Mayra's Birthday surprise

This is going to be lengthy. 

Our not-so-little-anymore chicken is eventually 21 ! 

Three of us are now legit adults. Finally. 

Planning birthday surprise for Mayra was not an easy one since the very beginning. 

1. We intended to make a small private celebration at The Alley. She loves the matcha tart there. Called the cafe, they didn't offer such service for party. Pfftt. It's not like we asked for a bomb. 

2. If we surprise her at our house, it required her away from us...which can RARELY happen. Impossible to throw this woman away. A total leech. Hahaha.

3. Got Sir Yasir agreed to take her out for dinner...and, he just had to cancel the plan all of sudden, at the very last minute. 

4. On the evening before, Mayra was upset on a few things. She wanted to cry. She's not happy. Me and Nana ? Nervous levelled up. 

Her birthday was on Wednesday, so on Tuesday, Nana and I had already started planning this and that. Knowing Mayra and her deep attachment with toys and child-like things, I proposed to Nana,

" Let's build a fort." 

and she said okay if I know how to. Duhhh. Fort ? Piece of cake. *flipshair. 

So that noon, we found ourselves arranging chairs and clothesline as we tried our very best to peg the bedsheets together. Took out sheets, pegged here, pegged there. Pegged, pegged, spread, sheets fell.
Straightened, pegged, clothesline falling down.
Okay.
Despite how easy they should've been, they kept on falling onto the floor like a drama queen trying to get attentions. Dramatic. And annoying. Can't these things defy gravity for at least once. Huh.
Tried again, still not working.
Okay. We're officially doomed.

"I swear it looked easy on YouTube !" 

I moaned towards Nana as she shot me with the are-we-really-making-a-fort look . I mean, those people just arranged the chairs, spread the sheets and voila, a sturdy fort right on your face. And not to mention, the video was only 4 minutes! God. How come ours looked like ... NOT even close to a fortress , or as Nana put it, "macam tempat sidai baju rumah setinggan". Urgh. It was. 

We stopped trying and decided that we would be happy enough if anything, anything at all, would stay in place later that night. 

Evening came and I was in charge of buying the decorations and food. I left casually to my class and headed to the mall to buy the bits and bobs of the decorations with Nana's desperate order constantly playing in my mind,
"If you find a tent, do not hesitate. Just buy. We are soo not building a fort."
Yea right. Like I was going to buy a freaking tent just because. Haha

As you know, or might not know, I'm currently on 'Shopping Detox'. We had been avoiding malls for almost a week now. I know right ! It's impossible! How do people even live!

I was very proud of myself for being able to go to Mr DIY only. And I picked a reasonable shop. One step closer to the 'Pengguna Bijak' trophy. This is going to be easy, I told my self as I swiftly jumped from one aisle to another, successfully avoiding eye contacts from the unrelated sections.

After half an hour, I had gotten myself  a few packets of scented candles, 3 wrapping papers and a lighter. Easy job. 

Humming 'This girl is on fire', I headed to the counter with a big smug plastering on my face, looking very pleased with my achievement.
Got my things.Was not distracted. Girl, you're on roll! *pats self on the back

And then,,, 

the Christmas ornaments just had to be there, in front of the counter. . .
I quickly texted Nana , "Hey, should we buy the Christmas lights ? It's super cheap." 

Or. 

Maybe we don't need the lights. 

Maybe we can use other things.
Should I buy tassels? Or anything shiny?

Oh .

I should probably go and just glance at the crafts section real quick. Like, super quick, it wouldn't do any harm.

.

.

.

An hour later, I texted Nana, "I'm weak :(" 

The washi tapes were seriously super cheap wehhh ! 

and the notebooks ! All cute and super cheap ! 

They even sell cross-stitch equipments ! I don't know why I was excited about that, I don't even cross-stitch. But now that I know they sell it, I might buy and start on you know, have my own yarn collection, or frames of cross-stitch collection.
Wooden alphabets? Might need them. 

and Gosh! Felt for beginners? Right into the trolley. 

Man, I was hyperventilating. 

Nana replied with "Anis ! FOCUS ! We gotta focus!" Oh Lord. It was hard. After some serious breathing controls, face fanning and sweaty palms, I ended up adding ONLY the accessories for the party. *plays victory sound effects *waves hankie in the air "I did it, peasants, I did it !"

Since I had spent so much time at Mr. DIY, I had to rush home for Maghrib and didn't have the time to get Domino's and J.CO. So yeah, I didn't get any food. Because of the crafty section. Not my fault. Their fault. For having cheap stuffs. 

Came home to the news of Sir Yasir cancelling on Mayra and she's gonna be home for the rest of night, I couldn't think of any other solution. How are we going to set up the fort with Mayra walking here and there in the house?
As usual, Nana worried so much, she was about to cry.
"Okay. If she is not going to be outside, we will have to kidnap her and tie her down in the kitchen. Lock the door and we will straight away do the deco."  Her eyes sparkled with 'Yasss let us do that' and I laughed. "I was just joking ! We're not gonna tie her. She's gonna be anxious !"
 "Or should we?"
Woman be crazy. I was only joking for the love of God and she was all, "I seriously agree. Let's do whatever it takes." for the nth time. Whoa whoa chill, lady.

Due to the fact that Mayra was quite depressed that night because of some work, I pestered her to take Xanax in addition to her other pills. Hahaha.
I didn't want her coming all depressed to her own party okay. I have gotten everything 60% ready, didn't wanna toss them into the drain haha #hadtobeselfish #thatkindoffriend #shouldhavegivenonetoNana #womanneedstocalmdown

Fortunately, she did and dozed off soundly as early as 11 p.m. And we began working on our small project. Weee.

Kiki came back home with Domino's pizzas and Banana Kaya later on while Nana and I were wrapping the presents (Your welcome, Haziq). We set the fort up and just used our bed frame and hanged the curtains instead, completely ignoring the instructions from YouTube. 

The idea just came out of nowhere and I instantly knew that I am just creative by nature. #flipskening 

                                      

The tassels and scented candles.

The fort ceiling was actually a curtain too haha

Birthday Pizza

Since Mayra was already on Xanax, no sound could bother her and we had to literally dragged her out of bed. We came into her room, brutally calling "Mayra, Mayra, subuh subuh." She couldn't look more clueless. We sang happy birthday and she straightly went "Ya Allah you guys!" with her shrieking voice. Hahaha. She was clearly high and happy (not sure if it was the effects of it or she really was. Couldn't decide haha) with the surprise and we were super glad it's finally over. Our effort was paid off. And more importantly, we got to chug down pizzas in a fort while having a good laugh. The night went by unexpectedly smooth and couldn't get any more wild, with Nana waking up to a glow stick in her armpit. We surely had a ball of time.

Your Highness, literally high.

One with housemates :)

Banana looks like a proud mom lol

And yasss , matching robes with my girls

No we don't love you

Mayra used to loathe her birthday so much but we managed to make her change her mind, or so a lil bit, I guess ahaha.

Happy 21, my chicken. May Allah give you the strength to face your days and make them a wonderful ride. I pray that you will stay sweet and kind like you have always been. And I pray that God will grant you with more sense of humour too but not more than mine. May you be blessed abundantly and know that I am super glad you are born into this world coz where else am I gonna hear a person screaming so much every single time.  Haha. We love you too and we will always do. 

Mayra tagged me on a tutorial video on FB, with comment, " Anis, draw this one!"

Was quite busy with packing and all at that moment, so I only had the time to accept the challenge a few weeks late haha. 

So here goes, a drawing of the sunset.

The process was quite difficult since the colour of the paper was VERY brown.

Shading is impossible and I had to layer the base twice haha.

Not my best but will keep it here :)

Help ?

Last two nights, as I was about to actually start studying, I suddenly got a call from Kubis. 

"CHECK YOUR WHATSAPP !!!" she said right after I answered it, couldn't even get to Assalamualaikum,-yes-why-are-you-calling-do-you-miss-me and all but okay, that will do to. 

I turned my WhatsApp on, and sent to me (by her) were photos of blouses and dresses on sale. . . Girl meant serious business when she called.  

Trying to avoid the urge to browse those online shops, I typed, "But I just bought 2 pairs of heels last night. Can't afford to shop for two days in a row," torn between hitting send and opening the site of the shop. I eventually hit send but ended up at the site anyway. Just because, ye know. I needed a break. I cannot be stressed when I'm about to study and ... okay, stop judging me.

The thing is, I JUST CAN'T CONTROL IT. How do people even do that ?!

I mean, how do their brain talk to their heart ? Just, how ? What sorcery is that ? 

If some people are more specific on what they spent on, like, "Oh, I only spend more on food" or "I am willing to starve for Lego" which for them, can be sinful too at times. 

Sir, behold , 

for thou is not as sinful.

This woman here enjoys everything. 

I like books , 

I like stationeries,

I like shoes, 

I like clothes, 

I like scarves, 

I like handbags, 

I like movies, 

I like food and the list goes on... 

and frankly, this is not something I am proud of. 

I have been telling my friends to keep me away from simply buying things but as you can see, instead of keeping me away, they notify me on EVERY sales possible. It is not peculiar at all to see me running to them after hearing the words, "Anis, **** is on sale!" 

And yes, I am fully aware that sometimes, the shops just put on the tags '50% off' although they're actually selling at normal price. Yes, I have those tricks in my pockets and I should crawl away from it. But, no . I just kept on running back to what I wish to avoid the most. 

There's this one recent event, we just got back from a midnight movie and walked past Jelly Bunny with huge "50% off" sign.

Uncanny

The shop was closed, so we went back there the next day (the effort). Turned out, it was just a clearance sale on certain shoes only and, obviously most of them are not in my size.

However, since we're already there and I already have my card in my purse, why not?

I ended up buying 6 pairs of shoes, was feeling generous enough and bought 2 for my sister. As far as I can recall, the shoes which I bought, only a few pairs were on a-few-percents-off (not ALL were 50% apparently. LIAR !) and the rest were with normal prices.
Not to mention that a few days before that, I just spent another hundreds on ... if I'm not mistaken, inner wears and Goodness knows how much those devils cost. 

Yes. I am an idiot. And this is a call for help. SOS. 

I got a lot of suggestions from concern friends.

"Only bring like RM10 in your purse every day."

 But ... what if , there's an emergency ? I can't be walking around unprepared, knowing I am not ready for what the world might smack me with. Nooo. Should I ? Noooo. Nope.

"Decide your priorities." 

THEY ARE ALL IMPORTANT.

Also, "Every day, set aside RM5 and keep it in a container." 

Yup. Did it. Spent those too. 

"Record the expenses" and starts recommending me a list of wallet Apps. 

Worked. For a few days. 

Another interesting one is, "Try not to shop." 

Duhhh. Thank you? I didn't know it's an option.

However therapeutic this is for me , deep down inside, I pray hard enough, hoping that this is only one of those 'this-is-just-a-phase,you-will-get-over-it' because dang, mama gonna be broke if mama dont stahp. 

I seriously need to find the way out, because only I can help myself :( 

At first, I didn't think this is bad at all because you know, I'm helping our economic growth. Your welcome, Malaysia *blows nails* 

However, when I realized that most of my chats with my friends consist of , "So today I bought this.." and "Maybe you should check this out" and "Isn't this cute?" followed by hundreds of photos. Okay that 'hundreds of photos' is a total exaggeration but guys, I am in deep mess. 

That is when it hits me, 'Boy, I am sick and I need help, don't I ?'  

Kubis found her way out, or well maybe not completely out but I can say she's halfway there. Whenever the urge hits her, she finds something REALLY cheap and only buy like, one or two. Hmmm maybe I can try that too. But ... but

I believe that everyone has mental illness looping inside them and mine happens to be this. Since it's happening inside, no medication would work unless I'm determined enough to make it stop. 

And therefore,

Starting from today onwards, I have decided that I will try my best to control my behaviour.
I promise that if I ever do anything stupid and go spend my money like a crazy woman,

I will have to pause from shopping for a month. 

Gosh I hope this works. 

She was a beautiful savage

I just discovered this one male poet and most of his writings are about standing up for women!

How cool is that ?

And no, he's not gay. Haha

Nevertheless, I can't seem to find his books, 'Born to Love, Cursed to Feel', and 'Whiskey and Shovel' in the bookstore. Maybe they're not here in Malaysia yet.

Saw him posting a sneak peek of his poem and it led me to this drawing

She was a beautiful savage

unapologetic but sweet

delicate but tough

brave enough

to walk through hell

in search of her own piece

of heaven

unafraid of the flames

-r.h. Sin-

Okay first of all, that past tense in the beginning of paragraph sparked my curiosity the most, I don't know why! And the way r.h. Sin ended her endurance of hell to find her piece of heaven that once belong to her, was just ... liberating.

And don't even make me start about the oxymorons of her characteristics. Haih. Loving it.

Poems with the manifestation of tenacity and perseverance are always my favourites :)

Hoping to add more in the list

Vietnamese Spring Rolls for the whole class !

So last year, we had a micro teaching class (well we have it almost every year haha but last year was more specific on lesson plan). I have been dying to upload our activities in my classes and found this one photo of our activity last year. If and only I am as determined as those people on Pinterest, I surely have a lot to share !

We focused on the topic 'How To Write a Process & Procedure Essay' last time... and what we did was, we actually brought the real ingredients to the class and taught them on how to make Vietnamese Spring Rolls live.

I don't wanna bore you with the hum drum part of how we conducted the lesson but here goes, our own recipe of the rolls and ah yes, I made our own signature sauce .

Ingredients for one roll ( frankly, you can just put the amount of the ingredients up to your liking. Sorry la. Saya melayu. Takda measurement) :

Vermicelli Noodles (hydrated/boiled until el dente)
Leaves Lettuce (1 or 2 leaves per rolls)
Mint ( no need to chop. Put a few leaves )
Sliced Carrots (1.5 tbspoon)
Chopped Coriander/Cilantro (2 teaspoons)
Chopped Basil (2 teaspoons)
Boiled Prawns (3 or 2 slices per rolls)
A few Rice Paper
1 or 2 dollops of Aioli (Can buy from the stores but we made our own. I will share below just in case) - aioli will act like a jam, so if you would like to have more savory taste in your rolls, you may put extra aioli :)


Aioli Recipe :
Click here
OR
Into 2 tbspoon of mayonnaise , put these :  a garlic clove ( finely chopped), sprinkle some salt and grounded black pepper, and squeeze a lime juice and sprinkle some of the mint


Steps for Rolls:

1. Boiled your prawns (with shells on) on the stove until its is cooked. Do not throw away the prawn water as we can use it later. 
2. Slice the prawn into half , then you can peel of the shell and the dirt. 
3. Wash your greens and start preparing a bowl of warm water. 
4. With your warm water ready, dip the rice paper into it for 1 second and gently lay it on a flat surface. 
5. In a row across the centre, put down your sliced prawns first, followed by lettuce and hydrated vermicelli noodles on top of the rice paper.  
6. Spread a dollop of aioli, place the mint, carrot and cilantro.
7. Fold the corners (the two sides) inwards and roll from the bottom over the ingredients. Make sure to be super gentle as you don't want to break the rice paper. 
8. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. 

You may refer this video on how to roll your rice paper :

Well , some people like to have the rolls with the peanut butter sauce but I don't really like peanut butter haha so here's another way to make the sauce ...


Ingredients for dipping sauce :

1 cup of boiled prawn-water from before
3 teaspoons of fish sauce (my ultimate secret ingredient haha)
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 spoon of sugar
5 nicely chopped chilli
2 lime
Salt (accordingly)

Steps for sauce

1. Reheat your prawn water on the stove and add the sugar. 
2. Pour the garlic , chilli and the fish sauce. 
3. Add sugar according to the taste. 
4. You may want to add some finely chopped shallot but it is not obligated to. 
5. Turn off the fire and squeeze your limes.
6. There is no harm in modifying the sauce according to your taste :)

Okay I guess that's all for the time being. Will try my best to post more recipes but knowing my inability to write down specific amount of ingredients, I don't think I'll be able to do so quite often 😂😂😂 This is why you don't ask a Malay girl about recipe. We like to 'agak-agak je' haha

Umrah Ramadhan 2016

I know that it's already 2 months late but here's my post on our Umrah from last Ramadhan :P  I will make sure to jot down every single detail I can recall , I promise ! 

Initially, I planned to make a comparison between the normal umrah and the ramdhan umrah but to think again,  apart from: 

•  it's a little bit more humid, 
• more people and 
• more tiring (with fasting in the weather), 

Both are quite similar, for me. After all, it goes back to your niat and determination to perform ibadah and not vice versa. 

However, I think it is better for me to give you guys the heads up of what are the do's and dont's there, mainly during Ramadhan and it's last ten days. Just an exposure, so that you don’t make the same mistakes like we did hahaha.

Medina was okay. I had a fever because of the dust (I'm allergic to smoke , dust and etc, so yeah. Total bummer). I forgot to wear the mask/niqab for once and boom there you go , runny nose and dizziness. So make sure to prep you mask, peeps. 

People in Medina are more friendly and kind (shopkeepers mainly hahaha) , and I like the atmosphere there better. The breakfasting was nice too. Besides, my fav qari, Ziyaad Patel was sometimes on duty, so yeah. Bonus!I almost screamed when I heard his voice leading our prayer for the first time (but of course I didn't because I was praying MashaaAllah). All this while, I only listened to recordings of him but to be able to listen it live, it was an unforgettable experience. But in Mecca , of course they have more qaris on duty , sometimes Mishary, sometimes Basit, and of course , everyone's fav for Taraweeh and Qiamullail session, AsSudais  T_T . 

Leaving for Mecca, I learned this on the bus : 

"‘An ‘Umrah (minor pilgrimage) in Ramadan is akin to Hajj with me [in terms of reward]." 

Rasulullah S.A.W

This is based on the hadeeth narrated by Ibnu 'Abbas, according to the ustaz who guided us there. He added, "Since Allah is providing us with more rewards, expect more challenges and just be patient, for Allah love those who are patient." 

The Ustaz couldn't be more accurate as after our trip from Medina to Mecca, there's a roadblock about 2-3 km from our hotel. The bus stopped there for hours. Later on,  we had no other choice but to walk as the prayer time was approaching. Not only we had luggageS to carry, two of my grandmothers were on wheelchairs. Allahu. It was really challenging. 

We were told that there will be people coming to take the luggages but turned out, it was the opposite. We had to carry those heavy bags and boxes of 'kurma' and other fruits by ourselves. Luckily, amidst of our trembles, some people offered the service to send those things to our hotel. 

The morals of this incident are : 

• Make sure to arrive at Mecca before 2 p.m . Earlier is better. 
• Do not get mad or blame anyone as you might be in your ihram. It is a complete no-no. 
• The closer your hotel to Masjidil Haram, expect more crowds especially around praying hours. 
• Remember why you are there. The major reason. 
• Be patient

Another incident which I think I should highlight here is to show your gratitude towards the Arabs. Unlike Umrah in May or Dec-Feb, Ramadhan season is just dominated by non other but them. THEY ARE LITERALLY EVERYWHERE. Befriend them. Show how much you like them. I only realized about the importance of it when it's already too late  T_T . My bad. Did not kipas them hard enough, looking for seats to put my prayer mat was nearly impossible. Every. Single. Time. 

When you finally got to sit. My sister and her endless selfies.

We tried our best to enter Masjidil Haram like 1-2 hours earlier than the prayer time, so that we could sit in the proper saf and not at the corner or on the stairs. Still, people were EVERYWHERE. I was not sure whether I should be glad that those many are performing umrah or the contrast. Haha. 

Nonetheless, approaching the last days, we just used our charming smile and tried very hard to keep it, even when they said , "La" which means No. Sobs. If you're persistent enough, they will give it to you. 

I am small hahaha, so most of the time, after the conversation ended with my "Jazakillalh (thank you)" , they would call me back and let me squeeze in. Sometimes, they squeezed their big bodies just to let me sit. Those people are nice, really. Being able to converse in Arabs is a total bonus, if you can. Those people like talking so much haha. And as for Pakistanis, Indians or Africans, their English are fluent. Grab the opportunity, guys. Get to know them :) 

Normally, the air conditioned areas were the most oddly crowded, super crowded you can't imagine how THAT many people can put their butts on the floor and pray. Areas which were more humid (still under some construction, I think) had less people. It's okay. You decide. Probably they will have the whole mosque air conditioned by next year. I dont know. I tried both and was okay with both.

And oh, speaking of, don't forget your water spray. Going in and out just for wudhu' will waste your time. Please. Don't. Haha. Just use the spray. Don't worry. You can't eat or drink anyway , so Number 1 and Number 2 would definitely appear on rare occasions only.

Also, on the same note, take as much time as you can to do what you're supposed to do. We don't wanna miss the chances and rewards, aren't we ?

p/s : If you go to Al Haram after they've blocked the entrance , go to the 6th floor inside the Hilton hotel. It is still considered as the waqaf of the masjid. You will rock the ma'mum job from there. Lols. We stayed in Hilton and I only prayed there once , for Eid prayer. They blocked the Masjid's entrance by 2 a.m. Just imagine ! 2 AM . And the Eid prayer would not start until 8 AM ! 

Okay. Done with the ibadahwise. 

We didn't go for ziarah as we had specifically picked the package without Ziarah. Would prefer to go ziarah during the not-fasting season. Haha.

So we just ziarah the malls there. Lewls. 

During my May Umrah trip a few years back, there were people selling things on their wagons or mats along the streets. It was super cheap , you can get a black abaya (robe) for only 20 SAR coz normally, abayas are sold for 100-200 SAR. 
However, this time around, they didn't have it. I was not really sure whether it's because they have applied some rules or it's because the streets were always packed with humans that they couldn't spread the mats. 

Also, the shops down the road were quite cheap too, if I recall it correctly. But we just went to the malls around our hotel this Ramadhan. It's scorching, and we're fasting, and with my gramps, and the wheelchairs. Totally zero energy to go down the road. 

Staying in Hilton which is just in front of the main entrance was a MAJOR RELIEF. Thank God we had heard stories from our relatives about them not going back to the hotel and just spend their days just in the masjid. Well, I felt bad for them but after going there, only then I could relate. 

Hows the Eid? 

The Eid prayer began after Subuh prayer. We brought some biskut raya from home and shared it with the people as the imam chanted the takbir. They liked it ! Some asked if we got it from 'Bin Dawood' (like a Giant/Tesco there). Hahaha.  

Like the rest of Ramadhan nights, the Eid night was also lively and the day went by with people doing their tawaf and prayers like other days. If people labeled New York as ‘the city that never sleep’, they surely have never been to Mecca during Ramadan. 

Also, sleeping on the floor was a normal thang. You could literally pick any spot, even on the streets and no one wpwou give you the judgemental look. It was really lively. 

And oh I forgot to mention. The people were so generous. When it’s time to sahoor or breakfast, you will see a lot of people giving away free foods and drinks. It was really nice. I  caught some in the camera. 

If you would like to sadaqah without facing the hassles of distributing food, you can go to any shop and they have their packages provided;- for how many people, with drinks or without drinks, yes or no yoghurt and a few more. I liked how they operate the whole sadaqah thing. Kinda cool. Coz by 6 o'clock, you would be able to witness many people doing honourable things. But after the iftar, you would see a lot of garbages on the street. The 'terharu' phase would definitely be replaced with annoyance at that moment. haha. 

In conclusion, it was very calming and peaceful there despite of the crowds. Plus, our main priority of going there is to enhance our prayers and improvise our ibadah. You will find yourself feeling a lil bit jealous of the people who can go there every day, of those who have the tasbih with them all the time, of those who can understand Quran and the kids who have the chance to perform tawaf at a tender age. And thus, you will realise how small you are and still, Allah provide you with so many blessings which you take for granted. Just be glad that Allah has invited you to His house, among His other servants. Good luck in performing yours. I pray that Allah will ease your journey. Ameen. 

Jazakallah. 

Here's a video which I managed to record from my camera. Apparently, videos from my phone couldn't be compiled due to some reasons. And yeah, I don't have the scenes of people praying or As Sudais's recitation, because I was too, praying. I only recorded the bits when we go out to malls after Asar . Hahaha. 

And hence, here's a video of our Umrah shopping spree... :P