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Showing posts from August, 2012

Birthday Bash(es) On Eid-ul-Fitr

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Salam. My birthday this year fell on the 2nd day of Syawal. As early as 10pm on the 1st day of Syawal at my in-laws' I was surprised with a Baskin Robbin Ice-Cream Cake. I couldn't upload any pictures due to aurat issues. ^_^ Then on the day itself we headed to mom's village in Temerloh for the family's tradition; i.e. gathering at cemeteries of our ancestors.  We decided to hold a closed session of birthday bash among the nearest relatives after Maghrib, sponsored by dearest hubby. Well, he "cut the Q" to pay, actually. I was the one who suggested and prepared to bear all the cost in the first place. May Allah Bless him.  I didn't even bother to change my outfit even after taking my shower. Very comfortable saree, apparently. The outfit was from the last Eid, which had never been worn until that day. The rest of the family was on their nighties, I'd say. ^_^ My soon to be groom brother, Mie prepared us his signature dishes ~ Mee Rebus &...

Best Friends Forever ~ Eid Reunion

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 Salam. This Eid I had the chance to meet three of my best buddies in Terengganu. Alhamdulillah. Of course I wish I had ample time to meet them all but what to do.. Everyone of us had our own schedules that made it impossible. Not impromptu kinda way. 3rd Syawal was the time with D in Dungun. Felt like going home away from home. I used to stay with D's family most weekends back in high school, when my family was in the UK. Really happy to know that she's been promoted as the Regional Manager for the East Coast at her workplace. Proud to death myself. Things would have been sweeter if mom had come along. She would've been thrilled to catch up things with D's parents. I hope next year the chance would still be there for each of us to treasure. 4th Syawal I got to meet Za in Kuala Terengganu. Brief but meaningful. Even though both of us stay in KL, we could hardly see each other. Always busy with loads of things in our own separate...

Orange Eid Morning

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Salam. Now that I'm a bit settled down here in Kuala Lumpur, it's time to upload Eid photos. Let's begin with the 1st Syawal.  I was so bored to think of Eid outfits this year, couldn't believe it myself. So I decided to buy extra meters of the orange fabrics for my hubby's and son's Baju Melayu. I asked my tailor to make me a Jubah Dress (abaya) with embroideries. It turned out alright. Alhamdulillah.  I guess next time around I'd just do the same, i.e. getting extra meters of fabrics for Baju Melayu to make my own Eid outfit. At least I don't have to fret about finding any matching color with my nuclear family. That's all, guys. Can't write much, supposed to be in bed-rest after my major abdomen operation. Say your prayers for me, ya.. Thanks for being with me, love you for that. Until next time, sayonara. Much love, TPJ.

Back To Wi-Fi-less & Broadband-less

Salam. This is a quick post from me, after a week of absence. Or was it less than that? Heck, seems like eternity. Especially when there's no Wi-fi or where the Broadband is either of no use or helplessly hopeless. Life without internet is so freakin' boring. Thank God I still can make use of my smart-phone. Thank God I've subsribed to Celcom Broadband Plan. At least when I've gotta lucky and the line is considerably good, I can still log in my FB. But tonite I tried to go outside of my in-laws' house and the line has somewhat been awesome. Never mind the mosquitoes or the fact that I'm writing under the moonlight. So long as I can post this thing, I'm more than happy! How's your Eid so far? Malaysians celebrate Eid-ul-Fitri one whole month of Syawal, mind you. I'll only start working next Monday, like most of peeps here. Meantime, gotta linger some more here and there. Hope you guys are doing alright. Thanks for being with me...

May We Meet Again, Dear Ramadan

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Salam. The end is near. Heart-breaking farewell to Ramadan. Alhamdulillah, we've been given the opportunity still to taste its sweetness.  The bitterness of good-bye is somewhat unavoidable. There's an end to everything. This amazing and emotional du'a is dedicated to all brothers and sisters in Islam out there. I cried my heart out when I saw this. Ameen to every single word of the du'a. Ameen. Ameen. Ameen Ya Rabbal 'Alameen. That's all, folks. Thanks for being with me, love you for that. Eid Mubarak.  كل عام وانتم بخير  - Kullu 'Aam Wa Antum Bi Khair.  (May You Be Well Throughout The Year) Until next time, Sayonara. Much Love, TPJ.

Fighting Demons in Ramadan ~ A Boy's Perspective

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Salam. I wanna share with you my 8 year old son's Ramadan Chart, as he called it. I saw the chart on the 25th Ramadan, when I woke up from a brief nap after work. He started counting the days for Eid-ul-Fitr since Day One. But only last week he revealed that he had made a calendar and crossed every end of the day that he managed to fast.   Then he said, with his tired smile right into my eyes: "Dah dekat raya, Mummy. Hebat tak Ajieq lawan Syaitan?" (Almost Eid, Mummy. Haven't I been strong fighting Syaitan?) That left me speechless. I juz nodded and hugged him ever so tightly. Yes, he's been so strong fighting demons within his tender self during Ramadan. Then he started to notice how he had missed numbers 27 and 28 in the chart.  Never mind, I said. It doesn't even matter. And I told him how proud I was of him, how strong he'd been day in and day out this Ramadan. That was him showing his 'muscle'. Ever so confidentl...

Commercializing Black Hijab of An Abaya

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Salam. It's 27th night of Ramadan. How time flies. Most peeps have already been in festive mood from last Monday. Anyways, today I'm gonna write about those complimentary plain black hijabs that come together with black abayas. The ones that most of us keep in the drawers or chests or the like without even wearing them. Yeah, that ones.  I have asked my neighbour-tailor to come up with sort of "Dubai Hijab" but longer version. And I almost leaped when I saw the outcomes. Loved them Big Time...! I loved everything about them. Now I've multiplied the reasons to appear 'mysterious' in black hijabs like I forever did in the university years. Owh, those good old days...! I wore one of them (oh yes, I've got a number of them ~ done & on-the-way) yesterday. By the way, the above picture was taken with our popular nasyeed group, Rabbani at Singgahsana Hotel, Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Rabbani has been performing there ...

Creme Brulee and A Cup of Earl Grey, Please

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Salam. Do you love puddings? I do. What about creme brulee , then? It doesn't belong to the sisterhood of puddings, yes true. But I'd like to regard it as such, still. ^_^ The first time I've ever heard of it was when I watched Julia Robert's movie "My Best Friend's Wedding" quite some time ago. Hurmm... So much of a description, right?  But it took me more than a decade afterwards to actually taste it. Guess I've always been a "Jello-Person" anyway. Gotta know where I belong, eh?  My 1st ever creme brulee was from Deedee's cozy Coffee-House nearby my office. Home-made by Deedee herself. Da Bomb to the max, I tell you. Can't wait to help myself there after Eid holiday. But what greeted me at Shangri-La KL last few nights was a total different version altogether. Never in a million years I'd be able to finish the whole darn plate. Not even a quarter of it, in fact. The banana went well with the e...

Via Aisyah Scarf to TPJ, Lovely Sue

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Salam. Last month a parcel arrived at my office rather mysteriously. I unwrapped the parcel and opened the green rectangle box. There it was, an exquisite two-tone yellow shawl staring back at me. Ever so lovely. Then I remembered an SMS from Cikgu Su of Sue's Lovely Hand when I was still in Sydney, asking me if there was any parcel received. When every hectic assignment had been taken care of, I asked her via whatsapp . And yes, it was from her. *Big Hugs*  What a wonderful thing to do, really. I felt quite embarrassed actually, for the belt that I'd sent her earlier was nothing as compared to the beautiful shawl that she gave me in return. I loved it so very much. Wore it once, about two hours or so before deciding to keep it and wear it later for Eid-ul-Fitri. Then I started to view Aisyah Scarf online, with a view of dropping by at its doorstep 'manually' soon. So finally last week I went to Aisyah Scarf's showroom in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman....

Good Deeds Are Here To Stay

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Salam. The real fortune that my late dad left us was his knowledge. And his passion for it was evident in the house he loved so dearly. All he ever did and talked and breathed was always knowledge related. Like, I began to listen to politics when I was 12 years old. Yeah, he chose to talk about politics with his young daughter over goreng pisang and kopi o .  He cherished each and every magazine and book that he owned. I could still remember exactly his expression whenever he had books on his hands. Or whenever he was in any bookstore. He could spend the whole day long reading or researching or merely flipping over the pages of his Book of the Day. And he was always a proud father whenever his children graduated. That made his dreams come true. And we were happy to see him smile. With mom right by his side. Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) as saying: When a man dies, his acts come to an end, but three, recurri...

Favorite Things On Eid-ul-Fitri

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Salam. Eid is just around the corner and I can't get any busier, it seems. Juggling in between jobs and the preparation for my brother's upcoming wedding. Guess what? Last few days I was really 'dumbstruck' when my PMS decided to pop out at 6pm, an hour and a half before the iftar. Aduhai....! And it really struck me to think that I was 6 juzuk away to finish the Qur'an. Now I hope I'd do triple quadruple whatever it takes to finish on time once I'm back on my prayer mat.   Anyways, let's check out the list of my favorite things for and/or on Eid-ul-Fitri. Here goes: -I- Favorite Eid Song HALAMAN ASMARA by Awie & Ziana Zain. Never fails to make me smile. -II- Favorite Eid Meal NASI DAGANG . Of course Terengganu version. Would have to observe my waist line each time! -III- Favorite Eid Biscuit TART NENAS GULUNG . Used to do this at home. Loads of good ones in the market nowadays, better off buying.. -...

Halal Steakhouse & Ribs in Sydney

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Salam. It gets most peeps to be away from home to appreciate the luxuries of Halal F&B Malaysia has to offer. And to 'suffer' the irony of not being able to eat Western food in the Western countries? It's in a lesser degree of missing simple but awesome Nasi Lemak back home. But it could get nastier if you stay in the West more than a week. Not having Nasi Lemak is one thing, but can't get hold of Western food at the same time is one heck of another thing altogether. So when there's a steakhouse that serves halal F&B in the soil of the Kangaroos, we were ready to hit the road anytime at all. Even if it means FOUR straight hours in the van, we didn't mind a bit.  The Volcano's Steakhouse & Ribs was highly recommended by  our guides, Mus & Yun, and we couldn't agree more. The journey to Bankstown, New South Wales was worth every single mile.  The Menu is of 3 divisions, i.e. Main , Dessert & BodyBuilders . But j...

Formal Wear: Boredom Undone

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Salam. Imagine if you've gotta wear monochrome color(s) most of the time. That spells disaster to me. That to a point, mere thinking of putting on the 'uniform' itself would make me wanna puke. Literally, yeah. So, just gotta undo the feeling of boredom. That's the way it should be. Like, black and white are appealing to many, true. But if you've gotta wear those two basic colors from 8 o'clock in the morning right up to 6 o'clock in the evening, about 5 days a week IN A ROW?  Phew....!  See what I mean?  So, what else could you do other than style your hijab as per your daily mood? Or, rather have it worn in such a way that would ease your mood, more likely. At least that's what it means to me.  Sometimes how about not trying to be safe? Be a bit different, how does that sound to you? Be yourself still, of course. But a different you. How about that? So long as you're comfortable walking in the crowd, to begin with...

An Evening In Renaissance KL

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Salam. Yesterday we went for a wonderful iftar in the Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. The booking was efficiently done by my lovely friend, Grace of Putrajaya Marriot. True to her word, the food in the Temptations Coffee House was tremendously and sinfully delicious. Most of us took a few bites and went to pray Maghrib at the 2nd Floor before swarming all over the food stalls. Getting ready for azan, which was half an hour to go, actually then. I didn't take any up-close and personal pictures of the food, though. Been enjoying my iftar so very much, apparently. What more with the live (semi-final) badminton match between our Dato' Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long of China ongoing. The boys were focusing on the match, before approaching the TV and standing to watch nearer. And yeah, Malaysia's through to Badminton's Final in London Olympics 2012. I really hope Lee Chong Wei would be at his level best to face his traditional foe, Lin Dan of China. We...