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

Perhentian Trip

I don't really post about my trips in here but since it was my first trip with my cousin, Ipah and my former primary school friends, I think it deserves a post :) . Primary school bunch, after 9 years and still going strong . 

Ipah was on her summer break and due to some unfortunate events, I couldn’t join her Indonesia backpacking the last time. Thus, we decided to make it up and go for a short getaway in Perhentian Kecil after she came back from her Indo trip. T’was very considerate of her to let me bring along my school friends hahaha. 

This was my second time here in Perhentian but hmmm in my defence, the scenery was better last few years. I remember Perhentian being my most fav island all these while because of the colourful  corals. But coming here again, I couldn’t recollect the same memories. I wonder if the tour guide guy forgot to take us to a few places or maybe, it’s not in the package. Too bad. 

On another note, it is still the most clean, compared to other islands in Peninsular Malaysia. Of course those in Sabah are undeniably more scenic, couldn’t even compare them. Hehe. 

unfastened the life jacket and went deep to greet the fish

Jump and Dive. 

Another attraction here is the windmill. We asked the locals for the shortcut and saved a lot of time hiking and the view was indeed breathtaking. I could stay there for hours (only those people wanna go down early because the Gopro ran out of battery. All jumpy when theres no camera. Poor lads.)  

What I love the most about going here and there with Ipah was, she never really cares about taking selfies like the rest haha. If it’s time to snorkel, let's snorkel. If it’s time to swim, let’s swim. And early in the morning, she would drag me to watch the sunrise together. No one wanna miss sunrise by the beach or a sunrise on a hill. They are two of the best things in the world. No camera can capture the serenity and the atmosphere :).  

Breakfast on Day 2. All burnt

One of the tourist near our chalet climbed the coconut tree and offered us some.
Siap kupaskan terus for us! haha

  

First day 

vs

Last day

:)

So I learned to draw tulips with one stroke brush technique today.

And it didn't go pretty well.

But I covered it by adding a ballerina in the middle of the drawing.

Hahaha.

When in doubt, always add a silhouette in your drawing.

p/s : Will never try to draw tulips like this ever again.

Restarting over

Found my old sketchbook and colour palette that I used when I was in secondary school.

The palette has gotten dusty now and the colours are sooo hideous hahaha I wonder how did I survive my art class with those.

I can still remember clearly when I told Abah that I wanted to try doing watercolour, he bought me the cheapest he could find in store, a 12-coloured palette worth RM2.50.

Yeah you read it right.

RM 2.50

My dad must haave loved me so much -_-

Haha

Didn't blame him tho. He used to buy me a fancy poster colour set and I didn't use them. At the end, the colour turned into solids, hard as stone. Lol.

After handing me the cheap watercolour, he sent me to drawing classes at Gelanggang Seni in KB.

"Learn the skills first. Finish your sketchbook and I'll buy the watercolour that you want," was what he said when I whined about the texture of the impossible-to-blend colours.

On another note, he did not buy me the watercolour that I want.

I mean, promise is a promise.

Now, where's my Van Gogh watercolour set? Hahaha jk.

But seriously tho, he would patiently wait for me to finish my sessions, along with other Chinese kids (I was the only Malay in the class lol).

So yeah, he did love me. 

Nevertheless, as he had been expecting, after a few classes, I was not really into drawing anymore and I quit. 

HAHAHAHA

Took me a few years and a few Youtube videos later to change my mind back.

I was seriously so bad at it years ago, my classmate even questioned me why did I took art as my extra subject. Haha. That's how bad I was.

But I learned that things take time.

Everyone has their own pace and the journey will make you appreciate your result even more.

Like just now, when I tried using my old colour again, it didn't turn out as ugly as before :) although of course, it's not as pretty as other people's drawings, I'm still proud of my little progress. 

It only means I'm moving forward, and not backward.