What makes THEM so special?

Forgive a preggy lady for being so grumpy during Ramadhan but I have just had about enough of people who thinks that they are better than everyone else.

I was stuck in a traffic jam on the way home today. Like the rest of the working population in KL who was rushing off home to cook, buy and prepare stuff for their family to berbuka puasa.

In typical Malaysian fashion, a minister's car with police escort forced this sea of cars stuck in a jam to make way for his entourage. While it has always annoyed me when this happens, I was especially enraged that such a wanton display of power or abuse of it, rather could take place during Ramadhan.

I do have friends who defend these kind of displays by saying 'Oh, but they're not like US, they're SPECIAL'. And so i ask them 'in what way are they SPECIAL?'. And they would say 'they are ministers, so their are special lah' and I am like 'Excuse me? have you been brainwashed during some alien programme which took place on the moon or something?'

To me, yes so you are a Minister. It means my VOTE as a citizen (oh sorry maybe not my vote since i don't vote) put you and your party there. Your salary comes from MY tax money and MY tax money also pays for your stupid entourage. And yes, while you may have more work than I do in running a government department, it is called a RESPONSIBILITY and definitely not a privilege. Besides, you yg nak sangat jadi menteri, you pikullah tanggungjawab tu.

Can you imagine what kind of talents and resources we are wasting by asking a bunch of cops to guard one single person who nobody would even bother spitting on? Shouldn't their expertise be better used battling crime? All these attacks and kidnapping at all these malls, hah, hantarlah polis kat situ, yang nak dok sibuk suruh orang bagi jalan for one single person for what?

So what makes THEM special?

I understand why it is so hard for this country to battle corruption and battle people trying to bend the laws to make their life easier. You want to know WHY? Because our leaders demonstrate blatantly that they can disregard the law completely. It is simple things like this, cutting corners and getting cops to intimidate other road users so that they can pass through in complete ignorance of all the traffic laws we have. This is the example they are setting for the rest of their citizens.

It is shameful and pathetic.

I curse you minister. Aku claim balik masa akhirat nanti sbb polis naik motor nyaris langgar kereta aku and instead of an hour, it took me almost two hours to reach home because of the jam you exacerbated, and trust me, that is where it all counts.

I doubt you can use your MINISTER status or an entourage of cops utk melepasi titi Siratul Mustaqim. Haha.

SPECIAL indeed ehh?

Trying to survive morning sickness

If you find stories on vomiting every 5 minutes gross, I suggest you leave this post straight away.

When I was preggers with Airiel, I only vomited in the morning (like heavy vomiting) which did suck but at least I would be alright for the rest of the day. No queasiness after that.

Well, this one...this one is on a whole other level. I feel like heaving every 5 mins. I can't bring myself to eat or drink at all, I can't even stand the smell of food. Actually, what I realised is, even the mention of a particular dish would make my eyes water and want to vomit.

Yuck, to top it all off, its fasting month and the icing on the cake would be none other than the fact that I still have to go to work every single day.


I am just trying to keep fluids down at the moment so that I don't end up at the hospital. For that reason, my sis' advice was perhaps to not fast for the time being until I feel much better and vomit less. I am thinking if I get no food and fluid down, I might harm myself and the baby.


Terpaksalah qadha puasa pulak ...haishh..


Tough week ahead for me my readers...hope yours are better...

Baby makes 4

Hello everyone.

I thought of keeping the news until much later, but since Aries outed me on facebook last week. I might as well just get on with it.

Yes, baby makes 4. I am due in March 2013 insyaallah. It is still very early on in the pregnancy. Which was why I wanted to keep it on the down low until the 1st trimester passes, but Aries being the excited baby daddy that he is, couldn't keep it to himself.

Pray for us readers, the 1st pregnancy was a terrible one, and I hope that this 2nd one will be much better and bearable.

Truth of the matter is, although I am excited at the prospect of adding to the brood, I am not particularly a fan of the whole process of being pregnant. In other words, I think while having a baby is amazing and cool and beautiful, I think being pregnant totally sucks.

From the morning sickness, to the weight gain, to stretch marks, to being unable to sleep, nak solat pun tak larat sbb membuyung, to my countless bleeding issues and Airiel's foetal distress, fuhhh...I do not miss being pregnant at all.

To console myself, I remind myself betapa besarnya pahala isteri yang preggy:-

--      Apabila seorang wanita hamil, maka beristighfarlah para malaikat untuknya. Allah SWT akan mencatatkan baginya setiap hari dengan 1,000 kebaikan dan menghapuskan darinya 1,000 kejahatan.

  --    2 rakaat solat seorang wanita yang hamil adalah lebih baik daripada 80 rakaat solat seorang wanita yang \ tidak hamil.Rasulullah menyebutkan bahawa dua rakaat solat wanita hamil lebih baik dari 80 rakaat solat wanita yang tidak hamil. Ini kerana wanita yang hamil membawa janin di dalam perutnya di mana janin berkenaan turut menyertai ibunya solat, mendengar bacaan-bacaan solat, ikut sujud bersama.

-   Wanita hamil perolehi pahala puasa di siang hari dan pahala ibadat di malam hari.  Rasulullah menyatakan bahawa wanita hamil akan memperolehi pahala puasa di siang hari dan pahala ibadat di malam hari. Ini disebabkan kerana ibu yang hamil bererti membawa amanah Allah ke sana ke mari, sehingga wajar apabila ia memperolehi pahala yang besar di sisi Allah .

  -  Apabila seseorang wanita mulai sakit hendak bersalin, maka Allah SWT akan mencatatkan baginya pahala orang yang berjihad di jalan Allah.

-   Wanita yang bersalin akan mendapat 70 tahun solat dan puasa pada setiap kesakitan pada satu uratnya akan dikurniakan oleh Allah SWT satu pahala haji.

-   Apabila seseorang wanita melahirkan anak, keluarlah dia daripada dosa-dosa seperti keadaan ibunya melahirkannya.

-   Sekiranya seorang wanita meninggal dunia di dalam tempoh 40 hari selepas bersalin, dia akan dikira sebagai mati syahid.

-    Jika seorang wanita menyusukan anaknya hingga cukup tempoh (2 1/2 tahun), malaikat-malaikat di langit akan mengkhabarkan berita gembira bahawa syurga wajib baginya.

-    Jika seorang wanita menyusukan anaknya yang menangis, maka Allah SWT akan memberikan pahala satu tahun solat dan puasa.

-   Seorang wanita yang menghiburkan hati anaknya maka Allah SWT akan memberikan 12 tahun pahala ibadat kepadanya.

This info is from its respective owners.

Happy Monday everyone.

Kari Kepala Ikan Haji Isenin, Melaka

Hello readers,

Last week, our small little family went down to Melaka because Aries wanted to play golf.

After the game, we scoured the area for a place to eat. And we found the famous Kari Kepala Ikan Haji Isenin that we have heard people rave about.

Let the pictures do the talking:-

Cute advertising...:-) 

Asam Pedas tetel, absolutely unhealthy and heavenly 

The fish head curry, yums, I packed one packet for Atuk 

Ketam goreng, menjilat jari okay

Airiel giving his usual pouty 'I've got a spoon in my mouth' look. Haish

I do have some great news to share, but I will break it in the months to come. We will see.

Happy Friday everyone. The 13th no less!

Hehe.

Reading List, Part 2 [2012]

Hello readers

Recuperating from a traumatic experience last week, I got into a reading frenzy. I finished 2 books in weekend.

A story about a disaster that rocked the world.. and how the survivors struggle to stay alive 

Handsome, sexy, erotic incubus sucking the life energy out of you everyone? Well, there's this in this book, and more ... *grin*

A good read. Go get em' guys.

When Your Life Flashes Before Your Eyes

Yesterday I went through one of the worst moments of my life.

Yes, I was almost a victim of a mugging and God knows what else.

I attended a hearing in the Court of Appeal for most part of the day and then rushed off to the Bar Council for the briefing on the new Court Rules 2012. On top of everything else, I was fasting sempena Nisfu Syaaban.

It was really jammed on the way home and feeling exhausted and knowing I could not reach home in time, I stopped at Giant Kelana Jaya to open fast. I parked my car at the side entrance. The parking lot was dark and not really lighted but I was so used to coming here, I did not really feel scared.

When I parked, I noticed 2 indonesian guys sitting out at the entrance smoking cigarettes. The weirs thing is, I felt a weird scary instinct like I should go home and not stop here. But I ignored it and walked inside. I sat down in the Chicken Rice Shop, ordered food and fiddled away on my phone, oblivious to my surroundings. A few minutes after opening my fast, I notice that the 2 guys were now in the restaurant as well. They were sitting quite far away and would normally out of sight, but I was sitting at a weird angle in the table and managed to see them without them actually seeing me. Strangely enough, they did not order food but just a drink each. And each one of them would actually crane their necks to check on me every now and then, not knowing that I can actually see them.


I felt pangs of fear but to test my suspicions I ate really slowly to see if they were just having drinks or were actually waiting for me to finish. Almost 40 minutes later. They still did not move from their chairs and hardly drank their drinks. But I still wanted to make confirm my suspicions. I got up, paid for my food and started walking around inside Giant in packed areas. Sure enough, they split up and covered different areas, meaning one would always be to my left, and the other to my right. I know however, that they could not make a move because the place was jam packed with people.

Scared I was because my suspicions were confirmed, I decided to do the following things:-

1. Not panic. And this was important because my first instinct in my moment of fear was to walk to my car where I felt safe, lock it and drive home. This would have been a mistake because someone may be waiting for me there.

2. Call/Approach reliable people. I called my sis, then my Dad to state that I think I was being followed. And they were on their way to pick me up straight away.

3. Keep yourself in a public place where you are sure you would be safe. My place of choice was at Starbucks, chock full of people at the time.

As soon as I sat inside, they lingered outside stealing looks at me. After a while, I think they realised that I knew they were tailing me. So they split up and disappeared, giving me the impression that I was now safe.

But I did not move. What if they were just staying out of sight, only to pounce on me when I am alone? When my parents came, they escorted me out of Giant and my dad took my car and my mum drove the other car, in different routes and directions home.

I made it out of this one, but needless to say I was and still am shaken. When I was sitting in Starbucks for about 15 minutes (the longest 15 minutes of my life) waiting for my parents, my life literally flashed before my eyes. I thought about giving birth to Airiel, about playing with Bonda and Maksu when we were kids, about my parents, about my wedding day to Aries and about my Long Call day. You truly realise what is truly important to you at times like this.

Girls, please be careful out there. Please please be vigilant. Had I not noticed these details and for instance, kept playing with my phone and then simply walked to my car, I truly believe that I would not be typing out this post at all. I would surely be dead.

And always trust your instincts. When you have a bad feeling, believe it because it's a sign from God to you. That was what I had. A bad feeling.

I am alive.

Everyday is a blessing.

Have a good weekend guys.

PadaMU Selamanya...

Sejenak ku imbasi kembali
Erti pelayaran usiaku
Ke timur ke Barat
Dunia akhirat
Segalanya...

Di tengah hangatnya kejahilan 
Membakar hangus keimanan
Dan aku hanyut tiada berpaut
Layu sudah pedoman diriku

Kini bersendiri ku meniti hari
Ke kanan ke kiri
Ku menilai kembali
Jalan ku lalui
Dan dosa yang telah pergi
Malah tanpa ku sedari
Air mata membasahi

Terasakan... terbuka
Kunci pintu hatiku
Nanti mula ketenangan di jiwa yang keliru
Terlerai kekusutan
Membaralah cinta
MilikMu Yang Esa
Selamanya

KepadaMu selamanya....

The Malay Culture and Islamic way of Life, synonymous?

I know the title of that post and the question posed in it is rhetorical, well at least for me it is but heck, I am going to say something about this anyway.

When Bonda went on vaccay in Sabah 3 weeks ago, she was having a conversation with a friend of hers regarding family, when her friend went out and stated that my family is unlike any Malay family she has ever encountered, and then she said the unthinkable.... she said that my family was 'Westernised'. Gasp, Shiver and Cringe!!! Unlike some of you blokes out there, I am NOT at all flattered  and/or proud to be mentioned in the same phrase as 'West' and/or 'Westernised' and do not like to be equated or tied with the Western world, continent, hemisphere (whatever). Instead I feel  offended rather.

You know why I was so exasperated to hear that? Because this is NOT the first time I have heard our family being labeled as that phrase which I 'shall not repeat again'. And my family had this discussion in a meeting, we actually wondered why such a label has been tied to us?

We analysed our lifestyle and principles and come to a conclusion that while our family may not be a typically 'Malay' family, we were definitely NOT westernised. Ohhh, and by the way, having a slightly better than average command of the English language does NOT in any way make anybody Westernised ok? It just means that you have good English that's all.

Now moving on, we analysed the dynamics of our family and tried to see whether what we practise is a Western trait or is a trait which is practised elsewhere.

Family Practise 1 - If you are wrong, then you are WRONG, regardless of your age, position or seniority and you can expect me to point it out so that you can apologise, fix the wrong and won't repeat the mistake

Malay Culture - I am the Boss, the older one, the more senior one and therefore I am ALWAYS right, and even if I am wrong, you shouldn't say anything to point it out because I am the boss, the older one or the more senior one. If you say something, you are being rude

The question is, is this practise a Western practise? I do not think so. Whilst it is definitely not a Malay practise, this is what our prophet s.a.w says on the matter:-

"(Rasulullah SAW bersabda : Barangsiapa dikalangan kamu melihat kemungkaran maka cegahlah dengan tangannya/kuasanya(jika dia seorang pemimpin )Jika tidak dapat cegahlah dengan lidahnya/perkataannya,jika tidak dapat cegahlah dengan hatinya.Maka sesungguhnya mencegah dengan hati adalah selemah-lemah iman….(au kama Qal)"

So with respect, I say that what my family has been practising all these years is an Islamic principle and not a Western one and clearly not a MALAY one. I mean logically also right, how the heck are we going to improve for the better and realise our mistakes if no one points it out to us? 

Atuk and Nenda points my mistakes and Bonda's mistakes out all the time, but it is not a one way street in our family. God no. There have been times where Bonda and I criticise Atuk and Nenda in the way they do things when we think they are not right. Because that is what we have been thought to do. To point out a wrong and an injustice without fear or favour. To bring it out in the open so we can be better people and improve ourselves. What I don't understand is why criticism to let's say someone in a higher position and/or older and/or more senior is always seen as a sign of disrespect?

When Bonda or I criticise Atuk or Nenda, it does not mean that we disrespect them or love them less, it just means we think they are wrong and we disagree. We can move on, stop the wrong, correct it and do not repeat it again. Is that not what the prophet has said above? I rest my case on this. On to the next one.

Family Practise 2 - We have a problem, let's have a meeting, discuss it, come to a conclusion together and move forward

Malay Culture - What problem? We don't have a problem! Let's just sweep it all under the carpet, pretend nothing's wrong and go on our merry way!

Again, is this a Western trait? Well, it definitely isn't a Malay one I tell you that. How do I know? Let's just say through personal experience. Sigh. What does Islam say about having meetings in order to solve problems?:-

فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الأَمْرِ

“Oleh itu maafkanlah mereka (mengenai kesalahan yang mereka lakukan terhadapmu), dan pohonkanlah ampun bagi mereka, dan juga bermesyuaratlah dengan mereka dalam urusan (peperangan dan hal-hal keduniaan) itu”. (Surah Ali-Imran 3:159)

وَأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَى بَيْنَهُمْ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ

“Dan urusan mereka dijalankan secara bermesyuarat sesama mereka”.

(Surah asy-Syuura 32:38)

“Kemudian jika keduanya (suami isteri mahu menghentikan penyusuan itu Dengan persetujuan (yang telah dicapai oleh) mereka sesudah berunding, maka mereka berdua tidaklah salah (melakukannya)”.

(Surah al-Baqarah 2:233)

Our prophet s.a.w also advocates meeting, openly discussing and reaching a conclusion on issues:-

by Ali bin Abi Talib RA:

مشاورة أهل الرأي ثم اتباعهم

“(Apabila) ahli syura bermesyuarat (dalam suatu perkara), ikutlah (pandangan dari) mereka”.

So, again this is not a Western trait but rather an Islamic one. What a misconception do you not think so?

I end this post by saying it is obvious to me that the Malay culture which we are so used to practising may perhaps not be very Islamic at all, but are perceived to be so (on what grounds, I fail to understand!).

And for those who think that we are a 'westernised' family, we must respectfully state that we disagree with you. 

Errr, but Nenda does have an affinity and craving for 'baked potatoes', Atuk surely misses the good ol' days in the UK where we lived for so long, I have a penchant for RPG games and Bonda does have an affinity towards soap operas, but that should not count I say! hehe.

Hope you readers have a good week ahead.

House of Kebab, Solaris Dutamas [Part 2]

Hello everyone.

I recently went to House of Kebab again. I have blogged about the place before here but since blogger went kaput and somehow deleted all of my past pics inn all my blog posts last year (sengaja ke wei?), going back to that post and reading it won't be much use to you guys.

Anyway, when we arrived for lunch at 12.40 ish, the place was looking it was just going to open. What annoyed me was that they had this 'way too loud' music blaring in the background which we only managed to persuade them to tune down after a few requests and after my colleague got really agigated. So anyways, lets get on to the food.

Yummy kebabs with a hint of saffron mixed in the rice. The kebabs were juicy and not dry 

 I had this pink guava drink. I loved the fact that they served the drink in a chilled glass.

Ain't the ribbons a nice touch?

The restaurant is situated on the tail end of G4, with breathtaking views of the Wilayah Persekutuan mosque.