beauty!!!  They were really breathtaking.  The tour guide (dalam gambar berbaju hitam dan berambut panjang tu) was awesome!  Dia nampak macam typical beach boy.  Dia boleh cakap bahasa kita, bahasa melayu, panggil kitorang "abang" "kakak", "tahun depan, mari lagi".  They took us snorkeling twice.  We went to few small islands including Phi Phi Lay, Bamboo Island, Maya Bay where they filmed "the Beach" the movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio in 2000.  The beach, and sea were very beautiful and clean.  It's totally the right place to go if you would like to escape from the hustle bustle of big city. 

To be continued...

CNY celebration rocks the beginning of 2013

It has been quite awhile since the last time that I blogged. Well, it has been a really full and hectic months with learning all the new workloads and new work style under a management of new lady boss. Girl power! Yeay!

Previously we had been hosting the CNY events at the hotels but this year our CEO decided to do something so different.  Last week we hosted a Chinese New Year celebration for the very first time at a cinema, which was at GSC Premiere Cinema, Signature, The Gardens Mall.  The price was very reasonable but of course you can't expect you will get the same quality of services that hotels could offer.

I was so nervous yet I was very excited at the same time.  The event started with an informal lunch and network session then followed by a cantonese movie screening - Journey to the West. I did not expect that to get GSC to provide a set of pop corn and coke for all guests was such a good idea.  I personally received glowing feedback from a few guests about how they had fun with a new way of us celebrating the festive event especially the part when they got pop corn and coke for free! A-Ha!

This is our door gift specially made for our guests.  It is a mug filled with either rose or jasmine tea.  Bought this mug at IKEA.  IKEA has never failed to impress me with their cute little stuff! At 1st I thought of putting little mandarin oranges in the mug but when the event was getting closer - the idea to put a tea sachet popped into my head. After seeking opinions from my fellow colleagues of how to decorate it, tadaaa... here's the result...  A mug filled with a pouch of tea leaves. The idea was contributed collectively by my colleagues and myself. Teamwork really can do wonders!

This picture was captured at the beginning of the event by our official photographer Juaini Shamsul... A few of guests just stepped in and registered.

Here are some of my colleagues entertaining their respective guests.  The idea was having an informal lunch and networking session.  Everyone was free to mingle around.  After lunch and networking, the guests were invited to watch "Journey to the west", by Stephen Chow.

Sempat lagi nak berposing dalam kesibukan event ni bersama mak yong yang suweet - muweet at the longest registration table.... We had 2 sweet girls who did the registration, other 2 cute girls who distributed the movie ticket and another 2 pretty girls who distributed the door gift. Hehehehe....

Alhamdulillah... I received this thank you email from my CEO.  He was very happy with the new look and feel of our CNY event. But honestly, I would not be able to do it right without the efforts from the whole team to put on such a colourful event.  I'm glad I have moved on far from my comfort zone to a totally more challenging role.  This role won't be able to please everyone although everyone expects you to please them.  Sometimes I guess we just have to believe in ourselves and we have to keep moving on no matter what...  Although the event was not totally perfect but Alhamdulillah it went on smoothly...

Role model

Recently I was told by my uncle that my former boss has just been appointed the CEO of ECM Libra.  Lately I have been busy to even sit down and grab a newspaper to read.  (bukan suka baca newspaper pun memandangkan malas nak tau sad and sob stories happened around us)...  Tapi bagus baca newspaper ni, banyak knowledge kita boleh dapat....

So terus googled to know more, I found this reliable link: 

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news

Yup... Confirm! ECM Libra Financial Group Bhd has appointed my former boss its new chief executive officer.  Alhamdulillah... I am so happy for her and proud that I had the chance to work very closely with her.  She was my role model at the time. In fact she will always be my role model although we're not working together anymore because she is everything a role model should be...  As a woman, she's pretty and kind.  As a mom, she's loving and as a boss, she's understanding...

She was very generous to all of us including me... Alhamdulillah.  It started with giving me beautiful handbags, although they were not totally new but they were still gorgeous and stylish! For a secretary like me at the time, I could not afford to buy such handbags on my own...  She has never failed to give me pressies during my birthday and took me out for lunch... Pegi mana2 mesti belikan souvenirs... Every year bagi duit raya...  She has never scolded me when I made mistakes...  Despite her kindness and generosity, she remains simple and very down to earth...

When I wanted to build up myself with a better career, I took her advice.  I had to choose my future career path either to be a personal assistant or corporate communication executive.  Her advice was to have a career goal is to really look as far ahead as possible and visualize which would be a best-fit career path for me...  And so I did... Here I am, in the corporate communication field and I am happy at where I am now...  Alhamdulillah... Thank you boss for being such a great inspiration to me and my fellow colleagues... 

Until now I keep a picture of us at my workstation.  This picture was snapped at her fond farewell tea.  Whenever I see this picture, it reminds me of the good memories and wonderful experience we shared...

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." -  John Quincy Adams

Manja or Mengada?

That's me... Manja... Or Mengada?  Some might interpret that my character is "manja" but ada jugak might feel that I am just so mengada, ada pulak segelintir feel that I am "gedik"? Orang sekarang punya bahasa kan, which is quite a harsh word to me... Nevermind,  we can never pleased anyone.

I hate to admit, I am quite a spoil brat.   When the rest of my siblings terpaksa kumpul duit belanja sekolah untuk beli benda yang diorang suka for example basikal, I got it as a gift from my dad.  When my sister had to strive hard, to get the chance to study abroad, my mom sent me to further study in art at UK even before I get my SPM results. But why must I felt that I am a spoil brat? Shouldn't I change the way I think towards positive thoughts? I might not be a spoil brat, but perhaps I was just lucky because I was the youngest girl in the family.

At some of my previous workplaces, I was dimanjakan... I was given only a job that I liked to do, bigger work stations, higher cubicles, flexibility, etc.  I did not ask for all those things... But again, I guess I was just lucky... Hurm... Tapi at my current place, I kena belajar untuk jadi tougher, sebab dah tak ada manja2 ni, cuma tea lady je manjakan semua orang... ;)

My hubby ~ yes people might think that we wives have to be independent.  I am or I can be very independent.  But in this case, I have made a choice, dengan siapa lagi nak bermanja kalau tak dengan suami sendiri...

Back to manja character,  usually it's the way I talk.  Or when I got easily moved or terharu by little2 things.  Ketahuilah that's just me - the real me.  Untuk apa jadi orang lain kalau kita terpaksa berpura-pura macho... Tak hensem pun buat ape nak berlagak macho... 

Sesiapa yang mengenali saya, saya tak pernah berniat nak jadi mengada or dalam bahasa kasarnya gedik  tapi ini ialah saya... Jadi saya takkan marah kalau ada orang yang tak boleh terima character manja saya ini, sebab saya memang lemah, (tapi jiwa kental) chewah... Hamba Allah yang ada kelemahan dan saya terima kenyataan tu...

~ Graceful Violet

Terukir di bintang

Terukir di bintang is one of my favourite songs.  Yuna, that young lady selalu je ada magic touch.  Mungkin ada yang tak minat Yuna.  But, personally I think she's creative and she must have have been given telinga yang sangat amazing. I mean pendengaran yang bagus, sebab dia pilih Aizat untuk replace dia cos dia tak dapat bawa lagu dia sendiri yang layak ke anugerah juara lagu 27 due to prior engagement.  Aizat memang pilihan yang paling tepat sebab suara yang sangat cool dan santai.

Bila dengar Aizat bawak lagu ni, terasa macam dengar Michael Buble's song.  Performance concept yang dia bawa memang sesuai dengan maksud lagu dan melodi yang Yuna cuba sampaikan through "Terukir di Bintang".  Lagu ni memang overall simple and santai, feeling macam naik river cruise in the morning with a cuppa coffee. His image and body language betul2 kena dgn stage set.  Stage set tu, mcm cafe kat Paris! The best part was when he sang the last line "terukir di bintang tak mungkin hilang" muncul gambar Yuna melambai2 full screen kat digital backdrop. That shows, Aizat's trying to express that Yuna is the rising star... The concept was very simple but sweet... Congrats Yuna and Aizat with such an amazing creations!  

Apa ye makna lagu ni? Terpulang pada interpretasi individu sebenarnya.  Tapi mengikut interpretasi saya,  lagu ni cuma satu penyampaian mesej dari seorang perempuan tentang betapa sukanya dia kepada seorang lelaki.  A feel good song about how deep an average person falls in love...  Takkan tak faham, very simple! Hehehee...

"Maha suci Allah yang menjadikan kejadian semua berpasangan dari sesuatu yang tumbuh di bumi, dari mereka (manusia) dan dari sesuatu yang mereka tiada mengetahui."

(Yaasin: 36)  

Here's the sweet lyrics:

Terukir di bintang

Jika engkau minta intan permata tak mungkin ku mampu
Tapi sayangkan ku capai bintang dari langit untukmu
Jika engkau minta satu dunia akan aku coba
Ku hanya mampu jadi milikmu pastikan kau bahagia
Hati ini bukan milik ku lagi
Seribu tahun pun akan ku nanti
Kan... kamu...
Sayangku
Jangan kau persoalkan siapa dihatiku
Terukir di bintang tak mungkin hilang cintaku padamu

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.