Thank You For Birthday Wishes

Alhamdulillah kerana dipanjangkan umur. Semoga dengan bertambah setahun lagi umur ku akan meningkatkan lagi kesedaran dan keinsafan ke hadrat Ilahi. Betapa segalanya adalah kepunyaan Allah SWT.

Bersyukur atas segala nikmat Allah yang tidak terkira dan kehidupan yang bahagia di samping suami, anak2, sanak saudara dan kawan2.

Terima kasih kepada suami, anak-anak (saufi n haziq), mak, kak long, net, ayu, soraya, jayne anne dan kawan2 yang mengucapkan selamat hari lahir.

Two Sides of Raya 1430H

Sad Part of Raya 1430H
Today, house no. 49 became so quiet, desolate and despondent. A sudden feeling of emptiness shrouded our abode. Reason: No more jerit pekik and usikan from anak2 teruna i. Sent off ‘abang’ to KLIA. He’s going back to Saitama, having tried his best to put off his flight date so that he can spend extended time with his famiy. ‘Adik’ left 4 days earlier. Being a soppy mum, it was hard to fight off the tears.

Jubilant Part of Raya 1430H

We really had a great hari raya this year because the children were back, unlike last year when we missed the gathering by just a few days. Back then, they had to leave for Saitama and Liverpool to catch the beginning of their study term.
This time round, anak2 ada, lega sikit. Ada pembantu kat dapor. An added bonus, was, this year, my mum and most of my siblings celebrated Raya at my house on first Syawal.
Prior to that, we even got some travelling in, before and during puasa time. Got to do the Putrajaya lake cruise, went up Fraser’s Hill for a couple of nights and even took time to see the volcanoes at Tangkuban Parahu.
To top it up, I even got an ‘Ali Hobo-line’ handbag from DH.

At KLIA

Cousins and brothers

At Laksamana Cheng Ho Restaurant






At Tangkuban Parahu, Bandong











Raya gathering at no. 49

Captain and crew

Putrajaya Cruise

Bandung

Sorry lama tak update, busy gan anak2.

Puasa pun dah nak di penghujung.

Pada viewers blog ni, I ucapkan Selamat Hari Raya dan Maaf Zahir Batin.

Last month the family sempat pergi Bandung for a bit of shopping and volcano sightseeing. Seronok gak.

For more pics on trip to Fraser's Hill , maybe I post in the next issue.

I'm back

Hi guys, I’m back! Sorry lama tak update my blog. Really busy this past few weeks. My MIL was hospitalised for3 weeks and had a total knee replacement (TKR) operation. She had the left knee done 2 years ago. This time she had the TKR for the right knee. So akak busy lah berulang alik ke hospital, tolong ambik turn jaga dia. Alhamdulillah the operation was successful and she was discharged yesterday. She is recuperating now. It might take a couple of months before she is fully mobilised.
Minggu ini seronok sikit sebab anak akak dari Liverpool balik bercuti 3 bulan. The interesting part is when he arrived at the KL Sentral station, I couldn’t recognise him. He was sporting long hair, uncut since September last year. Anak dah depan mata boleh tak perasan….
Sekarang ni, rumah akak dah riuh semula dengan kehadiran si bongsu tu. Ada je songel dan usikannya. Dapor pun hari-hari berasap, rancak sikit memasak. Itulah hati seorang ibu. Bila anak yang lama tak nampak, sebut je nak makan terus masak. Lagi sebulan setengah abang yang kat Jepun tu pulak balik . Dapatlah puasa dan raya bersama sekeluarga. Nampaknya raya tahun ni meriah lah. Tahun lepas tak sempat raya dengan anak-anak.

MAKAN MAKAN

Last Sunday, we had a gathering at our house. Managed to gather about 40 family members from ages of 2 to 70. Even our Busu and family from Malacca managed to drop in. Just a long overdue makan suggested by my DH.
To fulfill his suggestion, I have to import the special Chef from Tropicana to help out in the meal preparation. Mak, and Kak Long stayed the night before so that we can go to the Pasar Tani early the next day, the menu already decided by Mak earlier. MIL came early Sunday morning to help out in the kitchen.
The menu was a mixture of kampong and contemporary styles: asam pedas ikan parang (mum’s killer recipe), siput sedut lemak cili api, ayam goreng berempah, lala rebus serai, ikan goreng, sayur campur goreng, nangka masak lemak, cendawan goreng tepung, ulam jantung pisang, pegaga, pucuk gajus and sambal belacan.
It was also a time for catching up on the latest happenings. We even had a surprise cake to celebrate my younger sister Net belated birthday, courtesy of Aqlan, our brother-in law.

From the garden to the kitchen

This morning, sempat YM with Farihah, one of my ‘adik’ at BTB. We still keep in touch with each other even though I‘m a pensioner. Yup! Still remember the sweet memories kat office with adik-adik 3 As: Aishah, Azimah and Azura. Ingat tak? Bila stress aje, sanctuary kita di LT. We had a good lunch and talk and, hey presto! Everything goes back to controllable mode.

My latest ‘hobby’ now is gardening depan rumah. Sekangkang kera je. For a start, I baru tanam lada merah, cili api, daun kesom and a potted herbs (oregano, parsley and spearmints). It’s really enjoyable, especially bila tenguk cili tu dah berbuah. Tapi tak pernah petik sampai cilinya kecut. Sampai my DH pun dah faham, bila dia tanya aje, akak akan jawab nak buat benih...

My daily routine, every morning watering my plants and talk to them especially my roses (dah mati tapi tunggu kudup baru berbunga). This is considered as substitute for exercise. Nak jogging, a bit lazy at the moment.

Tonight my DH told me, he don't feel like eating rice. Sebenarnya I dah siap marinate lamb pun for dinner dari tengahari. Lagi senang. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, they say.

Tonight’s menu: lambchops with chips, broccoli and parsley (tanam sendiri), desert: risole.

BERSYUKUR

Masa yang ditunggu-tunggu kunjung tiba. Temujanji prosedur endoscopy untuk esophagitis! Pelbagai fikiran bermain di kepala. Takut, suspen, gusar, risau, marah. Kaki diheret ke HKL, ditemani suami yang siapsiaga dengan cuti rehatnya selama 5 hari, sebagai tanda sokongan. ”Whatever the result we are going for a holiday after that”, dia tegas.

Jam 9.30 pagi, nama I pun dipanggil untuk menjalani prosedur tersebut. Agak menyakitkan. Setengah jam kemudian doktor memutuskan: cuma 1 spot sahaja inflammation tinggal berbandingkan 4 sebelumnya. Alhamdulillah ke hadrat Illahi. Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, itu sahaja yang boleh diucapkan. Allah Maha Pengasih dan Maha Penyayang. Terasa amat bersyukur. Bak kata suami ”kita mestilah selalu bersyukur”.

Thanks DH, you’re always there when I need you. Sentiasa bersabar dengan kerenah I yang selalu menyakiti hatinya.

Thank you very much DH for encouraging me to retire early. I really appreciate it. No more stress….

So, it’s off to Fraser’s Hill. I really love this place. Tenang, aman, sejuk. Waktu yang paling seronok dan bahagia, bila duduk di anjung dan memerhati burung-burung berterbangan lalu. Sungguh melegakan, really… Subhanallah, itulah salah satu ciptaan alam, hadiah Allah. Sungguh menakjubkan.

Bila berada di sana, teringat dengan kata-kata my younger son, Haziq yang suka mengusik I dengan kata-kata berikut “Bila pula lah, mak ni minat dengan kehijauan alam’. Masih teringat my elder son Saufi tergelak aje dengan kata-kata adiknya itu.

Selamat Hari Ibu

‘Selamat Hari Ibu' kepada semua yang bergelar mak, ibu, mama, mummy ummi dan seumpamanya Ibu dikaulah ratu hati.......
Di kakimu, di matamu, di bibirmu dibekalkan syurga,
Merawat segala kelukaan dan kepedihan,
Pemberi yang tidak mencatat apa yang diberi,
Penderma kasih yang tidak bertepi,
Perawat yang tidak pernah merasa letih menjaga anaknya di kala sakit,
Pendengar yang setia dan penyuluh dalam kegelapan,
Pelukan ibu menjadi penawar dan kehangatan cintanya mengalir di jiwa,
Pendoa yang sentiasa mendoakan anaknya tanpa mengira waktu dan tidak pernah pilih kasih,
Naluri ibu dapat merasa apabila anaknya berbuat baik atau salah,
Kelembutan hati yang sentiasa memaafkan anaknya,
Walaupun kesalahan itu menggunung tinggi,
Kadangkala bicaranya yang berulang-ulang membuatkan kita bosan,
Sehingga kita mampu menghafal setiap bait kata-katanya dan menjadikannya bahan usikan,
Tetapi setelah ibu memejamkan matanya, barulah kita tahu,
Betapa cengkaman rindu kepadanya membuai rasa,
Terasa sayang teramat sangat kepada ibu,
Benarlah kata ungkapan ‘Kasih dan Cinta Ibu membawa ke Syurga’

Begitulah hebatnya seorang yang bernama IBU.…..
Hargai dan balas kebaikan jasanya kerana syurga berada di bawah tapak kaki ibu.
Berbaktilah semasa mereka masih segar bugar, janganlah ditunggu lagi.
Menunggu bermakna kita pasti terlewat……..


SELAMAT HARI IBU, MAK…..

Trip to Phnom Penh - Part 3 (conclusion)

Woe betide! My hubby wanted to go to yet another next museum! I started getting irritated. I got to get some retail therapy in, otherwise I start shivering just like an addict going cold turkey.

Mu hubby relented and off we go to the famous Russian Market. The market is quite big and made me confuse as where to start my attack. After a long walk around the place, I managed to buy a piece of silk cloth. My hubby could not contain his displeasure and forced me to buy about a dozen more of the stuff. “Biar berbaloi lenguh lutut”. So ‘bagaikan orang mengantuk disorong bantal’, I got on with the job. The prices here were really cheap!
Next, I got more than a dozen painted lacquer boards, a few semi-precious stone bangle, some scarves and table runners for my mum and siblings. We spent about 4 hours walking round the place which was not enough for me. And all my hubby got for himself was some old coins….
That night I didn’t talk much, still upset because tak puas lagi shopping. My hubby had to bring me to the Russian Market again the next day. After all the shopping, I felt my trip to Phnom Penh was complete.

Trip to Phnom Penh - Part 2

On the second day we got up early, had a good breakfast and made a beeline for the tut-tuts parked just outside the hotel. After fighting off the advances of the riders, we singled out the one who spoke the best English. We asked to rent it for the whole day. After the customary haggling, we settled at ‘suenty dollah’.

First stop: The killing fields at Cheung Ek. The place was frozen in time since the late seventies. The atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge are preserved and labeled for visitors and served as a reminder. Depressions in the field are where mass graves are located. Gruesome skulls are exhibited in the solitary memorial in the center of the field. Incidents of what happened are narrated on hand-written boards. The atmosphere is so sullen and solemn…. We stayed there for a couple of hours to soak in the history, even though it was a bit much to stomach.

Next stop: The Genocide Museum. This is almost a sequel to the killing fields. A bit more graphic, with photos, torture instruments, paintings. I’m sure the blood stains in the three school blocks are not completely washed off. We stayed there for another couple of hours and took almost all the photos of the victims and crazy torture implements.

Mak Tok's Seventieth Birthday

This morning, most of our siblings, spouses and children gather at Tropicana. The occasion: Mum’s 70th birthday. By 11am, the florist came through the door, almost breathless. The reason: he was carrying a potted bouquet of 70 roses. They came in 2 colour colours: pink and red.

We recited the Yaasin and had catered lunch afterwards. Of course, Kak Long showed her skills at preparing ‘sarang burung pudding’ and cup cakes. Mak Tok (as mum is affectionately called) helped prepare the pulut kuning herself and of course the famous rendang daging preparation was supervised by Kakraja herself.
Mum was delighted with the gifts she received. Among the gifts she received were perfume and a watch. Hopefully, Mak Tok will be sporting her new jogging shoes tomorrow.
Being the ever grateful human being that she is the phrase ‘semoga Allah murahkan rezeki awak’ is never far from her lips, whenever she receives any gift, no matter how small it is. I know I’ll miss those words. I can’t imagine ever losing her. I really love you mum. It comes straight from deep inside of my heart. You’re the greatest mum in the world! And you are one of my best friends as well.

Here's one from Ayu for mum:

God created a wonderful Mother
A Mother who doesn't grow old
Who has a smile of golden sunshine
And a soul of pure gold
In her eyes, He placed a bright shining star
And her heart with unconditional love
God made a wonderful Mother
And we are blessed that wonderful Mother is ours

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!

Trip to Phnom Penh - Part 1

The journey to Phnom Penh took a mere 2 hours, similar to a trip to Kucing, Sarawak. We had a taste of how expensive petrol is in Cambodia compared to Malaysia. A litre here costs about RM3. The taxi fare to the hotel costs USD9. And that for a distance of 9 km. Imagine having to pay USD80 to get from KLIA to KL!

We stayed at Holiday Villa, a hotel designed by an architect friend of ours. The halal food at the hotel was comforting. We had fusion Cambodian-Western food that night. Cant be having kueh tiau or roti canai here…. Wouldn’t be right.

That night we ventured out on a hired tut-tut, though being warned by the hotel staffs not to do so. No regrets there. The night sights are amazing. We passed through lighted memorials, lighted bars, illegal casinos, public grounds (yes, they really know how to lepak) and the riverside where there’s even a joint here showing documentaries of the insanities of the Pol Pot era.

Why 'Secebis Salam'

This was the name of a periodical from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage's "Penerapan Nilai-nilai Islam' programme that my husband was charged with as chief editor during the early 1990s.

The name was borne out of a half-hour long brainstorming session from the committee members of Ir. Ziauddin Abd Latiff, Ir. Nor Hisham Mohd Ghazali, En Bakeruddin (resident cartoonist), Ir Shaharuddin Ibrahim, Hj Zakaria Md Said, Ir Jalil Hassan, Ir. Paridah Anun Tahir and Pn. Rozina Md Zafian. The name sounds appropriate enough at that time.....

The periodical was a testament of what can be done with practically zero budget. Those were the good old days of DID!

My husband just thought that it's timely to pay this tribute to his former cabinet members.