Roadtrip: Lotus Desaru

22 December 2012 - 24 December 2012

It's December and most of us would always find a few days off to rejuvenate before the start of the new year.

I did. With my family in tow. We decided to go to Desaru. My last trip there was in 2009. It was an enjoyable trip too. But I didn't do the driving. This time round, there were 6 and half people in the car hehehehe... (includes a little 14 months old tot). I was the solo driver, to and fro. Proud lah sey! Hehehe...!!

Anyway here goes!

22 December 2012

Started out at about 11 am after running some family-related errands. Went via the 2nd Link (Tuas) as I heard friends talking about the new shorter Senai-Desaru highway and the new cable bridge along the way. 2nd link was crowded but moving. Cleared it about 12 and thereon starts my journey to Desaru.

Drove straight after the 1st toll (I forgot the name), via the Lebuhraya Laluan Kedua. And passed by a 2nd toll. I don't remember at which toll I asked the person manning the booth about the way to Desaru coz my GPS navigator was in a coma as it didn't understand the new highway. Was told to follow the Senai exit 304. Rested a while at Gelang Patah R&R for some refreshements. Then went straight on.

And voila, saw this sign!

From then on, I just followed the sign which has the word Desaru in brown. That kind of helped a lot because we nearly went into Kota Tinggi as that is the familiar route up to Desaru. But then again, if I had wanted to go that way, might as well go via Woodlands. But I wanna go through the new highway.

After turning into the exit, we found ourselves on the new Senai-Desaru highway. Along the way, we went through the cable bridge too! It was an awesome structure.

And when we really entered Desaru, the tricky part was to find Bandar Penawar, which housed the Lotus Desaru Resort we were supposed to check into. The gps navigator woke up just about here and we managed to find our way to the resort. And it also helped that there were a lot of signages of the different resorts along Desaru.

Reached our resort at about 2.30pm.

Checking in took quite a while for there was a crowd at the lobby. I guess it's the holiday season and we reached there just in time for the check-in. Managed to check in and got Block A and was told that we can park our car near our block. But then, looking at the crowd, I decided to leave the car at the main lobby's carpark 1st before checking out the lots near our block. What if I left the lot I had and realised that there's no lot near our block? Hehehe...

We took the resort's shuttle tram to our block. The tram system is very very efficient for it comes around 3-5 minutes to the different stop points for easy navigation throughout the resort.

Reached our block and got into our room and realised that we got not a duplex but a single-storey room with 2 bedrooms. But it's ok lah, decided that it would be better this way with a 14-month old tot, so he's free to roam about the rooms.

The rooms were spacious. 1 room had a 2 super-single beds, the other had a king-size bed. The room with king-size bed had an attached bathroom, the one with 2 super-single beds had a shared bathroom in the main dining area. The main dining area had a sofa, a tv, a coffee table, a kitchenette with a microwave and refridgerator. There were plates, cups and cutleries provided too... The parents took the one with the king beds. And the sister, her husband and the tiny tot took the one with the super-singles. Me and my sister? Oh, later we story.

As it was nearing 4 and we hadn't had lunch, we drove out of the resort to scour for a good lunch place. Asked a staff there and was told that there are a few makan-places in Bandar Penawar itself. So just tried our luck driving out.

Found a place about 15 minutes drive out of the resort. It's called Restoran Diwanda or something. I was the last one to enter the restaurant as I was locking up the car and all. As I entered, I noticed the swarm of flies buzzing around. And it was too late to tell the Dad to find another makan place as he already had a plate of rice in his hand. The Dad has severe gastritis and if he doesn't eat on time, his stomach with play rock and rolla. So we had no choice but to eat as fast as we can to run out from the flies-infested restaurant. What a terrible lunch.

And wonders of wonders, just as we were walking out after lunch, we saw Marrybrown! Darn.

So decided to pack some food for dinner later from Marrybrown.

There was a scare just as we entered the road leading to our resort. At a roundabout, we saw 5 mat rempits on our left. 1 Mat rode ahead of us while the others waited and when I just turned about the roundabout, the other 4 mats were following our car from behind. I got a really bad hunch and told Dad that these Mats look really fishy.

The Mat in front was turning his head looking at us once in a while and when I go slow the other 4 mats also went slow. As we were nearing the resort, I found a good spot to stop the car and the 4 Mats couldn't do anything but to speed ahead of us. If they had stopped also, then there was of course an agenda in their minds. Then I just drove slowly, as slow as I can and noticed that all 5 Mats kept turning to look at us. Alhamdulillah, we managed to turn into the resort without any mishaps. These mat-rempits are such public nuisance. Singapore car, woman driver, easy target, they might think. Stupig.

We let the little nephew play about the waterpark for a while, which he enjoyed of course and didn't want to get out from the water. Hehehe... And then we went to book for our firefly tour which cost us RM40 per person. Initially they told us there were no more slots, but just as we were enquiring, a family cancelled their booking, and we got their spots. We were told to gather at the lobby at about 7.50pm to board the van.

We also requested for an extra bed for me as the youngest sister has decided to sleep on the sofa. And initially, they told us it would be RM115 per night. Then they lowered it down to RM90 per night. Then they rounded it up to RM150 for two nights. Hehehe... The power of bargaining. It works in a resort too!

Did Maghrib and took the tram to the lobby and waited to board the van. There were actually three vans altogether. And as we were on our way to the place, I realised how dangerous the journey is and three vans going together is good. The road to the river was pitch-dark and rocky. And as we approached the river then we realised that there were a lot of cars near the riverside seafood place - Restoran Terapung Bujang. I wonder how they make their way in and out of that place. I wouldn't, for the life of me, drive into and out of that place. The roads scare me. Hahaha!!

Anyway, made our way to collect our life-jackets and we were atop the boat in a jiffy. I was quite worried for the little nephew as the river was dark and the lights in the boat were switched off. I was hoping he wouldn't throw a tantrum in the boat. Alhamdulillah, he didn't. He was restless but didn't cry. Good boy.

The fireflies were lovely. My camera was just not good enough to capture anything, but it was an experience. There were zillions of them resting on the trees by the river banks. A few flew into the boat and I managed to capture one in my palm. Although my palm was closed, I could still see the rays of light through my fingers. That's how bright they are. The trees looked like they were being decorated with small lights, like Christmas trees. Beautiful.

I don't know how long were were in the boat but it was an awesome time spent. Boarded the van back to the resort, did Isha', had our packed Marrybrown dinner and slept.

23 December 2012

Woke up early for in-resort breakfast. Took the tram to the clubhouse. It was crowded already and we got a spot and went to the buffet line to get our breakfast. Breakfast was simple. There was nasi lemak, fried noodles, roti prata, chicken ham sausages, eggs, cereals, bread and croissants, porridge and the usual orange juice, coffee and tea and some other drinks.

We were swarmed with FLIES yet again, even while having breakfast. Darn, what's with these flies? Even breakfast was not peaceful. Urgh!

Went back to the resort, changed and hit the beach and waterpark with a vengeance. The sea was subtle, not too fierce as I expected of the monsoon season. There were water-sports activities along the beach. All you would have to do is to pay and you get what you want. Banana boat, jet-skis, family doughnut. But we decided not to engage ourselves in any of that as the only person who knew swimming was the brother-in-law. And to be dragged by a motorboat all the way to the middle of the sea? Heh, no thank you. Hehehehe...

The waterpark was nice. Not really a big waterpark like Sunway lagoon or something, but nice enough to have fun. We had to wear our waterpark tags while being in there for sometimes the lifeguards will enquire whether we are guests of the resort or just any tom dick and harry enjoying a free swim in the waterpark.

After tiring ourselves silly in the waterpark, we decided to freshen up and head out for lunch. Yesterday, while leaving the flies-infested Restoran Diwanda, we spotted an Indian restaurant just on the opposite road and decided to try the restaurant out. BRILLIANT CHOICE!

It was a Pakistani restaurant. The staff who attended to us was friendly. And the food was fabulous. And it only came up to slightly more than RM40 for 6 people. And since the food was so good, we decided to pack food for dinner too.

Rested a bit in the resort and at night after Maghrib, we went out to the clubhouse area yet again to have a look at their fun-fair by the seaside. Not really a big one. With a few games at RM4 per try. I tried and only got a popcorn and a winter-melon packet drink. Hahaha! But the little one had a whale of a time playing with soap bubbles.

Went back to the resort, had dinner, did Isha', did some packing and slept.

24 December 2012

Woke up for breakfast, this time round the venue changed to the seaside cafe. I think the original cafe was hosting a company event or something. Breakfast was about the same. This time was more peaceful as there weren't swarms of flies hehehe...

After breakfast, roamed about the beach again, for some pictures.

And finally, the dream is over. Had to pack up and leave the resort by 12pm. Check-out was a breeze. And we were on our way home...

Again, the same route, only the other way round. Route 90, Senai-Desaru Highway, Lebuhraya Laluan Kedua, see TUAS on the signboard, you are on the right track.

And oh, we did stop by the Gelang Patah R&R yet again for lunch in KFC and *rolls eyes* there were flies yet again. Walauwey!

Anyway, it was a nice relaxing 2 nights rest. Journey was ok too. Loved the moments where we were on a single lane road and when there's a slow lorry in front of us and I had to do the stunt of overtaking with oncoming traffic on the right. It was adrenaline-pumping.

Resort was ok. Our sink was choked on the first-day, called the maintenance, they came in a jiffy. The extra bed came fast. Our leaking electric kettle was changed fast too. The only complaint I have was they never changed the faulty phone although we told them to for the 3 days 2 nights we were there. Anyways, amidst the mixed reviews I've read over the net about the resort, Im glad my stay was on the good side. Very recommended resort for resting and rejuvenating.

Ilal Liqaa'...!!

rekindling an old love...

you know, i always enjoy looking at a beautiful scenery. or maybe just a wag of a dog's tail excites me. or a baby's twinkling eyes due to tears after a little tantrum thrown. these are just some of the moments that i would love to capture. what the eyes could see, would be lost somewhere in memory. but what if i could capture it? freeze the moment. make a story out of it. tell a tale. wouldn't it be interesting?

photography. it freezes those priceless moments, those precious emotions. and a lot of stories to tell. when i was younger, Dad used to have a Yashica camera. i forgot the model number. but it was a vintage camera and he bought it 2nd hand from his, er... biras... What do call you call biras in English? Ok, my mother's bro-in-law. He got my Dad interested in photography. Dad used to lug that heavy-duty camera whenever we went out for outings with all his lenses and special accessories. And we used to be his models. Maybe somehow, the photography bug hit me then. As I grew up, I love taking photos. I remember all the camera models I used to play with. From film to digital. From big to small. From fat to slim. From basic black to colour.

and wonders of wonders, work also involves photography. how to run away and say, "No, photography is not my thing."? IT IS MY THING. just sadly, i don't have the right equipment. i mean i do take good pictures. but you know, there's always something in every picture that i know i can do better with. and an automatic, compact, point and shoot camera isn't going to give me all those results. and so, photography still goes on but amateur-ly...

and then work gave me a chance to go on a basic photography workshop. with the work's D70 DSLR, i went to the workshop. seriously, i thought what can that heavy, nearly 10 years old camera do. there were a lot of buttons on the camera, but i know nuts about them. and it doesn't help that i have fellow workshop mates who carry a cannon, an olympus E-P3, and a Lumix. Depression tahap gaban lor...

and i was in for a great shock. what their cameras could do, my cameras can do them to. maybe not as good, but hell, it was similar. 1st day the instructor asked me what do i want to achieve at the end of the workshop. i only answered that i wanna fall in love with my camera. and at the end of the three-days workshop, i fell in love HEAD OVER HEELS with my camera.

2nd day of the workshop was the best. we had a field trip to Botanic Gardens. And I think I must have been like a gila woman running around taking pictures. coz now i know what the buttons on the camera meant. i control the camera. i got out of automatic mode. i tell the camera what i want. my instructor told me everyone can take pasar malam photos - photos which show you everything. but that's not what we wanna show. we wanna show what is essential. we wanna show what our eyes capture. if i see a beautiful flower, i wanna show only the flower, not the leaves, not the trees or shrubs behind the flowers.

i really really enjoyed the workshop. taking pictures isn't hard if we tell the camera what we want. the instructor was an excellent teacher. he tells a story with every topic. now, of course, i don't have the financial ability to buy a kick-ass high end camera. but that's where i wanna end up eventually. coz i know my love is right there. in photography. what my Dad started and stopped, i wanna continue. i will of course enrol myself in more workshops once i get a power gedemak camera. may Allah make it easy for me, if it's fated for me, InShaa Allah...

oh well, i can go on and on about an old love rekindled but anyway, just enjoy the pictures. i know they are nothing fantastic, what more taken with a borrowed camera hehehe... they are too basic. but i know how much i've jumped from knowing nothing to knowing certain things. enjoy the pics.

and oh, don't forget to go to johnarifin.com or his facebook page Nature@Work. awesome instructor, amazing photographer and best teacher. i'd definitely go for his classes in the future, In Shaa Allah...

Ilal Liqaa'...!!

the day i saw a motorcyclist fly...

warning: this story is not for the faint-hearted...

went to JB on Sunday. as usual, as the driver of the house, i can't say no to the parents' request. wait they merajok and then they sumpah me become tanggang how? hehehe... ok joking. actually, i love driving them around too... kalau kita tak bahagiakan mak bapak kita, sapa lagik kan?

everything was hunky dory till the drive to Angsana. I don't remember where we were but the road was slightly slow moving at that point of time. Abba was already busy becoming noisy in the car, "Kenapa road ni jam?" "Asal kerete sumer tak bergerak?" Those kind of grumblings...

AND THEN...

me and Abba saw something flying and then there was a loud thud sound. we were like, "Huh, what's that?" I thought I was seeing a garbage bag being thrown into a garbage truck scenario. But then, I saw no truck. there were only 3 cars in front of us.

i managed to inch forward a bit and i saw an mpv car on the opposite direction, stopped in the middle of the right lane. and the driver was scrambling out from his car. inched forward a bit and i saw a motorcycle on the road divider, mangled. and then i saw it. a pair of legs jutting out from the front wheels of a purple car which was two ahead of us. and the car's bonnet was dented till the headlights broke. then it dawned on me. i just saw a motorcyclist fly and heard him land on the purple's car bonnet.

i managed to move left. and waited for the light to turn green. and i turned again to look. he was still there, pinned. and then i froze. really froze. i wanted to cry. and then i heard Abba said, "Da ijau, jalan." I was so frozen, I didn't realise the light had turned green.

Along the way, Ammi passed a bottle of water to Abba to read me some verses just to settle my nerves a bit. Drank a bit of water, and I felt a little better. And then, we started to discuss what might have happened. I think the story is that - I was on a three lane road, driving on the right. On the 1st left lane, there was another two cars involved in an accident. So maybe the driver of the mpv car who was on the right lane on the opposite direction, kepo-kepo look at the accident that he didn't realise a motorcyclist was in front of him. he knocked the motorcyclist real hard. Motorbike hit divider, in fact jumped the divider. Motorcyclist flew and hit the bonnet of the purple car which was on the same lane as mine. Fell on the road and got run over and pinned under the purple car.

the whole time yesterday, the image of the flying motorcyclist was doing a repeat telecast in my mind. we reached home safely, Alhamdulillah, about Maghrib. And after doing my Maghrib prayers, i did a sujud syukur, thanking Allah for keeping us safe and protecting us from any mishaps. with tears of course.

till now, i am still thinking, what if i was faster and the motorcyclist landed on my car instead of the purple car? because the incident happened only two cars away. that close a shave. Alhamdulillah, Ya Allah.

I pray that the motorcyclist is well. Really hope his injuries are minor. So peeps, drive safe. Be alert. May Allah protect you and me from any mishaps, InshaAllah...

Ilal Liqaa'...

The 1st Week of Ramadhan...

Asssalam Peeps...

How have you been? How has Ramadhan been for you for these 7 days? I hope all goes well, InshaAllah...

My 1 week of Ramadhan has been amazing, Alhamdulillah. Well, not perfect, but lovely. Just a little downside of it, I was a little sick for the 1st three days or so. Down with lower back pain. I mean, I know I have lower back pain, and it comes on and off, as and when. But it was very bad a few days ago. I can't sit for long, can't stand for long, even lying in bed triggers pain. So to the doctor I went, got an analgesic rub and muscle relaxant pills and was advised to sleep with the legs propped up. Doc said if it doesn't get any better in a week or two, off to the physiotherapist I go. It's getting better now. And this explains this blogging opportunity. If not, I don't even want to see the laptop. Hahaha...!!

And oh yes, my first time fasting in the new workplace. Alhamdulillah, it has been good. Only thing is the timing. I can't relax kueh go here or there after finishing work. Finish work, straight I zoom home. Tak toleh kiri kanan pun. Yang penting, I wanna reach home on time for futhoor. My hobby for this Ramadhan is running after trains and buses, heh.

Lunch time is spent with Zuhur prayers and Alhamdulillah, the colleagues whom never had a chance to do their solat before I came there, now solat in my room. I don't care a damn if people nak mata merah ke hapa ke. It's our lunch time, we are allowed to do things we wanna do. And we are spending time facing the Almighty. I usually let the colleagues, 3 of them, do their solat 1st, as they have supervisors looking for them straight after their lunch time. My lunch time is a bit relaxed, so I can do my solat when they are done. Im happy the colleagues and I have our chance to do their solat and what more in this month of Ramadhan. Sayang kalau kita tak solat in Ramadhan. Sesia puasa kita. And I hope it continues after Ramadhan too, InshaAllah...

Preparations for Eid are quite done actually. We did our preparations early this time round. Got our kueh raya in Simpang Renggam Johor. Baju raya pun dah belik. So no need for the headache of thinking what to buy and where. I'd prefer spending time making the most out of Ramadhan then thinking of Eid.

1st week has gone so fast and do we wonder what have we done to make the most out of it? I only managed to open the Al-Quran for a day to read the first few pages of Surah Al-Baqarah, then I couldn't find time to read again. Must discipline myself to start reading again. The eyes seem to be very awake doing other things, but to read Al-Quran, they prefer to go into shutdown mode. Cannot cannot. Must lawan.

Come friends, let's motivate ourselves to wake up at night, do solat sunat, read up the Al-Quran, do Dzikir more this Ramadhan. Let's treat this Ramadhan as if it's our last. We won't know whether we'll meet Ramadhan again next year. So let's make the best out of it. This, I speak to myself before I speak to you. Let's do this together.

May Allah guide us to have a more amazing 2nd week of Ramadhan, InshaAllah. Barakallahu fee kum...

Ilal Liqaa'...!!

the weekend that was...

hello peeps!

long time no write. just didnt have the mood to write. office pc was so 'dinosaur-age' that i found no mojo to do anything on the pc other than work-stuff. and today, i arrive at work and VOILA, i had a new pc on my table. so now i'm pretty charged up working with a new pc.

anyway, how are things? i have quite a lot to update actually. and don't know where to start. ok i'll try, with stories over the weekend.

friday night - went out for the 1st time for dinner with colleagues. in my 13 nearly 14 years in the previous job, i didnt have colleagues, so going out with colleagues was way out of the question. i had fun though. went for Seoul Garden dinner and the 7 of us were quite a noisy bunch. Alhamdulillah for the great bonding.

saturday - woke up with the plan of going to Science Centre for the Sultan of Science Exhibition. but was a little taken aback with a phone call at 10. Nani (my maternal grandma) was admitted to the hospital for bedsores. She's a Parkinson patient and I think she lies too much on bed with no movement so that explains the bedsores.

still we went to Science Centre. watched Arabia on Omni-Max and it was an eye-pleasing show. And when the Kaaba, Makkah and Madinah were shown, tears formed in the eyes. even my male cousin admitted he had tears in his eyes. ni baru tengok kat Omni-Max screen ni, kalau tengok real depan mata? MashaAllah.

And the Sultan of Science exhibition was an eye opening experience. Many a times we were told what the 'world' wants us to know. But before Wright Brothers learnt to fly in the 20th century, Abbas ibn Firnas flew in the 9th century. Before Beethoven and Mozart came to the scene, there was Al-Farabi, the person who invented the rebec, the ancestor of the violin. Ibn Sina was the pioneer who discovered that diseases spread through water and that tubercolosis was contagious. The world knew him by the name Avicenna and thats how the word "Medicine" came about. Ibn Nafis discovered the pulmonary-heart blood circulation system. And a lot more pioneers, and they were all Muslims. MashaAllah.

we lunched at IMM and went back home. then went out again to visit Nani in NUH. on the way to NUH, came a phone call, the Nenek wants to be sent to TTSH for severe vomitting. Ya Allah. One after another. Visited Nani a while, then off to Tampines to pick Nenek up to send her to TTSH. upon reaching there, we were told Nenek has been sent in a taxi with my cousin sister. Since it was late night, and she hasn't been warded yet, we decided to head home but not before detouring to Jurong West to have our dinner at 10pm. Rats were running in the stomach already.

SUNDAY - went out early to Geylang to get stuff. We even got our Eid clothes already. Since the design and colour was readily available, I decided that we should buy it now then wait till Ramadhan, when the prices will be steeper. I'd rather be at home jihading with tarawih then be at the crowded bazaars jihading with the crowd in Ramadhan.

went to TTSH to visit Nenek after that. had lunch and went home.

by the time i reached home, the only thing i could think off was to plonk myself on the sofa and zzz... Hahaha!!

the weekend that was. Busy and exciting.

Ilal Liqaa'...!!

Elaika (Upon You) - Imam Syafi'i's last words...

Got to know of this poem recently, as told to me by my Ustazah. And I fell in love with it.


Imam Shafi`i on his death-bed was asked by Al Muzni "What is your condition?"

Then Imam Shafi' (رحمه الله) replied,

"I am journeying from this world, and departing from my brothers, drinking from the cup of death, and upon Allah, Exalted is His remembrance, arriving. And no! By Allah, I do not know if my soul is travelling towards Paradise or the Fire!"

Imam Shafi' (رحمه الله) then began to cry profusely and recited the following;

12kgs down. and not proud about it.

ola people. how are you? i think it's been ages since i last posted something here. i miss blogging.

since starting on the new job, i've got absolutely no time to do other things. because of the long hours at work, once i reach home, the only thing i wanna do is to plonk myself on the sofa and rest.

and the health hasnt been good too. for a few weeks now, i've been waking up every morning with the urge to vomit. and sometimes, yes, i do vomit. it's not a nice feeling waking up and then doing a merlion. especially when i have to run to the toilet just to do that. all the rush in the mornings are not good for me.

and then everytime i wanna eat, there's this urge to puke. so i started to detest eating. even the smell of food makes me heave a huge breath. i will still force feed myself, then as expected, everything will be expelled out. so i vomit more than i eat.

went to the doctor twice, doc says it's gastritis. got medicine, didnt help much. coz the medicine will be out before it's fully digested. it was that harrowing.

1st month, i lost 7kgs. scary right? then 2 weeks later, im down another 5kgs. i got scared of the weighing machine. i mean, i know im overweight. i still am. but it's the rate that im losing weight that was making me worried. and i miss eating.

and one fine night, i couldn't sleep. i had a toothache. terrible one. imagine, the nausea and stomach upset. and then the toothache. boleh giler dibuatnya. went to work still, and lucky for me, the workplace has dentists. asked one of the dentists to help, and he pulled one tooth for me and said that one more tooth needs a root canal treatment.

VOILA. suddenly i remembered. i read somewhere. a tooth requiring root canal treatment will cause stomach upset and nausea because of the abscess fluid. goodness me. Alhamdulillah, i found my answer. i am very sure that my nausea and stomach upset were caused by the abscess tooth.

the tooth seems a little better now, i think the extraction helped to ease the uneasiness a bit. and alhamdulillah, the appetite is back. although there are mornings that i wake up with a slight tinge of nausea, but alhamdulillah, things are looking a little better. the tooth still requires root canal treatment, but it's too costly, i think i will have to just pull it. bogeh pun bogeh lah, yang penting aku sihat, inshaAllah.

looking back, i make du'a that i will not go through that phase again. it's harrowing, wanting to eat, but wasn't able to. i will make sure i will not utter the word 'diet' again. hahaha!!

anyway, im now down 12kgs from my previous weight. nice to see the weighing scale showing me my weight now, but i wish i had done it the healthier way.

may Allah grant me and you good health always, inshaAllah, Ameen.

ilal liqaa'...!!

My Prince of Contemporary Dance.

And I must add, he looks awesome.

And the whole performance, wow, flawless!

ENJOY!!

new adventure... new journey...

finally, we are in the final 12 hours into the new journey. well, the farewell wasn't as emotional as I thought it would be. I didn't cry. There weren't tears shed. No, I didn't feel unloved. In fact, I feel so happy it went very smoothly. It was a difficult farewell, but a nice one.

Had some presents from some colleagues. Had the 1st and last lunch date with the Boss. And then I didn't get to click a picture with him. Very upsetting. But I think I will just pop by one of these days to say Hi, and click a picture. I have to. He was the one who operated on me. Saw me when I was still red out of my mum's stomach. And gave me the job. Thought me a lot of things. I appreciate a lot of what he has done for me. Personally and professionaly. That, I will NEVER forget.

and the colleagues. i can never say enough of them. well, work and professional relationships have their ups and downs, no doubt about that, but the way we've handled the communications all these while have been amazing.

this new adventure im going to embark on, it will be so much similar but at the same time, different. it will be challenging, it will be different, it will be a whole new experience. and i hope it's going to be a positive blast. i hope to be able to achieve what i've been dreaming of all these while.

may Allah guide me along the way. and may this be a good decision, InshaAllah.

ilal liqaa'...!

the little remaining days...

finally, im entering the last week into my new transition. it has been very very very hectic. i really had no idea the amount of work that i have been doing thus far is A LOT. and handing over is practically a chaotic headache.


im left with some major work before finally handing over everything and say, "I'm done." now that the news is well-spread, there are a lot of people stopping me in my tracks and asking me where i'm going. then i realise, "oh, important lah jugak aku ni. haha!!"


it's going to be an emotional farewell, no doubt, and i can confidently say, i will shed a few tears... 13 years going to 14 is a long long long time. from a nerdy 20 year old to a 34 year old, i have come a long way. from knowing nothing about the job, to knowing everything beyond my job.


the freedom i get while being on the job is the best thing about this work. i don't think that will be something i get to enjoy in my new endevour. but well, when one makes changes, he/she has to accept the consequences that comes along.


i will miss everyone. they and the place has made me the person i am now. and this final week will be very tough for me as i will need to swallow the lump in my throat and trying hard not to cry when i say goodbye.


may the final goodbye be sweet and may my new adventure be a blast. inshaAllah.


ilal liqaa'...!!

no title... just ramblings...

The easiest way not to get hurt, is to not care... But that is the hardest thing to do...

so...

Ya Allah, awasilah langkahku. Agar tidak sering terpijak mereka yang berjiwa kecil.

Apatah lagi jika yang berjiwa kecil itu mempunyai makna yang besar dalam hidupku.

Because I know what hurt is, so I wouldnt want them to be hurt by my words.

Sedna Elnabi - Maulidur Rasul Song

Allahumma Salli Ala Saiyidina Muhammad Wa Ala Alihi Saiyidina Muhammad SAW...

Adi Putra in Don 2

His 45 seconds appearance alongside Shahrukh Khan...

;)

Rindu Wave...

My Ombak Rindu DVD - autographed by the man himself - AARON AZIZ.

*smile big big*

Pakistani? Nah, Im something else actually...

Chanced upon this post in my Multiply account and didn't want to lose it. Hehehe... So here goes, the copied version.

Ok as my title goes, some of you have already known that in my IC, my race is specified as Pakistani.

But as I grew up and got wiser, hehehe, I found out from the dad that actually our lineage came from Bangladesh. Both my paternal and maternal grand-dads were Banglas. Mula2 macam tak percaya gitu… Yelah, sapa nak mengaku diri ni Bangla mwahahaha…!!! But I was interested to know more.

So the story goes. India and Pakistan were one big country. They separated and Pakistan became an independent country in 1947. And Pakistan consisted of two geographically separate regions, West Pakistan – where Urdu is their main language and East Pakistan – where Bengali was their main language. Both my grand-dads were from East Pakistan and they spoke Bengali, the same language spoken by our foreign Bangla workers.

West Pakistan and East Pakistan separated in 1971. West Pakistan became Pakistan and East Pakistan became Bangladesh. So when I was born, the country my grand-dads came from was already called Bangladesh. But true, during those times, people don’t hear about Bangladesh much. Since the ICs of my mum and dad still bear the race Pakistani, me and my sisters had to follow suit.

I never met my grand-dads, it would have been a great thing if they are alive now. I would have gotten a lot of stories from them. I love history by the way. But from what little stories I got from both my grand-mums, its confirmed that the grand-dads came from Bangladesh and they spoke Bengali. In fact, my paternal grand-ma – who is a Singaporean Malay-Chinese mixed – even lived in Bangladesh for a few years. And my dad was born there.

Sidenote: Bengali is not Sikh by the way. We always have this misconception that Bengali are Sikhs. Nope, Bengali are Bengalis and they speak Bengali and Sikhs are Sikhs and they speak Punjabi.


Now knowing I have roots in Bangladesh, how wonderful would it have been if both my grand-dads were alive. That means I have relatives in Bangladesh. My grand-dads sure had siblings. And the siblings sure had children. And the children sure had their own children. Means I might have uncles and aunties, cuzzins, nieces and nephews or who knows, even grandchildren hehehe…!! My mum told me before that she was nearly married off to one of her second-cuzzins in Bangladesh! Hehehe...!!!

Its such a pity, I have nowhere to start from. If there is a little hope of me finding relatives in Bangladesh, I would have done it. Maybe go through the net (although Im quite sure its very hard, coz Bangladesh is still a developing country). Or even when I get in touch with a relative there, who knows, I might just go over and meet them hehehe…!!!

But language will be a problem. I speak Hindi coz like I said, I grew up thinking Im Pakistani. So I was more interested in learning and speaking Hindi coz Urdu and Hindi are similar in a lot of ways.. And my maternal grand-ma race is specified as Hindi in her IC. Kalao lah aku tahu Im Bangladeshi right from young, I might have just learnt Bengali hehehe…!!

So, there’s very little chance that I might get in touch with relatives over there. How wonderful would it be if a miracle happened and just by the touch of destiny (and Allah’s will), I might just fulfil this dream of mine – of meeting relatives in Bangladesh.
*still hoping*

And yes, you all can call me a Bangla coz I am one mwahahahahaha…!!!

sneak peak...

for you peeps... Coming up real soon. Hope to be a real tearjerker of a novel... ;)

Nurul Ayuni.  Ada sesuatu dibalik renungan matanya. Kesedihan, kelayuan, kemuraman, kekurangan. Dipandang sekilas mungkin tidak kelihatan. Disembunyikkan segalanya dengan senyumannya. Dihijabkan segalanya dengan keikhlasannya. Ditutupkan segalanya dengan kebaikkannya. Itu membuat Ayuni sungguh sempurna.

Ahmad Rizal. Kehilangan arah. Mencari-cari jalan pulang. Menggapai sesuatu yang rapuh, namun gagal berkali-kali. Datang Ayuni dengan keikhlasannya, senyumannya, kebaikkannya. Dan dimata Rizal, Ayuni sempurna.

Ayuni, Rizal tidak minta apa-apa. Hanya satu, biarlah tangan Ayuni yang memimpin Rizal menuju ke jalan pulang. Rizal, Ayuni tidak meminta apa-apa. Hanya satu, biarlah dimata Rizal, Ayuni sempurna.

3/4 of it is ready. Searching for an ending now. Hope the 'ilham' comes real fast. Hee...!!

best day ever...

Tak kisah lah.

Korang nak meluat ke, nak muntah ke, nak cekik aku ke, pasal aku over sangat...

Ada aku kisah...?

Yang penting, Adi Putra kotakan janji dia, when he says he will follow his fans who follow him... He followed me starting today 19-1-2012. Even if he doesn't read my twits, yang penting, this notification is already on my profile.

Korang ada?

Hehehehe...!!!

Ilal liqaa'...!!

the heart melted today...

in quite a severe way, I would say.

all these years, while working with babies who were born with the same abnormility that I was born with, had made me immuned to the cries, the screams and the struggles whenever a drip is to be inserted into the little tiny hands or legs. i was always made the foster mother, the one who will carry the babies into the operation theatre, as the babies are quite silent when i carry them in. i dont know, maybe the emotional bonding. and also, the parents feel a bit secured seeing me there, carrrying their little souls and assuring them that i am there for the babies.

my arms will usually be the solace the babies could have when they are going through the painful experience of maybe having the gas over them or the needle into them. and all these years, i've managed to build a wall around my emotions so as not to cry or feel sorry for the baby at the crucial moment of incubating.

today a baby came in. i saw the parents and they were happy to see me. carried the baby in and assured the parents that all is going to be well. baby was sleeping all the way to the operation theatre. then she opened up her big eyes, and suddenly i got reminded of the nephew. same eyes, only different colour. and then the occasional smile... ah... lovely...

then the needle was inserted. baby cried, a harrowing cry. and suddenly, there was this huge urge in me to burst into tears also. there i was, trying to calm the baby down and at the same time, trying to keep my emotions in check. it was a DIFFICULT moment. i was only thinking about the nephew. same age, same hair, same eyes. not that i was hoping the nephew to go through such a thing, naudzubillah, but it was all that was running in the mind.

lucky thing baby slept fast enough. i had to walk out of the theatre for a while to calm my nerves. i guess having a baby in the house, just reignited the motherly instincts. it felt exactly like it felt 13 years ago when i first saw a baby being brought into the operation theatre.

the wall had crumble. i need to build up a new wall. i need to convince the heart and mind that this is work. this is what will make the babies lead a more beautiful life. i need to start being strong back again.

haisshhhh... dah lembut hati aku ni... baby nangis, aku pun nak nangis. hehehe...!!

ilal liqaa'...!!