My Sons, in 3 Words : Mak’s Point of View

in conjuction with mother’s day in malaysia on 16th may, I take this chance to describe my THREE sons in THREE words or phrases, from my observation as their mother. I love that they all have strong personality and vibrant character, just like their bapak.

the year is 2013. khaleef is 7+, kahfi is 4+ and kazim is 3. I hope one day you boys (or your potential girlfriends! haha) will read this and it will put a smile on your face as you think about YOUR own kids and how similar, or different they are from you!

in the meantime, happy mother’s day to the rest of you beautiful people!

 

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3 words to describe my boys :

khaleef

sensitive – he puts up this cool front – football and taekwando and all, but he’s a real softie at heart. he cries when his other brothers get scolded by mak or bapak. he cries when po gets kicked by the bad guys in ‘kungfu panda’. he cries when he found out that his bestfriend zain is moving to another school. he’s just a sensitive kid, man.

it’s ok to cry, son. being a man does not mean holding back emotions just to appear strong and macho. remember that your tears is not a sign of weakness – it’s a sign that you are alive. embrace your sensitivity!

responsible – (with pre-instructions and reminders), he can totally take care of his brothers independently. he can prepare breakfast for them in the morning – toasted bread with nutella or cereal with fresh milk. he can bathe them. he can clothe them. he has fun with them. he tells them about dinosaurs, and show them dubai on the map. he’s the true big brother anyone would be glad to have.

I am totally proud of this trait that you have. you’re becoming the young man that I can absolutely depend on. keep it up!

leader – the dynamics in the car is different and more mild whenever khaleef is not around. this is because he’s the sunshine that gives out rays of fun! he creates games for them to play, and they follow his lead during any playtime. sometimes it gets out of hand (someone ends up crying or bump of the head), and he turns out to be the culprit – but at the end of the day, it wouldn’t be a fun creative game play if it wasn’t for his ideas.

it’s clear that you have leadership quality, khaleef. use it well.

 

kahfi

realist – he keeps it real and I love this most about him. whenever I’m angry at him, or just finished scolding him, he doesn’t sulk too long, he doesn’t waste time crying all day (unlike big bro khaleef who would sulk in his room or hide under the bed for hours after being scolded) – he can walk right up to me demanding WHY I was angry, WHY was I being so hard on him, REASONS with me, DEBATES with me, and THEN he apologizes. if he accepts my explanation. if not, he would ask me to say sorry instead (in cases where he’s wrongly accused!)

I see a lawyer in the making.

mommy’s boy – he’s the most manja. being the middle child, he either lose the attention to the smarter big brother, or to the adorable little brother. so he totally seeks attention with his 1001 questions and endless stories. he snuggles up to mak all the time and ALWAYS say ‘I love you, mak’ every day without fail. I have to remind myself to reply, ‘I love you too,’ no matter how annoying he’s been – because I know I will regret the day he stops saying those three little words, just because I didn’t say it back.

oh, whenever he’s in trouble or just been scolded, he always manage to snuggle up to me and say, “mak, can you sayang me?” owh, who could resist THAT? you’re gonna be one heckuva player – but be a responsible player, ok!

good PR – this is warm and welcoming, but at the same time dangerous as well – he enjoys chatting up to strangers. from mothers with babies at the checkout counter, to the labourers we pass by while in the car. he asks questions or at least say hi. just look at his smile. nuff said.

this is a commendable trait, my son – to be able to smile at everyone no matter who they are, and where they’re from – well-dressed ladies to uncles with scruffy hair and worn-out shoes – but alas, we live in a world where kids are taught ‘stranger danger’. don’t speak to strangers. be wary of strangers. continue your warmth and friendliness, but tread carefully!

ok now I see a politician!

 

kazim

fearless – he’s one manly boy. he punches, he pushes, he gets it done with little crying, unlike older bro kahfi who cries easily! he’s demanding too – what he wants, he wants and he wants it now – and he gets in there to get it! while bapak’s rotan will scare his older brothers, it will do little to scare him. pinch him? smack his bum bum? he will get back on his feet and go up his business as usual. this is one tough cookie!

I hope in time, you will learn to control that fierceness in you and channel it well!

independent – he is 3 years old, and he can carry the big ribena bottle, his bottle, and the heavy plastic jug full of water all the way from the kitchen to my room, just so I could make the ribena drink for him without troubling me. while kahfi will ask me for water, kazim would just go through the diaper bag to look for water bottle when he’s thirsty, and then open it himself to have a drink. tak payah menyusahkan mak!

I can that see that you’re the one I don’t have to worry about when you go off to boarding school!

creative – while his older brothers prefer to follow the instructions while playing lego, kazim could just take pieces of lego and turn it into a weird masterpiece of his creation. full concentration, he would pick out the tiny lego pieces with his tiny fingers and fix them up into a spaceship. or a barge. or a train. he would take the ‘dinosaurs’ and line them up in the circle around ‘batman’. other kids his age start off drawing circles – kazim draws abstract lines.

creativity. is the first step to problem-solving. never lose it!

 

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khaleef, kahfi, kazim

 

..no matter what THREE words mak use to describe all of you, you boys have ONE thing in common – that I LOVE YOU no matter what. remember that! mwah!

what are the THREE words that YOU can use to describe YOUR children?

Guilt Trip, Minyak Dagu, Burt Wonderstone, Dark Skies, Place Beyond the Pines

I’ve never taken a break watching movies, just took a break writing reviews about them! never fret, here I am back to convince you that some malay movies ain’t that bad, while some box-office american movies sebenarnye tak lah best sangat and is better left unwatched.

I watched the sweet comedy ‘the guilt trip’, malay horror movie ‘minyak dagu’, the hillarious ‘the incredible burt wonderstone’, the eerie movie ‘dark skies’ and the overdone drama of ‘the place beyond the pines’.

 

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‘the guilt trip’ is an endearing comedy about mother-son bonding while taking a road trip across america. as expected, lots of funny incident happen along the way – funny to the mom, embarrassing to the son! however, along the way, the two discover each other, and in the process learned something greater – acceptance, patience, tolerance, and letting go.

I’ve always loved seth rogen’s brand of humor – his delivery is deadpan and that’s the humor. barbra streisand is spot on as the over-excited mom who naturally cares too much for her boy.

totally loved the scene at the steakhouse where mommy had to finish this big chunk of steak to win a contest, and then got hit on by a handsome cowboy. niiiice.

I had never taken any long road-trip with just my mak in the car, but this movie reminds me of those little moments mak and i had in the car on the way to the hypermart, or on the way to the bank, to the market or simply cruising around the neighbourhood looking for goreng pisang panas. the brief heart-to-heart, or silly jokes, or simply telling her about my day at work. unforgettable, precious moments.

not the best of comedy, but ‘the guilt trip’ is funny, sweet, and a feel-good. the ending as they wrap up the movie is even more sweet. sigh.

 

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cerita ‘minyak dagu’ ni boleh tahan sebenarnya. tak sangka membuat aku tertarik menonton hingga ke penghujung cerita. syabas kepada pengarah azhari zain dan penulis skrip yg aku tak kenal tapi berjaya menulis skrip yang tak klise.

cerita dia straightforward je tapi olahan tu yang buat ‘minyak dagu’ ni menarik dan tak bosan. azman boifren emelda yang kelihatan selalu berkasar dgn emelda, tapi emelda macam dah syok kat sorang doktor, johan. ntah macamana tiba-tiba emelda nak tinggalkan azman utk berkahwin dengan dr johan. terkena minyak dagu ke? ubat guna-guna ke?

tiba-tiba muncul pulak macam-macam perkara aneh dan menakutkan dalam kehidupan ketiga-tiga watak utama ni. sape yang langgar pantang minyak dagu? sape yang kena kacau dengan hantu minyak dagu? mesti-tonton!

aku suka ‘minyak dagu’ ni sebab

• jalan cerita simple tapi tak membosankan. olahan pengarah bagus sebab takde scene yang meleret atau tak perlu
• seram penuh misteri, dan paling menarik – ade twist di akhir cerita. mesti kena tengok!
• pelakon-pelakon aku tak berapa kenal tapi berjaya bawak watak masing-masing dengan berkesan. tak kaku; believable.

kalau korang tgh tercari-cari movie melayu yang berkualiti, kasi can kat ‘minyak dagu’. pasti berbaloi!

 

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I LOVE this movie! ‘the incredible burt wonderstone’ is hillarious! I love steve carell, steve buschemi and of course jim carrey!

‘the incredible burt wonderstone’ is about magic. the pull-a-rabbit-outta-hat kind of magic, or suspend-yourself-20-feet-above-in-a-glass-box-for-a-week kind of magic. the over-dramatized, rehearsed stage magic versus spontaneous street magic.

burt and his bestfriend anton are partners in magic, but their old, corny magic shows are getting boring, and fast replaced by the modern, more daring street magic performer steve gray. attempts to get back to the top even costs them their friendship. burt needs to learn to put aside his pride and learn humility from the man who inspired him from the beginning, who made burt believe in magic once more.

steve carrel has great chemistry with steve buschemi as burt and anton – funny, sad, sweet and full of hope – viewers are all rooting for them both! jim carrey as street magician steve gray is ridiculously funny, as he always is. deliciously villainous!

loved the ending! a soaring applause for burt wonderstone and anton marvelton!

 

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mr. khairul and I agree that ‘dark skies’ is one of the most eerie alien movies in recent years. of course we love ‘ET’ and ‘close encounters’. I think ‘the forgotten’ starring julianne moore is not bad. the alien ‘paul’ was freaking hillarious. but creepy alien movie? this is it.

‘dark skies’ is about a pretty normal family experiencing mysterious disturbances in their home. it started off small, which soon becomes more troublesome, dangerous and terrifying. why is this happening? why them? who are disturbing them?

not knowing what this movie was about, we thought it clearly was a ghost story of some sort. that’s how scary it was. and that’s how vague the aliens were shown in the movie. a glimpse here, and a dark shadow there. we don’t know what to expect!

one mistake that alien movie-makers make is to reveal the aliens in such a way that makes them less believable. nampak sangat tak real. but in ‘dark skies’ it was often suggested that there were ‘presence’ in the house – but it was never shown clearly until the very end.

the story is original, great ending, and great execution. recommended to fans of scary movie, and aliens.

 

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‘the place beyond the pines’ is a bollywood movie disguised as a hollywood blockbuster. seriously. cuma takde nyanyi-nyanyi belakang pokok je lagi.

it’s got so many plotlines going on – the tattooed biker dude who robs banks to support baby boy and his ex-girlfriend who is already married to someone else. the ambitious young cop eager to do the right thing. the corrupted dirty cop within the police force. and then ‘…15 years later..’, two teens in a world of drugs and booze. one dark past. one revenge.

I SOOO know who these two teens are. no need spoiler pun! it’s a drama with too many dramas!

and what’s with ryan gosling and that expression? ok we all went crazy over ryan gosling the first time he played this dark, brooding character with the same macho i–don’t-give-a-damn expression in ‘drive’. and then he played that same kind of character in ‘gangster squad’. and from the looks of it he’s gonna play similar character in the soon-to-be-released new movie ‘only god forgives’. he’s cool like that. he’s sexy, macho bila buat muka masam tak pasal tu. we get it. but enough is enough! play a romantic character again like in ‘the notebook’!

sigh. watch it once for the drama. memang hindustan habis. and then toss it away.

 

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tengok masterchef selebriti lagi best.

First Taste of Peking Duck @ Lan Kwai Fong, Dubai

‘lan kwai fong’ is the name of a popular street in hong kong; filled with hawkers once upon a time, but now a night life hotspot for the party people of hong kong. this is also the name of a hong kong restaurant in dubai.

the restaurant ‘lan kwai fong’ is situated in oud metha. we came here strictly for the ‘peking duck’, as we heard and read good reviews about the duck at this place being one of the best, most affordable in dubai.

I’ve never eaten peking duck, and would probably never have tried it if it wasn’t for my adventurous foodie husband mr. khairul who is always looking for new exotic (halal) stuff to eat!

 

delicious peking duck

 

the dish is called ‘peking duck’, named after the place it originates from I assumed. peking duck is beijing's most famous dish since the imperial era, and is now considered a national dish of china.

at ‘lan kwai fong’ dubai, the duck is well marinated, but I wonder whether it’s supposed to be THAT dry. I would prefer it to be more juicy than that. but the meat is still soft and tender, with thin crispy skin, served on a bed of lettuce and rice sticks.

it’s said that the best part of peking duck is the ones with mostly skin and little meat. daging yang tebal-tebal diorang tak suka!

 

the ‘chinese pancake’

 

peking duck is not eaten with rice or noodle. it’s traditionally served with mandarin pancakes, cucumber cut julienne, green onions, as well as a special brown-colored sauce called ‘the hoisin sauce’ made from some sweet beans – and there’s an interesting way to eat peking duck!

 

how to eat peking duck?

 

you take a piece of cut-up peking duck, and place it in the ‘chinese pancake’ that looks like kulit popiah, but not as soft. tebal sikit. then you add cut up cucumber and onion, and top it all up with a spoonful of ‘hoisin sauce’ (the sweet bean sauce). wrap it up, and take a bite.

and that’s how you eat peking duck. delicious!

 

 

this was my first time trying peking duck, and I quite like it!

the delicious marinated duck is tender, eaten together with the crispy cucumber and the sweet taste of the hoisin sauce go together really well. the chinese pancake holds everything together.

the contrasting texture of the pancake, duck and cucumber is also a plus – I love anything crunchy in my food. altogether, a tasty meal that’s worth a try at least once. even my unadventurous little eater khaleef loves it, and that says a lot about peking duck!

 

we also ordered the fried rice – yummy? well, it has prawn – good, chicken – good. carrot, eggs – good. it’s all good.

 

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I love the tables at ‘lan kwai fong’ – very oriental. not the posh kind, but nicely decorated enough to know that we’re eating at a chinese restaurant! I love the little tall black tables by the side of each table to put tissue box. a nice touch.

 

a big wall-décor showing sights of hong kong. I’ve been to hong kong once with abah and my sisters and all I can see are sky-scrappers!

 

lovely tanglung-lamp dangling high above. I love that they’re not the same size and are scattered haphazardly up the ceiling. there are even a few in different colors and shape. nice. (the second picture is from google)

 

also one prominent décor of ‘lan kwai fong’ are these dudes – the terracotta warrior. i took the chance to tell khaleef about the first emperor of china, emperor qiin who wanted to live forever in the afterlife with all his wealth, possessions and even his guards that he ordered the building of terracotta sculptures to ‘protect’ him in the ‘afterlife’.

 

I am totally in love with this plate! I love the unfinished look, the misshapen shape and the rough texture of the plate. suka!

 

this little green-tea cup gives the authentic feel of eating at a chinese restaurant! love the cup! hate the tea! haha – am not a fan of green tea.

 

of course, you can try other chinese dishes at ‘lan kwai fong’ from chicken, beef to seafood. all looks good, but then again, I’m a big fan of chinese food.

 

 

‘lan kwai fong peking duck restaurant’ is behind lamcy plaza, in the same row as our favorite roti canai place, green city. it’s also a few doors away from vegetarian restaurant ‘saravanan bhavan’.

opens daily at 12pm-3.3pm, and for dinner: 6.30pm – 11pm. try the peking duck!

Masterchef Selebriti Malaysia Musim 2 : Lepas 11 Episod

klung klang klung klang kuali dengan senduk dah 11 episod dah aku tengok masterchef selebriti ni. setakat yang aku tau, dah 4 orang terkeluar. nasib baik dapat tengok jugak walaupun aku nun jauh di dubai. yay!

dalam hiruk pikuk PRU13, dapat jugak merehatkan otak menggelikan hati tengok selebriti-selebriti malaysia masak-masak! untuk makluman, peserta-peserta terdiri daripada pelbagai kaum – semua masak memasak dengan penuh harmoni ok! say NO to RACISM!

 

 

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berikut ialah pandangan peribadi aku selaku orang yang hanya lah menonton di hadapan kaca tv di rumah aku nun di dubai ni. aku tak kenal personaliti masterchef selebriti malaysia musim 2 ni secara peribadi jadi ape yg aku komen cuma pandangan seorang peminat masterchef selebriti! harap jangan ade yg tergusir di hati ok!

 

Yasin

aku agak surprise tgk perwatakan yang terlampau rileks dari yasin dalam masterchef selebriti musim 2 ni. tak beria-ia sangat nak menonjolkan identiti pelawak dia. sampai aku rasa rileks sangat la pulak brader ni! aku mengharapkan lebih banyak lagi komen-komen klaka dari dia tapi kebanyakannya berbentuk ayat penyata yang monotone. haha. apa pun, yasin dah terkeluar. takde la ape impak sangat watak dia, kecuali tajuk masakan dia yang paling klaka, ‘pasta tak pasti’. haha.

 

Keroz

aku tak berapa kenal sape dia, melainkan apa yg aku baca dari carian google. orangnya pun rileks dan tak banyak songeh. mungkin astro pun dah limitkan airtime untuk keroz di masterchef selebriti musim 2 ni memandangkan dia orang baru dalam industri, dan antara yang awal terkeluar. tak sempat nak kenal lebih! aku cukup suka bila dia salah satu jejaka gentleman yang menawar diri untuk ke pusingan penyingkiran bila ketua kumpulan celina tak mampu nak memilih sendiri. respek!

 

Zain

zain oh zain. to be fair, aku suka je dia masa awal-awal masterchef selebriti tu. orangnya memang comel, dan ok je respon-respon dia bila chef bertanya masa dia memasak. dia dgn che ta pun aku suka – panggil-panggil ‘sayang’ masa che ta terkena pisau – aku rasa sweet je, tak over dan menggedik pun mcm yg ramai kata.

tapi, tapi, tapi – insiden hari terakhir zain di masterchef tu memang betul-betul mengguriskan hati. aku memang menitik airmata sebab chef-chef juri tu semua dah pangkat bapak dengan zain tapi sanggup anak muda tu bertutur sebegitu tidak sopan dengan mereka. musim lepas, azwan ali yang laser dan punyai nama besar dalam industri hiburan tu pun punya la rendah diri bila berdepan dengan chef-chef, inikan pulak cikgu oh my english ni.

walaupun aku setuju yang chef jo ckp ‘worst pancake ever’ tu agak terlalu keras, tapi camne mulanya masalah ni – bila zain tak endahkan pertolongan chef jo kan, tapi memberi perhatian penuh pada rakan-rakan selebriti yg konon membantu dari atas. ini bermakna, selebriti-selebriti lain tu la punya pasal semua ni! duk je la diam-diam lenkali! haha.

alah apa-apa pun, yang muda mesti lah hormat yang tua. org baru mesti lah hormat yang lebih berpengalaman!

(rasanya astro nak perli zain habis-habisan lepas tu, cabaran seterusnya lepas zain klua ialah semua orang kena buat PANCAKE pelbagai cara! dan ternyata semua orang mampu melahirkan hidangan pancake yang cantik, gebu dan sedap. ouch, apa khabar worst pancake ever?)

tepat sekali slogan masterchef selebriti musim 2 ni – ‘bila dapur panas, watak lain jadi jelas’! moga zain membuang ego dan memohon maaf pada chef-chef yang jauh lebih tua dan berpengalaman tu ya!

 

Sathia

aku suka sathia. tak kecoh tapi tetap lawak, walaupun tak berniat nak melawak. dah cara cakap dia pun buat tergelak. sentiasa sedia membantu dan belajar benda baru dengan chef walaupun dia dah berumur. korang tau ke dia ni dah 50 tahun seh!

comel je masa tersingkir, dia banyak kali sebut pasal isteri dia cakap masa awal-awal lagi, “abang good luck masuk masterchef selebriti. minggu pertama mesti dah klua!” bangga betul dia bila dapat bertahan lebih dari satu episod! so sweet la ane!

 

Rozita / Che Ta

bagi yang kurang ikut drama melayu, aku tak brapa nak kenai che ta melainkan melalui laman-laman gosip di internet. tak pernah tgk dia berlakun pun. aku lihat dari pose-pose beliau macam plastik dan superficial. tapi dalam masterchef selebriti musim 2 ni che ta membuktikan yang dia juga punyai karakter menarik dan menghiburkan. dengan loghat kedah dia tu, dengan senyum simpul dan tawa manja pada setiap komen dia, memang manis. patut la zain sayang sangat kat che ta. huhu.

yang aku paling kagum ialah gaya ketrampilan dia yg mmg anggun sentiasa. betul dia memang kotakan kata dia nak masak pakai bulu mata palsu mekap tebal semua – maintain, bak kata michael ang! ade satu episod tu siap pakai bunga gedabak kat kepala. tapi orangnya lawa kan, pakai apa pun lawa.

 

Sabbhi

masih baru dalam bidang hiburan, pangkat adik-adik pulak tu, jadi kurang bising dia. namun, komen-komen dia dalam masterchef pun menampakkan kesungguhan dia dalam memasak. kita tengok sejauh mana dia bole pergi dalam masterchef selebriti musim 2 ni!

 

Lydiawati

suka dia. mengingatkan aku pada mak sedara mr khairul yg dipanggil mak tam. orangnya bukan lah muda remaja lagi tapi tetap jelita. suka tengok muka lydiawati ni – natural beauty! aku dah kata dah, masak macam mak-mak dan memang membuahkan hasil yang menyelerakan. ade potensi nak pegi jauh dalam pertandingan masterchef selebriti musim 2 ni!

 

Michael Ang

dia ni pengarah drama kan? aku memang tak sangka lansung akan jadi salah satu karakter yang menghiburkan. BM pun superb! cakap dan lenggok bahasa dia dah macam melayu dah! cara cakap yang seperti jaafar onn, michael ang sentiasa ada komen-komen sinis yang lucu tapi tak menyakitkan hati sangat. terhibur jugak la kadang-kadang. kalau dia tersingkir nanti, sure bosan masterchef selebriti! comel masa dia merajuk tak dapat sama kumpulan dengan shora dan che ta!

michael ang dipuji lepas baked potato dia masak sangat sempurna, lembut – terus dia kongsi rahsia kesempurnaan ubi tu. salut dengan garam ngan olive oil, masuk oven suhu 180 untuk 45 minit, dan sentiasa balik-balikkan setiap 15 minit. cucuk-cucuk sikit untuk test. confirm perfect, katanya. terima kasih michael ang!

 

Syura

tak minat dia sebagai penyanyi tapi suka dengan karakter dia yang positif. lemah lembut dan sungguh menampilkan ciri-ciri gadis melayu bertudung. syabas! biase-biase je la dia ni. tak kecoh sangat. tak laser sangat. jadi tak banyak bole aku komen!

 

Radhi

comelnya radhi! aku rasa macam selalu blur je mamat ni. tapi dalam pada blur-blur dia, dapat jugak dia menzahirkan masakan-masakan yang memuaskan selera chef-chef juri.

kalau zain nak bising pasal pancake kena kutuk, aku rasa masa episod pertama lagi radhi yang dah kena tamparan pedas chef jo dengan komen beliau, “ni paham konsep ke tak ni?” tapi radhi terima je dengan senyum simpul dan kesedaran yang menebal untuk terus improve. macam tu la, bro! harap kekal lebih lama dalam masterchef selebriti musim 2 ni!

 

Enot

tak sangka enot ni manja jugak, eh? haha. manja betul dengan syanie ngan michael ang. aku suka sebab enot pandai masak. aku suka persahabatan mengada manja dia dengan syanie. hihi. aku harap dia kekal lama dalam masterchef selebriti musim ke-2 ni!

 

Afiq Muiz

sekali pandang macam angkasawan sheikh muszaphar, kan? hensem dan sasa, hormat orang lebih tua dan sedia membantu. tolong beri dia more airtime, astro! harap-harap afiq kekal lebih lama dalam masterchef selebriti musim 2 ni sebab aku memang suka tengok lelaki macho pakai apron pegang kuali! hihi

**SPOILER ALERT**

afiq baru tersingkir dalam cabaran spaghetti! aduh hilang pemanis mata nan seorang ni! hihi. sebak sungguh bila chef jo memuji afiq mengatakan anak muda ni kreatif, ade potensi besar bagaikan bintang dan sila jangan berhenti memasak. oh, you can cook for me anytime!

 

Norish Karman / NK

kalau che ta membuktikan yang dia sebenarnya tak membosankan, norish karman pulak membuktikan yg dia MEMANG membosankan. betul tekaan aku, norish karman ialah juliza adlizan of masterchef selebriti malaysia musim 2! haha. sama kan? 2-2 pandai masak, 2-2 bole jadi ketua kumpulan yang efektif tapi kena perli-perli di belakang tabir dengan rakan-rakan sekumpulan haha.

nak buat macam mana kan, macam takde likeability factor – bukan aku je yang pandai-pandai cakap ok, ini dibuktikan dgn rakan-rakan selebriti masterchef pun tak teruja nak satu kumpulan dengan NK. huhu.

ape pun, NK pandai masak jadi mungkin dia kekal lagi untuk beberapa episod.

 

Aznil / Pak Nil

well, siapa yang tak suka aznil haji nawawi? aku memang minat sejak dari zaman ‘poppppp quiz’ sampai lah ke ‘macam-macam aznil’. seorang personaliti yg sentiasa kreatif, ceria dan bijak menghiburkan penonton. dalam masterchef selebriti ni pun dia kekal professional walau dalam apa jua situasi. sebagai seorang yg dah amat senior dalam bidang hiburan, dah menang macam-macam award, dia tetap merendah diri, bersemangat dan bersedia belajar dgn chef-chef juri mahupun rakan-rakan selebriti lain. tak tunjuk diva pun. sama macam azwan ali musim lepas. pedas laser di luar, tapi dalam masterchef, menunjukkan sikap professional. syabas!

oh lagi satu nak tambah, aku rasa dia lah jejaka berumur 51 tahun paling MUDA yang pernah aku tgk. tak dimakan usia je aznil ni!

 

Sharifah

dipanggil shora oleh rakan-rakan masterchef selebriti. aku tak berapa kenal dia. pelakun drama pun bukan watak utama kot kan. pada aku dia sangat cuba untuk buat lawak tapi tak selalunya lawak. cuba-cuba nak kecoh tapi tak selawak michael ang atau syanie. tapi kalau org tu bagus, mmg dia akan puji org tu when they deserve it. itu aku suka. itu je. tak berminat nak tau lebih lanjut psl dia. sekian, terima kasih.

 

Kenchana

ok kalau dah bole cakap BM dengan baik macam celina atau michael, cakap la BM betul-betul. kalau memang dah pelat macam sathia, takpe la nak buat mcm mana. terima je. tapi maaf, aku paling tak selesa dengar kenchana bercakap bahasa melayu pelat india yg terlampau-lampau tunggang terbaliknya, padehal bila kenchana bercakap dengan chef-chef juri bole pulak cakap bahasa melayu dengan sedap dan amat teratur! ape hal?

kalau macam sathia tu takpe – itu memang identiti sathia, lawak cara dia bercakap melayu loghat india. dengan kamera ke, dengan chef juri ke, memang gitu la cara dia bercakap. tapi kenchana ni, terlalu di buat-buat! tak lawak, ok!

kenchana, berbanggalah yang anda boleh bertutur dalam BM dengan begitu lancar dan sempurna. tak payah nak buat-buat pelat lagi ok!

 

Cat Farish

macam comot-comot sikit kan haha tambah pulak dengan rambut dia tu! macam abang burger ramly depan kedai 7-11 pun ade haha tapi aku dapat rasakan cat farish masak dengan penuh tekun dan jujur. orghang perghok pulak kannnn jadi aku sebagai anak kelahiran perak jugak amat terhibur bila dia guna loghat perak dalam pertuturan dia. kejor yob kejor!

 

Celina

celina bukan saja manis, bijak (graduan chemical engineering) bahkan jugak pandai masak. macam soo winci musim lepas. another favorite. pertuturan celina jujur dan berbudi bahasa, dgn BM yang sedap didengar, maklumla membesar di kelantan. mungkin org kata bosan sebab takde kontroversi atau lawak jenaka, tapi ini lah peserta sebenar yang betul-betul nak masak with no hanky panky! tersangat la sweetnye bila dia menitis airmata sebab tak dapat nak pilih ahli kumpulan yg mana untuk ke pusingan penyingkiran! harap-harap celina ke final masterchef selebriti musim 2 nanti!

 

Syanie

ok setakat ni aku takde peserta paling favorite, sebab aku juga suka celina, radhi dan aznil, tapi syanie ni nak dekat-dekat la jadi favorite jugak hihi. orangnya berlawak yang tak over, ceria, sentiasa bersemangat, positif dan sentiasa menghidangkan makanan yang sedap, menyelerakan dan berhiasan kreatif. aku suka! harap-harap syanie masuk final dengan celina ataupun si manja enot!

 

* * *

 

ok lepas cabaran sajian berkumpulan kat sepang gold coast, aku belum lagi tengok episod penyingkiran. jangan kasi spoiler ok!

semua gambar aku ambik dari website astro. terima kasih!

BBQ Picnic @ Mushrif Park : with Thorns!

dubai, you’d be surprised, is quite rich in green parks. the parks in dubai cover extensive area, with good facilities and recreation, beautiful landscape, and most importantly, clean.

last weekend, we went to a park in khawaneej area, mirdiff – ‘mushrif park’ to join a group of friends for a bbq picnic as well as celebrating little nabil’s birthday. this was our first time at mushrif park, so we were very surprised to see how different the park is compared to the other ‘green’ parks in dubai.

in fact, mushrif park is referred to as a desert park! hmm, why?

 

 

 

for other parks, you park your car outside, pay entrance fee, and walk in. at mushrif park, the entrance fee is aed10 per car. yes, that’s how extensive mushrif park is – cars can enter the park!

so there we were, enjoying the sights of mushrif park in the comfort of our car. where are all the green fields? colorful flowers? bushy trees? it’s more like a desert area, with balding trees! no wonder it’s called desert park!

well, desert park or not, mushrif park is surprisingly beautiful in its apparent barrenness.

 

eerie, or romantic?

 

did you know that mushrif park is also a large protected park with indigenous ‘GHAF’ trees?

the ghaf tree has long been embedded in UAE culture and tradition, and now feared to be endangered. efforts have been taken to preserve the trees – especially in mushrif park. sheikh zayed, the founder of UAE even passed a law forbidding the cutting of ghaf trees.

the ghaf tree; also known as the ‘umbrella tree’, or ‘the tree of the dunes’, is said to be one of the sources of nutrition and medication in the desert.

 

 

it REALLY is ‘a desert park’ – instead of man-made field with pre-planted colorful flowers and greeneries, the park stayed true to the identity of a middle east country. being in the park, you’re surrounded by plants, trees and desert shrubs indigenous to the UAE, including the ghaf tree.

the rest is sand.

 

 

may look barren compared to other more ‘green’ parks of dubai, but therein lies the beauty and attraction.

 

 

however, my one complaint is the uninvited guest during our bbq picnic – the THORNS!

we had our bbq picnic far inside mushrif park, where it’s less green, and more ‘wild’. we discovered that the surrounding area is filled with itty bitty thorns! as you can see from the picture above, there were these round little things stuck under my boys’ slippers.

when they played ball, as the ball rolled around the area, the thorns got stuck on the ball too!

each of the little round things has a lot of little thorns on them, giving it a mighty cengkaman (grip). and if you stepped on it bare-footed, the tiny little thorns will get stuck to your feet instead, looking like a bee-sting. VERY tiny, and if you’re not careful, the tiny thorn might go even deeper into your skin, making it impossible to remove.

 

so when walking all over the park, make sure you use the walkway provided, or else – say hello to your little ‘thorny friend’ who won’t let go!

 

I seriously regretted not having kahfi and kazim wore their sports shoes or boots. they wore slippers, and kahfi wore really flimsy slippers – (memang slipar jepun yang murah beli kat pasar malam je tu sebab selalu sangat hilang selipar!) kahfi actually got ‘stung’ by the thorn many, many times during our time at mushrif park – kesian tengok tapak kaki dia!

no fret – once home, we tempek minyak gamat, alhamdulillah ok!

so guys, THIS area of mushrif park is NOT a place for kids to run around, tumbling down and bergolek-golek! bahaya!

 

* * *

 

 

when we arrived, we can already see a yummy spread on the table. alhamdulillah, thanks to all the kakak-kakak who have prepared the delicious dishes – mee kari, roti jala, spaghetti, and best of all – the tantalizing aroma coming from the bbq pit!

kami bawak muffin blueberry je! hihi

 

roti jala kari ayam yum yum!

 

there are many picnic areas equipped with wooden shades, seats, and bbq grills – spacious and fit for a party of 30 even! the only problem is – well, the THORNS that I mentioned previously! haha. other than that, a great place to have a bbq!

 

incidentally, this picnic at mushrif park has gathered 5 old boys of malay college in dubai – bro nizalman v90 (in blue), bro musyil v91 (in red) abg zaim v82 (in printed shirt) and abg shon v84 (belum sampai lagi!). and of course my mr khairul in green, kay v96. that’s abg aslam in black T.

 

tu dia, abg shon v84 baru mai in blue collared T.

 

* * *

 

kudos to birthday boy’s parents kak nani and husband abg mushil for organizing fun games for the kids. the kids were very cooperative and attentive listening to uncle mushil’s instructions, and so enthusiastic during play.

 

uncle mushil giving instructions

 

haha my khaleef won the first game, tied with the boy in white. who can last the longest standing on just one feet! keputusan seri sebab budak-budak lain dah malas nak tunggu sape menang!

 

like musical chair, but we don’t have chairs – so uncle mushil used the picnic mat instead! the mat is folded into smaller size as game went on. who has the fastest butt to quickly sit down is the winner! haha.

 

there was even a pinata for the kids to have fun with! they enjoyed this bit tremendously! I would say this is the most anticipated moment – to hit the pinata like crazy, and then go nuts over the candies and chocolates that fell down.

 

enjoy the chaotic fun!

 

* * *

 

me with the ladies! yes, the picnic continues after dark! I think I miss the dress code le. kakak-kakak semua pakai abaya seh!

 

thanks so much to kak nani for organizing the games, as well as preparing presents for the kids – all of them, win or lose. khaleef got a board game, kahfi got spiderman stickers and kazim brought home a bubble gun. they enjoyed it very much! thanks again from the boys, aunty nani!

 

* * *

 

we went back before they cut nabil’s cake, because kahfi was already cranky and in pain with all that thorns on his left foot (kesian sayang mak!) but we appreciate the invite, so happy that you included us in your bbq picnic and birthday celebration. until next time!

by mushrif park and all the thorns! mushrif park is open from 8am to 11pm. wednesdays are set for women and children only.

wanna read about our fun times at other parks in dubai :

1. we joined the lantern festival potluck at al-barsha park
2. the boys play football at zabeel park
3. play football at safa park
4. cable car at creek park
5. picnic + bday party at dubai creek park
6. mirdiff park