Ice Ice Baby October 15, 2010

Eversince she first attended her classmate’s birthday party at the ice rink, Myisha has been asking for an ice skating party. So, that’s our present to her this year as she turns 8.

The party was held at Winter Wonderland Ice Rink, Doha City Centre. Only the BFFs were invited to this party kecil-kecilan. Two hours of skating seemed not enuff for the kids, not mentioning the parents, who I believe had even more fun on the ice. As most of them have not hit the ice since college days, it was definitely interesting to see their moves. The boys as usual memang tak mengenal erti takut even after falling on their bums over and over again. The girls were more cautious while the mummies were concentrating so hard. The place was a freezing madness, we almost forgot we were in Doha.

I guess this was a nice change for everyone apart from our regular self-fattening activities. Glad that everyone enjoyed themselves in spite of the spectators all around the mall.

P/S Myisha – ice skating party isn’t something for every year okay?

Syawal Was Here October 6, 2010

Syawal 2010 came and went in a jiffy. That’s becoz we were in Malaysia tanahairku three quarter of the month, woohoo! We arrived in Klang about 10 dayz before Raya and managed to pulun bazar ramadhan goodies. Thank goodness we caught bits of durian before the season ended, but duku, dukung, and the likes of it were aplenty.

Raya drill was the same as I remember it. First raya morning, at the palace for some meet & greet session. Then, to my aunty’s place nearby. Then, back to Klang to entertain visiting guests. On second raya nite, newlyweds from Bandung came back. So big bro from Jakarta was the only family member missing this time. Third raya, we took off to Kedah. The usual hubby’s side of the family gathering. The next two nites was spent in Penang pulau mutiara for some sun & sand santai session. Melantak nasi kandaq – terbaek!

Fifth raya – happy birthday to me! Doharian close buddies joined us for a rockin birthday dinner at HRC Penang. The live band that was performing that nite rocked! Too bad mummies and daddies had to take turns to take care of the lil ones. Had a fantastic time nevertheless. A walk down memory lane konon??

The endless kuih raya, ketupat, rendang, and u name it have made my tummy grown several inches. Now back in Doha, time to STOP eating and work it out baby!

A Taste of Ramadhan In Jakarta August 19, 2010

A last minute business travel plan. And I mean very very last minute as in the ticket was purchased and the hotel was booked on the day of travel itself. That’s how organized I am. I had known about this meeting / workshop like 4 weeks ago. But I thought my presence was not required. Turns out I’m one of the important people after all.

2 am flight sucks. Coz my sleeping time just gets messed up. No matter how comfy the business class seat is, I can never sleep peacefully unless I’m really tired. The business class was surprisingly full from Doha-Jakarta. Had some noodles and (tried to) doze off. Of all the movies, I had to watch Shrek. A light movie konon, but emo gaks. Poor Fiona and damn Shrek for not appreciating the family and friends he had.

Arrived Jakarta at 3.15 pm and checked in straight to Grand Hyatt, booked by my brother on his special corporate rate. A quick shower and off to the adjoining Plaza Indonesia. Sempat la cuci mata and grabbed my dinner. As expected, sleep was affected as I woke up every hour and finally had my sahur room-delivered. Ada ke bagi fruit juice and fresh fruits and lauk pedas2 for sahur. Belasah jer lah..

The workshop the next day was very fruitful. But my eyes were literally drooping by the last session which ended at 4pm. Long stretches of presentations and discussions with no breaks should be avoided at all costs! Food gives me energy and without food, I get sleeeepy.

The best part of this trip must be the FOOD. Buka puasa with nasi padang on the first day was heavenly – my fav otak gulai lemak and gulai tunjang are tops. Not to mention daging dendeng, green chilli, rendang, gulai pucuk paku, sambal petai udang, ooh la la. The second day buka puasa was even yummier – kangkung belacan, daging dendeng (again), rendang (again), fish tom yam (which tasted just like asam pedas nyonya style), ayam goreng rempah, and did i mention the sweets – pulut hitam with vanilla ice cream, bubur cha cha, assorted kuih muih, gosh, I can’t even describe the feeling of satisfaction…

Signing off from Premium Lounge, Soekarno Hatta International Airport. Daaaa!

Glamourous Me August 15, 2010

Another ramadhan in Doha, another piece of me in the news. Yeap, you can say I’m one glamourous gal, or the local newspapers in Doha are just desperate for news. I’d rather believe the former.

Bazaar Ramadhan for Malaysians this year was held at Hyatt Plaza on the first Friday i.e. third day of ramadhan. Last year we missed it as we were enjoying the real pasar ramadhan back home. Not that this is in anyway unreal. In fact, as real as it could get. I teamed up with the usual gang and we opted for satay as our main dish. Two days before that, on the first day of puasa, we all berbuka puasa beramai2 at Nani & Leo’s followed by acara cucuk satay. We managed to cucuk around 700 sticks, dripping with kunyit and all, but just like a pro. We would have given the beauty salon a hard time if we went for manicure the next day!

There were about 20 stalls all together, each with their own specialty. But none had eye-catching ‘uniform’ like us – the ‘agogo’ red jersey. Needless to say, it must have been this uniform that attracted the journalist from Gulf Times to include us in the news! Apart from satay, we also sold laksa, mee udang, nasi ayam, kuih talam and i made special kampung styled dishes – paru goreng cili and ayam masak lomak cili api. Alhamdulillah, all were sold out. A big thanks to all our customers!

Sepoi2 Angin Mediterranean August 1, 2010

Just three days after touching down in the scorching heat of Doha, I was off again on the jetplane for a business trip. This time to the north most country in the African continent, where the Mediterranean sea surrounds. Though I had yet to recover from the jetlag, I was relieved to get out of Doha’s heat to experience some cool Mediterranean breeze.

Tunis is the capital of Tunisia or Tunisie as the Arabs call it. A country where French is spoken and an interesting combination of Europe meets Arab. The people don’t look too Arabic – fair skinned, light haired, and western dressed, with not many hijab-wearing women around. The scenery was breathtaking and evening weather was just perfect for nite outs. Our meeting was held at The Residence, a 5-star hotel facing the ocean with a spa to boast of. Unfortunately, I couldn’t even get myself an appointment for a facial as they were full for the 3 days I was there. On the first nite, my colleague took us out to the old city Medina where the old souq is located. Very much like the Khan Al Khalili market in Cairo, it had narrow walkway cobbled street with typical souq stuff like clothings, accessories, souvenirs of all kinds. Colorful and crowded. We then had dinner at Sidi Bou Said, a highland where every house is painted white and blue. I love the way the houses were arranged uphill and downhill with the cobbled streets and scattered with little restaurants. The grilled fish we had was excellent. On the second nite, our host arranged for a dinner at a traditional restaurant which is actually centuries-old house. We were greeted by local styled drums which accompanied our 5-minute walk to the restaurant. All the handiwork in that place was handmade and in its original condition with carvings and ornaments dating hundreds of years. The only setback was the super duper slow service (our dinner took like 4 hours to complete). On the last day, after the meeting ended, we were treated to a mini city tour. We saw the Carthage – the old amphitheater and some other historical sites and ended our day having Arabic tea at Sidi Bou Said until sunset. Great company, great scenery!

Wedding of the Year July 30, 2010

An international love story indeed. One that crosses borders and seas. My youngest sister, the last in our family, got married last two weeks to a guy from Bandung. We went back to Malaysia for a short two-week holiday, specially for the wedding, half of which was spent in Indonesia.

We arrived in KL a day before the wedding. My brother and his family was also back. So all the cucu of Engku Seri Perdana were together again – a rare occasion that happens perhaps once in two years. I just love the hustle & bustle or kekecohan yang terkata when our families are under one roof, with my mum panicking over every little detail of the preparation. Nothing beats that. It also brought memories of my wedding more than twelve years ago.

The akad nikah was held at my parents’ house in Klang. A simple yet joyous event. All family members wore peach while the bride was clad in traditional white beaded lace kurung modern. The akad was done by my dad and the groom was loud and clear that the audience almost applauded in excitement. I too was touched when I caught tears of joy in my lil sis’ eyes. Next was the batal air sembahyang ceremony and exchanging of rings. The best part of this was how they were asked to repeatedly do the forehead-kissing scene for the cameras.

The reception was held at Dewan Jubli Perak Shah Alam on the very next day. As usual, the morning was spent on rehearsals. The girls did their hair at the nearby salon while mum and aunts were being made up by the assistant make-up artist. Me and Hubby led the procession of pengantin and flower girls. So did we when my other sister got married, so yeah, this was nothing new to us. Thank goodness baby Ziyad was happily being passed around while mummy and ayah busy meng-glamourkan diri. The event was graced by DYMM Sultan Selangor and all the Orang Besar Istana, Ahli Dewan Diraja, Orang Besar Daerah and Ketua2 Jabatan, amongst others. Kak Engku was the MC for the nite with her subtle jokes to add some flavor to the wedding. Outside the hall, there was a backdrop ala red carpet speciallly for photos. And an interestingly designed slide show, both courtesy of the bride’s employer – an advertising agency of course. Overall, the event went beautifully. Bravo to the committee!

Last, was the much looked forward reception in Bandung. A total of 40 family members flew to Bandung, taking the opportunity to also hit the factory outlets which the town is most known for. The event was held at Graha Tirta Siliwangi, not far from Hyatt Hotel, where we stayed. The couple and both parents started getting ready as early as 5am as the ceremony started at 10.30am. My parents were provided with Sundanese outfits. They looked amazing although my dad looked a little uncomfortable. The ceremony was rich with Sundanese culture and rituals. The newlywed was first greeted by a dance and led to the stage where both mums and dads fed them with pulut kuning. This was ended by the couple feeding each other with their hands criss-crossing each other. Next was the ‘sawer’ where the couple sat under an umbrella while both parents threw coins and candy away while the kids tried to catch them. This is to symbolize sharing of wealth. Next the couple burned some sticks, put out the flame, break them in pieces and threw them away. This reflects that any problems in marriage needs to be destroyed and discarded. Lastly the groom steps on an egg and the bride washes his shoe with some water from a ‘kendi’ to symbolize that a woman’s job is to serve her husband. Pretty symbolic, yeah? The makan was also awesome as they served an international buffet ranging from dimsum, tomyam, roast beef, chicken cordon bleu and etcetera.

Alhamdulilllah everything went smoothly. Thanks to all the family and relatives who worked hard to support us, we really appreciate it. To Zahidah & Rizal, welcome to the next exciting chapter of your life. Semoga berbahagia ke akhir hayat.

Howdy Uncle Sam May 31, 2010

After a whole year being away from business travels, I’m back on my feet or rather up in the air again. Leaving a six month old baby was not easy, but a mum’s gotta do what a mum’s gotta do. The 14-hour flight to DC was looong and boooring. After 4 movies, I was merely half way thru the flight. Watched Avatar, which I never got to watch in 3D, some other chick flicks, and it was totally impossible to doze off. Finally, we reached DC, only to be greeted by a terribly long winded queue of over 500 people. It is times like this that makes me appreciate the premium queue at Doha. Over 2 hours of standing and waiting, by the time we checked into our hotel I was just too exhausted that I could not sleep.

The meetings this time around were less tiring. We had our own meeting suite and all our partners came over. About 60 meetings over 3 days but at least no walking up and down like we did 2 years ago at the same event. On the first night, as all my colleagues were out partying (all male colleagues no doubt), I decided to get adventurous and hit the Pentagon mall. Cuci mata la sikit. On the second night I attended a private dinner party organized by our own telco from home, catching up with old friends and the ever so scandalous juicy news. And finally on the last day, I was fortunate to have met with my ex ex ex (brapa kali ex entah) boss who happened to be attending the same event. But best of all, he offered me a ride to the famous factory outlet mall. A rare opportunity becoz that place is not accessible through public transportation. So off I went along with his wife and daughter and had a shopping marathon in 4 hours. Tooo many good shops to go to so I had to cherry pick the best ones. American brands of course, from Gap to Levis to Nine West and Coach. The kids are top most priority so I was thrilled that their favorite Build A Bear Workshop was there too.  Beli baju bear pun mengalahkan baju budak.

On the last day, I decided to take it easy. A slow walk to Hard Rock Cafe and buying small souvenirs for friends. While i was strolling around, I suddenly received a message from Apple Store – “your ipad is ready for collection”. Not mine actually, but my friend’s. This new gadget of Apple’s was selling like goreng pisang panas that none of the Apple stores had any stock! So bergegas la naik taxi ke Tyson Corner to pick up the ipad. And the one waiting in Doha probably smiled in her sleep in anticipation of her much awaited ipad. 

At last, home sweet home, to the sweet smell of my baby.

Yellow Mellow Baby Shower May 15, 2010

The past year has been a productive year for us Doharians. Every other month there are newborn babies. Soon our good friend Nani will be due for her second baby. Somehow someone had an idea to throw her a baby shower. Even after four kids, I’ve never had one or been to one. So I was looking forward to this all-ladies event – another excuse to hang out and stuff ourselves with food!

The theme was yellow as we wanted a neutral boy-girl color. The host volunteered to decorate her house. In line with the theme, there were yellow baby clothes hung on the wall along with yellow balloons. By the way, this was a surprise party for the second time mum-to-be who was pleasantly shocked as she entered the house to a chorus of ‘surprise!’. We made her ‘cut a ribbon’ and put on a lil ‘princess crown’ on her head.

The food was aplenty as usual. Highlight of the spread is the cutest in the world cake in the shape of a preggy woman’s body with the wording ‘goodbye tummy, hello baby!’. The work of art of our talented host. Not only pretty to look at but yummy too – choc cake with butter cream. Other stuff in the menu included mee udang, laksa, bread pudding, kosui, kuih bakar, cucur, koko jelly, sardine roll, curry puff, cup cakes, keropok, and the list goes on…

After eating, we ladies had some fun games. The first game was nappy folding – the traditional cloth nappy which we no longer use since the creation of disposable diapers. Most of us got it right apart from few ‘young mummies’ who had no idea how to fold it! Second game got more interesting – drinking water from the baby bottle. All were busy laughing but the fastest one won! In the third game we had to taste and guess three different kinds of baby food. I only got one right while the other two close but not quite right. Lastly, we all had to guess the diameter of Nani’s tummy. This was also hilarious but one of us did get it right.

Here’s wishing the celebrated new mum a safe delivery. We are here for you.

Homemade Pau April 21, 2010

Homemade pau filled with homemade kaya. The besttt!!

Although I ain’t got no fancy bread maker to knead the dough, my new mixer purchased from my free Giant voucher did the job well. Flour, yeast, sugar, oil and water. Dump them in the mixer, knead and put in a closed container till it doubled. Roll in small balls, fill the kaya in and steam. Walla! Sungguh lembut, gebu dan sangat memuaskan hati. 4-5 bijik sorang easily. Tak dapat pau Yik Mun Tanjung Malim, pau Doha sendiri bikin pun jadilah.

Next project – roti bun ala2 My Bake and egg tart. Watch out…!

Escape to Bahrain April 13, 2010

Spring term ended week before last, with a two-week break before summer term starts. Kids as usual mati kutu. Apart from endless hannah montana, perry the platipus, zack & cody and God knows what else is on TV these days. So yeah, I had this sudden brilliant idea that we could drive to Muscat to visit our old kampung and old frenz. But nope, plan was rejected by other half, reason being – tak larat nak drive. Ok so plan B – what about Bahrain, isn’t that much nearer and takes half the time compared to Oman? More objections – Saudi transit visa application takes time, now it’s umrah season therefore long queue at the immigration. Ok so what next? Why not we take a flight? Well, nasib baik Mummy banyak Qmiles, so ok la fly pun fly lah, asalkan dapat pegi short holiday.

Destination – Bahrain. Three days two  nights. Relax relax je. Co-incidentally Hubby has two cousins staying in Bahrain. So agenda jejak kasih with family was top priority. Two breakfasts and two dinners with the family. Dapat jugak lah my  kids get to know their second cousins. First nite dinner at Shahila & Halim’s place. Second day breakfast at Azham & Asma’s place. Second day dinner at TGI Friday’s. Third day breakfast at kedai mamak. Makan makan and makan.

Visit to the malls is a must ke mana saja pegi. Bahrain City Centre seems to be the latest mall there. Unlike Doha City Centre, this mall has Saks Fifth Avenue and several designer boutiques but yes, I did manage to avoid those stores. On second day, we teamed  up with our friends and drove to the famous ‘tree of life’ – pokok yang supposedly more than 400 years old, in the middle of tanah gersang with no water supply. Nothing much, ambik gambar je la. We also stopped by Bahrain International Circuit, beli baju F1 and again, ambik gambar je la. Since the trip was meant for relaxing, we took the kids to Dolphin Resort which had a 45-min seal and dolphin show. Nothing to shout about but kids enjoyed it. Also visited the Grand Mosque.

Not a bad trip at all, considering the very last minute plan.  Baby Ziyad also enjoyed his first plane ride!