Happy Valentine

I am posting this for Valentine this year (and yes, I couldnt say this often enough - I am a cynic..)

from http://www.thedebonaire.com/

KLCC was full of flowers today; new blooms, plastic ones, satin roses - you name it the stores have it. And bears too - cute bears, small bears, big bears and ugly ones too - that'll make any baby cry! And hearts in all sizes and colors. Fleetingly I wondered if I should get something for loved ones - but the skeptic voice in me said NO..

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Happy Long Weekend!

And it is going to be a long weekend. Your plans?

I’ve got no special plans this time around. Maybe these :
- finish a book or two (Zana, I havent completed any to date)
- must finish the beads for the kurungs that I have
- cleaning & dusting (yeay.. my favorite tasks – yeah, yeah..)
- catch a movie
- play my favorite game Plants Vs Zombies (heh-heh)
- have a picnic and fly a kite with Eirfan, maybe
- sew a blouse.. (I know - ?!! This is a wild dream)
- shop (I need skin care, shoes, tudung and everything else under the sun)
- bake a cake maybe (never baked one since eons)
- make a pie (had that pastry for so long)

Cukup lah tu. For all you know I’d be sitting in front of the tv catching Glee, Idol, Anna Olson, Giulianna Rancic etc etc. Lately I am rather engrossed with tv (memang melalaikan..)

So have a wonderful long weekend - whatever you may be doing; wherever you are heading to. Keep safe.

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Thoughts On A Friday

This is something serious. I read this the other day ~

Narrated by Abu Hurairah ra : My friend (Rasulullah saw) advised me to observe three things : (1) to fast three days a month; (2) to pray two rakaat of Dhuha (forenoon prayer); and (3) to pray Witr before sleeping. ~ Sahih Bukhari

I think this is something we should seriously consider doing. They seem ‘simple’ enough (of course ‘simple’ comes with quotes – after all ‘simple’ does not necessarily means easy.) Maybe another resolution to add to current year’s list.

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Cerita Kota Kinabalu Bergambar ~ Part 2

Our Day 2 was packed. Come to think of it, I should have spent another morning at Kundasang and the mountain (I could go on and on with the mountain stories). Anyway.

We stayed at Likas Square Condotel in Kota Kinabalu - which look so-so from the outside; terrible on the corridors but really great inside. It is a 3 bedroom unit; furnished beautifully and comes with a fully equipped kitchen. The children ooh-ed and aah-ed over the place (seriously I've never taken them to stay at a place as nice as this before; ha-ha.. kesian kat budak-budak tu)

Day 3
We were supposed to start early to the islands at Taman Tunku Abdul Rahman; but diddle-dee and diddle-daa.. (getting seven people to be ready is not an easy task, mind you. They need coffee, breakfast, the toilet, the swimming gear, drinking water etc etc) By the time we got to the island the sun was hot; the sun rises an hour earlier here than in Semenanjung anyway. The hotel receptionist told us to get to the Jesselton Port as that is the closest.

Jesselton reminds me of the San Francisco quay in a way. With the wooden planks and tiny cafes and tables and chairs along the wharf. But the sun is definitely equator.



We decided to go to Manukan Island only; there are five islands you can visit although Manukan is the largest of them all. It is a lovely island. They have lodging there and you can have lunch on the beach under the cool trees (I didnt ask, but I read lunch could go as steep as RM99 per pax there - I think their customers are mostly foreigners..).


We brought bread and fed fish from the pier. There are tiny fish, small fish, big blue fish. There was also a long fish that attacked the smaller ones.


The children snorkeled till it was time to leave. I sort of regretted that we didnt visit Sapi Island. It is situated a bit further away from the mainland; maybe there'd be more fish there. We were told it was a good place to snorkel too.

(The green coconut is RM8 each - just so you know..)

The speed boat sped (I suppose that's exactly what speed boats are meant to do) back to the mainland (oh, our poor behinds..). On the way we stopped to drop off / pick up other passengers at Mamutik Island (which is small) and Sapi Island (which looked beautiful from the boat). We saw houses built on the water along the coves and wondered why there is no tour visits to these kampungs. That should be interesting..

We stopped for lunch at the city then explored on foot to the pasar, the Filipino Market (apparently the school girl we asked for directions do not know what is Filipino market - hmmm..) and the dried seafood pasar. I brought back a boxful of dried seafood stuff here (easily that is like 10kg).


But surprise, surprise the Filipino market didnt do anything to me. The boys were bored while I took my time (a looong time) to look for something 'different' - tak ade - although I bought some pearl pins to take home (as a token of the visit to the market).

We went back to the hotel to rest and THE plan said we have to catch sunset at Tanjung Aru. We didnt make it though - letih.. (yeah, and I seem to have this thing with sunsets).

But we went out later that evening to have ikan bakar at the pasar malam (well, it looked like pasar malam to me anyway). This is like behind the Filipino market; close to the Waterfront. The price was reasonable and the sotong was really good and fresh. All I have to show for this is a photo that Iman took of the weird fish in the market.. We think this is ikan buntal - what say you?


We walked along the Waterfront which has a row of cafes / restaurants for those city at heart. Nothing much at the Waterfront actually - or did I miss something here?

Day4
We started the day early. And made the almost 3 hours drive to Simpang Mengayau. This is where the Tip of Borneo is. It is the point where the South China Seas and the Sulu Seas meet. The scenery is beautiful - miles of sea around you with rocks at the cliff edge. For the first time I think our pictures dont do justice to the actual panorama around us.


The area is rocky right into the sea and it was very windy. Few made it here that day; maybe because it is a week day and that long journey to get there. In fact, the road heading here is good at most places, under maintenance at some, deplorable at others. A stretch was not paved and was surfaced with gravel stones only. But overall the drive is quite tolerable.


Simpany Mengayau (seem like merayau to me - like all the spirits roaming free; wild imagination, huh?) is about 20 minutes to Kudat. We got into Kudat for some gas. It is a small town. We went into Kota Belud too on the way back to KK (we sort of took the long way.. he-he). Kota Belud is like Tapah to me - small town, lots of traffic all concentrated on the main road. We saw little else anyway.



We later stopped at the bee farm in Kampung Gombizau. The best time to visit this place according to the park warden (?) - she is actually a Rungus woman manning the small hut at the farm entry - is in Mar / April. At this time the honey would be aplenty; you can taste honey on the farm and maybe eat the honey comb too (do we eat honey comb?) or something like that.

Since this is early stages of honey production, the honey is actually for the bee colony to feed on only (what a bad timing on our part..) Ilyas was disappointed - he was all excited about the bees and honey.

Fyi the smoke is used to mollify the bees.

That was our last stop. We drove into KK straight to the airport. Co-incidently our flight was delayed (this is Air Asia, right..?) But it worked our way since we were able to take the earlier flight to KLIA instead.

So best ke tak best pergi Sabah? Mesti la best, kan nak pergi conquer Kinabalu Peak pulak lepas ni..?

Tip #1 : Plan to visit Sapi Island; a few people told us it is nicer there. And start early too - by late morning the heat could be scorching. Dont forget sunblock and roti to feed the fish on the pier.

Tip #2 : Visit the honey farm in Mar / Apr when the honey is aplenty.

Tip #3 : Dont venture to Tip of Borneo if it rains - the roads could be hazardous.

ps - blogging this trip is meletihkan too..

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Cerita Bergambar ~ Part 1

And I simply love the time spent in Sabah. It is time well spent as a family. We went to the mountain, island, visited the city center and also the surrounding areas.

(This is like a story book we read when we were little - with pictures..)

Day 1
We left home very early and were just in time to do the morning prayers jemaah at KLIA masjid. There were only a handful there that morning for the solat. The lights were turned off immediately after solat and as we left, the masjid looked was once again 'lonely'. A bit sad.



We flew on the morning "now everyone can fly" airline (what else?)


We landed at KK around noon; the flight took about two-and-a-half hours. The boys slept. And slept. All the way.


We arranged to have the rented Unser delivered at the airport. It looked a bit battered; but the air cond is good and it ran well. We left for Kundasang after lunch and prayer. Got ourselves a map too. The road wasnt bad at all. The view was great with hills all the way. I wanted to get down to get pictures but unfortunately there is nowhere to stop.

The drive was close to two hours and it was cloudy when we got to Kundasang. And cool. There is no sight of the mountain peak.. (we wondered where it is actually). Later that evening the clouds moved and right in front of us we saw the mountain. It was huge. And magnificent; albeit cloudy. But magnificent all the same.


That evening we went to Kinabalu Pine Resort to catch the sunset from the hill top; but the evening was cloudy so no sunset there.


Day 2
Early morning is very, very cool in Kundasang. We caught the greatest view of sunrise and the mountain from the resort at fajar. We were mesmerized. It was amazing. Magnificent. Majestic. Actually maybe no words can describe it. We sat on our balcony and just enjoyed the view. It was not until the sun was high in the sky before we started to move with the plan (big plans! if I may add) for the day.




We drove to the top of a hill and took in these amazing views -



I read the dairy farm has the most amazing view of the mountain. And the internet didnt lie (at least not in this case). I can vouch that the view here is truly something else. This is the coolest farm I've ever seen (the only one I've ever been to actually..) This is a farm with an attitude; even the cows looked delightful on the field.



Later we travelled to Ranau (maybe twenty minutes or so from Kundasang) to the Poring Hotsprings. You can bathe or soak your feet (your poor & tired feet after all that walking around) in the hot water. And it is hot. We also did the canopy walk. I almost regretted doing this (almost being the operative word here). The bridges are built quite high above the jungle / river and looking down is most disastrous to your nervous system. I'm glad I went through this experience now - otherwise when?


It was a bit late to visit the memorial park but I got this.


We also stopped at the park HQ on our way back into KK. It was late afternoon. The mountain peak is no longer in view - hidden already in the afternoon clouds. We went to the entry to the peak and fed friendly squirrel there. The tropical forest was cool and chilly. We see only orang putih walking down (fyi we drove up..) and around the park; with some taxis waiting for passengers. I told everyone, we should come back soon and conquer the peak next time (yeah I know, you will go like "Really, Azah?")

(I know there's only tall grass in the photo above; but that's the idea. The mountain is actually behind those cloudy skies.)

(if you follow this trail into those trees, it will lead you - eventually, if you keep on walking -to the mountain peak..)

Tip #1: The mountain is clear in the early mornings only. By 1030 or so the clouds will start moving in and you dont see the mountain anymore. So start early.

Tip #2 : Plan to spend at least 2 days in Kundasang (or at least 2 mornings) - that'll give you time to soak in the wonderful view and the attractions.

Letih la tulis ni.. I'll continue tomorrow or some other time with our island trip and tour to the tip of Borneo.

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THE Schedule

Our vacation in Sabah this past week was great (well, we visited everywhere we were supposed to anyway I think..)

I scoured the internet for places that shouldnt be missed on the trip and then prepared the itinerary. And for days there were no schedule nor plan more important than this one here (no matter what the boss' opinion may be).

We didnt have that many days so the plan is a bit squashed; me think (retrospectively - now that I know..). So here's THE schedule.

Day 1 (I call it the 'Getting There & Warming Up' day)
Arrive in KK
Drive to Kundasang
Catch sunset at Pine's Resort
Overnight in Kundasang

Magical mountain behind the afternoon clouds.

Sunset (or not) at Pine's Resort

Day 2 (dubbed as 'Majestic Mountain' day - no doubt about it)
Taman Kinabalu
Dairy Farm
Mesilau Nature Park
Kundasang Memorial Park
Poring Hotspring
Travel to KK
Overnight in KK

Beautiful Mount Kinabalu from the dairy farm (I'll forgive you if you too think this is taken on a western farm)

Day 3 (also known as 'Beach Splendour & CityTour')
Island Hopping
KK Tour
Catch sunset at Tanjung Aru
Overnight in KK

The beach at Manukan Island.

Day 4 (soaking up the 'Local Panorama')
Tip of Borneo
Bee Farm
Depart to KL

At Simpang Mengayau - Tip Of Borneo

Eirfan at the bee farm

THE plan is pretty ambitious come to think of it but it worked out quite nicely.

ps - I think I can be a local tour guide after this.

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An Old Friend

I had an interesting weekend - how was yours?

I saw a lady in the mamak restaurant and said how she looks like a friend from my long-ago college days. But then again, I thought it couldnt be her - she lives on the east coast. And the guy she wasnt eating with doesnt look like her husband. Turned out she was the friend and he is her husband; only he had a double chin now and a bigger body (dont we all?)

We made a commotion with our hi's. We laughed and caught up with each other's news. It was a short but jubilant breakfast. They had to leave for their seminar and we had to send Iman to her office (it is the end of the month after all). We hugged goodbye; but I didnt ask for her number - I know I wouldnt call (that's another peculiar habit of mine).

She mentioned a mutual friend whom recently had gotten divorced. The husband found a new love (younger too of course). Her ex is the CEO of an uprising bio-tech SME. I guess he found a more 'deserving' woman to give the Datin title to. Rezeki masing-masing I said when I heard the story. We were solemn for a while.

Anyway. Meeting the nicest, kindest friend could affect you in many ways. Malam tadi bangun tahajjud sebab teringatkan kawan yang datang jauh-jauh nak pergi Islamic convention in KL. Semoga dilindungi & dirahmati Allah selalu Insya'Allah.

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Time Management 101 From Yours Truly

(Like I am the best person to talk about this subject..)

Did you catch the Golden Globe the other night? I think Aniston looked gorgeous and (according to the reporters) she didnt even choke over her ex's name when she had to read out the nominees for the category she was presenting the award to. Halle Barry looked fabulous too.

And I totally relate to the ‘Pants On The Ground’ guy on Idol last week. I think everyone should cinch the pants (tightly) at the waist. So hipsters and low risers : out you go! (Also relating to this, I noticed a girl in hipsters and her uh, g-string. My comment : she must be related to Superman sebab nak tunjuk underwear kat orang!) And Victoria Beckham was such a wash-out Idol judge.

And I got caught with ‘THS – True Hollywood Story’ on E! which featured stories on Nicole Kidman, Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears. Nicole turned out to be a lady, and I am now her most avid fan. I think Miley is an inspiration at only just 17! She just couldn’t stop working and expanding herself – she sings, write songs, has her tv show, has movies, does tours etc etc. And Britney turned out to be a desperate girl looking for hidayah, or so I think..

And yes, I have been investing (investing?? someone’s got to be joking) a lot of time on tv shows. And that’s err.. cool?

Anyway, I had also managed to read a couple pages of better-than-gold assets we all have - aka time - the other day. So why don’t you try these questions out. My (dubious) answers are in Italic. You can keep your answers to yourselves (or share them here..)

Hint : Despite the frivolous intro to my post and in my answers, you are supposed to view this as a very serious exercise ok?

Here goes - review how you spend your weekly 168 (24*7) hours :

Hours spent working : Forever (or seem like it actually)
Hours spent commuting : Minimal (thank God err.. UMNO? for DUKE)
Hours spent getting ready : Peanuts (and it shows you say..? he-heh)
Hours spent eating : Substantial!
Hours spent sleeping : Like a baby should have
Hours spent with family : Will never be enough no matter how much time spent
Hours spent on a hobby : Whenever I can (I cheat and substitute hours for household chores for this also)
Hours spent exercising : Sigh.. negligible
Hours spent getting educated : Less than sufficient and only over topics that I like
Hours spent relaxing : Depends on what’s showing on E! it seems

So, is your week well spent? Or can you find time to spend on x ie things that matter to you? Chances are we all can actually. But the big question (and has always been) is, will we? ps - My x turns out to be getting educated / reading the serious stuff that matters in life.

Let's make a commitment to spend more time to getting what is important to us. Start TODAY! (taken from THE Trump & Kiyosaki ‘Why We Want You To Be Rich’ bestseller which I am currently reading - slowly and painfully. This is definitely one of my x stuff )

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Good Times Only (Not?)

Things are never dull when we have a family get-together. And lately we have many of that because of the multiple weddings. We gathered for tahlil, for wedding preparations, for wedding meetings (yeap, we have that too) and of course for the wedding itself.

At one of these occasions my sister brought out pairs of blue and pink ankle socks that got tiny rubber dots at the bottom for anti slip. Pretty ones with a ribbon at the top. She had bought them at a store in London. Mention London and there was a mad scramble for the socks; amongst laughs and shrieks.

Later when everyone were trying the socks my sister said she had bought the socks for maybe RM6 each at a store like Carrefour in London. Carrefour pun Carrefour lah, asalkan beli di London. Heh-heh.

Even my mother got a pair of pink ones. We slipped them onto her feet; told her sit still while we took photo of her feet. She had a big laugh because of that. I suppose she never had her feet, not her face taken as the focus of a photo before (shoot, her tongkat is missing from this gambar..)


This definitely was a big laugh occasion - another one to remember of mum.

p/s - And among the things I decided I'd do for the new year is to continue to blog. Nothing new there I know. However this year I thought I will blog only the good things. Everybody has got their own share of unpleasantness in life, no point of me adding more misery to anyone's already long list (would you believe I wont whine on line??)

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Last Year, New Year

And it is the new year (the 7th day, in fact).

It had got to be one of the most hectic end / new year to date I suppose. There was Hedir's wedding. No photos - I was too busy cooing the cucu's at the wedding that took place at Felda. My sis was hospitalized for back pain (hey, that ailment runs in the family!) recently and decided not to risk her back with the wedding stress / chores.

The wedding was great - no glitches. & met Pn Minah (the ex-boss) at the wedding. Turned out she and the groom's mother knew each other from way back (small world..)

And my mum came over to my place over new year eve. It's nice having her around. Keeping her company (or was that she who kept me company?) chatting over sibling stories / old stories / wonderful stories. The mango cake I got for Ilyas's birthday didnt agree with her. Darn. I need to remember to be more careful. She didnt like chocolate so I thought the mango cake would be a nice alternative..

And yes, Ilyas celebrated his 24th birthday. He was due on the 1st of Jan according to my gynae. He decided to see the world a couple of days or so early.. My words to him on his birthday is save, save, save and then get married. I think his girl shouldnt wait too long. Anyway..

There was also Ina's wedding (the aqad pix below). It was a nice wedding. It drizzled; but luckily the clouds quickly faded away. Maybe the bride's father's baju busuk on the roof did the trick (is that allowed, by the way..? although we had laughed when we knew about it).


My sister refused to have the tepak sirih as part of the hantaran; citing it as too traditional. There was a short silat stint when the groom arrived.. ( err.. isnt that traditional?) anyway all in all everything went on perfect.

And Luqman went back for his final semesters. Masya'Allah - time really flies.

And there was also lots of stuff to do for Eirfan for the new school year - books, uniforms, registration, tuition even.

I did lots of beading in Dec and finally have the photos below and more here. And had also managed to have my new year resolutions drawn up.


I think I have been very productive indeed!

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