Living a Wife Life Around the World

Today, we found them Halal!

2013-06-05T22:44:00.000+08:00

Yes, Alhamdulillah. Allah gave us the opportunity to find halal meat & chicken. Since today, Habibi (I keep using different nick name for my husband. Kejap Husband, kejap Partner, kejap Habibi. Lol!) is off, I planned to first check out Tesco instead. But then somehow, my guts told me to check out Metro Supermarket, which is also nearer compare to Tesco from here. At first, we planned to use the bus, but my husband said, for our first time, we use the taxi, instead.

It is located in 383 Baiyang Lu, near Longyang Lu subway Line 2 & Line 7(白杨路383号, 近龙阳路).

This supermarket is huge! Like, if you intend to buy by bulk, then this is the place to go. The plus side of this supermarket is that they do have the "Imported Section" where there is "some" selection of international products. Not the usual like how I thought it would be (cause base on my Internet research, this was one of the place to go). We found our favy cream cracker biscuit, Hap Send - Cap Ping Pong Brand, by the way. But our favy chips, instant packed pasta, instant noodles and etc, was sadly not on the shelf. Boo hoo.

So isle after isle, we didn't really fancy their rice cooker, woks, kitchen utilities, but got me-self a fancy J.A Henkels kitchen knife. Shweeet!

But the PLUS side of this supermarket is that, we found our halal things. Go through the Food Section and there will be an isle where the whole freezer is halal. Mind you, that the frozen pork are side by side with the halal meat. Just close one eye, okay..?

We saw some brands such as Tyson, Sadiaa & CP (which we always use last time we were in Hong Kong) and they had their "Halal" sign, but this time, it was like - "Eh..?!" But don't worry. The halal freezer row is a Muslim-worry-free-section for Muslims. Heh heh heh! Just look for the sign. :)

To celebrate our "We-Found-Our-Halal-Meat" day (though it was frozen and not fresh) the wife cooked a home-first-time-after-6-months meal. Ya Allah! Syukran! I made my Habibi very happy! And we also finally got our pots/pans, plates/bowls, cups/glasses!

Dinner tonight.

2013-06-04T23:07:00.001+08:00

We decided to have our dinner at Element Fresh which is close by our place in Pudong. Located at the back of Super Brand Mall, same row as Hooters, Musk Cat Coffee and others which I dont remember their exact name. Whatever it is, it is adjacent to TGIF.

Our first time was last week and both of us are very much impressed by their fresh food and yummy yummy smoothies. There wasn't much option for us, but we are able to settled down on their Salmon Salad, Pasta, and one or two from their Asian menu.

Not only that, their servers are friendly and speak English well enough for us to understand. Thumbs up to Element Fresh!

Reminiscing Two Thousand & Twelve.

2013-06-04T15:02:00.004+08:00

It's 2013, and yet another new year and another new adventure for my partner & I. I've got to say, that last year 2012, when we were in Bahrain, I didn't take the effort to update my blog. I think maybe because, never had I had such a busy life. LOL! I mean, when we were in Hong Kong, we stayed pretty far and there wasn't a lot of Malay there. Don't get me wrong, but we made good friends there and still keep in touch till today.

In Bahrain, we had things going on. One, a cat to take care off. Pretty much spoiled and needy. We got him from Bahrain SPCA [do your deeds guys, and save an animal in a shelter] and I was, for 5 months, training him to toilet train [yes, it was a success!]. But now he is in Malaysia with my parents and my mom spoiled him differently and nope, no longer toilet trained. Hehehehehehe!

Then, I was involved and in charged of 16 kids to teach dancing. The Malaysian ambassador H.E. Ambassador Dato’ Ahmad Shahizan Abd Samad created this group of young, non-professional, enthusiastic kids [heart every one of them] to be the young ambassadors and represent Malaysia. They perform traditional dance routine taught by various teachers before me, and also including me, when there is an event by Malaysian Embassy or if somebody requested for them kids. Ive got to say, this was my best moments in my life living abroad.

In Bahrain, I not only teach kids (and also their mothers) dancing, I taught myself how to make my grandmother's home made kg. seri kaya [coconut jam]. It wasn't exactly like my grandmothers, but it sure as hell taste like one! And I am very proud of it. And so was my husband, dad & of course my grandmother herself. I made some cash making this seri kaya and it made me feel so good for I was able to give a helping hand to my partner. Now that is helping each other.

The place we stayed had everything we wanted. We were blessed by a spacious 2 bedroom apartment, with a huge refrigerator, an a OVEN! Oh, gosh! The oven. It was my top of the cherry. I made loads of baking and cooking and loving with that oven. Please scroll down or click on the labels under desserts, homemade, or anything yummy. :)

And last, but not least, God had given us the opportunity to do perform our Umrah. Alhamdulillah. We can't thank him enough for this. It took a lot of obstacle for us to visit the Holy Kaaba, but we took it well and we didn't stop on anything to take it. Our visit there was so beautiful it took our breath away and we missed it till today. Oh, how we wish we could go back there again and again and again. We will. Because we know, He will give it to us again.

شكرا لكم، والله

Taking this challenge!

2013-06-03T15:21:00.000+08:00

Dude! My partner and I am taking up this challenge. Today will be our third day. I tell you, its getting tougher every each day! Gambate!

No common sense.

2013-06-02T17:17:00.001+08:00

Now. How can one person misunderstood [ / ] or [✓] to this [ X ]? I'm not being all racist here, but as far as we have been staying here in China, we've made a conclusion that China people got no common sense at all.

Here comes this lady who was in charged of providing our home needs eg: cups, glasses, plates, bowls, pots and pans, and my husband marked [ / ] to the provided list form that he filled in weeks ago, and this lady said that to her understanding we only needed the cutlery and ladles only. She said that my husband marked [ / ] indicating that we do not need the rest of the items. But since the cutlery & ladles were marked [✓] that's the only thing that we are getting.

My husband explained, he did not NOT wanted everything as he marked [tick] all boxes in the form. And she showed to him the form. And its clearer stated [ / ] understood clearly that we wanted all them items. And shes like, "No this [ / ] is saying that you do not want the items. And this [✓] is the items you want."

My husband got so mad, and he took her pen, draw a big "X" and said, "If I do not want those things, I would have marked [ X ] instead of [ / ]. It is so clear that if a person does not want anything, he/she would either marked [ X ] or simply leave the box blank!"

And that lady still insist that she was right. Gosh! I feel like slapping her face. And she didn't even apologise. She even gave a loud sigh cause now she need to do extra work and update on the new inventory. All and all, we have to wait till Tuesday to get our things. How stupid can you be?! The least they can do is to call first to ask if we really do no need the items. Or if you aren't sure, call or ask. It's not that hard to do. If you do not know how to use your common sense, double check. Don't make your guest wait lah! This is unprofessional. For a 5 star hotel. Goodness!

*breath in... breath out*

Attention!

2013-06-02T14:54:00.003+08:00

Please be informed that http://azirainbahrain.blogspot.com/ no longer is available. I have exported all those from that link add into this blog.

Cherio!

When Chocolate meets Orange in Paris made in Bahrain.

2012-06-23T11:34:00.000+08:00

I wanted to make a pie. But I read online that making tarts will be more satisfying. Well, maybe because it was much more simpler and less fuss to do. So I made a tart. I wanted to use my oranges that has been on the table for quite some time. I don't want to waste it, so I made Orange Tart. I know oranges and chocolate goes really well, like a beautiful relationship swimming in our tongue. Sounds dirty. :P

Plus, my husband is not the "any-kinda-dessert" person, but do sometime enjoy having to eat anything with chocolate in it. Dark chocolate to be precise. Chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, hot chocolate and, urm, and.. hmmm.. I think that's it. But not chocolate bar. Like Cadbury or Galaxy or Godiva.

So I went online and did my research and found a great french tart base and a delicious orange & chocolate filling. Or maybe I should call it orange filling. No. Orange curd. Yes, the right word for it is orange curd. I just checked back the website I found the recipe.

Here's the recipe.

French Tart Base by David Lebovitz.

90g (3 ounces) unsalted butter (cut into pieces)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp water (I use room temperature)

1 tbsp sugar

1/8 tsp salt

150g flour

Preheat oven 210'C. Heat butter, oil, water, sugar & salt for 15 mins in the oven till butter is bubbling & sugar starts to brown at the edge of the oven proof bowl.
Pour hot butter mixture (be careful as butter mixture may explode) to flour. Quickly stir flour & butter mixture till forms into a ball.
Transfer to pie/tart pan and wait to cool. Once cool spread dough evenly.
Baked for 15 mins or until golden brown.

Simple and quick. Which I like. And it taste good. But really. Be very careful when taking out the heated butter from the oven. I almost jumped when it errupted and you can hear the "blop blop" sound. No kidding.

For the chocolate layer base I used (another simple and quick recipe) :-

Chocolate Ganache by Pastry & Sports.

100g dark chocolate (original uses 50gs only)

100g cream (original uses 50gs only)

Heat cream (not to boiling).
Pour warm cream on finely chopped dark chocolate.
Stir till smooth.
Pour on cooled tart base. Refrigerate till set for about 30 mins.

Last, the orange curd.

Orange Curd by Pastry & Sports.

2 whole eggs (room temperature)

10ml orange juice (100g) (I used freshly squeezed juice of 1 orange)

50g sugar

75 butter

Zest of 1 orange (I reuse the one that I squeezed)

In a small sauce pan, add sugar, zest, orange juice & eggs over gentle heat. Stir till thickens. But do not boil it. Cause it will end up like making scramble eggs. (LOL!)
Out from the heat, add butter and whipped till incorporated.
Leave to cool. Then pour it on the cooled tart base with chocolate ganache layer.
Let it set for 2 hours or more in the fridge. Not the freezer.

I had a problem with the curd. Maybe because my eggs were not room temperature as I took it from the fridge straight to the sauce pan. Or maybe I should have whisk the eggs and sugar together before I pour everything (like instructed from the Pastry & Sport blog) in one go. But then again, the taste is just delicious. Because nothing goes wrong when chocolate meets orange base in Paris... :)

Enjoy & good luck.

Good Morning.

2012-06-23T02:30:00.000+08:00

Well, I woke up early today after Subuh (around 3.20am) and slept back for few hours before woken up by my food alarm. I woke up at 7:30am thinking I should do my morning workout, but urgh! I hate it when the pillow is so cozy and the blanket is so warm and the aircond is blasting cold since its the starting of Summer. I should set a timer to my aircond. So it can shut off on its own and it will make me uncomfortable to sleep back again. lol!

Homemade.

2012-06-22T02:17:00.000+08:00

Being a housewife, we tend to learn how to cook. It's not that I don't know how to cook, but I never seem to take the opportunity to cook when I was young. Back home, my kitchen was big enough. But it doesn't seem to attract me to cook. I baked. Cookies & cupcakes. But mostly, it wasn't that successful. And plus, the mess. My mother is a cleaned freak. She likes her house cleaned and untouched, you can say. So, she barely cooks in the kitchen. She buys most of the time. Maybe, that's why it didn't interest me in using it.

Anyways, I started to learn to cook by myself. I enjoy watching cooking/baking show a lot. As much as I love watching DIY interior related. I remembered when in high school, I used to cook in my friends house instead off mine. I used whatever ingredients that's there and make up something that is edible. Pasta & cheese, sandwiches, fried rice & etc...

After I got married, my husband brought me to Hong Kong to start our new married life. And Hong Kong was a challenge when it comes to food. It sort of force me to learn to cook. I mean, I am a typical Malaysian who misses Malaysian food very much. But I can live without having to eat them everyday. It's just that, your tongue knows what it wants. Plus, my husband is Malaysian. He is just like my dad. The rice man. Lol! As long as there is rice on the dining table, it will be enough. Hong Kong didn't have some of the things that we Malaysian loooove to use. Or maybe, we couldn't find any.There's no cili boh, kicap pekat, fresh santan or even pandan leaves. But we survived from the land of pigs. Now that's another story to tell . :)

Here in Bahrain, Alhamdulillah, so far it's welcoming. Managed to find and get things that wasn't available in HK, and most importantly, HALAL. I've up my cooking and challenged myself. I wanted my cooking to taste like how it was in a "kedai-tepi-jalan" style. I wanted the taste to be like the Malay-Thai cooking. And not only that, I even challenged myself to do Western style. heheheheheh. So here I am, posting this blog and posting my "agak-bangga-lah-jugak" photos. I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as eating them. It ain't perfect, but the taste is enough to make my husband tummy, happy.

Summer heat.

2012-06-22T00:50:00.000+08:00

It's the summer in Bahrain. Hot. Well, I don't feel the heat, cause I'm always at home with the aircond, but my husband gets the heat pretty much everyday. Pure sandy heat. And stuffy. Hazy. And stuffy. Sand dust. And just plain stuffy. Have I mentioned that yet...?

Though there is loads of wind, but, it only blows loads of hot air. Sea heat, sandy heat, just heat. And the sucky part of it, is that, Bahrain's sands - no. Bahrain's construction sites have loads of sand used for construction (of course - duh!) and when the wind blows, sands are blown away. You can make sand castles in a week in your home bathroom floor. And those fine sands get into our eyes easily. My husband's having an eye infection right now. And I think, I'm getting one to. Swollen, puffy eyes. Itchy.

Stop it! Stop complaining! Remember. To "Think Positive"! New motivation.

*moment of silence*

*breath deep....*

I'm grateful with what is given. Thank you, Allah....

Making them pie - One fine day, I hope..

2012-05-24T00:54:00.000+08:00

I feel like making a PIE. A fruit pie. So having this recipe in my blog as a reminder and also saving the recipes forever fro reference. Recipe was taken from 100 Cafe Street.

Strawberry Pie

Pie Crust (I replaced it with my own crust recipe) :

Original -

1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust (from 15-oz box), softened as directed on box.

Optional -

1 1/2 cups Graham cracker crumbs (see recipe above)

1/4 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)

75g butter, melted.

Filling :

2/3 cup hot fudge topping

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 pint (2 cups) strawberries, quartered

Strawberry Pie Glaze :

1 quart fresh strawberries

1 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream, whipped (if desired)

Directions :

1. Heat oven to 450°F (around 232°C)

2. Spread hot fudge topping in bottom of cooled baked shell. Refrigerate 1 hour.

3. In small bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Carefully spread over chocolate layer in shell.

4. In medium bowl, gently mix strawberries and *pie glaze. Spoon evenly over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

5. Just before serving, pipe or spoon whipped cream around edge of pie. Store in refrigerator.

___________________________________________________________________

*Directions for Strawberry Pie Glaze :

1. Arrange half of strawberries in baked pastry shell with fudge topping & cheese base. Mash remaining berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan.

2. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture.

4. Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

5. Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell.

Reminder : Will post photos once I make them.

Project list.

2012-05-23T05:37:00.000+08:00

These are some of the recipes that I will make. Make sure you make a point to. - Note to self.

Recipe 1
Lemon Curd. (Recipe taken from Taste)

Makes :1 1/2 cups

Ingredients :
2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
1/3 cup (80g) chilled unsalted butter
Zest and juice of 2 lemons

Method :
Whisk whole eggs, yolks and sugar in a saucepan until smooth, then place pan over a low heat. Add the butter, juice and zest and whisk continuously until thickened. Strain through a sieve into a sterilized jar. Lemon curd keeps, covered, in the fridge for 2 weeks.

To my beloved Mr. Oven!

2012-05-23T05:13:00.000+08:00

I stayed in HK with my husband for 1 year, and in that 1 year, I was craving to BAKE & BAKE & BAKE! I was so frustrated that, the place that was provided for us didn't have an oven. They had microwave, washing machine, fridge & all. But no oven. I think in a home, what one should ALWAYS have (no matter what) is an oven, fridge, washer/dryer or washer & a dryer & microwaves. I guess probably, the size of the apartment that we are staying didn't allow an oven to be built in. *sigh* But nevertheless, I never complained about it. I managed to learn to make cakes & desserts by steaming or freezing. See, creativity kicks in when one thinks out of the box.

1 year have passed and here we are in Bahrain, and I could not thank enough to Allah for the opportunity that is given to my husband & I. Allah must have given us such a great blessing in our lives, as when we were in HK we both accepted and appreciated what was given everyday. And maybe because of that, he gave us a new life in Bahrain.

As I remembered, arriving here with my husband that night, it was passed midnight, and we were quite excited yet afraid. Heard & saw the news and received some messages from friends/relatives on how politically Bahrain is. Everyday riots. Everyday fights. We were given signs of bad news all the time. But Alhamdulillah, everything and even until today, nothing bad happened. Except that 1 day, when Bahrain was having another huge riot, that my husband wasn't allowed to go home and had to stay in his hotel for 1 night. But... It was fine. :)

Anyways, as usual, me, babbling. Going around the bushes and never came upon what I'm trying to write about. Ok. Where was I? Yes, when we arrived to our apartment, we were greeted by the guard or was he the watchmen? I forgot. All I know is, my husband always call them "The Superman". Cause they do everything here. They help to fix the lights, fix the curtain rail, cabinets, bring us the gallon bottle water, top up credits for the phone and basically... EVERYTHING! LOL! The Superman..

As he opens the door to our unit, my jaws dropped. I wanted to say out loud, "You've got to be kidding me!" My husband looked at me, and I looked back and was disbelief. This was the same reaction when I came to my apartment in HK, when I saw our room, but instead of saying "Oh... It's - small...", I can only say in bahasa, "Ubby, besar gila!" LOL!! It's huge. For the 2 of us. It was huge. Imaging having to live in a 500 sqft home in HK and now we were given a 1000 - 1500 sqft!! Alhamdulillah. Ya Allah, thank you.

The apartment has everything. All the list I wanted above (for the kitchen, I mean.) So the story of the oven finally arrives. The Oven. I love my oven. Weel, it's not mine, but I am able to use it anytime I want. And I have been doing so. *grin*

So, it was a Sunday. And my husband was off. Here in Bahrain, Sunday is the first day of the week. So unlike in Malaysia or Hong Kong, our weekends are Saturday & Sunday. Here is, Friday & Saturday. Getting some use to it. So Sunday, my husband was off, so we decided to burn the oven. hehehehe. De-virgin-nise it. Well, maybe it wasn't a virgin, but we decided to turn it on. We had our first Sunday (well, Husband-Off-Day) Project. We made bread.

Well, he is a Baker afterall. I, on the other hand, helped around. (psst... more to cleaning every single mess..) So we did 2 types. The day before, I didn't even realized my husband had already done his levain (starter). I requested for wholemeal bread. And so he did plain wholemeal bread and the other is prune ciabatta. Have a look at them photos. Sorry it doesn't look so "photo professional" or image drooling picture. We only have our Blackberry to capture the evidences.

*Reminder to put in recipe*

Waking up.

2012-04-20T16:10:00.000+08:00

Good morning.

Just chilling at my living room, watching MTV Teen Cribs. Gosh, those kids are pure lucky and spoiled. But really really lucky. Heh.

Had my breakfast. Made french toast wholemeal bread with honey & strawberries. Did my 10 mins cardio & 20 mins strength training just now. Loving the morning wake up. I usually sleep back after my Subuh 4:00 am prayer. But am happy that my body woke up again at 7:30am.

I hope this new environment that I'm experiencing, will change & give me a boost for this year's 2012 resolution. I don't have one but I hope it's good. I may started a bit to late, but never thought it's NEVER to late to start anywhere.

I think Summer is coming soon. It's April now. Weather's kinda ok. Not to hot nor to cold. A bit dusty. I think it's hazy..? Today is Friday. So Bahrain's weekend is here. F1 is happening right now I think. But not so sure what's the outcome yet. Read and heard that the local's aren't happy with this and doing some "tunjuk perasaan". Saw some smoke from afar the other day. We were in the car heading home from grocery shopping. And my husband point out to the direction. I think it was near Saar?

Oh, well. I don't blame the locals for not being satisfied with the ruling of the King. But all I pray is that, my husband & I are safe. And we are Muslim that belief in Allah, Nabi Muhammad & Rasul.

To those coming for the F1 show, enjoy. I think everyone should come to Bahrain. Cause, it's a very beautiful country. It has a mystical thing about this country. I don't know what. But like what my gf said, "Dusty Dreamy.." Lol!

Will update soon.

The Next New Journey

2012-04-19T17:43:00.000+08:00

Assalam readers.

It's finally here. Our next journey. We had a very sad farewell to HK, but a happy hello to Bahrain.

This is our first post after being in Bahrain for 2 months plus. And I finally started the new blog.

So stay tune. I think this new place of ours is a whole NEW experience.

Wassalam.

Touristy Us.

2011-11-11T01:37:00.007+08:00

We had some touristy day in Hong Kong the last weekend. And I am happy to announce that I had so much of fun just being with my partner. His the best-est bestfriend, guyfriend a girl could have especially to hang out with. Oh, I forgot, Im married to him too. That's a PLUS.

Anyways, the touristy spot to go when anyone comes to Hong Kong is Ngong Ping 360. It's a place where one can see a Giant Big Buddha. We Muslim don't really focus on that, but on the other hand, this place is interesting for photo taking or practising the photo skill that one always wanted to develop. And they do have some shows, activities to do there. Like hiking, or island visits & others. Check out Ngong Ping 360.

Direction.

MTR from Central or any other line that leads to MTR's Tung Chung Station & the Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal is adjacent to it. It is a two-minute walk from Exit B of the station. Easy peasy. I think it takes about 30 mins to reach Tung Chung. Don't worry. You will never realize the 30 mins when you are in a MTR. I've attached a map (I took it from Ngong Ping's website. Sorry.)

We didn't know the direction for Bus or other transportation to NP360. Cause we think that MTR is the best transportation ride you can ever ride on. It's on time and fast. I think the trip cost about HKD$ 20 +/- Single trip.

So basically, Tung Chung Station, go to Exit B, then get blinded with Citygate Outlet just next to you (that's another topic to talk about), walk to the Cable Car (it's a recommendation, not for those fainted heart though, as its a loooooooong trip across up the hills, sea and well, land.) Then line up for a VERY long time to get into one of the cable cabin which is shared by others up to 10 pax. You can pay up to HKD 2900 to get a private cable, but you CRAZY!. You do have a choice of a Standard Cabin or Crystal Cabin which is, your cabin floor is visible to see. But price defer. We took Standard like other which cost about HKD 179.

Once in cabin (pssst.., only 2 cables are supporting us)it took us 25 min (5.7 km) trip across the mountain, hills, sea & land. It is worth it. Trust me. You will reach your destination, and head up to NP Village where the shows, food & shopping be. Make sure to check your tickets to know your itinerary that is included.

Standard only have Round Trip Ngong Ping Cable Car journey and entry to Ngong Ping Village's Walking with Buddha and Monkey's Tale Theater attractions. Can't compare with other package, but I think, we had just enough fun with this package.

Muslim, have no fear as there is Halal food up there, besides having the blessed smell of Starbuck's coffee, you can find Ebeneezer's Kebab & Pizzeria too. Thank god. A good meal and a good coffee place. And for desserts, they have Gelatos for those who crave ice cream, Honeymoon Dessert (Astro's Rasa Halal Orient HK, recommendation) and others too (if you're not as picky as we are.) After a good full meal, enjoy the gift shopping. They do have loads of things to buy up there. Not those fancy branded clothing, but touristy, souvenir thingy.

Anyways, enjoy the photos.

Updates.

2011-11-10T10:12:00.006+08:00

While listening to Faizal Tahir - Kasih Tercipta, which is a weird choice of genre for me, I asked myself, what happen to blogging? Therefore I tweeted, "why have i stop bloggin'? what is wrong with me & my thoughts? has it shut down." Got to start my fingers typing & exercising. *krack krack*

My goodness. How long has it been since I last updated my blog. Must've been ages. I can see dust on my pages. Literally. Heh heh heh. How's everybody doing? Life is good? It's a beautiful date today. 11.11.11. And coincidentally, it's my good friends birthday too. Krystle. Happy birthday, baby girl.

Headphones on me ear, Youtube's on with my music playlist. Getting the grooves of typing. Sitting straight, shadows of me typing can be seen on the walls of my room, as the only luminous lights that I'm getting is our Ikea stand lamp which I just loved.

How's Hong Kong? Its ok. It's been a good 11 months here. Well, there were ups & downs, such as I hated the Summer heat, but then again, loved the sunny brightness, loved the coming Winter, but hate the coldness when showering. Both Suami & I are doing all ok. Living every day with full of grateful, thankful and blessed feeling.

My Youtube playlist is playing God Help The Girl's Funny Little Frog now. Gosh! It brings me back to work life. I keep playing this song when doing my work. I dance to this song when I'm at home in front of my wardrobe mirror and sing out loud when I'm driving to work or back from work. Life has totally changed now. I do miss my ID life. Gosh. *Silent moment* Ni semua Syana's fault for making me in a sob sob situation. Emo.

*Sign* Move on. While my head is nodding up and down following the music beat, I even typed according to the music tempo too. I wonder how I could actually think, type and listen all at the same time.

Suami's at work now. Housemates dah balik. Cause I can hear them front door banged & entering the room door banged. All is good. All is fine. I've got loads to blog about. But, not sure where to start first. Maybe I should list it down first.

1. Weight
2. Halal Discovery
3. Touristy
4. Business
5. Dancing
Before I start babbling, I would like to wish all Muslim Happy Eid Al-Adha. Though it was last Sunday, but then its a new year for us Muslim. So I've got another 1 year more to go before the next Eid. :) Would like to tell the whole world, that Suami & I experienced the best solat raya haji ever. We were privileged enough to pray at Causeway Bay's Victoria Park's field with other Muslim who is in HK. Well, 90% are Indonesian as 172,000 of them are domestic helpers working in HK & other 10% are Malaysian like us, Chinese, Mat Sallehs and so on. The field at Victoria Park was like a waved of white homo sapiens wearing their prayer attire. We were fortunate enough to experience it. I wonder if this is how it would be when we do our Haj. Masya'Allah.

And this year would be the first time that I didn't get to celebrate in KL. It was kinda sad, but I didn't want to think about it. But when I saw Suami's expression, I was in tears to see him in tears. *Silent* We may be missing all the family gathering, celebration, no korban, but we were again fortunate enough to have friends in HK and we did have a little celebration & makan-makan. Though we weren't invited cause we were with friends who said let's just go, therefore rezeki kami. Alhamdulillah.

Ok. I will continue on the list wrote above in the next blog.

Wax Paper

2011-08-16T14:20:00.003+08:00

This great tip which I found from Apartment Therapy's website :

Rub WAX PAPER on a metal bar to make metal hangers glide smoothly and with less squeaks. The same concept works with a shower curtain with metal rings and rod.

I think we can use the wax paper on anything which uses metal that needs a glide or slide on something...

Enjoy. I sure did on my shower curtain and now it slides like a Slytherin from HP. :)

Another quick recipe.

2011-08-05T05:13:00.000+08:00

Here's another quick tasty treat to munch on a weekend. And I personally thinks that this goes well for Summer.

Check out Racheal's easy-peasy recipe.

Cinnamon-Sugar Buñuelos Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

Halal...

2011-07-12T23:39:00.004+08:00

If anybody is interested in coming to Hong Kong for a holiday and is a Muslim and wonders where to go and look for Muslim Halal food, please drop us an email as we are both gladly to help you out. And help you all to have the worry-free trip. Not only that, if you want us to help you get around, we would be happy to give you a hand...

Hey, you'd be surprised that Hong Kong do serves loads of Halal food.

email us at : aziramustafa@gmail.com

:)

Ramadhan is coming..

2011-07-12T22:07:00.011+08:00

Alhamdullillah.. Ramadhan is coming soon. I can't wait. As this will be my first time as a wife celebrating Ramadhan without my parents/family. Plus, I am living in HK. It will be a total different thing all together. Food will be different & so is the environment of celebrating this coming holy month.

Every one who lives in Malaysia, loves it when Ramadhan is near. All because of the food fiesta that is waiting to be attacked. We just love the Ramadhan Bazaar going on for 1 whole month. And the food fiesta starts from 4/5 pm - till the sun sets for 'buka puasa' (open fast). Just talking about it now makes my mouth watery. I can just imagine all the savory food, desserts, drinks, pastries, dishes and etc displaying on the whole stretch of the side road and calling out "Buy me..! Eat me...!". And I am not kidding you. Come travel to Malaysia on Ramadhan month and you will enjoy the pleasure of eating. *dreaming away...*

Anyways, like I said, I am in a different zone all together. But that doesn't mean I can't bring the Malaysia's Ramadhan mood to HK. I've decided to research and learn to make some of the delicacies, pastries and food here. I've got my recipes jotted down, ingredients bought and prepared. I am no cook or a baker like my husband. But, curiosity kills the cat and I am one of it.

Today I marked my history of making my first roti jala 'lacy like bread pancake'. It was a bit thick, but I got the hang of it on how to make it 'web lacy like'. I managed, struggled and destroyed the first batch, but later on it turned out OK. A bit thick then usual, but am so proud of myself. I even made the curry gravy for the roti jala. *happy mode*

I took some photos therefore enjoy them. In preparing my Ramadhan mood, I will continue learning to cook/bake/steamed and other terms that relates to food. :)

Salam ketibaan Ramadhan.. Ku telah menanti mu sekian lama..

PS: Reminder, you have got 1 more day to repay your fast.. :P

Summer!

2011-07-03T00:26:00.008+08:00

It's been raining the past few days. No. Weeks. And HK was not being friendly to us. It summer time. So, maybe a few rain drops wouldn't hurt. But thunderstorm. Typhoons. Come on! But today, our laid back (mostly do nothing - watch TV, scratch butt) activity was a bit different. Suami's housemates gf is leaving HK as her internship has come to an end. So they decided to go to the beach. That's what people in HK do. So for a change, and since the young couple (emphasize on young couple) planned on going, Suami's housemate was nice enough to invite us and we said yes.

They wanted to explore Tai Long Wan (Big Wave Bay) beach at first. But somehow, there wasn't any luck on us.

1. Taxi driver didn't know the place, but insist on trying to find it. And Suami & I felt pity on him, cause he was so eager to drive us, but was totally puzzled by where the f* it was. So we decided to just drop off at Sai Kung Town.

On Sundays and public holidays, bus 96R from Diamond Hill MTR station serves Wong Shek Pier - via Sai Kung. There's also a frequent daily bus service (94) from Sai Kung to Wong Shek Pier. And a 45 minutes hike.

For a shorter, less hiking option :- Get a cab from Sai Kung Town. Head to Sai Kung Sai Wan. Tell taxi driver about walking to Tai Long Wan beach. If can, get somebody to write it in Chinese.

2. We asked around, and there was a schedule for the shuttle bus. Apparently, we were 3 hours late. And time wasn't enough. And sky looks a bit dark. So, we didn't want to risk it.

3. Had a local person to explain to us and said something about we need permission to go to the beach. Like an admission letter as the place is a resorted area. (Wasn't sure about this, but am doing research while typing this.)

4. The local guy gave us wrong information. I did some research and there wasn't any restricted or rules saying we need permission.
Ok. Do not want to bore my readers. We end up heading to another beach, which was more familiarized by Suami's housemate. Hoi Ha Wan beach where it's sort of a coral haven place. Though mostly damaged. The sea ain't that clear and it was a bit muddy. Advice to rent some snorkeling gears plus flippers as it wasn't a flat sandy surface once jump into the sea. Had some 'ouch', 'oofs', 'urgh' moments. Well, my Suami, most of the times. As I was wearing my 'I Love my Crocs' multipurpose shoe on. Heh heh heh.

But, sadly, we thought that it will be a nice beach-y place to do a bit of snorkeling. See some fishes. Get bitten by one. But, nah. Mostly mud. Rocks. Sharp shells. Cuts. And icky moments when u step into something gooey and can't see a shit as water was misty like. Like going into a river with unwanted sea creature. Hmmm... Suddenly the show from Discovery Channel's River Monster came to mind.. Yikes!

Malaysia. Truly Asia. I miss Perhentian. Or, Krabi. Nothing beats snorkeling in Krabi. Just jump into the middle of the ocean and snorkel, snorkel stork. I'm not giving a bad vibe about Hai Ho. It's what my opinion says. But, I never complained about being at the beach. Spending my weekend, after snorkeling, sitting at the sand. Taking LOADS of photos. Exploring the nature. More photos. See the sun. Hear no noise. Feel the wind. Feel the sand on my feet. Smell the ocean. Hear the sound of soft ripples. And most important, get burned marks on my back. Who can't resist that.

I got more to talk about. But, it's 1:30am. And am dead sleepy. My Suami is snoozing to La La Land, and Isteri here is still busy typing about. Good night everyone. Good night HK. Good night world.

Will post the photos once edited - POSTED. And will blog more ridiculous write-thoughts-that-is-in-my-head post.

I still smell salty like the beach. *grin*

My mind is...

2011-07-01T23:13:00.004+08:00

Messed up.

I haven't been blogging lately. Maybe because I was away for the last 12 days. Balik kampung. In direct English translation - Go home village. heh heh heh..

I'm sorry to my loyal readers. - If there is anyone reading this piece of crap.

Anyways, back to my topic. Speaking of "topic", remember those days back in school, where you should not write an essay that is out of topic. Hahahahahah! I think I got 1 or 2 feedback/results for my essay paper that was "out of topic". That's fuh-ney.

There I go again. Astray. I can never get my mind straight to what I'm about to write. Always an interruption. Shut up!

I'm in a messed mode these few days. Feeling sluggish. Sad. Down. Hopeless. Stupid. Name it. Anything demotivating. I'm IT. I haven't been working. I haven't been dancing. I haven't been exercising. I can't even spell "exercising" without using the right click - check spelling, button.

It's that whats been bothering me? I thought I could pull it off for a year. You know, take a break. But, I realized I get mad easily. Uneasy. You know, just itchy to be pissed off at small things that don't matter.

And now, I get so frustrated knowing people I know is being all successful and 'out there'. And here I am, having big dreams, but no shit on making it real. I don't know. It's not the time yet. I know. But shouldn't I be doing something by now?

Maybe I'm just plain lazy. That's the answer. Tell me. How do I get myself motivated back again? Help. I think, I've lost something in me. And I know, this will not do good to my self.

:(

Sad day.

2011-06-10T01:09:00.003+08:00

It really sucks when you are so far away from home, and you hear the news about someone you love, is suddenly having sick. And it sucks even more, when somebody tells you, that the sickness is cancer. And it gets worst when you know the next day, it has become worst to stage 4 and you can't do anything about it. Thinking and praying that it will be ok.

And suddenly today, at 12 midnight, you receive a message, telling the news that, that person pass away....

He was my late grandfather's brother. He was a wonderful grand uncle that I just adore and love. He is the most happiest man I ever known. Cheerful, funny, witty and always acted like he forgot all of his grandchildren name. And he would just call out random names to us. He would laugh so loudly and talked to random people. Humble, humble, humble man.

On my Solemnization day, he was the eldest man to become my "tukang ganyang" "tukang pembuka majlis" (person who speaks/introduce/starts the event). Since he was the eldest from my family side, he has been in charged ever since both my brothers and now me. And, never in my mind would I think off he would go that soon. I always imagine he will be the one who will be at every of my cousin's wedding. He was my witness. And witness to my brothers. He was the one we all look for when it comes to family matters. Mom is so attached to him.

I know he is old, but he doesn't look or even act old. His just so happy. Always smiling and laughing. You can never not love him.

Rest in piece, datuk Aziz. We will miss you. We love you very much. I'm just so honored, you were there for my wedding day.

10.06.2011 - Datuk Aziz
03.03.2007 - Datuk Salleh

Wanna Cupcake?

2011-06-03T13:04:00.008+08:00

I think it was yesterday, that Suami & I stumble upon (again) a small cupcake shop. Well, I saw it online and never thought of looking for it. But when we were walking about aimlessly (as usual) after our disappointment of going to Lomo store to pick up our "spoiled-photos", which was not ready by the way, we were face to face with this cupcake shop called Cake-A-Licious.

Well, our main reason of aimlessly looking around was to have a dessert session due to depression. (Remember, photos not ready.. *point statement above) So we wanted to check out this pastry shop called SIFT. We walked all the way from Shueng Wan where the Lomo store is at, and pass through another cool shop I discovered online, called Pantry Magic (will write a blog about this - definitely), and suddenly we were back to SOHO area. We were just walking along Queen's Rd. And was blinded by all the junk, antiques, collector item's along the way. In short, it ain't that far from Central to Shueng Wan.

So, back in SOHO area, Suami thinks he knows where SIFT was, but sadly, he don't remember. That's when we discovered Cake-A-Licious. It's basically hidden among the shops. Plus it's at the basement. You are to use a staircase to walk in their shop. It reminded me so much of Melbourne. Hehehehehe. But, once you are at that road, I don't think you will miss it. I sure didn't cause it's in Fuchsia, smells of eggs, sugar and flour, and you see people suddenly disappearing heading down.

First thing I saw was the cupcakes on the display counter. Not really much of a choice to pick from plus it wasn't really attractive. Wanted to walked out, but, now, that's the thing about having your shop at the basement area. You're like entering with an agreement to buy something, because walking out - more to UP, means attracting attention. hehehehehe.

I thought to myself, we are here, may else well buy something. Smells good. Don't wanna judge the decoration from it's taste. We bought Red Velvet and Carrot Cake. Typical. But, usually, the typical ones are the ones that helps to compare from another shop. The cream cheese icing on top was just to flat. Didn't have enough swirl on it. And, it was just plain cream cheese and a little icing mixed in it. Not complaining. Just giving you the visual idea. Though I've posted some photos. Heheheheh.

To give you a clear idea, I think the RV wasn't that great. But I did enjoy the Carrot Cupcake though. It's kinda hard to give a good A+ to cupcakes nowdays, as theres soooo may competition everywhere. And plus, I've tasted better. So, to sum up both Suami & my conclusion, Cake-A-Licious bakery is a so-so choice. But don't stop you guys from trying. Cause maybe it tastes good from your liking.