Showing posts with label comfort. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comfort. Show all posts

Thursday, March 3, 2016

of faith and food


After a longggg usrah hiatus, yesterday we were all united again talking about the 4 women who were promised Jannah. I'm not gonna go over them but just gonna share the lessons that I've learned. We have only started with Asiah, Firaun's wife,yesterday so here goes : 

That we will be tested with what we love most and the most dear to us. 
Say if we love our wealth a little bit too much, Allah will test us with our wealth, maybe lost of wealth or tested with abundance of wealth but we won't be thankful for it. Firaun was tested with his wealth. 

That Allah's protection is much more than a mother's protection. 
When Allah gave revelation for Prophet Musa to be placed in a basket and put into a river, Musa's mother confidently let him go into the river with tawakal and full faith that Musa will be in good hands. 

That what can block you from seeing the truth is arrogance. 
When Prophet Musa was born, he was blessed by Allah in a way that if anyone who looks at him, their hearts will be filled with love. Even the midwife who helped deliver Musa (and at the same time is also Firaun's 'spy') fell in love with the bundle of love and did not report his birth to Firaun. But Firaun didn't have any love for Musa at all because of his arrogance.

That we should continue learning our deen even if our spouses are not doing the same.
Nowadays, usually it is the women who go to majlis ilmu or majlis agama. The number of men most of the time doesn't even reach half of the female audience, so some wives are actually complaining that it is them who are always on their feet trying to better themselves whilst their husband prefer to stay at home. However, Allah shows that Asiah has a tyrant husband but she never complains.

That it is easy to associate a person with what is shown on social media.
Don't judge anyone outwardly. Don't have opinion on anything. She might be hiding her faith in her heart.

And the one I love the most is this one.

That you can be strong with Allah despite whatever that you go through.
When my naqibah (the sister who leads the usrah) was in Yemen, she had to wear the niqab because that is what everyone is wearing. But when she wears the niqab, it feels as if she is alone with Allah, that she can freely do zikir whenever and wherever she wants because her face is covered, so people won't say she is crazy per se for talking or chanting to herself. And even if she smirks or do all kinds of facial expressions, others won't be able to see it so it is sort of an escapism from things that can bring trouble to her. She will only need to answer to Allah. I was like wow, I never thought of it that way. But it doesn't mean that I'm gonna wear just the same okay? Not yet, long way to go. Not sure if I can even go there :P

The end :)

I had an off day today and decided to go and try out that Cronut from Dotty's that everyone is raving about in Instagram. Go search! Hehe. I dragged my partner-in-crime along, my bestfriend, Mimi.


Here you go. 
This Salted Egg Yolk Cronut is priced at RM11 per piece and I kid you not, for that price, it is so worth it! The layers of crispiness and the mix of sweet and salty filling is just to-die-for. 
You must try this as soon as possible.


I had this lamb stew which was recommended by the very helpful waiter. Not too bad although I think they could use a little bit more flavour to add to it. I meant the lamb stew, not the waiter. Hehe

The shop is located in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) at Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 2. Same row with Mcdonald's. 

After that, we had a quick stop at Paradigm Mall to fix my phone. I couldn't send out emails from my phone until it is finally fixed today. Hooray! Had to do it from my laptop every time. After getting it fixed, I had to send my date home a little bit earlier because she had an emergency. 

Going to be on an early flight tomorrow and I have not packed my bags yet. Until I see you on my next post, take care :)





Thursday, January 21, 2016

i decided this should be documented..hehe


While waiting for the lift at the office yesterday, an ex-colleague whom I haven't seen in 3 years (despite working in the same building!) said, "Hey Amy. I think you lost a lot of weight la. What happened?"

Coming from this blunt person and from someone who does not give compliments much, is like a WOW to me. 

So I said, " Are you sure it is not because of the tudung?" (I haven't started donning my hijab then)

"No,no, no.. you memang lost a lot of weight. What did you do?"

I grinned. LOL. Give me some credit la guys. 

Anways, the lift came and before stepping in, I said, "Thanks! You made my day!"

That was exactly it. The compliment did make my day after some stressful weeks at work.

Gonna have a retreat to my own little lovely sanctuary tomorrow. 

Have a good week!

Thursday, January 30, 2014

happy news


Ikan di laut, asam di darat.
Dalam kuali bertemu jua.

Ever heard of that idiom?

Just now a colleague relayed a story of a friend who just tied the knot last week. I dengar their love story hati pun terus berbunga-bunga. Haha.. 

Last November, Linda, went to Armsterdam on one of her travel quest. Linda is one of those carefree I-just-wanna-spend-my-life-travelling-not-getting-married-yet kinda girl. When she got back, her friends tried to play cupid, match-making her with a Malay guy who, by their standards, is pretty decent, duaniawi and akhirat. Linda wasn't interested at first because firstly she was dating a mat salleh at that time. After much persuasion, she finally gave in, after doing istikarah etc. They dated a while, got engaged, just had their akad nikah last week and gonna do their reception this weekend.

I mean, this is Linda, who couldn't care less about having a wedding, let alone starting a family! And it all happened within a period of 3 months, masyaAllah. Kalau dah jodoh, they say ;)

I love their story because I think I can relate to Linda being carefree and not wanting to settle down that fast, and look at where she is now. Allah has given her someone who can guide her to Jannah. Betul lah, perempuan yang baik untuk lelaki yang baik :)

Couldn't help thinking am I baik enough already? How baik should I be? Or, have I ended up like this (still single) because of what I have done in the past? If so, what about those who are worse than I am? 

I know I shouldn't be thinking that at all. I am no angel, and definitely not better than another hamba Allah. I shouldn't judge as the rightful judge is Him, only Him. Hati lain-lain kan, only He knows what is in our hearts. 

In addition to this good news, I just found out that one of my ex is getting married in July. This is the ex from a couple of years ago, not the recent one. LOL. The only ex I've managed to stay friends with :) I am happy for him. I know he will make a great husband, and an even better father :) Looks like things are falling into place, alhamdulillah :') After all, He is the best of planners.

2014 so far has been good, and it's only January :) I know I'm a changed person now, and while some may not like how I am now, this is the path I choose to be.

I recently stumbled upon a word, husnuzon. It means having good thoughts of people and of His plans. 

InsyaAllah.

Good night, have a pleasant sleep :)


Saturday, October 5, 2013

birds of a feather


I just realised a thing or two about friendship. 

That is, to maintain a good friendship, you need to see the best in each other, accept each others's weaknesses, and most importantly, support each other's passion, even if it's not really your kind of thing. 


I think I've been mentioning a lot about my girlfriends, in general, in some of my posts. They are incredible, I don't have the exact words to describe each and every one of them. My girlfriends come from various backgrounds, and some of them don't even have the same interests as I do, but we just clicked! One kinda funny statement I received from one girlfriend about another is "You both are so different from each other, I don't know how you guys can get along so well!"  LOL. 

I know what that 'different' meant. You see, in comparison to this particular girlfriend, let's call her 'A', I'm the quieter one, more lets-just-sit down-and-see-what-happens-next kinda girl. On the other hand, A is more vocal in expressing dissatisfaction or anger, and erm, a bit sarcastic sometimes, haha. I don't perceive that as a bad thing at all. I have my own vocal and sarcastic moments too, actually. It's just that they have mellowed down a bit these days. But yes, we have very different attitudes. But one thing that makes us the best of friends is that we respect each other in terms of who we are and what we love (and don't love). 

I guess she knows that I'm a sensitive girl and I don't like people telling me off harshly. I will definitely rebel. So if I make mistakes, or if she wants to advise me on something, she would use words that are pleasant and not make me feel bad about it. Do you see that? I mean, she's a vocal person, but she tones down just so I can see where I have been making mistakes. And although I don't really fancy visiting (as in during festive seasons), I'd accompany her to visit her friends, vice versa. And she, accompanies me for weddings.  I mean, there's food, come on :)  


Now, that's just one girlfriend. The rest of them are equally amazing in their own ways :)

I think those are really the keys to a good friendship. I pray for my girlfriends to be granted with righteous spouses who will guide them to Jannah and lovely babies who will grow up with good faith. I love my girlfriends so very much. They are my gem ;)  


                                                                                                                                              



       


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

mushy



I think I'm a sucker for anything remotely romantic. 

I love being relaxed and at ease. I love calm things, or environment. Like the beach. Sunsets, sunrise. Listening to slow songs, like R&B, or anything Yuna, or anything mellow but good. At times I love listening to Silverchair 'cos I think they are hauntingly beautiful. I mean, their lyrics, heh. I love romantic comedies, or any romantic films. I am soft at heart, but I'm still an awesome fighter ;)

Of late, I discovered a lot of things about myself that I hadn't known. And I love that. I think being at peace makes me see things clearer especially on how I feel about myself.  

They say the best relationship is the one you have with yourself. That is absolutely right. I'm enjoying this phase of my life. Meeting new people, rekindling with old passion, finding new ones, debating with inner fear, confronting issues within myself and with other people, yada yada. 

I read, urm, more now. I think that's good. I need to improve on my vocabs (!) anyways. 

And man, the people I meet. Sometimes I think these people are rezeki of some sort :)

Feelings. 

I gotta say that sometimes I do miss being in a relationship, you know, fall in love etc. I know it's an amazing feeling to have and experience :)  It's just that I'm thinking now, ah, nanti-nantilah. Now I just want to have some time to myself, my God, my family and friends, my goals in life. Let the love thing datang sendiri. Ahaks. 

Mushy mood we are in now, aren't we?

Take care people! Love you guys loads. 


Wednesday, August 21, 2013

feed your heart with good things


If only we are able to instantly differentiate decisions on whether they are for worldly pleasures or to seek for Paradise, wouldn't it be nice?

Nah, it would be too easy. Not challenging enough kan? The dunya itself is a test, and guess what, the hardest challenge that you have to face is to overcome the evil inside of you. Yes, it is part of us, unfortunately. 

Which is why we need to always feed our hearts with good things, be it doa (prayers), Qur'an recitation, zikir, knowledge, having good intention or even the basic of it all, having a good heart. Just recently I read an article by Imam Khalid Latif in Huffington Post, talking about the condition of our hearts. Personally I love the article. You can read it here.  Our faith tends to wear out just like our clothes do (okay, I got this from reading it somewhere), that is why we need to keep on increasing them by ways above. 

The things that has happened to me these few months, the bad and the good, have taught me immensely on the things that matters most on this planet. That is, everything that you do, is for the sake of Allah. Have it any other way, you are bound to lose them (as in the things you fought so hard for) and you are bound to lose yourself. That is pretty bad, if you ask me. 

I have sinned a lot, an awful lot. And I still have a lot to learn, to absorb, to discover, to do.

I parted with my ex-boyfriend on good terms, but I've decided that it wouldn't do me any good to still be in contact with him. I know that he still loves me when we took the decision to break up, but when a man starts to have doubts about your future when he is faced with choices that only benefits him in the dunya, that's when you know that you need to move on. Taking some wise words I've learnt along the way, keep close to you those who remind you of Allah. So the very spot on. 

Honestly, I'm not so sure if I have forgiven him. It takes time, really, I guess. But I know I am in a better place without him. I know he used to read my blog but I don't know if he still does (you know with the 'added value' in his life, and everything). 

Dear men (and women), never take on what you cannot defend. 
That line itself is for you to ponder upon and decide with if you think whatever you're going to do is worth it in the long run.

I'm writing this for a dear girlfriend of mine who is currently facing what I used to face. It's hard, I know. Just put your trust in Allah, everything will be fine. The moment we understand that Allah's decision is always in our best interest, everything will start to make sense.

Paolo Coelho said in his book 'The Alchemist' (which I have not completed yet), 
'The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.'
which to me basically translates as, you can search all the wonders of the world, marvel at them, be excited about them and such, but never forget your true intention in this dunya.

Girlfriend, I love you lots. I know I've said it a hundred times over :)



"Make yourself better and time will fix everything else
Patrick Harris Neil 







Thursday, August 1, 2013

mak's birthday





Read this article earlier today regarding the love between the Prophet Muhammad and his wife, Khadija, and I absolutely love the above paragraph especially the part where the writer said that 'the better will be the person Allah chooses to complement you.'  

:')

But anyways, I'm not gonna talk about relationships (again) yada yada. I'm going to talk about my mum!

It's her birthday today! Technically, another half an hour for her day to end but it's hokay. Confession, I wasn't the type of daughter who's close to her mum since young. So no make up lessons, no fashion tips, no relationship advice, no massive cooking lessons etc. I guess it's because I live in a household of mostly boys, so it took a while for me to digest those things. Late bloomer I guess :) But I do know that I was a crybaby (confession #2, still am), super duper sensitive I tell you. Probably because I'm a Pisces (?), heh. 

When I left home for my tertiary studies in Penang, I notice that Mak changed a bit. I mean, she'll talk about womanly things with me, hugged me more often, especially when I was about to leave the family at the airport after my semester breaks. Absence make the hearts fonder, they say? Heh. It took quite a while to get used to, actually. I never confide in my mum on my relationship ups and downs, not until these few years. I don't know why. Nowadays, we call each other on the phone nearly every day :)

It's magical the bond that daughters have with their moms, really. Which is why I wish that my first newborn will be a girl. But of course, I take whatever rezeki as they come la. Hee. 

So Mak, HAPPY 50++ BIRTHDAY!
Love you lots. 






Monday, July 15, 2013

wanderlust

Travelling has always been my passion. I guess it stems from the fact that Papa has brought us kids along to his business trips when we were younger.

That's the first brother and myself at Muzium Negara

Yeah, I can be a bit cheeky at times

Genting Highlands

A friend of a friend recently pointed out her opinion that all this travelling is just a waste of money. I respect that she feels that way because I understand that some would rather spend that money on tangible things that they can sort of see and invest on for their later years in life. I guess I'm quite lucky in a sense that most of my friends are who I may call, wanderers, except that in this context they actually know where they're heading to. 

Growing up, I used to shoot a lot of questions to my dad. Curious child, that's me. Why this, why that, Pa? So, travelling pretty much is the perfect avenue for me to curb that fixation. I have this fascination with sights, cultures, architecture (!), colours, lifestyle and people. 

Singapore 
June 2010

Travelling makes me appreciate life back at home. Half of the places I've been to so far are of the third world countries. Why third world countries? You see, I LOVE great architecture, especially those which depicts the culture of the people who used to live in a certain location. Asia is the 2nd location to have the most UNESCO heritage sites, which are mostly located in third world countries, like Cambodia. 

Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
September 2012

"A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place (such as a forest, mountain, lake, island, desertmonument, building, complex, or city) that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance.[1] The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 states parties[2] which are elected by their General Assembly.[3]
The programme: catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity. Under certain conditions, listed sites can obtain funds from the World Heritage Fund." 
Credits to Wikipedia

Prambanan temple, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
April, 2013 

Es campur
A mixture of veggies and fruits. Not so bad, I suppose :D

 Borobudur temple, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

To get to know the different lifestyles and habits of the people in different parts of the world, that's so precious to me. The money-can't-buy experience. There's always something new to discover. Sometimes to take it all in at a go is just too much. I remember the first time I stepped onto the stoned walkways leading to Angkor Wat. The feeling was surreal, it's like having your dream presented to you right then and there. The same feeling I had when I stepped onto Disneyland.


Angkor Wat info : 
Angkor Wat is surrounded by a huge, calm lake, which makes it even more magical than it already is. Honestly, if it wasn't for the unbelievably hot weather, I would actually consider taking my wedding photos here. Breathtakingly beautiful. That was my exact description of it. 

St Paul ruins, Melaka 
2012

  One aspect which contributes to a great travelling experience, is of course, your travelling buddies. I've had my fair share of good and bad experiences having to travel with different companions. That is why I choose my travelling partner(s) very carefully. This is an essential, seriously. You don't want to ruin your holiday plans with someone who complains all the time, do you? I have a friend who started complaining from the moment she is seated on the plane right until the vacation is over. Yes, I am dead serious, and there were only the 2 of us at the time for that travel. Never again *phew* 

 Redang Island, Kuala Terengganu
April 2013

 Universal Studios, Singapore
March 2011 

Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan
April 2012

Ostrich eggs :)
We were told that the bigger an animal's egg is, the less cholesterol they have.

 Hard Rock Hotel, Penang
November 2012 

Local pickled fruits (?) or locally we call them as 'jeruk'

Language, of course, is the common barrier for travelling if you go to a non-English speaking country. I learnt to say a few words in Cantonese during my stay in Hong Kong. Common words like, "Good morning.", "Where is the toilet?", "How to get to ____?" etc. So essentially, ensure that you do enough research before embarking on your journey. 

Mong Kok
Hong Kong 2010



My very first decent meal after a month plus of staying in Hong Kong. For this, we had to go take nearly an hour journey by MRT and bus to get to Soho. And the name of the cafe is, get this, Warung Malang. A small, quaint Indonesian eatery in the middle of the huge, bustling city. 

Getting halal food in this part of the world is hard. I remember having to secretly get some Pakistani food in a small apartment-turned-illegal-eatery on a 1st floor of a shophouse. I know it's illegal because we were practically ushered into the lift like one of those people who wants to join a gamble someplace no one knows. Kind of funny when I recall the things we had to do back then. Hee. 

Ding-ding
Hong Kong's very own tram which runs on tracks. Goes anywhere for $2

No matter how far you go, how many place you've seen or how many new people you meet, as cliche as it may sound, you will never get the hospitality and comfort that you have here, at home. That's something to appreciate about. You'll always miss that nasi lemak, char kuey tiaw, roti kosong, everything Malaysian. 

I miss travelling all the time, but nothing beats the moment when you're in a home bound flight and the pilot announces "Welcome home, Malaysians" 

wanderlust : a crave for travel


Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Photos from last weekend

A few snapshots from last weekend date :)




Brunch at Madam Kwan's, Pavillion
Nasi lemak and teh tarik. Ooomph! Have not had their nasi lemak for ages!


My dessert, sago gula melaka. Sodap!

Another sweet treat from 'Delectable'. It's a cake called '7 sins'. Sounds sinful isn't it? *lol* Made from 7 layers of chocolates. 

Good packaging eh?

But if fooled me! Did not taste as good as it looks, but anyhoo.. 

Those are about the only photos I took. Sedap kannn? Ciaoo!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

The week we went to Victoria Peak

The souvenir I bought from Ocean Park - there's an Ocean Park name stitched on it's bottom


Victoria Peak, freakin' cold. Brrr!

See how cold it is?

First and foremost, to Madame Tussauds!


Di'papparazikan'


Smooch smooch! Move away Angelina!





Awwwww...


This is how they did the wax figure

No idea who he is but oh well!

Idol #1



Idol # 2

Sape suruh masam muka?

"If music be the food of love, play on" - Shakespeare

Errr.. totally out of the picture :P

Guess who is this little genius? Mozart!



Need to introduction eh?
















Taken just before entering the tram downhill 

More pics coming!