SURABAYA

Last year my husband attended a seminar in Malang,Indonesia. So apalagi, I tagged along and we went to Surabaya. Actually, I took another flight 2 days later than his flight. I thought I would be alone. But lucky me, I met one of my colleagues at the LCCT. She was with her husband visiting a relative there. So, tak de lah sensorang kat situ.

It was already dark when I arrived at Surabaya's Juanda Airport. Macet banget di bawah sana. My husband was already there waiting for me when I landed. The Q at the customs was quite long and I had to stand there for some time before I coould go out. Again, lucky me because I didn't have to wait for luggage since I travelled light. I just brought a big handbag with me because everything else was in my husband's luggage.

From my 3-day stay there, I observed that Surabaya is a busy town abuzz with its people's activities. The town is jam-packed with vehicles of all sorts: cars, motorcycle, trishaw.

You can see people, vehicles everywhere. On the outskirt of the city, there is no much different. It is full of life meaning noise with people go about their businesses.

Tourists are also contributing the hustle and bustle of the city. The traffic is always heavy especially during the morning and afternoon peak hours where people go out to their workplaces in the morning and leave the premises in the afternoon. Actually it is not much different with the city of Kuala Lumpur Malaysia that I know of.

If you happen to land at Bandara (Bandar Udara) Juanda, its airport, at dusk you can see the beautiful display of street lights and any other lights for that matter blend in with the headlights and taillights of cars that makes the city crowded.

Getting from one place to another gives you headache because of the traffic jam. If it is midday, it is like rubbing salt to the wound. It is so hot with the sun shines brightly on this part of the world due to the fact that it is near to equator line. However you can sooth yourself with the fact that the condition of the taxi you are in is good plus the taxi driver is a polite person and helpful. That is, if you ride a taxi. If you were to ride other form of transportation (and its cheaper than the taxi), may God help you.You are advised to ride taxis from blue bird company. There are reliable and highly recommended by the hotel.

Riding a trishaw in the city was really an adrenaline pumping experience. Cars and motorcycle passed by your trishaw at a 'neck wrecking' speed. That is, if you happen to stop at the traffic light and it turns green. So everybody gushed forward speeding. I guess that is the only time they can actually speed since there are so many cars in the city. And I guess it happens everywhere in the world (read: kat Malaysia pun lebih kurang macam tu lah).......

.../to be continued...

NEW YEAR

Selamat tahun baru hijrah 1430. Semoga kedatangannya membawa lembaran baru yang lebih baik dalam hidup kita dan ummat Islam seluruhnya... Ameen.

p/s: Someone sent this to me:
"Jadikan yang tebal itu Iman, yang nipis itu lidah, yang tajam itu akal, yang lembut itu hati, yang ringan (untuk dikerjakan) itu solat, yang halus itu suara, yang luas itu ilmu, dan yang mnis itu senyum..Keinsafan dan Kesyukuran sentiasa di hati kita hendaknya. Amin... SELAMAT TAHUN BARU HIJRAH 1430."

OVEN ROASTED CHEESY POTATO WEDGES

Love French fries, but hate the fat and calories? Here's a delicious alternative that tastes as yummy as it looks. (Serves 2)

2 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound Yukon Gold or russet potatoes
3/4 cup finely grated Asiago, Parmesan or Piave Vecchio cheese
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Wash the potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 2 or 3 long wedges or spears. Peeling the potatoes is optional. Place the potato wedges in a bowl of cold water with at least 6 ice cubes and let the potatoes soak for 30 minutes. Drain, and pat the potatoes dry with paper towels.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Place the egg whites and salt in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine. Add the potato wedges and toss to coat all surfaces.

Spread the grated cheese on a large plate. One by one, dip the potatoes into the cheese, coating the all the surfaces. Arrange the potatoes on the prepared pan, making sure none of the wedges touch.

Bake until the potatoes are golden brown and fork-tender, 20 to 30 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper, to taste.

Source: http://www.ebfarm.com/Recipes/StyledRecipe.aspx?RecipeID=251

p/s: tak tau lah potato jenis apa yg saya guna hari tu. Main hentam je sbb dah ada dlm fridge ;)

PESTO SAUCE

Last week saya cuba buat pesto sauce. Sos ni sedap dimakan dgn pasta. Lebih sedap kalau boleh kunyah pine nut yg tak dikisar halus lumat.
Resepinya saya ambil dari internet je. Kalau nak buat sos ni katanya lebih sedap kalau ditumbuk je daun basil tu instead of kisar. Tapi saya kisar je guna food processor bukannya blender sbb sos ni tak perlu letak air. Dia macam paste sahaja. Bukannya cair berkuah.

Bahan2:
2 cwn basil leaves
2-3 sudu besar pine nuts
1/2 cwn parmesan cheese
1 Garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper & salt to taste
Pasta (apa2 saja-last time saya guna linguine)

Masukkan semua bahan dalam food processor dan kisar. Tak perlu lumat sangat..nanti tak sedap especially kalau tak boleh kunyah pine nuts yang crunchy tu.
Dah siap, boleh lah digaul dgn pasta yang telah direbus terlebih dahulu

.

Mmmm...yummy....

Selamat mencuba...

JAKARTA, DAY 3; BANDUNG, DAY 1

We left Jakarta for Bandung by "Argo Gede" train through Gambir station. It was a nice train. Usually I would sit by the window if I were to travel either by car,bus, train or plane. But on that day, I was not well and I feel like sleeping, so I gave up my fave seat and my husband sat there instead. While waiting for the train to arrive (the train was late by more than 1 hour) I felt so tired because there were many people at the station and there was no more seat left. All were occupied. People were everywhere. People kept on coming and crowded the station no matter how many of them left with each train that made a stop there.

The trip took about 3 hours and it was already afternoon by the time we reached Bandung. I felt more tired. But I assure you the trip would be otherwise interesting since the scenery was amazing and breathtakingly beautiful.

The driver from the hotel was already there waiting for us. He informed us that delayed train was not uncommon. On our way to the hotel, we made a stop at apotek (pharmacy) to get some medicine.

After check in I went straight to bed and slept until it was very late in the evening. I woke up for prayer and continued sleeping after that. Meanwhile, my husband went out for a sightseeing and get himself a supir (driver) for tomorrow's trip to white crater. Actually my friend in Jakarta had asked me to contanct her family in Bandung and they can send their own supir to get us to anywhere we wanted to go. But we decided to be on our own until she returned to Bandung because we did not want to disturb her family.

I woke up again for dinner. We ordered nasi timbel that night. After finished eating I slept again only to wake up in the middle of the night due to stomach ache. I rushed to the the toilet and threw up on the floor. After that, I slept through the night until morning.

EIDUL ADHA

Dear all,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you "عيد مبارك" and "وكل عام وأنتم بخير".

MAAF ZAHIR BATIN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

It's my birthday today. Thanks to the family and frens who remembered my special day and wished me well. May Allah bless all of you.
Thanks to my hubby for the wonderful early birthday treat at L* M******* and 'sudu'. The food was great. It was enjoyable even though I dropped a sudu and embarrassed myself at first. You are so wonderfully nice to me. Thank you soooo very much....

THREAD EMBROIDERY

A few weeks ago I went to a bookshop in Bangi and found a few good books on tread embroidery. I bought 3 different books and I was so happy with my purchase. To actually make use of those books (asyik beli buku menjahit, buku sulam je...tapi tak menjahit pun...so kali ni kena buat something...) I set out to sew pillow cases for my friend's new born baby with thread embroidery on it. As of yesterday, I managed to complete the embroidery but not the pillow case.... not yet...
I'm quite satisfied with the result since this was my first thread embroidery project....

GOOD BYE!

Friday 21, 2008 I received a phone call at around 12.40p.m. It was from a relative back home. My uncle has passed away. It was so sudden since he did not complain of being sick what so ever. Only on that fateful morning he told his son that he had chest pain and they rushed to the hospital.
Al-Fatihah to his soul and may he rest in peace. May Allah bless and forgive him and place him in His jannah together with the anbiya' and soliheen. Amin.

CHEDDAR CHEESE CAKE

Dalam usaha nak menghabiskan cheddar cheese (lebihan biskut raya) sebelum ianya rosak saya try cari resepi kek yang guna cheese ni. Saya terus cari kat resepidiana. Jumpa lah resepi kek ni. Dgn semangat yg berkobar2 pagi2 lagi dah masuk dapur. Dan inilah hasilnya:



Untuk kek ni saya dah modify skit resepinya. Saya kurang kandungan gula kepada 200gm sahaja dan saya gunakan susu cair, bukannya susu segar.
Rasanya memang sedap (sekalipun ianya bukan resepi 5 bintang) cuma berminyak sangat. Mungkin sebab saya sapu mentega kat loyang tu instead of letak kertas minyak. So next time, kena ingat untuk lapik loyang dgn kertas minyak supaya kek kurang berminyak.
Masa kunyah tu memang best especially kalau terkunyah cheddar cheese tu. Hmmm..yummy..
Untuk sesiapa yang nak cuba buat kek ni, dipersilakan..sekiranya anda peminat cheese saya rasa anda tak kan kecewa. Oh, ya! Saya juga dah lebihkan sukatan cheese kepada 150g/180g. Tu semua gara-gara nak habiskan cheese sebelum dia rosak. Nanti membazir pulak.
Saya perturunkan resepinya di sini:

CHEDDAR CHEESE CAKE
Sumber: Chef Alex Goh

Bahan-Bahannya:-
250 g mentega
230 g gula halus (saya kurangkan jadi 200gm je)
4 biji telur gred A (berat kurang lebih 60g setiap biji)
80 g parutan keju cheddar (Smile put more and buat tabur kat atas kek juga) (saya masuk lebih keju & potong dadu. utk tabur atas kek, saya parut halus)
280 g tepung gandum*
1 camca teh baking powder*(*disatukan dan diayak)
100 ml susu segar (saya masukkan susu cair)
1 camca teh esen vanilla

Cara membuatnya:-
1. Panaskan oven pada suhu 175C, lenser tin berukuran (8 x 8 x 3) inci dengan mentega, alas dasar tin dengan kertas minyak, lenser juga permukaan kertas minyak dgn mentega. Ketepikan.
2. Putar mentega dengan gula hingga putih. Masukkan telur satu persatu sambil terus memukul hingga kembang dan gula hancur. Pada speed sederhana, masukkan tepung berselang seli dengan susu segar hingga habis. Gaul rata.
3. Masukkan keju dan esen vanilla dan putar hingga semua sebati. Tuang ke dalam tin dan bakar 40 - 45 minit. Sejukkan 10 minit sebelum dikeluarkan dari tin. Sejukkan kek sepenuhnya atas jaringan sebelum dihidang...

*Selamat Mencuba!

JAKARTA, DAY 1

Last June, we went to Jakarta. We took the first flight out of LCCT to Soekarno Hatta International Airport. From there, we took the airport taxi to Alila Hotel at Jl. Pecenongan, Central Jakarta. It is about 25km away from the airport. However, the taxi ride to the hotel took about 45 minutes due to...you know....

The room was not yet ready when we arrived. So, we just left our luggage there and headed to Tanah Abang, one of the shopping complexes in Jakarta. It seems like your trip to Jakarta is not complete without visiting one of these and buying something as souvenirs for family and frens back home. We did not buy many things since we were going to Bandung, the shopping heaven for some people. It was raining when we left the place to go to other places.

We also visited Monas, the National Monument, Presidential Palace (did not go inside of course) and some other places in the vicinity of Alila.

We had Nasi Kabuli at Tanah Abang for lunch and nasi padang and jus alpukat at Sari Bundo for dinner. We also went to Carrefour for mineral water and some snacks. It was within a walking distance from the hotel. On our way back we took a taxi and asked the driver to bring us for a sightseeing around Jakarta. The night outing was a pleasant one without the traffic jam.

Go Holiday!

PLACEMAT SET

Ribbon embroidery atau sulam riben merupakan salah satu seni jahitan yang saya minat. Kalau kat Indonesia dikenali sebagai sulam pita. Masa kat JACC di Jakarta baru-baru ni, nampak le blouse yang disulam riben ni. Tak ingat pulak harganya tapi kalau tak silap saya cukup murah kalau nak banding dgn hasilnya yang cukup cantik. Tambahan pula dijahit dgn tangan yang ambil masa 4 hari utk siap satu baju (ikut kata penjualnya lah). Sulamannya penuh dibahagian dpn baju dari atas sampai bawah. Tudung-tudung pun banyak yg disulam riben ni, atau sulam benang. Kalau sulam manik tu tak usah cakaplah.....bertimbun-timbun.....kat Jalan Tar tu banyak...macam-macam ada...yg simple..yg sarat dgn manik...huh..semua ada..tinggal pilih yg mana berkenan je...

Saya pernah gak le belajar sulaman riben ni. Tak de lah susah pun..cuma yg menjadi masalah besarnya ialah.....guess what?.....kreativity dan kesenian.... kalau kreatif dan berseni tu...hah..macam2 boleh jadi...sulaman pun nampak hidup je...tak de lah keras je (macam kat atas tu).

Ni antara hasil jahitan sulam riben yang saya pernah buat. Yang ini set placemet. 6 pelapik pinggan dan satu runner. Oleh kerana seninya kurang (semangat je ada), itu je yang mampu dibuat. Mcm lurus bendul je hasil especially kat pelapik tu. Set ni dah selamat dihadiahkan kepada seorang kenalan. Harap beliau gembira menerimanya ;-)

KOTA SINGA

My first visit to Singapore was in 2006. We went there during its shopping carnival. So, the shopping complexes at the orchard road were busy and crowded with shoppers who were there to get what they needed and wanted at a cheaper price.

Kami cuci mata je lah tengok barang2 yang ada tu. Kalau nak kira memang murah tp tak de niat nak shopping pun masa tu. Kiranya singgah je lah di Singapore tu sbb dah sampai JB.

Kami sembahyang zohor dan lunch di Arab street. Nasi berianinya tersohor lah kat situ dan sememangnya sedap. Kedainya bertentangan dgn Masjid Sultan yg ada kat situ.

We went to esplanade and thought of going to the merlion park and took pictures of the merlion statue there but at that time it was closed for cleaning of the statue or something. I was not sure.
Anyway, we had a good time in Singapore riding the doubledecker bus pusing keliling kota....

SUSHI AGAIN

I was not very satisfied when I first tried my hand at making sushi. So 2 days ago I tried to make another sushi. This time I used carrot, cucumber, crabstick, 'telur ikan' for the filling. Semuanya (kecuali telur ikan) di gaul dgn mayonis. Lepas tu susun di atas nasi. Sebelum tu sapu dulu telur ikan atas nasi tu. Kemudian baru lah letak isi tengahnya. Kali ni memang nampak lawa dan menarik skit. Rasanya pun ada improvement lah.

MARBLE CHOCOLATE CHEESE CAKE

A few days ago, I tried to bake marble chocolate cheese cake. Truly, the cake was delicious even though I found that it was a bit oily. So, if I were to bake the cake next time, I will cut down the amount of butter used. I also must remember to use smaller baking container since the one that I used today was quite big so much so that the top layer of the chocolate mixture was not enough to cover the cheese mixture (2nd layer). Anyway, since the cake was for my own consumption, that was not a problem. Yang penting rasanya sedap. Hmmmm...yummy...

Saya perturunkan di sini resepinya:

Bahan A:

180gm mentega
20gm serbuk koko ]
1 sudu teh baking powder ] di ayak bersama
120gm tepung naik sendiri ]
170gm gula castor
3 biji telur

1. Pukul butter dan gula hingga kembang. Masukkan telur sebiji demi sebiji, kacau sebati.
2. Masukkan campuran tepung + baking powder + serbuk koko. Gaul rata dan bahagi kepada dua bahagian.

Bahan B:

250gm cream cheese
60 gm gula castor
1 biji telur
1 sudu teh esen vanilla

1. Pukul cream cheese sampai kembang.
2. Campurkan gula, telur dan esen vanilla. Pukul lagi sampai kembang dan rata.

Cara-cara membuatnya:

1. Tuang satu bahagian A ke dalam loyang. Ratakan.
2. Tuang adunan cream cheese di atasnya dan ratakan.
3. Tuang sebahagian lagi bahan A dan ratakan.
4. Bakar pada suhu 165 C selama 50min - 60 min ikut oven masing-masing.
5. Seeloknya dibiarkan sejuk dulu sebelum dipotong.

* Using my convection oven, saya bakar lebih kurang dalam 40 min je.

Source: http://rinnchan.fotopages.com/?entry=1609531

SUSHI EXPERIENCE

A few days ago I tried to make my own version of sushi. The idea was inspired by my friend who showcased her homemade sushi on FB. After so much enquiries of where to get all the ingredients, how to cook the rice, what goes inside the roll and how to roll the sushi… I started on my mission of making sushi…

My first attemp at making sushi was a messy one. The rice was all over my hand and the chopping board. I also could not find the mayo in the fridge (it was in the kitchen cabinet. Found it after I finished everything…rolling..eating..) and substituted it with cream cheese.

When I displayed my sushi on FB, I discovered the reason why it was a messy business. I was supposed to roll the rice with seaweed on the outside, instead I put seaweed on top of the rice…and then spread the cream cheese, crab stick, cucumber and carrot on it and rolled it. No wonder the rice got seperated from each other. I will have to make it the right way next time I make sushi.

Anyway, the sushi tasted good with kicap cap kipas udang.

D'CHEESY COOKIES

Semalam buat biskut cheese lagi. Memang ranguplah biskut ni. Rasanya pulak, umph..., sedap sangat. Patutlah tuan punya resepi biskut ni suka sangat. Kalau makan tu susah nak berhenti.

Ini lah rupanya biskut yang saya buat tu. Tak guna acuan pun. Bulat2 kan lepastu tekan guna garpu je. Kalau ada masa cuba lah.

D’CHEESY COOKIES

Bahan-bahannya
9 oz (255 gram) mentega, dilembutkan pada suhu bilik
8 oz (227 gram) gula halus
13 oz (368 gram) tepung gandum
1 biji telur
1 kotak (250 gram) keju cheddar, disagat halus
sedikit pewarna kuning
sedikit esen vanilla

Cara-caranya
1. Pukul mentega dan gula halus menggunakan hand whisk sehingga ia kembang.
2. Masukkan telur dan pukul lagi sehingga sebati. Masukkan juga esen vanilla dan pewarna kuning.
3. Masukkan keju yang telah disagut halus. Gaul sebati.
4. Akhir sekali masukkan tepung dan gaul rata.
5. Adunan biskut ini memang lembik dan harus dipipekan menggunakan bentuk semperit sikat, daun ataupun bentuk lain menggunakan pesawah.
6. Bakar biskut menggunakan suhu 170’C sehingga biskut masak dan tukar kekuningan.

Nota: Keju hendaklah disagat menggunakan sagat yang halus, kalau tidak nanti susah nak bentukkan biskut. Adunan resipi ini memang lembik, JANGAN anda tambahkan tepung. Adunan tidak sesuai untuk dicanai dan diterap. Jarakkan biskut di atas loyang pembakar. Bila dibakar ia akan kembang sedikit.

*Thanks to tuan punya resipi.

RAYA COOKIES

Last weekend I managed to bake 2 types of cookies:cip coklat & keju lemon. Both are delicious eventhough rupanya taklah seberapa ;) Those recipies were taken from saji (Sept 2007).

CIP COKLAT

200g mentega 100g gula aising
100g gula perang 2 biji telur
340g tepung secubit serbuk penaik
250g walnut cincang 250g cip coklat

CARA MEMBUATNYA
1. Pukul mentega, gula aising dan gula perang hingga kembang.
2. Masukkan telur sebiji demi sebiji & pukul hingga sebati.
3. Akhir sekali masukkan tepung, serbuk penaik, walnut & cip coklat. Kacau hingga sebati.
4. Canai& terapkan mengikut cita rasa sendiri. (saya guna sudu je.)
5. Bakar pada suhu 170C selama 25 minit.

BISKUT KEJU LEMON

50g cream cheese 30g cheddar cheese (parut)
100g mentega 75g gula
150g tepung gandum 1 tbsp tepung jagung
1 tbsp susu tepung 1/2 tsp serbuk soda
1 bj kuning telur 1 bj parutan kulit limau
Sedikit garam Badam cincang

CARA MEMBUATNYA
1. Pukul cream cheese hingga licin. Masukkan cheddar yg telah diparut & adun hingga sebati.
2. Masukkan mentega, gula, garam & pukul hingga lembut.
3. Masukkan telur & parutan kulit limau. Pukul hingga tidak berbintil-bintil.
4. Masukkan tepung gandum, tepung jagung, susu tepung & serbuk soda. Uli hingga sebati. Simpan adunan dalam peti sejuk selama 1 jam.
5. Keluarkan & bentukkan. Gaul dgn badam cincang. (Guna sudu gak. Badam pulak saya pecahkan hirisan badam je.)
6. Bakar pada suhu 170C selama 20 minit.
* Utk yg ni saya buat dua adunan sekali gus. Jadi semua bahan dua kali ganda lah*

PERISTIWA SUBUH

Lagu nasyid ni dialunkan oleh kumpulan Raihan. Hayatilah senikatanya......

Tabuh berbunyi gemparkan malam sunyi
Berkumandang suara azan
Mandayu memecah sunyi
Selang seli sahutan ayam

Tapi insan kalaupun hanya ada
Mata yang celik dipejam lagi
Hatinya penuh benci
Berdengkurlah kembali
Begitulah peristiwa di subuh hari
Suara insan di alam mimpi

Ayuh bangunlah
Tunaikan perintah Allah
Sujud mengharap keredhaan-Nya
Bersyukurlah bangkitlah segera
Moga mendapat keredhaan-Nya
Begitulah peristiwa di subuh hari
Setiap pagi setiap hari

Tabuh berbunyi gemparkan malam sunyi
Berkumandang suara azan
Mandayu memecah sunyi
Selang seli sahutan ayam

Tapi insan kalaupun hanya ada
Mata yang celik dipejam lagi
Hatinya penuh benci
Berdengkurlah kembali
Begitulah peristiwa di subuh hari
Suara insan di alam mimpi

Ayuh bangunlah
Tunaikan perintah Allah
Sujud mengharap keredhaan-Nya
Bersyukurlah bangkitlah segera
Moga mendapat keredhaan-Nya
Begitulah peristiwa di subuh hari
Setiap pagi setiap hari

ANDAI INI YANG TERAKHIR....

I received this poem through email from a friend. Please read ...

ANDAI INI YANG TERAKHIR ............ ....

andai kau tahu ini Ramadhan terakhir
tentu siangnya engkau sibuk berzikir
tentu engkau tak akan jemu melagukan syair rindu
mendayu..merayu. ..kepada- NYA Tuhan yang satu
andai kau tahu ini Ramadhan terakhir
tentu sholatmu kau kerjakan di awal waktu
sholat yang dikerjakan.. .sungguh khusyuk lagi tawadhu'
tubuh dan qalbu...bersatu memperhamba diri
menghadap Rabbul Jalil... menangisi kecurangan janji
"innasolati wanusuki wamahyaya wamamati lillahirabbil 'alamin"
[sesungguhnya solatku, ibadahku, hidupku, dan matiku...
kuserahkan hanya kepada Allah Tuhan seru sekalian alam]

andai kau tahu ini Ramadhan terakhir
tidak akan kau sia siakan walau sesaat yang berlalu
setiap masa tak akan dibiarkan begitu saja
di setiap kesempatan juga masa yang terluang
alunan Al-Quran bakal kau dendang...bakal kau syairkan

andai kau tahu ini Ramadhan terakhir
tentu malammu engkau sibukkan dengan
bertarawih.. .berqiamullail. ..bertahajjud. ..
mengadu...merintih. ..meminta belas kasih
"sesungguhnya aku tidak layak untuk ke syurga-MU
tapi...aku juga tidak sanggup untuk ke neraka-MU"

andai kau tahu ini Ramadhan terakhir
tentu dirimu tak akan melupakan mereka yang tersayang
mari kita meriahkan Ramadhan
kita buru...kita cari...suatu malam idaman
yang lebih baik dari seribu bulan

andai kau tahu ini Ramadhan terakhir

tentu engkau bakal menyediakan batin dan zahir
mempersiap diri...rohani dan jasmani
menanti-nanti jemputan Izrail
di kiri dan kanan ...lorong-lorong redha Ar-Rahman

Duhai Ilahi....
andai ini Ramadhan terakhir buat kami
jadikanlah ia Ramadhan paling berarti...paling berseri...
menerangi kegelapan hati kami
menyeru ke jalan menuju ridho serta kasih sayangMu Ya Ilahi
semoga bakal mewarnai kehidupan kami di sana nanti

Namun teman...
tak akan ada manusia yang bakal mengetahui
apakah Ramadhan ini merupakan yang terakhir kali bagi dirinya
yang mampu bagi seorang hamba itu hanyalah
berusaha...bersedia ...meminta belas-NYA

andai benar ini Ramadhan terakhir buat kita
MAAFKAN SEMUA KESALAHAN YANG PERNAH DILAKUKAN

-anonymous-

May Allah bless the composer of this poem.

MARHABAN...

NATIONAL DAY!

PERPADUAN TERAS KEJAYAAN

Kini Semangat Jalan Seiring
Satu Amanah Kerjasama
Jadi Teras Bangsa Mulia
Sehati Sejiwa

Bangun Membantu Agar Sepakat
Moga Terserlah Perpaduan
Agar Teguh Dipersada
Dalam Hidup Harmoni

Sirami Rasa Kasih Sayang
Jadi Benteng Hidup Yang Harmoni
Nurani Ikhlas
Dihati Murni
Menjadi Kekuatan Kita

Bersatu…….Bersatu
Bersatu Gagah Bercerai Rebah
Hindarkan Hasrat Sengketa Kita
Perpaduan Teras Kejayaan

Berpadu……Berpadu
Berpadu Bulat Kata Sepakat
Menjadi Cita Negara Jaya
Perpaduan Teras Kejayaan
Perpaduan Teras Kejayaan
Perpaduan Teras Kejayaan

Composer: Pak Ngah

THE BENEFIT OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES

A friend e-mailed this to me & I share it with all of you:

THE BENEFIT OF HAVING FRUITS & VEGETABLES

Fruit	Benefit	Benefit	Benefit	Benefit	Benefit
Apples	Protects your heart	prevents constipation	Blocks diarrhea	Improves lung capacity	Cushions joints
Apricots	Combats cancer	Controls blood pressure	Saves your eyesight	Shields against Alzheimer's	Slows aging process
Artichokes	Aids digestion	Lowers cholesterol	Protects your heart	Stabilizes blood sugar	Guards against liver disease
Avocados	Battles diabetes	Lowers cholesterol	Helps stops strokes	Controls blood pressure	Smoothes skin
Bananas	Protects your heart	Quiets a cough	Strengthens bones	Controls blood pressure	Blocks diarrhea
Beans	Prevents constipation	Helps hemorrhoids	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	Stabilizes blood sugar

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy birthday to my youngest brother who celebrated his birthday on August 21. May Allah bless you and everyone of us. We hope that you will grow up to be a good and successful person who always upholds Islam and always fights for its glory and victory.

أللهم انصر الإسلام والمسلمين والمجاهدين في سبيل الله في كل زمان وفي كل مكان. اللهم آمين

MOTIVASI

TYING THE KNOT

Many couples chose to get married on 8.8.08. One of them who got married on that day was my great aunt. So, I would like to take this opportunity to wish her and her husband:

Selamat Pengantin Baru

&

Semoga berbahagia hingga ke akhir hayat.

More news: 1 2

MONEY SAVING TIPS

• Purchase things from outlets that offer bargains.
• Plan your trips so that you can complete all chores and your shopping in one journey. (Kalau nak shopping tu better buat list untuk barang-barang yang nak perlu dibeli)
• Organise a garage sale to get rid of your unused items and this will earn you some extra money. (Huh! Nak beli ada lah.. bukannya nak jual)
• Purchase items that are only necessary and in cash and avoid using credit card. (Tak de cash - cash dah guna untuk bayar hutang CC bulan lepas - , tapi barang-barang perlu dibeli.... terpaksaaalah guna CC. Nak buat macam mana?! )
• Plan your meals menu one week ahead and buy groceries accordingly. (Memasak seminggu sekali je, so tak de masalah le kot ;)
• Only purchase items in the list you have prepared and don't be tempted to buy unnecessary goods. (Jaga mata..jangan melilau sana sini..)
• Try to visit hypermarkets towards the end of the day where fresh products go for a lower price. (Entah lah... tak pernah jumpa lagi ..yang selalu nampak tu..yang dah tak elok..kalau tak layu..dah buruk, rosak...)
• Shop at the local markets for fresh vegetables because they offer better price and bargains. (Kat mana, ya?!)
• Where possible bring home-cooked food for lunch at work, as this is cheaper than eating out. (Hmmmm....)
• Look out for offers, coupons and freebies. (Always...)

Source: The Star

You may find some more useful tips here.

PANGKOR ISLAND

Some pix in Pangkor

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I would like to dedicate this birthday poem to my friend who celebrated her birthday yesterday! As I know her, she is a very fine lady with a kind heart. When I visited her country last month, my husband & I was very much indebted to her & her family for their hospitality and kindness. They made us feel at home when they offered their help; and she and her younger sister spent their precious time to accompany us when we went shopping and visiting places. There are so much more beautiful things that I want to write about her. However, let us enjoy the poem for now; and to Kak Yuli:

Happy belated birthday;

may Allah bless you and your family and

may He grant you all success in this world and the hereafter!

True Friend

A true friend is hard to find,
Someone who is always kind.
Words of advice; freely share,
Helping hand, always spare.

A true friend is hard to find,
Someone always on my mind.
Listens, cares, and understands,
Hardships; mutually withstands.

A true friend is hard to find,
Someone like you! Let me remind.
Birthday greetings, from my our heart,
This celebration, we must start.

www.special-birthday-poems.com

By Martin Dejnicki

PLEASE BE INFORMED!

Do you know that it is dangerous to take pills with warm/hot water? I came across that information here. Please read!

STORAGE

Ni ada simple tips... tapi rasa-rasanya berguna jugak lah... utk memudahkan diri sendiri. Tak perlu lah buang masa mengendap sana mengendap sini, tercari sana tercari sini...frust...tak jumpa masa nak guna. Esok esok baru perasan...laaa kat situ rupanya...ooopps...dah ada...kalau tau tadi ...tak de nya nak beli lagi...

Hmmm....pernah tak melalui situasi mcm tu masa buka peti ais...tercari-cari...tapi tak jumpa...
I'd like to share with everyone the tips on "How to organise your refrigerator" (The Star, Monday 28 July 2008):

• Place the food you eat most often on shelves located at eye level (my husband puts chocolate there)
• Store fruits and vegetables in the drawers at the bottom of the refrigerator (; I also keep my salted fish & anchovy here;)
• Store condiments in the door of the refrigerator, with those you use most often placed as close to eye level as possible.
• Place eggs, butter, cheeses and meats in the appropriate storage compartments, if available.

Click here for more tips.