Thursday, December 30, 2010

Al-Fatihah Untuk Mak, 270357 ~ 311203

minta sedekahkan al-Fatihah untuk mak tersayang, Noriza Bt Mohd Anuar yang kembali pada Ilahi 7 tahun lepas hari ini. al-Fatihah.

 

01-alfatihah

 

* * *

 

7 years ago, tonight – was our last night together. i remember she made a huge plate of cucur udang that afternoon. her cucur udang is very simple; with shrimp and onion only, but it was the most delicious i’ve ever tasted. hari terakhir mak, mak sempat lagi masak cucur udang. once a mom, always a mom – till her last breath.

malam tu aku nak pegi tidur rumah kawan baik aku. mak pun tak kisah, sebab mak dia tinggal seorang. kawan baik aku tu belajar di london, jadi aku memang biase tidur rumah dia temankan mak dia. aku cium tangan mak sebelum keluar. pergi dulu, ye mak. itu kali terakhir aku bercakap dengan mak.

tengah malam, adik bongsu aku call – nangis-nangis. katanya, mak pengsan.

oh, aku tak boleh sambung lah. dah nangis dah. menitik-nitik kat keyboard ni. korang sedekahkan lah al-Fatihah ye. hanya Allah yang dapat membalas kiriman doa-doa kalian.

terima kasih!

 

photo

 

hargailah mak-mak korang selagi dia dipinjamkan Allah ke dunia…

 

* * *

 

What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;

~ William Wordsworth

click here to read my dedication to this beautiful person i know as Mak.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Tag : Jom Berkenalan

i got this from kak lina. thanks! dah lama gile tak buat tag!
 


apakah status anda :
  1. anak ke-2 yg comot dan comel
  2. adik comel kepada syimee, dan kakak cool kepada syimot, syidot &; azot
  3. isteri kepada jejaka kacak kelahiran pulau pinang, encik khairul
  4. mak garang kepada khaleef, kahfi & kazim

ceritakan tentang diri anda (ini macam buat ‘my personality’ dalam buku biodata kawan-kawan masa zaman sekolah! hihi)
  1. asal : ipoh, perak
  2. pekerjaan : permaisuri rumah
  3. cita-cita : masa kecik-kecik nak jadi pereke fesyen, sebab sangat minat melukis princess-princess dengan baju gown yang ber-reben-reben
  4. hobi : membaca buku, menulis dan mengumpul barang 

ceritakan tentang blog anda : blog aku best sebab aku boleh tulis apa-apa yang aku suka yang aku buat yang aku nampak yang aku baca.

apa pandangan anda tentang dunia blog? : dunia blog sangat menarik sebab ia membenarkan SESIAPA saja membuat luahan perasaan terbuka kepada dunia (atau kepada 1-2 orang yang sudi baca!) samaade anda seorang yang sangat menarik seperti hanis zalikha, atau seorang yang masa zaman sekolah pun takde sapa yang ingat – SEMUA boleh berblog!

nasihat anda kepada rakan-rakan yang baru nak buat blog : jadi diri anda.
oh, dan sila jangan eja “je” sebagai “jew”. contohnya, “aku sempat beli satu pasang kasut jew…” wth?!

nyatakan keunikan yang terdapat pada blog anda : aku lah tu.

sampai bilakah anda akan menulis blog dan impian anda dalam dunia blog : aku ingin berblog selagi ada peluang, ade masa dan ade idea. impian aku macam kak lina, supaya satu hari nanti bila anak-anak aku dah boleh baca blog ni, diorang akan kenal mak diorang dan menghargai apa yang aku tulis tentang zaman riang dunia kanak-kanak diorang!

akhir sekali, kena tag org yang anda nak kenal sangat :
  1. aisha, sebab aku tau ko dah lama ternanti-nanti tag baru hihi
  2. fida, sebab saje nak kacau dia suruh buat tag sambil tunggu kek dalam oven
  3. fairus, sebab nak suruh dia blog selalu macam dulu
  4. ica, sebab rindu pada penulisannya
  5. kak arin, sebab nak kasi dia rilek-rilek buat tag sambil tunggu baby baru klua hihi
  6. pala maldini, sebab nak ucap tahniah pada dia sebagai kaum bapak yg sering kunjungi blog aku tanpa prejudis dan tinggalkan komen (sebab ade lelaki pernah kategorikan blog aku sebagai “too girly” – hello! aku tak blog pasal fashion dan beg tangan pun tau!)
ok enjoy menjawab soalan-soalan tag ni ya!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Malek Al-Mandi : Latest Mandi Rice Haunt

i’m a nasi mandi-freak. i’m addicted to nasi mandi. i’m nasi mandi unofficial spokesperson. i’m a die-hard fan of nasi mandi. i LOVE mandi rice – and last weekend, i tried this delightful mid-east dish at a new spot – malek al-mandi restaurant.

when did this craze begin for me? ever since i stepped foot in dubai last october 2008 and was introduced to nasi mandi by mr. khairul, i was hooked for life! well, of course nasi tomato, nasi ayam and nasi minyak of our malay food heritage are still favorites, but there’s something about nasi mandi that made me go gaga!

 

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this is how nasi mandi is usually served : rice with the lauk on top, a plate of fresh vege, a small bowl of the chilli paste made from grind chilli and tomatoes – plus lentil soup upon request

 

for the ‘you-don’t-know-what-you’re-missing’ few who have NEVER tried this nasi mandi :

"..the meat of mandy rice is cooked in the tandoor, which is a special kind of oven. tandoor usually is hole dug in the ground and covered inside by clay. charcoal is placed in the tandoor. then the meat is suspended inside the tandoor without touching the charcoal. after that the whole tandoor is closed without letting any of the smoke to go outside."

~wikipedia

 

the rice pulak is a cross between our nasi minyak and nasi briyani. but the beads of rice is extremely soft, the taste juicy and ever so lemak!

you can easily find nasi mandi in malaysia too if you’re wondering. i’ve tried the one in al-rawsya, ampang. also al-diafah in sri petaling. both are acceptable but nothing beats the real thing, people! moh la datang dubai!

* * *

our favorite mandi restaurant is tawasol (been going there even before kahfi was born! now he’s 2 years old already!). however, the other day we went to this mandi restaurant in karama – malek al-mandi, to try their version of the mandi rice.

it’s situated in zabeel road, opposite civil defense building in karama. the signage is hot-read, with a crown symbol smack in the middle.

 

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if you’re lucky, you may get a parking space along the front of the shoplots. if not, you can drive all the way to the back, and there’s ample parking spaces there too. all you need to do is cross a parking lot (for…i forgot which company) to get to the restaurant.

* * *

 

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usually, any mandi restaurant would have sitting area which is carpeted and have surrounding walls for privacy. at malek al-mandi, the walls are made to look like unfinished bricks which look really nice, like being in an old, traditional restaurant.

instead of a majlees (traditional arabic seat made of cushions), they only have plush pillows against the wall, which are equally comfortable. however, there was no curtain or makeshift door to cover the ‘entrance’ of our eating space. there’s privacy because of the surrounding walls, but people can still take a peek from the open entrance.

i still prefer tawasol and marhabani with their curtains and all-covered-up tents!

* * *

 

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mandi rice is usually accompanied by a plate of veggie. the vegetables vary – this one has slices of carrots, cucumber, tomatoes and cabbage. a slice of lemon is a must to give the dish an extra zing!

 

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mandi chicken

oh my – even looking at my own photo of this mandi chicken made me want another plate! this is the dish that i am addicted to – the mandi chicken – ultra-soft beads of rice eaten with super-juicy chicken. raisins are cooked with the rice to give it that slightly sweet taste. i didn’t really like that sweet hint, but the rice was too incredibly soft not to indulge in!

the chicken is as delicious as always! there are no words to describe it!

* * *

 

…and this is what malek al-mandi is famous for - mutton zorbian, a dish of rice with lamb or chicken cooked in between the rice. this is the dish that would make even the most staunch of tawasol fan convert to malek al-mandi! yes, i’m talking about mr. khairul, the mutton-freak!

abg norris, who recommended us this place, and especially this particular dish, said that malek al-mandi only made a limited amount of this dish (apesal ntah, padehal popular dish – buat la banyak-banyak kan?). if you come later during the day, you’d leave disappointed as the dish is sold out early each day.

when we came, we’re lucky to be able to try mutton zorbian, though we missed chicken zorbian. habis dah! uhuk uhuk!

 

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mutton zorbian

 

the rice is like mandi rice, but enriched with an explosion of spices that came from the lamb that is cooked together in the rice. i don’t really like it because it didn’t comply with my rice-meat ratio (haha). to me, there’s too much spice that i can hardly taste the delicious rice. when i ate this, i added in a lot of the rice from the mandi chicken.

but this is just me. if you’re the sort who likes your flavored rice to be laden with spices, this might be to your liking! mr. khairul absolutely LOVED it!

the mutton?

the mutton was in an entirely different league. it’s so smooth and juicy that the flesh tore easily from the bones. i LOVE this mutton, but i would rather eat it with plain mandi rice, rather than the zorbian rice it came in.

 

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and as usual, other than a plate of veggies, mandi rice comes together with this sambal – a pasty sauce made from grind chilli and lots of tomatoes. really an excellent partner to a mandi rice dish.

 

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 the boys sipping lentil soup

upon request, you could also get complimentary lentil soups. khaleef loves soups, so this one is also in his list of favorites.

 

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the do-it-yourself tea station

 

another cool bit at malek al-mandi is the free tea!

after a big meal at tawasol or any other mandi restaurant, you usually order small glasses of tea that comes dipped with mint leaves. here at malek al-mandi, there’s a water boiler right at the entrance complete with a cup of mint leaves for you to make your own tea – and it’s on the house!

free tea, self-service. certainly a plus-point!

 

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 burp! need i say more?

* * *

 

we actually went with this lovely malaysian family whom we just met; abg norris and kak moi. abg norris is a self-confessed mutton zorbian’s die-hard fan and he’s the one who ‘lured’ us into eating here! thank you so much, bro! now my husband pulak yang hooked!

 

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his wife, kak moi is warm and friendly -  such a nice person to meet for the first time. funnily enough, i’ve heard of her name countless of times over conversation, or through other malaysians’ blogs or tagged photographs on facebook, but i’ve never really met her.

at the same time, she’s heard of me too, and never met me!

…and now here we are! baru la dapat jumpa ye kak moi? hihi. see – both of us have stayed in dubai for more or less 3-4 years now, but our path never crossed. ramai malaysian kat dubai ni sampai ade yang belum berjumpa lagi walaupun dah duduk sini lama!

to me, it’s always fun to meet new malaysian family, especially ones as funny as abg norris, and as lovely as kak moi.

nanti bole lepak-lepak over mutton zorbian ya? this time let’s go early so we can get the chicken zorbian!

 

 

 

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Al Istisqaa : Prayers to Seek Rain

al istisqaa is a prayer to seek rain from Allah during times of drought. it’s usually done in early morning, in pursuit of the Prophet’s sunnah.

it was in the papers, that the ruler of uae (united arab emirates) directed the people to offer al istisqaa prayer because it hasn’t rained eventhough we’ve welcomed winter for a couple of weeks now!

 

 

abu dhabi: prayers seeking rain were offered yesterday in various UAE mosques following the directives of president his highness shaikh khalifa bin zayed al nahyan. the call for prayers came after the delay in rains this season.

~ gulfnews

after the summer heat from april, we just entered the cool winter season since few weeks back, and it hasn’t rained since.

 

 

during the 6th year of the Prophet's migration to Madinah, people complained to him about lack of rain, so he gave orders for a pulpit to be prepared.

he then appointed a day for the people to gather. he came out when the sun had just appeared and sat down on the pulpit. he extolled Allah's greatness and praised Him. then he said: ‘you have complained of drought in your areas and of delay in receiving rain at the beginning of its season, but you have been ordered by Allah to supplicate Him and He has promised that He would answer your prayers.'

after this, he turned his back to the people and started praying to Allah, keeping his hands raised, saying, "oh Allah, let us be covered with thick clouds that have abundant and beneficial rain, frequently making a light rain upon us and sprinkling upon us with lightning. oh Allah, You are full of majesty, bounty and honour."

finally, he faced the people, descended from the pulpit, and prayed twice in rak'at (prostration).

~ gulfnews

for full story, click here.

this prayer is taken recourse to when seeking rain from Allah during times of drought. it may be performed in one of the following manners:

  1. the imam prays, with the followers, two rak’at
  2. maybe performed during any time except those times in which it is not desirable to pray
  3. in the first rak’ah, the imam recites al-A’la after al-Fatihah
  4. in the second rak’ah, he reads al-Ghashiyah after al-Fatihah
  5. and he delivers a khutbah before or after the salah
  6. as soon as he finishes the khutbah, the people present should turn their outer garments around, each placing its left side on his right side and its right side on his left, face the qiblah (Ka’ba), supplicate Allah and raise their hands while doing so

to read full article, click here.

* * *

i was wondering about that last bit (no. 6) about having to turn your jacket or coat inside out during the prayer. then i found this. please enlighten me if i was mistaken.

in Sahih al-Bukhari:

- Volume 2, Book 17, Number 124:
Narrated 'Abdullah bin Zaid (RA):

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) turned his cloak inside out on Istisqa.

- Volume 2, Book 17, Number 125:
Narrated 'Abdullah bin Zaid (RA):
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) went towards the Musalla and invoked Allah for rain. He faced the Qibla and wore his cloak inside out, and offered two Rakat.

more dalil here.

 

 

i found these pictures of the al istisqaa prayer being done in gaza, where the imam raised his hand very high in the air, like the Prophet (saw). and in the picture below, the man took off his jacket and put it inside out as expected in al istisqaa prayer.

 

 

Allah knows best.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Surprise! Cake for Kahfi

he wasn’t supposed to get a cake. abang long didn’t get a cake on his 2nd birthday so we should be fair, eh? however, a last minute invitation to a makan-makan led us to order a barney cake from – who else – dubai baker fida.

 

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tada! as usual, i ordered our family favorite, the carrot cake with cream cheese. including this one, i think we’ve ordered about 5 carrot cake already from fida! it was a last minute order, but she managed to pull it off. thanks dear! you’re a super-baker!

and the cake is delicious as always!

 

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as for the barney bit, kahfi still likes thomas & friends (but that was his 1st bday cake) and he already likes ben10 just like big bro (but that’s khaleef’s 5th bday cake) – so i was left with either barney (which kazim also likes hihi), cars, or toy story.

choosing barney was a wise move because the cake turned out so beautiful, because it’s so colorful!

 

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oh, what makan-makan was this?

mr. khairul’s mckk senior, abg faisal’s kid just got accepted into mckk. the proud father wanted to belanja other fellow old boy of mckk at tawasol – mandi rice! also, his daughter’s birthday is on the 29th this month, so they brought a cake to celebrate the occasion.

 

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bday girl sarah with khaleef and nabil

 

since it was already a makan-makan, with a small gathering of friends, that’s when we decided to get a cake for kahfi and share it with the rest.

 

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best! we got to eat 2 cakes : carrot cake & tiramisu! here’s kak muna, mommy of the birthday girl playing hostess cutting cakes for everyone

 

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oh oh. let this picture speaks for itself. oh, and the part with the ‘toe-print’ was eaten by bapak of the bday boy. oh, the sacrifice dads make… hihi

 

what’s kahfi doing? see, i told you he’s so naughty!

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other than the ‘toe-print’ incident, the ever so naughty bday boy was very occupied with a mission : to pick up every single bit of m&ms around the cake. and he managed to secure one whole line of m&ms even before kak muna cut the cake!

 

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thanks abg faisal (in black) and kak muna for including us in rejoicing your son’s acceptance into the revered school of malay college kuala kangsar. may he emulate his father’s confidence, pleasant sense of humor and warm presence.

 

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carrot cake with cream cheese, anyone?

Friday, December 24, 2010

For Kahfi : Facebook Bday Wishes

don’t mind this entry. this is just for the boys, when they grow up and see what the well-wishers say about them on their birthday as a kiddo.

* * *

kahfi1 kahfi2

 

kahfi3kahfi4

 

kahfi4.1

 

 kahfiteh kahfi5 kahfi9

 

kahfi6 kahfi8 kahfi7

 

thanks everyone!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Kahfi is 2wo

my second son kahfi celebrates his 2nd birthday today. all praise to Allah for bestowing upon us this wonderful delight. kahfi was born in the wee hours of the day, in dubai hospital, dubai, united arab emirates.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAHFI!

 

photo

day one

 

there’s no doubt about it. kahfi is MUCH naughtier than his elder brother when he was this age. he’s stubborn, he’s temperamental, and he’s very demanding. i would say he has a very strong character. he wants what he wants and he wants it NOW.

HOWEVER, this birthday boy has a few feathers on his hat :

  1. VERY helpful in putting things back where they belong – like his books, shoes and toys
  2. he loves his little brother very much – if he were running while playing and passed by his bro, he would stop and give him a kiss
  3. he eats a lot – and not as picky as his brother (or mak! hihi)
  4. naps easily – a hot bottle of milk, switch on his favorite show – and a few minutes later – zzz land!
  5. …and when he smiles… it melts hearts!

 

3 months & 5 months

 

11 months & 1 year old

 

17 months

 

19 months

 

happy birthday to my most comot & cheeky boy, KAHFI. all our love ~ bapak, mak, abang long and baby kazim.

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